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• Fitbit recently issued a vital software update to stop batteries overheating
• The Versa 3 and Fitbit Sense were reportedly a risk to their users
• The new update is cutting battery life from five or six days down to less than one.

Just a few weeks after Fitbit issued a battery overheating update for two of its most popular smartwatches, users of the Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Versa 3, two of the best Fitbits on the market, are complaining that the fix is causing catastrophic reductions in battery life.

Google said the overheating problem could pose a risk to users and required an immediate firmware update. The company confirmed that the update would reduce the risk of overheating, but at the cost of some reduction in battery life, and even offered customers $50 if they were affected, however, that compensation figure appears to pale in comparison to just how much battery life users are actually losing now the update is complete.

Fitbit's battery life crisis goes from bad to worse

(Image credit: Future)

"Before doing the update my battery would last about 5 -6 days (depending on how much exercise I did)," one user told the Fitbit community forums, "Now since doing the update it lasts less than a day. That's with everything turned off too (eg. Notifications, snore detection, vibrations, etc)."

"The firmware update has caused an extreme battery reduction," another added, noting their device was also lasting less than a day, where previously it would deliver a week of charge.

Elsewhere on Reddit, users are reporting similar issues. "For a very long time, my Sense battery has lasted a very long time. I leave the screen off so I don't usually need to charge it but once a week," one poster wrote. "However, since about a week ago, the battery has started dying rapidly. Tonight it went from 46% to 22% in 3 hours. That used to take about 2 days."

"I’ve started experiencing the same thing since the firmware update they pushed through," said another.

All signs, then, point to Fitbit's recent planned firmware upgrade causing a catastrophic reduction in battery life. User outrage is widespread, and while Google confirmed that the overheating issue could be a safety risk to users, the trade-off in battery life following the firmware update appears to render devices almost unusable. "I had to charge mine twice in one day," one user in the forum said.

As noted, this should only affect the Versa 3 and Sense, the two models identified by Google as presenting an overheating risk. If you've been affected, drop us a line at stephen.warwick@futurenet.com. We've also reached out to Google for comment and will update this piece accordingly with any response.

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• Some IBM workers were told to return to the office three days per week in 2024
• All of the organization’s workers are now being given similar notices
• Unfair expectations for relocation have earned it the ‘stealth layoff’ title

IBM’s recently enforced return-to-office policy is disproportionately targeting older and long-term remote workers who are less likely to relocate.

According to one employee speaking with The Register, the scheme aims to reduce expenses by requiring employees to work from specific locations – or resign.

IBM is one of many now mandating that workers be in the office more frequently after the pandemic-induced rise in remote working, but its policies aren’t as tight as many of its rivals.

IBM’s RTO disproportionately affects older workers

As of 2024, IBM has required managers, executives and various other types of employees across the US to work from its offices at least three days per week, requiring them to relocate nearer to one of its eight sites across New York, Illinois, Texas and North Carolina.

The company is now rolling out in-person working policies for all of its workers.

Despite pushing the in-person agenda, IBM did not offer any relocation support, such as covering expenses associated with moving for work purposes, even though previous relocations (which earned it the 'I've Been Moved' acronym alternative meaning) did come with some support.

Speaking about the RTO policy, The Register’s unnamed source said: “This included all employees who started working from home during COVID as well as those who have been working from home for 15-plus years.”

IBM had already been sued in 2024 for discriminating against its older workers, but the company is facing similar allegations one year later as it intensifies its office-working efforts.

Workers affected by the changes are referring to the RTO as a stealth layoff – the company has already cut around 5,000 jobs across at least five different rounds (tracked by layoffs.fyi) in the past two years alone.

All being said, IBM isn’t the only company being accused of unfairly targeting certain worker demographics during its RTO calls. Other tech titans have found themselves in similar situations, including Amazon, whose workers are among the most vocal.

TechRadar Pro has offered IBM an opportunity to share its thoughts on the policy, but the company did not immediately respond.

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• Windows 11’s Snipping Tool looks to be getting an improved OCR feature
• New OCR option can more easily copy text from anything on the monitor screen
• It's still in testing but will hopefully come to the finished version of Windows 11 soon

Windows 11’s Snipping Tool could soon be powered up with an impressively easy new way to extract the text from anything on the screen.

This ability was uncovered in testing by regular contributor to Windows 11-related leaks on X, PhantomOfEarth. However, we aren’t told what build it came from, so presumably it was the latest preview release, or a recent one.

Snipping Tool is getting a fullscreen OCR text extractor that's essentially the PowerToys tool, inbox - making use of the better OCR models used by Snipping Tool! Here's a demo.Lets you copy text without having to take a screenshot to do so, Win+Shift+T will also be available. pic.twitter.com/zWteElK725February 20, 2025

You can see how it works to extract text (via OCR tech, or Optical Character Recognition) courtesy of a video of the feature in action in the above post on X.

To sum it up, the user invokes Windows 11’s Snipping Tool and then chooses the ‘Text Extractor’ function, drawing a box around the area of the screen that they want to pull text from.

Snipping Tool then highlights all the text inside the box and offers an option to copy it to the clipboard, and from there, it can be pasted to a document (or anywhere else).

It’s true that Snipping Tool already has an OCR ability, but it only works with a screenshot you’ve taken. This new approach is a much more streamlined and convenient way of working, as you can simply use the feature directly on whatever’s currently displayed on the monitor screen.

(Image credit: Getty Images) Analysis: A useful recruit from PowerToys

This gives Snipping Tool a lot of flexibility so you can, as shown in the above example, strip out all the text from a Windows 11 menu (should you want to). It’ll work for anything on the screen, and as you don’t need to take a screenshot anymore, this makes the OCR feature all the more convenient as noted.

This is something Microsoft has been working on for a while now, as PhantomOfEarth first observed the tool a few months back in November 2024. It has been considerably honed since then, and as the leaker points out, it’s now basically equivalent to the same functionality in Microsoft’s PowerToys suite of utilities.

With any luck, this slicker form of OCR for Snipping Tool could be arriving in the finished version of Windows 11 before too long.

Via XDA Developers

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• Software that appears to be for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 has been spotted
• The foldable could launch in July
• Expect a thinner body and better cameras

We're expecting the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 to make an appearance in the next few months (though Samsung hasn't said anything officially about it), and we just got another big clue about the existence of this book-style foldable.

As per tipster @tarunvast33 (via 9to5Google), a new build of One UI 7 has appeared on Samsung's servers – and it seems to be specifically for a new device with a model number that lines up with numbers used for previous Samsung foldables.

It's not the most comprehensive of leaks, but we'll take it. One UI 7 is Samsung's take on Android 15 and is already available on the Samsung Galaxy S25 phones, and it should be rolling out to older Galaxy handsets before too long.

Considering that the current Z Fold model launched in July 2024 – see our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review for details – the Galaxy Z Fold 7 should be landing in July 2025, most probably alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 (and maybe a tri-fold model too).

What we think we know so far

Exclusive ‼️ Galaxy Z Fold7: The first One UI test build spotted on the server today! Build Version: F966USQU0AYB3/F966UOYN0AYB3/F966USQU0AYB3 It may be One UI 7.0.1, as early rumors say. pic.twitter.com/5uoLUdhQ55February 19, 2025

We've already heard quite a bit from the rumor mill when it comes to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, but don't get your hopes up, as it seems as though the next edition of the foldable might not bump up the internal specs too much.

On the plus side, better battery life is something that's been talked about. Both the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 have been tipped to come with more efficient screens, which should mean longer times between recharges.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 also seems to be in line for a camera upgrade, borrowing from the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition that's only available in Asia: specifically, the 200MP primary camera is rumored to be heading to the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

There have also been hints that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is going to be significantly thinner than the Z Folds that came before it – though it's unlikely to beat the thinnest foldable to date, the Oppo Find N5, which is a mere 4.21 mm front to back when unfolded.

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• All Gemini app users can now upload documents for analysis
• Documents only for now, but this may soon change
• Google adds Deep Research to Workspace, but only on certain tiers

Taking your workload to the next level could soon get even more intelligent thanks to a new update from Google and its Gemini AI platform.

The company has announced all Gemini users will now be able to upload documents to the platform and receive AI-powered improvements and customization options.

But that's not all - it also revealed its Gemini Deep Research platform is arriving on certain Google Workspace tiers, giving users deeper and smarter insights to complex topics.

Gemini document upload

In a post on X, Google Gemini outlined what users can expect from the new feature. To upload a file, users should tap the plus sign when asking Gemini a question, and select "files". Anyone signed up will be able to upload multiple files, including Google Docs, PDFs, and Microsoft Word word processor documents, whether stored on Google Drive or on your device.

Once uploaded, users will be able to benefit from a number of features, including getting summaries, giving personalized feedback, and gaining actionable insights, all of which Google says can streamline your workflows and save you time.

The feature is limited to documents for now, however users with a Gemini Advanced subscription can still upload spreadsheets or code files.

(Image credit: Google Workspace)

Elsewhere, following a wider consumer rollout earlier in February 2025, Google has made its Gemini Deep Research service available on select Google Workspace tiers.

Users with Gemini Advanced, which is available for Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus tiers, will be able to access the service, which offers a range of analysis and recommendation options.

"Deep Research explores complex topics on your behalf and presents its findings in a comprehensive, easy-to-read report," a Google Workspace Updates blog post read, highlighting how the service, "brings hours of research to your fingertips in mere minutes."

This includes tasks such as industry research, helping understand emerging trends to inform market analysis, competitive research around other firms, customer research on prospective leads, and helping educators with grant writing, lesson planning, class projects, or presentations.

"Thorough research can take a lot of time between planning, searching, browsing, analyzing, and reporting. It can be tedious work and often difficult to even know where to start. Deep Research can save hours of work by browsing the web on your behalf, analyzing information in real-time, and developing comprehensive research reports in minutes to get you up to speed on just about anything."

Users will also be able to choose from several models depending on what version of the Gemini app you have, with 1.5 Pro with Deep Research now available alongside the existing 2.0 Flash, as well as newly-added 2.0 Pro Flash Thinking Experimental, and 2.0 Pro Experimental.

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• Shuhei Yoshida has discussed PlayStation PC ports in a new interview
• He said that they can help reach a new audience, especially where consoles are not popular
• They also generate money that can be invested in future games

Former Sony Interactive Entertainment president Shuhei Yoshida has discussed the rise of PlayStation PC ports in a new interview.

Speaking on gaming podcast Sacred Symbols (spotted by Push Square), he said that "releasing on PC does many things, it reaches a new audience who do not own consoles - especially in regions where consoles are not as popular."

He went on to highlight the market in China as an important factor: "China is a huge PC game market [...] and China is a growing but very small console market. In order to reach the audience in countries like China then it’s crucial to release on PC."

On top of this, he argued that reaching a new audience may create new long-term PlayStation fans. "The idea is that those people may become fans of a particular franchise, and when a new game in that series comes out, they may be convinced to purchase a PlayStation," he said.

He also claimed that there were simple economic reasons behind it. “It also adds additional income, because porting to PC is way cheaper than creating an original title," he remarked. "So, it’s almost like printing money and that helps us to invest in new titles now that the cost of games has increased"

Right now you can buy (take a deep breath) Until Dawn, God of War Ragnarok, Helldivers 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered, Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition, The Last of Us Part 1, Returnal, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, God of War, Days Gone, and Horizon Zero Dawn on PC.

That's an awful lot of PS5 games and there's no sign that this trend will be slowing down any time soon, at least if this interview is anything to go by.

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• Strava has rolled out upgrades to its platform
• Tweaks include improvements to Leaderboard Integrity and Flyover sharing
• Its AI feature is also leaving beta thanks to positive feedback, with some new features in tow

Strava, the best fitness app for runners and cyclists, has rolled out a series of updates to its platform that bring improvements to its AI-powered coach, as well as leaderboard integrity and Flyover sharing tweaks.

Starting with AI, last year the company introduced Athlete Intelligence, a new AI-powered health coach that gives you insights into your progress. It delivers unique readouts for that activity and analysis based on your performance to give you a more instant sense of progress.

Strava has added virtual run and ride data, as well as power insights and segment analysis to Athlete Intelligence, and, excitingly, the feature is now out of beta. The company says this is based on positive feedback from both runners and riders, who reported more accurate insights with fewer mistakes.

Strava clamps down on leaderboard anomalies

If you've ever seen a Strava leaderboard score that was obviously clocked in a car or on an e-bike, we've got good news. Strava is now using machine learning to automatically analyze activities on Strava. It can identify unrealistic speeds, GPS errors, and other anomalies to stop skewed leaderboard results and remove "outliers and potential rule violations."

Strava says the next step will be to prevent bike rides from appearing on run leaderboards, and ride leaderboards from being plagued by scores achieved using the best electric bikes.

Strava is also upgrading Flyover off-platform sharing, so subscribers can now upload their Flyover directly to Instagram Stories or via a shareable link to other platforms.

Finally, subscribers can now compare their past efforts side-by-side to track improvements and progress. Your progress summary chart will include a comparison mode to contrast recent activities with past time ranges of training.

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• A new Nintendo Switch OLED bundle is coming very soon
• It features Super Mario Bros. Wonder and a Nintendo Switch Online subscription
• It's expected to launch in early March, ahead of Mario Day

The Switch 2 might be out this year, but did you think that'd stop Nintendo from releasing yet another Switch OLED bundle? Not likely.

Spotted by Nintendo Life, the new Nintendo Switch OLED bundle packs in a digital copy of Super Mario Bros. Wonder as well as three months' worth of Nintendo Switch Online subscription time. Nothing out of the ordinary for a Switch OLED bundle, then, and it's available to pre-order at Best Buy for $349.99.

It appears that this Nintendo Switch OLED bundle is set to launch on March 1, but the Best Buy store page is currently saying it'll ship as early as February 26. Of course, this may differ depending on which part of the US or Canada you find yourself in.

You might also wonder (hehe) why a new Nintendo Switch OLED bundle is launching, especially as the Nintendo Switch 2 is likely just a few months away? Well, it's not an uncommon practice for console makers to create new bundles to shift leftover stock. Plus, with Nintendo recently passing the 150 million units mark for the entire Switch family, it seems there's plenty of lemon still left to squeeze.

If you've yet to jump aboard the Switch train and don't really feel like waiting for the next console, this is still an excellent bundle to grab. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is easily one of the best Nintendo Switch games. A beautiful and creative side-scroller, its multiplayer support also benefits from the two Joy-Con controllers you're getting in the box.

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