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Ahead of its release details of Google's new Veo 3.1 AI video generator have leaked online.

Even after Windows 10 reaches end-of-life, organizations can still secure and redeploy critical legacy apps safely without costly refactoring.

It's Nobel season — but other stuff happened, too. If you're up on France, legacy media and authors both high- and low-brow, you'll get at least four questions right.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said Machado's work promoting democratic rights is "one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times.

OpenAI's new hit app has unleashed a new wave of AI slop across the internet. But what happens when there are no rules over hyper-realistic synthetic videos?

(Image credit: OpenAI)

Goodall, who died Oct. 1, became one of the most famous scientists of the 20th century for her work observing chimpanzees in the wild in East Africa. Originally broadcast in 1993 and 1999.

At New York City's Tenement Museum, high schoolers explore the American experience through the eyes of one 1860s-era Black family.

(Image credit: Keren Carrion)

Arjun Malaviya set out to travel the world on his 17th birthday in July 2023. Over 13 months, the California teenager traveled through some of the world's most populated cities and most remote villages.

(Image credit: Arjun Malaviya)

Employees at Social Security field offices say the government shutdown has left them unable to carry out an important service: help recipients with benefit verification letters.

(Image credit: Saul Loeb)

In just four months, Trump has suggested or ordered sending federal intervention to nearly a dozen cities.

(Image credit: Stacey Wescott)

Many managers believe AI could replace junior workers; many workers believe AI could replace managers.

Grant Brenner and Ari Gildengers met in elementary school in the 1970s. They sit down to remember the moms they lost at very different stages of life.

Roofman tells the story of a real-life unhinged prison escape, but doesn't consistently deliver tension throughout.

The Apple Watch has hypertension detection for the first time, but it's not a real blood pressure monitor.

If you've never heard the jaw-dropping true story of Jeffrey Manchester, the new Paramount movie Roofman is about to school you in the best way. Don't expect it to outline the facts, but you'll be guaranteed a good time with this endearingly unhinged slice of Toys R Us-themed entertainment.

Remember the good old days in the nineties and noughties when your parents would take you to the toy store to pick something out, if you'd been really well behaved? My eye always gravitated towards the rows on rows of bikes, wishing I could ride one of the ever-so-shiny frames straight out of the door of the shop.

Turns out that if you were a kid living in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2004, you were likely coming toe-to-toe with Jeffrey Manchester, a convicted criminal who spent six months holed up in the city's Toys R Us after escaping from prison (Manchester was previously sentenced to 45 years incarceration for armed robbery and kidnapping). I swear on my own mother's life that this is what actually happened.

In Roofman, Channing Tatum takes on the role of the charming escapee, and it's undeniably the best performance of his career so far. The Magic Mike star's latest role is much more revealing (not like that) and vulnerable, and frankly, Tatum's portrayal of a man who really loves and wants to do right by his kids makes him the hottest he's ever been.

Roofman makes takes the Jeffrey Manchester story to a new level of entertaining

Here's our basic premise: a man robs 45 (yes, 45) McDonalds stores to provide for his kids after leaving the US Military with no support or direction. After a short time in prison, he uses his onsite job in the woodwork shop to make a fake bottom for their weekly delivery truck to hide in, successfully escaping to you know where.

What's most surprising is that the movie version of Manchester falls in love with one of the Toys R Us workers and integrates himself into her church and family – and again, that's what really happened. Every sequence of events seems so unfeasible that it must have been engineered by director Derek Cianfrance to make a plausible movie narrative, but the work was done for him.

If you've ever thought you could survive on the run, Manchester is proof that even if you pick a smart strategy, you will get stung by love and pick up a lot of cavities along the way. Tatum's connection with Kirsten Dunst's character Leigh isn't only what pulls Manchester away from success, but it's what pulls us more into the storytelling.

Together, they're an unlikely yet exceptional pair. The perfect cross-section between what's right and wrong with suburban America. Although, the two never fully reveal their truth to each other before it's too late to act. Isn't that always the way? Leigh in particular is an intriguing portrayal of what happens when a woman suddenly (and unashamedly) decides to go after what she wants, and how that doesn't always end in a happy ever after.

Take a shot every time you see an A-grade actor being underused

Channing Tatum as Jeffrey Manchester in Roofman. (Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

Tatum's balance between kind-hearted loverman and an intelligent criminal is pitch perfect, and seeing the after-hours dynamics in the most magical store in our cultural zeitgeist is solid entertainment, but there are some flaws.

Most notably, Roofman dips around the two-thirds mark. Once we've established how Manchester hid himself and how he successfully lived a double life with Leigh and her children, we've seen the whole movie. The ending, though I won't spoil it, is pretty guessable, despite the true story certainly being available on Google. There isn't enough substance or momentum to drive us through the 126 minute runtime, and that's to the Paramount movie's detriment.

It goes without saying that none of what we see touches the sides of following what happened in real life (though stay until the end for more on this). However, that doesn't mean we needed key details very obviously spoonfed to us. We find out what happened between Manchester and Leigh because another character literally asks Tatum that question, which is the equivalent of reading stage directions aloud.

On top of this, we've got a stacked cast who barely get any screentime, ranging from Ted Lasso's Juno Temple to The Residence's Uzo Aduba. If a film is going to feature people we desperately want to see, it's unhinged that we have to plead (like this) for it to actually do that.

But are any of us watching Roofman for it to blow us away or to win awards? Of course not. I'd probably recommend watching a YouTube video of Manchester's story instead (until an inevitable Netflix documentary comes out), but Roofman is worth it for Tatum alone. Flawed, funny and flaming good at what he does, and that's what we want from any leading man.

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The best video conferencing software is essential in every workforce now. It fosters seamless communication and collaboration between employees regardless of their location. It’s a must-have for companies in 2025, but choosing the right videoconferencing platform in a sea of options can be daunting.

Google Meet is one of the options you’ll likely encounter when researching videoconferencing software. It’s offered by Google, a company best known for its search engine and a host of other software tools. Google Meet is an intuitive platform that’s directly integrated with other Google apps, and it has its unique pros and cons.

I’ve thoroughly tested and reviewed Google Meet to help you decide whether it’s an ideal tool to adopt. Read on to learn about Google Meet’s features, pros, cons, and how it compares to the competition.

(Image credit: Google)Google Meet: Plans and pricing

Google Meet is free for personal use, but the personal version lacks some of the features available in the paid business plans. I used the free Google Meet version to hold video calls, and it worked excellently. However, it became limiting when using it as a group.

On the free plan, group meetings are limited to a maximum of 100 participants and a 60-minute duration. Some helpful group meeting features, including recording, attendance tracking, and admin controls, aren’t available on the free plan.

The paid version of Google Meet isn’t offered as a standalone plan. Instead, it’s part of a Google Workspace plan that unlocks access to Meet and many other tools. There are three standard Workspace plans: Starter, Standard, and Plus.

The Starter plan costs $7 per user per month. Under this plan, Google Meet is restricted to 100 participants and a 60-minute meeting duration, similar to the free plan. However, it offers additional features not available on the free plan, such as live captions.

The Standard plan costs $14 per user per month. Under this plan, the maximum number of meeting participants increases to 150, and the meeting duration is extended to 24 hours. It also unlocks enhanced features, such as polling, Q&As, and meeting recordings, which are saved to Google Drive. Each account has 2 TB of storage, so there’s ample space to store recorded meetings.

The Plus plan costs $22 per user per month. Here, a maximum of 500 participants can hold video meetings for up to 24 hours. It has advanced capabilities, including attendance tracking and the ability to dial into meetings by calling a designated phone number. 

There’s an Enterprise plan with no specific pricing, but it’s best suited for companies with large workforces (500+). If you represent such a large organization, you can contact Google’s sales team to negotiate a deal.

A 14-day free trial is available for Google Workspace plans, during which you can test Meet’s features before making your final decision.

Google Meet: Features

Google Meet is designed for videoconferencing between many participants. A major appeal of Google Meet is that you don't need to download any app to use it, although a mobile app is available for convenient access. You can run Google Meet and utilize all its features on your web browser.

I enjoyed Google Meet’s intuitive interface, which made starting and managing meetings a seamless process. Unlike several other videoconferencing tools I’ve tested, new users can grasp Google Meet’s interface without needing much help.

To start a new video meeting, users can click the "New meeting" button, which is prominently displayed on the Google Meet landing page. You can create instant video meetings or schedule them for a later time.

After scheduling a meeting, you can create a unique link for other participants to join. If needed, you can set a passcode to add an extra layer of security. One of the best features I tested was the ability for participants to join meetings by dialing a phone number – Google will create a unique phone number for each meeting.

I’ve discussed the limitations of the free version, including the number of participants and meeting duration. This free version works well for personal use, but a Workspace subscription is what unlocks the full value of Google Meet and its features.

A key feature is the ability to record meetings, which is available on the Standard plan or above. Recording meetings is standard practice in many organizations, as it lets you review content for mistakes and share information with colleagues who couldn’t attend the original meeting.

Meeting recordings are saved on Google Drive, from which they can be easily accessed. With the Standard plan providing 2 TB of storage per user and the Plus plan offering 5 TB, there’s sufficient space to store many meeting recordings. However, if you run out of storage space, you can upgrade to a higher plan for additional storage or delete old recordings that are no longer useful.

I enjoyed using the polling and Q&A features, which make video meetings more interactive. As the meeting administrator, you can create polls to gauge participants’ opinions on topics related to the meeting.

For example, if debating on a corporate decision, you can make a poll for participants to vote on the direction to take. Technically, the poll could be about anything, but it’s mainly used for topics relevant to the meeting.

(Image credit: Google)

The Q&A feature enables meeting participants to ask questions and receive feedback. These questions can be addressed during the meeting or later. After the meeting concludes, the host and moderator receive a detailed report of all questions asked, providing them with ample time to prepare detailed answers.

Attendance tracking is a valuable feature that Google Meet provides. With this feature, meeting hosts can track which invited participants attend their meeting and which do not. After a meeting, the host will receive an email report summarizing the attendance and duration, including participant names, join/leave times, and the total time each participant spent in the meeting.

If your meeting has a large number of participants, you may need to split participants into smaller groups to discuss relevant topics. It’s similar to how large conferences have smaller meetings that take place between main sessions. Google Meet offers a Breakout Rooms feature that makes this easy.

With Breakout Rooms, you can divide participants into smaller groups that hold distinct video meetings. These breakout meetings work exactly like the main one, with the same Q&A, polling, and attendance tracking features, among others. During a breakout meeting, participants can leave at any time and return to the main session.

From my observation, Google Meet’s audio quality is much better than that of most videoconferencing apps. I think there’s a simple explanation: Google Meet was relatively late to the videoconferencing game, having launched in 2017, compared to competitors like Zoom, which was launched in 2012 and Skype (now discontinued in favor of Microsoft Teams), which launched in the early 2000s.

To differentiate itself amid intense competition, Google’s engineers invested heavily in audio quality. Google Meet offers adaptive audio, which automatically tweaks audio settings to fit your environment, and noise cancellation powered by artificial intelligence (AI). I tested these features and they worked very well, hence my observation of Google Meet’s enhanced sound quality compared to other videoconferencing platforms.

I liked that I could share my screen with other participants during meetings. Screen sharing helps users communicate clearly and address problems in real-time. For example, you can teach a colleague how to use a software tool by demonstrating it live on your desktop, and they’ll view each step you take.

Live captioning is another helpful Google Meet feature, especially during group meetings. When turned on, every spoken word is automatically translated into text you can read. When testing the live captioning feature, it worked well most of the time, but occasionally made mistakes, which is the typical experience with transcription tools.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the talk of this era, and Google Meet doesn’t disappoint in this sector. I used the “takes notes for me” feature powered by Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, which can listen in on meetings and summarize the meeting notes for you. Meeting notes are saved in Google Drive, from which you can access them.

Like with most AI-based features, the meeting notes weren’t perfect. I noticed a few mistakes here and there, but they were decent, although not yet as good as taking the notes manually.

(Image credit: Google)Google Meet: Interface and in use

I won’t mince words to say that Google Meet has a stellar interface. User-friendliness is an area where it outshines most competitors. Features are arranged neatly on the dashboard, with minimal background colors and prominently displayed buttons that make the interface easy to grasp.

Even as a first-time user, you’ll likely not have any problem understanding Google Meet’s interface. First-time users have on-screen tutorials to guide them, and a few minutes can be enough to understand the features.

Google Meet is accessible through a web interface or mobile app (iOS and Android). Both offer the same intuitive interface, functionalities, and extensive integration with other Google tools.

Google Meet: Support

Google offers decent customer support, although the available resources depend on your pricing tier.

Free users have access to Google’s Help Center, which contains detailed user guides and tutorials on Google Meet. All Google Meet features are covered in this Help Center, and it’s ideally the first place to visit for troubleshooting problems.

Free-tier users can also visit Google’s official forum and ask questions. Other users provide valuable help, and you can reciprocate by answering questions too. In my experience, Google Meet didn’t give me problems in the first place, so I didn’t need to consult the forum. The slight challenges I faced were quickly resolved by consulting the Help Center.

Expectedly, paid users have access to more support resources than free-tier users. As a paid user, you can contact Google's support team directly to help resolve any issues. You can do this via email, live chat, or telephone and get quick help. Support is generally fast, but users on the highest paid plans are prioritized more than others.

Google Meet: The competition

Videoconferencing is one of the most competitive software niches. Google Meet has many rivals, and the main ones I’d like to highlight are Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

Zoom is a standalone videoconferencing software that blossomed during the Covid pandemic circa 2020 and has remained atop the industry ever since. I’ve extensively tested Zoom to note its pros and cons compared to Google Meet.

Zoom has more advanced functionalities and customization options. It supports a larger number of meeting participants, which can include up to thousands on standard plans. Suppose you want to host a large webinar with over a thousand participants– Zoom is the better choice because its standard plans can host this audience volume, unlike Google Meet.

The drawback is that Zoom isn’t as user-friendly as Google Meet. Zoom’s interface appears more cluttered, partly due to its broader feature set, and it takes longer to become accustomed to the interface than Google Meet’s.

Microsoft Teams offers similar videoconferencing features to Google Meet. However, it provides more complementary features and is integrated with the Microsoft 365 suite of business tools. It offers more customization and third-party integration, both with Microsoft tools and external platforms.

However, I found Google Meet much easier to use– its interface is less cluttered and feels more interactive. Microsoft Teams has extensive features, but there’s a steep learning curve to get used to them.

Google Meet: Final verdict

I’ll recommend Google Meet for personal use and for small to medium-sized businesses. It’s an intuitive platform with robust features and integration with other Google tools.

Google Meet isn’t the best for large enterprises with many hundreds or thousands of employees. It’s also not ideal for companies that are locked into other business software ecosystems like Microsoft 365. Rather, it’s best suited for small to medium sized businesses that want to adopt Google Workspace as their collaborative software suite.

We've featured the best alternatives to Microsoft Office.

The Nothing Ear Wireless Earbuds are an excellent pair of wireless earbuds that we awarded four stars – and they've just dropped to £89 at Amazon.

Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to swiftly remove Peru's first female president shortly after midnight, marking yet another leadership shake-up in a nation rocked by violence and political turmoil.

(Image credit: Richard Drew)

We’ve rounded up the best October Prime Day deals between AU$50 and AU$100 we’d actually buy, and you can grab big Amazon discounts on favourites like air fryers, power banks, earbuds and more.

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 10.