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After waiting two years for The White Lotus season 3, I can't wait to finally make my reservation and find out who will be in the body bag this time around, as a colorful cast of wealthy socialites check in to the infamous luxury hotel chain once again.

Despite the hotel attracting a string of murders in previous seasons of the show, the allure of these extravagant resorts are clearly hard to resist for the rich as the third season of the hit anthology series takes us to a brand new location: Thailand.

The social satire series follows the exploits of a number of guests and employees over the space of a week, with the cast including Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan, Walton Goggins, Aimee Lou Wood, Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Blackpink's Lalisa Manobal and Natasha Rothwell reprising her role as salon manager Belinda from The White Lotus season 1.

Show creator Mike White teased that season 3 is going to be "longer, bigger, crazier", as well as being “much, much darker” than the two previous seasons, according to White's interview with Time.

I don't even want to skip the opening credits

Let's be honest here, we're all guilty of skipping the opening credits of a new TV show or movie we've been watching. It's often rare to see a title sequence capture us and make us refrain from pressing the 'Skip' button. However, the same can't be said for The White Lotus.

While I'm excited to see a slew of mysteries and dark secrets against the backdrop of murder and chaos, I've already got The White Lotus theme song blasting through my headphones. What makes the opening credits stand out from the rest of the best Max shows is the fact that each theme song is tailored to reflect the season's location, but always features a consistent melody.

Composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer's Aloha! and Renaissance, served as the show's theme tunes for the first and second season, which were set in Hawaii and Sicily respectively. White's expert storytelling doesn't stop there though, as the enticing digital artworks that accompany Cristobal's danceable beats at the beginning of the episodes offer up plot clues and weave in the show's key themes and characters.

Yes, the actual plot is important, but The White Lotus does the rare thing of making the drama's theme music as popular as its groundbreaking premise and I can't wait to add the third track to my playlist.

The White Lotus season 3 will officially launch on February 16 on Max where we'll once again be greeted by Cristobal's delightful composition and the show's suspenseful yet alluring commentary on wealth, class and exploitation.

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The federal government hopes former coal towns will help the nuclear industry grow, by taking on the decades-long challenge of storing radioactive waste

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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 13.

Across Europe we need to change our mindset around ‘closing the digital skills gap’. If we spend too much time lamenting it, we'll fall even further behind.

Instead of considering the challenges ahead as a gap that needs bridging in traditional ways, we need to plot an entirely new route - something we can do using tools now available to us like no-code technology. The skills gap no longer exists in the way it used to, because the solutions themselves have changed.

That’s not to deny that in Europe we face a talent drain. Recent years have seen us lose some of our brightest minds to US-based companies, and the reasons for this go beyond the pay packet.

Something we could learn from our cousins across the Atlantic is how to create a more positive culture around failure and the lessons this teaches us. Trying and failing isn’t automatically a bad thing as long as the same mistakes aren’t continually repeated. Crucially, failure indicates learning and is a key aspect of innovation and progress.

Fail fast and hard or fail anyway

The business culture in the US typically recognizes failing hard and fast as a sign of progress, in a way we don’t see in more risk-averse European companies, and this won’t serve us when it comes to finding the most innovative solutions to business challenges. Overall, this discourages entrepreneurship and investment and makes it harder to fund innovation, contributing to talent going elsewhere.

Businesses of all sizes are increasingly faced with the challenge of finding people with the right technical skill set. However, ‘closing’ this skills gap with a fresh cohort of newly trained programmers won’t solve all their problems.

Let’s be specific. In real terms, for most business leaders today concerned with fulfilling orders and keeping customers and shareholders happy, having access to the right data at the right time is key when making decisions. They need a digital skill set in their organizations to drive actionable, meaningful insights. Most realize they can use AI to do this - but that’s often as far as they get.

Leveraging AI is no longer just about understanding that specialty, but instead about a powerful combination of software development skills and understanding of data strategy and integration. And software skills themselves are changing as the tools available to us get ever more sophisticated.

Why innovation starts with IT

In IT we constantly look ahead. Part of our job is to anticipate the next big challenge and the next fix for a problem - but in nearly every role I’ve had in my career, a large part of the job has been dealing with legacy solutions. They’re just not going anywhere. Any new, exciting technology that comes in has to fit alongside whatever existing systems underpin a business’s processes.

No-code solutions are particularly good at doing this as they provide building blocks which work with both older and newer technologies and systems. They allow for seamless integration without extensive coding, making it easier to update and improve legacy systems.

The other thing that’s changed within business technology is that technical decisions are no longer the preserve of the technical experts. A technical foundation is still vital for some jobs, but not for all. These decisions are often now fundamental to the way a business is run, which means they have to be made with wider business understanding and an appreciation for what the customer needs, rather than a purely technical one.

In reality, a background in software development is becoming less of a requirement for solving technical problems - thanks in part to no-code solutions, as well as other AI automation tools. An understanding of how these solutions work in the wider context of the business is crucial for successful implementation and adoption - and for the best results.

Automation and AI tools

The kind of abstraction and automation approach that AI tools and no-code enable goes some way to solving the ‘problem’ of the digital skills gap. Abstracting away the need to program specific fields and providing the ability to make something visual and more easily understood helps open up the playing field to include those with less technical expertise.

For example, a logistics company might need their shipping processes to remain compliant with regulatory requirements but face complicated programming challenges. Through the use of a no-code solution, combined with the business expertise of the staff to produce the kind of business logic necessary to navigate the low margins often faced by mid-market businesses, they can avoid being stuck with problems that can’t be fixed with manual labor alone.

This kind of situation is where data integration is particularly valuable, because from a business point of view, data only means something if it is applied to an actionable challenge or problem in a business context. Abstraction and automation allow people to focus on what matters. IT professionals spend so much time on complicated problems and can forget that they’re helping drive business outcomes. They need to be given the tools to be able to focus in the right way.

Making the most of the innovation opportunity

However, we’re not talking about settling for something that’s second best. This is a brave new world, and making the most of no-code solutions will bring about a whole host of positive, and perhaps even unintended, secondary benefits.

The first is diversity. Computer science is still a field that’s often inaccessible to many, and while this is slowly changing, the simple fact is that no-code is easier to learn and therefore more accessible to people from all backgrounds. The ease of use of the tools also means more people start to explore their possibilities, bringing about more interesting and disruptive solutions used by a wider range of people.

A second overlooked benefit is helping solve challenges around the ageing workforce. Many employers face a knowledge gap when long-time employees retire, taking with them perhaps decades of experience and institutional knowledge. Financial institutions, supply chain and manufacturing companies often possess old systems still generating data. No-code solutions can help fill those gaps when the people who built some of the systems of yesterday retire but the software is still used.

Appreciating benefits like these that extend beyond efficiency helps us leapfrog barriers to adoption more easily. Often, technical experts hesitate when it comes to abstraction because they think it will mean less freedom and flexibility, and therefore they’re resistant. We see this all the time when it comes to finding new ways of doing things - you have to see it (and appreciate how much time it could save you) to believe it.

Our days spent discussing the digital skills gap are numbered. The IT professionals of the future will still, of course, include coders but we’ll see far more convergence of technical and business skills in the workforce of the future. This will, in part, happen organically - young people of today are far more interested in taking ownership of their digital journey - but it will no doubt be aided by more widespread use of AI tools and solutions that automate certain tasks and processes faster than you can say ‘abstraction’.

We've compiled a list of the best mobile app development software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Tesla is opening thousands of its charging stations to all electric vehicles, making it easier than ever to charge your non-Tesla EV when you're on the road.

Get up to 50% off mattresses, pillows, bed frames, and more with our Nectar promo code today.

That's according to a public State Department procurement document. It comes as ethics experts raise conflict of interest questions about the chief executive of Tesla, Elon Musk, who is a top White House official.

(Image credit: Eric Gay)

Despite high-profile attention and even US sanctions, the group hasn’t stopped or even slowed its operation, including the breach of two more US telecoms.

Asus ZenWiFi BT10: Two-minute review

Back in the olden days of Wi-Fi 5, it was Asus’ ZenWiFi ‘mega mesh’ wireless routers that led the world. While regular mesh systems merely dribbled performance across numerous network nodes (like many still do), the ZenWiFi nodes innovatively used secondary 5GHz channels (plus, the nascent 6GHz channel) as fast backhaul to maintain peak performance at a distance. Nowadays, such advantages are built into the Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 standards, so where does that leave a Wi-Fi 7 version in the form of the ZenWiFi BT10? Let’s find out.

The two smart-looking nodes seem identical, but note the discreet sticker denoting one as the master. Failing to notice this may lead to hair being torn out, swearing for half an hour, decrying the powers that be and wondering why the dang thing won’t connect when you’ve obviously done everything right, repeatedly checked the password and #$@&%! drat. Otherwise, the setup process is simple via the phone app.

The app provides the usual monitoring and management settings on the first screen, and immediately asks if you want to reset the default password and set up a separate IoT network. You can assign devices to people, limit bandwidth, block them or assign them QoS optimizations for gaming, streaming or WFH. An ‘Insight’ tab provides suggestions for security and optimization. The Family tab enables you to set content filtering and on/off schedules (and, unlike some rivals, these settings are free).

Other features include Asus’ (Trend Micro-powered) AiProtection, which scans and protects your network as well as all the devices on it. The usual networking tools are available, including Google Assistant voice control. Ultimately, it’s well-featured and very intuitive. My main concern is that the QoS controls have a feature that tracks the websites used by everyone on the network. That raises some serious privacy issues.

Wired connections are the same on both nodes: there’s Gigabit WAN/LAN, 10G Ethernet WAN/LAN, and 10G Ethernet LAN. All the ports are color coded but that could be confusing to some users. There’s also a USB 3.0 port, which can be used for file sharing and media serving.

So how does it perform? On paper, the ZenWiFi BT10 is a tri-band router with 18,000 Mbps worth of throughput. Note, you can choose to reserve the 6GHz channel for backhaul, but leaving it at ‘Auto’ saw better results. I tested it by downloading video files from a Synology NAS to an HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 at close range, two rooms away (by the second node, at the front of the house) and 15 meters away in the back garden. It scored 1,661 Mbps, 614 Mbps and 370 Mbps, respectively, which is an excellent result.

All in all, the Asus ZenWiFi BT10 is a very appealing package that looks good, offers heaps of intuitive and useful features, plus fast performance to boot. Then there’s the price… Two nodes cost an eye-watering $900 / £779 / AU$2,799. Still, if you need high-end functionality and speed, it’s hard to beat.

Asus ZenWiFi BT10 review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• How much does it cost? $900 / £779 / AU$2,799
• When is it available? Now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

Asus has a plethora of Wi-Fi 7 routers, but (like other vendors) it’s pushing the expensive premium models out first. I saw many of its budget Wi-Fi 7 routers at the Computex 2024 trade show and those will offer similar features at lower cost, but there’s no sign of them appearing in most markets, at least not at the time of publication.

Until then, we’re stuck with inflated price tags. It costs $900 in the US, £779 in the UK and AU$2,799 in Australia. For some reason, Aussies seem to be getting particularly hard done by in this case. Most regions sell single nodes, but only a few, it seems, sell the three-node kit.

A tempting alternative is the Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98. While it’s not a mesh system, the powerful gaming behemoth can single-handedly rival the speeds, performance and features of the BT10, but at a cheaper price. As with most current Asus routers, older models or cheap ones can be used as nodes thanks to Asus’ AiMesh technology – a potentially affordable way of expanding the network into dead zones. However, it’s quite a confronting device and not everyone will want what looks like a giant robot spider in their home.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Asus ZenWiFi BT10 review: Specifications

(Image credit: Future) Asus ZenWiFi BT10 review: Design

• Sleek enough for a stylish home
• Simple to set up
• App (and web-based firmware) are responsive, powerful and intuitive

The physical design of the ZenWiFi BT10 is not far from its predecessor, the ZenWiFi AX XT8. The grilles at the sides are more refined, but both will happily fit into a stylish home or office better than most on the market.

Setting it up is simple, thanks to the mature, intuitive and well-featured app. Just note that, despite the similarities, there’s a sticker on the primary node and you need to connect to that, as using the secondary node won’t work.

While there are many features accessible within the app, Asus has these and many more advanced options accessible via a web browser, and both interfaces are intuitive and responsive to use.

• Design score: 5 / 5

Asus ZenWiFi BT10 review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Security and Parental controls are included (without subscription)
• Has almost every consumer networking feature under the sun
• 10G Ethernet LAN and WAN ports

The Asus router app has been around for some time now and it’s well laid out, intuitive and packed full of features. The opening screen displays a wireless network map and provides a button to manually run a wireless-optimization cycle. There’s a real-time traffic monitor, CPU and RAM monitor, and an at-a-glance display of what type of devices are connected wirelessly and via cables.

The second tab breaks down which devices are connected along with their IP addresses and the resources they’re using. You can easily block them or assign them to family members to provide parental controls. There’s also the ability to configure Asus' AiMesh feature which lets you do things like turn the LEDs off, prioritize the 6GHz channel for backhaul or client connection, and see details like the IP address, MAC address and firmware version. The Insight tab offers smart recommendations regarding using secure connections, intrusion prevention and setting up family groups.

The built-in network security is called Asus AiProtection and it’s powered by Trend Micro. In addition to providing network security assessments, it offers malicious site blocking, two-way intrusion prevention and infected device isolation. It also powers the parental controls and (mercifully) doesn’t require a separate premium subscription – unlike other rivals.

The Family tab lets you add people and their devices to customizable and preset groups. This can provide web filtering that’s suitable for different children’s age groups (plus adults), setting up both online and offline schedules for each day of the week. Again, I’m very pleased to see Asus provide these features without asking for a subscription fee.

The final tab offers access to other standard router features, including QoS and VPN. While the analysis features that come with this are useful, I am concerned about the website history logging, which enables people to spy on the online activity of everyone on the network. You can also set up a USB port as a SAMBA media server or FTP file server, and there’s the ability to add Alexa and Google Assistant integration.

Accessing the firmware via a web browser provides access to all of the above along with functions like adding Dual WAN, 3G / 4G LTE USB WAN, Port Forwarding, Port Triggering, DMZ, DDNS, IPTV, automatic BitTorrent downloading, VPN management; Apple Time Machine compatibility, Shared Folder Privileges, among other high-level, network-admin features. Just note that many of these are available on Asus’ lesser routers, so don’t splash out on an expensive model just because one catches your eye.

Physically, each node has Gigabit WAN, 10G Ethernet LAN, and 10G Ethernet WAN/LAN network ports, plus a USB-A 3.0 connection. It’s also worth mentioning Asus’ AiMesh feature which can use most current (and many older), cheap and premium Asus routers as nodes to further extend a network.

• Features: 5 / 5

Asus ZenWiFi BT10 review: Performance

• Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 for blistering real-world speed
• One of the best performers at long range
• 10G Ethernet for fast wired connections

Asus ZenWiFi BT10 benchmarks

Close range: 1,661 Mbps
Medium range: 614 Mbps
Long range: 370 Mbps

The tri-band (2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz) router promises 18,000 Mbps of theoretical performance, but that only exists in lab conditions and certainly can’t be achieved in the real world where every network’s situation will be different. It’s possible to reserve the 6GHz channel for backhaul only, but leaving it set to ‘Auto’ saw better results.

I ran my tests, which included downloading large video files from a Synology NAS (with a wired, 10G Ethernet port) connected to the router, to a Wi-Fi 7-equipped HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 laptop at three different ranges.

Up close, it managed 1,661 Mbps, which I’ve only seen beaten by Netgear’s Nighthawk 7 RS700S Wi-Fi router. Two rooms away, at the front of my single-story home (by the second node), it managed 614 Mbps. While that’s a significant drop, it’s still impressive, although other premium routers and mesh systems can be a bit faster. More impressively, the BT10 managed 370 Mbps, 15 meters away, outside the home in the garden. Only top-tier three-node mesh systems have rivaled that (and not all do).

In short, it’s very fast indeed, and I happily edited 4K video on my laptop from across the network with no issues at all.

• Performance: 5 / 5

(Image credit: Future) Should you buy the Asus ZenWiFi BT10? Buy it if...

You want fast Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 7 really is a game-changer in that it offers superlative performance for old and new devices alike. I never like calling anything future-proof, but the fact that only cutting-edge clients can come close to accessing its full performance is telling. It will be a very long time before it feels slow.

You have weak Wi-Fi in some areas
Some premium routers do a great job of distributing a strong signal across a large area. But there are plenty of larger buildings that have dead spots due to size or thick walls. If that’s the case, the BT10 will likely help you out, and you can still add additional nodes via Asus’ AiMesh technology.

You hate subscriptions
It’s been disappointing to see that some premium-brand routers now come with core features that you have to pay even more for. In some cases, that means paying for both parental controls and security software, separately. Asus deserves credit for keeping it all free.

Don't buy it if…

You want to save money
The BT10, like many premium Wi-Fi 7 kits, is incredibly expensive. While it’s nice to have a future-proof setup, you can still buy last-gen Wi-Fi 6 and 6E models, with similar features for substantially less. You can also add cheap nodes using old and cheap Asus routers that are AiMesh compatible.

You live in Australia
Australians appear to be the victims of price gouging when it comes to premium Wi-Fi 7 networking devices. The price here is anomalously high compared to other regions, even with the usual tax and shipping issues.

You only want basic features
Some people just want to access the internet without much fuss. If that’s the case, then the BT10 is overpowered, over-featured and overpriced for your requirements. You can save a massive amount of money on a lesser device that will still fulfill your needs.

Also consider

If you're undecided about investing in the Asus ZenWiFi BT10 router, I've compared its specs with three alternatives that might suit you better.

Netgear Nighthawk RS700S
The elder sibling of the RS300 is twice as expensive, but it provides Wi-Fi 7 with an even faster speed of 19 Gbps, and has 10G Ethernet, so is great for high-speed broadband connections.

Read our full Nighthawk RS700S review

Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98
This giant robot spider is the ZenWiFi BT10’s big, gamer-oriented brother. If you can get past the looks, it features similar features and performance in one, less-expensive package.

Read our full Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 review

TP-Link Deco BE63
It’s more mature in the market and the price has dropped even more. You also get three nodes to spread the signal even further. It’s a great-value Wi-Fi 7 mesh kit.

Read our full TP-Link Deco BE63 review

How I tested the Asus ZenWiFi BT10

• I tested it in typical home use
• I tested it at short, medium and long range
• I tested both the wired and wireless connections

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed in February 2025

I've enjoyed pitting various AI chatbots against each other. After comparing DeepSeek to ChatGPT, ChatGPT to Mistral's Le Chat, ChatGPT to Gemini 2.0 Flash, and Gemini 2.0 Flash to its own earlier iteration, I've come back around to match DeepSeek R1 to Gemini 2.0 Flash.

DeepSeek R1 sparked a furor of interest and suspicion when it debuted in the U.S. earlier this year. Meanwhile, Gemini Flash 2.0 is a solid new layer of ability atop the widely deployed Google ecosystem. It is built for speed and efficiency and promises quick, practical answers without sacrificing accuracy.

Both claim to be cutting-edge AI assistants, so I decided to test them from the perspective of someone with a casual interest in using AI chatbots in their everyday lives. Both have shown themselves to be effective at a basic level, but I wanted to see which one felt more practical, insightful, and actually helpful in everyday use. Each test has a screenshot with DeepSeek on the left and Gemini 2.0 Flash on the right. Here’s how they did.

Local Guide

(Image credit: Screenshots of Google Gemini/DeepSeek)

I was keen to test the search abilities of the two AI models combined with insight into what is worthwhile as an activity. I asked both AI apps to "Find some fun events for me to attend in the Hudson Valley this month."

I live in the Hudson Valley and was aware of some things on the calendar, so it would be a good measure of accuracy and usefulness. Amazingly, both did quite well, coming up with a long list of ideas and organizing them thematically for the month. Many of the events were the same on both lists.

DeepSeek included links throughout its list, which I found helpful, but the descriptions were just quotes from those sources. Gemini Flash 2.0's descriptions were almost all unique and frankly more vivid and interesting, which I preferred. While Gemini didn't have the sources immediately available, I could get them by asking Gemini to double-check its answers.

Reading tutor

(Image credit: Screenshots of Google Gemini/DeepSeek)

I decided to expand on my usual test for AI's ability to offer advice on improving my life advice with something more complex and reliant on actual research. I asked Gemini and DeepSeek to "Help me devise a plan for teaching my child how to read."

My child isn't even a year old yet, so I know I have time before he's paging through Chaucer, but it's an aspect of parenthood I think about a lot. Based on their responses, the two AI models might as well have been identical advice columns. Both came up with detailed guides for different stages of teaching a child to read, including specific ideas for games, apps, and books to use.

While not identical, they were so close that I would have had trouble telling them apart without the formatting differences, like the recommended ages for the phases from DeepSeek. I'd say there's no difference if asked which AI to pick based purely on this test.

Vaccine superteam

(Image credit: Screenshots of Google Gemini/DeepSeek)

Something similar happened with a question on simplifying a complex subject. With kids on my mind, I explicitly went for a child-friendly form of answer by asking Gemini and DeepSeek to "Explain how vaccines train the immune system to fight diseases in a way a six-year-old could understand."

Gemini started with an analogy about a castle and guards that made a lot of sense. The AI oddly threw in a superhero training analogy in a line at the end for some reason. However, similarities in training to DeepSeek might explain it because DeepSeek went all in on the superhero analogy. The explanation fits with the metaphor, which is what matters.

Notably, DeepSeek's answer included emojis, which, while appropriate for where they were inserted, implied the AI expected the answer to be read from the screen by an actual six-year-old. I sincerely hope that young kids aren't getting unrestricted access to AI chatbots, no matter how precocious and responsible their questions about medical care might be.

Riddle key

(Image credit: Screenshots of Google Gemini/DeepSeek)

Asking AI chatbots to solve classic riddles is always an interesting experience since their reasoning can be off the wall even when their answer is correct. I ran an old standard by Gemini and DeepSeek, "I have keys, but open no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter, but you can’t go outside. What am I?"

As expected, both had no trouble answering the question. Gemini simply stated the answer, while DeepSeek broke down the riddle and the reasoning for the answer, along with more emojis. It even threw in an odd "bonus" about keyboards unlocking ideas, which falls flat as both a joke and insight into keyboards' value. The idea that DeepSeek was trying to be cute is impressive, but the actual attempt felt a little alienating.

DeepSeek outshines Gemini

Gemini 2.0 Flash is an impressive and useful AI model. I started this fully expecting it to outperform DeepSeek in every way. But, while Gemini did great in an absolute sense, DeepSeek either matched or beat it in most ways. Gemini seemed to veer between human-like language and more robotic syntax, while DeepSeek either had a warmer vibe or just quoted other sources.

This informal quiz is hardly a definitive study, and there is a lot to make me wary of DeepSeek. That includes, but is not limited to, DeepSeek's policy of collecting basically everything it can about you and storing it in China for unknown uses. Still, I can't deny that it apparently goes toe-to-toe with Gemini without any problems. And while, as the name implies, Gemini 2.0 Flash was usually faster, DeepSeek didn't take so much longer that I lost patience. That would change if I were in a hurry; I'd pick Gemini if I only had a few seconds to produce an answer. Otherwise, in spite of my skepticism, DeepSeek R1 is as good or better than Google Gemini 2.0 Flash.

You might also like

• I discovered a surprising difference between DeepSeek and ChatGPT search capabilities
• Yes, Google's new Gemini 2.0 Flash is much better than the old 1.5 model – here's what I found
• I matched Mistral AI's new Le Chat app against ChatGPT, and it did surprisingly well

The lawsuit alleges the migrants have been "disappeared into a black box" and are unable to communicate with attorneys 

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The Gaza Strip – ground zero of Israel's war with Hamas – is only about twice the size of Washington, DC. It has about 25 miles of coastline along the Mediterranean Sea, with a population of about 2 million people.

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For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org

Email us at considerthis@npr.org

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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President Trump had separate phone calls with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine on the same day. Following the calls, Trump posted on social media that both leaders want peace and he said that he wanted negotiations on ending the war between Russia and Ukraine to begin immediately. We hear about what this could mean from NPR's White House correspondent. We also hear about how the U.S. relationship with NATO is expected to change under Trump.

• Google Gemini has added its Deep Research AI model to iPhones
• Deep Research searches the web, compiles, and reports back to Gemini Advanced subscribers
• The information is refined and organized into results viewable on Google Docs

iPhone users who love Google’s Gemini AI assistant have a new tool to help them condense information from the internet. The tech giant has added its Deep Research feature to iOS devices, at least if you’re a Gemini Advanced subscriber. Deep Research debuted on Gemini's web portal in December and rolled out to Android users earlier this month.

Deep Research is an AI-powered tool for compiling information. Essentially, it takes the classic Google search collecting of links and extends it several steps to read what's at those links and organize what it finds into something useful. It’s the first “agentic” feature in Gemini, meaning the AI is more proactive and doesn't just answer questions; it carries out an entire research project.

If you do subscribe to Gemini Advanced and have the app on your iPhone, you can switch to Deep Research by picking it from the model list. Select “1.5 Pro with Deep Research” near the newer experimental 2.0 Flash model. Then, just ask Gemini a research question, something big and messy and complicated if you want to test its limits. Gemini will respond with a step-by-step plan it will undertake on your behalf. You can tweak the approach if you don’t like it, deleting parts or adjusting the focus, and then tap the “start research” button. Gemini then heads off on a digital scavenger hunt, digging through sources, running multiple searches, and refining its findings in real-time.

Don't expect instant answers. It can take between five and ten minutes to complete, longer if it's an especially difficult topic. You don’t have to babysit it, though. Gemini will send you a notification when the work is done, and you can check your chat history later to review the results. Once it’s ready, you’ll get a structured report, complete with sections, tables if necessary, and a full list of sources. And if you want to make it look even more official, you can export it directly to Google Docs.

Of course, Google isn’t letting you run wild with infinite research requests. There are daily limits, and the app will politely remind you how many you have left, just in case you were planning to outsource your entire workload to AI. Right now, Deep Research runs on Gemini 1.5 Pro, but Google has hinted that it will eventually move to the more powerful 2.0 Pro once that model exits its experimental phase.

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The launch of Deep Research on iPhones matters for more than just access reasons. The pitch to iOS users signals how aggressively Google is leaning into Gemini for all kinds of productivity demands. Unlike a standard chatbot response, which can sometimes feel like a slightly smarter autocomplete, Deep Research attempts to simulate how a human researcher breaks down a topic, refines their findings, and presents something meaningful.

It’s also a direct response to how rival AI companies are pursuing similar goals. OpenAI's version of this kind of feature even shares the Deep Research Name. But, with OpenAI, Meta, and Apple working on more advanced AI-driven assistants, Google is clearly betting that features like Deep Research will make Gemini a must-have.

Deep Research is, in some ways, just another tool in Google’s AI arsenal, but it's a powerful one. It's easy to see the appeal to people who feel like they are drowning in information when online. It may not remake the experience of looking things up online, but it could set Gemini up as the crowning jewel for future digital research projects.

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(Image credit: Kayla Bartkowski)

• Sci-fi shooter Metal Eden has been revealed
• It features FPS combat and fast-paced parkour
• It is set to launch on May 6, 2025

As part of today's State of Play, developer Reikon Games has unveiled Metal Eden, a new sci-fi first-person shooter (FPS) that looks like an incredible mix of Doom and Ghostrunner.

Set in a dark sci-fi universe where robots are powered by cybernetic Cores that contain digitized human souls, you play as the advanced android Aska as she fights to save a lost human colony. Throughout your journey, you will be accompanied by a sentient spaceship, Nexus, that gradually reveals more about the world and your purpose in it.

The combat system mixes powerful weapons with the ability to rip out enemy energy cores and use them to boost your own attacks. This is on top of plenty of fast-paced parkour, which sees you dashing, grappling, and wall-running your way around its eight futuristic levels.

You can see the trailer and get an early glimpse at the game for yourself below.

All things considered, it looks pretty impressive - especially in the visual department. It's definitely a massive step up from the studio's previous release, Ruiner, which, while very enjoyable, had a much more of an isometric, indie look.

I'm definitely keen to try Metal Eden when it launches for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S on May 6, 2025.

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