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Syria's new government sent in security reinforcements and imposed curfews on a coastal area after major clashes with fighters loyal to the deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

(Image credit: Omar Albam)

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• Both the AMD Ryzen 9900X3D and 9950X3D are releasing on March 12, 2025
• The respective MSRPs for both CPUs are $599 and $699, similar to previous gen
• The former features a 120W TDP whereas the latter uses a 170W TDP instead

Several months after first being announced at CES 2025, AMD has now officially confirmed the price and release date for its Ryzen 9 9900X3D and 9950X3D processors. They're billed as the "world's best processor for gaming and content creation".

Both the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and 9950X3D processors will be available starting March 12, 2025. The former carries an MSRP of $599, with the latter available for $699, being the two most expensive (and high-performance) chips from the company.

On the technical side of things, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is confirmed to feature 16 cores (32 threads) with a base clock speed of 4.3 GHz and a boost clock of up to 5.7 GHz. There's 144 MB of second-generation 3D V-cache stacked onboard with a 170W TDP.

In contrast, the secondary processor, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, features 12 cores (24 threads) with a base clock speed of 4.4 GHz and a boost clock of up to 5.5 GHz and 128MB of 3D V-cache pool available. Unlike the flagship model, this processor features the lower 120W TDP of the Ryzen 9 9900X (and cheaper Ryzen 7 9800X3D), which debuted back in August and November 2024.

As with all Ryzen 7000 and Ryzen 9000 processors, the 9900X3D and 9950X3D are built on the AM5 platform, meaning you'll need a compatible motherboard. Similarly, these chips are built exclusively for DDR5 RAM and have PCIe 5.0 compatibility out of the box. If you're thinking of upgrading from an older AM4 platform, then you'll have to do more than just swap out the chips.

Regardless of which of the two new processors you choose from, you're going to want to invest in one of the best CPU coolers in 2025 to keep those core temperatures down whether you're gaming, rendering projects, or more. This is particularly true for the Ryzen 9950X3D with its 170W TDP, matching that of the non-3D variants, something we had not seen up until this point.

With a higher thermal design power comes increased heat along with the performance. We recommend a dedicated AIO with a large radiator attached (such as 240mm or 360mm) with a PC case with sufficient airflow and fans inside the computer case.

Leading CPU options, provided you've got the cash to spend

While both the AMD Ryzen 9900X3D and 9950X3D processors are expensive, the company has made the smart decision to keep the prices consistent with the previous generation versions (7900X3D and 7950X3D) from 2023. Whether the generational performance gains are strong enough to consider investing in is something that we'll only know after thorough testing, but those considering upgrading from AM4 should notice sweeping benefits.

How AMD's second-generation 3D V-cache works is by having a dedicated pool of L3 memory stacked onto the chip which acts as a short-term (but incredibly fast) resource for the processor to access immediate data, for higher gaming framerates and lower rendering times than what's seen from processors without a surplus of L3 cache / V-cache. By having frequently accessed data so close to the CPU cores, there's less of a delay between processes and higher performance as a result.

With that said, AMD chipsets with a higher TDP can (usually) outperform the lower TDP 3D options when it comes to productivity and synthetic performance. However, gamers and content creators will notice the edge in performance thanks to the 3D V-cache. It's a curious (but welcome) decision to see the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and 9950X3D with identical TDPs to their non-3D counterparts. We could, therefore, see improved performance across the board.

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• MikroTik's ROSE Data Server RDS2216 combines storage, networking, and containers
• It runs on the 16-core AWS Graviton 1 Arm CPU and has 16 ports
• Supports MinIO, Nextcloud, and encryption, with no subscriptions or paywalls

MicroTik, a Latvian company that specializes in networking hardware and software, has launched a new enterprise server, powered by ROSE (the company’s RouterOS Edition for storage and compute).

Described as a “high-performance, all-in-one storage, networking, and container platform for enterprise environments,” the MicroTik ROSE Data Server RDS2216 combines a U.2 NAS, advanced switch, lightweight 16-core 2GHz ARM CPU and 32GB of DDR4 RAM.

The striking green color server, which has 16 ports including two 100G QSFP28, four 25G SFP28, four 10G SFP+ and two 10G Ethernet ports, also has twenty U.2 NVMe storage slots. It supports a number of advanced storage features, such as NVMe-TCP block device export, encryption layers, and modular configurations, with no subscriptions or paywalls. It's container-ready, seamlessly running MinIO, Nextcloud, Shinobi, Frigate, and other OCI-compliant containers, with additional USB ports for potentially even greater adaptability.

AWS Graviton 1

The ARM chip powering the RDS is certainly one of the more interesting things about the server. The AL73400 is a 16-core ARMv8 SoC developed by Annapurna Labs, which happens to be a subsidiary of Amazon. The chip, also known as the AWS Graviton 1 processor, was originally introduced in 2018 to boost Amazon's cloud infrastructure.

Beyond that, the server has 32GB of RAM (which is a bit stingy) and 128MB of NAND storage. It also features IPsec hardware acceleration, ensuring encrypted connections without performance bottlenecks. MicroTik says the device is rated for 200,000 hours MTBF at 25°C and operates within a temperature range of -20°C to 50°C.

Suggested uses for the RDS2216 include self-hosted MinIO cloud storage, NextCloud enterprise cloud hosting, high-speed backups and database clusters, containerized infrastructure, branch office storage expansion, auto-encrypting storage, and private social media hosting.

Writing about the server, ServeTheHome says, “MicroTik and Ampere have had postings about working together previously. Hopefully that becomes the network side of this with RDIMM support and more. Assuming this sells for under $2000 it might make for a really neat option, but it is also one we want to try before recommending.”

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While the EU basks in a successful mission, SpaceX investigates what went wrong with Starship explosion.

Apple remains the only big phonemaker without a foldable, and the newest rumor says, yet again, it could launch by 2026.

• Samsung, Meta and Apple are reportedly working on OLED VR headsets
• Meta's headset is tipped for 2026, while Apple's is set for 2027
• Samsung and Meta will use new OLED on Silicon displays

OLED, OLED, OLED – that’s the name of the game right now in the XR world, if a report on leaked hardware specs is to be believed. Samsung, Apple, and Meta are said to be working on OLED-display equipped headsets. And while Samsung's and Apple's plans are interesting, Meta’s OLED headset could be a winner for one big reason: cost.

Starting with Samsung – because its headset is the only one we officially know exists – the report via The Elec (a South Korean outlet, details translated and summarized by @Jukanlosreve) says the upcoming consumer version of Project Moohan headset (the Android XR wearable it developed with Google) will come with a 1.3-inch display boasting a pixel density of 3,800 PPI (pixels per inch).

Interestingly this OLEDoS display (OLED on Silicon, also known as Micro OLED tl;dr: they’re very tiny but high-density OLED panels built on silicon) would come from Sony, not Samsung Display, and it’s higher than the 3,386ppi display used by the Apple Vision Pro – suggesting that Samsung wants to cement Moohan as a high-end alternative the Apple headset. Hopefully it won’t be as pricey (I’m not holding my breath).

Speaking of Apple, it's said to be working on a Vision Pro that’s more consumer-friendly (read: cheaper). Instead of silicon, according to the above report Apple will rely on more traditional glass OLEDs with a 1,500ppi, with a release planned for 2027 – but I’m not holding my breath for this device to be affordable as being cheaper than a $3,500 headset could still be very expensive.

Meta's OLED headset plan

A cheaper Vision Pro isn't necessarily cheap (Image credit: Future)

Last up is Meta, which reportedly plans to use a 0.8 to 0.9-inch OLEDoS display in a headset set for 2026.

The smaller display size would apparently be a cost-cutting measure. OLED panels are typically made large and then cut to size, and Meta is apparently hoping that if it can reliably create a 1.42 OLEDoS unit (the same size as a Vision Pro) it can then cut that up into roughly four 0.8 to 0.9-inch panels, and cut its costs by a quarter. Given this small size, though, it may need to use two displays per headset (which would follow the two-display setup used in its Quest headsets), which would only halve the effective cost.

Regardless, OLEDoS displays, even at a quarter or half the cost, likely wouldn’t come cheap – which is why I’m expecting this 2026 headset would be the rumored Meta Quest Pro 2. It's supposedly been cancelled twice already, but the third time seems to be the charm, as Meta might have settled on a unique glasses-like shape (which I think sounds awesome, by the way), and some OLED screens would help cement it as an exciting proposition.

A 2026 window would also work for a Meta Quest 4 launch (based on the three-year gap between the Quest 2 and Quest 3 releases), although unless Meta can seriously bring costs down, OLED displays might be a bridge too far for its mid-range line, where they wouldn’t be for its high-end Quest Pro headsets.

As with all leaks and rumors we’ll have to take these details with a pinch of salt – especially in the case of Meta and Apple – as even if these are their current plans there’s plenty of time for things to change, and we won’t know what any of these brands has in store for us until they make an official announcement. Hopefully Samsung won’t leave us wondering for much longer, and perhaps Meta will tease something at Meta Connect 2025.

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Rather than buy bitcoin directly, Donald Trump’s plan calls for holding the US government’s current bitcoin assets in reserve—and creates a separate stockpile for other crypto coins.

Cricut's budget-friendly cutting machine makes it much easier to create more cool stuff at an even better price.

Google dropped the feature nearly 11 years ago, but Apple recently brought it back into the spotlight with its own version.

• Major Russian cryptocurrency site taken down by law enforcement
• Garantex has previously been sanctioned by the EU and US
• The site allegedly had links to cybercrime and ransomware

Law enforcement agencies from across the world have come together to shut down infamous Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex, which was popular amongst cybercriminals, especially ransomware gangs, who often use cryptocurrency to launder money gained in ransom attacks.

The Garantex website has been taken down and replaced with a notice confirming the seizure - with the shutdown comes just days after the EU sanctioned the site for being “closely associated with EU-sanctioned Russian banks”.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia obtained a seizure warrant for the domain, which enabled law enforcement to take down the website. Several agencies are credited in the notice, including the US Department of Justice, Secret Service, the Finnish Poliisi Keskusrikospoliisi, and German Bundeskriminalamt.

Crypto losses

The US Government also sanctioned Garantex back in April 2022, after it was linked to criminal activity and dark web markets - including almost $6 million from Russian ransomware gang Conti.

Cryptocurrency is a popular tool for cybercriminals, as currencies are largely anonymous, untraceable, and unregulated - with no central server or administrator. In fact, it’s been reported that around $40 billion worth of illicit crypto transactions took place in 2024, and is predicted to rise in 2025. Dr. Ilia Kolochenko, CEO at ImmuniWeb explains;

“While some jurisdictions are willingly blind and readily close their eyes to certain types of illicit activities related to both cybercrime and money laundering, operating a fully functional crypto exchange solely from those “safe havens” is virtually impossible in the interconnected world.”

"The good news is that we will probably see even more successful cyber operations by law enforcement agencies in 2025, while the bad news is that cybercriminals will certainly learn the lesson and will very soon resurrect with even more resilient infrastructure to continue their business.”

Via TechCrunch

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Google Pixel phones are apparently kicking out some strange vibrations after the recent March update.

Over on the Google Pixel subreddit multiple Pixel users reporting that after they install the update the haptic vibrations their Pixel phones are serving up feel different than before.

Some notice this when typing on the Pixel virtual keyboard, while others claim that all vibrations feel different.

One poster going by the handle of Krysnosis noted: "On typing I don't feel it, but the back gesture I immediately felt the hollow feeling. It has less thunk and doesn't feel as clean. Now, it has a lingering light vibration. Before, it just ended cleanly."

It's hard to narrow down whether these changes are affecting particular Pixel models, or most Pixel phones that qualify for the update.

But the general vibe of the Reddit thread is that the change in vibrations feel less direct and robust, something that wasn't met with approval from those affected.

There's no mention of any changes to haptics or the intensity of the vibrations in Google's changelog for the March 2025 update, so this would appear to be a bug.

I'm in the process of downloading an update for my Google Pixel 9 Pro, which is taking some time due to my slow internet, so I'm afraid I can't bring you any insight from my side just yet.

The folks at 9to5Google say they haven't noticed any vibration changes on their Pixel 9 models; however, The Verge reported detecting vibration changes in the Google Pixel 8 phones, while Reddit users noted that the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro have been affected.

So it's all a little strange, and Google has yet to comment on the vibration issues. If you've notices changes to vibrations on your Pixel, let me know in the comments below.

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Amazfit Active 2: One minute review

(Image credit: Future)

In my 10 years of using Apple Watch, the Amazfit Active 2 is the closest I've ever come to ditching my Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Subjectively, the styling of the Active 2 isn't normally what I'd lean to, but Amazfit has nailed a clearly classic stainless steel design that will delight fans looking for a more subtle, understated smartwatch.

For just $99, the Amazfit Active 2 far outstrips its price tag, punching well above its weight in terms of features, fitness tracking accuracy, and more. Its battery life is to be lauded and definitely holds up to Amazfit's claims.

It's not perfect: it doesn't quite sit flush on my wrist, and to get NFC you have to pay $30 extra for the premium model. However, the astonishing $99 price tag covers up all of the quirks to render this a pure five-star pick in my book.

It's miles ahead of the CMF Watch Pro 2, and easily on a par with some more expensive mainstream offerings.

Nitfy features including an on-board AI assistant add to the experience. The Strength Training feature could use a little refinement, but its intelligent rep counter and timer are handy in the gym.

Overall, there's very little not to like here, and even the $129 premium model (not tested here) strikes me as good value for money.

Amazfit Active 2: Specifications Amazfit Active 2: Price and Availability

(Image credit: Future)

• $99/£99/AU(tbc)
• Two versions
• Premium version is more expensive and includes premium strap, NFC

The Amazfit Active 2 is available now from the company's website, as well as Amazon and a range of third-party retailers.

The base model reviewed here costs $99/£99, with Australia pricing and availability to be confirmed. For that you get the Watch, a sport strap, and the charging puck (but no USB-C cable).

The premium version is $129/£129 and includes a more premium leather strap, as well as a free silicone sport band. Upgrading to the premium version also gets you more durable sapphire glass and NFC for contactless payments.

That puts the Amazfit Active 2 nicely in the price bracket of the best cheap smartwatches on the market. It's a little pricier than the likes of the CMF Watch Pro 2, but cheaper than the Apple Watch SE 2 and the Garmin Forerunner 165.

Given the overall quality and what you get for your money, I think it's a fantastic price and a real value-for-money pick.

I'll touch on this more in my review, but given the overall price and what you get extra, I'd also have no reservations recommending the more premium model. However, both are excellent value.

• Value score: 5/5

Amazfit Active 2: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• New round display
• Classic look with premium stainless steel
• Imperfect fit

When it comes to smartwatches, I'm definitely team squircle. However, Amazfit made a big change with the design of the Active 2 that is slowly growing on me.

Where the original was really a clone of the Apple Watch in many respects, the Amazfit Active 2 boasts a stunning round design with a stainless steel body.

This is absolutely a smartwatch designed to look like a classic watch, with a really premium feel and finish. It's much more refined and less bulky than the CMF Watch Pro 2 I tested recently, and it's also really comfortable.

You get two buttons used for power, triggering workouts, and activating the AI assistant, as well as various other tasks you can assign.

I honestly can't believe how premium the design feels for a $99 smartwatch, Amazfit has really smashed it with this one and there's very little not to like.

(Image credit: Future)

Of course, it's not perfect: the bezel between the stainless steel chassis and the edge of the display is a little large, but even this doesn't look out of place and actually lends to the overall aesthetic.

The display is a 1.32-inch AMOLED display identical (in size and shape) to the aforementioned CMF Watch Pro 2. However, this one puts out 2,000 nits of peak brightness rather than Nothing's 600 nits.

On the back you get your usual array of heart rate tracking paraphernalia and LED sensors. The Active 2 is extremely light; our model tested here weighs less than 30 grams. It's super comfortable, although I did find the fit to be slightly imperfect, as it doesn't quite sit flush to my wrist. However, this is a very minor issue and doesn't detract from the overall experience. The sport strap, while comfortable, is also a little finicky to apply at first. The premium version features a more elegant black leather strap that I'd wager is easier to put on, and you get the sports strap included for free anyway.

These are very small gripes though. I have to say that at this price point, the Active 2 is one of the most impressive-looking smartwatches on the market, and will delight prospective users looking for a more classic look and feel rather than the chunkier aesthetic of other cheap smartwatches.

It's also one of the most comfortable I've ever worn, and you'll forget you're wearing it after a few hours out of the box.

Compared to the slightly cheaper CMF Watch Pro 2, a top pick in our best cheap smartwatch guide, the Active 2 has several key design advantages despite only being 30 bucks more.

There's the aforementioned brightness gulf, and crucially the Active 2 also has 5 ATM water-resistance, meaning it can withstand up to 50 meters of pressure, and can be worn for showers or brief swims. It's not waterproof by any means, but it's a lot better than most other options in this cheap smartwatch bracket, and it's really nice to know you don't have to take it off for every shower, cold plunge, or hot tub session.

Other impressive features include anti-fingerprint coating glass on the standard version. If you opt for the premium model, you don't get this, but you do get sapphire glass, which is much harder to scratch.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Amazfit Active 2: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Vast feature set
• Unique strength training and HYROX Race modes
• AI coach, 164 sport modes, extensive health tracking

I'm frankly astounded at how many features you get with the Amazfit Active 2 considering its price tag.

I'd say the Active 2's feature-set is impressive for a smartwatch of any price tag, let alone one that costs less than $100. Starting with sport, exercise, and health, the Active 2 features nearly every feature you'd expect in a cheap smartwatch.

There's workout tracking for 164 sport modes, with a couple of unique advanced features. If you're training strength, there's smart recognition of 25 movements, automatic rep tracking, and a built-in exercise timer/workout plan generator you can follow. (I'll address the efficacy of this more in the performance section).

Runners will find a Track Run mode, smart trajectory correction, and even a virtual pacer. There's also Zepp Coach, an AI-powered workout companion that can generate customized training plans.

Health-wise, you'll find a daily Readiness score and insights and monitoring for heart rate, as well as blood oxygen, stress, temperature, heart rate, sleep heart rate variability, sleep stages and schedule, sleep scores, and more. There are reminders on board for high and low heart rates, low blood oxygen, and even high stress levels with prompts to perform breathing exercises.

Elsewhere, there's an onboard AI companion, Zepp Flow, that can pull up metrics with voice commands and change settings. Zepp Pay, powered by NFC, is only available on the more expensive premium model we didn't test, so if that's an important feature to you, it might be worth paying the extra.

You do get a separate wallet app for membership cards though, and other cool software features like To Do List. The Active 2 works with both Android and iPhone, and can be used to control your phone's music via Bluetooth, you'll also get call and SMS notifications as well as app notifications, and even Find My Phone.

Under the hood, you get GPS (Amazfit says there are five satellite positioning systems but hasn't shared any further info) and Bluetooth 5.2 BLE, as well as a microphone and speaker. It also, rather essentially for a watch, tells the time.

If I were being harsh, reserving NFC for the premium model is arguably a shame, but this is a technicality. Honestly, I can't believe how much smartwatch you get from the Active 2 for $99. You don't find features like ECG at this price point in the smartwatch market(even the doubly expensive Apple Watch SE doesn't offer it), but it's important to note that there are always going to be limitations in a $99 smartwatch.

Still, at this price, you'll struggle to find a more extensive set of features in a smartwatch, and the lack of NFC isn't enough to merit deducting any points when you can add it for $30.

• Features score: 5/5

Amazfit Active 2: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Exceptional battery life
• Very accurate fitness and heart rate tracking
• Snappy everyday use
• Useful AI assistant

All of these features don't mean much if a smartwatch can't perform, but I'm happy to report that the Amazfit Active 2 has excelled in testing, handling everything I've thrown at it with ease.

Starting off with everyday use, the Active 2 is very snappy to use in day-to-day tasks. I've found scrolling menus, changing settings, reading messages, and more to all be very responsive and seamless.

Obviously, the Active 2 doesn't have the same polish as Apple's watchOS 11, and doesn't even run Wear OS, but it's still very impressive. It also features some very sharp-looking faces including the Vital face pictured here.

I conducted a series of tests to check the accuracy of the Active 2's exercise tracking and was really impressed. A gentle 34-minute run with the Active 2 on my left wrist and the best Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Ultra 2, on my right wrist, yielded exceptional parity.

The Active 2 nailed the GPS route map and the exact distance within two decimal places. Apple Watch gave my average heart rate as 135 bpm, while the Active 2 said 136.

Active calories for the Apple Watch and Active 2 were listed as 341 and 372 respectively, which is a bigger gap but still respectable. The jury is out on just how accurate any smartwatch calorie tracker is, so just being in the relative ballpark is enough for us here. For all we know, the Active 2 could well be the more accurate reading.

The Active 2 pinged 1km intervals at exactly the same time as the Ultra 2, and its heart rate monitor is actually more responsive, delivering more frequent reading updates than Apple's version, always within one or two bpm.

Comparing every metric gave a positive match, which I can only conclude indicates that this Active 2 can keep up with pretty much any smartwatch on the market when it comes to fitness tracking. It of course lacks the depth of the best Garmins, but so does pretty much every other smartwatch out there.

(Image credit: Future)

The Active 2 delivered similar competitive measurements versus the Ultra 2 during a strength workout test I did. It was here that I was first exposed to the Active 2's unique Strength Training features.

The watch features a built-in rep counter and system for logging weight, timing rest, and more. I can see that with plenty of practice, this could be a handy tool for strength training, because you can track your weightlifting on the fly and check your progress after the fact.

I found the automatic rep tracking worked most of the time, it's not perfect and obviously not as useful for exercises that don't involve moving your arms, but there's promise here. There's also a gym routine planner in the app, however, this is less intuitive. I was able to put together a test workout and follow the plan in the gym, but was left bamboozled by a number of strange quirks.

Each unit you add to the training is called an "interval", not to be confused with actual interval training. The app refers to reps (how many times you lift in a single set) as "times", and these are, somewhat confusingly, logged under the duration section of the exercise you want to add.

Likewise, sets (the number of times you do a certain number of reps) are referred to as "repeats" or "loop counts". The terminology is very confusing, and the first few times I tried to create a workout I really mangled it. The language is generic so that it can also be applied to other workout modes including intervals, running, and more, which is fine, but it's definitely clunky.

Furthermore, rest isn't added automatically between sets, but has to be put in manually. With practice I'm sure it's helpful but it is definitely not easy to do.

(Image credit: Future)

This was my only wrinkle in an otherwise flawless performance. The Strength Training feature is a very small part of the overall experience, so again it doesn't detract too much, and it's nice to have.

In my opinion, the coup de grace is battery life. Rated for up to 10 days of "typical usage," I started my battery life testing at around 9 am with 55%. 24 hours later I had used barely 15% battery.

53 hours later, my battery was 13%, using up less than 0.8% an hour, almost bang on the up to 5 days of heavy usage Amazfit promises. During that time I conducted three strength workouts, a run, and two full nights of sleep tracking, never taking the watch off or charging it.

As with any smartwatch, your mileage may vary and battery life can be influenced by a ton of factors including GPS usage and the always-on display. As it stands, though, the Active 2 is certainly good for its promised longevity.

The Active 2 also has an AI assistant party piece dubbed Zepp Flow. Powered by OpenAI, it's like Amazfit's own version of Siri, except it actually works and is useful. You can assign it one of the buttons for quick access, and use your voice to input simple commands.

You can adjust and tweak settings, call up health metrics using questions such as "How many steps have I walked today?", and even reply to messages on Android with the feature. Of all the prompts and questions I tried, Zepp Flow didn't put a foot wrong once, and it's incredible to see an AI-powered wrist assistant that's actually useful, especially on a $99 smartwatch.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Amazfit Active 2: Scorecard Amazfit Active 2: Should I buy?

(Image credit: Future) Buy it if...

You want the ultimate cheap smartwatch

You won't find a better smartwatch at this price, or one with this many features.

You're on a budget

This is much less expensive than cheap options from the likes of Garmin and Apple.

Don't buy it if...

You want elite fitness tracking

The Active 2 can't keep up with Garmin's industry-leading fitness tracking, and there are more capable pure fitness watches out there.

You want full iPhone or Android integration

Eschewing watchOS or Wear OS will always lead to quirks, so if you want the most seamless experience with your iPhone or Android, buy an Apple Watch or Wear OS model respectively.

Amazfit Active 2: How we tested

I used the Amazfit Active 2 as my main smartwatch for an entire week. I tested it during running and strength workouts, as well as overnight for sleep tracking. Comparisons were conducted using the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and I tried and tested all of the Zepp app features and functionality using an iPhone 16 Pro.

Amazfit Active 2: Also consider

The Original CMF Watch Pro is a pretty stylish and capable watch. It's cheaper than the Active 2, and has better battery life and a larger display over the newer CMF Watch Pro 2.

Read our full CMF Watch Pro Review

The CMF Watch Pro 2 boasts a similar circular design and many of the same features as the Active 2, but is around $30 cheaper in any given market.

Read our full CMF Watch Pro 2 Review

In terms of features and performance, the Active 2 is actually closer to the Apple Watch SE 2 than it does a lot of cheap smartwatches. Apple's version is more polished and the perfect iPhone option, but is much more expensive.

Read our full Apple Watch SE 2 review

First reviewed: March 2025

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had given the military until Wednesday to remove content highlighting diversity efforts following an executive order ending those programs across the government.

(Image credit: Sgt. Tyler Main)

Independent auditors have put the security infrastructure of all NordVPN's applications under the microscope and found no critical issues, yet again.

Leading auditing firm Cure53 carried out a series of tests across all NordVPN desktop applications, mobile apps, browser extensions, and some key features. Experts uncovered a total of 31 findings, which the Nord team mostly fixed at the time of writing.

The security audit results come only a few weeks after TechRadar's best VPN provider also proved its no-log claims with a third-party check, showing the provider's continuous commitment to transparency, privacy and security.

NordVPN security audit

Experts at Cure53 conducted a mix of penetration and source code reviews between June and August 2024, for a total of fifty-five days.

As mentioned earlier, NordVPN apps (Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android VPN) and browser extensions (Chrome, Edge, and Firefox) weren't the only tech to be inspected. Auditors also took apart NordVPN Threat Protection, Threat Protection Pro, and Meshnet.

Cure53 found a total of 31 findings, with 22 being classified as security vulnerabilities (with some ranked as High) and nine as general weaknesses with lower exploitation potential.

"This security assessment revealed a high number of issues. However, given the broad scope included in Cure53’s examination, and the large attack surface it encompassed, a higher than average number of issues was to be expected," noted auditors in their final report, sharing recommendations to fix these issues.

At the same time, however, auditors observed "the system utilized several well-regarded libraries, including NGHTTP2, OpenSSL, and Boost," which are known for their stability and security.

On their side, NordVPN has welcomed Cure53 suggestions and already enforced a fix for most of the issues, which was also verified by Cure53.

"Security is at the core of everything we do at NordVPN. Independent assessments like this allow us to continuously refine our technology and stay ahead of emerging threats," said NordVPN CTO Marijus Briedis, ensuring the team swiftly implemented all necessary improvements to ensure the highest level of protection for users.

Despite the findings, the provider explains, the latest Cure53 assessment has confirmed that NordVPN apps are built on a strong security foundation as no critical issues were found.

The security audits come as the provider confirmed its no-log claims for the fifth time since 2018 back in February. In that instance, experts at Deloitte inspected NordVPN's server configuration and relevant IT systems to ensure data related to users' activities is never logged as stated in its privacy policy.

"Our work towards improving security is never finished, and we will keep moving forward," said Briedis. "We are proud of these results and will keep making NordVPN one of the most secure VPN services available to everyone."

You can read the full Cure53 report by heading to the user control panel on the provider website or clicking here.

The Deli Boys actors share some thoughts about their characters.

• AMD has finally introduced AFMF 2.1 in its new FSR 4 driver update
• Its compatible with RDNA 4, 3, and 2 GPUs, including Ryzen AI 300 series processors
• Performance and image stability in games on the Asus ROG Ally are improved using AFMF 2.1

AMD's RDNA 4 GPUs are finally here, along with a new driver that adds FSR 4 support, but that's not all - handheld gaming PCs and RDNA 3 and 2 GPU users will have a new and improved trick up their sleeve to improve performance in games.

As detailed in AMD's Adrenalin Edition release notes, AFMF 2.1 is now available in driver 25.3.1 for Radeon RX 6000, 7000, and 9070 series GPUs including Team Red's Ryzen AI 300 series processors. This is a driver-based frame generation feature (similar to Nvidia's new Smooth Motion) that allows gamers to force frame-gen into games that don't have official implementation from developers.

AFMF 2.1 is built to improve upon frame generation image quality along with reducing ghosting and better temporal tracking - using AFMF 1 and 2 on handheld devices like the Asus ROG Ally wasn't an easygoing experience since ghosting, stutters, and poor image quality were common complaints from people who used it.

Based on some of my early impressions, AFMF 2.1 is a good step up from its predecessor, providing a cleaner image in motion and reducing ghosting to a significant degree - this was evident in my testing of Sifu and Resident Evil 4 (pictured below), two games that have previously struggled when using AFMF with ghosting and constant frame time stutters.

Fortunately, those issues have been minimized as the non-stop action in Capcom's title isn't interrupted by regular frame time spikes (which used to occur even when idle in-game) allowing for a much smoother handheld experience - and it's a great sign for other games that have previously struggled with frame generation software on handheld gaming PCs.

Image 1 of 2

Where's everyone going? Bingo? (Image credit: Future/Isaiah Williams)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future/Isaiah Williams) Now, we just need FSR 4 to come to RDNA 3...

I know FSR 4 is currently exclusive to Team Red's new Radeon RX 9070 series, but if the new upscaling technology can find its way onto RDNA 3 hardware, handheld gamers are in for a treat.

We've seen how close FSR 4 is to Nvidia's DLSS 4 and its new transformer model - while it doesn't defeat it nor match it, it's managed to topple its fierce rivals' previous CNN model, with greater image stability (especially in motion). AFMF 2.1 has impressed me and given me another reason to keep my ROG Ally (at least for now), and any addition of FSR 4 will likely be a showstopper.

Its performance mode is a prime example of the significant enhancements, which reminded me of how great DLSS 4's performance mode looks - imagining how this would perform on a handheld gaming PC is the stuff of dreams for me.

The only strong competition AMD has for producing chips for handhelds is Intel - while the MSI Claw 8 AI +'s Ultra Core 7 258V processor is more powerful than the Z1 Extreme, the current version of XeSS (Intel's upscaling tech) likely can't match up to FSR 4. In my opinion, Team Red's new upscaling method is the final piece of the puzzle needed to make handhelds like the ROG Ally complete - let's just hope it can be done...

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• Security researchers found JavaScript code installing four backdoors to WP-powered sites
• They also found a vulnerable plugin enabling full website takeover
• There are patches and mitigations for all these vulnerabilities

A single piece of JavaScript code deployed no less than four separate backdoors onto roughly 1,000 WordPress websites, according to a new report from cybersecurity researchers c/side, who detailed the four backdoors and explained how website builder users should protect themselves.

The analysis did not elaborate how the malicious JavaScript made it into these websites - we can assume either weak or compromised passwords, a vulnerable add-on, or similar. In any case, the code is served via cdn.csyndication[dot]com, a domain mentioned in at least 908 websites.

It deploys four backdoors. One installs a fake plugin named “Ultra SEO Processor” that can execute commands remotely, one injects malicious JavaScript into wp-config.php, one adds an SSH key to allow threat actors persistent access, and one runs commands remotely and opens a reverse shell.

Chaty Pro 10/10

To minimize the risk, c/side advises website owners delete unauthorized SSH keys, rotate their WP admin credentials, and scan system logs for any suspicious activity.

At the same time, PatchStack found Chaty Pro, a popular WordPress plugin with some 18,000 installations, was enabling malicious file uploads on websites where it was installed. Chaty Pro allows owners to integrate chat services with social messaging tools.

The flaw is tracked as CVE-2025-26776 and has a 10/10 severity score (critical). Since threat actors can use it to upload malicious files, it can lead to full website takeover, hence the critical severity. Infosecurity Magazine reports the function included a whitelist of allowed file extensions which was, sadly, never implemented.

“Uploaded file name contains the upload time and a random number between 100 and 1000, so it is possible to upload a malicious PHP file and access it by brute forcing possible file names around the upload time,” PatchStack explained.

Chaty Pro’s maintainers released a fix on February 11. All users are advised to upgrade the extension to version 3.3.4.

Via The Hacker News

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• The RTX 5050 and RTX 5060 are rumored to launch in April 2025
• It's believed the MSRP of the former could be $299, matching the RTX 3050
• Claims are circulating that there will be three variants of RTX 5060 available

The Nvidia RTX 5050 and RTX 5060 are rumored to launch next month, based on the latest rumors circulating online.

According to WCCF Tech, the two mainstream Blackwell RTX 50 series graphics cards will be released soon, following the midrange RTX 5070, which launched earlier this week.

It's believed that the RTX 5050 will use the PG162 PCB with 8GB GDDR7 VRAM and a 145W TDP. Its pricing is expected to fall within the range of $199 to $249, depending on the manufacturer. This would position it alongside other entry-level graphics cards on the market, such as the Intel Arc B580 from December 2024, which we praised with a five-star score in our review.

April could also see the launches of both the RTX 5060 and the RTX 5060 Ti, with the former launching at the end of the month and the latter claimed to be coming earlier. It is rumored that both GPUs will utilize 8GB GDDR7 VRAM (with the Ti supposedly having a 16GB option), with the RTX 5060 expected to retail from $299, but this is unconfirmed at this time, and so far few concrete details are known about the hardware inside the two budget offerings.

Additionally, alleged industry insider MEGAsizeGPU has claimed that the RTX 5060 family could be announced 10 days from now to hit the shelves "a month later". This backs up WCCFTech's information about a launch coming sooner rather than later, and it's certainly believable considering the trajectory we've typically seen in Nvidia's graphics card launches. Historically, the 90 and 80-class cards come first, with 70-class and mainstream offerings following closely behind.

While unconfirmed, TechPowerUp claims that the RTX 5060 will be built on the GB206 graphics processor with 4,608 cores, 144 Texture Mapping Units, and a 128-bit memory bus combined with its 8GB GDDR7 VRAM. In contrast, this source claims the RTX 5060 Ti's 16GB variant will be otherwise identical, save for double the VRAM. It's likely a placeholder until an official reveal and tech specs are announced, however, it gives us a rough idea of how they could stack up to the company's best graphics cards on the market.

A return for Nvidia's 50-class dedicated graphics cards

Should these rumors be true, then we will be seeing the return of the 50-class graphics cards for the first time since January 2022 with the desktop RTX 3050. While far from gaming powerhouses, these affordable cards have (traditionally) given wallet-conscious gamers a way to keep up with today's demanding games in 1080p, even featuring some light ray tracing functionality.

While there technically was an RTX 4050 GPU, it was solely used as a graphics solution inside cheap gaming laptops and never saw a release as a dedicated graphics card. The RTX 4060 was the mainstream leader of Nvidia's previous gen, starting at $299. Depending on the MSRPs of the RTX 5050 and RTX 5060, we could see a disparity in price similar to the difference between AMD's RX 9070 ($549) and 9070 XT ($599).

At a time when it looks as though Nvidia is solely focused on pushing the goal posts in terms of both price and performance, the addition of a 50-class and three 60-class versions of Blackwell could make DLSS 4 (and Multi Frame Generation) far easier to access for those who don't want to pay out $600 or more at the minimum.

Performance of these cards are unlikely to be groundbreaking, but if upscaling from 720p to 1080p for the RTX 5050 and 1080p to 1440p with MFG, we could see the perennially popular RTX 3060 12GB and RTX 4060 finally dethroned from their top spots in the Steam Hardware Survey.

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