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It's not perfect, but it's got the best mix of previous games and is an instant family game pick-up for the holidays.

Amazon has completely turned over its Kindle e-reader line with freshly upgraded versions of the entry-level Kindle, the Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Scribe, plus an all-new Kindle Colorsoft, its first Kindle with a color screen. CNET Editor David Carnoy goes hands-on with all the new 2024 Kindles at a launch event in New York.

Spectrum’s cable network rules the roost in Orchard Mesa, but there are a few other broadband providers to consider, including a local fixed wireless provider.

Color me not surprised but genuinely pleased that Amazon has finally delivered its first color Kindle.

In the 17 years since the first Kindle first arrived, e-reader display technology has moved at a glacial pace, especially when compared to, for instance, the iPhone, which was released that same year. While that product has seen significant updates across every aspect of the mobile device, Amazon's Kindle has more or less tried on different outfits, from the giant DX to the oddly-shaped Oasis. Amazon and its display partner E Ink gradually improved the pixels per inch to a robust 300 and the contrast ratio to something approaching paper (marked with the breakthrough product Paperwhite). Along the way, we got touch screens and far better LED support lighting for when there isn't enough sunlight.

Nothing, though, has felt like a breakthrough or something that might fundamentally alter our Kindle e-reader experience. Not until today, that is.

I get that a color screen in our world of Ultra HD, Super Retina, and QuadHD displays might seem quaint but delivering color on an e-reader is no trivial matter. E Ink display technology is the opposite of active. It's a physical technology where tiny black and white balls are energized to turn to the black or white side to generate an image. Once the image is on your E Ink screen, it takes zero energy to keep it there. E Ink displays generally only use battery power when refreshing the screen. It's why your Kindle battery lasts weeks instead of hours (WiFi and the LED lighting will eat up the most juice) and why these screens are not intrinsically designed for full color.

And yet, I just spent an afternoon with Amazon's new Kindle Colorsoft and was pleasantly surprised at the richness of color. While it is nowhere near as vibrant as an LCD or OLED display, it is a significant step forward for e-reader technology.

Pricing and availability

Amazon announced the Kindle Colorsoft on October 16 along with a new Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite 12 gen, and Kindle Scribe. The Kindle Colorsoft lists for $279.99 with 32GB of RAM and ships on October 30.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff) It's Paperwhite plus color

Amazon's first color e-reader is still built on the foundation of what is ostensibly its best Kindle: the new Paperwhite Signature edition. That means it has the same 7-inch screen (up from 6.8 inches), wireless charging, and a thin and light, virtually waterproof chassis. It's still a 300 ppi Oxide backplane display, and in black-and-white mode, it offers page turns that are virtually as fast as those of the non-color display.

The 4000-color capabilities come by way of a filter co-developed with E Ink that uses Nitride LEDs to assign pixel-level colors. This is in contrast to the color E Ink Gallery 3 display on the new Remarkable Pro, which uses colored particles to generate on-screen colors. Amazon Kindle VP Kevin Keith told me Amazon chose the color filter because the other technology suffers from too much flashing, ghosting, and latency.

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft specs

Display: 7 inches

Resolution: 300 ppi (150 ppi color)

Dimensions: 127.6 x 176.7 x 7.8 mm

Weight: 219 grams

Amazon chose to move forward on a color Kindle now because it saw the opportunity to build a better color filter with E Ink and rebuild the display stack to support it. In other words, Amazon saw a chance to do a color Kindle its way. "Everything we do is customized. None of it is off the shelf. It's all customized by our display engineers and every level of the stack is created by our team," said Keith.

Part of that stack is the new oxide backplane (also found in the new Kindle Paperwhite), which replaces the amorphous silicon of previous models. This change improves the refresh speed (on the Kindle Paperwhite, it's by a full 25% faster than on the last model, but it's' slightly slower here and noticeably so on the color images) and the contrast ratio.

It turns out that the oxide backplane and Nitride LEDs were also crucial to maintaining the contrast. "The [color] filter pulls down the contrast ratio a little bit," Kieth told me, "and we were able to use the backplane and the LEDS to boost the contrast back up. If we hadn't done that, it would dramatically make the reading experience worse."

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Even though Kindle e-readers eat most of their energy on page refresh, and you would think faster refreshes would eat more power, the opposite is true. The oxide backplane has a higher peak voltage than amorphous silicon, 24v versus 15v, which helps it drive faster page refreshes and richer contrast. One Kindle engineer explained to me that because the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft are spending less time building these pages, they're saving energy.

There is, however, a battery hit. The Kindle Paperwhite is now rated for 3 months of battery life, while the Kindle Colorsoft, which has a slightly larger battery, offers up to 8 weeks. I know that's still a lot of use for one charge, but it is worth noting that the color display comes with a cost.

Keith told me the Nitride LEDs are more color-friendly than the white LEDs used on previous Kindles. "Then we use these coatings to focus the light through individual pixels instead of mixing colors together. The Nitride LEDS are key to that but it's also with these coatings that they put through the display stack that enables the focus to happen." Put another way, Keith explained, it's focusing the light through individual pixels of color instead of just a spray that mixes color together.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff) A color experience

With each generation, Amazon's best Kindles get closer and closer to a paper (or paperback) experience. Like the Kindle Paperwhite Signature on which it's based, the Kindle Colorsoft is about 2mm larger than the last Paperwhite, but it's also thinner and lighter. The larger screen, going from 6.8 inches to 7 inches diagonally, is simply icing on the cake of an ultra-thin book-like experience.

The new color display brings living color to all the book covers in your Kindle Library. It doesn't matter if you downloaded the book last week or five years ago; if it had a color cover, then the book jacket will be in color today on the Kindle Colorsoft.

If you're like me, then you spend most of your time reading lots and lots of black-and-white text on your Kindle. Sometimes, I scroll through my Kindle Library and pause on one of the few graphic novels because I sometimes read these colorful tomes on an iPad. When I consider reading them on the E Ink Kindle, I always pass because I can't see the point of reading them in the comparatively dull monochrome.

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(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Naturally, the experience on the Kindle Colorsoft is significantly different. It's built to deliver a relatively rich color experience that dives below the surface of a cover and into, for instance, the richly drawn and colorful panels of a Deadpool comic book.

Viewing the panels in direct sunlight and indirect light, I thought the colors looked good and warm but not particularly vibrant. They're clear and easy on the eyes (no blue light!), but you should not expect the visual punch you'd find from, say, an iPad, iPhone, or Samsung Galaxy Tab display. E Ink, even color ink brought to you by some clever color filter, will never be the same as a backlit display.

It's a level of color that I think works as a proxy for print. It has that kind of feel and holds up to the same kind of scrutiny.

Unlike true print, though, the Kindle Colorsoft screen supports pinch and zoom. I found I could zoom in and use gestures to move around a graphic novel page. Granted, the redraw on some of this was a bit pokey; you could see the Kindle Colorsoft screen doing its color work. Keith told me the system automatically does more flashing with color to remove ghosting. "If we don't do that, you'll start to see images behind images," added Keith.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

In another experience, I viewed a National Geographic book full of wildlife imagery. Again, the images are sharp and colorful but a bit muted. I also read some anime that looked pretty good. One thing I did do with a couple of the Kindle Colorsofts was raise the brightness to 100% to try and improve the vibrancy. After my all-too-brief hands-on time, I learned that while you cannot turn off color mode on Colorsoft, there is a color vibrancy setting; I have no idea if that's on by default, though.

The color abilities even play out in highlighting content, offering four highlighter colors. Those colors are not just for variety. You'll be able to search based on highlight color, and if you open your Kindle app on the iPhone or iPad, those same highlighted colors will appear there, too.

While I was generally pleased with the color performance, there is no escaping one important and niggling fact: color mode is only 150ppi. That's right – half the resolution you will see when reading a monochrome book on the same device, and everything looks so good at that reduced resolution is an achievement in itself.

It's hard to draw conclusions from my limited hands-on time, especially because the lighting situation was so inconsistent. Bright light bouncing off skyscrapers and into the demo space was a kind of harsh yet indirect light that didn't necessarily suit the Kindle Colorsoft's new screen technology. To truly assess the color and overall image quality, I need to move this device to my test bed, or rather bed, where I do all my Kindle reading.

You see, that's the real test for Kindle Colorsoft. Can I comfortably and enjoyably read these new color images from the comfort of my favorite reading spot.

Cybersecurity is an unavoidable investment for any modern business, but a skills shortage is making it increasingly difficult for small businesses to recruit and retain cybersecurity professionals.

New research from Sophos shows that the issue disproportionately affects small to medium businesses, with organizations employing fewer than 500 employees ranking this as their number two cybersecurity concern, whereas it ranks seventh with larger firms.

The shortage manifests as both a lack of expertise and a lack of capacity. The survey revealed that 96% of SMBs find at least one aspect of investigating suspicious alerts challenging, and that 74% of ransomware attacks against them are successful in encrypting data.

Burnout and fatigue

Smaller companies don’t have the capacity for vigilant cybersecurity, and 33% of the time, SMBs have no one monitoring, investigating, or responding to alerts - meaning many are vulnerable to attacks.

More and more cybersecurity professionals are experiencing significant increase in burnout, with 85% of organisations saying IT professionals have struggled in the last 12 months.

A worrying report earlier this year revealed that 74% have taken time off for work-related mental health concerns. With the average ransomware attack costing a staggering $3 million in recovery, it's no wonder cybersecurity professionals are feeling the pressure.

Working conditions, high workloads, and unreasonable expectations are all contributing to a workforce of over exerted IT professionals, who clearly aren’t being given the right tools to carry out their responsibilities, whether that be training or resources.

As our world becomes increasingly digital, and companies hold more and more sensitive data on their customers, cybersecurity is more crucial than ever. Although it might feel like data breaches are just a part of life now, there is still immense pressure on IT workers to protect their businesses.

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Amazon just announced four new Kindles, including a revamped Paperwhite, a more capable Scribe, and the first-ever color Kindle.

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New NPR data shows former President Donald Trump edging out Vice President Harris in the race for the White House. And, a full list of tips on how to handle political disagreements and destress.

(Image credit: Alex Wong)

I love adventure watches, from analog Casio G-Shocks to the Apple Watch Ultra and Garmin’s Instinct and Fenix ranges. But there hasn't really been any of the best Android smartwatches in that space: the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro are there, but they use Wear OS filtered through Samsung’s One UI Watch 6 interface.

Now, Mobvoi’s latest TicWatch, the Mobvoi TicWatch Atlas, looks like a rugged adventure watch designed to challenge Garmin and the Ultras, and it runs on Wear OS. This means it could be a natural choice for users of the best Android phones looking for a tough, durable watch to see them through hikes, trail runs, and all manner of other outdoor adventures.

With a 90-hour battery life in smartwatch mode and 45 days in 'essential' or low-power mode, it also uses fast charging: 30 minutes on the charger gives you another two days of use. The Ticwatch Atlas packs an AMOLED display overlaid with an “ultra low-power display” detailing time via a digital watch face, steps, heart rate, notifications, alarms and battery life. Sort of a souped-up Casio: it’s a feature that’s shared by the well-reviewed Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5, although it seems a more natural fit here.

The AMOLED display looks ideal for displaying topographical maps of your surroundings, along with the usual navigational toolsets: compass, barometer and altimeter (ideal for climbing), GPS and four other GNSS systems (likely Glonass, Galileo, Beidou and QZSS). It’s also got a heatmaps feature for ball games like soccer, showing you where you’re most active on the pitch, alongside Fall Detection and automatic workout detection, which Mobvoi refers to as 'TicMotion'.

The watch retails at $349.99 / €359.99 Euros in Black and Silver, with pricing for other regions TBC, and is available to order now.

(Image credit: Mobvoi) Analysis: a watch to get excited about

The TicWatch Pro 5 received 4.5 stars in our review, with the writer stating it was “one of the best Wear OS smartwatches around". That ran Wear OS 3, and the TicWatch Atlas is stated to run Wear OS 4. It’s unknown at this point whether it’ll receive a Wear OS 5 rollout, but as even Google is struggling with it right now, I wouldn't bet on that happening anytime soon.

Nevertheless, for Wear OS fans, this might be a Garmin-beating watch, earning its place alongside contemporaries like the OnePlus Watch 2 and Google Pixel Watch 3. Stay tuned for a full review.

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America’s biggest pharmacy chains are closing hundreds of stores, laying off thousands of workers and rethinking their role in our lives.

(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Canon is set to expand its RF-mount lens line up with three new 'hybrid' lenses for its mirrorless cameras. In a teaser, the camera giant posted a picture (above) of its two existing hybrid lenses, the Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z (launched in November 2023) and Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM (of June 2024), alongside three mystery lens silhouettes.

From the press release we know five things for sure: there will be three new lenses; these lenses will be hybrid (designed for photo and video use); they are L-series lenses (Canon's nomenclature for its professional lenses); they will be a mix of zoom and prime lenses; and they will be fully revealed on October 30.

Having intimate knowledge of Canon's best cameras and lenses and its lens roadmap, there's further info that I can draw from the picture to speculate what these three mystery lenses could be. So if you can't wait until October 30, read on to find out what you can reasonably expect from Canon's next product launch.

All about hybrid

Canon is certainly focusing on improving the overall user experience for video with its mirrorless cameras and lenses. Not only is the video recording capabilities of its latest cameras like the EOS R5 Mark II significantly better than before, but so too is the handling of its hybrid lenses, creating a system that's equally adept for photo and video.

Its two hybrid lenses pack video-friendly features, such as a smooth aperture ring and suppressed focus breathing. Now it looks like three more hybrid lenses will join the party, and it could be Canon's design ethos for its pro RF-mount lenses moving forwards.

In June this year, we had our hands on the Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM, which started life at a pricey $1,499 / £1,819 / AU$2,699. (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

Firstly there's the large silhouette in the teaser image, which is virtually identical to the profile of the RF 24-105mm hybrid lens, meaning it's almost certainly a zoom lens. Our sister title Digital Camera World took the press release image into an editor to brighten it up and see what could be revealed, and it turns out the large hybrid zoom lens will be a 70-200mm. That's some clever detective work – though it didn't reveal other details.

That same brightened image failed to reveal any details of the two smaller lenses, both of which match the size of the RF 35mm F1.4 and are almost certainly prime lenses too. A couple of months ago, Canon Rumors tipped two new prime hybrid lenses to be in the pipeline, a so-called Canon RF 24mm F1.4L VCM and Canon RF 50mm F1.4L VCM.

The lens silhouettes would tally with that rumor because it's entirely plausible they would match the size of the existing 35mm lens. Canon doesn't have F1.4 aperture lenses for the 24mm and 50mm focal lengths, which adds further credibility to that rumor.

There you have it – Canon will deliver three new professional hybrid lenses on October 30 and we'll be sure to cover those launches so do tune back in then.

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Amazon has expanded its reverse logistics operations in Europe with its re:Cycle Reverse Logistics facilities in Dublin, with the aim of extending the life of data center equipment and reducing its environmental impacts.

The facilities, which handle the testing, repairing and repurposing of hardware from AWS data centers, are part of the company’s broader strategy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.

By investing in a circular economy, Amazon hopes to eliminate unnecessary waste to reduce its operational carbon footprint as well as its reliance on manufactured goods.

Amazon wants to make data centers more eco-friendly

Recyclable and reusable elements include processor chips, RAM and network cards, which feature high-value materials. The Dublin factory employs robotics and specialized machines to recover precious metals like gold and silver.

Specialized trolleys at the plant, powered by robots, can more up to two tonnes of equipment. Amazon also uses bespoke machines and other processes to extract valuable materials.

Besides hi-tech solutions, Amazon claims to have created over 850 jobs in Ireland, employing a wide range of individuals and budding tech sector workers.

Leader of the Green Party and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O'Gorman, commented on the newly opened re:Cycle Reverse Logistics building: “We need to work together to ensure that products, whatever their shape or form, are kept in use for as long as possible through smart design, repair and reuse.”

Besides recovering value from decommissioned equipment, Amazon’s three-pronged approach to promoting a circular economy in its data centers includes designing reusable and lower carbon rack systems from the outset and keeping equipment operating efficiently.

Already, Amazon claims that its reverse logistics programme diverted 14.6 million hardware components from landfills globally in 2023.

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If the Instagram app on your phone has been acting up since updating to Android 15 then you’re not alone. The app is randomly freezing for users, and Stories aren’t working as they should – though thankfully there’s a fix if you’re happy to sideload an update.

Disgruntled Instagram users have taken to platforms like Reddit (spotted by Android Authority) to highlight the problems. One earlier suggested workaround was to click on the send message button and then go back to the story, though this had mixed success, another had users suggesting you shake your phone to send an error report to Meta in the hope it would encourage the company to fix the app faster.

There’s a much quicker and reliable fix however; you just need to update your Instagram app to the latest version: 353.1.0.47.90.

You can check which version of the app you currently have installed by going to your phone’s settings, going to the Apps menu, selecting Instagram, and reading the string of numbers displayed on this info screen.

At the time of writing, to download Instagram 353.1.0.47.90 if you aren’t on it already, you’ll need to sideload the update from APKMirror. The Play Store doesn't currently offer the update.

Sideloading isn’t too tricky; you just need to download the APK file for Instagram version 353.1.0.47.90, change your phone’s settings to allow app installs from unknown sources, then find the APK in your phone’s files, tap on it, and install the app by following the onscreen instructions.

If you aren't comfortable sideloading then you'll need to wait for Meta to roll the updated app via the Play Store. Hopefully that won't be too long away given how widespread this Stories bug appears to be.

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Chinese state-sponsored threat actors may have already breached critical IT infrastructure in the UK, some government officials are saying.

According to Bloomberg, some senior ministers in the Labour government were notified, after taking power last summer, that hacking collectives with ties to the Chinese government most likely compromised supply chains and computer infrastructure belonging to certain “vital services”.

The publication is citing people familiar with the matter, who agreed to speak of matters of national security if their identities remain hidden.

China denies all accusations

Hackers are systemic, and their attacks reach a lot wider and deeper than the government decided to make public. In fact, successive governments decided not to go fully public with their knowledge on this topic, it was said, especially since the matter was being considered by the new administration.

The targets were not named, and the Chinese embassy in the UK did not comment.

Western governments, as well as cybersecurity researchers, often attribute different cyberattacks on China and its state-sponsored groups. For example, earlier this month it was reported that a group known as Salt Typhoon hijacked government systems to breach several American broadband providers and gained access to the interception portals required by US law.

Among the breached were US telecoms giants Verizon and AT&T, as well as ISP Lumen Technologies, where hackers may have had access to a ‘vast collection of internet traffic’ for months, including court-ordered wiretaps collected in the name of national security.

Also, last year a major incident was unveiled, when Microsoft discovered a threat actor tracked as Storm-0558 was able to access US government email accounts. Around July last year, the group accessed more than two dozen Microsoft email accounts belonging to various organizations in the West, including several US government agencies.

China has vehemently denied all the accusations, instead describing the US as the real cyber-bully.

Via Bloomberg

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Google has just announced a new update to its Google Shopping portal that comes with an infusion of artificial intelligence (AI). Slightly worryingly for our bank balance, Google says this will help to make buying products online easier than before.

In a company blog post, Google explained that one of the key ways it will do this is by using AI to “intelligently show the most relevant products, helping to speed up and simplify your research.”

This includes a new AI brief that sums up the most applicable things to consider in your search (such as tips for what to look out for and what to avoid), plus recommended products. Results are divided into categories that are relevant to whatever you’re looking for – search for winter coats and you might see groupings for fleece-lined jackets, insulated coats, and so on.

As well as that, the brief includes links to helpful articles and videos on your topic, giving you more context around the subject. You can filter the results to home in on the best outcome, and there’s a virtual try-on feature that uses augmented reality to help you better understand whether the item is right for you.

And if you shop over the course of several days or even weeks, Google Shopping will also now let you pick up from where you left off.

Savings vs privacy

(Image credit: Google)

A key part of the new Google Shopping experience is its promise to help you save money. It includes tools for price comparison, price insights and price tracking, plus a personalized deals page with discounts for products you might be interested in buying.

And Google Shopping is changing in other ways. Google says it’s making the shopping experience better tailored to you by adding a personalized feed of products based on your likes and preferences.

Google says you can change or disable these personalized results, and that’s something to consider if you’re not a fan of Google’s all-seeing eye following you around the web and learning all your shopping habits.

As well as that, Google cautions that its new AI tools are “experimental” (you’ll see a warning to that effect on the AI briefs) and that they can get things wrong. The company says that the new Google Shopping will start rolling out across the U.S. over the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for it – there's no news yet on an international launch.

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One of the most popular WordPress site optimization plugins, Jetpack, carried a major vulnerability for years, which allowed people to access other people’s submitted content. The company that manages the plugin, Automattic, discovered the vulnerability during an internal audit recently, and released fixes for all vulnerable versions.

Users are advised to apply the fix immediately, since there is no workaround and since crooks will probably now try to take advantage of the bug.

In a security advisory published together with the patches, Automattic said that the vulnerability allowed “any logged in users on a site to read forms submitted by visitors on the site."

IntelBroker

Multiple versions were said to be affected, with the earliest one being released back in 2016, "During an internal security audit, we found a vulnerability with the Contact Form feature in Jetpack ever since version 3.9.9, released in 2016," Automattic said.

In total, 101 versions are affected. You can find the entire list here.

The company also said that there is, so far, no evidence that malicious actors discovered and abused the flaw in the past. However, now that the cat is out of the bag, it’s only a matter of time before miscreants start scanning for vulnerable WordPress sites. Therefore, applying the patch is paramount. There is no workaround, and users are advised to first double-check if their website updated automatically (since some do).

The technical details of the flaw will be released once Automattic determines that the majority of users migrated to the fixed version.

Jetpack for WordPress is a multifunctional plugin that enhances website performance, security, and management. It comes with tools for SEO, social media integration, and e-commerce support, helping its users optimize the sites for user experience and visibility. The plugin also comes with customizable themes and advanced search features.

Via BleepingComputer

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Cisco’s Catalyst C1300-8MGP-2X enterprise-class Ethernet switch manages small and medium-sized networks at speeds up to 10Gb.

Specifications

CPU: Dual Core ARM 1.4GHz

RAM/Flash: 1GB/512MB

Ports: Four 1Gb, Four 2.5Gb

PoE budget: 30W per port, a total of 120W

Processing throughput: 41.66 Million packets per second

Dimensions/Weight: 26.8 cm x 32.3 cm x 4.4 cm/2.64 kg

It has eight wired interfaces, a 120W PoE, and two 10G SFP sockets. The compact fan-less unit consumes 20W when idle. As with all Cisco switches, a PC interface is available on the front panel to speed up installation through a Type-C USB socket, providing backup for the switch settings.

The Catalyst 1300 series uses a customized Linux OS and sports a dual-core network CPU, enabling an intuitive dashboard and fast packet processing with lower network latency. The high-end hardware simplifies network setup and provides security, and QOS features out-of-the-box. Cisco networking appliances integrate seamlessly with other devices, such as access points, through their cloud platform.

Is it the best network switch for your needs, though? Read on...

C1300-8MGP-2X: Price and availability

The Cisco C1300-8MGP-2X is available on Amazon for $718 and has a lifetime warranty. The eight-port unit supports 1Gb, 2.5Gb copper Ethernet, and 10Gb through SFP modules.

(Image credit: Future) C1300-8MGP-2X: Design

The C1300-8MGP-2X is a compact unit measuring 26.8 cm x 32.3 cm x 4.4 cm and weighing 2.64 kg. As with other models in the C1300 series, all network and debugging ports are on the front. The back has two large heatsinks with no fan, which makes the switch ideal for an office where minimum noise is essential. Each side of the white enclosure has one screw hole for rack-mounting.

The front panel hosts eight RJ45 connectors, divided into two bandwidth groups. Four 1Gb Ethernet ports on the left provide around 30W each for PoE purposes to connected devices. The right offers a similar arrangement but with 2.5Gb Ethernet ports. The copper ports have a total PoE power budget of 120W. Two SFP slots support up to 10G modules and complete the list of interfaces.

Copper ports display their status on individual LEDs. The one LED per port approach differs from the previous model, which used two LEDs showing port activity and PoE warnings. As a result, the C1300 LEDs are more challenging to understand during troubleshooting. A reset button helps to restore factory settings should the switch become inaccessible.

Under the hood, the C1300 uses a Marvell dual-core 1.4GHz ARM processor, 1GB of RAM, and 512MB for application storage. The processor connects to two network ASICs that route packets at a maximum throughput of 10Gb per second to the eight copper ports and two SFPs. The processor can do packet analysis on the fly, significantly reducing latency while making the network more reactive to sudden changes.

(Image credit: Future) C1300-8MGP-2X: In Use

The switch boots in less than two minutes. The system LED on the left shows progress and blinks green during the boot process, eventually settling on a solid green if all goes well. For each port, a single LED shows activity but not link-up speed. PoE is available as Ethernet becomes ready across the ports. Unlike older models, the SFP connectors do not share resources with any copper ports; using SFP will not turn off any copper port.

The C1300-8MGP-2X includes several new features compared to its predecessor. Bluetooth support is through a USB dongle, allowing remote and secure wireless access to the CLI and GUI. The PoE is undisturbed during reboots, allowing connected devices to retain power. Finally, a built-in REST API makes automation possible.

With an aggregated bandwidth of 56Gbps, the C1300-8MGP-2X should be enough for speedier 2.5G and 10G network appliances such as a NAS or a VPN. The processor can forward up to 42 million packets per second, thus maintaining minimum network lag. Moreover, the PoE budget of 120W makes connecting several outdoor devices, such as high-resolution cameras, a breeze. The unit consumes 20W idle with one 2.5G copper and one SFP connection.

The C1300 requires registration to be accessible from the Internet. For this, the Cisco Business mobile app initiates the installation using a QR code at the back of the case. The app offers most features available on the cloud, with many configurations done in less than four steps. The switch processes packets on Layer 2 and 3, providing security through VLANs or blocking unknown IPs.

(Image credit: Future) C1300-8MGP-2X: The competition

The Engenius ECS2510FP targets a similar audience as the C1300-8MGP-2X switch. Its eight 2.5Gbps ports and double PoE power budget make it a serious contender, priced at less than $500. However, the ECS2510FP has two fans, which makes it impossible to use on a desk. The power consumption is also higher than the eight ports in the C1300 series, making it more costly in the long run.

C1300-8MGP-2X: Final verdict

With the new Catalyst C1300-8MGP-2X switch, Cisco improves on a tried and trusted platform, adding more security and practical features that make setup and configuration easier. The SOHO-type switch with a dual-core CPU is well equipped to fully utilize the quad 10 Gb and quad 2.5 Gb Ethernet ports. The companion mobile app is responsive and implements most of the functionality found on the cloud. Being passive, power consumption and noise are minimal, making the unit ideal in a small office.

The main drawbacks are the higher MSRP compared to similar units available elsewhere and the ports' status shown on a single LED.

you need a reliable switch with PoE and supporting 10G Ethernet.

you are on a tight budget.

We've listed the best mesh Wi-Fi systems.

Some of the best password managers have teamed up with the FIDO Alliance to set new standards for secure passkey storage, even when switching between providers.

The new draft set of specifications were published by the Alliance’s Credential Provider Special Interest Group, which included major names in the password and identity management game, including 1Password, Apple, Bitwarden, Dashlane, Enpass, Google, Microsoft, NordPass, Okta, Samsung and SK Telecom.

Passkeys are a more secure and phishing resistant alternative to passwords, and are widely expected to replace passwords altogether in the near future.

Enhancing security, choice, and competition

Passkeys remove the need to type in a password, and instead use an authenticator app on a dedicated device, such as your phone, to check that the person attempting to log in is actually you, usually through some form of biometrics.

According to statistics presented by the FIDO Alliance, passkey adoption has been widely successful with 12 billion online accounts currently taking advantage of passkeys to log in. Moreover, passkeys significantly reduce the risk of phishing and improve log in speeds by 75%.

The new specifications hope to ensure users have a free choice of providers and are free to transfer their passkeys and passwords between their choice of service. This is the first standard of its kind to be introduced to the credential management industry. The draft specifications can be viewed on the FIDO Alliance blog.

Currently, the specifications are in a community review and feedback phase with regular updates to be published publicly for review until the final specifications are approved and implemented.

More from TechRadar Pro

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• Bitdefender's new tool should help to protect your digital life from scams and fraud
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It’s 2020, the height of COVID-19 lockdowns, and the Oculus Quest 2 – an affordable yet capable VR headset – has exploded in popularity because everyone wants to feel like they aren’t trapped inside. Had the virtual reality dancing game Just Dance VR launched in this era of VR gaming I’m confident it would be considered one of the best VR games of the day.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S
Available on: Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, Meta Quest 2
Release date: October 15, 2024

The immersive 360-degree dance sessions are bursting with color and good vibes. And if you have someone to play with – especially local co-op via pass-and-play – it’s hilarious to watch as you each flail about or fire up your competitive spirit as you aim to demolish the high score they just set.

And if you live alone, you can hop into the multiplayer hub world to Just Dance with players from anywhere in the world.

But in 2024, the year we’re actually getting this Just Dance VR port, the game already feels out of date thanks to a setlist of years-old tracks that don’t compete with the 2024 chart toppers found on Just Dance 2025 which was also just released. Factor in that Just Dance VR doesn’t take full advantage of its 360-VR stages, as well as lacks a mixed reality mode like some other recent VR rhythm games – which makes modern XR titles feel more approachable to newcomers – and I can’t help but feel this title will struggle to find an audience even amongst Just Dance fans.

A Little Just Dance Never Killed Nobody

If you were expecting anything other than Just Dance but in VR then you’ll be disappointed. Everyone else can groove along with the series’ signature dancing gameplay.

For the uninitiated, unlike Beat Saber, Samba de Amigo, or other rhythm games, Just Dance VR isn’t simply about striking poses or smashing blocks to a beat, it’s about following the on-screen coach as best as you can while they take you step by step through an actual dance routine. There’s a track that clues you into what move you’re about to perform, but otherwise, it’s basically a gamified dance lesson.

And the coach isn’t simply in a comfy tracksuit and hoodie like an 'IRL' coach, they’re dressed to the nines in thematic outfits that perfectly match the immersive stage they’re performing in or the vibe of the artist they’re performing to – like the rebellious band captain who leads the charge as Hollaback Girl blasts through their high schools’ speaker system. Seeing the vibrant splashes of color and slight absurdity of it all, you can’t help but crack a smile while you play through Just Dance VR’s best levels.

As you progress you’re judged based on the movements of your hands as an estimate for how well you’ve performed the dance as a whole. Though estimate is the keyword here.

My biggest gripe with the dance scoring system is that it feels entirely arbitrary. No matter how poorly I know I’ve performed, I still manage to get at least five stars on pretty much every track because I vaguely wave a hand in the right place. I don’t say this as a flex, I say that because it feels like I’ve been handed a participation trophy.

I know, I know, as a family-friendly game, there’s nothing wrong with Just Dance’s kinder approach to judging dance skill, however for me the inflated scoring system doesn’t encourage me to push for that five-star Superstar rating over several playthroughs. Because my achievements feel undeserved, I instead feel like any further success would feel equally unrewarding.

But these disappointments could be brushed aside if the tracklist featured some amazing music that I could have a blast dancing to.

Wake Me Up when the tracklist’s better

Unfortunately, Just Dance VR’s track selection feels lackluster, and especially dated next to the modern chart-topper-packed setlist of Just Dance 2025 which was also released on October 15.

Where the flat edition offers dances to Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter, Exes by Tate McRae. Lovin’ On Me by Jack Harlow, and Yes, and? By Ariana Grande (via DLC) – to name just a selection of its best tracks – the VR version instead boasts Beauty and a Beat by Justin Bieber (Ft. Nicki Minaj), Dark Horse by Katy Perry, and Lights by Ellie Goulding.

Best bit

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

I Just Dance VR for pass-and-play, it's so much fun to watch other people try their best to match the couch's moves.

That’s not to say some of the VR picks aren’t fantastic – I love Hollaback Girl, Don't Stop Me Now, and Thank u, next as much as anyone, even in 2024 – and Just Dance games have pretty much always featured a mix of older or newer songs.

This VR game doesn’t feature that mix, just a lot of older stuff – it’s like opening a pack of Jelly Babies and mostly seeing the colors you aren’t a fan of.

So for people looking to pick up a new Just Dance game in 2024 this VR entry doesn’t feel like the one they should go for – doubly so when you factor in that many of the best tracks (at least the ones I liked the most) are also playable in Just Dance 2025 via the Just Dance Plus subscriptions service.

There is something to enjoy in Just Dance VR. The vibrant forgiving gameplay will definitely appeal to a younger audience – as the series always has – and in terms of VR rhythm games it is somewhat unique in that it’s actively teaching you a full-body dance rather than having you simply smash targets, which could appeal from a VR perspective. It's just not the best Just Dance game to release in 2024; so if you have access to a Nintendo Switch, PS5, or Xbox Series X or Series S you’ll probably be better served by Just Dance 2025 which delivers basically identical gameplay with a much wider range of excellent music choices.

Is Dancity pronounced Dan-City or Dance-City? (Image credit: Ubisoft) Should you play Just Dance VR? Play it if...

You love silly party games
Just Dance VR excels as a pass-and-play title. Throw the live Quest feed up on a TV or stream it to your phone and you'll have a good laugh playing this with your friends and family.

You want a child-friendly VR game
Vibrant colors, accessible controls, and a forgiving scoring system make this an ideal choice for younger VR players.

Don't play it if...

You have another console
If you have a Nintendo Switch, PS5, or Xbox Series X then Just Dance 2025, which also just released, may be a much better choice given its music selection.

You're looking for a challenge
As a game, Just Dance VR feels a lot more forgiving than other rhythm games. There is difficulty in perfectly matching the dance moves, but it's hard to track your full-body motion in VR to judge yourself, and the in-game scoring system doesn't seem to mind if you make mistakes.

Accessibility

As VR games go, Just Dance VR is fairly accessible. You do need to be able to stand and have a full range of movement to perform the game’s routines, but it does offer comfort controls like teleportation-style movement for navigating its hub world which should vastly reduce motion sickness compared to smooth analog stick movement.

Dancing in levels can be a tad disorienting so make sure you have a large, clear play space (so you don’t accidentally kick or trip over something). I was a little surprised that this title doesn’t offer a mixed reality mode – like we saw for Samba de Amigo VR – as these blended reality games are typically easier for VR newcomers to get accustomed to, and would reduce the potential of you bumping into a hazard as you dance.

How I reviewed Just Dance VR

My first few play sessions were on my Meta Quest 3, however, when I received the Meta Quest 3S to test for my Meta Quest 3S review I swapped to playing Just Dance VR exclusively on that headset. I played through most tracks at least once and explored the hub worlds – Dancity and the Apartment – to try the different mini-games they offered and test the teleportation movement.

I wasn’t able to test the online multiplayer functionality, but my partner and I did a couple of pass-and-play sessions to experience couch co-op (and laugh at how silly we both looked). This almost meant I could get her thoughts on the title as she has a lot more experience with the Just Dance series than I do.

My Quest 3 was outfitted with the Razer head strap and silicone facial interface, but the Meta Quets 3S I used was exactly as it comes out of the box.

First reviewed October 2024