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Research and development is underway to create robots that can hunt for signs of life in the vast oceans that exist under the thick ice shells of bodies like Europa.

Moving your hard-earned savings to this interest-earning account can help you put more toward your goal.

What do you say to people when they ask you why you aren't drinking? How do you get your friends to hang out in places other than bars? We tackle the social conundrums of sober socializing.

(Image credit: Beck Harlan/NPR)

New Glenn, developed by the private space firm founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, is on the pad at Cape Canaveral, Fla., and could launch on its maiden flight as early as Friday.

(Image credit: Blue Origin/Cover Images via Reuters Connect)

A pair of powerful major winter storms is disrupting the U.S. air travel system this week. That leaves airlines no choice but to de-ice their planes before takeoff to keep them in the air.

(Image credit: Rick Bowmer)

The annual winter respiratory virus season is in full force. The number of people catching the flu is skyrocketing, while COVID-19, RSV and other respiratory viral illnesses are also rising.

(Image credit: Nam Y. Huh)

The long-predicted downturn in the number of 18-year-olds is almost here. And it isn't just a problem for higher education. It's a looming crisis for the economy.

(Image credit: Photo illustration by Camilla Forte)

After Nevada gave home health care workers a huge raise, from about $11 to $16 an hour, turnover in the industry fell sharply. Now, caregivers are preparing to lobby for another wage hike.

• Alien: Romulus will be released on Disney Plus on January 15
• The survival horror film's launch comes three months after its initial release on Hulu
• It's the third highest-rated Alien movie, beaten only by the first two movies

Alien: Romulus is finally coming to Disney Plus, and that's a great way to start 2025 if you ask me.

The sci-fi horror movie, which holds a 79% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes – a score beaten only by Alien and Aliens – initially debuted in theaters last August and, after a solid run at the box office, made its way to Hulu last November. Unfortunately, that meant it was only available to stream in the US, so it's hardly surprising we've been begging for an Alien: Romulus Disney Plus release in the weeks and months since.

Thankfully, we'll be able to watch Alien: Romulus from January 15 onwards. Given its largely positive reception, you can bet it'll earn a spot on our best Disney Plus movies when it arrives, too.

Alright, Alien: Romulus got a VHS release before it landed on one of the best streaming services, so it's technically been available to watch at home in non-US territories for a while. Nevertheless, I'm pleased it's finally coming to Disney's primary streaming platform.

What is Alien: Romulus about?

(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

Alien: Romulus follows six downtrodden space colonists who encounter hostile creatures while scavenging a derelict space station. It was directed by Fede Álvarez, who you might recognize as the filmmaker behind horror hits like Evil Dead and Don't Breathe.

The movie was mildly successful and, just yesterday (January 7), secured a BAFTA Rising Star nomination for David Jonsson, who plays Andy in one of the best horror movies of 2024. With a mostly imaginative plot, talented cast at the top of their game, and some fascinating and divisive call-backs to previous Alien films, I think fans new and old will get a kick out of it.

If you need more sci-fi horror recommendations, check out our guide on seven sci-fi horror movies on Hulu, Prime Video, and more that went live ahead of Halloween 2024. Hey, you can watch horror films all the year round!

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Three wildfires are currently impacting Los Angeles and Ventura counties, prompting thousands of people to evacuate, schools to close and power lines to be shut off.

(Image credit: Etienne Laurent)

The appetite for AI-derived drivel isn’t as strong as many publishers would have you believe, and demand for quality content is growing.

(Image credit: Future)

We’re covering all of the latest CES news from the show as it happens. Stick with us for the big stories on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok for the latest from the CES show floor!

Govee has come out swinging at CES this year, launching a litany of exciting new products - including some of the industry’s first AI-powered smart pixel lights.

In addition to its new Mini Panel lights and the Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL, Govee also unveiled its new AI-powered Gaming Pixel Light, and I’m obsessed.

From real-time weather updates and time displays to AI-generated images, the Gaming Pixel Light brings all the retro fun of pixel lighting to the modern age, and it’ll even accompany its pixel art with 8-bit music for the ultimate retro experience.

By design, it leans heavily on the gamer aesthetic; the light slate is surrounded by a metallic frame that nods to gaming component design and will look right at home on one of the best gaming desks or next to the best consoles on a TV stand.

It also offers design parity with some of Govee’s other recently released products, including the Gaming Wall Light and the upcoming Gaming Light Bar Pro, which might be a little offputting for some. Still, it’s right up my alley as a gamer.

@techradar

♬ Retro Games - FASSounds

Using the Govee app, you can interact with the brand’s AI chatbot and give it prompts, which will be applied to the Gaming Pixel Light for a personalized lighting touch. Plus, you can layer up to ten images on your original prompt, allowing you to create your own customized masterpieces.

It works in both wall-mounted and tabletop modes, and through Govee’s DreamView technology, you can also synchronize it with your wider smart lighting ecosystem.

Most exciting of all for me, however, was its Gaming Sync Box integration, which a Govee representative told me will allow for reactive displays that will respond to in-game events for up to 40 games at launch, and it’s easy to imagine that list will grow.

Govee had one of my all-time favorite video games hooked up to the Gaming Pixel Light: Mario Kart 8. As the karts whipped around the track at PG-13 speeds, the Pixel Light showed various in-game items like banana skins and red shells as the player collected them.

Is it gimmicky? Absolutely, but it’s the kind of joyful tech nonsense I’m all for integrating into my gamer set-up, and I’m fairly confident that I’m not alone in my tolerance for fun-first tech.

The Govee Gaming Pixel Light and Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL will be available in late Q2 2025, while the Govee Mini Panel Lights are currently available on the Govee website and Amazon, retailing for $99.99.

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The concept of a smart city has been around for a long time, but many cities end up providing only isolated services, such as bike-sharing schemes or smart bins. In reality, a truly smart city involves much more. It requires a well-designed IT infrastructure capable of managing a range of functions—from traffic management and water services to administrative tasks. For a city to be genuinely smart, its infrastructure must be built to deliver these services effectively and leverage AI to enhance collaboration among various departments within the city government.

Achieving this vision is not always straightforward. It necessitates careful consideration of residents' actual needs and the technology required to fulfill those needs. A successful smart city relies on having a clear, forward-thinking plan and establishing the appropriate technological infrastructure from the outset.

A unified strategy

What is stopping cities adopting ‘smart’ technology? Funding and co-operation are often an all-too-familiar problem. It takes many different departments working together, sometimes in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. For example, if local governments want to improve its transport network, it might also need to look at power and internet connections to handle the new city infrastructure. These all typically fall into different domains. However, if cities adopt the right infrastructure, AI has the potential to integrate information from siloed departments and foster cooperation, empowering cities with the technological coherence needed to drive innovation.

Dubai’s smart city project is using AI to break down the barriers between departments, and between citizens and government services. The team is taking the right approach when it comes to urban development, with more than 130 smart projects and 1,000 smart services, including eliminating paper from Government altogether, and aiming to build ‘the happiest city on Earth.’ Dubai’s authorities have implemented AI effectively to allow these departments to integrate and restructure, and cleverly deploy applications to remove paper forms and long-winded manual processes.

In this example of Dubai, it isn’t about the city being smart, it’s about making the processes smart. Taking this approach delivers efficiency whether you are using the functions of the city as a tourist or a resident. If you’re processing your visa, paying your water bill or moving your phone contract, it’s all much easier than before. Dubai is now looking for a generative AI assistant to help people find the government services they need in real-time, delivering a personalized touch for citizens.

Contrary to the AI scaremongering, breaking down these barriers doesn’t take away people’s jobs, rather it allows their time to be used more efficiently. In Abu Dhabi, sensors are used to monitor the level of water stored in tanks around the city. This IoT implementation already replaces a previously manual process where inspectors were sent to make a visual assessment. Utilizing the data collected from tanks city-wide, AI algorithms can automatically trigger a service team to be on site to refill it via real-time readings, as well as suggesting when maintenance of the tanks may be necessary. This has meant that inspectors who previously had to spend time checking tanks can focus on affecting change and working on other important jobs, such as assessing water quality or enacting regulations.

Nurturing trust in AI innovation

AI can deliver public safety, but it is key to build trust around this technology, highlight important benefits and ensure residents and visitors don’t feel like they are being ‘watched’. With traditional surveillance cameras, there’s a huge amount of data that remains unused and is never analyzed. Applying AI to this mass of data, in a privacy-minded way, has helped cities make people safer and even saves lives. In fact, half of government officials say that public safety is the main reason for the adoption of smart city technology, according to 451 Research.

Denmark’s railway authorities have carried out research using AI and machine learning to watch station platforms and alert station staff if someone is about to get onto the train tracks. For example, people who have dropped their phones on the line are often so fixed on getting it back that they forget the risks involved and put themselves in grave danger. The AI ‘learns’ the patterns that show when someone might be about to put themselves at risk, and would trigger an alert. With such technology, people need to be assured that their privacy rights are being respected, and when it’s demonstrated that AI can boost safety, without being intrusive, people are happier with the idea. Smart cities can find a balance of delivering services without feeling like ‘Big Brother’, communicating that when using computer vision systems, privacy is always respected, and people’s safety is paramount.

Data in the streets

In a smart city, street cabinets and street lights become edge data centers that process everything from whether a parking space is empty to when there are dangerous levels of pollutants in the air. But the secret sauce is the overall design and deploying computer to where the data is generated. Cities can then capture data at street level, whether it’s a car moving from a space to a traffic jam forming. Using AI and machine learning, they can filter what is relevant and what is not at that street level, discarding irrelevant information and creating very strong and clean data pipes.

The key is orchestration. With traditional compute, where one application is on a single node, a ‘smart parking’ system would require many, many nodes, making it inefficient and expensive. But if you use more modern techniques for containerization, you can deploy multiple applications to each compute node, by virtualising them. Where orchestration comes in is how to enable that to scale so you can push applications across the city, manage, monitor and secure them. Once those components are properly planned, you’re able to put applications on top and put them into those cabinets on the street. This infrastructure, this technological coherence, is fundamental to building an effective smart city.

Cities of the future

Success in any smart city depends on several key factors. First and foremost, it requires a clear vision and a commitment to providing services that genuinely enhance residents' quality of life—whether through streamlining government operations, improving safety, or maintaining a strong emphasis on privacy. Departments must collaborate effectively to serve citizens, a task where AI can play a crucial role by breaking down barriers and facilitating data sharing across various departments. Most importantly, a smart city needs a robust and cohesive technological infrastructure that allows city leaders to deliver and continually refine services for their residents. This demands careful planning and consideration from the very start.

We've compiled together the best AI tools.

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

It wouldn't be far-reaching to call the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) the nexus of modern smart home technology. While early attempts were made before the turn of the century, the halls of CES have progressively welcomed more and more connected devices into the fold since the early 2000s, and CES 2025 is no different.

This year, I've been trawling the show floor to find the best of the best smart home devices, from the weird and wonderful to the more practical inventions that will shape the next few years of connected home technology.

Keen to make your home start working for you? Here's my pick of CES 2025's best smart home offerings so far.

Robot vacuums get futuristic

(Image credit: Dreame)

Some of the biggest smart home news at CES so far has surrounded robot vacuums, with fierce competition across the board from some of the biggest names in robot-assisted living.

This year, things are hotting up; finally, some major disruption happening in the space that might actually come to market. This year, it's in the form of often-bizarre but exciting hardware adaptations like Roborock's robot vacuum with its sock-collecting arm, but more exciting than that is Dreame's new robovac that can climb over obstacles up to 4.2cm in a single step, or 6cm tall in two steps, using what Dreame is calling its 'ProLeap System'. It's one small step for Dreame, one giant leap for robovac kind.

Elsewhere, software once more takes the fore with robot vacuums like the Eureka J15 Max Ultra, which uses AI to detect even hard-to-spot clear spillages.

Smart beauty devices come to market

(Image credit: Future)

Beauty tech is on the rise, and CES 2025 is ready to deliver some of the coolest new frontiers in skincare technology.

Easily my favorite thus far has been Samsung's AI-powered micro-LED mirror, which scans your face to assess your pores, pigmentation, wrinkles, and any redness and recommends a skincare regimen off the back of it. Samsung claims in the future, SmartThings-enabled beauty gadgets may also be compatible with the mirror, allowing for even greater insights and recommendations.

However, there's an honorable mention to L'Oreal's new tabletop skin analyzer too, which the brand claims will tell you everything about the past, present and future of your skin with a simple five-minute scan process. Wild.

Smart lighting and switches get smarter

(Image credit: Future)

Smart lighting seems set to get a whole lot smarter, judging by some of the biggest announcements from this year's CES. In particular, I was drawn to one of Govee's newest smart lights; a pixel panel (suitably named Govee Pixel Light) that can use generative AI within the Govee app to create illuminated images. That's not all, though; you can also connect it to Govee's sync boxes for enhanced immersive gaming. With compatible games, the Pixel Light will display game-related imagery, as demonstrated at CES with Mario Kart 8.

While it wasn't a CES announcement, Philips Hue's new generative AI assistant has also made waves in the news cycle this week, though details remain scant; and Nanoleaf unveiled its subscription service, Nanoleaf Premium, which features its new Orchestrator tool and Scenescapes.

Smart security for all

(Image credit: SwitchBot)

Smart locks haven't quite had the landmark developments we've seen in some years prior, but that's not to say it's been a boring year. I particularly enjoy SwitchBot's newest renter-friendly retrofit smart lock solutions, which improves upon the first-generation smart lock I reviewed a few years ago. The newer model is a lot more slick in design, and its more streamlined design means you don't sacrifice style for smart security.

Elsewhere, Phillips has announced its first smart lock compatible with Matter and Ultraloq's new smart lock was revealed to take advantage of iOS 18's UWB, showing continued focus on creating solutions that work for a wider variety of consumers.

Home robots are ready to land

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

Odd robots are a mainstay at CES, but this year we've actually had a glimpse at some devices that will be commercially available.

Chief among these exciting developments is Samsung's Ballie, which, after years of wishy-washy details and slight adjustments to hardware and software, is set to come to market in 2025. It'll be armed with a Full HD triple-laser switchable lens projector, a 2K camera on the rear and a 4K camera on the front, as well as LiDAR and Time of Flight (ToF) sensors.

Another frequent face at CES deserving of an honorable mention is Yukai Engineering, with its bizarre array of robot companions like the Mirumi bag bot and Nekojita FuFu, the latter of which delighted my laryngitis-infected self with its ability to cool down my tea.

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TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2025 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

Acronyms aren’t unique to cybersecurity, but they’ve become a hallmark of how we communicate with each other. Do we really need to be adding this layer of complexity to an industry which is already complex? Or are they just making our devs more depressed? Let's make security accessible and actionable.

The cybersecurity industry is seeing record growth, growing 20% YoY, and built on the promise of increased productivity. And yet developers often struggle to focus on what matters. Instead, they are met with another new acronym that has them reaching for that dictionary every time they want to get something done. We’ve developed something unique in the cybersecurity industry - a language that no-one natively speaks.

The power of a common language

The root cause of all of our communication problems is that we describe security tools by what they are and not by what they do.

Take “static application security testing” as an example - that doesn't really mean anything to people that don't know what it is already. But what it actually does is try to secure our code. With that knowledge we can then immediately try to understand what “dynamic application security testing” is. It’s semantics, not guess work. (p.s. The latter is like a hacker trying to find vulnerabilities in our applications.)

My main frustration is that I can’t understand why we actually even need an acronym for those things when we could simply describe what they do. When we're building security tools, we should be able to easily describe what they do in non-technical terms, instead of trying to describe what they are.

As this communication barrier moves up the chain and crosses the technical divide, these problems become even more amplified. At the board level, security teams are completely against the wall in terms of funding. We have this catch-22 situation where security teams aren't getting enough funding, or at least they believe they're not, and we're also suffering way more from security attacks. One of the biggest issues is that at the board level, the decision makers don't understand a lot of what's needed. Because they don’t understand what things actually do. You can’t walk into the boardroom and ask the CEO to part with some cash for a CNAPP.

The cynic in me also sees a lot of these acronyms as money-printing machines. When we create new acronyms that replace the old ones and say we need new tools for them, it just looks like an upsell. And, even when something might be needed, it’s difficult to separate the necessities from the snake oil.

The value of clarity

There’s a sense of disbelief that I’m still beating this drum in 2024, but we need to approach cybersecurity more holistically. We have a tendency to secure entire applications or entire software development in separate stages. They are in silos. What if we could harness all this innovation to create a security approach that feels like a natural part of development? Here are the four key areas we need to focus on. In plain English, naturally:

Securing our source code - This covers everything written in code, including infrastructure as code. It's about writing secure code from the start.

Securing our runtime application - This is about protecting our application while it's running. Can an attacker find vulnerabilities? This includes fuzzing tools (tools that try to break your application by throwing unexpected data at it), API testing, and what we typically call "dynamic testing."

Securing our cloud environments - This means protecting the infrastructure that everything runs on.

Securing our supply chain - This covers dependencies, open source components, and third-party elements.

Four areas. Clearly explained. And so much easier for developers to understand because, rather than being hit with an acronym that does something slightly different, or that combines two different functions, the priorities are clearly laid out.

As Jason Haddix, the former CISO at Ubisoft, told me on my old Security Repo podcast, "being able to break down technical terms into non-technical terms really got me to where I did." It confirmed to me that this is the skill you need to succeed - and acronyms absolutely don't help. Even if we discard the acronyms, there’s still a way to go. If you're talking about "we need a static application security testing tool" or "we need an infrastructure as code testing tool," what we should be saying in the boardroom is "we need these tools to protect our source code" and "we need these tools to protect our application”.

Here's the reality: acronyms are designed to be understood by a small subset of people. Yet, we have (at the last count) more than 300 of them. We need to move from a culture of complexity and exclusivity to one of clarity and inclusivity. When we communicate effectively about security, we do more than transfer information: smart communication respects developers' time and cognitive load. It also allows communication to move effectively up the chain, meaning it is no longer a misunderstood and underfunded part of the organization.

We've rated the best endpoint protection 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

The Doogee S200 is a heavyweight rugged phone - and I mean heavyweight. I weighed this beast at 369g, and it feels it in the hand. Bold, chunky, and the absolute opposite of unassuming as a phone can be. But then, that’s what you want from a ruggedized phone. You want it to feel like it can take a battering, survive a long drop.

On that score, the S200 certainly looks and feels the part. How does it measure up in terms of robustness and durability against the best rugged phones my team and I regularly review? I put it to the test.

Doogee S200: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? $412 / £326
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Doogee, Amazon

The Doogee S200 is widely available from the official site (click here) and Amazon. On the official Doogee site, it retails for $412 / £326, which puts it at the upper-end of the mid-range compared to rivals.

• Value: 4 / 5

Doogee S200: Specifications Doogee S200: Design Image 1 of 3

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There’s something delightfully futuristic about the design of the Doogee S200, with its hard lines and poker-straight cutaway edges. Like it’s been built by robots. Specifically, those created by Skynet.

The front screen is protected by the ubiquitous Corning Gorilla Glass - not the hardiest of all screens, but acceptable at this price. A 20MP front camera is centrally placed at the top of the display. Where the buttons and ports rest along the side, we have screwed-in alloy strips to offer extra protection to these moving (or rather, moveable) parts and resist bending under pressure. I quite like the feel of these buttons - they’re almost flush against the phone, thick in appearance, but with a soft, springy feel when depressed - so you know your press has been registered, even without looking. Better still, on the left side, beneath the dual SIM card port is a custom button, which can be personalized for three selected quick actions for one click, double-click, and long press. At the bottom, you’ll find the charging port, suitably covered with a rubber gasket to guard against dust and leaks.

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Flip over the phone and the rear is equally aggressive in design. with the speaker and microphone shielded by aerospace-grade alloy casing cut with what look like exhaust ports of the sort you might find on a mobile workstation or gaming PC. Dominating this space is the 1.32in circular AMOLED screen. And it’s one of the best features of the phone. Bright and vivid, this display can be used as a clock-face, act as a compass, and more. Flanking this screen are three cameras and an infra-red flash lamp.

So, we know the S200 feels heavy in the hand, and with dimensions of 179.5 x 82.5 x 16mm (7.07 x 3.25 x 0.63in), you’re going to need large hands to fully wrap around the device. I have considerably average-sized hands, and found the most comfortable holding position was to have the phone laying flat against my fingers, with the tips peeking around the side. This isn’t the most secure hold, of course, but otherwise operating the S200 worked well in this position.

In terms of protection, the Doogee S200 is rated for IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD 810. This is pretty standard for most of the rugged phones we’ve tested here, making it dust-proof, waterproof, and drop-proof.

• Design: 4 / 5

Doogee S200: Performance

(Image credit: Doogee)

Running on Android 14, I found performance to be excellent. I’m always a bit wary of rugged phones, which can sometimes focus more on the hardware than the software. It’s all very well being able to hurl the phone at a brick wall or see it run over by a steamroller, but if operation is sluggish, it’s enough to make you want to cut it up with a chainsaw.

Thankfully, those issues aren’t apparent in the Doogee S200. Performance is smooth, apps open quickly, and I experienced no problems in everyday operation. But then, I expected good results here, since the phone is specced with a Mediatek Dimensity 7050 processor and 32GB RAM (my review unit came with the maximum 32GB, although 12GB RAM is the base amount - still more than enough to power most apps and general use).

The 6.72in screen here is also very nice to use. Boasting a 1080x2400 resolution and 1400:1 contrast ratio that is excellent in dark environments and outdoors in direct sunlight. It even features a 120Hz refresh rate, making it suitable for on-the-go gaming. There’s also a Game Mode, which sounds good, but does little beyond keeping your games in a library and turning off notifications.

(Image credit: Activision)

In any case, I downloaded a handful of games to see if the phone could keep up when reaction time is a factor. Call of Duty Mobile played flawlessly here, as did Mario Kart Tour. These more or less mirrored tests on a Google Pixel 5. However, during Need for Speed: No Limits there were occasional frame-rate drops and lagging when the screen became busy or animations were too fast. Still, the high refresh rate is a nice extra where available to have, and much higher than you’ll find on most traditional phones. Just set realistic expectations here - you do not have a rugged Steam Deck in your hands.

Finally, the S200 sports a 10100 mAh battery. Not the biggest battery I’ve seen in a phone like this, and I would’ve liked to see wireless charging to round-out the package. But it’s good for general use, especially when combined with the 33W fast-charging.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Doogee S200: In use Image 1 of 2

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As a rugged phone, the Doogee S200 performs exactly as you’d expect. I’ve hurled it down stairs and out of first-floor windows and drowned it in the bath, and it’s still chugging along. It’s rated to a 1.8m drop, which isn’t particularly high but offers some protection should it slip from a gloved hand. I tested out a drop at this height, and the phone survived as expected. I chanced my arm, tossing it higher, the phone falling further. There were no visible signs of wear, but I probably wouldn’t want to do this too often. The Doogee S200 feels rugged only up to a point. A rowdy brawler, but not a tank.

As a smartphone, it performs well and without issue. Connectivity, which includes Wi-Fi 6 and NFC, is also welcome. Out of the box, the phone is loaded with a range of apps and extras designed for on-site work. This includes Glove Mode, located in Settings, and the Toolbag App. It's here where you can access a range of essential worksite tools, such as compass, ruler, and digital spirit level. I particularly like this, as it means the phone is ready for the jobsite straight away, no messing about.

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I quite enjoyed the addition of the rear circular subscreen. Though not a game-changer by any means, I appreciated the ability to glance at the clock regardless of which way I was holding the S200. Alongside the time, it felt very smooth swiping through the other options on the subscreen, such as music player controls and calendar. Disappointingly, as far as I could tell, there’s no way to customize which apps are displayed here. Through the MiniScreen Subscreen Settings, you’re free to set a range of clock faces - I went for analogue in this sea of digital - or make your own. It’s basic, but fun. You can also change how to wake the miniscreen.

I found the 100MP camera is nice - not the highest megapixel camera around, but distinctly higher than many devices we’ve tested from rivals like Oukitel, where 64MP is more common. Elsewhere, the night vision camera proved exceptional and, for many workers, I can see this becoming a go-to mid-range rugged phone for this feature alone. Gaming and media playback was good, with colors crisp and vivid on the fair-sized screen. However, I did find the speakers only adequate - these are the typical tinny phone speakers, the smartphone standard, with very little bass. Overall, in use, the Doogee S200 delivered exactly the sort of experience I’d expect from a phone of this price and in this category.

• In use: 4 / 5

Doogee S200: Final verdict

The Doogee S200 is, very literally, a solid smartphone, built for rugged use. True, the specs aren’t the toughest and hardiest out there - and for genuinely hostile environments, I’d think twice about taking it on the job. However, for general use on worksites, or hiking and camping, the S200 is more than robust enough. Yes, it’s big and heavy - that’s part of its charm, alongside the cyber-futuristic mecha-style design, its sliced corners and exposed rivets on the side. If you want a phone that’s durable, built to go up against the elements, and still looks great doing it, there’s a lot to recommend here.

Should you buy a Doogee S200? Buy it if...

You want a rugged phone with plenty of features
If you want a big, chunky, robust smartphone with good performance and 5G, the Doogee S200 ticks plenty of boxes.

You want a built-in compass and night vision
This phone boasts a night vision camera and compass amongst a host of tools and features that’ll be welcome on any jobsite.

Don't buy it if...

You don’t need a durable phone
However nice it is, there’s no good reason to pick up this phone unless you need a ruggedized device that’ll take a few knocks.

You want a lightweight device
The Doogee S200 is unashamedly big and heavy, whichever way you measure it. Not one for slipping away in a tight pocket or handbag.

For more durable devices, we reviewed the best rugged tablets, the best rugged laptops, and the best rugged hard drives

• Swann debuts new home security tech at CES 2025
• The MaxRanger range includes an AI doorbell and new security cameras
• The Xtreem4K is an AI security camera that can talk to intruders

As an owner of one of the best video doorbells, I’ll be the first to admit that while being able to chat with someone through the device – such as talking to a delivery driver while I’m out – is a nice idea, in practice I never use it. If I’m not able to answer my door it’s usually because I’m busy doing something else, but what if my doorbell could answer for me? That’s a question Swann has answered with new AI-powered doorbell and camera options that it unveiled at CES 2025.

Back in October last year we covered the SwannBuddy4K – which we gave four-stars in our SwanBuddy 4K review – but now there’s the MaxRanger4K Video Doorbell. It's a wireless doorbell which boasts Ultra HD full-color video day and night, and comes with zero subscription fees (so there's no paywall to lock you out of the most useful features).

The MaxRanger4K doorbell boast up to 300m wireless range from the hub, a roughly three-month battery life per charge, and 64GB of storage. Oh, and it can talk to visitors for you, just like the SwannBuddy.

Under the MaxRanger name, Swann is also showcasing some non-AI security cameras. They all also boast no extra fees and 4K video day and night, but offer a wider security ring around your home. The Mini can be placed up to 300m from your hub with 64GB of storage, meanwhile the MaxRanger4K Max boasts a 600m range from the hub with 64GB of storage, and the Pro model offers a 1km max range from the hub, and 128GB storage.

(Image credit: Swann)

If you want to take things up a notch however, Swann is also debuting the Xtreem4K with SwannShield AI Defender Security Guard.

This is a wireless security camera with many of the same specs as the models above such as a three-month rechargeable battery, 4K color video capture day and night, and free local recordings up to 32GB. It also packs heat and motion sensing, which can trigger lights, sirens and recording.

Though unlike the MaxRanger cameras above, the Xtreem4K has has an AI feature that takes a more active intruder deterrent approach, with SwannShield Defender being able to respond to motion to determine what caused it and either welcome guests, deter unwanted visitors, or escalate if it believes there’s a security threat.

We’ll have to test these gadgets out to determine their effectiveness, but we’ve been impressed with Swann’s tech before so we’re excited to test them out when they launch in the US, UK, and Australia.

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TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2025 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

• Asus announces Nvdia RTX 50-series powered laptops
• A new Asus gaming tablet is on the way
• We're getting a new Asus desktop too

CES 2025 is expected to be a big one for computing tech – what with next-gen chips from major brands like Nvidia, Intel and AMD set to usher in next-gen performance – and one of the many brands taking advantage of those upgrades is Asus with its suite of new gaming machines.

Though to get things out of the way now, no new Asus gaming handheld has been announced with new and improved specs, and for all the devices below we're still waiting for precise prices and release dates across all regions.

Starting with the ROG Zephyrus G16, this sleek gaming hardware boasts up to 32GB of RAM, a 2.5K OLED ROG nebula display (with a max refresh rate of 250Hz and up to 500 nits brightness), and up to an Nvidia RTX 5090 GPU in a package that’s just 1.49cm thin and weighs 1.85kg – ideal for a gaming laptop you want to take on the go.

Next up are the Strix G16 and G18 laptops which come with an Intel CPU, and either 16-inch or 18-inch displays. It will pack up to an RTX 5080 (a slightly less powerful Nvidia GPU compared to the Zephyrus), but still boast up to 32GB of DDR5 5,600MHz RAM, 2TB Gen 4.0 SSD, and a 240Hz 2.5K display.

If you care about style and substance then you might appreciate the Strix Scar 16 and 18 – again, separated by their display size. The pair boast next-gen Intel and Nvidia parts (up to a Ultra 9 processor 275HX, and RTX 5090), with up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM and 2TB of SSD storage alongside a 2.5K Mini-LED screen – with 3ms delay, 240Hz refresh rate, and a 1,200 nits peak brightness. On the lid you’ll see AniMe vision decoration – previously called AniMe Matrix sync – which features an array of customizable LEDs so you can create custom images and animations as you play.

Not all just laptops

(Image credit: Future)

As we enter the back half of Asus's announcements things start to get a little different.

The 2025 ROG Flow Z13 is a gaming tablet hybrid that’s super light and thin – 12mm thick, and 1.2Kg thick. Yet it features a Strix Halo AMD processor, an RGB keyboard cover, and a 180Hz touchscreen display. It won’t boast anything like the same performance as the bulkier PCs in Asus’ lineup, but if portability is your priority it’s one to keep your eye on especially considering previous ROG Flow Z13 tablets scored fairly well in reviews – we gave the 2022 model four stars in our review calling it “one of the best choices for a portable gaming laptop.”

If you want to give your Asus gaming tablet a performance boost, the new ROG XG Mobile could lend a hand. This puck boasts an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU, in-built lighting, and vapor chamber cooling, and can be used to boost the performance of your other device. Previous models received mixed reviews, but as with all of the devices we’ll have to test Asus’ new gaming tech for ourselves to get a grasp of their performance capabilities.

Bringing up the rear is the only non-portable in Asus’ CES 2025 lineup: the ROG G700. This classic desktop tower features a quad-fan system, up to the latest Intel Ultra 9 processor, and the latest Nvidia GPUs, with a clear case that allows for tool-less access with standard size components so you can more easily swap in new parts when it eventually starts to show its age.

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The Qatar Airways flight landed at Damascus International Airport. Many passengers were Syrian nationals coming come for the first time in more than a decade.

(Image credit: Omar Sanadiki)