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Microsoft's latest major patch fixes a serious zero-day flaw, and a host of other issues - so update now

TechRadar News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 08:34
  • August 2025 Patch Tuesday update addresses 111 flaws
  • These include multiple critical-severity flaws and a zero-day issue
  • Users should apply the patch immediately, or risk attack

Microsoft has released its August 2025 Patch Tuesday package, a cumulative set of updates addressing more than 100 vulnerabilities across a host of its products.

Among them was a known zero-day vulnerability in Windows Kerberos, the company's implementation of the Kerberos authentication protocol, which securely verifies user identities in a Windows network using tickets instead of sending passwords over the network.

Kerberos was found to contain a “relative path traversal” flaw which allows an authorized threat actor to elevate privileges over a network.

Critical severity flaws

Besides the zero-day, Microsoft fixed another 106 flaws, including 13 bugs labeled “critical”.

Of those, nine are remote code execution (RCE) flaws that can be abused in device takeover attacks, information disclosure flaws that can be used in data exfiltration attacks, and an elevation of privilege bug.

Some of the more notable vulnerabilities fixed in the release include a 10/10, critical flaw in Azure OpenAI, tracked as CVE-2025-53767 which could allow unauthenticated threat actors to remotely access sensitive information in AI environments.

Another notable mention is a remote code execution bug in Microsoft Graphics Component that can be exploited through malicious files or images. It is tracked as CVE-2025-50165, and was given a severity score of 9.8/10 (critical).

There are also CVE-2025-53766, CVE-50171, and CVE-2025-53792, all of which have a severity score of 9.1 and higher, making them critical.

In total, 111 vulnerabilities were addressed by Microsoft, and although none are marked as being actively exploited in the wild, admins would be wise to apply the fix without delay.

Via BleepingComputer

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Categories: Technology

Hisense Shrinks Its Giant TV, but It Still Costs a Mint

CNET News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 08:00
Hisense's 100UX TV offers the company's RGB backlight in a "smaller" 100-inch size for $19,999.
Categories: Technology

When will Foundation season 3 episode 6 be released on Apple TV+?

TechRadar News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 08:00

Foundation season 3 episode 6 is just days away from making its Apple TV+ debut – and it's got a lot to do if it hopes to live up to its predecessor.

This season's next chapter, titled 'The Shape of Time', will pick up directly after the explosive events of its most explosive episode yet, as well as reunite us with the Vault-based Doctor Seldon, who's been conspicuous by his absence for large portions of Foundation's latest season.

But enough waffling on. You're here to find out when Foundation season 3's next entry will air on Apple's streaming service, so read on for more details.

What is the launch date for Foundation season 3 episode 6?

Not long now until The Vault re-opens, Ebling... (Image credit: Apple TV+)

'The Shape of Time' will air on one of the world's best streaming services on Friday, August 15. As I've suggested in every other episodic release date article for this season, I'd expect it to launch on Apple TV+ a day earlier (August 14) in North and South America due to their regional time zones.

Speaking of said time zones, here's when I think Foundation season 3's next installment will be released. Bear in mind that Apple doesn't publicly disclose the launch times for new episodes of its TV Originals, so the below times are my best guess – based on when chapters of some of the best Apple TV+ shows have aired, mind you – for this week's episode.

  • US – Thursday, August 14 at 9pm PT / Friday, August 8 at 12am ET
  • Canada – Thursday, August 14 at 9pm PT / Friday, August 8 at 12am ET
  • UK – Friday, August 15 at 5am BST
  • India – Friday, August 15 at 9:30am IST
  • Singapore – Friday, August 15 at 12pm SGT
  • Australia – Friday, August 15 at 2pm AEST
  • New Zealand – Friday, August 15 at 4pm NZST
When will new episodes of Foundation season 3 come out?

Bayta and Toran's journey across the cosmos continues in this season's sixth episode (Image credit: Apple TV+)

There are four more episodes to come after 'The Shape of Time'. Here's a quick rundown of when each one should be released:

  • Foundation season 3 episode 1 – out now
  • Foundation season 3 episode 2 – out now
  • Foundation season 3 episode 3 – out now
  • Foundation season 3 episode 4 – out now
  • Foundation season 3 episode 5 – out now
  • Foundation season 3 episode 6 – Friday, August 15
  • Foundation season 3 episode 7 – Friday, August 22
  • Foundation season 3 episode 8 – Friday, August 29
  • Foundation season 3 episode 9 – Friday, September 5
  • Foundation season 3 episode 10 – Friday, September 12
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Categories: Technology

Hisense just won the RGB-MiniLED race with two huge TVs, but something even bigger is in the pipeline

TechRadar News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 08:00
  • Two new RGB-MiniLED TVs: 116 and 100 inches
  • A 136-inch microLED will arrive later this year
  • The RGB-MiniLED models are $29,999 and $19,999

What's 116 inches big and "better than any other TV", according to us? Hisense's flagship 116-inch RGB-MiniLED TV, the 116UX. We tested it earlier this year and were extremely impressed, and now it's available to buy in the US. There's also a new and marginally smaller model, the 100-inch 100UX.

When we tested the 116UX our expert found that it delivered "BT.2020 color more accurately than any other TV I'm aware of, and its high brightness and swath of interesting technologies mean it will excel when watching most things." And it's yours for just $29,999, or $19,999 if you plump for the 100UX.

(Image credit: Hisense)Why RGB-MiniLED could be the next big thing in bright TVs

Hisense says that its "RGB-MiniLED TVs are a preview of where the industry is headed." Instead of the white backlights and quantum dots of other TVs, RGB-MiniLED uses individually controlled red, green and blue LEDs. That in theory means up to 8,000 nits of peak brightness once the TV's warmed up, and it achieves 95% of the BT.2020 color space.

In these TVs the panels are teamed with Hisense's Hi-View AI Engine X for dynamic image optimization, and there's a CineStage X 6.2.2 sound system with Dolby Atmos.

These are big TVs with big price tags, but something even bigger is on the horizon: the microLED Hisense 136MX, which as the name indicates is a massive 136 inches diagonally.

Hisense describes it as "an ultra-luxury MicroLED display featuring self-emissive pixels for perfect black levels, infinite contrast, and exceptional brightness." It'll be the largest consumer-targeted microLED display to date, and while we don't know what it'll cost here's a prediction: it'll be a lot.

The new Hisense 116UX and 100UX are available now from Hisense and from authorized resellers and select national retailers.

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Categories: Technology

Experts warn criminals are using backdoor malware to target governments

TechRadar News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 07:52
  • Bitdefender finds new piece of malware in the wild
  • It attributed it to a brand-new cyber-espionage group
  • The researchers believe the group is Russian

Cybersecurity researchers at Bitdefender recently spotted a new threat actor using a never-before-seen piece of backdoor malware to target critical infrastructure organizations in eastern Europe.

Bitdefender named the new group Curly COMrades, since it heavily relies on the curl.exe tool to pull data and communicate with the C2 server, and since it hijacks Component Object Model (COM) objects during its attacks.

In its attacks, Curly COMrades deploy a backdoor named MucorAgent, a custom three-stage malware component, “engineered as a .NET stealthy tool capable of executing an AES-encrypted PowerShell script and uploading the resulting output to a designated server.”

When in doubt - blame the Russians

In other words, it’s a piece of Windows malware that runs hidden commands, keeps them encrypted to avoid detection, and sends the results back to the attacker.

So far, identified victims include government and judicial organizations in Georgia, and energy companies in Moldova.

Given the targets, the researchers believe the attackers are of Russian origin, or at least Russia-aligned.

However, they did stress that there are no strong overlaps with known Russian APT groups, but Curly COMrades’ operations “align with the geopolitical goals of the Russian Federation."

Bitdefender also could not determine the initial access vector - how crooks managed to infiltrate the target endpoints to deploy MucorAgent to begin with.

They claim to have seen installations of multiple proxy agents, including Resocks which, they suspect, may have been used to that end.

Ever since Russia’s attention turned towards Ukraine in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea, countries on its eastern border have lost the spotlight. Georgia, however, is in a similar position to Ukraine, with two regions declaring independence with the help of the Russian military - South Ossetia, and Abkhazia. Therefore, it would make sense that Russia’s cyberspies would like to keep tabs on neighboring countries and their diplomatic efforts.

Via BleepingComputer

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Categories: Technology

Statelessness, but make it funny

NPR News Headlines - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 07:24

Mo Amer is the creator and star of the hit Netflix comedy series Mo. It's a first-of-its kind Palestinian-American sitcom with a fraught plot line about the American immigration system and the hope to return, at least for a visit, to his family's homeland. We talk to Mo Amer what it’s like to make a show so centered on the real facts of his own life, and to be thrust into the role of spokesperson for Palestinian-Americans at this particular moment.

Categories: News

Drag x Drive Proves the Switch 2's Mouse Mode Controls Are Fantastic

CNET News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 07:00
Nintendo has done it again with a great new way to play games on its just-launched console.
Categories: Technology

AI Data Centers Are Massive, Energy-Hungry and Headed Your Way

CNET News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 07:00
Behind your ChatGPT and Gemini queries, there's a land grab happening to keep up the fevered pace of gen AI's growth. The consequences are significant.
Categories: Technology

5 Tips Doctors Swear By to Keep Your Kids Healthy This School Year

CNET News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 07:00
School often brings lots of illness, but these experts share tricks to keep your family healthy.
Categories: Technology

I Tested a $200 Budget Phone and It Didn't Make Me Look Like a Cheapskate

CNET News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 07:00
The TCL 60 XE NxtPaper 5G has a big, beautiful screen and enough juice to get through the day -- but its e-reader mode and AI features are the real standouts.
Categories: Technology

Drag x Drive is a decently entertaining hooping experience – but bland visuals and tiring controls mean it’s not the slam dunk Nintendo hoped for

TechRadar Reviews - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 07:00

I think it’s fair to say that when April’s hotly anticipated Nintendo Direct swung around, Drag x Drive wasn’t on anyone's bingo card. Yes, one of the initial first-party releases on the Nintendo Switch 2 isn’t only a sports title – but one that’s based on wheelchair basketball.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2 only
Release date: August 14, 2025

Drag x Drive is, at its core, a game intended to show off the enhanced capabilities of the Joy-Con 2. In particular, their mouse controls are used to move your player around the court. It’s also massively centered around online play, almost positioning it as Nintendo’s rival to the hugely successful Rocket League.

So, a couple of major questions arise. Is Drag x Drive just a glorified tech demo? Or is it a fully-fledged Nintendo Switch 2 sports title with enough depth to hold down a loyal playerbase? I spent hours playing this unorthodox new release to find out.

A real workout

(Image credit: Nintendo)

From the moment you open Drag x Drive, you’re thrown into a tutorial that teaches you all the basics of movement, hooping, and tricking. You can place the Joy-Con 2 controllers on a flat surface or even on your legs, and use mouse controls to mimic pushing wheels on a wheelchair.

The controls are intuitive and fairly easy to get to grips with, in my view. HD rumble also makes every turn and push feel a bit more true-to-life. There’s been some debate online about the best way to control your baller, but I found that holding the Joy-Con 2’s on top of my legs was the most comfortable, natural-feeling method.

However, after a few minutes of wheeling around as well as a couple of practice matches, I identified – well, felt, really – one of Drag x Drive’s key limitations. My arms were feeling beat.

Yep, this game’s a real workout, though I did wonder if this was intentional. Is Drag x Drive meant to immerse the player in the high-exertion reality of wheelchair basketball? Maybe. But the facts are, I felt pretty achey after a few back-to-back matches, which did make playing for longer than around 30 minutes feel tiring.

Aside from that, though, movement is solid. You can easily build up speed with long, relaxed strokes, and wheel up on-court halfpipes to dunk or obstruct a shot. The ZL and ZR buttons enable you to brake, and you can also use them to bunny hop, giving you some extra elevation when blocking or shooting.

On the topic of shooting, it’s also quite consistent. The more lined up you are with the basket, the more likely you are to score, which can be performed with a flick of the wrist – no buttons needed. I did find, on occasion, my baller would raise their hand to shoot, even when I hadn’t performed this motion. But most of the time, shooting is responsive.

Best bit

(Image credit: Nintendo)

I wheeled up the court’s half-pipe, flung myself into the air, and hit a gnarly dunk to help my team declare victory in the final seconds of a match.

I’d argue that the most underwhelming element of Drag x Drive’s core gameplay, however, is defending. In order to steal the ball, you must charge into an opposing player while facing them. But, when playing matches online during the game’s Global Jam trial event, I found that this didn’t always work – I’d clash into an opponent, but the ball would remain firmly in their grip.

On top of that, blocking didn’t feel very reliable. Ultimately, my games were rarely won by good defense. They were typically won by aggressively attacking. Speaking of, you can bag extra points with trick shots – think dunks and mid-air throws. And I have to say, winning a match with a mid-air 3-pointer is very satisfying!

Oh, and one final note on gameplay – I often found myself in 2v2 matches when playing online via Global Jam. Scrolling on Reddit, I discovered that other players encountered a similar occurrence, though games were still generally balanced, and I barely ever experienced any delays or performance issues.

I’m hoping 2v2s are a little less common when the full game is on general release, though, for the most action-packed experience possible.

Where’s the Nintendo magic?

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Let’s take a break from gameplay to chat about design. Now, I'm gonna be frank. I am not a fan of the way Drag x Drive looks. The world – or should I say, the courts – is too bland. Colors aren’t very vibrant, and there’s a generally dingy look to the environment, which is a real shame.

Given this is a Nintendo-developed title, you expect the vivid, character-filled presentation that so many of the best Nintendo Switch 2 games – and indeed, the best Nintendo Switch games – thrive off of. In addition, character models lack polish, meaning the game doesn’t really look like it was made for a flashy new console.

Not only is it visually underwhelming, but the overall Drag x Drive experience is pretty thin – perhaps to be expected given its low price tag. 3v3 online matches are generally competitive and entertaining to hop into, though, as I mentioned, a few games left my arms feeling lethargic. And other than those online matches, there’s not all too much to do.

There are a few minigames littered around the courts – stuff like cone courses and sprint time trials. If you complete these within a certain amount of time, you can earn a trophy. But after I did this, I didn’t feel particularly keen to return to them. Variety could be better, too, given that many of the minigames are variations of each other – there are a number of cone courses to finish, for instance.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Something that’s undoubtedly positive, though, is that the trophies you obtain by clearing minigames help you unlock new customization options. For example, you can get new helmets – including one with a mohawk, which I took a liking to. Other than that, you can alter the texture and colors of your armor, frame, and wheels.

Combine this with the opportunity to switch between a speedy yet lightweight guard, a bulky yet slow center, or an all-rounder forward, and Drag x Drive ends up being a pleasingly personalizable time.

So, how about we go back to that question of ours: is Drag x Drive just a glorified tech demo? Well, that might be a touch harsh. But the finished product does feel a little underbaked. The core experience – the 3v3 online matches – is decently tense and end-to-end, and I can see myself dipping in from time to time for a quick game.

But a quick game is all I would really want from Drag x Drive. It’s a workout on the arms, minigames aren’t massively engaging, and the environment isn’t visually stimulating enough to draw me in for the long run.

Much like it did with Arms on the original Switch, Nintendo took a long shot early with Drag x Drive. And honestly, I appreciate the decision to create an original gaming experience based on wheelchair basketball – it’s refreshing to see more representation of sports such as this. But in the end, its tiring controls and unappealing aesthetic hold Drag x Drive back from being a total slam dunk.

Should you play Drag x Drive?

(Image credit: Nintendo)Play it if...

You want an online game you can quickly dip in and out of
Drag x Drive is solid fun if you’re willing to just hop on for a couple of games. You can take on friends or global competitors for a few minutes without feeling fatigued, and just enjoy flexing your 3-point shooting or dunking skills.

You want to get the best out of mouse mode
One of the key missions of Drag x Drive is to showcase the smooth, intuitive nature of the Joy Con 2’s mouse controls. And that’s a mission that it accomplishes – controls are largely responsive, and it will be interesting to see how Nintendo makes use of them in future titles.

Don't play it if...

You’re looking to chill, rather than work out
If you’re hoping to relax after a long day at work or school, maybe even a gym session, say, Drag x Drive might not be what you're looking for. Wheeling around gets pretty tiring after a while, so extended play sessions can feel like quite the workout.

You want to experience the peak powers of the Switch 2
I’d argue that the most disappointing aspect of Drag x Drive is its visual presentation. Colors don’t pop, environments lack polish, and the graphics just generally fail to highlight the power of the Nintendo Switch 2. Want a beautiful title for your shiny new console? Maybe look elsewhere – my recommendation would be the absolutely smashing Donkey Kong Bananza.

Accessibility features

There aren’t all too many accessibility features to note from Drag x Drive. You can adjust the camera distance as well as the X and Y-axis configuration, and choose whether to use mouse or stick controls for menu navigation. But, disappointingly, that’s about it.

How I reviewed Drag x Drive

(Image credit: Nintendo)

I played Drag x Drive for around 10 hours, mainly competing online during the Global Jam event and in matches against bots in single-player mode. I also completed the majority of the available minigames and played around with the customization options available.

For the most part, I played the game in docked mode on my Nintendo Switch 2, which is hooked up to the Sky Glass Gen 2 and a Samsung HW-Q800D soundbar. However, I did also spend some time playing the game in tabletop mode while connected to my Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones.

First reviewed August 2025

Categories: Reviews

Anthropic takes the fight to ChatGPT - offers Claude AI tools to US government for just $1

TechRadar News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 06:33
  • Anthropic is offering Claude to all branches of US Government for next to nothing
  • Move comes after OpenAI offered a very similar deal for ChatGPT
  • AI companies are rushing to get their models adopted across the board

Anthropic has offered its Claude AI model to US government agencies for just $1 for the next year.

The offer extends to all three branches of the government, targeting the legislative and judicial branches alongside the executive.

The move comes almost immediately after OpenAI offered its ChatGPT enterprise for all US federal government workers for $1 per year per agency, as the firms look to undercut each other - and presumably create a reliance within the public sector, which is likely to use AI tools to help streamline their work and save money on admin costs.

Government contracts

“As AI adoption leads to transformation across industries, we want to ensure that federal workers can fully harness these capabilities to better serve the American people. By removing cost barriers, we're enabling the government to access the same advanced AI that's already proving its value in the private sector,” Anthropic said in a statement.

LLM companies are racing to obtain government contracts, with Anthropic, OpenAI, and xAI awarded a $200 million AI development deal with the US Department of Defence - all to develop models for US government customers for national security.

Claude has already been added to the General Services Administration’s (GSA) schedule to help streamline procurement, with Claude for Enterprise and Claude for Government offering support with handling sensitive unclassified work.

The firm will also give assistance to rapidly implement AI across agencies - with technical support for successful adoption into their ‘productivity and mission workflows’.

“This OneGov deal with Anthropic is proof that the United States is setting the standard for how governments adopt AI — boldly, responsibly, and at scale,” said GSA Acting Administrator Michael Rigas.

“This agreement puts the most advanced American AI models directly into the hands of those serving the American people.”

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Why Trump's spending bill could close your grocery store

NPR News Headlines - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 06:29

Trump’s tax and spending law makes the largest cut in history to one of the nation’s biggest safety net programs. Today on the show, we explore how cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, impacts families and grocery stores alike. 

Based on the digital story: Independent grocery stores have had a tough five years. SNAP cuts will make it harder

Related episodes:
Do work requirements help SNAP people out of government aid?
When SNAP Gets Squeezed
The trouble with water discounts

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

(Image credit: Stephan Bisaha)

Categories: News

Expectations for Trump-Putin summit. And, homeless people in D.C. at risk

NPR News Headlines - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 06:10

The White House lowered its expectations surrounding the Trump-Putin summit on Friday. And, advocates worry about penalties for homeless people in D.C. during the crackdown on crime.

(Image credit: Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP)

Categories: News

My Top Smart Tech Picks for Back-to-School in 2025

CNET News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 06:00
From dorm life to classrooms, these smart home products bring fun, efficiency and safety to your school activities.
Categories: Technology

GPT-4o and older LLMs restored for paid ChatGPT users as OpenAI plans a GPT-5 personality upgrade

TechRadar News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 05:59
  • Paid ChatGPT users are getting access to a bunch of older models
  • Altman teases an upgrade to ChatGPT-5’s personality is coming
  • The new “warmer” upgrade is to counter the backlash to GPT-5

In his latest tweet on the social media platform X, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has confirmed that all paid ChatGPT subscribers will be getting access to not only the old GPT-4o model, but also older LLMs like o3, 4.1.

The popular ChatGPT-4.5 will also be coming back, but it will only be available to Pro subscribers. Altman says this is because “it costs a lot of GPUs”, a reference to the amount of compute power that it requires.

In the wake of the backlash against the removal of the popular 4o model with absolutely no warning when GPT-5 was released, Altman seems to have learned a lesson and has promised, “If we ever do deprecate it, we will give plenty of notice.”

All paid users of ChatGPT should now find a 'Show additional models' toggle in the ChatGPT web settings, which will give you access to all the older LLM models. You’ll also be able to add a new GPT-5 Thinking mini model.

Updates to ChatGPT:You can now choose between “Auto”, “Fast”, and “Thinking” for GPT-5. Most users will want Auto, but the additional control will be useful for some people.Rate limits are now 3,000 messages/week with GPT-5 Thinking, and then extra capacity on GPT-5 Thinking…August 13, 2025

Altman also makes reference to the highly criticized ‘colder’ tone of the new ChatGPT-5, which has alienated many users in the tweet: “We are working on an update to GPT-5’s personality which should feel warmer than the current personality, but not as annoying (to most users) as GPT-4o”.

His reference to ChatGPT-4o being annoying refers to the sycophantic phase that GPT-4o seemed to enter after an upgrade back in April.

Altman continues, ”However, one learning for us from the past few days is we really just need to get to a world with more per-user customization of model personality.”

Multiple personalities

Altman’s reference to “per-user customization” reflects OpenAI's recognition that what its users want is an easier way to select how formal, humorous, empathetic, or direct the assistant is.

Altman endured a recent AMA chat on Reddit where he got to listen to users' complaints firsthand. It seems to be GPT-5's lack of a personality that has most angered ChatGPT users, who had gotten used to building quite a rapport with GPT-4o.

If I were given free rein to imagine how I'd like ChatGPT to work, I’d like to get to the stage where ChatGPT's personality traits could be represented via sliders, like ‘professional vs. casual’ or ‘concise vs. detailed’. That would make it far easier to get the results you are looking for.

While CustomGPTs already exist, I’d love it if it were possible to easily switch between personality types, like ‘Work Assistant’ or ‘Creative Writing Coach’. However, I get the feeling it will be a long time yet before we get such an easily customizable AI chatbot to talk to.

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Categories: Technology

Trump's D.C. crackdown is 'very problematic,' says former Capitol Police officer

NPR News Headlines - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 05:48

Former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn says President Trump's crackdown in Washington, D.C. could tarnish police relationships in the city.

(Image credit: Jacquelyn Martin)

Categories: News

GPT-5 just got a big new upgrade, and Sam Altman has fixed Plus users' biggest complaint

TechRadar News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 05:28
  • GPT-5 now has multiple thinking modes to choose from
  • Sam Altman has also confirmed an increase in rate limits for ChatGPT Plus subscribers
  • GPT-5 launched less than a week ago to widespread criticism

GPT-5 just got its first major change, and now users can select between different modes when using the new model in ChatGPT.

Confirmed by OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, on X earlier today, ChatGPT users can now choose between Auto, Fast, Thinking, and Thinking-mini when using GPT-5.

Each new mode offers a different way for GPT-5 to, you guessed it, think. "Auto" lets GPT-5 decide for itself how long to think, Fast" gives you instant answers, "Thinking-mini" thinks quickly, and "Thinking" will take longer to think for better answers.

The change comes following mass backlash related to GPT-5's performance, and will now give users multiple tiers of performance to choose from. We've yet to test all of the new thinking modes; however, when OpenAI decided to limit choice and remove legacy models, the lack of variety was met with widespread criticism.

OpenAI has since reverted back on those decisions, making 4o available again for paid subscribers, and adding the choice of multiple thinking abilities in GPT-5 only further cements the U-turn.

Updates to ChatGPT:You can now choose between “Auto”, “Fast”, and “Thinking” for GPT-5. Most users will want Auto, but the additional control will be useful for some people.Rate limits are now 3,000 messages/week with GPT-5 Thinking, and then extra capacity on GPT-5 Thinking…August 13, 2025

3000 messages a week? Yes please

New thinking modes aren't the only changes coming to GPT-5. Altman also announced the increase in rate limits for the brand new AI model following discontent from ChatGPT Plus users who pay $20/£20 a month to access the premium tier.

At launch, GPT-5's Thinking model was limited to 200 messages per week for Plus subscribers, now Altman says the rate limits have been increased to 3,000 a week. He also notes, "Context limit for GPT-5 Thinking is 196k tokens. We may have to update rate limits over time depending on usage."

Earlier this week, Altman said ChatGPT-5 Pro might be coming to Plus subscribers too, although he now appears to have backtracked, claiming, "we do not have the compute to do it right now."

GPT-5 hasn't even been out a week yet, but OpenAI has started to right the wrongs of the initial launch. With new rate limits and more choices in how long the AI model takes to respond with less or more thinking process, the company is trying to recapture its user base's trust.

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Categories: Technology

Bad news slackers - ChatGPT can now link in with Gmail, Google Calendar and even Microsoft Teams to make sure you never miss a beat

TechRadar News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 05:23
  • OpenAI announces support for even more third-party integration and cloud storage platforms
  • However it means millions won't be able to use connectors
  • GPT-5 sees some tweaks, and legacy models make a return

OpenAI has rolled out some handy new updates to Pro subscribers that will see ChatGPT link in more closely with top productivity tools such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Contacts and GitHub to reference content without the services inside conversations.

Plus members also get a few connectors, too, including collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, along with the likes of Box, Canva, Dropbox, HubSpot and Notion.

As has often proven to be the case with ChatGPT, other paying tiers including Plus, Team, Enterprise and Edu will also get the Pro features in the coming weeks via a staged rollout.

ChatGPT connects to even more workplace apps

We've already seen connectors link to some third-party services for easier, faster access to information, including Google Drive, but the latest update marks a considerable improvement with links to even more platforms.

However, there's one key twist that means millions of users will not be able to use them – OpenAI explained, "connectors for Plus/Pro plans are not available in EEA, Switzerland, and the UK." TechRadar Pro has sought confirmation as to why this is the case.

The news comes as OpenAI releases its GPT-5 and GPT-5 Thinking models to the world, with the company announcing the availability for business plans now.

Users can now select between 'Auto', 'Fast' and 'Thinking' variants of GPT-5 based on how much control they may require, with Plus users being granted 3,000 messages per week with GPT-5 Thinking before OpenAI directs them to the lighter GPT-5 Thinking mini model.

4o has also returned into the model picker following uproar that all previous models got removed upon the launch of GPT-5.

"Paid users also now have a 'Show additional models' toggle in ChatGPT web settings which will add models like o3, o4-mini, 4.1, and GPT-5 Thinking mini," OpenAI explained in a support page. "4.5 is only available to Pro users due to GPUs."

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Categories: Technology

LinkedIn has a new way to keep you hooked on the site - more games, and I might be tempted

TechRadar News - Wed, 08/13/2025 - 05:02
  • Millions play games on LinkedIn regularly, apparently
  • Sudoku is the sixth game to be added to LinkedIn's gaming platform
  • LinkedIn believes Sudoku games can be an ice-breaker

LinkedIn has added another game to its portfolio in the hope that it can keep more of its 1.2 billion users engaged with the job site platform for longer.

The launch of Sudoku marks LinkedIn's sixth game, which is designed to be played more quickly (within two to three minutes) with a 6x6 layout compared with traditional 9x9 versions of the game.

As with previous games added to the platform, LinkedIn believes Sudoku could serve as an ice-breaker to spark friendly competition among colleagues.

LinkedIn continues to add games to the platform

Although the platform is primarily designed for professional social networking, millions are said to play games on the platform daily, with peak time at 7am ET.

"More than a year after launching LinkedIn Games, engagement remains strong," the company wrote in a post.

It's estimated 86% of today's players will return tomorrow, and 82% will return next week, with Gen Z most likely to participate in online gaming.

Although Meta's platforms count more users than LinkedIn (3.5 billion daily users) and better fiscal growth, LinkedIn is less challenged in the space, focusing on professional networks rather than personal engagement - last quarter, the Microsoft-owned platform saw a 9% growth in revenue to $4.6 billion.

Recent months have seen countless incremental upgrades to the platform, including the addition of new games and useful injections of AI tools to help both job seekers and recruiters be more efficient.

This particular game comes with plenty of credentials, being built in collaboration with Nikoli (the Japanese publisher than popularized Sudoku) and Thomas Snyder, three-time World Sudoku Champion and puzzle designer.

"We don’t want to have a puzzle on LinkedIn that takes 20 minutes to solve, right?” LinkedIn Senior Director of Product Lakshman Somasundaram said in an interview with CNBC, speaking about the game's more condensed design.

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