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Nvidia’s RTX 4060 struggled to make an impression when it arrived – notably against the previous-gen RTX 3060 Ti, even though the newer GPU was cheaper – but the graphics card appears to finally be hitting its stride.

This is according to the latest Steam Hardware Survey, where the RTX 4060 has positive leapt up the rankings. In the September report from Valve, the RTX 4060 is now the second most popular GPU used by PC gamers on Steam, with an increase of 1.13% compared to August (when it was in sixth place).

It’s now in second on 4.44%, behind only the Nvidia RTX 3060 which still tops the rankings with 5.71%.

Notably, last month the RTX 3060 Ti actually still edged out the RTX 4060, going by the numbers on Steam – but not anymore.

Furthermore, its Lovelace sibling, the RTX 4060 Ti, has also made good progress in September, putting on 0.74% to sit at 3.55%, where the GPU is in fourth place. Between the RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti we have the laptop 4060, so the top three positions behind the chart-topping RTX 3060 are actually taken by different RTX 4060 models now.

An interesting turn of events, for sure, so let’s dive in and try to analyze exactly what this means for the GPU market going forward.

Analysis: The struggle to overcome that initial perception 

It’s the mainstream graphics cards which carry a range of GPUs, of course, and for Nvidia’s current-gen that means the RTX 4070 and 4060 models (plus usually the xx50 too, but that card didn’t happen with Lovelace, not on the desktop anyway).

However, as we’ve already alluded to, the RTX 4060 – the workhorse GPU of the mainstream – rather flopped out of the gate due back at the launch for a couple of reasons.

As mentioned, one of the sticking points for PC gamers was that the RTX 3060 Ti was somewhat faster, and so it felt like the RTX 4060 failing to better – or even match – its Ti predecessor was a notable failure for the Lovelace GPU, frankly. Nvidia sticking with 8GB of VRAM was another sore point for PC gamers, too.

It wasn’t like the RTX 4060 was a bad graphics card, at its price point, but there were concerns around said issues – and those perceptions rather stuck as the GPU being a somehow wobbly choice for PC gamers.

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Slowly but surely, that has changed, and as we see now, it appears the RTX 4060 is now on an upward trajectory (and the RTX 4060 Ti, too). Partly that could be due to the RTX 3060 Ti no longer being available – stock has run dry – so there’s no real alternative in that respect.

Some gamers may still lean towards the RTX 3060 12GB, which is available, for that VRAM, but this really isn’t a good choice – and folks are evidently starting to realize that. (The RTX 4060 is a good deal faster than the 3060, way more power-efficient, and has DLSS 3 frame generation – that more than makes up for any video RAM shortcomings. Also don’t forget the 3060 will fall off the Nvidia driver radar quicker, too).

On top of that, the RTX 4060 is now a bit more affordable, too, falling somewhat under its MSRP (even if not by a whole lot, the value proposition has improved).

The majority of people are still gaming at Full HD too, remember, and there’s a reason the RTX 4060 is our top graphics card for 1080p gaming.

This is why we believe that the RTX 4060 is going to make quite short work of displacing the RTX 3060 at the top of Valve’s GPU rankings – especially when we consider the imminent next-gen graphics cards from Nvidia.

Remember the RTX 5090 and 5080 are theoretically just around the corner, and as the new generation comes in, the remaining RTX 3000 stock – which is mostly that RTX 3060 12GB, and the 3050 – is going to fall away. Leaving no real alternative at the affordable end of the market except for the RTX 4060.

If the rumors are right, it could be a long time before the RTX 5060 arrives too – there could be a large gap between the initial Blackwell GeForce launches, and the successor to the RTX 4060. Leaving the latter to clean up in the near future, we’d bet.

If you’re thinking – well, what about AMD? – we’d counter, well, take a good, hard look at the Steam survey. Team Red’s GPUs are approximately nowhere, even though there are some very robust RDNA 3 graphics cards floating around, the top 15 is entirely Nvidia, and the first AMD discrete GPU is the admittedly great value RX 6600 – but it’s at number 34.

Granted, this may not be a fair reflection of the overall market out there, but it’s a decent slice – and besides, analyst figures from the GPU market show Nvidia has closing on a 90% dominance.

Via TweakTown

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Garmin has just unveiled its latest fashion-forward smartwatch aimed at the women's market, the new Lily 2 Active.

Building on the success of the Garmin Lily 2, the new Lily 2 Active adds built-in GPS, as well as many of Garmin's other popular health and wellness features.

In fact, it's the smallest Garmin smartwatch to feature GPS, housed in a metal watch case with two side buttons and a hidden display. Battery life is rated at up to nine days in smartwatch mode, or nine hours while using GPS.

Just like the previous Lily offerings, you get a bright touchscreen display hidden by the patterned lens. The screen can be revealed by tapping or turning your wrist, making this the perfect smartwatch for both work and play.

Garmin unveils the Lily 2 Active

(Image credit: Garmin)

The Lily 2 Active's built-in GPS will let you track outdoor activities like walks, runs, cycling, and more without a smartphone nearby. It also features Garmin's Body Battery wellness monitor to help you keep on top of your overall well-being.

It features sleep tracking and a scoring system to give you insights on how to improve your rest.

There's also fitness tracking to help count steps, calories burned, and exercise sessions. In our Garmin Lily 2 review, we noted the lack of sports tracking. The new Lily 2 Active address this and comes replete with built-in sports apps for tennis, pickleball, indoor cycling, and golf. There are even on-screen workouts for strength, HIIT, yoga, and more that you can access directly from your watch screen.

Finally, there's support for Garmin Coach, Garmin Pay, and the Garmin Connect smartphone app. Overall, it's got a handful of great new features that could see the Lily 2 Active sneak onto our best Garmin watch list.

Available now from Garmin's website, the Lily 2 Active is priced at $299/£299/AU$499 and comes in Lunar Gold, Silver, and Jasper Green.

AT&T has accused VMware of proposing a staggering 1,050% price increase under its new Broadcom ownership, leading to a legal dispute between the two companies.

The claim was shared in a legal document filed by AT&T, which alleges Broadcom has not honored a previous contract allowing the telecoms giant to extend its support for VMware software by a further two years.

Confirmation of AT&T’s frustration with Broadcom was shared in a letter from AT&T EVP Susan A. Johnson, addressed to Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, shared by The Register.

AT&T faced with 1,050% VMware price hike

In the letter, Johnson called the proposed price hike extreme and unexpected given the companies’ strategic partnership.

AT&T has also raised concerns about the difficulties in migrating away from VMware, despite investigating alternative solutions for nearly a year. Because VMware is deeply integrated into AT&T’s network operations, a migration would prove costly (to the tune of $40-50 million) and time-consuming.

“AT&T has decided to pursue a legal strategy along with a disciplined plan to invest to migrate away, all of which will quickly become public," Johnson added

Despite sharing concerns about being treated unfairly and plans to migrate away from VMware, Johnson said the company would be prepared to “engage in any reasonable offers.”

More broadly, AT&T isn’t the only company to complain about the drastic changes that Broadcom has enacted within its acquired VMware business. Not long after the buyout, VMware perpetual licenses were terminated, and customers became increasingly vocal in the months that followed about their dissatisfaction.

Civo recently confirmed that more than half (52%) of VMware customers were looking to migrate as a result of the turmoil.

Several Broadcom execs, including CEO Hock Tan, have spoken out about the changes in a bid to pacify customers, but these have so far been relatively unsuccessful. A company spokesperson told TechRadar Pro in an email:

"Broadcom strongly disagrees with the allegations and is confident we will prevail in the legal process. VMware has been moving to a subscription model, the standard for the software industry, for several years – beginning before the acquisition by Broadcom. Our focus will continue to be providing our customers choice and flexibility while helping them address their most complex technology challenges.”

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Finding an accommodating memory foam bed can be tricky. Luckily, this Nectar Premier Hybrid is comfortable for all sleeper types while offering plenty of support. Here's why we love it.

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A little-known AI notebook tool from Google is going viral for its Audio Overviews that mimic the speech cadence of podcasters. Here’s how to try it out.

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Hackers are once again targeting Python developers involved in the blockchain industry in an attempt to distribute malware and steal tokens.

A new report from cybersecurity researchers at Checkmarx outlines how they observed an account on PyPI uploading multiple packages within a very short timeframe.

This unnamed individual uploaded a handful of packages with similar names: “AtomicDecoderss”, “TrustDecoderss”, “WalletDecoderss”, and more. The packages are presented as tools for decoding and managing data from different cryptocurrency wallets. On the surface, they look like super useful tools, especially for people in need of crypto wallet recovery, or management.

Malicious intent

Depending on the name, the packages are designed for separate wallets: Atomic, Trust Wallet, MetaMask, Ronin, Exodus, TronLink, and others. The ones mentioned here are some of the most popular wallets out there, especially MetaMask and Atomic.

Their true purpose, however, is malicious - they work in the background to grab additional code from dependencies, which is built to steal cryptocurrency wallet data such as private keys and mnemonic phrases. This data is used to load a wallet into a new app, essentially allowing crooks to manage the money as they see fit.

The packages were also designed with plenty of obfuscation in mind, the researchers explained in the press release: “This strategic use of dependencies allowed the main packages to appear harmless while harboring malicious intent in their underlying components.”

Checkmarx doesn’t know how many people were affected by the attack, but urged everyone to stay vigilant, especially when grabbing content from major repositories who are often targeted.

PyPI is short for Python Package Index, and serves as a repository for Python software packages. It is a central hub where Python developers can upload, share, and install software libraries and tools, and widely considered as the most popular platform of its kind.

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Retrospect Solo is one of the relatively rare backup software tools available on both Windows and Mac. As the name suggests, this product is designed for individual systems rather than organisational use. For business, Retrospect is an ideal option for sole traders or small companies that need to protect individual PCs.

It’s certainly not your only choice if that’s what you need, though, with individual products from EaseUS and Macrium leading the charge when it comes to individual system protection.

We've also highlighted the best disk cloning software right now.

Retrospect Solo: Plans and pricing

Retrospect Solo for Windows costs $49 for a lifetime licence, with that price rising to $129 if you want a year of email and phone support and maintenance included. The Mac version mirrors those prices.

Those standalone figures are a mixed bag: that lifetime licence is cheaper than either equivalent EaseUS or Macrium option, but Retrospect’s one-year support and maintenance upgrade, called ASM, makes the product more expensive.

Retrospect is also available in several different versions. The Desktop product covers five systems and prices start at $116 for a lifetime licence and $159 for a premium version, or from $10 per month if you buy a subscription. Server options rise in price accordingly.

The product can be customized with add-ons to support additional servers, PCs and email accounts.

If you’re in business and want to protect individual systems, though, the Desktop product looks like the best value – that lifetime subscription might be more expensive than the Solo product, but it protects five systems and so is capable of handling your business by adding some extra PCs.

(Image credit: Retrospect) Features

If you want to stick with Solo, though, then don’t worry – you’re still getting a good set of features.

It handles full, incremental and differential backups. You can preserve entire drives, entire PCs, computers on your network and your documents and settings, and you can specify if you only want to backup pictures, music, movie files or documents – handy if you're going to preserve a particular type of file.

In terms of backup destinations, you can choose from removable drives, local drives, and cloud storage, with support included for more than twenty cloud providers, including Amazon S3, Dropbox, Google Cloud Storage, Microsoft Azure, and more. There’s also support here for NAS systems from Synology, QNAP and others. That’s impressive because lots of backup apps include limited cloud support, and it’s especially useful in a business setting.

Once you’ve configured your settings there’s a one-click backup option if you want to use them again, and a wizard guides users through the entire process.

You can schedule backups for specific days of the week, repeating intervals or a single date – a reasonable selection although you will find more scheduling ability elsewhere. Delve into the backup options and you can opt for verification, data compression, anomaly detection and more, with a broad array of options available for anyone who wants to delve into some trickier menus.

Elsewhere there are extensive restoration options, a file-finding option, disaster recovery and an option to recover mailboxes from backups. The reporting is particularly extensive. There are additional modules for repairing backups, verifying media and transferring your backups to other destinations.

Combine these options together and you’ve got a powerful backup tool. You can protect and migrate your online mailboxes between providers, use the cloud for extra protection, write scripts for specific tasks, and secure your backups with encryption and multi-factor authentication.

Switch over to the Mac version and you’ll find similar features. Retrospect on Apple’s platform supports complete data protection, cloud backup, email protection, scripting, anomaly checking and most of the other features that make Retrospect Solo such a fully-featured product for individual systems.

(Image credit: Retrospect) Interface & Use

Retrospect Solo might be packed with features, but the core application is not attractive – it looks old-fashioned and intimidating, at least initially.

Many of the icons are tiny and not labelled; it’s sometimes hard to find the options you need, and you’ll have to delve through nests of menus to find your way.

There are two saving graces: the presence of some helpful wizards to guide newer users through common processes, like setting up backups, and an app called Retrospect Dashboard that presents key information, like scheduled backups, recent tasks and storage capacities, in a friendlier visual format.

Still, the main app is not particularly accessible, particularly to those who don’t know their way around software.

We tested our latest slate of backup apps with a 42GB document folder, a 2.5GB spreadsheet folder, a 162GB folder of media and an 82GB file that mixes all of those file types. We backed them up to three different SSDs to weed out any inconsistency.

Retrospect proved itself a mediocre performer in our tests. Its best result came with our folder of spreadsheets, where it took five minutes and ten seconds to back up the files – but the best apps we’ve tested, including EaseUS and O&O DiskImage, took two and three minutes respectively.

Retrospect took twenty-seven minutes to back up our folder of documents, twenty-three minutes when handling media, and thirty minutes with a mixed folder. The Mac version returned similar results.

When it comes to speed, this is a mediocre app, and if pace is a priority, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

Support

(Image credit: NovaBACKUP)

Instead of taking the lead in the results tables, NovaBACKUP makes a big deal of its support offering – and rightly so.

You can submit support tickets, call a phone line that’s open between 9 am and 5 pm, and consult an extensive knowledge base. You can schedule appointments with the support team, dive into a forum, watch webinars, and get setup assistance depending on the product you’ve purchased.

Competition

EaseUS’s app is much faster than Retrospect in every category, and single-PC versions of apps from Macrium, Paragon and O&O are faster, too.

So if you’re chasing speed and those options are available at comparable prices – and they often are – they’re all going to be better options. For the most part they’ve got more up-to-date interfaces, too.

That said, Retrospect fights back in other areas. Its cloud options are virtually unmatched, for instance, and its range of add-ons adds flexibility, admittedly for an extra price. And when it comes to core backup options, it has a good range of features once you get beyond the interface.

Verdict

Retrospect is an intriguing app that will successfully serve the needs of many home users and small businesses.

Positively, it has good core features, excellent cloud ability and great support, so if you need an app for cloud backup this should be at the top of your list.

Negatively, though, it’s not particularly fast and it suffers with an ageing interface, so it’s not the best option for anyone who needs speed or a beginner who may need more signposting in the interface.

If you’re aware of those foibles, though, then Retrospect could still do the job for lots of people – especially if you want to use the cloud for your backup.

Apple plans to release new M4-chip models of its MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac later this year, according to reputable Apple leaker Mark Gurman.

Gurman had previously stated that these M4 Mac devices would be revealed at an Apple event in October, but while he has now reiterated that those products are coming, the language has now shifted to “this year” - implying that while a reveal might be coming this month, an actual release might not be so imminent. It should be noted that Gurman correctly predicted the reveal of M3 Macs at last year’s ‘Scary Fast’ October event.

Apple’s most recent update to the Mac Mini was in January 2023, where it gave the device the M2 chip - in other words, it’s long overdue for a processor upgrade. There were also significant updates to the MacBook and iMac models during October’s 2023 virtual event, bringing them up to the M3 chip.

The MacBook Pro saw enhanced performance and efficiency due to the new 3nm architecture of the M3 chip. This saw a huge increase in performance compared to the previous M1 and M2 models. The 14- and 16-inch models were equipped with the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips, with the M3 Max variant supporting up to 128 GB of unified memory. An M4 upgrade for the MacBook Pro will likely sport the same configurations as last year’s models, with M4 Pro and M4 Max models also available.

As for the MacBook Air? Well, there's no sign of that receiving an M4 boost this year - this wouldn't be entirely surprising, though, since it was late to the M3 party too.

M4 to the Max

The M4 chip has already debuted in the latest iPad Pro models, which launched in May 2024. Performance-wise the M4 chip fares well, showing impressive multi-core CPU speeds in Geekbench 6.

Although the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models probably won’t be receiving design changes, they will, Gurman confirmed, be getting the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max makeovers.

The iMac and Mac Mini look set to also get the M4 chip treatment. The Mac Mini in particular will see its most significant design change in four years. The new chassis will feature five USB-C ports, three at the back and two at the front, but will have no USB-A ports - a major alteration that is bound to upset some users.

There is anticipation for what’s to come with Apple’s M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, but little has been announced so far - only the base M4 is currently available in the new iPad. While we still don’t know exactly when this rumored reveal event will take place, our best guess would place it on October 29 - this aligns closely with last year’s reveal livestream, and matches Apple’s strange insistence on always scheduling live events on Tuesdays. Fingers crossed...

For organizations hampered by limited data intelligence, manual workflows in distributed work environments, and talent shortages that limit customer-centric innovation, the need for robust and flexible data management solutions has never been greater. These solutions must unify, operationalize, protect, and activate information stored in physical and digital unstructured and structured data.

Generative AI has heightened the value and need to innovate using data of all types, particularly unstructured data–which has remained largely untapped compared to structured data from databases or tables. Unstructured data expands the possibilities that structured data alone simply cannot match due to the rich, varied, and detailed information in text, audio, video, images, and other information that does not have a set format. Using unstructured data–which may be stored in filing cabinets and boxes or analogue or digital formats–organizations can leverage emerging AI capabilities to deliver more comprehensive insights and automation to improve efficiency and customer experience.

Traditional data management processes are inadequate for handling the vast amounts of unstructured data which holds valuable insights but also poses significant security and compliance risks if not properly managed.

Getting unstructured data ready for generative AI

Since the rise of generative AI, managing and leveraging unstructured data has become even more important for organizations. Research involving 700 IT and data decision-makers, , reveals that 93% of organizations are already utilizing generative AI. Furthermore, 96% agree that a unified asset strategy--which helps optimize and secure unstructured data--is critical to the success of generative AI use cases. However, organizations can benefit from using digital experience platforms (DXP), which are software platforms that can be used to manage digital processes. Specifically, a DXP can be used to manage documents to improve an organization's unified asset strategy and create greater efficiency.

Some of the ways DXP can create greater efficiency and streamline document management include the use of secure AI-powered chat. These work by enabling fast access to data trapped within documents. With this capability, users can quickly query data and documents in a secure, isolated environment separate from publicly available generative AI applications.

Streamlining complex information ecosystems

DXP streamlines complex ecosystems by digitizing physical information, automating workflows, and enhancing information management capabilities. This not only simplifies tasks such as onboarding and compliance audits but also frees up valuable time for employees to focus on innovation and strategic growth. With pre-built connectors, workflows, and metadata tagging, the platform makes it easy to search, categorize, and activate data effectively.

DXP can support a variety of industries, from healthcare to banking, as well as traditional back office functions such as invoice processing and human resources. As just one example, a DXP can provide secure employee file management in a centralized platform so that physical and digital documentation is complete, up-to-date, and compliant with employee records requirements. This unified approach improves day-to-day operations so HR professionals can focus on strategic initiatives that drive their organization's success.

For example, automated workflows streamline employee onboarding by routing documents to the new employee for completion. HR can then monitor progress via the employer dashboard, while automated emails remind the employee to submit missing information by deadlines. This process keeps records up-to-date and compliant, reduces audit time, and potentially lessens employee dissatisfaction by simplifying administrative tasks.

The benefit of a low-code approach

Creating custom automated workflows in-house is made possible by using a platform that benefits from a low-code solution designer with intuitive drag-and-drop features that intelligently process and unlock insights from content. This approach can accelerate innovation, reduce development time, and lower costs, making it easier for organizations to adapt to changing business needs.

We've featured the best productivity tool.

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

DJI Mini 4K: one-minute review

Considering that the DJI Mini 4K is the best budget drone for beginners, it made an understated entrance. There were no bells and whistles, just a quiet appearance on Amazon, and I can see why: it's essentially the same drone as DJI's previous entry-level model, the Mini 2 SE, only with higher-resolution 4K video, which also enables a 2x digital zoom.

Video quality is further bolstered by a higher 100Mbps bitrate, but otherwise this is almost an identical drone to the Mini 2 SE. That's no bad thing – DJI has addressed the former's single weakness – 'just' 2.7K video – and priced its successor aggressively. In one fell swoop, DJI outgunned the growing competition, which includes capable rivals such as the Potensic Atom.

Since the Mini 4K was launched, DJI announced an all-new drone, the DJI Neo, which is even cheaper than the Mini 4K and shoots 4K video. However, the half-size selfie drone is an altogether different proposition. If you want the traditional drone-flying experience, complete with a 3-axis mechanical gimbal and sturdier flight performance including level 5 wind resistance, the Mini series, in which the Mini 4K is the new entry-level model, remains your best bet. If you want even simpler operation, and smart AI-subject tracking features, the Neo is a fun alternative.

(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

The Mini 4K offers decent battery life of up to 31 minutes on a single charge, and if you opt for the pricier Fly More Combo bundle you'll get an extra couple of batteries and charging hub thrown in for good measure.

DJI offers perhaps the most rounded experience for beginner pilots, with clear tutorials on the DJI Fly app, through which you control the Mini 4K's flights, complete with a scaled-back selection of DJI Quickshots flight moves, including dynamic movements such as Helix, Circle and Boomerang that will quickly elevate the quality of your aerial videos.

If money is no object, the DJI Mini 4 Pro remains the most accomplished sub-250g choice, with its clever subject tracking and industry-leading flight safety features like omnidirectional object sensing. But if you simply want to see what all the fuss is about with drones without risking a huge amount of money, you can't go wrong with the DJI Mini 4K. It's excellent value, and the most capable sub-$300 / £300 drone on the market, even if the Neo has more flight options.

DJI Mini 4K: release date and price

• Released April 29 2024
• Not available from the DJI store in Australia
• The base kit costs just $299 / £269
• Fly More Combo bundle costs $449 / £399

The DJI Mini 4K was announced in April 2024, and is aggressively priced at $299 / £269 for the base kit, which made it DJI's cheapest 4K drone until the DJI Neo was launched in September 2024 (though as mentioned the Neo is a different kind of drone). That launch price was 10% cheaper than that of the DJI Mini 2SE, which is practically the same drone as the Mini 4K, although the former only shoots 2.7K video, making the Mini 4K excellent value by comparison.

Should you want the Fly More Combo bundle, which includes an additional two batteries, a charging hub and a shoulder bag, the price jumps up to $449 / £399. The Mini 4K is currently not directly available from DJI in Australia.

• Price score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman) DJI Mini 4K: specs DJI Mini 4K: design and handling

• Weighs less than 250g
• Level 5 wind resistance provides reasonably stable flight
• Three-axis gimbal for smooth video footage
• Downward-facing sensors only, no other obstacle avoidance

The DJI Mini 4K is practically a carbon copy of the Mini 2 SE. That means it remains under 250g, and within the regulator-friendly category for most regions (there are no registration or ID requirements for recreational use in the US). Given that it has a camera though, users in the UK will need to register with the CAA for a flyer ID before taking flight.

The Fly More Combo bundle I tested includes replacement propellors and a screwdriver for when you need to swap out old or damaged propellors for new ones, two spare batteries and a charging hub, plus the RC-N1C remote controller. The controller connects to your phone, with a clamp that extends to hold just about any size of phone, plus it comes with USB-C / Lightning cables for a direct connection to your Android phone or older iPhone.

There's a single camera, capable of shooting 12MP photos in JPEG or raw (DNG) format (the latter provides more editing flexibility) and video up to 4K. The camera is supported by a three-axis mechanical gimbal to ensure that your video footage is as smooth as possible.

Image 1 of 4

(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 4

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(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

Once you have the DJI's Fly app installed and your phone connected to the controller, it takes little to no time to get airborne: press and hold the take-off button and the Mini 4K will rise to a height of 1.2m, and hover while you get yourself in the zone for flying.

Wind resistance is rated for up to level 5 – that's up to 19-24mph / 29-38kph, which is slightly more robust than the DJI Neo, which is only rated up to level 4. I found the Mini 4K was able to withstand a moderate breeze, although of course you can hear and see it fighting to remain stable in such conditions, and I'd advise against attempting to fly in properly windy conditions.

The Fly app, together with the controller, offer several functions: Return to Home (RTH), QuickShots flight moves, and a variety of camera modes, including photo and video capture (with a button on the controller to switch between the two), panorama, and Timed Shot (interval shooting).

If you're getting started with drones, the Mini 4K has plenty for you to sink your teeth into. One notable omission, though, which you won't find on a drone at this price point, is obstacle avoidance. There are two downward-facing sensors that assist the drone for landing and can detect objects, with a precision range of 0.5-10m, but you're not getting the sophisticated omnidirectional obstacle avoidance of the pricier Mini 4 Pro.

I've been using the Mini 4K with the RC-N1C controller for months, and naturally, without obstacle avoidance crashes are almost inevitable. However, I've found that the Mini 4K has withstood minor collisions with tree branches and so on, and the consequent tumbling to the ground, admirably. It might be plastic, but the Mini 4K can take a few knocks.

You can register for DJI Care Refresh within 48 hours of activating the Mini 4K, which covers you for two replacements, water damage and flyaway, and which is probably a good idea if you tend to be more gung-ho rather than overly cautious. Prices for this start at $59 / £35.

• Design score: 4.5/5

DJI Min 4K: features and performance

• Quickshots for easy flight moves
• Normal, Sport and Cine flight modes
• Decent battery life of up to 31 minutes
• Maximum transmission 10km (FCC) / 6km (CE/SRRC/MIC)

DJI lists the Mini 4K's flight time as up to 31 minutes, but that's measured in a controlled setting. What you actually get in real-world use is almost certainly less, and will be influenced by factors including wind speed and the flight maneuvers you're performing, and overall it's better to keep your expectations on the lower side. That said, with typical use in moderate wind I was averaging over 20 minutes, and I'm not sure that you'll find a better battery performance in another drone at this level.

I was also armed with the two additional batteries included in the Fly More Combo, effectively tripling flight times on any given outing, and the charging hub can be topped up on-the-go via USB-C.

The maximum transmission range is up to 10km, depending on what region you're flying in and what level of interference there is where you're flying. Users in Europe, for example, are restricted to 6km. In any case, beginners are unlikely to get anywhere near those kinds of distances on a single flight, and you'll need to make sure that Return to Home is set up for your take-off point in the likely event you get disorientated as to the drone's position.

You can configure the Mini 4K's max possible altitude and flight distances, and the height at which it rises to when Return to Home is initiated. There's a 500m altitude cap, although if you're playing it safe as a beginner you should stick to 150m or lower, which will likely be the legal limit in your region anyway if you don't have a certificate of competency. Again, max distance can be set up to 5000m or the limit removed entirely, but when you're starting out it's probably a good idea to stick to much closer. The Mini 4K is fed all of this data through GPS + GLONASS + Galileo satellite systems.

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(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

On the controller you'll find three flight modes: Cine, Normal and Sport, each with a different max speed and responsiveness. Cine mode is the slowest of the three, designed to get you the smoothest possible aerial videos, while of course Sport is the niftiest to unleash piloting fun.

Flight speeds in Sport mode top out at 35.79mph and are no match for FPV drones in manual mode such as the DJI Avata 2, but are plenty quick enough while you find your feet and build your piloting skills. Cine mode is significantly slower than that.

And then there's DJI QuickShots flight moves, which include Dronie, Helix, Rocket, Circle, and Boomerang. Circle performs a lateral 360-degree move around your chosen subject – you simply select suggested subjects or draw a box around the chosen subject, and off the drone goes into action. Boomerang does a similar move while gradually gaining height.

These simple flight moves can improve the quality of your aerial videos as you center on points of interest around you. Other DJI drones have additional QuickShots moves in Spotlight and Follow. The Mini 4K does not offer Follow, and it lacks Follow Me subject tracking, which you get with pricier models and even the new Neo selfie drone.

• Features score: 4.5/5

DJI Mini 4K: image and video quality

• 1/2.3-inch sensor
• Up to 4K 30fps video, 2.7K up to 60fps
• 12MP JPEG + RAW photos

(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

The Mini 4K's 1/2.3-inch sensor is larger than the sensor found in the Neo, and smaller than the one in the Mini 3 and Mini 4 Pro drones. As such, its 4K video image quality sits somewhere in the middle in terms of color depth, dynamic range and low-light clarity.

That sensor size is roughly equivalent to what you'd find in a standard smartphone, only you don't have the computational photography modes and HDR settings afforded to today's handsets; if the sun is directly in your shot, expect blown-out highlights. However, I still found detail to be very sharp at first light before the sun lapped over the landscape.

Video resolution tops out at 4K 30fps, while cinematic half-speed 60fps videos can be shot in 2.7K and Full HD resolutions. Photos are up to 12MP (in 4:3 aspect, with a 16:9 cropped format also available) and can be shot in either JPEG or raw, with the latter offer more editing flexibility. Files are recorded onto microSD card, with compatibility for cards up to 256GB.

DJI has upped the maximum video bitrate to 100Mbps (it was 40Mbps in the Mini 2 SE). So not only does the Mini 4K offer higher-resolution video than the Mini 2 SE, but its 2.7K video is also less compressed.

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(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

There's a standard color profile for photo and video – what you see is what you get. However, you can easily edit the colors in raw DNG format photos in your choice of photo editor. If you're a keen editor, you'll probably want to shoot photos in both raw and JPEG, just in case the JPEG photos aren't to your taste. However, there's no flat color profile for video, which is pretty normal for a beginner drone, so there's not much scope for color-grading videos.

What's unusual for a drone at this price point is that you can switch from the Mini 4K's Auto setting to a Pro mode for manual control over exposure settings for photo and video, including the 1/30 to 1/8000 shutter speed and ISO 100 to 3200 ranges. That's an excellent feature for discerning image makers, though I suspect most people will keep the Mini 4K in Auto and be pleased with the results.

The three-axis gimbal offer a -110° to 35° tilt range, -35° to 35° of roll and -20° to 20° pan, and works in tandem with image stabilization to give you smooth video footage. Unless you're fighting high winds or making jerky movements on the controller – which requires significant finesse – then you can expect super-smooth video footage, especially in Cine mode.

• Image quality score: 4.5/5

DJI Mini 4K sample video 4K DJI Mini 4K Quickshots DJI Mini 4K: testing scorecard

(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman) Should I buy the DJI Mini 4K? Buy it if...

You want the best 4K drone under $300
Putting the DJI Neo aside, which is a different proposition, the Mini 4K is the best drone money can buy for under $300.

You’re buying your first drone
The Mini 4K is a superb first drone, with decent flight performance and video quality, plus manual control over camera settings.

You want decent battery life
Up to 31 minutes from a fully charged battery is very impressive, and you'll get triple that with the Fly More Combo kit.

Don't buy it if...

You want the very best sub-250g drone no matter the cost
If money is no object, your best first drone is the DJI Mini 4 Pro.

You're more interested in aerial selfies than flying
DJI's Neo is smaller, cheaper and even easier to use, with intelligent subject tracking making selfies on the move an autonomous doddle.

You'd be better off with obstacle avoidance
The Mini 4K only has downward-facing sensors primarily designed to aid landing, whereas the Mini 4 Pro has omnidirectional obstacle avoidance that'll help you avoid crashes.

DJI Mini 4K: also consider Potensic Atom

Not to be confused with the Potensic Atom SE, this accomplished drone for beginners finally gave DJI firm competition at this point of the market, thanks to its 4K video, intelligent flight features and manual camera control. DJI then went and priced the Mini 4K aggressively and it's a slightly more rounded drone overall, but the Atom can be found on sale for less.

Read our in-depth Potensic Atom review

DJI Mini 4K Pro

If money is no object, then the Mini 4K Pro is the best beginner drone available. Around 3x the cost, it still falls below 250g and therefore within the same category of drone as the Mini 4K, with very few restrictions, plus it's an easier drone to test your wings thanks to omnidirectional obstacle avoidance and smart subject tracking. If however, it's out of your budget, then the older Mini 3 is the next model up from the Mini 4K in DJI's range of beginner drones.

Read our in-depth DJI Mini 4K Pro review

How I tested the DJI Mini 4K

(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

• Long term use
• Flown with the DJI RC-N1C Controller and Fly app
• Videos and photos made with all available file formats

I've had the DJI Mini 4K for months, and during this time have become very familiar with it. The Fly More Combo was bundled with the charging hub, two extra batteries and the DJI RC-N1C controller, through which I have controlled the drone, via the DJI Fly app for Android.

The tiny drone has been flown in all kinds of weather, even inclement, showing it's able to withstand light rain and reasonably brisk wind. It's taken a few knocks into tree branches and has so far withstood this rough treatment.

I've made photos and videos with all of the available settings, which includes 4K, 2.7K, Full HD videos, plus 12MP JPEG and RAW photos, in good light and low light at dusk.

First reviewed September 2024

The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) has sanctioned 16 people belonging to the Evil Corp. cybercriminal organization, which has links to the Lockbit ransomware group and the Russian state.

Evil Corp. originated as a Moscow-based family financial crime group before graduating into the world of cybercrime, successfully stealing at least $300 million from healthcare, critical national infrastructure, government, and other organizations around the world.

The group is also believed to have orchestrated espionage operations against NATO members on behalf of the Russian Intelligence Services. Members of the group have also been sanctioned by authorities in the US and Australia.

Evil Corp, FSB, and LockBit

In 2019, an NCA investigation culminated in the US sanctioning the Evil Corp. head, Maksim Yakubets, and an administrator for the organization, Igor Turashev, alongside several other members. However, today's additional sanctions from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office now encompasses both Yukabets and Turashev, alongside seven other individuals.

Among them is Aleksandr Ryzhenkov, an ally of Yakubets and LockBit affiliate with links to numerous ransomware attacks identified during Operation Cronos. Ryzhenkov was also identified as a perpetrator in a number of BitPaymer ransomware attacks against US organizations, and received an unsealed indictment from the US Department of Justice.

Among those sanctioned with strong links to the Russian state are Yakubets’ father, Viktor Yakubets, and former FSB official and father-in-law, Eduard Benderskiy. Speaking on the sanctions, James Babbage, Director General for Threats at the NCA said, “The action announced today has taken place in conjunction with extensive and complex investigations by the NCA into two of the most harmful cybercrime groups of all time.”

"These sanctions expose further members of Evil Corp, including one who was a LockBit affiliate, and those who were critical to enabling their activity,” Babbage continued.

"Since we supported US action against Evil Corp in 2019, members have amended their tactics and the harms attributed to the group have reduced significantly. We expect these new designations to also disrupt their ongoing criminal activity.

"Ransomware is the most significant cybercrime threat facing the UK and the world. The NCA is dedicated to working with our partners in the UK and overseas, sharing intelligence and working to disrupt the most sophisticated and harmful ransomware groups, no matter where they are or how long it takes,” Babbage concluded.

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Critical infrastructure (CI) is the name for all of those systems that keep our country running. Whether it’s energy and water networks, or telecommunications and transportation, if their networks are compromised, the consequences could be severe – even life-threatening. With over two fifths of CI having suffered a cyber breach to date, it is clear such organisations have become a prime target for cybercriminals. Ensuring protection of these essential services is therefore a necessity for maintaining our society’s stability and security.

Given the barrage of threats targeted at CI organizations, we need to understand what these risks look like and how organizations can tackle them before potentially disastrous knock-on effects become a reality…

The threat landscape

According to Thales’ 2024 Data Threat Report, these attacks are on the rise – and the vulnerabilities being exploited are diverse.

Common threats include human error (34%), exploiting known vulnerabilities (31%), and failure to apply multifactor authentication (20%). Concerningly, almost a third (30%) of CI organizations also experienced an insider threat incident, underscoring the need for a comprehensive insider threat program to identify and mitigate malicious behavior.

The tactics of bad actors are varied too, with the most common threats including malware, phishing, and ransomware. A quarter have reported falling victim to a ransomware attack in the past year alone, with 11% paying the ransom, making it an incredibly lucrative tactic for criminals.

While financial loss is one of the obvious knock-on effects for victims, when it comes to CI the compromise of sensitive data and halting of essential services poses greater, and potentially disastrous risks, too.

The impact of emerging technologies

Emerging technologies are also posing a risk, with CI organizations experiencing difficulty in maintaining the pace of change required across large and distributed infrastructure. Quantum computing is one example, with its potential to be powerful enough to decrypt the algorithms we all rely upon to secure valuable data. Despite 69% of respondents being worried about the eventual impact of quantum, it’s clearly not front of mind, with only half of organizations planning to create resilience contingency plans to satisfy quantum resistance security concerns in the next 18-24 months.

On the other hand, while moving to the cloud presents operational efficiencies and offers greater agility and accessibility, the shift has also proved problematic for some CI organizations. Over half (51%) agree that managing security in the cloud is more complex than within on-premise environments. The majority (55%) also stated they are concerned about the security of their data in the cloud, highlighting the need for robust cloud security measures.

One solution: compliance

While the threats are vast, there’s a clear correlation between improving processes and procedures required to achieve data protection compliance, and the likelihood of a resulting breach. In fact, only 17% of compliant organizations have any breach history whatsoever, and just 2% have been impacted by a breach in the last 12 months.

So, how did organizations that failed their compliance audits fare? As it turns out, a large majority of non-compliant organizations (84%) reported having experienced a breach to date.

The takeaway? Compliance and robust defences go hand in hand, and while passing an audit may seem like a tick-box exercise, organisations will reap the rewards of heightened security that compliance promises.

The business takeaways

It’s clear the risks on the table are diverse – from human error and access management concerns to ransomware threats and compliance shortcomings. This complexity necessitates robust, multi-faceted defenses to build cyber resilience.

Business should consider the following:

• Understand the risks: As a first step, conduct an audit of your network to establish what critical data and processes actually need protecting. From there you can assess the vulnerabilities within your infrastructure and safeguard all routes to these priority assets.

• Encrypt your data: Data travelling through CI or stored in the network is often incredibly sensitive and must be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access or tampering. In the event of a breach attempt, encrypted data will be of little value to the attackers, establishing a protective barrier.

• Implement the principle of least privilege: Given the risk of insider threats, organizations should prioritize digital asset management by only granting users the minimum access necessary to perform their job function, alongside regularly reviewing such access rights.

• Implement multi-factor authentication: In addition to access controls, verify users using more than just passwords. Digital identities, for example, provide a more secure and streamlined means of authentication than the likes of traditional passwords that are at risk of being stolen, lost, or guessed.

• Harden your systems to be proactive – not just reactive: Software needs to be regularly kept up to date with new layers of defense to counter emerging threats, alongside airgapping your sensitive systems. In addition, sophisticated threat detection and monitoring capabilities are essential to help speed up reaction times.

• Address human error: With human error the crowning threat for CI, providing extensive cybersecurity awareness training will be paramount in tackling this risk and instilling the reality that cyber hygiene is a collective responsibility. This goes beyond your core employees; CI organizations still have a supply chain with vendors and third parties who could act as a gateway for cybercriminals, too.

• Undergo regular exercises: When the stakes are as high as with CI, organization should regularly stress test their networks and evaluate the security of their environment. Simulating attacks can accurately reflect on your preparedness to sufficiently deal with impending threats.

• Develop a response and recovery plan: It’s not just about prevention, but preparedness so you are ready to mitigate the fallout in the event of a successful breach when it does occur. This should involve creating and maintaining offline backups of critical data as contingency and considering your ransomware response ahead of time.

• Look ahead: Given the lack of preparedness for the likes of quantum, forward looking planning needs to be prioritized to account for game-changing emerging technologies. Considering the impact of such technologies, and how to offset their risks, will ensure organizations aren’t on the back foot when they become a reality.

The final word

It’s clear that CI organizations support the fabric of everyday life for all of us and as such they are increasingly attractive to cybercriminals, activists, and nation states alike – whether it be for financial gain, political goals, or other malicious ends.

With stronger measures needed to offset this high-threat environment, organizations must continually identify security gaps, establish adequate threat responses, and update their mitigations and responses in line with regulation and best practice. Cyber threats are a matter of when, not if.

We've featured the best encryption 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

Apple's big reveal of the new Apple Watch Series 10 showcased a mightily impressive smartwatch, one we awarded 4 stars out of 5 in our review, while the Ultra 2 simply got a new (admittedly slick) black color.

One thing was common across both of Apple's latest watches, though: there is still no blood oxygen monitoring on models sold in the US.

The feature has been disabled for some time after an ongoing legal issue between Apple and Masimo, a company specializing in medical equipment, which accused the tech giant of infringing on its patent.

Now, however, a new report suggests blood oxygen monitoring functionality could be making a comeback, largely thanks to changes at the top of Masimo.

Blood oxygen could be back on Apple Watch soon

That comes via Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who reports in his Power On newsletter that Joe Kiani, Masimo's longtime CEO, has resigned and " that could open the door for lawyers from Apple and Masimo to work out a deal to bring blood-oxygen sensing back to new Apple Watches."

According to Gurman, Kiani "had been a vocal critic of Apple for years," leading to some optimism that a deal could be done.

As to what that looks like, Gurman says "I don’t believe Apple will want to reach a licensing agreement, but I could imagine a deal—financial or not—that lets the two sides drop all litigation.”

While a change of leadership is no guarantee we'll see blood oxygen return to the best Apple watches, it's potentially an encouraging first step. Watch this space for more information!

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