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• Xbox president Sarah Bond has formally announced the next generation of Xbox
• Xbox maintains its 'play anywhere' mantra with new consoles, handhelds and accessories
• The company is partnering with AMD for its next generation hardware

Xbox is beginning to talk about its next generation hardware in earnest now, as president Sarah Bond has announced a "strategic multi-year partnership" with tech giant AMD.

In a video uploaded to Xbox's official YouTube channel, Bond accentuates the 'play anywhere' mantra that's formed the nucleus of the Xbox brand for the past few years.

"At Xbox, our vision is for you to play the games you want, with the people you want, anywhere you want," explains Bond, adding that Xbox is now "investing in our next-generation hardware lineup across console, handheld, PC, cloud, and accessories."

Bond says that by partnering with AMD, Xbox promises to "deliver the next generation of graphics innovation to unlock a deeper level of visual quality and immersive gameplay and player experiences enhanced with the power of AI".

'AI' is a buzzword that Microsoft likes to throw around a lot, and it's understandable if the notion of it prevailing on Xbox has you feeling a little uneasy given the rise of generative AI content in recent years.

In truth, the use of AI here will likely boil down to helpful technologies, such as resolution upscaling (like we see with PS5 Pro's bespoke PSSR) and frame generation for smoother performance overall. As such, we could see something similar to PSSR implemented on next-generation Xbox consoles.

As for handhelds, we've already seen the announcement of the Asus ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X, two gaming handhelds designed around playing Xbox Game Pass games on the go. Both are set to launch sometime in 2025, as per last week's Xbox Games Showcase.

In better news, Bond also seems to confirm full backwards compatibility with Xbox's next generation, stating that new hardware will maintain "compatibility with your existing library of Xbox games." It's reasonably safe to assume that counts Xbox Series X|S games, though the jury remains out on Xbox One and classic Xbox and Xbox 360 titles.

Lastly, it seems that Xbox will be sticking to the Windows ecosystem for its next generation of hardware. Bond confirms Xbox is "working closely with the Windows team, to ensure that Windows is the number one platform for gaming." So don't be expecting a return to the iconic Xbox 360 'blades' dashboard that millions have a fondness for.

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• The ICO has issued 23andMe with £2.31 million ($3.1 million) fine
• Fine is punishment for failings following 2023 data breach
• An investigation found 'serious security failings'

The British data protection watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a £2.31 million fine to 23andMe for “failing to implement appropriate security measures to protect the personal information of UK users”

This follows a 2023 cyberattack in which hackers accessed 23andMe personal user data.

The breach only affected 0.1% of the company's customer base, roughly 14,000 individuals, but thanks to the sensitive nature of the information 23andMe holds, hackers were able to access “a significant number of files containing profile information about other users’ ancestry that such users chose to share.”

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Keeping secure

The joint investigation, carried out between the ICO and Canadian Privacy Commissioner revealed ‘serious security failings’ after the breach, calling 23andMe’s actions ‘inadequate’.

After the hackers carried out their credential stuffing attack, the company waited months until starting a full investigation, only confirming the breach after an employee discovered stolen data advertised for sale on Reddit.

This breach put those affected at risk, not just for the typical identity theft and fraud, but also for seriously sophisticated social engineering attacks. If your genetic or family history is sold to a criminal, it could be leveraged against you.

“This was a profoundly damaging breach that exposed sensitive personal information, family histories, and even health conditions of thousands of people in the UK,” confirmed John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner.

“As one of those impacted told us: once this information is out there, it cannot be changed or reissued like a password or credit card number.”

An example of this could be a “family member” reaching out and asking for more information about yourself, or a “medical company” contacting you about an existing genetic health condition. If you’re affected by this breach, be sure to be extra vigilant and cautious about any unexpected communications you receive.

“23andMe failed to take basic steps to protect this information. Their security systems were inadequate, the warning signs were there, and the company was slow to respond. This left people’s most sensitive data vulnerable to exploitation and harm,” Edwards confirmed.

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The two Koreas have engaged in psychological warfare since the 1960s, with weapons like huge billboard screens, loudspeakers installed along the border, and airdropping propaganda leaflets.

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• DC Studios has found the lead star for its Clayface movie
• Surprisingly, the Batman villain won't be played by Alan Tudyk
• Tudyk voiced Clayface in season 1 of Creature Commandos

DC Studios has revealed which actor will star in its forthcoming Clayface movie – and, surprisingly, it won't be Alan Tudyk.

First reported by Deadline and later confirmed by studio co-chief James Gunn, the budget horror film's titular character will be portrayed by Tom Rhys Harries. Taking to Instagram, Gunn said it had been a "long and exhaustive search" to find the right person to play the shapeshifter, but he and fellow producer Matt Reeves eventually settled on Harries after they were "blown away" by his auditions.

A post shared by James Gunn (@jamesgunn)

A photo posted by on

Clayface will be the third film released as part of the DC Universe's (DCU) first line-up of movies and TV shows. Currently, it's set to be released on September 11, 2026, so it'll arrive three months after Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow – or, as Gunn recently confirmed, the DCU's second movie that's now known by its much simpler title in Supergirl.

Little is known about Clayface's story. However, it'll be directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil) and its original script was penned by horror auteur Mike Flanagan. According to Deadline, Hossein Amini conducted some rewrites for the DCU Chapter One film, but Gunn has confirmed (via Threads) that the vast majority of Flanagan's initial screenplay has been retained.

Principal photography is set to begin this October, according to The Wrap's Umberto Gonzalez. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn and company are looking to make it for a modest $40 million, too.

Why isn't Alan Tudyk playing Clayface in his live-action DC comic book movie?

Alan Tudyk voiced Clayface in Creature Commandos season 1 (Image credit: Max)

Harries' hiring has certainly raised some eyebrows among DC fans.

There's no question that the Welsh actor is a talented up-and-comer – indeed, he's proved as much in Apple TV+ series Suspicion, Netflix show White Lies, and Guy Ritchie's 2019 crime comedy flick The Gentlemen. More recently, Harries portrayed Ricky September in Doctor Who episode 'Dot and Bubble', which, per its 94% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, is one of the highest-rated installments of the Ncuti Gatwa era.

Nonetheless, fans have expressed surprised that prolific actor Alan Tudyk, who voiced Clayface in season 1 of Creature Commandos, aka the DCU's first TV series, on Max, wasn't tapped to portray Clayface's titular character. After all, some people have pointed out that Gunn previously said actors who are cast in the DCU would play their character in live-action and animated projects.

Gunn, though, has tried to clear up any confusion about Harries' casting. Responding to a fan on Threads about why Tudyk wasn't chosen, Gunn wrote: "I said we would plan on using primary actors whenever we can. I've also never said if the two characters are the same. (I've also never said they're not)."

It's the final part of his response that's most telling. There have been eight incarnations of Clayface in DC Comics, so it's entirely possible that Tudyk and Harries will portray different versions of the villainous metahuman in the DCU. We'll learn if that's the case once Clayface has taken shape and landed in theaters next year.

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Even multinational corporations used to run effectively and efficiently without a screen or a mouse or a keyboard in sight – other than a typewriter keyboard, of course. No data storage issues, no input errors, no backup problems, no memory losses or system failures, let alone cyberattacks.

Today – barely forty years since computers started appearing in workplaces – we can scarcely imagine life without them. In little more than a generation, all business processes have been completely altered, and a whole array of risks and threats and dangers have appeared that we could hardly even have dreamed of back then.

Despite these growing threats, myths continue to prevail that prevent business owners from being effectively equipped to defend themselves against attack or to deal with the consequences of an attack, should it happen. In this article, I debunk five of the biggest myths to ensure all business owners recognize the importance of cybersecurity.

1. Cybercrime only happens to others

It is a trait of most humans, to think that bad things will only happen to others. That can’t happen to you. But at some point, it hits you. You become the unlucky other. Since 2021, cyberattacks have risen over 300% according to the latest Microsoft Digital Defense Report – a threefold rise.

None of the companies that were hit by ransomware over the last decade thought they were chosen or deserved to be attacked. None. This is no different to saying that a car accident will never happen to you. That can only be true if you are not going out of your house. Even as a pedestrian, it can happen to you. If you have a business and you are using some kind of technology and, God forbid, if you are making money, then yes, you are a potential target.

Following an encounter I once had with a dairy farmer, I came up with a question that I now often ask in my presentations: do you believe that a cow requires cybersecurity? The crowd usually answers that of course they don’t. I then explain to them that the latest development in AgTech (agricultural technologies) means that a team of two farmers can milk 1,000 cows.

This amazing advancement allows us to break the physical limitations that used to plague farms. All these devices are connected to the internet in order for sensor data to be collected. I asked one of its makers if they secured the connections. He answered there was no need as it was only sensor data, not interesting to any cybercriminals.

There was the door – the way in for a cybercriminal who will do anything to get to their goal, which is bullying you into giving them your money.

Hence, a bad actor, thousands of kilometers away, can stop all the farm’s robots cold. Stop the cows from being milked and send a nice email for a ransom. With no milk, the dairy farm would be out of revenue for months and would probably collapse.

What if this attack is executed on 100 farms? They could all be stopped at once. We are talking about millions in lost revenues, all because cows don’t require cybersecurity, and the magic thinking that these things only happen to others.

2. We’re too small to be attacked

The root of this myth is the assumption that cybercriminals are like fishermen: that they carefully choose their spots and then cast a line into the water to catch a particular fish. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Cybercriminals today operate in networks, constantly offering services to new members to make them more efficient and sharing their profits throughout the network. They are no longer individuals in hoodies in basements; this is the age of dark corporations with objectives and quotas, of ‘ransomware as a service’. Not lone fishermen, but fleets of trawlers capturing all they can, by the ton.

When they send out a phishing email with the aim of infiltrating a company, months before the actual attack, they do not send ten or twenty; they send between 100,000 and 500,000.

What does that say about small and medium businesses? It says that you make up the greatest volume of fish – you are the largest group in the sea. For each large corporation, there are thousands of small and medium businesses. As an example, according to the renowned data site Statista, there were, in 2021, 8,365 companies with over 1,000 employees, compared to the total of 16,435,439 companies below that number.

According to those numbers, enterprises constitute 0.051% of all companies, so they may get targeted as the bigger fish, but never as often as the largest shoal in the sea.

3. We have nothing worth stealing

If you are in business, it is unlikely that you have nothing to steal. Apart from artists and artisans, who are paid in cash for services that only their talented hands can provide, pretty much all businesses today have valuable customer and employee information. More importantly, if you are in business, you must be making money; hence, you have the one thing that cybercriminals crave above all else: money.

After a short time, they will know how much money you have. They will spend months in your systems, sniffing around for clues – in documents, emails, financial statements, human resources files or customer databases – until they have figured out two things: what is important to you and how much you are willing (and able) to pay to get it back. Yes, this can (and most likely will) include deleting or infecting your backups to solidify their claim.

Then they will send you a ransom demand. (Whether you decide to pay or not is up to you, but you should understand that as long as victims will pay ransoms – and the attackers make money – cyberattacks will continue.)

4. Our data is safe in the cloud

Don’t kid yourself. This is not how the cloud works. Although Microsoft (and most other cloud providers) are secure environments, they also have what is known as a Shared Responsibility Matrix. This means that for your data, your research and your business intelligence, to be isolated and to remain fully yours, Microsoft will not access it. They will not subject it to their own security procedures, which might alter the structure of your data and potentially disrupt your business. That would go against the reasons for offering you space in the cloud. Instead, they guarantee that the foundational, underlying systems will be secured and defended.

What do I mean by the underlying system? Picture that you are hiring a security company. They will guard the access to your lot, make sure that no one is messing with access to your house, and that you have electricity and communications, but they will not manage what happens inside your house.

Same here: you are a tenant within the cloud provider’s infrastructure. He will make sure the gate to your space is guarded and that you have everything you need, but what happens within your company, on services and servers that he is leasing you, is completely your responsibility.

5. We have adequate insurance

What would buildings and contents insurance provide you if there was a fire in your offices? It would allow you to rebuild, buy back furniture and equipment and return to a normal life in perhaps four to six months. In other words, your insurance company will send you a cheque once your premises are in ashes (if you are lucky).

Far better – and usually much cheaper – to avoid a fire than to recover from one.

Don’t misunderstand me, insurance is necessary, but it cannot be the only component of your business protection plan. You also need proactive services that will enable you to react to a ‘fire’ before it reduces everything to ashes. As I said before, having a few battery-powered smoke detectors is far from adequate.

With proper cybersecurity, you might lose a device or a server, but you will survive the attack and still have a company to run. Instead of playing phoenix, you will live to fight another day.

Conclusion

As an expert, it is my duty to ensure that those false beliefs are challenged. I hold dear my vision that within the next decade, cybercriminality can be but a distinct memory and that we, as a species, will have evolved beyond that.

I strongly believe in making cybersecurity accessible, so that all business owners are in a position to understand and support cybersecurity initiatives within their company.

With this in mind, it is vital that you, as a leader, revise your mindset and understand that all cybercriminals are after are your assets. And that, if you are in business, you most likely have some. Either money, recipes, intellectual property, or even, perhaps simply a reputation that you have built over the years. All things that cybercriminals would use against you, to get to their final goal, your money.

Please take preventive measures. Just like at home, when you leave, make sure the alarm system is armed, the front door is locked and that the alarm center will be informed if something happened.

Deploy that same logic for your company and its assets. It is worth protecting.

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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

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The category of the best Bluetooth speakers has never been more congested or hotly contested, but that only makes it all the more intriguing. And thus far, 2025 has been a grrrreat year for people who like their Bluetooth speakers bold, colorful, cute or…strappy.

As you'll soon see in this missive, three of our long-term favorites were updated with fresh iterations this year. It's impossible not to kick off with the March-release JBL Flip 7, (successor to the excellent Flip 6, and indeed the splendid Flip 5 that came before it) while Bang & Olufsen finally updated its chic and unique crumpet (muffin?) shaped option, which delighted us across the board soon after making its debut in May. And to round things off, Bowers & Wilkins updated one of its most iconic wireless speakers (OK, it was the tail end of 2024, but availability for most of us wasn't until early 2025) and received nothing but praise from us in February.

We've also seen the fresh and intriguing speaker partnership between LG and will.i.am (which was announced at the end of last year) bear fruit with mixed results – but one of the models actually gives the aforementioned Flip 7 a run for its money and is very much in this roundup.

Elsewhere – and this is the 'also ran' bit – Tribit's March 2025-issue Stormbox Lava was a little rough around the edges, and the joyfully named Happy Plugs Joy (which arrived in January) sadly fell short of the mark. Ah well…

(Image credit: Future)The biggest and most successful 2025-release Bluetooth speakers thus far

Aside from the 5-star-all-day-long Flip 7, above, it's also hats off to the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Generation. Yes, bit of a mouthful, but so, so worth saying – and assuring people you want exactly this speaker. It looks and feels every inch as high-end as you'd expect from B&O, and it sounds the absolute business for the money.

(Image credit: Future)

Next up is the LG xboom Grab, which boasts dimensions very similar to the Flip 7 but a few additions, including two useful elasticated straps around its casework – see below for what they can do.

Not to be confused with the slightly disappointing LG xboom Bounce, the Grab performed very well under intense review, earning a highly recommended 4.5-star rating. Not bad for a debutante…

(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)

Rounding off my 'biggest of 2025' quartet is Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition.

It's big, it's bold, it still looks like it's floating above whatever you put it on, it'll use your home Wi-Fi to bring wireless streaming (as well as Bluetooth), and it's B&W's best Zep yet. It can also be paired with other members of Bowers & Wilkins’ ‘Formation’ range of wireless speakers, or in conjunction with any of the company’s current (and excellent) line-up of wireless headphones and earbuds to 'hand off' audio as you leave home.

(Image credit: Future)Bluetooth speakers 2025: what's coming later this year

We're just dotting the 'i's and crossing the 't's on our full-fat JBL Charge 6 and Sony ULT Field 3 reviews, (because these things take the time that they take, and we shall not be rushed into verdicts) but one big product we thought we might see falls under Apple's remit.

For over a year now, we've been hearing strong rumors and mumblings about a HomePod mini 2, and even a HomePod Hub with full touchscreen – both slated for a 2025 release. So far, nothing; Apple's WWDC event came and went on June 9, 2025, without so much as a dicky bird on any HomePod speakers from the Cupertino giant.

Surely there's no smoke without fire, though? For now, we wait…

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• Hays study finds 78% of organizations are struggling with skills shortages
• Four in five professionals would work for a foreign company
• Physical relocation is no longer a necessity of working abroad

The global tech job market is in flux, and new research from recruitment platform Hays claims three in five tech professionals are eyeing up a change, either by switching employers or stepping back into the contracting market.

And with nearly four in five (78%) organizations already grappling with skills shortages, the gap between tech demand and supply could be about to widen.

Hays' research also illustrates how worker dissatisfaction had made prospective job-seekers more willing to consider international job opportunities.

The tech job market is changing

More professionals are open to working abroad, but relocation is no longer a must. In the UK and Australia, more than four in five say they'd consider an overseas role, echoing a growing trend of remote, cross-border employment.

However, just half of those surveyed said they'd be willing to physically relocate – suggesting the post-pandemic flexibility is reshaping traditional career movement and progression.

On the whole, 86% of permanent specialists and nearly as many (83%) contractors are open to working for companies abroad.

Although contracting (8%) is gaining in popularity, changing organizations (53%) remains the most common job change. Workers cited job security (51%) as a key concern, but career progression opportunities (42%) and staff recognition/appraisal (32%) are also motivating factors.

The report also revealed that those working across AI, ML, cybersecurity and network engineering could be among the most likely to seek a job change, with technical and solutions architects more likely to stay put – probably due to the long-term project nature of their roles.

"The findings from our study highlight the importance of effective employer branding and the need for organisations to optimise their employment proposition by truly understanding what professionals value the most in a potential employer," noted Hays Global Head of STEM James Milligan.

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Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air: one-minute review

This isn’t my first Viltrox lens review, and nor it will it be my last, because the Chinese lens maker is on a roll, producing a string of excellent optics for users of all skill levels and budgets. Coming in at the opposite end of a recent cinema lens that could cost up to $200,000, the 50mm f/2 Air costs less than $200 / £200 / AU$320, and offers excellent value for money.

It’s a tiny and lightweight prime that's available for Sony E and Nikon Z mounts – I had the latter for this review – with a decent maximum f/2 aperture for defocusing backgrounds. You don’t get the sharpest detail or creamiest bokeh I’ve ever seen – for those you'll want to check out the excellent Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB – but the Viltrox 50mm f/2 is an excellent casual lens for enthusiasts, especially for portrait photography, and an ideal foil to a standard zoom.

I’d have preferred the lens’s minimum focus distance to be a little closer, which would bolster its everyday photography credentials, while a couple of external controls to speed up changing settings, such as an AF / MF switch, would be welcome. However, the Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air delivers performance and image quality that belie its price – and the fact it squeezes proprietary camera-brand alternatives with its aggressive pricing is the cherry on the cake.

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air specsViltrox AF 50mm F2 Air specs

Type:

Standard prime

Mount:

Nikon Z-mount / Sony E-mount

Sensor:

Full-frame

Focal length:

50mm

Max aperture:

f/2

Minimum focus:

1.67ft / 0.51m

Filter size:

58mm

Dimensions:

Φ68 x 58.6mm

Weight:

7.8oz / 220g

Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air: Price and availability

• Available for Sony E and Nikon Z mounts
• $199 / £229 / AU$319 list price, but it usually can be found for less

Hovering around the $200 / £200 / AU$320 mark and often available for a little less, the Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air is an excellent value prime lens, especially when you considering its build quality and optical performance.

Price-wise, it reminds me of the old Canon EF and Nikon F-mount cheap nifty fifties for DSLRs, being an affordable first prime for enthusiasts. There's bad news for some though – Viltrox's lens is only available for Sony E and Nikon Z lens mounts.

Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air: Design

• Weighs just 7.8oz / 220g
• No external buttons or controls
• Available for Sony E and Nikon Z mounts

The 50mm f/2 Air lens is, as the name suggests, designed with an emphasis on light weight over absolute performance – it’s positively featherweight, especially compared to alternatives such as Nikon’s own Z 50mm f/1.4.

It’s a small lens, too. I paired the 50mm f/2 Air with a Nikon Z6 II, and I could barely feel the lens. It's not often that I'd describe a camera / lens pairing as rear-heavy, but that's the case here.

This is also excellent value, with a sale price often dipping under $200 / £200 /AU$319, and the list price only a little more. For context, the Nikon-own f/1.4 lens is double the price (and double the weight), while Nikon's Z 50mm f/1.8 is four times the price.

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(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Viltrox’s lens well made too – a rugged metal barrel and rear mount instil confidence, even though there’s no proper weather-sealing to speak of (such are the compromises with such a low-cost lens).

There's a generously sized focus ring with smooth and easy rotation, and that’s it for controls. No AF / MF switch, no optical stabilization, no focus distance limiter – this is a simple bit of gear.

The lack of controls could, depending on which camera you pair the lens with, make changes to camera settings a little fussy. My camera doesn’t have an AF / MF switch, and because the lens doesn’t either I need to dive into a menu to switch between the two focusing methods, which can be frustrating.

Otherwise, there's little to talk about regarding design – this is a simple and lightweight optic that accepts 58mm threaded filters and comes supplied with a decent lens hood.

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air: Performance

• Bright maximum f/2 aperture ideal for portraiture
• Fairly limited close-focusing capabilities
• Snappy autofocus speed

This is no pro-quality lens, but for beginners and enthusiasts the optical quality and performance of the Viltrox 50mm f/2 Air are perfectly sufficient.

The bright, zoom lens-beating maximum f/2 aperture ensures plenty of light intake and makes this lens great for low-light photography, as well as for defocusing backgrounds for dreamy portraits. Bokeh is smooth enough – I didn’t really spot the ugly ‘onion ring’ effect that can be evident in cheap optics.

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Optical clarity is perfectly acceptable, even if this isn't the sharpest 50mm lens I’ve used. With a little extra sharpening in post, most users should be perfectly happy with the results.

I shot all images in JPEG and uncompressed raw, and with lens corrections switched off there are slight signs of chromatic aberration, but the Viltrox has a reasonable handle on such distortions.

Image 1 of 3

Note the minor lens flare in the bottom middle of the frame when shooting straight towards sunlight (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 3

For head and should portraits, bokeh is generally big, smooth and round, with a little cat's eye shaping the corners (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 3 of 3

There's little sign of bokeh fringing either (technically known as longitudinal chromatic aberration) (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

I found the 1.67ft / 0.51m minimum focus distance a little limiting for close-up shots – the maximum magnification is a modest 0.11x. This isn't really a macro lens in any way, and perhaps even less of an everyday lens, with portraiture being its strongest suit.

With such a small and lightweight collection of ashperical (ASPH), ED and IF lens elements, the 50mm f/2’s STM autofocus motor has an easy job – those lens elements are moved with ease for quick and precise autofocus. Not once did I perceive sluggish autofocus on account of the lens rather than the camera.

Image 1 of 4

Shot using the maximum f/2 aperture, vignetting is evident in this bright scene (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 4

I stopped the aperture down to f/5 at which point vignetting is pretty much gone (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 3 of 4

Using the f/2 aperture helped to isolate the tree in the foreground. Chromatic aberration is well controlled, but vignetted means the corners are a little dark. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Image 4 of 4

Stopped down to f/5, brightness is more consistent throughout the frame. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Overall, the Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air is a capable performer, especially when you consider its compact size, low price and bright maximum aperture. For users on a budget who are looking to step up from a standard-zoom kit lens, this is an ideal choice.

Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air sample galleryImage 1 of 6

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(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Should you buy the Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air?Buy it if...

You want a low-cost fast prime

Mirrorless lenses can get pretty pricey, but the Viltrox 50mm f/2 Air is a true nifty fifty – it’s that cheap second lens you can pick up after a kit lens.

You have a small full-frame or APS-C camera

Mirrorless lenses can get pretty big and heavy, and aren't always the best fit with a number of today’s compact, rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras. Not so the Viltrox 50mm f/2 – its light, small, and pairs wonderfully.

Don't buy it if...

You’d like quick access to manual controls

There’s only one external control on the lens, and that's a focus ring. All other changes need to be made in-camera, which, depending on your camera’s external controls, could prove to be a menu-diving time sink.

You shoot a lot in adverse conditions

The Viltrox 50mm f/2 lens isn’t weather sealed. Its build quality is solid enough, but you’ll want to think twice about shooting with it in poor weather.

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)How I tested the Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air

• I've used it over a loan period of several months
• I paired the lens with a Nikon Z6 II
• I've used it in a range of scenarios, generally in fair weather, and checked image quality at the various aperture settings

I paired a Z-mount version of the Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air with a Nikon Z6 II for several months, during which time it has seen moderate use, generally in fair weather. Size-wise, the camera and lens are perfectly balanced, with no hint of wrist strain due to front-heaviness.

To test optical quality I’ve snapped portraits with the aperture wide open at f/2, and also taken series of images at each aperture setting to compare sharpness and check for lens distortions.

• First reviewed June 2025

In a world where enterprises now manage their unified communications (UC) platforms, such as Microsoft Teams, on a global basis, why are these same enterprises all too often still procuring and managing telecommunications services on a country-specific or regional basis?

Surely there would be material efficiencies and cost savings to consistent global management of all communications – a truly ‘unified’ approach – rather than the inconsistent and disparate management of telecoms?

The answer lies in the legacy – and indeed current – business models and chosen strategies of the big telcos. And the solution lies in a new breed of multinational cloud telephony providers.

Telecoms: a rapidly restructuring industry, post pandemic

The modern telecommunications industry has been restructuring at pace since the pandemic, as it reinvents itself to serve the demands of remote and hybrid staff and teams in the modern workplace. The big telcos may well have led the first restructuring dimension, but they have more reluctantly joined the bandwagon of the second, and their broader business model simply isn’t suited to the third.

From on premises to the cloud

To be fair, the big telcos were at the forefront of the industry’s first restructuring dimension - the shift from on premises implementations to cloud-based business phone systems. In this shift telecoms essentially became just another form of data service delivered over fiber and 4G/5G broadband network that they themselves provided. This perfectly aligned with their broader strategies as network operators.

Critically, moving services to the cloud enabled users to make and receive phone calls wherever they had internet access, be that at work, at home or on the move. Their phone numbers were able to travel with them rather than being tied to a physical desk or location. And, furthermore, enterprises were able to strip out the legacy switches and equipment from their offices and sites, thereby freeing up the time and cost of supporting, upgrading and replacing that equipment.

The rationale for users and companies alike was sufficiently strong that 71% of the telecoms market had shifted to the cloud by 2024.

From standalone to UC-integrated

The second restructuring dimension suited the big telcos far less. But, in the end, it was unavoidable due to the customer demand. This shift involved the integration of telephony into broader UC platforms, such as Microsoft Teams.

Out-of-the-box Teams is incredibly rich – messaging, channels, meetings, video calls and much more – but telephony is the missing piece that needs specific and additional integration.

More and more companies have understandably been doing this integration to achieve ‘truly unified’ communications, from both a user experience and IT management perspective. Furthermore, it also means that telephony content can be included in the enterprise’s AI data set for fast-growing agent capabilities such as Copilot.

This shift to UC-integrated Teams telephony was by no means instantly popular with the big telcos, given a significant proportion of the value added was provided by Microsoft through its cloud phone system functionality.

Microsoft’s ability to monetize that through license extensions effectively impaired profitability for the major telcos. In the end, however, customer demand won and now more than a hundred telcos have joined the bandwagon on Microsoft’s Operator Connect and Direct Routing programs.

From geography-specific to global

But now, a third restructuring dimension is rapidly taking hold in the multinational enterprise world. Until recently, multinationals have necessarily been working with multiple – often tens of – country-specific or regional telco vendors, each with their own contracts, tariff structures, administration portals (if indeed any at all), support services, and invoices.

But why would these multinationals want to maintain such a regional patchwork of telco vendors when they are now managing Teams on a singular, global basis? Not only do they want their telephony integrated with their UC platform, but they also want the management of the whole communications stack to be globally consistent. Why have tens of telco vendors when you can just have one?

Enter a new breed of multinational cloud telephony providers

However, global service provision simply isn’t suited to the big telcos because now, primarily as broadband providers, their businesses remain physical in nature. What was once copper wires into buildings for telecoms, is now fiber into buildings for broadband, and the physical natural of those ‘last mile’ connections simply isn’t conducive to a global strategy.

It is this defense against the big telcos, combined with the size of the market opportunity in Microsoft Teams telephony, and the compelling customer business case for multinational consolidation of vendors, that has led to a new breed of multinational cloud telephony providers.

These multinational cloud telephony providers capture all three industry restructuring dimensions: cloud-based, UC-integrated and multinational service provision. With one global vendor, multinational businesses can avoid the inefficiencies, wasted resources and fragmentation of working with multiple telcos in different regions, and move to a simplified world of one global contract, one global tariff and one global management portal.

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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

North Korea will send thousands to support reconstruction work in Russia's Kursk region. North Korea has already supplied combat troops and conventional weapons to back Russia's war against Ukraine.

(Image credit: 朝鮮通信社/AP)

According to the latest iPhone 17 rumors, Apple is tipped to shake up its flagship smartphone lineup this year with new designs, new specs, and an entirely new model.

Indeed, the much-rumored iPhone 17 Air has been speculated by many to take the place of the iPhone 17 Plus, swapping it for a thin-and-light version of the larger non-Pro Apple phone.

However, as TechRadar readers will know, Apple has been beaten to the punch on this one – we recently covered the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, which reworks parts of the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra into an impressively thin handset.

You can ead to our hands-on Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review for a full breakdown – in short, it’s wonderful, but doesn’t come without compromise. The spec sheet suggests that the battery was one of the big targets – the Galaxy S25 Edge comes with a 3,900mAh battery, down from the 4,900mAh battery found in the Galaxy S25 Plus.

But as we've also covered, new rumors have made waves for predicting an iPhone 17 Air battery size that’s even smaller than tech fans might expect, at a surprisingly small 2,800mAh.

For reference, that’s almost 2,000mAh smaller than the 4,674mAh cell found in the iPhone 16 Plus – meaning the iPhone 17 Air could have just 60% of the battery capacity of the phone it’s set to replace.

Though battery life varies by usage, our iPhone 16 Plus review recorded 16 hours and 29 minutes of web browsing – 60% of which is just under 10 hours.

Add in the unavoidable fact that batteries degrade over time and use up a small amount of charge in standby, the prospect of going a full day without charging may begin to seem unlikely.

However, if you ask me there’s no need to panic. There are two specific reasons why a small battery capacity might not be such a big deal for the iPhone 17 Air.

Silicon carbon, capacity saviour

Supposedly leaked renders of the iPhone 17 Air point to a single camera system housed in a bar (Image credit: Front Page Tech / ‪@Zellzoi‬)

Firstly, the iPhone 17 Air could be the first Apple device to use a silicon-carbon battery, rather than a conventional lithium-ion battery.

Silicon-carbon batteries, as their name suggests, use silicon in the anode of the battery, enabling a much greater energy density and improved power efficiency.

That could be just what the iPhone 17 Air needs to push it over the line of true battery life usability.

I’ve tested multiple phones that use silicon-carbon batteries and been impressed with each one; my trusty Oppo Find X8 Pro is still performing admirably in the battery department.

Granted, that’s a huge phone with a 5,910mAh battery, but my point is it still outperforms expectations thanks to its silicon-carbon technology, and that’s a pattern across the handsets that make use of it.

Surprising optimizing

Even though its battery has a relatively small capacity, the iPhone 16 still pushes through a full day of use (Image credit: Future)

Next, we have to consider Apple’s history of getting great performance from smaller than average batteries.

Apple never lists the capacity of its batteries, but unofficial teardowns have revealed that the vanilla iPhone 16 sports a battery capacity of 3,561mAh.

That’s a half-decent capacity, but doesn’t quite live up to the 4,000mAh cell found in the Samsung Galaxy S25 – and both pale in comparison to the Google Pixel 9’s impressive 4,700mAh battery.

However, in our testing, Apple’s most recent baseline flagship kept up with its competitors. Our iPhone 16 review records about 13 hours of usage, while our Pixel 9 review found Google’s flagship lasted for between 13 and 14 hours. That’s not a lot of difference for a gap of more than 1,000mAh.

The key is Apple’s optimization – we don’t know the exact science, but Apple’s longstanding commitment to maintaining a closed, stable mobile ecosystem means its hardware and software are literally built for each other.

This is likely to bring some benefit to the iPhone 17 Air; I’d guess that Apple is paying even more attention than usual to its synthesis of software and hardware with this rumored all-new design.

So there you have it: two reasons why a small battery isn’t the end of the world for the rumored iPhone 17 Air. Be sure to let us know whether you’re looking forward to the iPhone 17 series in the comments below.

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