TechRadar News

• Google has added several new features to ChromeOS
• These include Class tools, Workspace, and Classroom
• Most are aimed at both students and educators

Google has announced several brand new features for the best Chromebooks, Google Workspace, and Google Classroom in a series of official blog posts.

First of all, there are Class Tools: real-time features that educators can use with their students, such as sending and pinning educational content to students’ screens, or turning on live captions and translations.

Google Classroom has several new features, including the ability to generate vocabulary lists through Gemini in Classroom, allowing educators to create customized word lists with definitions, parts of speech, and examples tailored to various grade levels.

Figma’s FigJam lets educators assign group whiteboards for group work, discussions, and brainstorming ideas. Educators can also create distinct student groups based on their needs and assign grades at scale, as well as keep students’ guardians informed with weekly newsletters and share Classroom page links to keep them up to date with assignments.

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Another tool, somewhat related to education but also applicable more widely, is Face Control on Chromebooks, which is finally being released. First revealed back in 2023, it’s an incredibly useful accessibility tool that allows users to control their cursor with head movements and perform actions with facial gestures. It’s now rolling out with the ChromeOS M132 update.

There will also be a whopping 20 new Chromebook and Chromebook Plus devices launching in 2025 for students and educators. These include the Acer Chromebook Spin 511 and Lenovo Chromebook Duet EDU G2, which will come with styluses and are built with a younger audience in mind, while the Asus CR1204CTA, and HP Fortis G1i 14 Chromebook are meant for older students. There’s also the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 for educators.

Google is continuing its winning streak with ChromeOS

In the past I've written about how Google has done surprisingly well in its initiative to create useful AI tools meant to aid users and enhance lives, rather than simply (and poorly) perform tasks better suited to humans. In that quest, Google has been also developing useful tools in other underrepresented markets, like education. Chromebooks are especially useful for students and educators, as their simple UI, affordable pricing, and portability are ideal for those who need a laptop to carry around and use eight or more hours a day.

Now with enhancements to Class tools, Google Classroom, Face Control on Chromebooks, and a bevy of models specially designed for education, Chromebooks and ChromeOS as a whole have become even more valuable, offering features that other laptops simply don’t.

Hopefully the tech giant will continue to innovate in this regard, as this is one of the best ways it sets ChromeOS and Chromebooks apart from the competition.

• Here’s a list of all the changes coming to your Chromebook with ChromeOS 127 now rolling out
• Take note Microsoft – Google's Chromebook shows how AI in PCs should be done
• Mysterious new Chromebook with a built-in Assistant button surface

• Proof of concept sees half a MB of data compressed in a steel capsule that looks like a bullet
• As expected, you cannot read the book like a normal paperback
• DNA storage is still firmly in a futuristic concept

DNA storage offers the potential to store billions of terabytes of data in an incredibly compact form, capable of lasting hundreds of years with minimal cost. The technology is increasingly being seen as a potential way to reduce energy usage, minimize physical space requirements, and enhance data security. Although we are seeing regular breakthroughs, there’s still a long way to go before DNA storage hits the mainstream and we're still waiting for that major breakthrough.

Recent advancements include a credit-card-sized DNA storage device by the French firm Biomemory, which can hold one kilobyte of data, and the first specifications for storing bytes in DNA were unveiled by the DNA Data Storage Alliance in late 2024.

In the latest milestone, DNA-based digital data storage company CATALOG, founded in 2016 by MIT scientists, has delivered the first commercially available book encoded into DNA.

A bit hard to read

The book, created in collaboration with Asimov Press and available for $65, features nine essays and three science fiction works from a number of writers including Alex Telford, Richard Ngo, and Tom Ireland. Each copy comes in the form of a steel DNA capsule that holds approximately half a megabyte of data and resembles a bullet.

The Boston-based CATALOG encoded 240 pages of text, totaling 481,280 bytes, into 500,000 unique synthetic DNA molecules. These molecules are stored as a dry powder under inert gas, safeguarding them from moisture and oxygen to ensure long-term preservation. It should go without saying that you can’t actually read its contents.

"Providing 1,000 copies of this latest Asimov book encoded into DNA is a significant milestone as we commercialize our DNA Storage and Computation technology,” said Hyunjun Park, Co-Founder and CEO of CATALOG. "Our DNA Computing platform – which uses very little energy – is quickly becoming an attractive option as emerging workloads including AI require unsustainable amounts of energy to process.”

The capsule, the first commercial product encoded into DNA, is available for pre-order now, priced at $65. If you just want to read the contents of the book, you can buy a physical copy for $30.

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Samsung’s new S25 smartphones have just been revealed at its January 2025 Galaxy Unpacked Event, but that’s not all that it showcased: it also gave us a taste of the AI-powered tools that are set to launch alongside the new devices – and I’ve had the chance to try them out.

The star of the show was Now Brief, a feature teased ahead of the event which sees your phone offer you personalized daily briefs based on your personal schedule and habits.

Taking cues from your connected email, calendar, wallet, accessories (such as a Galaxy Ring or Galaxy Watch), and other Samsung devices (i.e. your Samsung TV), Now Brief promises to give you a quick rundown of the day ahead – such as reminding you to prepare for your trip in a few days, to take it easy because you didn’t sleep well the night before, and that you have a coupon expiring today. Throughout the day the Now Brief will shift to suit your preferences and help you achieve your targets – for example in the afternoon you’ll get a reminder to get your steps in if you’re short of your health goals for the day, with tips on how to up your count.

Now Brief (Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung says Now Brief will learn to understand you via its 'Personal Data Engine'. It’ll learn what tips it should prioritize and which elements it doesn’t need to include as those aspects of your brief aren’t relevant. Most interestingly it seems like Samsung is learning heavily into its internet of things connected devices – with its presentation focusing on the improved integrations you’ll unlock if you pair your new Samsung phone with other devices like a Samsung TV and Samsung smartwatch (a tactic Apple has been using for years to convince users to not only buy an iPhone but a whole Apple ecosystem).

Because of this reliance on understanding you, of the three features I’ve tried Now Brief is the one I got the worst look at – because the test unit knew nothing of my personal schedule or who I am, it could only tell me about the weather conditions in the area nearby (which wasn’t especially useful). I’m hopeful that the full release will be more exciting, and that’ll come to older devices like the Samsung Galaxy S24, and Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Fold 6, as Now Brief has the potential to be the best new AI feature.

I constantly forget things in my busy schedule until the last minute, so a regular update on what’s coming up and reminders to hit my daily health goals could be super handy – but it will come down to how well this is implemented. AI features promise a lot, but will Now Brief deliver?

Now Bar can give you easy access to essentials (Image credit: Samsung) Cut through the noise

For those of you who love recording video – either to share with friends, family, or your followers – the new phones can also take advantage of new on-device audio editing called Audio Eraser. We’ve seen a similar tool from the Google Pixel 8 which allows an AI to identify different types of sound in a video to be able to turn it up or down as you see fit.

In a demo I had before the Galaxy Unpacked event I was able to record a clip of a Samsung representative talking while I clapped loudly and made noise in the background. Listening back to the clip you’d struggle to make out what they were saying.

That is, until I went into the phone’s video editor to alter the sound – turning down my disruption and turning up their voice. The end result sounded really good, and while there was a little distortion to their voice it certainly sounded a lot clearer than the unedited audio. We’ll need to test it further, but I expect Audio Eraser will be perfect for making your concert recordings pop.

For those of you who prefer using AI to help you create images, Samsung’s Sketch to Image AI tool is getting an upgrade too that makes it easier to combine real and AI elements.

In the demo I was able to combine a written prompt – I went for “an icy lake in a cartoonish style” – with a preexisting image – for the demo I used a photo of a random dog to stand in as my puppy – and Galaxy AI was able to combine the two parts into one single picture – spitting out an image of a dog that looked like the one in the photo playing near a lake in the snow, all in a cartoonish style.

AI image generation isn’t for everyone, but if you like playing around with this feature and want a little more freedom to combine real and fake elements this looks like a solid improvement over what we’ve had access to on Samsung before.

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• Gemini can now chain actions together to complete complex tasks
• Gemini Live is gaining multimodal abilities on the newest phones
• Gemini will evolve into a fully-powered AI assistant with Project Astra

To coincide with the launch of the Samsung S25 range of devices, at today's Galaxy Unpacked, Google has announced some impressive updates to its Gemini AI platform. Many of the improvements are specific to devices like the new Samsung S25, but some also work on the older Samsung S24 and the Pixel 9 phones.

The stand-out feature is Gemini's new ability to chain actions together. This means you can now do things like connect to Google Maps to search for nearby restaurants, then draft a text in Google Messages to send to people you’d like to invite to lunch, all through Gemini commands.

The chaining ability is being added to all devices that run Gemini, “depending on extensions”, which means that the extensions to link the particular app to Gemini will need to be written by a developer for them to be included. Naturally, all the major Google apps have extensions for Gemini already, but extensions are also available for the Samsung Reminder, Samsung Calendar, Samsung Notes, and Samsung Clock apps.

Gemini Live goes multimodal

Google’s Gemini Live, the part of Gemini that gives you the opportunity to have a natural, human-like conversation with the AI, is also getting some major multimodal upgrades. You will now be able to upload images, files, and YouTube videos to the conversation you’re having, so, for example, you could ask Gemini Live, “Hey, take a look at this picture of my school project and tell me how I could make this better”, then upload the picture, and get a response.

The Gemini multimodal improvements are not available across the board, however, and will require a Galaxy S24, S25, or Pixel 9 to work.

Project Astra

Finally, Google has announced that Project Astra capabilities will be coming in the next few months, arriving first on Galaxy S25 and Pixel phones. Project Astra is Google’s prototype AI assistant that enables you to interact with the world around you, asking questions about what you’re looking at and where you are using your phone’s camera. So, you can simply point your phone at something and ask Gemini to tell you something about it, or ask it when the next stop on your bus route will be.

Project Astra works on mobile phones, but takes your experience to the next level when combined with Google’s prototype hands-free AI glasses, so you can simply start asking Gemini questions about what you’re looking at, without having to interact with a screen at all.

While there’s still no news about a release date for this next generation of Google glasses, they will join Meta Ray-Ban glasses in the emerging market for AI wearables when they finally become available.

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The first Samsung Galaxy Unpacked of 2025 kicks off an exciting year ahead for Android phones and mobile AI. We're expecting a brand new Samsung Galaxy S25 family, with the premiere Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leading the way. I've attended plenty of Unpacked events, so I'll be live blogging here as news breaks from Samsung's conference in San Jose, CA.

We haven't heard much about the Galaxy S25 that will make it stand out, even against the Galaxy S24 family, so we're expecting Galaxy AI to be star of today's show. There could be Bixby surprises and previews of what's to come in the months or even years ahead.

At the least, I'm expecting a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset for Galaxy, continuing Qualcomm's tradition of overclocking its chips for its biggest Android and foundry partner.

Will we see a preview of more than just phones? Maybe a hint about Project Moohan and Samsung's smart glasses? We'll know soon enough.

If you want to watch the event yourself, you can check out our guide on how to watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025. For all the news and rumors ahead of Unpacked, you're in the right place, so read on.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

We're 30 minutes from Galaxy Unpacked and your TechRadar editors are live on the scene at the SAP Center in San Jose, CA! Our Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff is covering the news as it happens, then going hands-on with all the new devices, while our video guru Viktoria Shillets captures live footage for all of our TechRadar channels. We'll keep this Live Blog going throughout the show, so stay tuned to this channel.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Ok Galaxy fans, today is your day. If you've been following the leaks and rumors about the upcoming Galaxy S25 family so far, you haven't seen a whole lot that's new. We're expecting a new look for the Galaxy S25 Ultra that brings it closer to the other Galaxy S25 family, with rounded corners and a smooth back, but we haven't seen many other new hardware features. Is Samsung hiding all the good stuff inside?

Undoubtedly, as Samsung will definitely be using a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, and it will probably be overclocked just for Samsung with a for Galaxy badge attached. That means the Galaxy S25 could the fastest phone ever, even faster than the iPhone 16 Pro. What will Samsung do with so much power? That's what we're waiting to find out.

Viktoria and Lance at Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked in San Jose, CA (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

One of the biggest questions we have remaining today surrounds the mysterious, so-called Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim. Apple has been rumored to be working on a slimmer version of its iPhone, now presumably called the iPhone Air. Samsung could also be leading the charge with a slimmer Galaxy S25 today, a Galaxy S25 Slim.

Last minute rumors suggest that the slimmer Galaxy S phone may not appear today, but could show up later in the year, around May. The Galaxy S25 Slim may not come to the US, either, presumably because we don't like things that are Slim here? Who knows.

We'll keep a look out for any executives carrying incredibly slim Galaxy phones, but until we know for sure, keep following for the latest news and rumors.

(Image credit: Axel Metz / Future)

Samsung isn't just throwing a party in San Jose, today. Our reporters in the UK are also on the scene for a special hands-on opportunity with Samsung and the new phones. Clearly the 10am Samsung crowd in California is different from the 6pm Samsung crowd across the pond.

If you weren't sure that today's star would be Galaxy AI, even more than the Galaxy S25, just look at that drink! When the ice cube says AI, believe it.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Go go go! We are go for Galaxy Unpacked. The Live stream should start any minute, and I'm watching at Samsung.com.

I can also tell you now that I've gotten hands-on time with the entire new Galaxy S25 family, including the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Read my hands-on look at the Galaxy S25 and the Galaxy S25 Plus, and Lance's hands-on with the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Samsung's President of the Mobile eXperience group, TM Roh, has taken the stage and immediately announced the Galaxy S25 family. Now Roh has handed off to Google to talk about Gemini and new features coming first to the Galaxy S25.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Roh is back on stage saying the Galaxy S25 will understand not only your commands, but also your intentions. You can talk the way you talk to your friend, and initiate multiple actions with one button press. Roh says it will anticipate your needs.

No specifics on how it will do all of this, but Roh is moving onto privacy. The Personal Data Engine on the Galaxy S25 will keep all of this personal data secure with Samsung's KNOX security, which is no joke. But what data will it store? We haven't heard specific examples yet.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Roh is saying today marks a beginning of a new reality. We're going to hear a lot of this sort of talk today. A new beginning, opening a door, starting something big. We're at the start of the new mobile AI phase, not in the middle. Samsung is going to start collecting what it needs to build a more robust Galaxy AI, but it isn't quite here yet.

That's fine, the phone is still going to be a top performer. Hopefully we'll see more about the features available today, instead of just talking about tomorrow.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung is showing off improvements to features we've seen before, like transcripts on calls, and other improved AI generative text and speech features.

Samsung's Drew Blackard is showing a preview of upcoming Galaxy AI, and we get to see the Now Brief and Now Bar, two new AI driven features that will deliver news and updates about your day.

(Image credit: Samsung)

The Now Brief will proactively share information tailored to you when it matters most, according to Blackard. It isn't all meetings and business, the Now Bar on the lock screen will give you sports updates. We're not seeing anything brand new, so we'll need to experience all the new software to determine if it's really responding to our daily routine.

To do this, Blackard is describing the Personal Data Engine, a partition in the Galaxy S25 that will privately store a wealth of information about you using knowledge graph technology. It will try to make connections about all of the different data it collects from your phone, your wearables, and even your smart home devices.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Blackard says the Galaxy S25 will provide tailored AI suggestions, but hasn't given us any concrete examples of what sort of suggestions it will provide.

We're now seeing a new update to the Samsung side bar tool, adding an AI Assist feature. In the past, you could use Drawing Assist to select and cut up parts of your screen, but AI Assist will understand what sort of content you're viewing, and it will offer you a variety of options based on what you see. You might cut up a video for a GIF, or add a date to your calendar, based on what AI Assist sees.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung is now talking up Circle to Search improvements, because apparently that's one AI feature people are actually using. In fact, Samsung says that Circle to Search fans use it quite extensively, almost every day on average.

Google is also improving its Gemini and Gemini Live features, and we're getting a preview of Gemini from Google's own AI execs.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Google is talking about new multi-modal context capabilities coming to Gemini Live on the Galaxy S25 first. You'll be able to ask Gemini Live, Google's conversational version of Gemini, to interact with the things you see on screen. Previously, Gemini Live, which again is only the conversational component of the Gemini AI, could only operate in its own app.

These seem like baby steps towards a true AI user interface, but we're getting closer. Google is asking Gemini Live to critique a photo taken of a pet retriever, and of course Live has something to say.

Google is offering 6 months of Gemini Advanced and 2TB of Google Cloud storage to all Galaxy S25 buyers. That's a nice start, I pay for that service on my own and it's worth the price for the storage alone, since you can share that space across all your Google accounts and apps.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Whoa, a hint about Project Meehan, Samsung's upcoming XR goggles. Samsung is saying that the XR experience will rely upon multi-modal AI, just like the features coming to Gemini Live on the Galaxy S25. We're not seeing anything specific, just a silhouette of the goggles, and apparently this executive is still talking about things that are not XR glasses, but I stopped listening. When are we getting Samsung XR glasses?! Tell us more, now!

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Here, Samsung presents in one slide all of the cool things that they are not going to show us today. We have a tri-fold phone, a set of XR goggles, and smart glasses that look like Meta Ray-Ban glasses.

Instead they are talking about more AI in the future and keeping data secure and blah blah blah. This isn't very fun. They can talk all they want about keeping data secure, but they haven't explained why I should hand over my data in the first place? What's the benefit? We shall see, eventually.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Okay, now we're hearing about the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which we already know is an incredibly powerful mobile platform with great power management skills. It should offer top-notch power and amazing battery life, if the Galaxy S25 performs like other Snapdragon 8 Elite phones I've reviewed and tested.

This should be a gaming powerhouse, and Samsung is showing off tons of in-game footage from a variety of Android games. Our own benchmarks have shown Qualcomm isn't lying about this chipset, it really is a major step forward. If you have an older phone, especially a phone that is a couple years old or more, you're going to see a big difference.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Galaxy S25 series comes in luminant shades of blue inspired by AI. Samsung just said that. AI is blue. It isn't just three stars, it's actually the color blue. And that blue is navy, icy, or mint green, if you check out the Galaxy S25 in person.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is not blue. It is serious titanium colors, because when you pay for a phone like the Ultra you don't want silly blue colors, you want serious metal colors.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung is talking about the camera, starting with the ProVisual engine inside. That's good, because we already know that the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus have been left behind when it comes to camera technology. The Galaxy S25 Ultra remains a superlative camera phone, but the other Galaxy S25 phones are using sensors and lenses that would have been advanced two or three years ago.

Samsung is demonstrating the new aperture control, but this is a bit misleading, because you have to download a separate Samsung app, Expert RAW, if you want this feature to work. And it isn't really giving you control over the aperture, it's simulating the depth of field using AI.

There are tons of improvements to the photo editing across the board, with more automatic removal tools if you have people who walk into your frame.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Now is the portion of Galaxy Unpacked where professional film makers with professional lighting and film crews show you the sort of professional footage they can capture using only the Galaxy S25 Ultra and their professional gear.

In fact, the SCUBA videography looks very impressive, and I'll be asking for more details about how this videographer pulled off amazing color underwater.

Samsung is also offering Log video recording on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which helps professionals set a constant color balance across a range of footage.

(Image credit: Samsung)

The only major hardware upgrade to the Galaxy S25 cameras is the 50-megapixel sensor on the ultra-wide camera on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The other specs remain completely the same across the entire range. I'm not sure if any of the underlying camera sensors have changed, but the resolution and focal lengths have stayed the same since last year.

There could be plenty more benefits from the improved image processing handled by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and Samsung's own improved image tooling. I'll have to spend plenty of time with this camera to see if it earns a spot on my list of the best camera phones.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Moving on from the cameras, Samsung is talking about how the Galaxy S25 will help us improve our health. Samsung Health app will get an update that takes advantage of more AI features and tailors an end-to-end experience, according to Samsung. That will include personalized insights and coaching, usually advice to get more sleep.

Your Galaxy devices will know when you fall asleep, and will check for patterns with your smart home equipment to determine if there is an ideal setting that helps you fall asleep better. It might also turn off your Samsung TV.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung is launching a number of new Samsung Health coaching and tracking features, including mindfulness features that will ask you about your mood. Frankly, it doesn't seem as intrusive as Apple's Journal app, which pesters me daily to write about mundane trips to the grocery store.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Drew Blackard is coming back, and he's important, so hopefully we'll hear more important news, not just Samsung app examples.

We're hearing about how the phone will connect with other Samsung devices around your home. I hope this doesn't require a brand new TV set, in addition to the latest Galaxy S phone. Also, we've only heard about gathering information about your home, and turning off the TV.

Samsung will now let you monitor your pets and help them watch more TV. You'll be able to connect with a vet in the US through Dr.Tail, an online vet service, using your Samsung phone.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Blackard just said 'Bixby,' so I think I got BINGO! This might be the first time we've heard Samsung use the name of its AI agent on device, while Google has spent plenty of Unpacked talking about Google Gemini advances.

Bixby is the AI that controls your phone, and possibly other Samsung smart devices. We haven't heard too much about the way Bixby has matured with AI, but hopefully we'll learn more.

Wait, there's ONE MORE THING! The Galaxy S25 EDGE!!!

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

What is this?! We see some internal components, and a brief silhouette from the side, and then the screen goes dark. Thankfully our diligent screenshot people caught that one. I think we'll learn more about this in a few months.

• Meta is reportedly working on multiple smart glasses
• Includes Oakley smart specs like its Ray-Bans, and glasses with a display
• Artemis, consumer versions of Orion, are tipped for 2027

We already knew Meta was working on improvements to its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses in the form of the Meta Orion AR glasses prototype, with leaks also pointing a display-equipped version of its Ray-Ban specs landing this year, but it reportedly has a few other tricks up its sleeve too, including Oakley-branded smart glasses designed for athletes and earbuds with cameras built-in.

This is according to details shared by Bloomberg (article behind a paywall), which are attributed to people familiar with the projects who have been asked to not be identified.

Starting with project “Hypernova” – the name given to those Ray-Ban specs with a display – Bloomberg’s report supports details we’ve heard previously that such smart glasses would be coming this year, with the earliest teaser of that coming from a leaked internal Meta roadmap The Verge shared back in 2023, though we’ve heard more recently that a 2025 launch is on the cards.

The Meta Orion smart glasses (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

We now might also know a bit more about Hypernova, with the Bloomberg leak revealing that the display will feature on the bottom of the right lens, and can show apps, notifications, and previews of images you’ve taken with the glasses – which sounds a lot closer to Orion’s capabilities than some were expecting (us included). Hypernova won’t be cheap though, with some suggesting it could cost around $1,000 (£800 / AU$1,600), which is three times pricier than the cheapest Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses.

The leaks also teases “Artemis”, which is set to drop in 2027 and will be the commercially available version of Orion. Artemis prototypes are said to already be more advanced and lighter than Orion, though weight, device cost and manufacturing at scale are apparently challenges Meta still needs to overcome before it settles on a final version of Artemis.

Oakley smart specs incoming?

If Ray-Bans aren’t your style, Meta is also rumored to be partnering with Oakley (which shares a parent company with Ray-Ban) to create glasses labelled “Supernova 2”, which are said to be based on Oakley’s Sphaera glasses. The specs of the glasses would seemingly be similar to the current model of Ray-Bans (ie camera, no display), but would shift the camera to the center of the glasses frame, and include features to appeal to cyclists and athletes.

Precisely what this means beyond the frame shape is yet to be seen, but as I’ve previously highlighted it’s important for wearables to not just be useful but look good and come in plenty of style varieties as fashion is an extension of who we are more so than typical gadgets – so i won’t be complaining if Supernova just ends up being effectively new styles of the pre-existing specs, if anything I’m all for it.

(Image credit: Oakley)

Lastly, we have a few weirder items. We’ve heard previously about Meta’s Camerasbuds, which add cameras to more typical looking earbuds – and apparently Samsung has similar plans – though they’re still likely some time away.

There’s also talk of a Meta smartwatch (which long-time readers will know is rumored to be cancelled/uncancelled every few months). Codenamed “Ceres”, this latest iteration is less of a watch and more a band for controlling Meta’s smart glasses. We’ve already seen a version of Ceres being used to control the Meta Orion smart glasses, and according to the leak Meta is weighing up including the wristband with Hypernova – the alternative would be relying solely on touch controls on the glasses’ frames (as we’ve seen from the current Ray-Ban smart glasses model).

While all of these new rumored details about Hypernova, Artemis, Supernova 2, and Ceres are consistent with previous leaks and official details, it’s still worth taking them with a pinch of salt. Until Meta makes its plans known in a proper setting, they could always change – especially projects like Artemis, which are still said to be at the prototype stage. To know what Meta really has up its sleeve.

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• Avengers: Doomsday won't feature Doctor Strange, according to the actor who plays him
• Benedict Cumberbatch accidentally revealed that he isn't part of the Marvel movie's ensemble
• Marvel hasn't officially commented on Cumberbatch's slip-up

Benedict Cumberbatch has accidentally revealed that he won't appear as Doctor Strange in Avengers: Doomsday.

Speaking to Variety, the British star let slip that he isn't involved in the highly anticipated Marvel movie, which is due out in May 2026. Cumberbatch, then, won't be lining up alongside many of Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers 5.

It's unclear what led to Cumberbatch's faux-pas but, after the Doctor Strange actor surprisingly revealed that he isn't part of the film's ensemble cast, he simply reacted by saying: "Is that a spoiler? F*** it!"

Fans of the Sorcerer Supreme shouldn't fret about his potential absence from Avengers: Secret Wars, which will cap the Marvel Multiverse Saga in May 2027. Indeed, Cumberbatch also told Variety that Stephen Strange is "in a lot" of Avengers 6, before adding: "He’s quite central to where things might go. He’s a very rich character to play. He’s a complex, contradictory, troubled human who’s got these extraordinary abilities, so there’s potent stuff to mess about with."

Marvel hasn't officially commented on Cumberbatch unexpectedly revealing that Strange won't be part of Avengers 5. Nonetheless, I've reached out to my Marvel contacts for a statement on the matter, and I'll report back if I receive a response.

Why isn't Doctor Strange going to be in Avengers: Doomsday?

Doctor Strange isn't likely to be based on Earth when Doctor Doom comes calling in Avengers 5 (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Apart from Cumberbatch telling Variety that "the character [does] not align with this part of the story [Avengers 5]", we don't know. However, given how his last solo movie – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – ended, we can speculate on his absence from the Marvel Phase 6 flick. You can read a detailed account of what happened in my Doctor Strange 2 ending explained piece, or read on for a full albeit abridged spoiler-filled explanation below.

Doctor Strange 2's ending hints at why he won't be around for Doomsday's events (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

At the end of Doctor Strange 2, the Master of the Mystic Arts took a walk on the cosmic and multiversal side (again) with fellow sorcerer Clea, who was briefly portrayed by Charlize Theron. She'd tracked him down on Earth to request his help in stopping an Incursion Event that he'd caused as part of events that play out in The Multiverse of Madness. Somewhat reluctantly, he agrees to aid her, with the pair stepping through a portal that seemingly leads to Dormammu's domain, which we last saw in 2015's Doctor Strange film.

If Strange and Clea are still trying to shut down whatever Incursion Event he created, it would explain why he won't be around to help his fellow Avengers in Marvel's next team-up movie. In it, they'll take on Doomsday's primary villain, who was revealed to be Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom at San Diego Comic Con 2024.

Still, while Cumberbatch won't be part of Doomsday's stacked cast roster, there are plenty of other big names attached to the project. The Fantastic Four's Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach were confirmed to be appearing by Marvel chief Kevin Feige last year. Expect Marvel's First Family to help try and defeat one of their most iconic foes, then, after starring in their first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie, which is titled The Fantastic Four: First Steps and arrives in theaters this July.

As for other individuals who may appear, Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson/Captain America and Tom Holland's Peter Parker/Spider-Man are among the many A-listers likely to show up. One actor who I didn't expect to see, though, is Chris Evans, with the Marvel alumnus reportedly returning for a mystery role in Avengers: Doomsday. With the movie set to start shooting sometime in early 2025, we should prepare for more cast announcements and rumors to appear online in the weeks and months ahead.

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• Cloudflare says it blocked a 5.6Tbps DDoS attack in October 2024
• The attack came from a Mirai botnet
• It included 13,000 IPs, and lasted 80 seconds

Cloudflare has claimed it recently blocked the largest Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack ever recorded.

In a blog post, the company said that in late October 2024, its defense mechanisms blocked a 5.6Tbps UDP (User Datagram Protocol) DDoS attack. To put things into perspective, the (now) second-largest DDoS attack ever was 3.8Tbps, also blocked by Cloudflare, also in October 2024.

The company said the attack was launched by a Mirai-variant botnet, and targeted an Internet Service Provider (ISP) from Eastern Asia.

Shorter but more violent

The attack lasted just over a minute (80 seconds), and involved more than 13,000 Internet-of-things (IoT) devices, it was said.

As attackers change their strategies to better adapt to an evolving DDoS threat landscape, the attacks have generally been getting shorter in duration but more intense and frequent.

Despite its destructive potential, the attack did no damage, Cloudflare said, since both detection and mitigation were fully autonomous.

“It required no human intervention, didn’t trigger any alerts, and didn’t cause any performance degradation,” Cloudflare said. “The systems worked as intended.”

The researchers also stressed that while the total number of unique source IP addresses was around 13,000, the average unique source IP addresses per second was 5,500. Each of the 13,000 IP addresses contributed less than 8 Gbps per second, while the average contribution of each IP address per second was around 1 Gbps (~0.012% of 5.6 Tbps).

Mirai is one of the most infamous botnets out there. Its source code leaked in 2017, after which different threat actors started building their own variants. Today, Mirai and its variants often make headlines, targeting different organizations with large-scale DDoS attacks. Just this week, security researchers observed two variants, ‘gayfemboy’, and ‘Murdoc Botnet’.

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• Nothing has posted a Pokémon image on its X account
• This particular character is Arcanine
• New phones are expected soon

Nothing is up to something. The firm is well know for its use of weird teaser images to generate excitement ahead of new product announcements, and the latest one has just dropped.

For the benefit of anyone who isn't familiar with the Pokémon codex, it's a pixelated image of Arcanine. It's surprising to see an image of a Pokémon, given the aggressively protective nature of The Pokémon Company and its partner, Nintendo – so perhaps this indicates an official tie-up between the two companies. The excellent Nothing Ear (a) are already available in a Pikachu-like yellow, so perhaps an Arcanine-like orange is coming.

Or perhaps what's more significant is either the number contained in Arcanine's name, or the number of its place in the Pokédex.

What do the internet detectives think of Nothing's teaser?

Over at GSM Arena, they're suggesting that the nine in Arcanine's name could suggest a product announcement on the 9th of February. Or perhaps its Pokédex number, 58, is the clue. The 58th day of the year would also be in February, albeit a bit later on February 27.

That's the possible whens. As for the what, the smart money appears to be on the Nothing Phone (3) or one of the other two Nothing phones expected to launch by mid-2025 – with or without Pokémon collaboration.

The (3) seems to be the most likely one. A leaked internal memo said that the firm was planning to launch a "landmark" AI-powered smartphone in the first quarter of 2025, which fits with a February announcement – although previously we'd expected a launch at MWC 2025 in March.

That's the thing about teasers. You can make them mean almost anything, but by their very nature they reveal nothing. Or in this case, nothing about Nothing.

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• MSI's new Claw 8 AI+ has limited availability with only some customers receiving orders
• The release date was set for January 15 in the US, and February 11 in the UK
• It's currently only available at Currys in the UK 

CES 2025 saw a range of upcoming handheld gaming PCs revealed, including Lenovo's Legion Go 2 prototype. While the Nintendo Switch 2's announcement came shortly after the tech event, it's hard to believe that it stands a chance against the new slate of handheld gaming PCs, notably MSI's Claw 8 AI+ – at least, if you can manage to find one in your region.

As reported by VideoCardz, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is suffering from limited availability at launch, with only a few users in the US getting their hands on the device despite its original 15 January launch date from MSI.

The same issue seems to apply to users in the UK. The release date was set for 11 February, but at time of writing there's only one preorder listing of the Claw 8 AI+ – at Currys, priced at £899. The fact that it's only available on one retailer site in the UK, and only a small number of users in the US have managed to get their hands on it, certainly suggests issues with availability.

The Claw 8 AI+ utilizes Intel's Lunar Lake Ultra 7 258V processor, for improved gaming performance over the previous Claw A1M model, thanks to the Intel Arc 140V integrated GPU. Based on multiple previews including my colleague John Loeffler's hands-on coverage, MSI's latest model looks set to outperform the Asus ROG Ally X and potentially even the currently-in-prototyping Legion Go 2 (powered by AMD's new Z2 Extreme APU).

While we're still awaiting official Nintendo Switch 2 specifications, the rumored internal specs are underwhelming, to say the least: it's supposedly set to use the Cortex-A78AE processor (reportedly using Nvidia's DLSS upscaling tech), and only 8GB of RAM. That doesn't stack up well against the AMD Z1 Extreme, with 16GB of RAM used in the original ROG Ally.

(Image credit: MSI) Will limited availability and price impact the MSI Claw 8 AI+'s success?

While we're only a month into 2025, we'll be seeing handheld gaming PC additions from both MSI and Lenovo with the Claw 8 AI+ and the upcoming Legion Go S, which we also demoed at CES. Considering the pricing of the Claw 8 ($899 / £899 / around AU$1,400), combined the limited availability, it may lose out to other handhelds that are already available, despite appearing to be the stronger performer on paper.

When it comes to handheld gaming PCs, affordability is what matters most. I'm sure the Core Ultra 7 258V will prove to be incredible for the Claw 8 AI+, alongside the hefty 80Whr battery, but its rather steep pricing could end up being a dealbreaker (especially if this limited availability continues).

I've stated it before with handheld PCs – just look at the likes of Acer's Nitro Blaze 11, with pricing of $1,099 (around £1000 / AU$1,740) that could well be its downfall. The same could apply here, even if it's slightly cheaper than Acer’s monster handheld. At those prices, if you don't already own a desktop gaming PC, it makes little sense to opt for a handheld. However, I'm hoping its Claw 7 AI+ counterpart could be a compromise, using the same processor but with a 54.5WH battery and 7-inch screen instead, at $799 / around £700 / around AU$1,245.

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• The new Polestar 7 SUV will launch in late 2026 or early 2027
• It won’t replace the Polestar 2, but will be an affordable entry to the brand
• Compact electric SUV will compete with Tesla, Audi and Volvo

Polestar has revealed that it will be adding a new member to its gang of stylish-yet-understated electric vehicles with the upcoming Polestar 7 SUV, which the company says will come before the much-hyped Polestar 6 sports car.

Although the Swedish manufacturer has been a single-model brand for a long time (offering just the Polestar 2 since 2019, which is also due a refresh), it has recently released the larger Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 crossover vehicles, while the upcoming Polestar 5, which will take on the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT, is slated for release later this year.

The recently-appointed CEO, Michael Lohscheller, has been talking to various media outlets about his plans to take the brand in a new direction, with the Polestar 7 embodying what he deems to be the perfect car for entering a hugely popular and contested market – one that many premium manufacturers have traditionally avoided.

Although Polestar 7 details are fairly scant, Lohscheller has promised that it will ride on an all-new platform (although he won’t say which of the Geely-owned companies will provide it) and boast “the latest technology”, which can be construed as 800V architecture and 350kW fast charging capabilities.

The new CEO also said that it would sit in-between the Volvo EX30 and EX40, which gives a good indication of size, while pricing will likely also sit between those two models, so between £40,000 and £45,000 in the UK. That will work out as $45,000 and $55,000 for the US market (or around AU$72,000-AU$87,000).

This is prime Tesla Model Y territory, which itself has just receive a long-awaited ‘Juniper’ refresh, but CNBC reports that the brand has recently shed $15 billion in value due, in part, to an aging line-up of vehicles.

During an interview with Car Magazine, the Polestar CEO revealed that the he wants his design team to be “more confident” in the next generation of vehicles. With the Polestar 5 and Polestar 6 already way beyond concept stage, it is up to the Polestar 7 to embody these changes.

“Polestar is sometimes a bit too modest, a bit too humble. In several markets, like in Scandinavia, this works but I would like a little bit more confidence. In the US the Americans don’t like too much understatement,’’ he said.

Analysis: Trump's America will be a tough nut to crack

Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller (Image credit: Polestar)

The Polestar chief believes that 2025 will be the strongest year in Polestar history, but the company faces numerous question marks over its ability to crack the US market.

Currently, the Polestar 2 and recently released Polestar 3 are available to buy in the US, with the latter built in the company’s Georgia plant. But the outgoing Biden administration has set the wheels in motion for an outright ban on any vehicle that features connected tech hailing from China.

This will adversely affect the Swedish marque, seeing as it is owned by Chinese company Geely and borrows much of its technology from the group. But Polestar’s new CEO says it will seek new suppliers to get around the ban, according to The Financial Times.

To compound matters, Trump’s recent signing of executive orders that could end numerous electric vehicle subsidies will no doubt force Polestar prices in the US up, leaving Tesla to rely on its vast EV economies of scale to offer the cheaper product.

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A China-linked cyberespionage group has reportedly exploited a legitimate VPN service to spread malware and spy on victims' activities. The ESET security research team found the malicious code – alongside the legitimate software – in the Windows installer of IPany, a South Korean VPN provider.

The so-called PlushDaemon APT group is also known to have hijacked legitimate updates of Chinese applications, but this technical-advanced supply-chain attack against a trustworthy Korean VPN firm makes the hacking group "a significant threat to watch for," said ESET experts.

The SlowStepper backdoor

ESET's new report shed light on a previously undisclosed China-aligned APT group so-called PlushDaemon which experts believe to have been active since at least 2019 – and one of its malicious operations aims to spy on the target's activities.

To do so, hackers have hijacked legitimated updates of Chinese apps and launched a supply-chain attack against South Korean VPN developer IPany. Both involve injecting a malicious backdoor into the device while the victims install the software.

Named SlowStepper, the backdoor is built on an advanced infrastructure that enables extensive data collection and spying through the recording of audio and videos.

"We found no suspicious code on the download page to produce targeted downloads, for example by geofencing to specific targeted regions or IP ranges," experts explain. "Therefore, we believe that anyone using the IPany VPN might have been a valid target."

You can read the full technical analyses in the ESET blog post here.

When the malicious IPanyVPNsetup.exe installer is executed, it creates several directories and deploys both legitimate and malicious files. (Image credit: ESET )

Experts contacted the VPN software developer to inform them of the compromise. The company then removed the malicious installer from its website.

Nonetheless, ESET findings raise concerns for internet users' security, especially considering that the hacking group managed to fly under the radar for so long.

Experts wrote: "The numerous components in the PlushDaemon toolset, and its rich version history, show that, while previously unknown, this China-aligned APT group has been operating diligently to develop a wide array of tools, making it a significant threat to watch for."

Worse still, this is far from the only instance in which VPN users – so, someone actively looking to protect their online data – are the main target. Google reported a similar threat at the beginning of January 2025 warning against how Playfulghost attackers used VPN apps to infect devices with malware.

I recommend being extra careful when downloading new software from the web. If you notice your device acting oddly, you should run a malware removal service, whenever possible, and consider a system reboot to eradicate the potential threat.

• Security researchers warned about a vulnerability in older versions of 7-Zip
• The vulnerability allowed threat actors to bypass the Mark of the Web security feature
• The bug was fixed in late November 2024

A high-severity vulnerability was recently discovered, and patched, in the popular open source file archiver solution 7-Zip. Since the product does not have an automatic update feature, users are advised to upgrade to the newest version manually, as soon as possible.

The vulnerability in question is tracked as CVE-2025-0411. It is described as a Mark of the Web (MotW) bypass, that allows threat actors to execute malicious code on target endpoints that are extracting files from nested archives. It was given a severity score of 7/10 - high.

Mark of the Web is a security feature in Windows that flags files downloaded from the internet as potentially unsafe by adding metadata indicating their origin. This helps prevent malicious scripts or executables from running automatically, prompting users to confirm before opening such files.

Patching the flaw

7-Zip added support for MotW in June 2022, in version 22.00. However, the feature was improperly implemented, and could be bypassed. In a recently released advisory, cybersecurity researchers Trend Micro explain:

"This vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass the Mark-of-the-Web protection mechanism on affected installations of 7-Zip. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file," the researchers said.

"The specific flaw exists within the handling of archived files. When extracting files from a crafted archive that bears the Mark-of-the-Web, 7-Zip does not propagate the Mark-of-the-Web to the extracted files. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user."

The bug has since been mitigated, with a version 24.09 being released in late November 2024.

"7-Zip File Manager didn't propagate Zone.Identifier stream for extracted files from nested archives (if there is open archive inside another open archive)," the project’s developer, Igor Pavlov, explained.

Via BleepingComputer

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• AMD has been telling us about the gaming performance of the Ryzen 9950X3D
• We’re told to expect frame rates that are similar to the 9800X3D
• This is despite some nice spec bumps for the as-yet-unreleased flagship for 3D V-Cache

AMD’s flagship 3D V-Cache processor, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, will offer a ‘comparable’ performance for gaming compared to the existing mainstream Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU.

In an interview with VideoGamer, AMD’s Product and Business Development Manager, Martijn Boonstra, said that Team Red expects the Ryzen 9950X3D and its lesser sibling, the 9900X3D, to deliver a “similar overall gaming performance to the 9800X3D.”

In short, there will be some give or take here, with the Ryzen 9 chips being slightly faster in certain scenarios, and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D edging a victory in others.

Boonstra clarified that with those incoming Ryzen 9 CPUs: “There will be some games that perform a bit better (if the game engine utilizes more cores and threads), and some games will perform a little worse (if the game engine favors a 1CCD configuration), but on the whole the experience is comparable.”

The Ryzen 9950X3D and 9900X3D were unveiled at CES 2025 earlier in January, and are expected to be available soon – but pricing is yet to be confirmed. They will, inevitably, be considerably more expensive than the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. If you recall, the original MSRP for the 7950X3D was 55% more than the 7800X3D (in the US).

(Image credit: AMD) Analysis: An easy choice for gamers, it seems

So, you might be thinking – you only get the same performance from a pricier CPU – what gives with that? Well, remember, this is gaming frame rates we are talking about specifically.

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D are designed as dual-use processors, which are excellent for creatives (and can easily cut through other heavyweight tasks), as well as providing great gaming performance. Although given the 3D V-Cache flagship’s spec this time around, some folks might have expected better performance in PC games – though AMD is clearly priming us not to, and this appears to be what this bit of marketing info is all about.

Regarding that spec, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D not only provides 16-cores (and 32-threads), versus the 8-cores (16-threads) of the 9800X3D, but it also has a 5.7GHz boost clock, plus more of that crucial 3D V-Cache (144MB versus 104MB).

However, it seems despite this extra pep, the situation will remain the same as it was with the previous-gen X3D chips, where the 7950X3D and 7800X3D were pretty much the same in terms of gaming performance in the main, give or take a bit. At least, after any CPU configuration gremlins were ironed out, because it’s true that in the past, the 7950X3D could be held back in some situations because it has two CCDs. (This means two separate Core Complex Dies, or chiplets, only one of which has 3D V-Cache – and sometimes a thread for a running game might be shoved over to the second chiplet, causing some latency. This didn’t happen with the 7800X3D as it only has one CCD).

You don’t really need to get into the technical weeds here, though – all you really need to know is what AMD is serving up as a headline here. If you’re gaming, the Ryzen 9800X3D is the CPU for you, purely because it’ll be much more affordable, and gives you about the same performance with PC games as the Ryzen 9950X3D.

However, if you need the best all-round performance, for heavyweight apps as well as gaming, then the Ryzen 9 X3D models are for you. Yes, you’ll pay the price for them no doubt, but it’s likely those initially towering MSRPs will come down considerably as time passes (as happened with the Ryzen 7950X3D).

The other point to consider is right now, the Ryzen 9800X3D remains difficult to find (at or near its MSRP), as it’s very popular. So some PC gamers might look at the new Ryzen 9 3D V-Cache processors when they arrive just so they can pull the trigger on an X3D purchase for their new gaming PC (or upgrade). Depending on where pricing shakes out – as noted, the last-gen flagship’s 55% premium over the Ryzen 7 model represented a pretty steep ask.

Via Tom’s Hardware

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Samsung is launching an all-new Galaxy Watch for Kids 'experience' on the eve of today's (Jan 22) Samsung Galaxy Unpacked presentation – a few hours before its big keynote kicks off.

Rather than making a dedicated version of the Galaxy Watch, like the Fitbit Ace LTE, Samsung has created the Galaxy Watch for Kids experience, a new mode you can select on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 LTE – one of the best Samsung watches. This mode prevents the child from accessing certain features, allows parents to stay connected, offers safety features like SOS messages, and provides 'self-expression and learning experiences.'

These experiences are launching with over 20 'teacher-approved' apps, including some from a variety of recognizable IPs, such as Barbie, Crayola, PBS Kids, and Unicorn Academy.

However, it's Marvel that takes front and center in the marketing. The Marvel HQ app offers watch faces inspired by characters like Captain America and Groot but kicks it into high gear by allowing kids to mix tunes on the app's DJ interface and dance in real life to move with Groot.

(Image credit: Samsung/Google)

By pairing the watch with a parent's smartphone, the parent can select "set up for a child" on the Watch 7 LTE, using Google Family Link to create multiple accounts. After activating the eSim on the watch, a phone is no longer required for the child to use the watch and access the core functionality.

Safety tools for parents include location sharing, managing their child's contacts, a 'Do-Not-Disturb-like' mode, and SOS Messages, which can be sent by pressing the watch's side button five times.

Kids bands will be available to purchase for the watch, which acts as a protective silicone covering, although users buying a Galaxy Watch 7 LTE from Samsung.com will receive a free kids band.

Like the Fitbit Ace LTE, Galaxy Watch for Kids is only available in the US at present.

This mode is similar to Apple's 'Apple Watch For Your Kids' experience, which also offers emergency SOS messages, child-orientated movement tracking, kid-friendly watch faces and educational apps, alongside Apple Cash, a way to send money through Apple devices to act like an allowance used with Apple Pay. Like the Samsung experience, you need an LTE watch to use the 'Apple Watch for Kids' feature.

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Never before have business leaders had so little time to make decisions. Between consumers expecting real-time updates on every purchase or service they pay for, to the competitors looking to beat them to every customer, slow and careful deliberation simply isn’t a luxury that many can afford.

Unfortunately, leaders are also judged — even defined — by the ability to make the right call under pressure. Napoleon Bonaparte once said that "nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide."

But if you don’t have the time to think, how can you make good decisions? Without the full context to ground your judgement, or the time to process them, what are the alternatives?

The risky business of gut-feel

For many, the answer is to go with your gut.

New research — exploring how 200 CEOs, MDs, and C-level executives in the UK approach decision-making — finds that this is true for more than three in five (61%) in the UK. The majority make ‘snap decisions’.

This is because, for many, the pressure to make a fast decision — any decision — overcomes the need to make the right decision. Leaders are choosing to substitute the full picture for a subjective interpretation, based on their experience and opinions alone.

It also indicates a lack of technological maturity within a business. More than half (58%) say they rely on ‘gut feel’ because they’re unable to access insights in real time, while 52% say that data is out of date by the time it reaches them.

In other words, business-critical systems simply can’t provide the data business leaders need in time to factor it into the decision-making process.

In some cases, instinct and experience can be enough. But these qualities are, by definition, retrospective — they can’t accurately factor in new information, or unexpected changes. And in a business environment that evolves faster than ever before, there’s always something new to consider.

Ultimately, gut feel is only part of the picture. The other part is evidence; beliefs should not replace analytics but refer to them for context.

Demand for data-led decisions

Decision-makers make that sentiment clear. While gut feel is prominent, 84% said they’d like to make more decisions based on accurate data, while a similar 85% believe they’d make better decisions if they were able to base them on real-time data.

Business leaders need data and insights available at their fingertips. Rather than compromise and slow down the decision-making process, they need real-time data to inform and complement their gut feel — and they’re often not equipped to access this.

We can see this with 80% of leaders stating that they need to “completely overhaul” their existing data approach. There’s a desire and intent to make things better to meet the demands of fast-paced businesses.

In many organizations, data can’t move through their systems in sufficient time to deliver real-time insights. Batch processing data is a common obstacle here, with many businesses designed to process data in huge, inefficient cuts after it’s already been collected. The siloing of that data — between different apps, departments, and cloud providers — can make things even harder.

Swim with the stream

Consequently, many business leaders are looking to data streaming platforms. Rather than processing data in cumbersome blocks, hours or even days after it’s collected, they’re prioritizing systems that can make data accessible in real time — no matter where in the business it is — to allow analytics to match that pace.

The numbers here are striking. More than three quarters of business leaders (77%) are investing in data streaming to improve on their decision-making processes. And a huge 97% are investing, or have plans to invest in, real-time dashboards to make real-time analytics readily available.

It’s no surprise, with the early adopters who are already walking the walk seeing considerable benefits. According to recent data, 84% of IT leaders who had invested in data streaming were seeing 2x to 10x returns on their investment, with 41% citing an ROI of 5x or more.

Access to real-time data that can ground your business decisions in reality is already changing how businesses operate, for the better.

That’s because data isn’t just an IT problem. Data can speak to the forces that impact every part of the modern business — from financial performance to customer experience. The more accurate and in-the-moment that data is, the more value it can bring.

The same is true of our leaders. For all the value and wisdom in their instincts and experiences, real-time data streaming is becoming a critical part of business leadership. Data-powered decisions will come to define great leaders.

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The momentum of AI-driven applications is accelerating around the world and shows little sign of slowing. According to data from IBM, 42% of companies with more than 1000 employees are actively using AI in their business, and a further 40% are trialing and experimenting with it.

As AI adoption gains pace, with platforms such as OpenAI’s GPT-4o and Google’s Gemini setting new benchmarks of performance, organizations are discovering new applications for these technologies that can deliver better outcomes. Faced with new challenges of deploying the technology at scale. More and more enterprise workflows are embedding calls to these AI Models are dramatically increasing usage. Do the use cases justify the escalating spending on the latest models?

Embracing AI also means embracing the usage of AI models and paying for AI inference costs, at a time when many organisations are in cost-cutting mode. With continued economic uncertainty, rising operational costs, and increasing pressure from stakeholders to deliver ROI, businesses are looking for ways to optimize their budgets and reduce unnecessary expenditures. The escalating costs of AI infrastructure can be a cause of tension, as organizations want to remain competitive and leverage the power of AI, while also finding the balance between these investments and financial prudence.

To further complicate things, AI agents which, according to McKinsey are the next frontier of GenAI and are largely expected to form the next wave of applications, will dramatically increase usage of AI models as they rely on them for ongoing reflection and planning steps. Instead of singular API calls to underlying models like those from OpenAI, agentic architectures can make scores of calls, thus racking up those costs. How can businesses navigate the rising costs of data while powering the AI applications they need?

Understanding the cost of AI at scale

The rapid deployment of AI is leading to increased costs on multiple fronts. First and foremost, organizations are spending on AI inference which is the process of using a trained model to make predictions or decisions based on provided inputs. Often, they would rely on APIs from the leading providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic or cloud service providers like AWS or Google and would pay based on usage. Alternatively, some organizations run their own inference and buy or rent GPUs on which they deploy open source models such as Llama from Meta.

Secondly, in many cases organizations want to customize their AI models by ‘fine-tuning’ them. This can at times be an expensive process involving data preparation by creation of training datasets and require compute resources for training.

Finally, building AI applications requires additional components, such as vector databases, which help augment inference by helping retrieve relevant content from designated knowledge bases and thus improve accuracy and relevance of responses from AI models.

By examining the root causes and the drivers of their AI costs such as AI inference, training or fine-tuning and additional components such as databases, businesses can minimize storage costs and enhance their AI application performance.

Optimizing efficiency through semantic caching

Semantic caching is a highly effective technique that organizations are deploying to manage the cost of AI inference and to increase speed and responsiveness of their applications. It refers to storing and reusing the results of previous computations based on their semantic meaning.

In other words, instead of relying on new AI computations for new queries, a semantic cache can check a database for queries with similar meanings that have been asked before, thus saving costs. This approach helps reduce redundant computations and improves efficiency in applications like inference or search.

In one particular study, researchers showed that up to 31% of queries to AI applications can be repetitive. Every unnecessary AI inference call adds avoidable costs, but by implementing a semantic cache, organizations can significantly reduce these calls, cutting them by 30-80%. This method is crucial for building scalable and responsive generative AI applications or chatbots. This approach not only optimizes cost but also accelerates response times, helping businesses achieve more with less investment.

Balancing performance and cost

Organisations need to optimise their technology stack and operational strategies to be able to deploy cutting-edge AI applications without incurring unsustainable infrastructure costs. This can help them strike that crucial balance between performance and cost. Techniques such as semantic caching can play a vital role in this.

For companies that are struggling with scaling AI applications in an efficient and cost-effective way, learning how to effectively manage this would become a key market differentiator. The key to businesses navigating the spiraling cost of generative AI applications and maximizing their value could lie in the AI Inference strategy. As generative AI systems get more and more complex, every LLM call needs to be as efficient as possible. By doing so, customers can get to the information they need faster and businesses can minimize their cost footprint.

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• A ChatGPT API can be given an unlimited number of URLs, even if they're duplicates, expert warns
• If it tries to run the commands, it will create a huge volume of HTTP requests
• Researchers urge OpenAI to put safeguards in place

Experts have warned there is a way to make OpenAI’s ChatGPT service engage in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks on threat actors’ behalf.

A report from cybersecurity researcher Benjamin Flesch noted the problem lies in ChatGPT’s API’s handling of HTTP POST requests to a specific endpoint. That endpoint allows the user to provide a series of links through the “urls” parameter - without any limits.

So, in theory, a threat actor could include thousands of hyperlinks in a single request - all pointing to the same server, or address. As a result, OpenAI’s servers will create a huge volume of HTTP requests to the victim’s website, resulting in a denial of service.

Abusing AI

The solution, according to Flesch, is relatively simple - all OpenAI needs to do is implement stringent limits on the number of URLs a person can submit. The company should also make sure duplicate requests are limited. Finally, by adding rate-limiting measures, potential abuse could be prevented.

This is not the first time people found ways to abuse Generative AI (GenAI) tools, and most likely won’t be the last.

So far, though, miscreants have only focused on abusing the actual tool, not the underlying infrastructure. Security researchers have seen ChatGPT and other similar tools get tricked into writing malware code, generating convincing phishing emails, or instructing how to make an explosive device.

OpenAI, as well as the developers of other tools, have been working hard to include various defense mechanisms, safeguards, and blocks, to prevent the misuse of their GenAI solutions. By large, they have been successful, since the tools will no longer respond favorably to certain requests. However, this has spawned an entirely new sport called “GenAI jailbreaking”, in which hackers compete in bypassing the ethical, safety, and usage restrictions imposed on generative AI systems.

Via SiliconANGLE

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• Netflix has raised its prices again for all its plans in the US
• It hasn't yet confirmed if other regions like the UK will see price rises
• 'Subscription hopping' is becoming an increasingly popular coping strategy

Netflix has welcomed everyone into the new year with a move that wouldn't be out of place on its new WWE Raw show – a pricing drop-kick in the US that brings the cost of its monthly plans to new painful levels.

If you missed the news, the cheapest Standard (with ads) monthly plan is rising from $6.99 to $7.99, the Standard (without ads) plan is going up from $15.49 to $17.99, while Premium is hitting the heights of $24.99 (previously $22.99). We don't yet know if the UK will see similar price rises, but it seems highly likely (if not now, then soon).

Clearly, Netflix has done its research and is confident that these latest price rises won't see it hemorrhage subscribers – and the markets agree, as Netflix share prices soared following the news. It has also hit a record of 300 million global subscribers.

But I can't be the only person feeling the heat of being slow-cooked by streaming prices. This year, like many others on TechRadar, I'm taking action – and not by sailing the murky waters of piracy or questionable Plex servers.

The great Netflix password-sharing crackdown (which was aped by the likes of Disney Plus) removed one possible avenue for savings. Still, there is one big lever we can pull – the increasingly popular practice of subscription hopping.

One policy that the likes of Netflix haven't (yet) imposed on subscribers are lengthy contract lock-ins – and it's this freedom that subscription hopping exploits to bring streaming subscription costs to more manageable levels.

TechRadar contributor Esat Dedezade recently laid out his subscription hopping plan for 2025, which we worked out will slash his subscription hopping bills by 71% this year.

In fact, he's stuck with Netflix for January to catch Castlevania: Nocturne season 2, but he will cancel and switch to Apple TV Plus in February for Severance season 2.

I'm actually doing the opposite, staying exclusively with Apple TV Plus right now to minimize my chance of Severance spoilers before switching back to Netflix for my fill of Cobra Kai season 6 and (possibly, if it's more exciting than the trailer) Zero Day.

Of course, your tastes may vary, so we've put together the cheat sheet below to help you form your own streaming saving plan, for the first few months of 2025 at least...

The tactics

(Image credit: Netflix)

The only downside of subscription hopping is that it involves a little planning, but that's nothing that your favorite reminders app can't fix. The main things to remember are to cancel a service immediately after subscribing (to avoid auto-renews) and to track the latest release date news (see our 2025 streaming wishlist for starters), and to note down your targeted shows for each month.

We've done some of that for you with the table below, which picks out some of the biggest highlights across the main streaming services in the first few months of this year. Use it to make a plan for January, February, and March, and you'll make some decent savings in those months alone.

Subscription hopping may not be for everyone, but the practice has inspired other members of the TechRadar team to take the plunge. Matt Evans, our Fitness, Wellness, and Wearables Editor, says: "My wife and I switch our subscription TV services several times a year. Last year, I canceled my 11-year Netflix subscription and the anime streaming service Crunchyroll in favor of Disney Plus's £4.99-with-ads minimum tier.

"Now it's January, we have cancelled Disney and renewed Netflix, so we can watch the shows we've missed. Next month, Now TV (the UK's answer to HBO Max) is on the chopping block, but we'll cycle back to it later in the year. Our constants are Amazon, Audible and Spotify, which we renew each month."

While choosing one streaming service per month can be the best for simplicity, this shows that you can adapt it to your situation. Even cutting three unnecessary months of Netflix over a year, particularly if you prefer the Premium 4K tier, would give you big savings – of around $74.97 / £53.97 / AU$77.97, at current prices.

In fact, that isn't far off what an entire year of Netflix cost back in 2012 (when monthly prices sat at just $7.99 / £5.99 / AU$8.99). Those days may be long gone, but the tactics above are the best way to get your streaming costs back down closer to their golden age levels.

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• Another rumor hints that Nvidia may not have much stock for the release of its RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs
• There are worries about hiked pricing at the launch of the next-gen GPUs, too
• A further possibility aired is that the RTX 5070 might be delayed until March

More worrying rumors have emerged about Nvidia’s next-gen GPUs, casting doubt on stock levels (again) and also the pricing of the GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 – and the launch timing of RTX 5070 models, too.

In a report (hat tip to Wccftech) on AMD’s RX 9070 launch (now confirmed for March), Chinese tech site Benchlife also touches on Nvidia’s incoming Blackwell graphics cards, telling us that the RTX 5090 and 5080 will be short on supply. Apparently this is “mainly due to some communication issues between Nvidia and AIC partners” (AIC stands for add-in card, meaning graphics card makers).

Another issue is the Chinese New Year (and related manufacturing slowdowns, due to holidays and factories being shut), but the better news is that the situation is expected to improve in February.

Benchlife also claims that the RTX 5070 Ti will appear in mid-to-late February – so far, Nvidia has only said February for both 5070 models, and we don’t have a firm date, but it seems that it could be later, rather than sooner.

And then the report drops something of a bombshell in mentioning that the RTX 5070 may not be available until early March.

Wccftech also flags a report from UDN (also in China, via Dan Nystedt, a financial analyst on X), which underlines the stock woes around the initial Blackwell GPUs (but appears to be mostly based on a previous video from a YouTube leaker). However, this article also highlights that consumers might have to pay increased prices for Blackwell GPUs initially, even to the tune of them being doubled.

That’s in Asia, of course, so may not reflect the situation elsewhere – and indeed it may be completely off the mark full-stop. I’d hope so, and it doesn’t seem realistic that graphics cards could be selling for double their MSRP – well, at least not at retailers (though maybe on auction sites where scalpers will sell their ill-gotten gains).

(Image credit: Nvidia) Analysis: A touch of hysteria?

On the one hand, the sheer number of concerns being raised about RTX 5000 stock and Nvidia’s next-gen launch has got to be a worry. Although on the other, I’m tempted to say it feels like a touch of hysteria (and/or limelight grabbing) is creeping in at this point.

There’s not usually smoke without fire, though, as they say, and given the widespread chatter about worryingly low initial stock levels for the RTX 5090 and 5080, I’m bracing myself for this to be the case, at this stage.

There’s something even worse to fret about here, of course, for the mainstream GPU buyers who’ll be looking at a mid-range graphics card, and not the much pricier Blackwell models – and that’s this sudden theory that the RTX 5070 could be delayed, and not make the promised February launch.

This seems unlikely, though, that Nvidia would break that promise – although there’s always the prospect of a so-called ‘paper launch’ with hardly any boards released initially. With all the negativity flying around regarding stock levels, this idea might be easier to believe.

A further thought is that this could also explain why AMD has just announced that its RX 9070 models won’t launch until March, much later than expected. Maybe Team Red got wind of rumors from distributors relating to Nvidia’s launch plans, and knows that there’s no rush to get its RDNA 4 mid-range GPUs to market before March – if the rival RTX 5070 isn’t going to be around in any quantity.

Take all this with a wheelbarrow full of salt, and remember that AMD purportedly has its own issues to sort out around RX 9070 pricing. For now, I’m not going to buy these suggestions of an RTX 5070 delay – at least not until we hear this from other corners of the rumor mill.

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