Technology

• The Marshall Kilburn III launches globally on May 27 2025
• It’s considerably pricier than its predecessor at $379 / £299 / AU$599
• It offers 50+ hours' battery life, IP54 waterproofing, and true stereophonic sound

Marshall has revealed the newest model in its line of mid-sized Bluetooth speakers, the Marshall Kilburn III, launching globally on May 27 2025.

In order to compete with the best Bluetooth speakers around, the Marshall Kilburn III has made some drastic improvements over its predecessor. The new model boasts more than 50 hours of playtime, IP54 dust- and waterproofing, as well as a more luxurious design.

But with these improvements comes an inflated price. The Marshall Kilburn III has a list price of $379 / £299 / AU$599, which is $80 / £50 / AU$100 more than the Kilburn II cost at launch. That said, there are a lot of upgrades and additions to explore on Marshall’s latest speaker, as I discovered when I got to try it at Marshall’s HQ in Stockholm, Sweden.

Here are my initial thoughts about the flashy new Kilburn III.

A taste of the Kilburn III

(Image credit: Marshall)

So, I’ll put my cards on the table – I didn’t get tons of time to listen to the Kilburn III. The main reason for my journey to Stockholm was to see Marshall’s very first attempt at a soundbar with the Marshall Heston 120. But I did get a good few minutes of listening across a selection of tracks from varying genres, in a space that essentially mimicked a living room.

To cut to the chase, the Kilburn III made a good first impression on me. Marshall’s audio team has placed a lot of emphasis on the speaker’s enhanced "true" 360-degree stereophonic sound, intended to provide clear, powerful audio, no matter where you’re standing. And that seemed to be effective for me as I paced around the space, with pleasing, distortion-free sound coming through at all times.

In addition, the Kilburn III is designed to dish up a rounded, “harmonious” sound signature. I was struck by the impressive balance across the frequencies, even at louder volumes. And that’s unsurprising given the speaker’s dynamic loudness tech, which automatically adjusts bass, mids and treble depending on the volume at which you’re playing tracks.

(Image credit: Marshall)

Indeed, the Kilburn III has fully reengineered acoustics to take the step up from its predecessor, which impressed us overall, although we did feel there was room for improvement at the low-end. But sound isn’t the only thing that’s been refined; the build and look of the speaker has also been taken up a notch, too.

A lot of customers, Marshall told me, preferred the overall aesthetic of the original Kilburn, which launched 10 years ago. As a result, the company opted to base the newest Kilburn model on its original, and I really liked the look of it.

Having previously lived in Kilburn myself, I have to say that this Bluetooth speaker is far prettier than the London district after which it's named. It has a retro-looking amp-inspired look with a pin to turn power on or off, tactile knobs for volume and playback control, and an "M" button to access presets. The Kilburn III is available in Black & Brass or Cream, with both colorways playing to the speaker's premium feel.

Tuning into the details

(Image credit: Marshall)

After running through some of the tech specs for the Kilburn III, I really am expecting this to be a significant step up over its predecessor.

It has a wider frequency range, now going way down to 45Hz, up to the typical 20kHz. That should mean it’s even more capable of hitting those deep dark bass notes than the Kilburn II. New, mightier drivers should also mean you get plenty of power out of this speaker, but you’ll have to wait for my full review to see if that really is the case.

Something we can say for sure, though, is that the Marshall Kilburn III is far more fit for bathroom use or taking outside on a rainy day. That’s because it now comes with a IP54 dust- and waterproof rating – a significant step up from the Kilburn II’s IPX2 protection.

Marshall told me that this model is meant to be more of an “interior statement piece”, due to models such as the IP67-rated Marshall Emberton III and Marshall Middleton occupying the rugged space. But still, having that improved durability is a definite nice-to-have.

Perhaps the biggest change to the Kilburn III, however, is its battery life. The Kilburn II offered 20+ hours of playtime, which is solid, but nothing particularly standout. However, the Kilburn III really takes things to the next level, supplying more than 50 hours of play – really phenomenal stuff. For reference, that’s the longest battery life of any Marshall speaker to date – not bad, eh?

I could go on: you're able to adjust EQ via the revamped Marshall app; use the speaker to charge external devices; access Auracast connectivity; and even detach its classy carrying strap. But that’s all for now. I’ll be back soon to give my full, unfiltered thoughts on the Kilburn III. That is, after I’ve spent a bit of time testing it here at Future Labs.

If you’re already sold, though, you can grab the Marshall Kilburn III now via Marshall’s own website. It will also be available to purchase through select retailers from June 10.

(Image credit: Marshall)You might also like

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The first speaker that works with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, the TCL Z100, has finally been unveiled – though as with most announcements in these days of regularly changing tariffs, there's no exact price or release date yet.

Announced back in 2023, the idea with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is that you don't need to think about where you're placing the speakers to get home theater sound – you don't even need to have pairs of them placed symmetrically.

Put one next to the TV, one on the shelf to your right, one directly behind you – whatever's convenient for your space is fine. The system will then map the placement acoustically and will adjust the speaker output to give the best version of Dolby Atmos-powered surround sound that it can from those positions.

You can have up to four of the TCL Z100 speakers in one configuration, and each speaker is a 1.1.1 audio configuration on its own (a forward-facing driver, a bass driver, and an upfiring driver) – though when combined, they can produce something akin to virtual 7.1.2 audio, according to TCL. That includes a compatible TV providing two channels, including the center channel.

Speaking of which, the speakers must be connected to a suitable Dolby Atmos FlexConnect hub, which can handle the mapping and processing. Right now, that means getting one of TCL's 2025 mini-LED TVs.

TCL and Dolby have an exclusivity agreement for the launch of the FlexConnect, so don't expect to see more speakers or compatibility with other TVs in the short term, but it should happen eventually, and it should also be possible for one of the best soundbars to be the FlexConnect hub in the future.

They also support playing music over Bluetooth – two can work in a stereo pair to play music from your phone.

As you might expect for a Dolby-specific product, there's no built-in DTS support. However, the TCL TVs that are necessary to make the system work all support DTS:X, and the idea is that they'll decode the DTS sound (including DTS:X), process it in 7.1.2 channels, and then convert it for the virtual surround system for your configuration, so you should get something close to full-fat DTS.

The speakers appear to come in white/gray and black options. And while you probably won't place them on the floor, you could. (Image credit: Future)

Although there's no price, we've been told by TCL's European arm to expect a price approaching €300 – and usually Euro and US Dollar prices convert very closely, though the final amount will depend on the latest tariffs. UK prices will be close to the Euro price.

What's so great about Dolby Atmos FlexConnect?

I've seen this technology in action a few times since its announcement in 2023, and it's very impressive – though the speakers I saw it demoed with were more elaborate than the TCL Z100 have turned out to be.

@techradar

♬ Powerful songs like action movie music - Tansa

Those had side-firing drivers as well as forward and up-firing drivers, potentially giving them more control over the steering of virtual sound. It was amazing in my demos how two speakers – one at the front to the right of the TV, and one behind and to the left of me – could create a broadly immersive sound with steering of sounds in basically all directions.

Whether the Z100 can do this as well remains to be seen, and either way, the system isn't going to match just having speakers in all the right places – but that's just not possible for everyone.

I think there's real value in having speakers that can be placed not just imperfectly, but in totally odd places, and still get something more immersive than TV sound alone from them.

The one other thing missing from this announcement, though, is bass. I've been told that the FlexConnect system can support a subwoofer, but there's no sign of one here – hopefully that will come before too long.

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Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, May 27 (game #450).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #451) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Top contenders

NYT Strands today (game #451) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• TILE
• THEN
• FILE
• SAIL
• WINE
• SHINE

NYT Strands today (game #451) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 12 letters

NYT Strands today (game #451) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 3rd row

Last side: bottom, 5th column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #451) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #451, are…

• WINNER
• CHAMP
• TITLEHOLDER
• VICTOR
• MEDALIST
• SPANGRAM: FINISH STRONG

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I got off to a great start today, finding the word DINNER – which immediately led to WINNER. From there it was a fairly straightforward race to victory. 

I was convinced TITLEHOLDER was going to be the spangram as I was tapping it out, but that went to the marginally longer FINISH STRONG, which I’m not entirely sure works. You can finish strong and be a loser if you didn’t start well in a race, championship or game and equally if you finish badly but started well you can still be a CHAMP.

The reality of becoming a MEDALIST is that the quality that a competitor or team needs the most is consistency, which is why serial winners are often compared to machines.

Before that though, it’s important to lose a lot and almost win things, otherwise people will compare you to a robot and no one wants to cheer for a robot.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, May 27, game #450)

• FARM
• GAMES
• ANIMAL
• TALE
• HUNGER
• HANDMAIDS
• SPANGRAM: DYSTOPIAN NOVEL

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, May 27 (game #1219).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1220) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1220) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 3.

Quordle today (game #1220) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1220) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1220) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• H

• B

• V

• P

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1220) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1220, are…

• HELLO
• BEADY
• VIGIL
• PURER

A huge slice of luck got me over the line today, with a wild guess of BEADY coming off. 

HELLO took me a while to see – but I tripped up with PURER, going with PUREE instead, while VIGIL is one of those words that seems more common in Quordle world than it does in the real world. 

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1220) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1220, are…

• OPERA
• ULCER
• ASIDE
• FROST

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1219, Tuesday, 27 May: TWEET, RANGE, POPPY, RADAR
• Quordle #1218, Monday, 26 May: BLEAT, HOWDY, ASIDE, SCOOP
• Quordle #1217, Sunday, 25 May: OCEAN, AMBER, PIPER, GLEAN
• Quordle #1216, Saturday, 24 May: HUSKY, HEIST, FOGGY, POLAR
• Quordle #1215, Friday, 23 May: SHIRE, GIANT, AWAIT, CAPER
• Quordle #1214, Thursday, 22 May: LOSE, GLOVE, STINT, EXCEL
• Quordle #1213, Wednesday, 21 May: NOVEL, CHOSE, DIRTY, DONUT
• Quordle #1212, Tuesday, 20 May: DECOY, SHAKE, MAPLE, PURER
• Quordle #1211, Monday, 19 May: LINK, HANDY, DITCH, WAIVE
• Quordle #1210, Sunday, 18 May: QUACK, ROACH, PURGE, DOWNY
• Quordle #1209, Saturday, 17 May: STRIP, RANGE, UNITE, GEESE
• Quordle #1208, Friday, 16 May: SHEEP, SNUCK, DRIFT, BREAK
• Quordle #1207, Thursday, 15 May: PAINT, CROUP, PEDAL, FLUKE
• Quordle #1206, Wednesday, 14 May: FAVOR, METER, PICKY, MAKER
• Quordle #1205, Tuesday, 13 May: SCENT, AGAPE, POLAR, YEARN
• Quordle #1204, Monday, 12 May: ROYAL, ARGUE, BUNCH, READY
• Quordle #1203, Sunday, 11 May: QUASH, MUNCH, ALTER, UNDUE
• Quordle #1202, Saturday, 10 May: RELIC, BADGE, CHAMP, SATIN
• Quordle #1201, Friday, 9 May: MINUS, CRIME, NOSEY, SLAIN
• Quordle #1200, Thursday, 8 May: ELUDE, GREET, POPPY, ELITE

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, May 27 (game #716).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #717) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• CHICAGO
• POPE
• MOONLIGHT
• BRIDGE
• WHEEL
• ROCKY
• CHAIN
• LINK
• BLUEST
• UNITE
• GLADIATOR
• PEDAL
• JOIN
• SADDLE
• SKAT
• CRASH

NYT Connections today (game #717) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Ways to attach
• GREEN: Bicycle bits
• BLUE: 21st century movies 
• PURPLE: Add a letter to see the scene

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #717) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: CONNECT 
• GREEN: PARTS OF A BIKE
• BLUE: BEST PICTURE WINNERS SINCE 2000 
• PURPLE: MUSIC GENRES PLUS A LETTER

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #717) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #717, are…

• YELLOW: CONNECT BRIDGE, JOIN, LINK, UNITE
• GREEN: PARTS OF A BIKE CHAIN, PEDAL, SADDLE, WHEEL
• BLUE: BEST PICTURE WINNERS SINCE 2000 CHICAGO, CRASH, GLADIATOR, MOONLIGHT
• PURPLE: MUSIC GENRES PLUS A LETTER BLUEST, POPE, ROCKY, SKAT

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 mistakes

I fell into two very obvious traps today. First I had CHAIN instead of UNITE in the CONNECT group. I was thinking of mechanical connections, like train compartments coupled together.

How stupid I felt when the next group I got was PARTS OF A BIKE.

My next mistake came in thinking that we were just looking for a general movie connection, without really knowing what the link was. With that in mind I had ROCKY instead of CRASH – although had the category been BEST PICTURE WINNERS SINCE 1977, then ROCKY would have been correct.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, May 27, game #716)

• YELLOW: ROUND FLAT THINGS COASTER, FRISBEE, PANCAKE, RECORD
• GREEN: AIRPORT FEATURES CAROUSEL, FOOD COURT, GATE, LOUNGE
• BLUE: GUITAR PLAYING TECHNIQUES BEND, PICK, SLIDE, STRUM
• PURPLE: WHAT CHARACTERS WERE TRANSFORMED INTO IN "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST" BEAST, CANDELABRA, CLOCK, TEACUP

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the on-going bane of Apple's secrecy policies, Apple is not only planning to redesign iOS, iPadOS and macOS to more closely resemble the 'spatial computing' platform of the Apple Vision Pro – it's also planning to bring this new look to tvOS 19, the software that runs on the Apple TV 4K.

We don't know exactly what this will look like, but I actually love this idea – at least, in the version that I'm imagining. There are two things I'd expect that I think would be big improvements; one practical, and one aesthetic.

There is also, however, one huge potential pitfall – one that I broadly trust Apple to avoid, but that I still wouldn't bet money against.

First, the practical improvement. I think it's faintly ridiculous that tvOS still doesn't support picture-in-picture, so you can keep an eye on two sports games at the same time from different apps, or keep your eye on a Twitch marathon or live rolling news event while watching something else.

The floating windows of Vision Pro are an obvious fit for this in terms of design affordances and could give a really cool 3D look to that kind of layout. In software terms, an 'affordance' is something that lets you know what a piece of software design is supposed to do. So, for example, the faintly 3D look of a phone's keyboard indicates that these are buttons you can press.

Perhaps we'll not only get picture-in-picture, but also floating small versions of apps in the same way you get on iPadOS, so you can see sports stats while watching something else.

I don't know if we need to go as far as some Vision Pro sports apps go, but we should be able to make stuff like this happen, right? (Image credit: Apple)

The aesthetic idea I'm imagining is a home screen that has a 3D layering element, similar to that of visionOS. The app icons float at the front, with an image behind them – and hopefully something more interesting than a plain background.

I'd love to have the more gentle options from Apple's screensavers moving in the background here – a slow track through a forest, waves and fish gently washing past the screen – while the app icons shine in front.

You could choose your own videos to play in the background, too – but maybe something smart could be done with still images as well. Photos you take on your iPhone have depth data stored, so I wonder if Apple could do something subtle with the image's 3D elements, so they shift slightly at times to make the image look like a diorama within your TV.

Apple does this a little with thumbnails in the Apple TV movie and TV store, where some 'posters' for movies have a subtle 3D effect when you hover over them.

You can put yourself an all kinds of great ambient environments in visionOS – if the tvOS design is going in this direction, I hope it follows suit for the home screen. (Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

However, this idea of background video is also the part that could become more annoying than delightful. You know how basically all the best TVs and best streaming devices have prominent ads for shows you have no interest in from streaming services? And how the best streaming services often have a nasty habit of auto-playing trailers when you're just browsing?

The worst version of this idea would have the trailer for Prime Video's latest mediocre spy thriller autoplaying full screen behind the apps while you're browsing. And in theory, this would then stop when you move to highlight another app instead, but if that other app also starts playing a trailer, that's not going to be any better. Your eyes will start melting in minutes if the background bounces from trailer-start to trailer-start while you're scrolling over to fire up Netflix.

I don't think Apple will go this route – it hasn't so far, and a big part of the Apple TV 4K's popularity with the home theater enthusiast community at large outside of Apple fans is because people are happy to pay more for an ad-free home screen.

However, with the threat of increased tariffs on Apple products in the US, Apple may find itself wanting to make more money elsewhere to cover any costs it has to eat. So while I don't think it's likely that Apple will allow intrusive trailers on the tvOS home screen, I'm not ruling it out.

But in general, I like the idea of a little more depth to my TV screen – and I already really love the nature screensavers on Apple TV, so I'd really love to have them appear even more often, as a window to another place around the world every time I turn my TV on.

We'll likely find out more at WWDC 2025, which is coming in early June.

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• It seems that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is getting a physical release for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S
• ESRB has listed the game for PS5 and Xbox Series release with Limited Run Games as its publisher
• Hellblade 2 was announced for PS5 last week and is arriving on the console "this summer"

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is reportedly getting a physical release alongside the launch of the PlayStation 5 version.

On the game's first anniversary last week, Ninja Theory announced that the sequel to its award-winning game Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice will be getting a PS5 release "this summer".

Although the developer didn't specify at the time, it now appears that Hellblade 2 will be getting a physical edition at some point, not just for PS5, but for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

As spotted by Wario64, the ESRB rating board has listed a version of Hellblade 2 with the physical games company Limited Run Games as its publisher. The page shows PS5 and Xbox Series as release formats.

There's no release date listed, but the physical versions could coincide with the PS5 launch this summer, suggesting a June, July, or September release.

A separate listing also shows that Limited Run Games is going to release a Nintendo Switch version of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, but it's also unclear when this will launch.

TechRadar Gaming has reached out to Limited Run Games for a comment.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Switch) & Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (PS5/XSX) physicals coming via LRG[image or embed]@wario64.bsky.social

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 was originally released as a PC and Xbox Series X|S exclusive. Ninja Theory has confirmed that "new features" will be coming to the platforms through an update, presumably alongside the PS5 launch.

In a post on the studio's website, Ninja Theory said it has been "working hard to fully optimise Hellblade 2 for PS5 and PS5 Pro, to give you the very best experience we can", suggesting the game could receive some graphics and performance improvements.

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• The FBI is warning US law firms of ongoing attacks
• The crooks trick employees into granting access
• They exfiltrate sensitive data and then threaten to release it

Law firms in the US should be on the lookout for highly sophisticated phishing attacks coming from the Silent Ransom Group, the FBI is warning.

In a recent Private Industry Notification, the FBI said the group, which also targets other industries, has increased its focus on US law firms - and that it has also shifted its tactics slightly as well.

The FBI says over the last couple of months, the group started impersonating employees of the target law firm, posing as a member of the IT department to send an email asking the victim to join a remote access session, stating the work they needed to do was to be conducted overnight.

Chatty Spider

“Once in the victim’s device, a typical SRG attack involves minimal privilege escalation and quickly pivots to data exfiltration conducted through “WinSCP” (Windows Secure Copy) or a hidden or renamed version of ‘Rclone,’” the FBI explained.

“Although this tactic has only been observed recently, it has been highly effective and resulted in multiple compromises.”

Once the group exfiltrates sensitive data from the target system, they will leave a ransom message, threatening to sell or leak the data online, unless a payment is made. To put the victims under even more pressure, the threat actors will call them on the phone, as well.

Silent Ransom Group is also known as Luna Moth, Chatty Spider, or UNC3753. It’s been active since 2022, but pivoted more towards US law firms in spring 2023. According to BleepingComputer, the group was behind the BazarCall campaigns that gave Ryuk and Conti ransomware operators initial access to some of their victims. The group was formed after Conti disbanded in March 2022.

To defend against phishing, the FBI advises companies to use strong passwords, 2FA, and solid backup solutions.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Microsoft is implementing Copilot prompts on Edge’s New Tab Page
• It’s also rolling out an ability to trigger a web search to happen with Copilot rather than Bing
• Moves in testing to have Copilot take over the New Tab Page still appear to be in the pipeline

Microsoft Edge is getting more Copilot, with the AI assistant coming to the New Tab Page (or NTP) in a more prominent way.

The NTP is what you see in the web browser when you open up a new tab, serving as a place to start for exploring what you might want to do in Edge – which will usually, but not always, be a web search.

However, rather than that traditional query in the search box (which fires up a Bing search, unsurprisingly), Microsoft would prefer you to use Copilot, as there’s an icon for the AI assistant right next to said web search option.

Clicking that icon brings up Copilot on the web, ready for your query, but with the latest update for Edge version 136 (which was deployed earlier this month), Microsoft is rolling out a fuller integration of the AI in the NTP.

Windows Latest reports that Microsoft explains in the release notes for the update to Edge that: “Starting at the end of May 2025, users may see suggested work and productivity-related Copilot prompts by their search box on the NTP page.”

Those suggested prompts are efforts along the lines of ‘get advice’ or ‘write a first draft’ which invoke Copilot to achieve the indicated task.

Microsoft further notes that some Edge users may also see the Copilot icon in the search box, and when clicked this triggers the current search query, but sends it to Copilot rather than having Bing resolve it.

Analysis: Copilot context

(Image credit: Windows Latest / Microsoft)

In short, Copilot is slowly gaining a grip on the New Tab Page, although the mentioned capabilities are part of what Microsoft calls a “controlled feature rollout,” and I’d imagine this will be a fairly slow and tentative affair. I don’t have this feature yet on my Edge browser, and neither does Windows Latest.

The company will likely want to conduct this deployment at a leisurely pace because there are some Windows 11 users who are wary of seeing AI creep into more corners of the OS and its various apps, which is certainly a goal Microsoft’s intent on pursuing. So, moving slowly and regularly taking the temperature of feedback is likely to be the way forward for Microsoft.

More AI is likely coming to Microsoft’s browser, though, in the form of the Edge Copilot Mode spotted by Windows Latest (hidden in the flags menu, as an experimental feature in Edge).

This appears to be Microsoft’s plan that’s already been seen in testing, whereby the New Tab Page becomes far more Copilot-focused – read more about that here (and see the above screenshot for a glimpse of what this might look like). It also dumps the MSN feed in favor of Copilot, which I feel is a good trade-off (though your opinion on that may vary, of course).

A second part of this Copilot Mode may be a less popular addition, namely so-called ‘context clues’ that tap into the web page you’re visiting, and your web history, to allow the AI to provide better and more personal responses.

A fair few privacy red flags are appearing at this point, but we don’t know how (or even if) this feature will be implemented – though it certainly appears to be allowing Copilot to access your browsing history. As such, it’s surely going to be an optional (and opt-in) capability, if any of this is realized with Edge.

Remember, all this is still in testing, save for the changes to the NTP that Microsoft has confirmed are now rolling out with Edge v136.

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• B&O has reclaimed and refurbished some of its 1985 Beogram turntables
• Only 100 are available, complete with matching Beolab 8 speakers
• It's the third Recreated Classics offering – but you'll need deep pockets

Want to invest in a new hi-fi system in a more eco-friendly way? Bang & Olufsen's got it covered. Meet the Beosystem 3000c, a music system that reintroduces the Beogram 3000 turntable from 1985. And for 2025, it has been recreated and paired with contemporary Beolab 8 stereo speakers in a coordinated 'Artisan Walnut' finish.

And it's far from B&O's first planet-conscious rodeo. This is the third release in Bang & Olufsen’s Recreated Classics series, an initiative dedicated to reviving the firm's most iconic products through reacquisition, restoration and reengineering.

It's something B&O has long been championing under its 'cradle to cradle' approach (read: everything that goes into a product should be both removable and reusable), as noted extensively in the company's modular Beosound Theater soundbar, and more recently with the launch of the Beosound A1 3rd Gen.

As with B&O's two previous Classic (re)releases – the 1996 vertical CD player I heard just over a year ago and the similarly reclaimed Beogram 4000c turntable initially made in the 1970s – this series is strictly limited; just 100 individually numbered sets are available. And they'll likely sell out just as quickly as the other offerings did. Oh, how I'd love one!

The name of the game is (and has always been) restoration, reengineering and aesthetic reinterpretation. With the Beosystem 3000c, the company explains that hand-crafted walnut and re-anodized aluminum are here to "unite past and present through original materials that have been preserved, cleaned, upgraded, and future-proofed" by Bang & Olufsen’s trusted team in Struer, Denmark.

B&O champions sustainability and I love it – but upcycled doesn't mean cheap

The Beolab 8 speakers come with your purchase (Image credit: Bang & Olufsen)

If you want to buy second-hand hi-fi for a song, check out the tips in our feature on how to buy quality pre-owned audio kit (written as part of Sustainability Week 2025, a mere month ago), because the Bang & Olufsen Beogram 3000c does not fall into the 'cheap and cheerful' category.

Make no mistake, on top of the solid walnut back cover and refreshed aluminum panels, there's a new dust lid – and all updated while retaining the floating silhouette and pioneering tangential tracking technology that made the 1985 model special.

Why so pricey? Well, it's hard to completely refurbish a turntable – arguably even harder than building one from scratch. Here for example, all the original aluminum components have been taken apart, pearl-blasted and brushed at Factory 5 in Struer, where each unit is meticulously refurbished by hand.

And completing the system here, you also get a set of Beolab 8 stereo speakers with matching walnut lamellas and pearl-blasted aluminum shells.

Ready for the delicate topic of coin then? Brace yourselves friends: the Beosystem 3000c is priced $30,000 / £22,100 / €26,000 (so around AU$4,640, before shipping and associated duties) and is available from today, May 27, 2025.

Nobody said sustainable living would be the cheaper option…

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• Accessory maker PowerA has revealed its Nintendo Switch 2 line up
• It includes a wired controller with Hall effect thumbsticks, plus a case and screen protector
• All items are officially licensed and will be available in June

Gaming accessory brand PowerA has revealed its new line of licensed Nintendo Switch 2 accessories.

Available in June, the line includes the Advantage Wired Controller for Nintendo Switch 2, Slim Case for Nintendo Switch 2, and Screen Protector 2-Pack for Nintendo Switch 2.

The Advantage Wired Controller will be offered in three colorways: a plain Black, the Super Mario inspired Mario Time or the colorful Mushroom Kingdom. All variants feature Hall effect thumbstick modules, which should help prevent drift.

Nintendo has previously confirmed that the official Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller does not include Hall effect components, so this could be a huge advantage for PowerA. At $39.99, the PowerA offering is also much cheaper than the Nintendo one - though there is a big catch.

This is a wired-only controller, so can only be used when it's plugged in. It does, however, benefit from the addition of on-board audio controls, with multiple presets to choose from (including a Bass Boost mode) and the ability to quickly mute your microphone.

As you might expect, it comes with two remappable rear inputs. These can be adjusted on the fly without the need for any software.

The Slim Case is then a $19.99 carrying case, with a subtle dark grey aesthetic and subtle red stitching. It's got space for the Nintendo Switch 2 console in addition to up to ten physical games, plus includes a built-in play stand for tabletop mode.

Finally, the Screen Protector is, well, a screen protector. You get two in each pack plus a Nintendo Switch 2 branded cleaning cloth, which isn't a bad deal for its $12.99 asking price.

Although there will undoubtedly be generic cases and screen protectors available for slightly cheaper, I find that it's always worth paying a little more for licensed products for the added peace of mind.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is set to launch on June 5, 2025. It costs $449.99 / £395.99 on its own, or $499.99 / £429.99 for a bundle that includes a copy of Mario Kart World. Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders are live now in both the US and UK.

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• The De'Longhi La Specialista Touch is a new compact espresso machine
• It offers a combination of automated and manual coffee-making features
• It's on sale now for $999.95 and will be available on Amazon from June 1

De'Longhi has just launched a new compact espresso machine, the La Specialista Touch, which makes brewing well-balanced coffee as simple as possible while still giving you a taste of the barista experience.

I reviewed the machine when it launched in the UK earlier this year, and called it "one of the best espresso machines you can buy" for small kitchens. Despite its impressive features, it's surprisingly compact, fitting a high-quality grinder, generously sized water tank, and smart steam wand into a shockingly small package that won't dominate your kitchen.

It's also one of the best coffee makers if you want to make the jump from a fully automatic machine to a manual one. The La Specialista Touch can automate the trickiest parts of the espresso-making process, and let you take control when you feel confident.

Pulling a well-balanced espresso is a piece of cake with the De'Longhi La Specialista Touch (Image credit: Future)

For example, its Smart Bean system (accessible via the large color touchscreen) helps you pick the ideal grind size for the type of coffee beans you're using and achieve the ideal extraction time. Coffee is ground directly into the portafilter handle, which has a specially designed funnel to minimize mess and a calibrated tamping tool helps you press it down to create a well-formed puck with no channels or cracks.

Foamed to perfection

The De'Longhi La Specialista's steam wand is another highlight. After picking a drink from the menu and following the instructions to brew your coffee, you can either raise the wand fully to texturize your milk manually, or leave it angled down and let the machine do the work for you.

The machine's automatic steam wand does an impressive job texturizing dairy and plant milks (Image credit: Future)

Whether you want dry froth for a macchiato or creamy microfoam for a latte, with dairy milk or a plant-based alternative, the automatic system does an impressive job. See my full De'Longhi la Specialista Touch review for more details.

The La Specialista Touch is available now direct from De'Longhi for $999.95, and will go on sale at Amazon on Sunday, June 1.

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• The FTC finalized its orders for GoDaddy following security breaches
• The orders are part of an agreed settlement
• GoDaddy has different headlines for different operations

The US Federal and Trade Commission (FTC) has outlined almost a dozen requirements which hosting provider GoDaddy must fulfill in order to settle the charges of data security failings that resulted in multiple data breaches in recent years.

In a 14-page document, the FTC first stated that GoDaddy must no longer misrepresent its security and data protection practices, use of security technologies, or its participation in security and privacy programs (suggesting that the company actually misled users about its security practices).

GoDaddy then has 90 days to implement a comprehensive program that is documented and updated at least once a year (or after an incident), assigns a qualified person responsible, and assesses and manages internal and external security risks, among other things.

Additional requirements

The hosting giant also has 180 days to disconnect or secure unsupported software and hardware, monitor for unauthorized changes to the OS and app files, and to set up “phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA) for employees, contractors, and customers. APIs need to be secured with HTTPS, authentication, rate-limiting, and monitoring.

Other requirements include third-party security assessments, full cooperation with assessors, annual executive certification, incident reporting, and more.

GoDaddy is one of the best website hosting companies around, serving more than five million customers across the world.

Roughly two years ago, it was discovered that an unknown threat actor had been sitting in GoDaddy’s systems for several years, installing malware, stealing source code, and attacking the company’s customers.

The company's SEC filing at the time showed the attackers breached GoDaddy’s cPanel shared hosting environment and used that as a launch pad for further attacks. The company described the hackers as a “sophisticated threat actor group”.

The group was eventually spotted in late 2022 when customers started reporting that traffic coming to their websites was being redirected elsewhere.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Microsoft is adding an AI-powered Write feature to Notepad as part of Copilot Plus
• Write uses prompts to generate and refine text
• The update also enhances Paint with a sticker generator and the Snipping Tool with smart cropping

Microsoft Notepad is about as basic a tool as you'll find on Windows. Just a basic blank slate for writing. But, like everything else these days, Microsoft has decided to infuse Notepad with some AI.

The new Notepad feature is called “Write” and is part of a Windows 11 update currently being tested by Windows Insiders.

As the name implies, Write gets Notepad to write (and edit). You can submit a prompt, and it will draft text on your behalf, or rewrite something you've already put together into something more polished or of a different length or tone. You just have to right-click in a document, then click Write, and Windows Copilot will produce a prompt box.

You can submit the prompt and see what the AI comes up with. Then you can choose to accept it, refine it, or start over.

The feature builds on other AI tools that Notepad added in the last year or so. There's the Summarize tool and the Rewrite tool to let you tweak your text’s tone or structure.

Really, “Write” is the big one. It turns Notepad from a passive canvas into something a bit more active and encourages people to collaborate with one of Microsoft's many AI interfaces.

Snipping and painting AI

Notepad isn’t the only AI improvement added to classic Microsoft apps. Paint is getting an AI sticker generator that turns text into images and an object select tool that uses AI to figure out what’s foreground and what’s background. Meanwhile, Microsoft's Snipping tool can now automatically crop and resize your screenshots based on what it thinks you’re trying to highlight.

Now, all this AI magic doesn’t come entirely free. To use the new Notepad and Paint features, you’ll need to sign in with a Microsoft account and be running Windows 11 on one of Microsoft’s new Copilot Plus PCs. There’s also a credit system in place, meaning the AI tools will be metered, though Microsoft hasn’t announced how much this will cost yet.

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