Technology

• Alien: Earth won't reference what happened in movies that take place before it
• One of its producers says that gave its creator more freedom to tell his own story
• Fans want to know why events from prior films aren't mentioned in the FX TV series

One of Alien: Earth's producers has confirmed whether events in films set before the franchise's maiden TV show were taken into account for its story. In short: no.

Chatting to TechRadar ahead the sci-fi horror series' debut in mid-August, David W Zucker admitted Alien: Earth isn't actively ignoring what was outlined in past movies that predate the show from a timeline perspective. However, Zucker argued that there wasn't "much mythology to contend with" from those films prior to Alien: Earth's development – a comment that's surely to pique the interest of long-time fans, and either confuse and/or infuriate Alien devotees.

Events depicted in Promethus, as well as the Engineers, aren't referenced in Alien's first TV series (Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of what Zucker actually said, let's look at the facts: in-universe, Alien: Earth is set in the year 2120. That places it two years before Alien and subsequent Sigourney Weaver-led films that follow.

The only movies that sit earlier on the Alien timeline, then, are Prometheus, whose main story takes place in 2093 (though the film begins in 2089), and Alien: Covenant, which takes place in 2104. You can see what we made of these films, plus their siblings, in our best Alien movies ranked piece.

But I digress. Considering what happens in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant – I won't spoil what goes down for anyone who hasn't seen one or both flicks – fans have wondered if Alien: Earth will address the franchise mythology that was detailed in that pair. They are part of the Alien timeline, so that makes their stories canon and therefore open to being referenced in the FX TV Original, right?

Alien: Covenant is set 16 years before Alien: Earth, but the former's story and lore doesn't impact the latter (Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

Not so, Zucker indicated when I asked him to clarify things for the property's puzzled fanbase.

"Fortunately, as [series creator] Noah [Hawley] has said before, there wasn't much mythology for him to actually contend with, so it left him a great deal of latitude," Zucker replied. "But, this was something that came whole cloth out of Noah's mind, and something that through the historic relationship he's had with FX.

"As soon as [FX Chairman] John Landgraf was able to seize the opportunity to explore a series in this space, there was honestly no one better that he could have tapped.

"So, the relationship that he [Noah] and Ridley really became one," Zucker added. "Noah used the original film as his departure point to set off on his own fresh take and story in a series environment. It became one that we really benefited from through all of the originality, creativity, and freshness of thinking in the story he opted to tell."

The Sigourney Weaver-starring Alien films take place after Alien: Earth (Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

Zucker's comments further muddy the waters of what's been said by other individuals involved in the Hulu and Disney+ show's production.

Speaking to Variety in late July, FX Entertainment President Gina Balian did little to clarify things, saying: "Everything doesn’t have to fit together the way you expect from Marvel. Fans don’t expect that in this universe. It doesn’t have the same pressure."

Elsewhere, Hawley told Empire Magazine (per PopVerse): "That first movie came out in 1979 and Prometheus came out in 2012... so you're talking about close to 40 years in which there was no black goo, no David, no Engineers. Alien, for me, is baked in as these creatures that have existed for millions of years. They're the perfectly evolved species. What you have to do is tell these stories from an organically fan-place within yourself."

Not exactly clearing things up, are they – but what do you think? Does it matter if Alien: Earth addresses what went down in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant? Let me know in the comments.

While we wait for the series to arrive on August 12 (US) and August 13 (internationally), check out my Alien: Earth review for my verdict on the vast majority of Hawley's latest TV production. Then, read our definitive Alien: Earth guide for the full lowdown on the forthcoming show.

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• Hackers installed a 4G Raspberry Pi inside a bank’s ATM switch to gain network access
• The device was disguised and communicated every 600 seconds, avoiding typical detection systems
• Malware used fake Linux names and obscure directories to blend into legitimate system activity

A criminal group recently attempted an unusual, and sophisticated intrusion, into a bank’s ATM infrastructure by deploying a 4G-enabled Raspberry Pi.

A report from Group-IB revealed the device was covertly installed on a network switch used by the ATM system, placing it inside the internal banking environment.

The group behind the operation, UNC2891, exploited this physical access point to circumvent digital perimeter defenses entirely, illustrating how physical compromise can still outpace software-based protection.

Exploiting physical access to bypass digital defenses

The Raspberry Pi served as a covert entry point with remote connectivity capabilities via its 4G modem, which allowed persistent command-and-control access from outside the institution’s network, without triggering typical firewall or endpoint protection alerts.

“One of the most unusual elements of this case was the attacker’s use of physical access to install a Raspberry Pi device,” Group-IB Senior Digital Forensics and Incident Response Specialist Nam Le Phuong wrote.

“This device was connected directly to the same network switch as the ATM, effectively placing it inside the bank’s internal network."

Using mobile data, the attackers maintained a low-profile presence while deploying custom malware and initiating lateral movements within the bank’s infrastructure.

A particular tool, known as TinyShell, was used to control network communications, enabling data to pass invisibly across multiple internal systems.

Forensics later revealed UNC2891 used a layered approach to obfuscation.

The malware processes were named “lightdm,” imitating legitimate Linux system processes.

These backdoors ran from atypical directories such as /tmp, making them blend in with benign system functions.

Also, the group used a technique known as Linux bind mounts to hide process metadata from forensic tools, a method not typically seen in active attacks until now.

This technique has since been cataloged in the MITRE ATT&CK framework due to its potential to elude conventional detection.

The investigators discovered that the bank's monitoring server was silently communicating with the Raspberry Pi every 600 seconds, network behavior which was subtle and thus didn’t immediately stand out as malicious.

However, deeper memory analysis revealed the deceptive nature of the processes and that these communications extended to an internal mail server with persistent internet access.

Even after the physical implant was removed, the attackers had maintained access via this secondary vector, showing a calculated strategy to ensure continuity.

Ultimately, the aim was to compromise the ATM switching server and deploy the custom rootkit CAKETAP, which can manipulate hardware security modules to authorize illegitimate transactions.

Such a tactic would allow fraudulent cash withdrawals while appearing legitimate to the bank’s systems.

Fortunately, the intrusion was halted before this phase could be executed.

This incident shows the risks associated with the growing convergence of physical access tactics and advanced anti-forensic techniques.

It also reveals that beyond remote hacking, insider threats or physical tampering can facilitate identity theft and financial fraud.

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The Peacocks continue their build up to the new Premier League season with a friendly clash in Dublin against the Italian giants.

• HoverAir Aqua is the world’s first waterproof self-flying camera
• Records video at 4K 100fps from a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor
• Weighs less than 249g

I think the camera drone market is about to undergo a sea change (pun very much intended), thanks to the upcoming HoverAir Aqua from Zero Zero Robotics. Teased on the company’s website, this small, life jacket-orange quadcopter is the first truly surprising flyer I’ve seen in ages.

As a product reviewer, I’ve tested dozens of drones over the past decade or so, and while they’ve got better and better in terms of flying ability, battery life and camera performance, it’s not often that a new announcement introduces me to something completely unforeseen.

The Aqua does that, by being the first water-native drone for the masses. Most drones need to be flown very carefully around bodies of water, as the reflective surface can fox their safety sensors and result in a dunk into the drink. And none of the previous drones I’ve reviewed are even built for flying on a rainy day, let alone landing in a lake.

Not so the HoverAir Aqua. Built to be fully waterproof, it launches from and lands on the water. In fact, it appears to be designed specifically for capturing water sports like kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and wind surfing, following its subject automatically much like Zero Zero’s previous drones, the self-flying HoverAir X1 and HoverAir X1 Pro.

To aid it in that goal, it comes with level 7 wind resistance and a top speed of 55kmph / 34mph, which should give it the capabilities to keep pace with some pretty rapid forms of water-borne transport. The rest of the Aqua’s specifications and features remain under wraps for now, but with the drone now officially confirmed more details should be emerging soon.

Wave of the future

The HoverAir Aqua is built to capture water-based activities, but we don't yet know how suitable it will be for "standard" land-based use (Image credit: ZeroZero Robotics)

While the HoverAir Aqua sounds like a more niche, specialist product than the HoverAir X1 or, say, the DJI Mini 4 Pro, we don’t yet know how useful it might be for land-based launching.

The fact that it’s shaking things up and taking camera drones in a new direction makes it, for me, one of the most exciting drones I’ve seen in recent years. As someone who lives on the coast, the idea of flying a drone right down on the water rather than keeping it a safe distance away is very appealing.

I should add that the Aqua is not the only innovative drone coming this year, with Antigravity’s 360 camera-equipped debut model also due for launch. But it’s quickly risen to the top of the list of upcoming (or rumored to be upcoming) drones I’m most exciting to take for a test flight.

If nothing else, it’ll give me the perfect excuse to finally get out on that stand-up paddle board that’s been gathering dust in my spare bedroom. And maybe it’s time to finally pull the trigger on buying that wetsuit?

Just when the drone market was in danger of getting a little stale, Zero Zero Robotics has given things a bright orange shot in the arm. I’ll be eagerly scanning the horizon for the next round of details on the HoverAir Aqua, so make sure to check back for more news soon.

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• GPT-4o is coming back for ChatGPT Plus users
• There have been plenty of complaints about GPT-5
• OpenAI is looking at ways to improve the new model

When OpenAI rolled out its shiny new GPT-5 model for ChatGPT earlier this week, the plan was to have it replace all of the older models for both free and paying users – but now GPT-4o is being brought back in response to a significant number of user complaints.

"We for sure underestimated how much some of the things that people like in GPT-4o matter to them, even if GPT-5 performs better in most ways," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted on social media, after announcing GPT-4o would be sticking around.

However, it's not clear just how long the GPT-4o reprieve will be for, and it's only going to remain available for those on the $20-per-month ChatGPT Plus plan. "We will watch usage as we think about how long to offer legacy models for," Altman said.

There were other updates from Altman as well: GPT-5 rate limits are being doubled for ChatGPT Plus users, and some behind-the-scenes upgrades are making GPT-5 "smarter" too, as the latest model continues to roll out to everyone.

'An overworked secretary'

GPT-5 rollout updates:*We are going to double GPT-5 rate limits for ChatGPT Plus users as we finish rollout.*We will let Plus users choose to continue to use 4o. We will watch usage as we think about how long to offer legacy models for.*GPT-5 will seem smarter starting…August 8, 2025

As we reported yesterday, the response to GPT-5 from a lot of users has been pretty brutal. It's been labeled "horrible", "insufficient", "obnoxious", "atrocious", like "an overworked secretary", and worse than GPT-4o – with tighter restrictions on how much it can be used.

People aren't happy about GPT-5 either giving shorter responses than previous models, or throwing up multiple responses that the user then has to choose between. If you're using AI to try and save time, it's not ideal.

At least OpenAI is listening to its userbase, with the reintroduction of GPT-4o, though you may not see it immediately in the model picker if you've been upgraded to GPT-5. "Users have very different opinions on the relative strength of GPT-4o vs GPT-5," admits Altman.

The OpenAI CEO also says his team are looking at more ways to provide different personalities and customizations within the same model for users. Watch this space for further tweaks to GPT-5 going forward.

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The Red Devils return to Old Trafford for their final warm-up match before the new EPL season.

The relegated Saints face the Hollywood-backed Red Dragons.

This week, ChatGPT got an upgrade, and Tom Holland swung back into action as Spider-Man.

To catch up on all this and more from the world of tech and entertainment, scroll down for our weekly ICYMI round-up. There are some big stories you won't want to miss.

Once you're all up to speed, be sure to also read our picks for the 7 new movies and TV shows to watch this weekend (August 8).

7. Spider-Man swung into action

Filming is officially underway on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with people flocking to Glasgow to catch glimpses of the web-slinger in action.

We got a sneak peek at the new suit, which looks to pay homage to Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's live-action iterations of the character.

We also saw that the flick will involve the first usage of practical webslinging in one of the webslinger's solo MCU movies.

Lastly, we might have gotten a tease of the principal villain of the movie: Mister Negative, as tanks driving through the set are emblazoned with a logo that resembles the Inner Demons logo associated with Negative’s forces.

• Read more: Everything we know about Spider-Man: Brand New Day

6. Samsung leaked its own earbuds

(Image credit: Samsung Panama)

Oh Samsung, you were doing so well! Having seemingly quashed the Evan Blass image leak in July, it looked as if all noted tipsters had been warned and deterred. But then, oopsie, a half-finished product listing with pricing and images goes live – on Samsung’s own Panama site.

Two colors are shown (white and a very dark gray), and the price, in Panama at least, is listed as $129. We’re trying very hard not to make a bad joke about the Panama Ear Canal, but at times like thes,e it really is best to laugh.

The Galaxy Buds 3 FE also appears to have silicone ear tips, but everything else is still guesswork since the product page doesn't include any actual specs or features, which is yet another indication that somebody hit the ‘publish’ button too early.

The Buds 3 FE are the follow-up to the original Buds FE or 'Fan Edition'. That's right, there's no Buds 2 FE, so we really thought Samsung was handling the launch of this potentially confusing iteration with delicacy and care…

• Read more: Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 FE accidentally went live

5. Sonos announced a price hike

(Image credit: Peter Hoffmann)

This week, Sonos announced that “later this year, we plan to raise prices” in response to US tariffs.

While the company no longer makes most of its products in China – which is currently facing a 30% tariff – it makes its tech in Vietnam and Malaysia, which are facing 20% and 19% tariffs, respectively (based on rates as of the time of writing on August 7).

Precisely how much of a cost increase the actual speakers will see is yet to be announced, and we don’t yet know exactly when the price hike will come either, but unless things change, it looks like a price hike is coming – so you might want to buy a Sonos speaker sooner rather than later.

• Read more: Get your Sonos speakers at current 'low' prices while you can

4. Harman Kardon took on Sonos

(Image credit: Future)

Audio Advice Live is a US-based consumer audio and video show held annually in Raleigh, North Carolina, and at this year’s event, which ran from August 1-3, 2025, we had the opportunity to check out Harman Kardon’s forthcoming Enchant series soundbars and wireless speakers.

The big news about the Enchant series is that it carries many of the same great features found in Sonos soundbars and speakers, including multi-room playback and app-based control. But the Enchant soundbars go beyond popular Sonos models, such as the Sonos Arc Ultra, in offering both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support, along with an HDMI pass-through input for connecting an external device like an Xbox Series X or PS5 console.

Is the Enchant series primed to topple Sonos? We won’t know that until we get our hands on a system for review, but if Harman Kardon can nail the app part of the equation – a recent pain point for Sonos and its customer base – it could provide a compelling alternative to the Sonos multi-room ecosystem.

• Read more: Harman Kardon’s new Dolby Atmos soundbar is like a Sonos Arc Ultra

3. The Z Flip 7 was tortured

Since their launch, we, like many other testers, have been putting the new Samsung foldables through their paces. But some testers take things to an extreme when it comes to judging durability.

JerryRigEverything seriously put Samsung’s new foldable through its paces with a test that involved setting fire to the phone screens, bathing the gadget in dirt, and attempting to scratch every surface with a knife – before trying to snap the phone in half.

Somehow, the Z Flip 7 survived, but it just goes to show that foldables aren’t as flimsy as they once were.

• Read more: Watch the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 go through a torturous durability test

2. Microsoft teased the future of Windows

(Image credit: 2p2play / Shutterstock / Microsoft)

A Microsoft exec shared his vision of Windows in 2030, making the rather bold claim that we’ll not be using keyboards and mice to interact with our computers by then, but rather using our voice and AI. We’ve heard this before (remember when virtual assistants like Cortana [RIP] were going to do everything for us with simple voice commands?), and I’m not convinced.

I don’t want to be speaking to my computer when I’m alone, let alone in a busy place or office, and there’s a reason we still use keyboards, mice, and trackpads decades after these peripherals were created: they remain the fastest and most convenient way to interact with our computers for a lot of people.

• Read more: 'The computer will be able to see what we see, hear what we hear, and we can talk to it'

1. ChatGPT-5 launched

(Image credit: OpenAI)

After hyping up its creation for the past couple of weeks, even saying it scared them, Sam Altman and OpenAI finally unveiled GPT-5 – the latest version of the digital brain which powers ChatGPT.

As expected, GPT-5 is said to be better than its predecessor, apparently being more reliable than before – being more honest with gaps in its knowledge rather than lying, or hallucinating, as it’s called for AI – and it’s also meant to be better at maths and coding, making it a more useful vibe coding partner.

Not everyone is happy, however. Many users have taken to social media to call the new bot “horrible” as ChatGPT now only gives shorter answers with less personality, and the prompt cap seems lower, too.

It might not do much to make affected users feel better about the situation, but OpenAI did at least warn of just this ahead of GPT-5’s launch: teasing “probable hiccups and capacity crunches,” as Sam Altman put it.

• Read more: 5 things you need to know about OpenAI’s ‘most useful’ model yet

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Local models come with a different set of advantages and drawbacks than their more connected versions.

• Qualcomm is building server racks and CPUs, eyeing AI inferencing clusters in hyperscale data center
• Qualcomm's promised CPU might arrive in 2028, well after rivals have scaled infrastructure
• But investors weren’t excited by Qualcomm’s data center plans, as share prices dipped on earnings release

Qualcomm may finally be ready to move beyond its mobile stronghold and take a real step into the data center market.

During its recent Q3 earnings call, the company confirmed it is in “advanced discussions” with a hyperscale customer regarding new silicon targeted at server infrastructure.

This could mark a significant shift for the firm, which has long teased ambitions to bring ARM-compatible processors into cloud computing spaces but never quite followed through at scale.

Ambitions grow, but execution will be critical

Qualcomm's CEO Cristiano Amon framed the moment as an opportunity created by the evolving nature of AI workloads, arguing cloud service providers are increasingly focused on efficiency metrics like tokens per watt and tokens per dollar, not just performance.

This, coupled with a broader industry move away from x86 CPUs toward custom ARM-based alternatives, might finally give Qualcomm the entry point it has been looking for.

However, the market is already crowded with established players who have been building dedicated AI infrastructure for years, and Qualcomm will need more than ambition to earn meaningful traction.

Amon explained the company is developing “a general purpose CPU” aimed squarely at hyperscalers.

“While we are in the early stages of this expansion, we are engaged with multiple potential customers and are currently in advanced discussions with a leading hyperscaler,” he said, “If successful, we expect revenues to begin in the fiscal 2028 timeframe."

Amon also mentioned other projects, including accelerator cards and even full server racks, additions which are intended to support AI inferencing clusters, signaling Qualcomm is aiming to become more than just a CPU vendor.

Still, questions remain about the timeline and competitiveness of such efforts.

While Qualcomm expects revenue from this move to begin around fiscal 2028, that delay might leave it trailing behind more entrenched rivals like Broadcom, whose own custom accelerator business appears to be scaling aggressively.

Despite the optimistic tone of the announcement, investor reaction was muted.

Qualcomm's stock briefly dipped following the earnings release, suggesting that the market remains cautious about the viability of its expansion plans.

The company’s PC business, while showing modest gains, remains small - its share of premium Windows laptops has reached only nine percent, and there’s little indication yet that it holds the fastest CPU in any major computing category.

Competition also looms back in Qualcomm’s core segment, and its rival, Samsung, has indicated it is preparing to bring its own advanced SoCs into flagship mobile devices by 2026.

This rivalry suggests Qualcomm might be trying to diversify out of necessity, rather than from a position of strength.

For now, Qualcomm’s leap into the workstation and datacenter space is still mostly theoretical.

Whether it can deliver a credible, high-performance CPU and become a serious player in AI infrastructure remains to be seen.

Via The Register

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• Nvidia chips under investigation as China questions hidden access in H20 hardware
• Beijing summons Nvidia after US proposals ignited fears of remote chip surveillance capability
• TSMC is still building chips for Nvidia, despite regulatory heat and uncertainty in China

Nvidia’s position in the global AI hardware market could soon be under scrutiny following news of an investigation from the Cyberspace Administration of China.

The Chinese regulator has summoned the American chipmaker to explain potential “backdoor” risks in its H20 chips, developed specifically for China after US export restrictions disrupted prior sales of high-end AI processors.

The concern stems from US legislative moves proposing location verification systems on chips intended for export, which Chinese authorities fear could compromise data sovereignty and user privacy.

Mounting suspicion

While Nvidia has firmly denied the existence of any such vulnerabilities, the Chinese government’s decision to interrogate the issue introduces a new layer of uncertainty into the company’s already complex relationship with its second-largest market.

The regulator has not detailed any specific actions it plans to take, but the call to clarify potential security flaws suggests the company’s access to Chinese institutions could face added friction.

Nvidia’s official position has remained consistent: its chips do not contain any embedded features that could allow remote access or control.

In its own words, “Cybersecurity is critically important to us,” and no “backdoors” exist in Nvidia hardware.

However, this reassurance may not be enough to shift growing skepticism, especially as U.S. and Chinese policies around technology exports continue to diverge.

Meanwhile, Chinese analysts have suggested the move could be a political gesture, mirroring concerns the US has raised about Chinese tech in recent years.

What’s notable is that even amid rising tensions, Nvidia continues to see robust demand for the H20 chip within China.

The company has reportedly ordered 300,000 units from TSMC, reflecting the chip’s ongoing relevance to Chinese developers, research institutes, and universities, all of which rely heavily on high-performance AI chips to drive local advancements.

Even military and state-backed projects are known to use Nvidia technology.

Despite public optimism and high-profile visits by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to China, the broader regulatory environment is increasingly unpredictable.

The regulator is also looking into the acquisition of Israeli chip designer, Mellanox Technologies, claiming Nvidia violated some of the terms in the 2020 conditional approval of the deal.

Supply chain uncertainty, potential import limits, or changes in licensing rules could eventually impact hardware availability and cost.

As both nations dig deeper into their technology standoffs, Nvidia’s global leadership in AI hardware is no longer guaranteed to go unchallenged.

Via Cybernews and Reuters

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