Technology

Samsung and Alcedis will explore how Galaxy Watch biometric data can support clinical trials, digital endpoints, and drug research.

The post Samsung Expands Galaxy Watch Health Data Into Clinical Research appeared first on TechRepublic.

Google will cut Play Store fees, allow outside payment options, and roll out new developer programs across major markets starting June 30.

The post Google Lowers Play Store Fees Under App Store Pressure appeared first on TechRepublic.

Europol and Microsoft disrupted malware infrastructure linked to 27 million stolen login credentials and 140,000 infected computers in a global cybercrime network.

The post Europol, Microsoft Hit Malware Network Behind 27M Stolen Logins, 140,000 Infected Computers appeared first on TechRepublic.

I took Leica's latest mirrorless camera for some photography around Scotland. Here's what I got.

A legal battle over a data center's environmental impact opens a window into the US military's rapid adoption of AI for warfighting.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 filings suggest the next smartwatch lineup is moving closer to launch, but pricing, battery life, chip details, health features, and the Classic model remain unconfirmed.

The post Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 Filings Point to Ultra 2, but No Classic Yet appeared first on TechRepublic.

The power bank that I use just about every day has hit an unbelievable low price for Amazon Prime Day, and it's one of the most tempting bargains I've come across so far.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

Yes, you can grab the Anker Nano 10K 45W Power Bank for just $41.99 (was $59.99) at Amazon US or just £35.99 (was £49.99) at Amazon UK, representing a savings of around the 30% mark in both markets. This is an incredible deal on a charger that's saved my bacon a few more times than I'd care to admit.

I can be pretty forgetful and often leave the house without fully charging my phone, which has landed me in more than my fair share of sticky situations. But since picking up the Anker Nano 10K 45W Power Bank, things have been different. With its 45W wattage, I can fast charge my device in a pinch, and its integrated cable means I've always got a way to charge my devices on the fly.

Want to hear more about this exquisite deal? Then scroll on down for the key details.

Today's best Anker Nano 10K 45W Power Bank deal in the US

Anker's ultra-compact yet surprisingly powerful power bank is the ultimate travel companion, boasting speedy 45W charging, a solid 10,000mAh capacity, and an integrated USB-C cable for seamless use. It can easily slip into a pocket or small bag, and it's decently lightweight, making it ideal for taking on the go.View Deal

Today's best Anker Nano 10K 45W Power Bank deal in the UK

I adore Anker's small yet mighty power bank for a few key reasons. Firstly, it's a strong performer, delivering fast-charging up to 45W and a solid 10,000mAh capacity. But it's also very practical, thanks to its integrated USB-C cable and phenomenally compact form, meaning it can easily slide into your pocket or small-sized bag.View Deal

In my Anker Nano 10K 45W Power Bank review, I described the model as a "highly practical" and "well-designed" option, highlighting its durable and handy built-in charging cord, as well as its neat display and versatile ports.

I also found it to be a good value-for-money option at launch; however, this deal makes it an absolute steal. I'd certainly buy it right now for even better value if I didn't already have one! The current Prime Day deals actually place this power bank at a near record-low price, so it really is a fantastic time to snap it up.

If you're often forgetting to charge your phone, or if you want a compact power bank to take on your summer travels, then I strongly suggest picking up the Anker Nano 10K 45W right now — but make sure to act fast and grab it while it's cheap!

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & Tefal
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from £5
• Fans: from £20
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: £90 off PlayStation 5
• Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony
• Laptops: from £149
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock
• Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

AirPods Pro 3 heart-rate testing looks promising against Apple Watch and chest-strap benchmarks, but the results apply best to healthy users in controlled workouts.

The post AirPods Pro 3 Heart Rate Accuracy Looks Strong, But Testing Shows Its Limits appeared first on TechRepublic.

Woody the toy cowboy has faced a lot of frightening moments over the course of five Toy Story movies, but the actor voicing him for the last 30 years is trepidatious over the possibility that AI will supplant him. Tom Hanks told Entertainment Weekly in a new interview that the idea of AI replacing his voice is "a scary thought."

"Time is undefeated," Hanks said. "The question would be whether or not we could cobble together some version of me. Every word we have ever recorded in time in Toy Story is on digital media somewhere, so they could put together anything they would want."

Debates about AI in movies and film are raging even as the technology is deployed to reproduce the voices and complete performances of people who have passed away. Not to mention fully AI-generated films that otherwise employ human voice actors.

AI acting

Most entertainment projects with AI so far have generally involved the participation or approval of the performers themselves, but they also demonstrate how quickly the technology has matured. What once required painstaking effects work can increasingly be achieved with sophisticated machine learning models trained on years of existing material.

Hanks has himself been in AI-assisted productions, specifically in the film Here, which relied on AI to de-age him and co-star Robin Wright for part of the film rather than depending entirely on traditional visual effects.

Hanks' concerns extend beyond his own career. He has elsewhere suggested that his biggest worry is whether audiences will eventually stop caring whether a performance comes from a human being at all, not trusting that what they see isn't produced with AI. That feels like a more unsettling question than whether Woody could return without Hanks.

Future films

(Image credit: Disney Pixar)

There's a little irony in Hanks' comments. The original Toy Story was a technological revolution that some saw as a threat to traditional hand-drawn animation. Three decades later, one of the stars who helped usher in that revolution is looking at the next wave of technology with understandable caution.

Caution doesn't mean dismissal of AI, of course. Hanks is known for being part of projects using advanced tools like motion capture, digital filmmaking, and experimental visual effects throughout his career. His concern seems more about what gets lost when technology starts replacing the people audiences are connected with in the first place.

And while each individual use of AI can be justified as another filmmaking tool, there's still a larger question about where AI assistance ends, and replacement begins. The answer will probably depend on what audiences decide they value rather than purely technical capabilities. Movie stars are more than collections of facial expressions and vocal recordings, and recreating the performance that audiences associate with Woody, that's more than just "good enough," would be a tall order.

I've been scouting for Prime Day deals, but this one stopped me in my tracks. Currys is running an excellent summer sale on back-to-school and business laptops, but Amazon has absolutely crushed them on the price of the Asus Zenbook A14 for £500 (was £600) for Prime Day.

• Shop Amazon's Prime Day deals

This 14-inch OLED laptop features a Snapdragon X X1-26-100 processor that's engineered for day-to-day work and study tasks, alongside 16GB LPDDR5X memory, and a well-sized 1TB SSD. For general office and school tasks, that's pitch-perfect for the price.

Over at Currys, however, the exact same model is priced at £599 (was £999) for the Snapdragon-powered machine with 16GB RAM and - wait for it - 512GB SSD. So, you're getting twice as much SSD storage from Amazon at an even cheaper price. I wouldn't even look twice at Currys for this specific model while this Prime Day deal is live.

For more savings, I'm live-tracking all the best Prime Day home office deals.

Snapdragon X X1-26-100 | 16GB LPDDR5X | 1TB SSD

Excellent price for an efficient work laptop. This 14-inch OLED ultra-portable machine excels at battery life, and tailored for running office apps, emails, and web browsing. View Deal

Snapdragon X X1-26-100 | 16GB LPDDR5X | 512GB SSD

Only buy this if Amazon's Zenbook deal isn't available. It's a good price, but it's lacking the storage space the Prime Day deal has. View Deal

That's not to say the Currys summer sale is bad. In fact, having charted all the deals, I found it a treasure trove of well-priced laptops for work and study. You can see my article on the top 4 laptop deals at Currys here.

But considering the massive price difference, and the improved SSD size, I'd go for the Amazon deal all-day long (or while it lasts, which might not be long as Prime Day ends tomorrow).

We were impressed with the A14 when we reviewed this laptop. Scoring it 4 stars and awarding it a TechRadar Recommends badge, we found this ultra-lightweight MacBook Air-style Windows laptop possessed "brilliant design, capable all-round performance, and an impressive battery life."

As a budget-tier laptop, it's got it faults, but we loved the "fabulously thin and light" design and performance are impressive. Perfect, then, for campus and the commute.

• See all laptop deals at Amazon
• Shop all computing deals at Currys

It's been years since I last owned my own Kindle, as I ultimately do prefer physical copies to add to my collection, and only otherwise used my OG Kindle while travelling. However, whenever Amazon Prime Day rolls around, I do tend to second-guess myself when I see the meaty discounts on some of the best Kindles.

• Browse all early Prime Day deals at Amazon

In particular, I was tempted by the new Kindle Scribe Colorsoft; as an avid manga reader, I was super excited by the idea of freeing up some shelf space (and if you read manga, you'll know that comes in short supply once your collection grows) by reading some of my less-favored series digitally. However, after trying it for a couple of weeks, I'm only using it for its primary function: as an ereader.

Sure, I'm pretty impressed by this all-in-one E Ink notepad, comic and book reader, but especially right now, the price is a huge turn-off. Put it this way; the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is currently $519 (was $679) in the US and £442 (was £569) in the UK.

Meanwhile, the Kindle Paperwhite is on sale for $124 (was $159) at Amazon US and £113 (was £159) at Amazon UK and the significantly more performant and multifunctional iPad 11-inch (A16) is $299 (was $349) at Amazon US and £309 (was £329) at Amazon UK. That's a $96 / £20 saving for an arguably better combination.

Below, I've detailed the key differences between each device.

Amazon Kindle Scribe Colorsoft

(Image credit: Future/Rami Tabari)Pros and cons

Pros
+Gets the basics right
+Color and Scribe features are well-packaged
+Large and sharp display

Cons
- Pricey
- Some features could use updating

The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is the latest, most performant ereader from Amazon, offering a combination of three different Kindle types: the standard E ink display Kindle, the notepad-like Kindle Scribe, and the color display Kindle Colorsoft.

Each is useful in its own right; reading comics and manga on the Scribe Colorsoft is a delight, though text boxes that spread across panels can be cut off if you use the full page panel view. It's pretty well optimized for the task, though even in vivid mode, colors can be a little washed out.

The writing experience is great. The screen is super responsive, the stylus is comfortable in use and features a shortcut key as well as a functional eraser, and the addition of color to the display means you can select different pen and highlighter colors to create more detailed annotations.

It packs all the usual useful Kindle features (including Word Wise, which is great for younger readers or language learners) as well as AI features like note summary and handwriting-to-text conversion.

However, there are three major things to note when it comes to the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.

First is that you can't actually use all of these features in tandem, meaning you can't markup comics or manga, though that's likely not a use case many people would want.

Second is that even outside of major sales events like Prime Day, you can get a Kindle, a Scribe, and a Colorsoft at almost the same price as this all-in-one device; and if you don't really need either the note-taking or the color display at the same time, you might as well do that.

Third is that while the large slate might be what you're looking for in terms of drawing, writing and graphic novel reading, it makes it a lot less portable than the standard or Paperwhite Kindle experience, which for me is the main reason I prize an ereader over a book.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

(Image credit: Future)Pros and cons

Pros
+7-inch display is great
+Fastest Paperwhite yet
+Excellent battery life

Cons
-Expensive for a mid-range ereader
-Ads on lock screen in some markets (unless you pay extra)

A step up from the basic Kindle, the Kindle Paperwhite offers a bright and beautiful screen for reading your favorite books. At this point, I'd very rarely recommend the standard base model for any reason beyond its low price, whereas the Kindle Paperwhite is genuinely enjoyable to read on, and that includes comics and manga.

With its E Ink Carta 1300 display, the 12th-generation Kindle Paperwhite offers great contrast for easy reading, a slightly larger screen, comfortable bezels for long hours of reading and 16GB storage (though we're not thrilled 4.5GB of that is dedicated to the operating system.)

If you've tried the 11th-generation model, there's a slim margin of upgrade with this newer, 12th-generation model, but if you're currently using any older Kindle Paperwhite or standard Kindle, you'll certainly feel the difference.

It's fast, the battery is great, and it excels at exactly what it was created for; reading. That's doubly true thanks to its slim profile, making it easy to grab and stash in your bag; at 211g, it's super lightweight to carry.

It's worth noting that, at list price, we're not 100% happy about the Kindle Paperwhite's value proposition. This goes for a lot of Amazon devices, which only feel like a good deal during major sales events, but for context, spend a little more on the Kobo Libra color which costs $219.99 / £219.99 and you can get a color ereader with a screen of the same size, double the storage, a more ergonomic design and writing capabilities.

Of course, if you're bedded into the Amazon ecosystem with access to its vast library of books through a Prime Membership, it's still a no-brainer.

Apple iPad 11-inch (A16 chip)

(Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)Pros and cons

Pros
+A16 chip is very capable
+Now starts with 128GB of storage
+iPadOS 18 runs smoothly here

Cons
-No major changes over the previous generation

While the latest, 11th-generation iPad didn't reinvent the tablet-shaped wheel, it brought a nice refresh in the form of the A16 chipset, powering a fast, responsive iPadOS experience.

It's a great productivity machine, and especially when paired with an Apple Pencil, it offers everything you could want from a Kindle Scribe Colorsoft and more, with its app library including fantastic options for note-taking, drawing and more intensive creative functions like video editing; though you're better off with an Apple Silicon-powered tablet like the iPad Pro (M5) or iPad Air (M4) if that's your rodeo.

It weighs just over a pound, so it's less primed for travel, and an e-ink display offers weeks of battery life, whereas the 11th-generation iPad only stretches to roughly 10 hours with general use; that's why pairing it with a Kindle Paperwhite for your reading needs is my top recommendation.

Still, even on its own, it stands as a solid alternative to a Kindle altogether, but especially at its price, I'd wager it's a superior choice to a Kindle Scribe Colorsoft for most. After all, you can just install the Kindle app and read your favorite books, comics, and manga on the vastly superior display.

More early Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More early Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £24.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Father's Day: up to 50% off gifts & drinks
• Headphones: up to 50% off
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Eufy & Roborock
• Wearables: Garmin & Huawei from £36.99

• Big Tech was hit with $3.5B fines over three years, Surfshark found
• Many were fined for using personal data unlawfully
• Enforceability remains a key challenge

Major tech companies have already been hit by fines totalling $3.5 billion for using vast amounts of users’ personal data to train their AI models, raising hopes that the days of AI operating in a regulatory vacuum might be coming to an end.

The figures come from Surfshark, one of the best VPNs on the market, which recently analysed 10 AI-related sanctions imposed on the usual suspects — Anthropic, Meta, Google, Clearview, Apple, Amazon, and OpenAI — between 2022 and 2026.

Disturbingly, nine out of ten fines were imposed for using users’ personal data — including biometric data, copyright-protected content, facial images, and children's voice recordings — without user consent or legal authorisation.

AI violations: which company misused our data the most?

(Image credit: Surfhsark)

According to Surfshark’s study, Clearview AI was the first, in 2022, to be fined a total of around $46 million for collecting facial images for its facial recognition database.

But the pace picked up in 2024, with five new separate fines imposed on Google, OpenAI, Meta, Clearview, and Amazon.

The size of the fines has also increased substantially, signalling a positive shift from regulatory warnings to severe financial consequences. In 2024, Meta was fined $1.4 billion for collecting users’ biometric data without consent, followed by Anthropic in 2025 with a record $1.5 billion for training its AI models using pirated books.

On a different note, the $250 million fine imposed on Apple in 2026 for AI misleading marketing practices might signal that current AI advertisement tactics might also soon become a thing of the past.

"This could be only the beginning," says Dr. Luis Costa, research lead at Surfshark. "The overarching trend suggests that accountability is catching up with innovation, and the industry must re-evaluate both how it builds AI and how it markets it."

The industry must re-evaluate both how it builds AI and how it markets it

Dr. Luis Costa, Surfshark

While regulations and authorities seem to be starting to catch up and match their punishments with Big Tech's wrongdoings, the findings continue to raise serious questions about the risks users face when using these AI platforms.

"Firstly, the scale of unauthorised data collection is unprecedented: 90 per cent of AI-related fines imposed since 2022 relate to the use of data without the necessary consent," Costa explains.

"Second, this harvesting often targets highly sensitive, unchangeable data, as seen in Meta’s $1.4 billion biometric settlement and Amazon’s fine over children’s voice recordings," he adds.

It also remains alarming that many companies fail to adequately inform the public about how their sensitive data is used, leaving consumers oblivious to the fact that their personal information is permanently baked into commercial AI models.

Better enforceability is needed

Additionally, while these fines may seem exorbitant, it is worrying that the financial impact of such punishments rarely acts as a deterrent to these large technology companies, whose market capitalisation runs into the hundreds of billions of dollars.

In its research, Proton previously found that the $7.8 billion in privacy and competition fines imposed on Big Tech in 2025 could be collectively paid by these firms in less than a month.

However, Costa argues that the issue is more complex and regulators might be working toward targeted changes. "First, regulators are escalating the financial stakes, shifting toward massive penalties like Anthropic's $1.5 billion and Meta's $1.4 billion settlements."

Additionally, a major challenge right now is actually enforceability — particularly as some companies have already been exploiting loopholes to avoid paying fines. Clearview AI, for example, managed to avoid paying $105 million in fines imposed by four different European regulatory authorities by arguing that it did not fall within European jurisdiction.

"Even if these early fines are manageable for tech giants, their real value lies in establishing the firm legal precedents that will govern how AI must operate in the future," Costa concludes.

Sorry Sony (and Bose, and AirPods) I know the best earbuds I've ever tested — and they're a Technics product called the EAH-AZ100.

I know, try to see past the immediately forgettable name, because once you get past that alphabetty spaghetti, there's a seriously good set of earbuds in a great little offer here.

Do you like my lead image? I just went out into the full glare of the sun on the hottest recorded UK day in June — for a full three minutes — to get it, to prove I'm using them right now. I also snapped the photo above because the most-asked question I get when I tell people I'm TechRadar's Audio Editor is 'What are the best earbuds with noise cancelling?'

Take note of the subtle shift in phrasing there; not the best noise cancelling earbuds — no, the best current earbuds with noise cancelling. They're quite different things actually, because one can be read as 'I just want the closest thing to actively-generated silence I can get, in a small box please', whereas this specific question above prioritises sound quality, but adds ANC because it is a desirable extra. And I love that.

Anyway, people want a definitive answer and leave the complicated reasoning to Scarrott. Obviously I'm flattered, because it means they trust my judgement (well done there. I do know my stuff). But I've already spilled the answer above: it's these Technics buds, and has been for quite some time.

They came out in January 2025, and they're built on the original May 2023-issue EAH-AZ80, which were also excellent. And both products are somehow still the only earbuds on the market able to offer multipoint to three devices simultaneously, rather than two. Think it's a small perk? Try it for two weeks, then give them back to me. You won't be able to…

Today's best Technics EAH-AZ100 deal

A new lowest-seen price! The excellent EAH-AZ80 that came before this model basically tore up the rule book on sound quality and features in wireless earbuds – and the AZ100 are even better. Released in January 2025, these little beauties are still the only earbuds to offer multipoint to three devices simultaneously, plus excellent sidetone tech for hearing your own voice in calls, as well as some of the most neutral and detailed audio in an even smaller, even more premium-feel design. Oh, and this deal is £17 cheaper than our price trackers have ever seen. Highly recommended. View Deal

Look, the Technics EAH-AZ100 are still sitting pretty at the top of my guide to the best earbuds for a reason. They're incredibly secure and comfortable to wear; Technics pioneered a 'concha fit' design (which initially looks a little deep for a top-plate, but works beautifully), and it's a trick several rivals soon adopted in a post-AirPods-stem market, whether they'd choose to admit it or not.

They also offer LDAC support, which is one of my favourite hi-res wireless codecs and a simple route to better-quality audio streaming for Samsung and Sony smartphone owners.

And did I mention the call handling? It's excellent. Technics deploys both its known Sidetone tech (to slightly amplify your own voice, so it's not muffled by the buds in your ears as you talk) plus its newer proprietary JustMyVoice technology here, which captures your speech while simultaneously suppressing background noise.

Noise cancelling is also very good, but best of all, though, is the sound. As we enthused in our Technics EAH-AZ100 review, the soundstage is neutral and natural, yet simultaneously expansive, engagingly dynamic, and energetic.

I've used the EAH-AZ100 earbuds practically every day since they launched. Before that, I'd used their older siblings every day, and let me tell you: they're the best. I say this as someone with much of the consumer earbuds oeuvre at their disposal (I'm not bragging, it's work — my job is to review earbuds and headphones), so I do know the best from the also-rans.

Yes, I typically prefer over-ears for sound quality, but when running around, earbuds are more portable — especially in a UK heatwave where those ear cups can get a little hot. And in an in-ear design, I love the sonic performance of these buds, especially when the Prime Day deal is this good.

Did you struggle to sleep in the heat last night? What you need is a super-quiet fan, and you're in the right place to find one in the Amazon Prime Day sales. We test dozens of fans here at TechRadar, and I've put together this collection based on brands and models we know are dependable and effective.

• Check out all Amazon's Prime Day fan deals

When choosing a quiet fan for your bedroom, take a minute to think about the space. Will you be keeping the fan on your bedside table? If so, a fan with a rechargeable battery might be the best option, letting you run it all night while leaving plug sockets free for phone chargers. If you want to blow a blanket of air over your bed, consider an adjustable-height fan that you can direct at your duvet.

Some of the best fans have been selling out extremely quickly in the Prime Day sale, for obvious reasons, but all these deals are still in stock at the time of writing so grab one before they blow away on their own.

Amazon Prime Day quiet fan deals

Levoit makes some of the best value fans we've tested here at TechRadar, and this is an exceptional deal for one you can control with either a remote or a smartphone app. It's hit a record-low price for Prime Day 2026.View Deal

Another super quiet fan from Levoit, this model is specially designed for night time, with adjustable height to direct airflow at your bed. At under £80 it's one of the cheapest fans from a reputable brand this Prime Day.View Deal

Dreo's air fans and air circulators have been selling out fast during the current heatwave, but you can still grab a great deal on this oscillating standing fan, which can drop as low as 20dB at night and includes a useful timer.View Deal

I'm a big fan of SwitchBot's smart home tech and this near-silent desk fan will play nicely with all your other smart devices. It's rechargeable so you can keep it on your bedside table even if there's no plug socket available.View Deal

I'm relying on a Dimplex fan to keep me cool at night, and this versatile desk/standing fan should do the job for you as well. At under £100 it's a great Prime Day deal, and will serve you well for many heatwaves to come.View Deal

Be prepared

The current heatwave might have broken by the time your new fan arrives, but it's still a good idea to grab one during the Prime Day sales. As we've seen, the weather forecast can change within the space of a week, so it's never a bad idea to have one handy and ready to go next time the mercury rises.

Buying a fan now also means you won't be in such a rush. If you're in a hurry, it can be tempting to grab anything that has a good review, but not all fans are suitable for all rooms, so it pays to take some time now and make sure you're making the right choice.

The latest fans can move a large volume of air much more easily than older models, and are more energy efficient as well, which will keep you cooler and reduce your energy bills in the long term. That's not necessarily something you have time to think about if you're rushing to pick up a fan — any fan — in a sweat-soaked panic.

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £24.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Father's Day: up to 50% off gifts & drinks
• Headphones: up to 50% off
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Eufy & Roborock
• Wearables: Garmin & Huawei from £36.99

• Sony is going all out for GTA 6 marketing
• The PS5 homepage, PS Store, and PS App have been updated with a GTA 6 theme
• Pre-orders have officially begun

Sony has gone full Grand Theft Auto 6 marketing mode as pre-orders for the most anticipated game of all time officially begin.

The wait is finally over, GTA 6 pre-orders are now live, and in anticipation of the game's release later this year, Sony is showing that it definitely has a favorite by updating the PlayStation 5 homepage, PS Store, and PS App with a new GTA 6 theme.

Now, when players boot up their PS5, they're greeted by a full-screen animation of the game's logo, before it fades into an ad for the game on the console's welcome hub.

When navigating to the PS Store, the background now features co-protagonists Jason and Lucia, and the "Must See" UI has been updated with purple boxes that provide details on the Ultimate Edition, trailers, the Vintage Vice City and GTA+ pre-order bonuses, and a way to pre-order.

GTA 6 is now the first thing you see when you boot up your PS5, they made an entirely new UI for this, insane. pic.twitter.com/xmz8h6RLzIJune 24, 2026

As spotted by Shinobi602, Sony has also updated the PS App logo with GTA 6 branding. Instead of the blue icon, it's been replaced by the game's sunset theme and palm trees.

It's clear that Sony is going all out to maximize the GTA 6 marketing, and it's not even a first-party exclusive.

It also shared in a post yesterday that "thanks to a close partnership" with the studio, "GTA 6 will play best on PS5" and take advantage of PS5’s features "to deliver a deeply engaging single-player experience."

@techradar

♬ original sound - TechRadar

GTA 6 officially launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X and Series S, and will cost $79.99 / AU$129.95 / £69.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 / AU$159.95 / £89.99 for the Ultimate Edition. Pre-loads begin on November 12.

It's also confirmed that physical copies won't have a disc and only include a digital download code in the box.

As both a hardcore gamer and an audio geek, I used to spend a lot of time agonizing over whether to invest more money on a gaming headset or whether I could spend more on a great pair of headphones to cover both my hobbies. If you find yourself in the same boat, it's your lucky day: I'm here to help you make that decision and, with some of the great deals available this Prime Day, I can help save you some cash to boot.

• View the full Amazon Prime Day sale

I've been reviewing audio gadgets for many years now and have reviewed a bunch of gaming headsets in my time at TechRadar. What I've found is that headphones absolutely can do double duty as an alternative to a dedicated gaming headset, but you really need to consider what kind of features are the biggest priority for you personally.

Gaming headsets vs headphones: which should you buy?

When it comes to gaming headsets, there are a few kinds of features you can expect. Low-latency connectivity will often set these apart from wireless headphones, nixing any lag and ensuring you can respond to gunshots and monster cries quickly.

I've always found specific gaming sonic profiles super useful as well — headsets that can boost footsteps are fantastic for FPSes, for example, making it harder for people to sneak up on you. Pick up the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro for $167.94 at Amazon (was $329.99) and you can experience both of these features in spades.

Gaming headsets have historically been way ahead of the curve in terms of battery life. That's partly because not all of them offer ANC and some wireless headphone brands have really caught up in this area. For example, you can get the Sennheiser Momentum 4 for $179.55 at Amazon (was $299.99) and they offer up to 60 hours with ANC on, which is seriously competitive.

But I wouldn't say headsets get the upper hand on every front, with some areas being more of dead heat. I've not always found gaming headset's boom mics to be higher quality than the built-in call mics on higher-end headphones. But some offer fold-to-mute functionality that makes it easier to mute yourself when you want some privacy, for example the Corsair HS55 Surround v2, which you can pick up for $39.99 from Amazon (was $59.99).

Meanwhile, while many headsets these days offer spatial audio, so do a good proportion of high-end headphones — honestly, both camps contain great examples with deeply immersive audio and yet there are also plenty of headsets and headphones that promise spatial effects that sound pretty mono-directional. The absolute undisputed champ here is also on offer right now: you can buy the Apple AirPods Max 2 for $399 at Amazon (was $549).

For me, traditional headphones get the edge over a gaming headset in a couple of key areas. Headphones tend to offer superior music playback, as they've been engineered with that in mind — I know, I know: 'thanks Captain Obvious' — so they tend to handle soundtracks and your fave tunes better.

On top of this, they can also come crammed with innovative features. For example, the Sony WH-1000XM6 offer nice touches like speak-to-chat for automatic transparency mode during conversations and head gestures for accepting and rejecting calls. If you're keen to try out some of these cutting-edge advances, you can currently grab the Sony WH-1000XM6 for $378 at Amazon (was $459.99).

Ultimately, whether you need a dedicated headset or you can get away with using the same pair of headphones for listening to tunes and gaming will depend on the features you most rely on. Fortunately, there are so many great Prime Day deals available on each right now that no matter which choice you make, you can be sure you'll get it for a bargain price.

Headsets for gaming

HyperX Cloud III S Wireless

Corsair HS55 Surround v2

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro

Pros

• Excellent sound quality
• Very detailed audio
• Long battery life
• Extremely versatile with multiple connectivity

Cons

• Eye-watering price tag
• ANC isn’t the best
• Non-intuitive physical controls

Razer BlackShark V2 Pro — PlayStation Version

Pros

• Battery life for days, literally
• Incredibly clear mic audio
• Beautiful stitching and finish
• Great sound reproduction
• Multi-device compatibility
• Comfortable and adjustable

Cons

• Physical chat mix control only on Xbox version
• No wired operation on consoles
• Synapse software required to get the best out of the mic

Beyerdynamic Tygr 300 R

Pros

• Best-in-class audio quality
• Comfortable as heck
• Robust cable
• Open back design great for single player

Cons

• Expensive
• No replaceable cable
• No built-in mic

Turtle Beach Stealth Pro

Pros

• Incredible audio quality
• Flawless active noise canceling
• Excellent build quality and comfort
• Versatile connectivity options

Cons

• Average sounding microphone
• Expensive

Headphones for gaming

Sony WH-1000XM6

Pros

• Class-leading noise cancellation
• Excellent audio performance
• Super lightweight and comfortable
• Highly intuitive touch controls
• They're foldable again!

Cons

• Price increase over previous model
• Battery life is nothing special
• Still not waterproof
• Some may find them to be a tad bulky

Apple AirPods Max 2

Pros

• Even better active noise cancellation
• Live Translation that's easier to use than on Apple's earbuds
• Adaptive Audio means meatier, punchier sound than the originals
• Even head-tracked Spatial Audio feels more accurate and crisp

Cons

• Battery life hasn't been improved
• That flimsy 'headphone bra' case remains
• Still very iOS-only (Android owners need not apply)
• No wireless hi-res codec support still

Sennheiser HD 599 SE

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)

Pros

• Predictably brilliant noise cancellation
• As comfortable as these things ever get
• Balanced, energetic sound

Cons

• Not quite the perceived value of some rivals
• Humdrum control app

Nothing Headphone (a)

Pros

• Great sound that's a big upgrade over Headphone (1)
• Fantastic on-ear control options and app
• Gigantic battery life

Cons

• Still heavy, with a strong clamping force
• Some rivals offer better sonic detail
• No auto-pause feature or case

Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

Pros

• Neutral, crisp, detailed sound
• Excellent ANC and transparency
• Incredible battery life even with ANC deployed

Cons

• A little plain aesthetically
• Design doesn't fold up into the headband

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Back-to-school tech: 48% off laptops, headphones & tablets
• Cheap TVs: Samsung, Sony & LG from $89.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Smartwatches: up to $250 off Garmin & Apple
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Amazon Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99
• Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & De'Longhi
• Fans: from £20
• Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock
• Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

Several utilities allow you to reassign mouse buttons or change a scroll wheel's behavior.

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Operational performance is becoming just as important as investment performance in private credit.

As fundraising slows and investor expectations increase, firms are facing growing pressure to modernize the IT infrastructure supporting their portfolios.

In fact, transparency and faster reporting are becoming top priorities.

Without such capabilities, funds can’t clearly see across their own portfolio, amplifying stress when markets are less forgiving.

Especially as private credit scales and operational diligence become more central to allocation decisions, such back-office issues become something more structural.

Fortunately, managers that properly invest in their operational foundations now, will be better equipped to manage the increasing demands facing the private credit industry moving forward.

Analyzing Operational Pressures

Private credit is operationally intensive. And many firms never built systems to match the increasing complexity of their portfolios as they grew and evolved. Instead, operations are often spread across legacy servicing platforms, spreadsheets, email-driven workflows, and disconnected internal tools, leaving firms without a single real-time view of portfolio data.

Most loan servicing operates on cycles such as monthly reconciliations, quarterly reporting, and batch-based payment processing. This model reflects the constraints of legacy systems and manual workflows. Data must be collected, validated, and processed in stages. Consequently, funds often view their portfolios through periodic snapshots rather than in real-time.

Many funds also maintain parallel spreadsheets to verify their servicer's calculations. Known as shadow booking, this redundancy has no other purpose than to increase control. Ultimately though, it’s a sign of mistrust in the data provided, and the underlying calculations are often difficult to inspect. When discrepancies arise, they are discovered after the fact and require manual investigation, often across multiple systems.

These realities of the private credit industry are now colliding with a more competitive fundraising environment. Even if their underlying deals aren't catastrophic, private credit funds begin to look fragile if they cannot perform operationally well under increasing pressure.

Not surprisingly, many private credit firms are looking to AI to address these issues. But automation software alone cannot repair broken operational foundations. The critical question becomes whether their infrastructure is actually prepared to support the AI model they choose to use.

AI Alone Is Not the Answer

AI agents can execute operational work reliably while platforms can provide real-time visibility and full auditability. The pieces are in place. But there’s a pattern in how AI projects fail in the finance industry that's worth naming and it's almost never the model that's the problem.

What’s often missing is the infrastructure surrounding the model - the systems, workflows, data access, permissions, and controls that allow AI to operate reliably inside real financial processes. Otherwise known as the harness. Generic AI tools don’t know what a rate notice is.

They don't know that a prepayment request triggers a multi-step workflow across every syndicated entity on a facility. They don't know the difference between a funded tranche and a committed-but-undisbursed revolver, or why that distinction matters for how a payoff figure should be calculated.

This lack of operational context is also one of the biggest reasons AI hallucinations occur in finance. The majority of hallucinations aren't random malfunctions, they're a context problem. The AI model wants to give an appropriate answer. When it doesn't have access to the specific data it needs, it reasons from what it does know and produces something plausible.

Private credit portfolio data isn't embedded in any public language model. If the harness doesn't provide it, through tools, memory or real-time data access, the model will fill the gap with something that sounds right. Which, in a financial operations context, is a real problem.

The fix isn’t a better model. It’s a harness that gives the agent access to the right data, at the right moment, with the right tools and controls to retrieve it.

The firms that focus on building operational systems that provide context, transparency, audibility and human oversight will receive the greatest value from its AI investments. In private credit, the long-term advantage may not come from adopting AI faster than competitors, but from building the infrastructure, or the harness, capable of supporting it responsibly and at scale.

Establishing New Competitive Differentiators

As these operational systems mature and advance, they will also reshape what excellence actually looks like inside private credit firms. Responsiveness won't be a differentiator. It will be assumed. Real-time and instant delivery will be the new baseline.

This is because most routine interactions will no longer require human involvement. With real-time systems, shared data layers, and automated workflows, information will be directly accessible and continuously updated. What previously required a request and response cycle will be resolved at the source.

As a result, the role of the servicer shifts. They are no longer measured by how quickly they process or reply, but by how well they handle what cannot be automated - exceptions, edge cases, and judgment calls.

This is why the next generation of private credit leaders may look fundamentally different from the firms that defined the industry’s earlier growth period. Capital access and underwriting expertise will remain essential, but operational execution is becoming increasingly strategic.

Most funds are using general-purpose AI for ad-hoc analysis or are in a holding pattern. A small number are starting to build their own and discovering how much harder it is than first expected. The funds that move first on specialized operational infrastructure will have an advantage that compounds. Not because they picked the right model (the model will keep getting better and cheaper regardless), but because they built or adopted the right harness, trained it on the right context, and gave it the controls that make it trustworthy at scale.

In many ways, private credit firms are evolving into operational organizations as much as financial organizations. The ability to manage workflows, data, oversight, and execution will become a defining part of a firm’s competitive performance.

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Data governance is unglamorous work. It is also the reason most AI strategies stall before they scale.

Spending on models, platforms and use cases keeps growing. But the disciplines that make those investments effective – data quality, ownership and governance – often receive far less attention.

Part of the challenge is that data governance is neither “fun” nor “sexy.” It lacks the excitement of new technologies and the appeal of quick wins, so it is consistently deprioritized.

Yet as organizations scale their AI ambitions, governance is increasingly the factor that determines whether those efforts succeed or stall.

The imbalance in attention is now starting to show. While AI adoption continues to grow, many organizations still struggle to move beyond pilot stages into enterprise-scale deployment. The gap between ambition and execution is widening, and weak data governance is often at the center of it.

The issue is not awareness. Most business leaders recognize that governance matters. The challenge is that governance demands structural decisions, cultural alignment and sustained discipline – the hard parts of the job. And, unlike a new platform or tool, its value often only becomes fully apparent when it is missing.

When governance is absent, problems don’t stay small

Weak governance rarely fails loudly at first. The problems accumulate.

Early AI initiatives often prioritize delivery, with dashboards, models and applications taking precedence over governance. Silos form, data definitions diverge and access controls become inconsistent. A common pattern: two teams – one in marketing, one in data science – train separate models against different definitions of the same metric.

Both definitions look correct in isolation. In production, the predictions conflict, neither team can explain why, and the investigation takes weeks longer than building either model did. Quality issues are patched rather than fixed, and new projects begin to rely on shaky assumptions.

As complexity grows over time, confidence in the data declines.

Data dictionaries and permission frameworks are not administrative overhead – they are what makes scalable AI possible. Building them early demands investment before visible returns but postponing that effort is far costlier.

Left unchecked, governance gaps eventually land hard, resulting in delayed projects, compliance failures and decisions made on unreliable data. At that point, organizations are forced into reactive fixes – or even total rebuilds – that are far more expensive and disruptive than addressing governance from the start.

Governance is not just compliance – it enables innovation

Regulators are placing increasing importance on accountability in how data is used. The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has made it clear that organizations must be able to demonstrate control over data use, particularly as AI systems become more prevalent. Scotland’s new National AI Strategy also highlights that organizations must follow best practice in responsible AI governance aligned with OECD principles.

This has reinforced the perception that governance is primarily a compliance exercise – something important but not necessarily prioritized at the prototype stage. Effective governance is far more than that: it shapes how data flows through an organization, how decisions are made and how confidently teams can act. It defines accountability and sets the standards needed to maintain consistency at scale.

In that sense, governance is a design choice, and businesses need to make the right one to effectively scale their innovation ambitions.

Define ownership before you decide the model

Governance is not one-size-fits-all - nor it is purely a technical problem to be addressed through tools or platforms alone. In fact, the harder initial challenge is often a people and accountability one. Before designing a governance model, organizations need to define the who as much as the how. Who owns the data? Who is responsible for its quality and who decides how it should be used?

In many organizations, these responsibilities are unclear. Management is shared, and ownership is (often wrongly) assumed rather than defined. But it is only once those questions have been answered – in practice as well as on paper – that businesses can turn their attention to developing a governance model that fits their structure.

Some take a centralized approach to this, with control sitting in a single function. This can provide consistency and clarity, but the model may struggle to scale across complex organizations with diverse needs.

Others adopt a federated model, combining central standards with local ownership. This can be more flexible and scalable, but only if the business is committed to those shared standards and has defined clear roles and accountability. Without them, federated models risk furthering data fragmentation.

The key is alignment. Governance models should match how teams actually use data and AI, not how they’re assumed to operate.

A practical test: ask three different teams how they define a key business metric – revenue, active users, or customer churn. If the answers differ, the governance problem already exists. The operating model question is not how to prevent that divergence in future; it is who has the authority to resolve it now.

Governance doesn’t show up in a demo

Governance is rarely the most visible part of an AI strategy. It’s detailed, structural work that often goes overlooked, but that is precisely why it matters.

For business leaders, the challenge is to move beyond acknowledging its importance and begin making early, deliberate decisions about how it is implemented. That means defining data ownership, aligning operating models and investing in the capabilities that support long-term success.

Technology choices are reversible. Data ownership decisions compound. The governance model you design – or neglect – in the next twelve months will shape what your AI strategy can actually deliver in three years.

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• The second season of Netflix crime drama Dept Q begins production in Edinburgh, Scotland
• Core cast set to return alongside nine new faces
• No word yet on release date or the number of episodes

Netflix has confirmed that the second season of the hit crime drama Dept Q. is now in production, filming in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Our core cast is set to return, including:

• Matthew Goode as DCI Carl Morck
• Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim
• Jamie Sives as DS James Hardy
• Leah Byrne as DC Rose Dickson
• Mark Bonnar as Stephen Burns,
• Kate Dickie as Moira Jacobson
• Aaron McVeigh as Jasper
• Sanjeev Kohli as Martin Flemming

Nine new cast members will also be seen in new episodes. While we don't know exactly what their roles will be, we do have names:

• Aisling Franciosi as Kimmie
• Greg Wise as Derek Powell
• Nicholas Rowe as Thomas Fulton
• Tony Curran as Winnie Calderwood
• Hamish Clark as Christopher Herron
• Alex Ferns as Phil Allenbeck
• Ross Anderson as Ricky Daddario
• Rebecca Root as June Lovesay
• Isla Johnston as Agnes

Currently, there's no word on exactly when Dept Q. season 2 will be released, nor how many episodes will make up the series.

However, we do have a brief idea of what the plot will involve thanks to the synopsis below.

Dept Q. season 2 set to explore a brand-new case

As per Netflix, Dept Q. season 2 follows "DCI Carl Morck heading up the maverick Dept. Q from the basement of an Edinburgh police station, charged with cases previously deemed unsolvable.

"This darkly humorous, propulsive show delivers all the pleasures of a procedural but takes us into the complex mysteries not just of the cases but of the detectives themselves."

Unsurprisingly, this is all very vague at this point in development. However, Rob Bullock, Executive Producer, Left Bank Pictures, added in a statement, “This season, Carl and his band of misfits tackle a terrible crime hidden in the highest echelons of Scottish society. It is a story for our times: rich and powerful people who believe they are above the law."

Executive Manda Levin agreed, "The story of season 2 is as darkly delicious as you’d expect, and Carl and his glorious gang will have their work cut out pinning down the perpetrators as we launch back in for more!”

What we know for sure is that we will continue to see an adaptation of Jussi Adler-Olsen’s original novels — but how faithful the show will be remains to be seen.