Technology

It’s only Monday and we’ve already started the week with disappointing news – there’s no episode of One Piece coming out this week. Why? To make space for coverage of the Japan elections, which has a knock-on effect for what international fans can see too.

Don’t panic just yet, though. It’s the perfect time to catch up with any previous episodes you’ve not yet seen on Crunchyroll, or switch over to Netflix for the live-action version before further One Piece season 2 announcements start to roll out.

But what if you’re not in the mood for more of the Straw Hats’ shenanigans? Even though One Piece is undoubtedly one of the best anime shows of all time, it isn’t the be all and end all. New anime shows are also paving the way for unmissable TV this year, and I think there’s three you absolutely cannot miss this week.

The Apothecary Diaries

Having just wrapped up its explosive second season, The Apothecary Diaries is a must-see anime you might not have heard of. First airing back in 2023, the show follows Maomao, a young pharmacist kidnapped and forced into servitude in the emperor's palace. That sounds pretty bleak, but even though the story is inspired by ancient China, what we see on screen is all about unravelling conspiracies.

Maomao uses her medical knowledge to solve the mysteries haunting the palace, where a dangerous political landscape begins to be revealed. By the end of season 2, the suspicion turns on Maomao herself, embroiled in a kidnapping case she had nothing to do with. No spoilers here, but there’s also a huge identity reveal you need to keep your eye out for, and it’s directly related to Maomao’s romantic relationship with Jinshi.

The Beginning After the End

If you’re looking to start a series that’s brand-new in the 2025 release slate, look no further than The Beginning After the End. Our leading man King Grey dies and is reincarnated as Arthur Leywin, essentially beginning a second life again as a baby. It’s this kind of off-the-wall narrative thinking that I really love in an anime series, and this one strikes the perfect balance between unique intrigue and taking things too far.

Season 1 is only made up of 12 episodes, so you can easily binge it within a week while One Piece is AWOL. There’s a great balance between plot action and anticipation. It also scratches a little deeper under the surface than other new anime shows have tended to. If you’re looking for endless epic fight sequences, though, you won’t find them here, but that is far from a bad thing.

Dr. Stone Science Future

Dr. Stone Science Future is the ideal choice for anime fans who want to jump into the same level of pre-existing lore that One Piece has built up over the years. Rather than functioning as a spinoff from the main series, Science Future is just another title for the main show’s fourth and final season. We’ve already seen half of it and the second cour premiered on July 10.

This time around, our gang of misfits is focused on establishing a new nation with a million inhabitants, called Corn City. The Perseus crew and the Americans, led by Brody, are working together to build it, with Senku and Stanley playing their ideologies off against each other. It’s likely that future episodes will show the pair working harmoniously together, but it’s going to be a messy and chaotic ride in order to get there.

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• Chinese engineers have apparently worked on sensitive DoD systems
• Microsoft has since stopped this practice
• Many in the department are unfamiliar with the system

Some of the most sensitive data the United States has to offer is currently being maintained by engineers from China, often considered, especially in the tech field, its biggest adversary.

A report from ProPublica has claimed Microsoft is using these engineers to maintain the Department of Defense’s computer systems, with ‘minimal supervision by US personnel’.

This arrangement has changed as of now, Microsoft says, as the firm has revised its practices to ensure Chinese engineers no longer provide technical support for services in an effort to mitigate the risk to national security.

Digital escorts

“In response to concerns raised earlier this week about US-supervised foreign engineers, Microsoft has made changes to our support for US Government customers to assure that no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance for DoD Government cloud and related services,” said the Microsoft’s Chief Communications Officer, Frank Shaw, in an X post.

The workers were supervised by ‘digital escorts’, barely-over-minimum wage workers who are often less skilled than the engineers they oversee - many are former military personnel with very little coding experience.

One of these escorts told ProPublica; ‘we’re trusting that what they’re doing isn’t malicious, but we really can’t tell.’

Whilst this system has been in place for almost ten years, many former government officials told the publication that they were unfamiliar with the practice.

'Literally no one seems to know anything about this, so I don’t know where to go from here,” said Deven King, spokesperson for the Defense Information Systems Agency.

The ongoing tech and trade war has seen the two states introduce strict regulations and national security policies, restricting access to markets and opportunities on both sides. Chinese hackers have even targeted local US governments in malware campaigns, highlighting the security risk posed by state-sponsored actors.

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"Surely you can’t be serious about watching all of the Naked Gun movies," you say. Yes, I am, and stop calling me "Shirley."

CDs aren't an exciting investment. That's what makes them awesome.

• Two stars in The Fantastic Four: First Steps had very little time to build chemistry before filming began
• The actors behind Galactus and The Silver Surfer didn't film scenes together, either
• They only had a 24-hour period to gel as a pair and met just once on the movie's set

The actors behind The Fantastic Four: First Steps' antagonists have revealed they had very little time to build rapport between their characters.

Ralph Ineson and Julia Garner told TechRadar that they only had 24 hours to craft the complex relationship that exists between Galactus and The Silver Surfer, who they respectively portray in the Marvel Phase 6 film.

Considering how important it is for actors to build chemistry before and during filming, I was pretty shocked to learn Ineson and Garner weren't given more opportunities to do that.

My surprise was elevated by the fact that the duo were present on set for large parts of the Marvel movie's shooting schedule, too. Garner, who, unlike Ineson, got to act opposite those playing The Fantastic Four, wore a motion capture (mocap) suit to portray Galactus' Herald in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film.

Marvel is holding back Galactus' full reveal for the film itself (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Meanwhile, Ineson was fully kitted out in a practical suit so he could appear on set – albeit not in the same scene as other actors – as the immortal planet-devouring space entity. That way, the film's crew could capture Ineson's movements in real time and incorporate them into specific scenes in post-production. He could also be scaled up or down in said sequences, depending on how big the size-altering Galactus needed to be.

Given the complicated dynamic at play between Galactus and his surfboard-riding lieutenant in the comics, many fans might have expected Ineson and Garner to spent time discussing how to bring that to life in a live-action capacity. As I said earlier, though, the opportunity to do so hardly presented itself to them.

"Because of the way you shoot a character like Galactus, who can be 50 foot tall or even larger, you have to shoot under bright lights [to fully capture his likeness]," Ineson said. "So, everything you do as an actor is a solo thing. We [Ineson and Garner] did so little work together, we hardly ever crossed paths –"

"So, there was no collaboration at all?", I interjected.

"Not really, no," Ineson replied, before Garner chimed in to say: "We had a tent day! We had one day to check in to see what each other was doing and read some offlines [parts of an actor's script that don't need a live acting partner] together."

Garner spent some time on set starring opposite Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, and the rest of Marvel's First Family (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

"From my point of view, there was something quite nice about playing Galactus," Ineson mused. "I'd come in once a month for costume fittings and they [the rest of the cast] would be going to set and having this really incredible bonding session as a family, and I'd have this lonely acting experience that actually helped me to tap into Galactus' mindset as this one-of-a-kind space god."

"I was also coming in and out [of scenes with the Fantastic Four]," Garner added, "So I didn't have much time to bond with them, either. I'd swoop in and be like 'Hey guys, this is what's going on' or 'Hey, my boss said this, okay, bye!'"

First Steps, one of 2025's most anticipated new movies, arrives in theaters on Friday, July 25. Before it does, check out my ultimate guide to The Fantastic Four: First Steps or read the section below for more coverage of the final MCU film of the year.

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• Last week, Fitbit users experienced an outage that prevented app logins and watch syncing
• The issue was resolved quickly, but problems have persisted for a seemingly small percentage of users
• We've been getting more emails over the weekend, both about this persistent issue and other problems Fitbit users are having

Last week, starting on July 17, Fitbit users reported problems in droves, as the app was preventing users from syncing up their watches and fitness trackers – and when users followed Fitbit's recommended troubleshooting steps and logged out of the app, it wouldn't allow them to log in again.

The issues cropped up regardless of whether users were rocking one of the best Fitbits, an older model, or a Google Pixel Watch, and I covered the outage extensively with a live blog. Google reached out to confirm that the issue was resolved later that same day, and Downdetector reports returned to normal.

However, even after the blog ended, we've been getting emails from readers who say their devices that still won't sync with the Fitbit app.

Wendy emailed on July 19, two days after the outage was reported to have ended, to say "I’ve been trying to sync all day. I have Covid so have been tracking my blood oxygen level... I don’t know what my number was last night as it won’t sync."

Lloyd emailed to let us know his Fitbit wouldn't sync with the app on his iPhone 11, Ann was unable to set the correct time on her watch (also likely the result of a syncing issue, as this is done by pairing with your phone), and other users chimed in to say their best fitness trackers wouldn't sync properly either.

In a thread on Reddit titled Anyone else still having sync issues? another eight people chimed in with their comments, all affirming that they're still having problems after the fix was rolled out. In another thread titled How are Fitbits now? the most-upvoted comment was this one:

"The last few weeks have been horrible. Nonstop sync issues with the app and they had a major outage yesterday which they say is fixed but I'm still having issues... I'd honestly go Garmin at this point."

Unrelated issues

(Image credit: Future)

It's important to put these issues in perspective: while it's very unfortunate that all the users mentioned above have devices they're temporarily unable to use (some of them likely with Fitbit Premium subscriptions they're paying for) it seems they're a relatively small minority of users, with Google appearing to have fixed the broader issue.

However, that doesn't help you if your device can't sync, or is bricked. Quite a lot of people reached out to us in the end, many with ongoing issues that seem to be separate from the outage.

Phil in Hong Kong wrote in to tell us: "My Fitbit has not been working for a week. It does strange things like after I wake up it says I’ve hit 10,000 steps or doesn’t read my sleep.

"It’s actually really annoying and this is the third time I’ve had issues with Fitbit and I keep thinking should I switch to an Apple Watch."

Phil's response is echoed by Linda, stating: "I have tried every troubleshooting method with the same results. About two weeks ago, I ordered an Apple Watch SE 2nd generation."

The reason people are so disappointed when their devices don't work is that people love using their Fitbits. It creates an engaged community of like-minded users looking to keep fit, track their sleep and health, and enjoy exercise.

It's a great tool, and for most people it works very well. There are many reasons why, even in the face of some persistent issues, Fitbit remains synonymous with activity tracking.

For those who are experiencing ongoing difficulties that can't be solved by the usual troubleshooting, the best thing to do is reach out via the Fitbit Help Center.

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• YouTube Music has brought out a new feature that allows you to resume music playback across different devices
• It's similar to Spotify Connect, which gives you more controls in addition to cross-device playback
• The 'Speed dial' carousel in the YouTube Music app also shows playback progress bars, which is another new addition

YouTube Music isn’t just a handy way to go ads-free in its standard video player platform, it’s one of the most popular music streaming services out there – and its new playback feature marks a long-awaited addition to its interface. Unfortunately, it's one that Spotify has had for years.

In the latest version of the YouTube Music app (version 8.26.51), you can now resume music playback on different devices, allowing you to smoothly move between your mobile device, tablet, and computer to pick up where you left off. This means that you can start streaming from YouTube Music on your phone, stop mid-listen, and resume on another device.

As well as YouTube Music’s latest feature, those over at Android Authority spotted another small addition to the YouTube Music interface. In your ‘Speed dial’ carousel, (a section where you can pin songs, albums, and playlists you want to listen to frequently) you’ll see that there are new progress bars that represent your listening activity on other devices.

When you tap on one a new ‘Resume’ option will appear, allowing you to pick up playback where you left off.

(Image credit: Android Authority )A helpful feature, but it’s still early days

While you’ve always been able to keep track of your listening habits as you move between devices, the ability to pick up from where you left off isn't as smooth as the likes of Spotify Connect, which is YouTube Music’s biggest rival. The new feature has definitely been a long time coming for YouTube Music, but it still has a long way to go.

In the case of Spotify, not only can you resume playback between devices, but it gives you even more power by allowing you to control music playback on one device using another. For example, Spotify could be streaming music out of your smartphone, but you can still navigate its desktop version to control what comes out of your phone by tapping the ‘Connect’ icon in the playback bar, which will show all of the available devices.

This feature applies to devices such as the best smart speakers, which you can also control from your smartphone or computer. I find this particularly helpful and use it constantly, and Spotify Connect makes it a lot easier to switch from my smart speaker back to my smartphone when I need to leave the house but still want to listen to music on the way.

There’s no denying that the new Resume feature is a big upgrade to YouTube Music’s ecosystem, which will hopefully evolve over time to allow you to have more power over your playback. Right now, it’s still very fresh, so we’ll have to see what loyal YouTube Music users think of the change.

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• Microsoft is collecting more data on performance issues with Windows 11
• This is happening via feedback from testers using preview builds
• Hoovering up a whole lot more logs relating to performance hitches will hopefully help Microsoft stamp out sluggishness on the desktop

Microsoft has promised to improve Windows 11's overall performance levels, ensuring the operating system runs more nippily all round, and it'll use data from the PCs of testers to do this.

Windows Latest spotted that in a new preview build in the Dev channel, Microsoft announced the scheme, which urges testers to report incidents of system sluggishness.

Microsoft informs us: "As part of our commitment to improving Windows performance, logs are now collected when your PC has experienced any slow or sluggish performance. Windows Insiders are encouraged to provide feedback when experiencing PC issues related to slow or sluggish performance, allowing Feedback Hub to automatically collect these logs, which will help us root cause issues faster."

Essentially, Microsoft is attempting to expand the quantity and scope of logs relating to performance issues that it's receiving, in order to better deal with speed-related niggles in Windows 11.

The logs pertaining to performance issues are stored in a temporary folder on the system drive, and Microsoft says they're only sent across to the company when the user submits feedback (via the Feedback Hub, where there's a new section for reports of 'system sluggishness').

Analysis: exploring new avenues of improvement

(Image credit: Future)

There have been a good few complaints about performance hiccups – or indeed more serious failings – with Windows 11, so it's good to see Microsoft launch a fresh initiative to help combat these issues (with any luck – the results, of course, remain to be seen).

Sluggish search functionality and wonkiness with File Explorer performing sub-optimally have been a couple of obvious problems that Windows 11 has caused for some users. Granted, not everyone has suffered from these kinds of woes, although I've certainly experienced File Explorer sluggishness on my Windows 11 laptop (but not on my desktop PC).

These are frustrating issues to be faced with, given that they're key pieces of the interface which really shouldn't be going awry, and hopefully testers will get behind this effort, as it would be good for all concerned if Microsoft can get a better handle on improving the performance of Windows 11 for those who find it lacking (especially on older PCs – like my notebook, which is a venerable Surface model – where any shortcomings are more likely to be noticeable).

Finally, it's worth making clear that data on incidents of sluggish performance is only being collected through preview builds of Windows 11, so those logs are just kept on the PCs of testers, not normal users of the release version of the OS.

And, as noted, logs from testers are only sent to Microsoft voluntarily, so even if the data itself is collected automatically, it doesn't leave your drive until and unless you submit a feedback post.

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We've had confirmation on when you can watch the first trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash – and you'll be able to get your next glimpse of Pandora this week.

The trailer will run in front of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which not only means that you'll be able to watch it from Thursday (July 24), but also means you can potentially watch the trailer in 3D, as it's obviously meant to be seen.

It's availability in 3D might depend on your location – we know for a fact that the trailer is available in 3D, which shouldn't surprise anyway, but whether it's actually shown in 3D even in a 3D screening of First Steps obviously isn't something I can promise you.

And even then, my local movie theater is only doing one 3D showing of Fantastic Four per day, so I guess I know which one I'm going to…

I've long since given up on 3D movies in general – barely any are shown in 3D where I live anyway, and they never feel like they're making good use of it (though I did like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' 3D effects).

But obviously an Avatar movie is a special case – and the trailer is genuinely enough to make me fit my schedule around that one 3D showing of Fantastic Four: First Steps. What can I say; I love James Cameron.

What to expect from Avatar: Fire and Ash

Much as Avatar: The Way of Water introduced us to water-loving Na'vi, the third movie will introduce us to fire-friendly Na'vi.

According to director James Cameron, this movie "goes to darker places than the previous ones did", and the fire Na'vi will be an aggressive clan – it sounds like the story may focus more on conflict between the Na'vi than with the human RDA.

We've been promised hard turns and plot twists, and more character development – and that in particular Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) will find herself questioning her beliefs as a result of whatever's coming in what I assume will be another three-hour epic.

I expect the trailer will appear online at some point, but for now, it looks like seeing Marvel's latest will be your only option. That's recently been the case with other new movies like the trailer for Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey playing in front of Jurassic World: Rebirth – and heaven help me, I dragged myself to that. At least I was already enthused about seeing Fantastic Four!

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• A major IT outage has affected Alaska Airlines
• Its full fleet was grounded, and 11 flights were in the sky at the time
• It's not the company's first IT-related fleet grounding

Alaska Airlines flights are back up and running after a mysterious IT outage grounded flights for several hours.

The outage resulted in all of the company's flights being grounded as well as affecting Horizon Air flights – a subsidiary of the Alaskan company.

Besides the flight disruptions, residual delays are expected as the airline repositions aircraft and crews to resume at normal capacity.

Alaska Airlines IT outage

"It will take some time to get our overall operations back to normal," the company explained in an X post.

It's believed that around 11 flights were in the air during the outage, which was resolved several hours after first being detected.

No official explanation of the root cause has been provided, but some signs point toward the Scattered Spider ransomware group, which has recently targeted other victims in the aviation sector including Qantas, Air Serbia and WestJet.

Hawaiian Airlines, which has also been under Alaskan ownership since late 2024, also experienced a cyber incident earlier this year.

In June 2025, Hawaiian Airlines shared in an X post: "Hawaiian Airlines is addressing a cybersecurity event that has affected some of our IT systems."

For Alaska Airlines specifically, this marks the second IT-related fleet grounding in a little over a year. In April 2024, an issue with the system that calculates aircraft weight and balance also caused a full grounding.

Interestingly, Microsoft also declared it was experiencing "active attacks" on server software on July 20 (via Reuters), but few details have been shared regarding that incident either. It's unclear whether the two incidents are related.

TechRadar Pro has asked Alaska Airlines for more information on yesterday's incident, but we did not receive an immediate response.

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• Popular search engine DuckDuckGo has added a new AI image-filtering tool
• Users can now remove AI-generated images from their search results
• It's available for free at duckduckgo.com

Popular privacy-first search engine DuckDuckGo is rolling out a new feature that lets users remove AI-generated images from their search results.

On X, the company tweeted, "Our philosophy about AI features is "private, useful, and optional.” Our goal is to help you find what you’re looking for. You should decide for yourself how much AI you want in your life – or if you want any at all.

To that end, we’ve added a new setting to hide AI-generated images in your results when you’re searching for images on DuckDuckGo."

The new AI filter feature has already started rolling out, and you can access it simply by searching on DuckDuckGo and selecting "hide AI images" from a new drop-down.

Considering the rapid rise of image- and video-generation tools on the internet, this new feature could be a compelling reason to finally switch from Google to DuckDuckGo.

If you're sick of all the AI content hogging your image searches, DuckDuckGo might be the way to go. That said, the company says, "The filter relies on manually curated open-source blocklists, including the ‘nuclear’ list, provided by uBlockOrigin and uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist."

This means it won't catch 100% of all AI-generated content, but DuckDuckGo says, "it will greatly reduce the number of AI-generated images you see.”

New setting: hide AI-generated images in DuckDuckGoOur philosophy about AI features is “private, useful, and optional.” Our goal is to help you find what you’re looking for. You should decide for yourself how much AI you want in your life – or if you want any at all. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/pTolmsEQlQJuly 14, 2025

Taking back control

DuckDuckGo is planning to add more filters in the future, which should improve the rate at which the company's algorithm is able to weed out AI-generated content.

I've started to notice more and more AI-generated images in Google search over the last few months, and with tools like ChatGPT's image generation and Google's Veo 3 video generation easily accessible, online platforms are becoming more and more littered with AI slop.

While DuckDuckGo won't solve all your issues with AI images overnight, this new feature is the first step in giving users the choice on how they want to experience AI. If you can't stand AI images, DuckDuckGo might be the solution you've been waiting for.

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• An update to Fast Pair for Android is on the way
• The new interface has been spotted in hidden code
• It makes it easier to see battery life levels

If you've paired one of the best Android phones with one of the best pairs of wireless earbuds then you've got a helpful software upgrade to look forward to, according to hidden code spotted in the latest Android update.

The team at Android Authority did some digging into the Google Play Services app that's updated alongside Android, noticing some changes to the Fast Pair interface – that's the easy Bluetooth connection service that's built into Android.

When this update actually gets enabled, you'll see color-coded circular battery progress bars, clearer labels so that you know which earbud is which, and battery indicators so you can see at a glance how much juice you've got remaining in your buds.

You'll still see the left earbud, the charging case, and the right earbud as before – but these tweaks mean the necessary information is presented in a more visually engaging way, and in a way that's easier to quickly assess.

Android vs iOS

The new-look battery indicators (Image credit: Google / Android Authority)

Hidden code like this is typically used for features that are about to be rolled out, or are in testing on a limited number of devices – most Android users aren't going to see these updates yet, but the altered functionality is there deeper down.

Google hasn't said anything about this update, so we don't know exactly when the new-look interface is going to show up – and it may even be tweaked further before Google decides it's ready to be pushed out to the masses.

Of course, Fast Pair is up against the very slick and speedy connection process you get with AirPods and iPhones. There too, all users have to do is open up the earbuds charging case and a connection prompt appears on the iPhone screen.

Apple has also implemented a neat iOS battery status screen for AirPods, with neat and tidy graphics and battery-charge indicators – but the updated interface coming to Android might be the best yet at presenting this information in an intuitive way.

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• The iOS 26 public beta could launch this week, a new report claims
• It’s slightly delayed compared to the usual public beta launch date
• That’s unlikely to push back the full iOS 26 release, expected in September

The iOS 26 developer beta has been out since Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2025, but if you’ve been itching to get your hands on the beta without requiring a developer account there's good news, as the iOS 26 public beta is rumored to be launching as soon as this week.

That’s according to the latest Power On newsletter ($/£) from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. There, Gurman revealed that “All indications are that iOS 26 should go into the public beta phase this coming week.”

That will bring the updated iOS operating system to a much wider audience than it currently has, although it’s not the full, ready-to-go release – that’s expected in September, alongside the reveal of the iPhone 17 range.

In a post on X last week, Gurman said that the iOS 26 public beta could launch on or around Wednesday, July 23, and the subsequent Power On update seems to suggest that Gurman remains confident with that timing.

New features coming soon

(Image credit: Apple / Future)

Gurman’s report also briefly touched on iOS 27, which is due out in 2026. Gurman believes that Apple has already started development on this software, which he says will focus on features destined for Apple’s foldable iPhone.

That’s rumored to be launching in the latter half of 2026, or perhaps early 2027, and will mark Apple’s first attempt to unseat the current best foldable phones on the market. There’s therefore a lot of pressure on Apple to get it right, perhaps explaining the early start on iOS 27.

In the past, Apple has tended to release its iOS public betas around the middle of July, so the mooted July 23 launch date is a little later than usual. Gurman ascribes this to the full-blown Liquid Glass redesign in iOS 26, saying “it makes sense that Apple would want to take a little extra time to get things right.”

But Gurman is not concerned about any knock-on effect of this delayed public beta release date, adding that it’s unlikely to push back the unveiling of the full version of iOS 26.

Aside from iOS 26, Apple will almost certainly release the public betas for macOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and an update for the HomePod’s operating system at the same time.

The iOS 26 upgrade brings in a radically overhauled look and feel thanks to the Liquid Glass redesign, as well as increased protection from spam callers, a new Games app, updates to Apple Intelligence, and more.

And with the public beta supposedly launching this week, you’ll soon be able to try them out for yourself – just make sure you remember to back up your iPhone first in case anything goes wrong.

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Many industries continue to navigate the complexities of hybrid work and shifting workforce dynamics driven by necessary digital transformations. However, there is one critical issue quietly challenging and reshaping the field services industry in particular. Field service professionals serve as the unsung heroes of modern IT infrastructure. They keep the lights on, the networks connected and the systems running. But behind the scenes, a demographic shift threatens to disrupt these operations.

Veteran technicians, who have spent their careers mastering the nuances of complex systems, are exiting the workforce in large numbers, and there is no clear plan for passing on their knowledge. To make matters worse, younger generations are not joining the industry at the rate needed to replace retiring workers. What’s left is a widening skills gap that threatens to slow operations, increase costs and compromise service quality.

The Retirement Wave Is Real — and Risky

Baby Boomers make up a significant portion of the field service workforce, and their retirement creates more than a staffing issue — it’s a knowledge crisis. These professionals hold a wealth of practical, hands-on insights, including how to troubleshoot legacy equipment, navigate customer preferences and solve problems that aren’t covered in manuals.

To make matters worse, a recent survey from Service Council found that nearly half of field service engineers do not anticipate having a life-long career in the field. Of those engineers looking to leave, half expect to do so in the next three years, which would mean the loss of invaluable institutional knowledge.

The potential consequences will be far-reaching for organizations across all industries, with longer resolution times, higher error rates and diminished customer experience. And while companies will hire new talent, it won’t be enough to truly fill the knowledge gap.

Replacing Workers Isn’t Replacing Wisdom — AI Can Help

New technicians, no matter how well-trained, need time to build the kind of intuition that comes with experience. Research shows that 70% of skill development happens through hands-on work, while just 10% is a result of formal training. Without structured systems to capture and transfer knowledge, organizations risk leaving new hires to learn through trial and error — a costly and inefficient approach in today’s fast-paced environment.

However, emergent technologies, such as AI, offer a promising path forward. Rather than replacing human expertise, AI can supplement it and accelerate training by providing real-time support, predictive insights and guided troubleshooting to technicians in the field. These systems can analyze equipment data, flag anomalies and suggest next steps, helping less experienced workers make informed decisions quickly.

Advanced AI tools go even further, integrating telemetry, service logs, vendor documentation and industry best practices into a single, intelligent interface. The result is a personal digital assistant that is always available, up-to-date and ready to help. This type of support is invaluable to a newcomer in a fast-paced industry with high customer expectations.

Digital Twins: a Living Library of Expertise

Across industries, employees report difficulty accessing the information they need to do their jobs effectively, with only 12-16% of employees saying the critical information they receive from leaders is helping them do their jobs well. This is a critical issue, as it shows that traditional knowledge management tools that previously worked are falling short because they’re either fragmented, outdated or otherwise ineffective in breaking down silos.

Digital twins offer a dynamic solution. Serving as virtual replicas of physical assets and systems, these AI-powered models transmit real-time data to virtual environments. This allows new technicians, who may lack critical knowledge, to simulate scenarios, monitor performance and optimize maintenance strategies. In practice, this means that new technicians will have the opportunity to learn and practice their skills in a controlled environment.

But digital twins are not only advantageous for new technicians. All employees in the field service industry, regardless of employee experience, can benefit from digital twins, as they serve as an intuitive, on-demand source of expert guidance. They reduce learning curves and ensure that critical knowledge is preserved and accessible — regardless of who’s on the job.

The Time to Act Is Now

The field service industry is at a turning point. Organizations that invest in AI and knowledge-preserving technologies today will be better equipped to navigate tomorrow’s challenges. By proactively addressing the knowledge gap, companies can maintain operational excellence, safeguard institutional knowledge and build a more resilient, future-ready workforce.

Now is the time to bridge the gap and lead the next era of field services confidently, properly equipped with the latest cutting-edge technology.

We've listed the best COBOL online courses.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• Battlefield content creators are reportedly receiving packages from EA
• Said packages seemingly confirm the name of the series' next game
• Battlefield 6 will allegedly be revealed officially on July 29, 2025

The title of the next Battlefield game seems to have been revealed, as content creators familiar with the series have reportedly been receiving special packages from EA.

As reported by Eurogamer, Battlefield content creator Rivalxfactor posted to X / Twitter, following a since-deleted post featuring a physical box emblazoned with the Battlefield 6 title.

"Content creators are receiving packages from EA," writes Rivalxfactor, who also states that: "Battlefield 6 will be the title name and the preview to the world will probably be by the end of the month."

In a follow-up post, Rivalxfactor claims that Battlefield 6 is to be officially announced on July 29, spanning a three-day event that will encompass not only the reveal of the game, but also interviews with the developers. Rivalxfactor also says an open beta will take place "shortly after" this event, though no specific date is given here.

I have confirmed with another person that there is indeed a 3 day EA event starting on July 29th. This is where Battlefield 6 will be revealed, devs will be interviewed in a somewhat fixed format, and the game will be featured with content creators.The open beta will launch… https://t.co/OmLRH3Gg3ZJuly 19, 2025

Previously, publisher Electronic Arts has suggested that the next Battlefield game will launch before April 2026, and we've also seen what is allegedly a leaked clip of the upcoming title's campaign mode.

If the footage indeed belongs to Battlefield 6, it looks like it's going to return to the series' roots, offering a more contemporary warfare setting and thus ditching the futuristic escapades of Battlefield 2042 and the historic battlegrounds of Battlefield 5 and Battlefield 1.

While we naturally encourage you to take any and all leaks with a healthy pinch of salt - we won't truly know anything concrete until EA officially reveals the game itself - it'll be worth marking July 29 on your calendar just in case the current crop of rumors turns out to be accurate.

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• While fixing exploited flaws, Microsoft may have also introduced new bugs
• The issues affected multiple SharePoint on-prem variants
• Hackers are already exploiting them in the wild, so users should patch now

Microsoft has released an urgent patch to fix a zero-day vulnerability affecting on-premises SharePoint servers.

The vulnerability is already being exploited in the wild, which is why users are urged to apply the patch immediately and secure their assets.

Three Microsoft products were said to be affected: SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, SharePoint Server 2019, and SharePoint Server 2016. SharePoint Online (Microsoft 365) is not affected.

How to secure your endpoints

The vulnerability being addressed is described as a deserialization of untrusted data in on-premises Microsoft SharePoint Server, which allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over a network. It is tracked as CVE-2025-53770, and carries a severity score of 9.8/10 (critical).

“Microsoft is aware that an exploit for CVE-2025-53770 exists in the wild,” the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) said in its advisory.

To secure the endpoints, Microsoft recommends applying the July 2025 security updates immediately, as well as enabling Antimalware Scan Interface (AMSI) for SharePoint and making sure Defender Antivirus is deployed.

After patching, or enabling AMSI, users should rotate their ASP.NET machine keys, deploy Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to detect post-exploitation activity, or upgrade to supported SharePoint versions, if needed.

The vulnerability was actually introduced while fixing a pair of bugs that were also being exploited in the wild. Tracked as CVE-2025-49706 and CVE-2025-49704, these two were fixed in July, but introduced two new flaws - CVE-2025-53770, and CVE-2025-53771, a 6.3/10 (medium) path traversal bug that allows spoofing over a network.

The new bugs were quickly spotted by threat actors, and abused in attacks since July 18, with at least 85 organizations apparently being hit, including several multi-nationals and government entities, such as a private university and a private energy operator in California, a federal government health organization, and a private fintech firm in New York.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Nvidia's GH200 chips are at the core of Britain's Isambard-AI supercomputer
• It's the 11th fastest in the world, and 10x faster than Britain's second-fastest
• The UK government hopes it'll aid in drug discovery and more

The UK's most powerful AI supercomputer, Isambard-AI, is now fully operational at the Bristol Centre for Supercomputing (BriCS), with some serious Nvidia power at its core.

With 21 exaFlops of AI performance backed by 5,448 Nvidia GH200 Grace Hopper superchips, Isambard-AI now ranks 11th on the Top 500 list of fastest supercomputers, making it one of the global leaders.

Nvidia declared the British supercomputer is now 10x faster than the next UK supercomputer, and more powerful than all the others in the UK combined.

A giant leap forward

Besides being the 11th fastest supercomputer globally, Isambard-AI also ranks fourth globally on the Green500 list for energy efficiency, demonstrating the progress being made to reduce the environmental impact of AI machines and data centers.

Its eco-credentials are endless, including carbon-free power, waste heat recycling and a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of below 1.1 – among the best in the world.

Build in collaboration with Nvidia, HPE and the University of Bristol, Isambard-AI received £225 million in government funding in the hope that the supercomputer would go on to aid across important humanitarian issues like drug discovery and climate modeling.

"And as we press this switch to activate the UK’s most powerful supercomputer, we are embarking on Britain’s super future where AI contributes towards the delivery of better public services, greater public prosperity, deeper scientific discovery and stronger national security," UK Secretary of State Peter Kyle commented.

Among its first projects are Nightingale AI, trained on NHS data to support earlier diagnoses and personalized care, BritLLM, designed to promote inclusivity and better public service delivery in the UK's languages, including Welsh; and UCL Cancer Screening AI for prostate cancer detection.

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• The Fantastic Four: First Steps director has responded to criticism of its visual effects
• Matt Shakman gave a polite but abrupt reply to fans who've reacted negatively
• Critics who've seen the Marvel movie are unanimous in their praise of its CGI

Matt Shakman has given a blunt response to anyone who's reacted negatively to The Fantastic Four: First Steps' visual effects (VFX).

Speaking to TechRadar, the Marvel movie's director gave a polite albeit direct 10-word reply to fans who've said they're less than impressed by some aspects of the film. Of particular note is its computer generated imagery (CGI) and special effects, which have come in for some criticism since the first trailer for First Steps was released in February.

For one, reactions to Reed Richards' elastic superpowers and the Silver Surfer's aesthetic, both of which were unveiled in First Steps' official trailer, were mixed when said footage dropped in April. Then there's those who initially found fault with how The Thing looks. Oh, and let's not forget how many folks hit out at how Giganto, one of the first villains that The Fantastic Four fought in the comics and who's expected to appear in First Steps, looked in a *checks notes* promo tie-in advert for the Little Caesar's restaurant chain.

Ahead of the Marvel Phase 6 film's release, I asked Shakman for his thoughts on said criticism and whether he and First Steps' hundreds-strong VFX team felt weighed down by it.

"I think the visual effects look beautiful in this movie," he replied frankly.

Initially, some people weren't enamored with The Silver Surfer's look (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Now, some readers might think Shakman is dodging the question and/or giving a stock answer that tows the company line.

However, numerous individuals who've already seen one of the most anticipated new movies of the year, including critics, have reacted positively to the VFX in the final cut. Threads on the r/MarvelStudios and r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers sub-Reddits are full of social media posts from journalists praising the CGI and other special effects, so it seems the initial negativity to these elements of the film was overexaggerated.

Okay, the reactions in the aforementioned Reddit threads are just a fraction of those who've seen the final Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie of 2025. Nonetheless, the fact that there's people hailing First Steps' VFX is evidence that it's not as bad as some fans feared, and that it just needed a little polish and refinement ahead of launch.

You can judge for yourself when the latest Fantastic Four big-screen reboot arrives in a cinema near you on Friday, July 25. In the meantime, read my definitive guide to The Fantastic Four: First Steps or check out the section below for more pre-release coverage of the forthcoming superhero flick.

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Every organization claims security is a priority, yet 91 percent of Security and IT leaders admit they’re making compromises in their security strategies. In today’s environment, compromise has shifted from a failure point to a functional reality of modern enterprise.

Pressed to deliver agility, reduce cost, and keep up with the exponential demands of AI, security teams are being forced to make trade-offs they once would have rejected outright. Visibility is sacrificed for speed. Data quality is sidelined in the rush to deploy. Tools are added faster than they can be integrated. And all of it unfolds under the guise of “acceptable risk,” a term that now shifts depending on the urgency of the business goal at hand.

This is not a story of negligence; it’s one of systemic strain and of an urgent need to reset. As hybrid cloud environments grow more complex and threat actors grow more sophisticated, enterprises must confront an uncomfortable truth: the more compromise becomes routine, the harder it becomes to manage what comes next.

This article explores the consequences of this normalization, the fractures it is creating across the security landscape, and why visibility must be the foundation for regaining control in a world increasingly shaped by AI.

The business of compromise

Security leaders are not compromising out of carelessness. They are making calculated decisions under pressure. With cloud computing environments expanding, AI deployments accelerating, and infrastructure growing more fragmented, the operational burden on security teams is exceeding what existing tools and architectures were built to handle.

When asked where they are making trade-offs, the answers are telling. Nearly half of respondents to our 2025 Hybrid Cloud Security Survey say they lack clean, high-quality data to support secure AI workload deployment. The same proportion report insufficient visibility across their hybrid environments, particularly in lateral traffic, which remains one of the most critical yet overlooked areas for threat detection. Another 47 percent point to tool integration as a key area of compromise, highlighting the strain of managing sprawling tech stacks that fail to deliver cohesive insight.

These issues strike at the foundation of any viable security strategy. Without comprehensive visibility, detection becomes reactive. Without reliable data, AI initiatives carry unquantified risk. Without integrated tools, signal fragmentation makes it difficult to prioritize threats, let alone respond effectively.

The perception of risk is also changing. Seventy percent of Security and IT leaders now consider the public cloud to be their most vulnerable environment, citing concerns over governance, blind spots, and the difficulty of maintaining control across distributed architectures. This represents a departure from the early optimism that once accompanied widespread cloud adoption.

In this climate, compromise has become operationalized. What was once a contingency is now a constant, and the consequences extend far beyond tactical inconvenience. Each trade-off introduces ambiguity into risk calculations, increasing the likelihood that a blind spot becomes a breach. The underlying challenge is not just about resources or tooling. It is about the quiet erosion of standards that were once considered non-negotiable.

Where the cracks are showing

The consequences of compromise are materializing across every layer of the organization. This year, the percentage of organizations reporting a breach rose to 55 percent, a 17 percent increase from last year. Just as concerning, nearly half of security leaders say their current tools are falling short in detecting those intrusions. These failures are not due to a lack of investment. They are the result of environments that have outgrown traditional controls, where more data, more alerts, and more tools do not necessarily translate into better protection.

Tool sprawl is a prime example. Organizations are managing an average of 15 security tools across hybrid environments, yet 55 percent admit those tools are not as effective as they should be. Rather than delivering clarity, this growing stack often introduces friction and gaps. Overlapping capabilities generate noise without insight. And all the while, attackers are adapting faster than defenders can consolidate.

AI tools are compounding the issue. One in three organizations say their network data volumes have more than doubled over the past two years, driven largely by AI workloads. This surge is overwhelming existing monitoring tools and giving threat actors more opportunities to hide in plain sight. Nearly half of respondents report a rise in attacks targeting large language models (LLMs), while 58 percent say AI-powered threats are now a top security concern.

These developments reveal the hard truth that compromises made upstream—in visibility, data quality, and tool integration—are now surfacing downstream in the form of missed threats, delayed response times, and a growing sense that risk is outpacing control.

Visibility as a strategic equalizer

But at its core, the issue is not how much data flows through an environment, but how little of it can be fully understood or trusted. Without clear insight into where data travels and how it behaves, risk remains obscured. Eighty eight percent of Security and IT leaders say access to network-derived telemetry is essential for securing AI deployments, which speaks to a broader shift.

As systems become more distributed and threats more subtle, traditional log-based telemetry is no longer enough. What organizations need is complete visibility into all data in motion, across all environments, at all times.

For CISOs, the implications go beyond threat detection. Without complete visibility, risk management becomes reactive. Security teams operate in the dark, relying on fragmented signals and assumptions rather than intelligence. And when accountability is high, but authority is limited, the gap between what leaders are responsible for and what they can control becomes a vulnerability.

Fusing network-derived telemetry with log data is the only way to close the space between what organizations believe is secure and what is actually at risk. This deep observability is what transforms fragmented environments into something defensible, and what gives teams the situational clarity to not just respond to threats, but to contain them before they escalate.

Just because compromise has become the norm does not mean it has to remain the standard. Risk can be recalibrated, but only if visibility is treated as the foundation for a more resilient, forward-looking security strategy.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro