Technology

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It's a ChatGPT competitor, and also a sign of where glasses of the future are headed.

Prime Video has a slew of modern and classic films rotating in and out of its catalog in the upcoming weeks.

Amazon hasn't revealed how many of its titles are leaving its streaming service in May quite yet, but this last week of April and early May have a few titles already labeled on the website that you won't want to miss.

Here are three of the most highly rated films – each movie below has a Rotten Tomatoes critical rating higher than 90%, meaning it's one of the best Prime Video movies you can stream – that are leaving the service this week.

Train to Busan (2016)

• RT score: 90%
• Directors: Yeon Sang-ho
• Age Rating: PG-13
• Length: 1 hr 57 min
• Leaving on: May 1

A crowd-pleaser, Train to Busan is one of the first Korean horror films to become popular in the US. Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) is a divorced dad and workaholic fund manager who decides to grant his daughter's wish to spend her birthday together with her mother in Busan.

On the way there, the train is hijacked by zombies and they find out in real-time about the epidemic. Seok-woo has to work together with the other passengers to try to make it all the way to Busan with his daughter, which is the last safe haven in the outbreak.

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

• RT score: 98%
• Directors: Alexander Mackendrick
• Age Rating: 7+
• Length: 1 hr 32 min
• Leaving on: April 30

The Sweet Smell of Success is a noir crime thriller in which an overprotective older brother takes it too far. J. J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) is a Broadway-based gossip columnist who doesn't approve of his sister Susan's relationship with Steve, a jazz guitarist.

Sidney Falco, played by Tony Curtis, is a press agent desperate to advance his career, enough that he helps J.J. sabotage his sister's romance and ruin Steve's public image.

Midnight Run (1998)

• RT score: 95%
• Directors: Martin Brest
• Age Rating: R
• Length: 2 hr 6 min
• Leaving on: April 30

Another oldie but a goodie. Midnight Run stars Hollywood icon Robert De Niro as a character that subverts his typical crime and gangster role. Instead of playing the criminal, he's hunting them under the table. Jack Walsh (De Niro) is a bounty hunter hired to capture wanted accountant, Jonathan Mardukas (Charles Grodin).

As requested by his employer, Walsh leaves New York to deliver Mardukas to LA. However, the FBI and major mobsters tracking them complicate the journey.

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Dyson is really, really good at moving air around. While the company made its name in vacuum cleaners, it's now almost as well known for its aircare appliances – it makes some of the best fans and the best air purifiers around, sometimes in one appliance. In fact, some can also heat or humidify the air, as required.

Dyson's aircare products are instantly recognizable, with most of them sporting a slick, space-age design that seems to magic up wind from nowhere. The downside of such an established look is that it can be very difficult to tell the difference between the various models in the range. With a wide selection of options available, it can be tricky to figure out exactly which product is which, and then which one to buy.

We've put together this guide to help you tell the difference between the various options, so you can choose the right one for your needs.

Overview table

This table provides a very basic overview of the full Dyson aircare range. Click the links in the 'List price' column to jump to the product listing at Dyson in each territory. If the currency you're looking for isn't listed, it's worth doing a quick Google, because the product may still be available to buy via a third-party retailer in that territory.

I mainly want a fan

Great! Most of Dyson's aircare appliances function as fans, so you have a lot of options to choose from.

If you just want a fan, you need the Dyson Cool AM07. Because it only has one function, it's the cheapest option in the whole lineup. You can find out what we thought of it in our Dyson Cool AM07 review.

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you might want to consider a fan-purifier combo. Your main options here are the TP models, which have names starting with 'Purifier Cool'. The cheapest and most basic option here is the Purifier Cool TP10, and the most advanced is the Purifier Cool Formaldehyde TP09. Note that adding formaldehyde-removing capabilities to any Dyson product bumps up the price considerably.

(Image credit: Dyson)

Perhaps you need a fan because your home isn't especially well insulated, and you experience big temperature swings between seasons. In that case, you might consider a fan-heater combo. This option has the added benefit of meaning the appliance isn't just gathering dust in the summer months. The only option here is the Hot+Cool Jet Focus AM09. We've tested that one, and you can see how we got on in our Dyson AM09 Hot + Cool review.

Finally, you could go the whole hog and opt for a fan-purifier-heater. For this, you want the HP range, with names starting 'Purifier Hot+Cool'. Options vary by country, but one that's available everywhere is the Purifier Hot+Cool Gen1 HP10.

I mainly want an air purifier

Great! Dyson has lots of air purifier options. This tech goes hand-in-hand with what the brand needs for its vacuum cleaners, so it knows what it's doing when it comes to capturing particles.

If you just want air purification, check out the Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde models. There are two slightly different versions: the BP04 and BP03, of which the 04 is slightly higher-spec. These are bulky and expensive, and designed to tackle large areas (up to 100m²) quietly. The purification capabilities are about the best you'll find anywhere, stretching to include nasties that most air purifiers can't handle, like NO2 and formaldehyde. You can read our thoughts on this range in our Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde review.

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

If you just want a purifier for your bedroom or living room, and would prefer something smaller and cheaper, we'd suggest a purifier-fan. Look in the TP range, with products starting 'Purifier Cool'.

The most affordable, simplest model is the first-gen Purifier Cool TP10. It still has excellent purification capabilities, but it can't handle everything the Big+Quiet options can. Alternatively, opt for the Purifier Cool Formaldehyde TP09, which is more advanced.

Finally, you could go for a triple-action model. The purifier-heater-fan options have names starting 'Purifier Hot+Cool' and codes beginning HP, and the most widely available option is the Purifier Hot+Cool Gen1 HP10. Alternatively, there are a couple of options that swap heating for humidification – in the US it's the PH03 and in the UK it's the PH04.

I mainly want a heater

There are no standalone heater options in Dyson's range, but it's included as a bonus function with a number of the brand's aircare appliances.

The simplest and most affordable model is the Dyson Hot+Cool Jet Focus AM09, which operates as a fan or as a heater, depending on your needs. Otherwise, you'll need to opt for a three-in-one 'Purifier Hot+Cool' with a code name starting HP. All of these can heat, cool, or purify air. The most widely available is the Purifier Hot+Cool Gen1 HP10. We've tested the HP09, and you can read about how we got on with it in our Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde HP09 review.

(Image credit: Dyson) I mainly want a humidifier

Dyson isn't really that focused on humidifiers, but again, it's included as an added function on some combo humidifier-fan-purifier models. However, you're very limited in choice. In the US, you've got the Purifier Humidify+Cool PH03, and in the UK, it's the Purifier Humidify+Cool Formaldehyde PH04.

Commentary: Rather than going it alone, Motorola's using several AI efforts together. The approach might help us figure out what we really want AI to do on phones.

Florence Pugh and David Harbour shine in the newest entry in Phase Five.

The White House said Amazon would be considered a "hostile and political act" if it listed tariff prices next to products. But the company denies any plans to do so.

• Better search has been added to ChatGPT integration in WhatsApp
• ChatGPT search now has improved citations
• Improved memory is coming to search and shopping

On the back of the new shopping features rolling out to ChatGPT, OpenAI is also improving its search capabilities in a few helpful ways.

Firstly, the ChatGPT integration in WhatsApp has been beefed up to include more up-to-date answers when searching.

WhatsApp integration with ChatGPT works by adding ChatGPT as a new contact inside your WhatsApp app, then chatting with it via WhatsApp messages (or using voice calls in US and Canada), as you would a friend.

You can start a conversation with ChatGPT in WhatsApp by simply clicking this link on your mobile phone.

Better citations

Secondly, ChatGPT's search function has improved citation capabilities. Paragraphs can now have multiple citations, and when you hover your cursor over each citation, a different part of the text will highlight, indicating what it’s referring to. This feature seems to already be functioning when we tested it today, and is working perfectly.

Next, you should soon be able to get real-time suggestions from ChatGPT that autocomplete with trend suggestions as you're typing. This sounds very similar to the way that Google autocompletes when you start typing in Google search, however, this feature hadn't been rolled out to our account to test at the time of writing.

Finally, improved memory is going to work with ChatGPT search and its new shopping feature. This means that ChatGPT will consider what you’ve said before when it searches and shops for you, meaning you won't have to keep explaining to it that you hate a particular brand and don't want to see results from them.

Memory in search and shopping will not initially be available in the European Economic Area, UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.

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• Japanese retailers are restricting Nvidia's RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs to Japanese residents only
• It's an attempt to stop tourists from buying the Blackwell GPUs
• It comes after a previous attempt to block tax-free purchases

Besides overpriced third-party models, Nvidia's RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs are both difficult to obtain (especially Founders Edition cards). And as it turns out, one potential 'easy' alternative for consumers has very quickly been shut down.

As reported by VideoCardz, Japanese retailers have restricted purchases of the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 to Japanese nationals only. This comes after previous attempts to stop tourists from buying the prestigious graphics cards; notably, stores had blocked tax-free purchases, but they're now taking a much more aggressive approach.

Signs in stores state that both of Nvidia's high-end GPUs won't be sold to anyone who intends on using the GPU outside of the country, effectively shutting out all tourists from buying. Customers will reportedly be put through a 'Japanese resident' test before purchasing.

It's a highlight of the short supply and high demand situation surrounding graphics cards right now, and it's perhaps quite an amusing tactic from consumers considering the lack of availability at launch price, elsewhere. On paper catching a plane to another country to buy a GPU sounds like an extreme measure, but I suppose a flight to Japan could cost less than the inflation differential in other regions.

(Image credit: Nvidia)

It may sound like an extreme measure, but it's actually rather familiar. Nvidia currently has its Verified Priority Access scheme in place, which allows US customers to reserve an opportunity to buy either an RTX 5090 or RTX 5080 Founders Edition GPU; the catch is that you must have made an Nvidia account on or before January 30 to be eligible.

This prevents scalpers from spoiling the party for genuine buyers, while also ensuring there's enough to go around for consumers in the US (although, it'd be nice to see this become available for more regions), particularly in a time of high demand.

Jumping through these hurdles to get an RTX 5000 isn't worth it if you ask me...

As I write this article on an RTX 5080 laptop, I can testify to how good the Blackwell GPUs are. However, going to another region to buy a graphics card isn't worth the hassle.

Since I'm hooked on high-end gaming experiences at high resolutions, I'd never turn down the opportunity for a powerhouse GPU. For other gamers though, it's not a necessity, and Steam's latest hardware survey results show that 1080p is still the most widely used resolution.

We're now at a stage where AMD's APUs and Intel's SoCs (System-on-Chip) are performing great in games at 1080p and 1440p resolutions; for example, AMD's Ryzen AI Max 395+ outperforms some discrete GPUs in games like Cyberpunk 2077.

The only problem is these chips are only now gradually starting to make their way to desktop PCs, and most PC hardware components are facing price inflation anyway (particularly GPUs). It's now a matter of weighing your options and whether high resolutions are a priority for you - just please don't overspend, okay?

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• First leaked image suggests LiDAR could debut in DJI's Mini series of drones
• The Mini 5 could get a larger sensor than the Mini 4 Pro for better video
• The DJI Mini 5 is rumored to be taking flight in August or September 2025

The first leaked image of what is said to be DJI's next Mini drone has been shared on DroneXL, a site run by prominent DJI leaker Jasper Ellens – and it could be the upcoming DJI Mini 5 Pro.

With the Mini 4 Pro currently holding top spot in our best drones buying guide, naturally we're excited that its successor could potentially land soon – possibly in August or September.

The Mini 4 Pro is already the best sub-250g drone available, and the best premium option for beginners – so what upgrades could DJI possibly have up its sleeve?

I can think of a few improvements I'd like to see, and the leaked image, which shows the drone being tested in public in China, appears to tease some upgrades that have got DJI fans talking – let's look at what those could be, and what's hopefully coming in the rumored Mini 5 Pro.

I will tell you all about the #Mavic4Pro in the coming days. But let's appreciate this new #leaked image from the upcoming #DJIMini5 spotted in the wild. Are you just as excited about this like I am? Will definitely buy this. Cheers! Jasperhttps://t.co/IZQ5WelEaqApril 24, 2025

1. LiDAR to debut in the Mini series

In the grainy leaked image, Ellens has spotted front-facing LiDAR sensors above the drone's camera.

LiDAR would give the rumored Mini 5 Pro a more effective collision-avoidance system than the Mini 4 Pro, especially in low light – making it a safer drone to fly during twilight and at night.

DJI debuted LiDAR in the Air 3S last year, and the all-rounder drone proved better able to navigate obstacles and terrain at night than its predecessors, which are equipped with standard night-vision and object-sensing tech.

A potential Mini 5 Pro would be the world's first sub-250g drone with LiDAR, assuming that it stays within the same weight class as previous versions – more on this below.

As someone who loves flying at first and last light, and in areas with plenty of points of interest, I'd love to see LiDAR tech, but it's of limited use to users who only fly their drones in open spaces on clear days.

The Air 3S was DJI's first drone with LiDAR sensors – could the Mini 5 Pro follow suit? (Image credit: DJI) 2. Longer and more stable flight

Larger motors have also been gleaned from that leaked image, suggesting a beefier design and and potentially more efficient performance. This could translate to better wind resistance for more stable flight, plus enhanced flight times.

Improving stability and flight times could represent a significant upgrade in an area where the Mini 4 Pro didn't improve on its predecessor, the Mini 3 Pro. Some leakers are suggesting flight times of up to 50 minutes, which would smash the Mini 4 Pro's 34-minute flight time on a fully charged battery.

This improvement would be huge for a Mini-series drone – 50 minutes is the sort of flight time I'd expect from a pricier and weightier drone.

3. A larger sensor

Some leakers are also claiming that the Mini 5 will pack a 1-inch sensor, which is a much larger sensor than the 1/1.3-inch sensor utilized by the Mini 4 Pro.

A drone's camera specs are of keen interest to me as a photographer and filmmaker, and a larger sensor could be the most significant upgrade in the next model – it should deliver a cleaner image in low light, with better dynamic range, helpful in bright conditions.

I'd take better image quality in challenging light over higher resolution, but we could also see a bump to 5.3K video, which would mark an upgrade over the Mini 4 Pro's 4K video, which is available up to 100fps. The larger sensor could be the springboard for some of the biggest video upgrades the Mini series has seen yet.

The DJI Flip features propellor guards for safer flight in tight spaces around people, and the Mini 5 Pro could adopt this design (Image credit: James Abbott) 4. A new direction for design?

Back to the leaked image again, which clearly shows that the drone has propellor guards, much like those on the DJI Flip. This would be a first for one of DJI's Mini drones, but just because the drone in this image has propellor guards that it doesn't mean the final version will have them – they could just be a safety measure for the drone's pre-production testing phase.

Should a Mini 5 Pro have such a design, it could feel more like a Flip 2. This would mark a new direction for DJI's Mini series, and the reaction to this possibility has been mixed. On the plus side, propellor guards make for safer flight in tight spaces; but adding guards will affect the weight and flight performance, and many fans will be hoping for a continuation of the existing guard-free design.

5. Not so mini anymore?

Key to the appeal of DJI's Mini series of drones is that every model falls under 250g, which keeps them in the largely restriction-free weight category, and is a must for beginners and casual users.

However, if the above speculation is true, and the Mini 5 does indeed arrive with LiDAR sensors, heftier motors, and a larger image sensor, it would surely make it a weightier drone than the Mini 4 Pro, which squeezes in under 250g.

Could this upcoming model be the first DJI Mini drone to tip the scales above 250g? And if so, would its rumored upgrades be worth the price of placing the drone in the next weight category up?

Surely not – if there's one feature I'd love to see in DJI's next Mini drone, it's one that has been there from the beginning: a sub-250g weight.

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• HMRC is looking for a new CRM supplier, and it's encouraging SMEs to apply
• The winning bid will supply the CRM system for at least 15 years
• HMRC isn't particularly known for its great customer service...

HMRC has announced plans for a new SaaS CRM platform to manage citizen tax interactions, and a preliminary market engagement notice has been issued to invite bids and engage with potential suppliers.

Ideally, the CRM platform will include registration, subscription, and customer record management as well as identity, verification, access, and fraud services, plus secure communications and document storage options.

The news comes as HMRC also explores plans for a future Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) platform set to be procured this year. The notice stresses that the two systems must seamlessly integrate.

HMRC is looking for a new CRM system

By ensuring interoperability across its different platforms, HRMC hopes that the modernization will "directly [enhance] taxpayer interactions, [streamline] services, and [reduce] administrative burdens."

HMRC's current systems aren't known for their strong performance – MPs reported significant issues with the department's phone services in 2023-24, with 44,000 callers cut off after waiting 70 minutes in the tax year's first 11 months (via The Register). The average call wait time was reportedly over 23 minutes, and only two in three calls were ever answered.

The National Audit Office (NAO) also noted that customers spent a combined 798 years on hold in the 2023-24 financial year.

A total of £1 billion excluding VAT (£1.2 billion with VAT) has been set aside to find a CRM supplier, with whom HRMC anticipates entering into a 15-year contract. Formal competition for the CRM platform is expected to start in June 2025, and there's a particular preference for small and medium-sized enterprises to step forward.

In its notice, HMRC noted: "The programme is critical to supporting the government's critical aims for HMRC to modernise its systems, improve customer service, and close the Tax Gap."

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• Garmin could be adding LTE to the Fenix 8
• A new leaked screenshot could point to inclusion of cellular support in a future model
• It would be the first LTE Garmin since the 2021 Forerunner 945 LTE

A new leak purportedly reveals that Garmin may be preparing to launch an LTE version of its best Garmin watch, the Garmin Fenix 8, which would let users leave their phone behind in more scenarios providing your watch is added to a data plan.

Garmin hasn't offered LTE – cellular connectivity for making calls, streaming music, and more – on its smartwatches since the Forerunner 945 LTE, which launched in 2021. If this leak is real and shows us what we think it does, that could be about to change.

Gadgets and Wearables claims to have acquired a screenshot "showing a Fenix 8 device with LTE appearing as one of the connectivity options during the troubleshooting pairing process, sitting alongside Wi-Fi, Phone, and Sensor & Accessories."

The screenshot clearly reveals an LTE settings option. If it's real, it could mean users will eventually have the option to buy an LTE-capable version of the Fenix 8.

Garmin Fenix 8 LTE?

(Image credit: Gadgets and Wearables)

As the report notes, LTE inclusion in the Fenix 8 could denote a couple of things. Garmin could choose to restrict LTE to safety features like emergency alerts and live tracking, so your friends and family can more readily see your location even if you've ventured off without your phone.

A more exciting upgrade would be LTE as we know it on most watches, which enables streaming of music, calls, and texts. It's a mainstay option on many of the best smartwatches, including the best Apple Watches in 2025, and an obvious gap in Garmin's repertoire.

The veracity of this leak is impossible to determine at this stage, but there's no reason to suspect Garmin couldn't pull off an LTE Fenix 8. Naturally, cellular requires modified hardware, so this would be a more expensive new model that customers could buy from Garmin, rather than an upgrade to existing devices.

Garmin has endured a torrid 2025, notable for a massive outage and the beleaguered launch of its very unpopular Garmin Connect+ subscription service, which has generated a slew of user outcry because of its very shallow feature set and a general aversion to subscription fatigue from customers.

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• Shokz OpenDots ONE weight just 0.23oz per earbud
• Interchangeable left/right earbuds, and 10-hour battery life
• $199 (about £149 / AU$309), available now

Shokz has launched its smallest open-ear wireless buds yet, the OpenDots ONE. Weighing just 0.23 ounces (just over 6g) per bud they're extremely light, and their clip-on design should ensure they stay put even when you're active, despite they being smaller and not having the wrapround design of the Shokz that top our list of the best open earbuds.

The clip-on section is made from a nickel-titanium arch that Shokz says feels gentle but stays secure on all ear sizes. It's enclosed in soft silicone for comfort and the earbuds are interchangeable: simply stick them in whichever ear you like and they'll work out which bud is in which ear and adjust the stereo accordingly.

(Image credit: Shokz) Shokz OpenDots ONE: pricing and key features

The buds are powered by custom 11.8mm drivers with Shokz' Bassphere design for a strong low end. There are four EQ modes and what Shokz calls DirectPitch Audio, which is designed to minimize sound leakage despite the buds not being directly in your ear canal.

There are two microphones for calls, and AI noise reduction for clarity when you're speaking to someone – though there's no active noise cancellation here.

The battery life is up to 10 hours on a single charge and a total of 40 hours from the lightweight charging case. The buds are IP54 water and sweat resistant, and they have multipoint so you can connect to two devices simultaneously for easy switching.

So far the launch is US-only, with availability from today (April 29th). The recommended retail price is $199 (about £149 / AU$309, though there's no confirmation of a launch in other countries yet).

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A frantic fight against man and machine, ARC Raiders separates itself from the usual genre fare.

• VeriSource started sending out data breach notification letters and reported the February 2024 incident to Maine's AG
• It now says the number of victims is four million, up from the initial 55,000
• Names, addresses, and SSNs were grabbed in the attack

Four million people may have had their sensitive data stolen in the Verisource data breach that happened last year. The company confirmed the news in a new filing with the Office of the Maine Attorney General, as well as in a data breach notification letter sent to affected individuals.

VeriSource Services is a Houston-based employee benefits administration company, with clients in different industries in the US, including healthcare, education, and the public sector.

It recently started sending out data breach notification letters, in which it said that it became aware of “unusual activity” that disrupted access to certain systems, on February 28, 2024. The subsequent investigation, which concluded on April 17, 2025, determined that threat actors stole “certain personal information” the day before being spotted.

Get Keeper Personal for just $1.67/month, Keeper Family for just $3.54/month, and Keeper Business for just $7/month

​Keeper is a cybersecurity platform primarily known for its password manager and digital vault, designed to help individuals, families, and businesses securely store and manage passwords, sensitive files, and other private data.

It uses zero-knowledge encryption and offers features like two-factor authentication, dark web monitoring, secure file storage, and breach alerts to protect against cyber threats.

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Unknown attackers

The information stolen includes people’s names, addresses, dates of birth, gender information, and/or Social Security numbers (SSN). “Please note that VSI has no evidence of any actual or suspected misuse of information involved in this incident,” the company said.

It is also worth mentioning that no one has so far assumed responsibility for the attack and the data has not surfaced anywhere on the dark web. Therefore, it is difficult to determine if this was a simple smash-and-grab, or a ransomware attack.

While the letter didn’t say how many people were affected by the breach, a listing on the website of the Maine Attorney General’s Office puts the number of victims at four million, up from 55,000 in May 2024, and another 112,000 in September 2024.

VeriSource said that it offers 12 months of free credit monitoring, identity theft protection, and identity restoration services to the victims. Although it might sound too little too late, the fact that the data hasn’t surfaced yet could mean the offering might make sense.

Via BleepingComputer

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I don't know if there's a correlation between athletic ability and interests in sports, but I can tell you that my general disinterest probably stems from an early inability to throw, catch, or kick a ball.

That's why Apple's Sports, a powerful catchall app for dozens of major athletic leagues' stats, didn't turn me on when it was released in 2024. There is, of course, an exception to every rule, and for me, that's the Mets. I've been a fan for over 50 years, and now they're the reason I genuinely love and use the Sports app.

Compared to other sports, baseball might be considered one of the least athletic or even interesting. Most of the players are standing around while a pitcher tries to throw a small white ball by a batter. Even if the hitter connects, usually only a portion of the fielders are involved in the play.

Some think baseball is plodding and dull (recent changes like limited pick-off throws and a pitch clock were designed to address those complaints), but it's the only sport I care about, and, more specifically, the Mets are the only team I follow.

Outside pitch

(Image credit: Future)

I've never been a great fan, though, making it to just a handful of games a year and often losing track of the team's performance for weeks at a time. When I cut cable, I lost access to SNY, PIX11, and Fox 5, three TV networks that regularly broadcast games. During the Mets' spectacular post-season run in 2024, I did everything I could to watch every single game (they eventually lost in the National League series to the Dodgers).

This year, the Mets got off to a very strong start. I even attended an early-season game in April and, breaking my own jinx (they lose almost every game I attend), watched the Mets come from behind to win. This season felt different.

In the meantime, I hadn't thought much about Apple's Sports app in ages. Over the last year, I could probably count on one hand how often I'd checked it. This is not a judgment on the app, as I noted earlier, I'm not a sports guy. However, my relationship with the app changed this year, and now, it's a home run.

It started when I noticed that for every Mets game, the Dynamic Island on my iPhone 16 Pro lit up with game stats. In that small space, there's just enough room for the Mets logo, an opposing team logo, and the run totals for each team.

I was surprised to see it appear without any action on my part, but I'd also forgotten that when I first installed the app in 2024, I selected the Mets as my only favorite team.

Doing so didn't have much impact throughout the summer of 2024, as the Mets played most of their 162 games. That changed with the launch of iOS 18, which introduced Live Activities, adding the ability to display sports stats for your selected teams on lock screens and in the Dynamic Island. It has also added the notifications to my Apple Watch.

Now the app feels like I'm stealing third.

Caught looking

(Image credit: Future)

I can now glance at my iPhone screen or, better yet, my Apple Watch Series 10 and quickly catch up with the latest game. While the Dynamic Island only displays the score, both the Apple Watch and Lock screen alerts show the inning and provide a concise description of the most recent play.

And when someone scores, my Apple Watch's taptic engine bounces on my wrist like a soft liner between second and third, and I glance to see if the Mets or the opposing team just crossed home plate.

(Image credit: Future)

Inside the Sports App, Apple offers an admirable level of play-by-play detail. I can track every pitcher, batter, hit, and run. However, for details about every pitch style (slider, fastball, curve) and exact pitch location (complete with a visible strike zone), I turn to MLB.com's play-by-play. I'd love to see Sports add this level of detail.

Even so, I'm impressed with Sports and its speed, something Craig Mahonchak, Head of Product for Sports at Apple, explained to TechRadar Managing Editor, News, US, Jake Krol last year. "We’ve nearly eliminated the latency from what we received from a provider to getting it down to your screen," Mahonchak told Krol.

For all those times when I'm not sitting in front of a TV or listening to the radio, which is most of the time, Apple Sports has graduated to my big leagues and is now the best way to track my favorite team.

Does it help that, as of this writing, the Mets are currently the best team in baseball? Of course. Will I still pay attention to Apple Sports when the Mets inevitably slip back to mortality? I'm a die-hard fan, and you bet I will. LGM.

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• Marks & Spencer suffered a cyber-incident earlier in April
• The media are saying the attack was the work of ScatteredSpider
• The retailer is still tackling the outage

The major cyber-incident at British Retailer Marks & Spencer, which has been ongoing for more than a week now, seems to be the work of Scattered Spider, an infamous and slippery threat actor. The news was broken by BleepingComputer, citing “multiple sources” and claiming this was a ransomware attack. The company itself did not want to comment on the information, though.

In late April, news broke of a “cyber incident” that affected M&S stores for “days” and resulted in “small changes” to store operations. The company also confirmed Click and Collect services were impacted, and that some stores were unable to process contactless payments.

A few days later, the company said it had to take some systems and processes offline, and that Click and Collect services had to be paused in all stores. Online orders were halted as a result, as well.

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Old actors or new copycats?

The retailer said in a statement that in order to protect colleagues, partners, suppliers, and the business, it “made the proactive decision to move some [of our] processes offline”. There were no confirmations that this was a ransomware attack, although it all pointed to that being the case.

Now, BleepingComputer says that this was, in fact, a ransomware attack, conducted by none other than Scattered Spider. This is not a state-sponsored threat actor, but rather a financially motivated collective. It usually targets companies in the west, such as tech firms, telcos, and those working in hospitality. The group breaks into networks through social engineering tactics and SIM-swapping.

In earlier years, it used to deploy the BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware variant, but since this group disbanded and disappeared, it pivoted to other solutions. In this case, the publication says it deployed the DragonForce encryptor to M&S’ VMware ESXi hosts on April 24, encrypting virtual machines. DragonForce has recently pivoted to a 'cartel' business model.

Multiple cybersecurity teams have been brought in to investigate and assist with mitigating the damage, including CrowdStrike, Microsoft, and Fenix24.

Via BleepingComputer

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When it comes to viewing numbers, The Last of Us season 2 is bigger than a bloater – and notably, bigger than the first season too.

Where season 1 attracted 4.7 million viewers for its debut, making it the second most-watched HBO premiere in more than a decade, the first episode of The Last of Us season 2 reached 5.3 million people.

The Last of Us has been a huge hit for HBO. As Variety reports, the first season reached 8.2 million people with its finale and this second season got off to an even stronger start.

What makes it one of the best Max shows is that the characters feel incredibly real – and that means their stress is our stress, their fear is our fear, their losses are our losses. And if that's the kind of thing you like, Max has many more shows that deliver the same kind of experience, albeit in very different environments.

While these other shows may not be full of Infected, they're as contagious as cordyceps; if you're looking for shows that'll absolutely hook you like The Last of Us does, I think you'll love these.

The Pitt

Where to watch: Max (US), Foxtel Now / Binge (AU)

The hospital in The Pitt isn't quite as bleak as the one we saw at the end of The Last of Us Season 1 and in flashback in season 2. But it's hardly a holiday resort either.

Noah 'ER' Wyle and a spectacularly strong cast are doctors in a Pittsburgh ER, and over the course of 15 nail-biting hours the story strands come together in a horrifying event that pushes everyone involved to, and sometimes beyond, their limits.

There are no zombies in here, but there's a whole ton of humanity as we follow the residents, nurses and patients through a single marathon day. So far I've only cried at one episode of The Last of Us; I cried at least once in every single episode of The Pitt.

As The New Yorker put it: "It’s structured such that you know you’ll have your heart broken and mended several times per episode – it’s just a matter of how."

True Detective

Where to watch: Max (US), Sky / Now TV (UK)

Over its four seasons True Detective's quality wavered – season 1 has a 92% Rotten Tomatoes critical rating, whereas the you-should-probably-skip-it second season didn't even crack the halfway mark. But the first, third and fourth seasons of this intense, odd and often deeply disturbing cop drama are well worth watching.

The first season was "one of the best detective shows ever aired on TV," CBR said, while RogerEbert.com praised the leads: "[Matthew] McConaughey and [Woody] Harrelson don't just fill out these characters, they disappear into them, delivering two of the best performances you'll see in TV or film this entire year."

Season 2... let's not go there. Instead, let's go to the third season and the magnificent Mahershala Ali. Digital Spy spoke for many: "Come for the unravelling Arkansas mystery - but stay for the mesmerising tour de force that is Mahershala Ali and you won't be disappointed by this latest outing." Los Angeles Magazine agreed. "Ali isn't in every scene in True Detective; it just seems like it. The show is Ali's masterpiece".

One question came up again and again: where are the women? In response, season 4 put Issa López in the director's seat and Jodie Foster and Kali Reis centre stage for a disturbing snow-set nightmare.

"The Jodie Foster-led revival balances supernatural flourishes with distinctly human horrors," said The New Yorker. And RogerEbert.com described it very well: "A mesmerizing study of murder, misogyny, racism, cycles of abuse, and possibly something out of H.P. Lovecraft, 'Night Country' will rattle you."

Chernobyl

Where to watch: Max (US), Sky / Now TV (UK)

Chernobyl is a dramatization of the events that created a post-apocalyptic wasteland near Pripyat, then part of the Soviet Union, in 1986. And it's almost unbearable, a masterclass in tension and looming horror.

For The Australian, the short season was "created with an awesome attention to historical accuracy and detail, brought back that harrowing event with frightening clarity and a superbly orchestrated sense of danger and dread." And Collider said that "Chernobyl is a series where you will have to remind yourself to unclench your jaw and un-tense your shoulders while watching it. It is heartbreaking and intense".

For Polygon: "HBO's five-part Chernobyl series is perhaps one of the best examples of cosmic horror that has ever been filmed, and that feat is made more impressive by the fact that the show is based on real-world events." And Vanity Fair said that the show "is not just excellent television; it's paradigm-shifting historical storytelling, the kind of tale that alters, ever-so-subtly, the texture of the real world."

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