Technology

If you've been following TechRadar's fitness coverage over the last couple of months, you'll have heard about the Casio F-B100W.

It's a cheap Bluetooth digital watch — ($65 / £55 / AU$119) and despite looking very similar to the classic, extremely cheap F-91W, it's got some differences. It's a little bit bigger, it's got an additional button, a dual time-zone mode, and, crucially for our purposes, a few smart features thanks to its Bluetooth capability: Find My Phone, and a step tracker.

This stripped-back approach to smartwatches is great for people who are looking to increase their activity levels, but don't want to pay for a smartwatch or use all the bells and whistles of a full-fledged fitness tracker. In fact, it reminds me of the very first Fitbits, which were simple pebble-shaped Bluetooth-enabled step trackers that clipped to your clothes.

I had a lot of fun with this watch, as I loved the retro styling, and it had just enough smarts to be useful. As a perpetual phone-misplacer, Find My Phone functionality is an essential for me for any smartwatch, while the most basic movement-based metric of step tracking remains useful even today. In the app, your step counts are broken into bar charts over a week, month or year to analyze trends.

But, considering the extraordinary cheap price of the watch, I was wondering how accurate it could be. So I decided to test it against this year's best smartwatch, the Apple Watch Ultra 4. The Ultra 4 costs $799 / £749 / AU$1,349, a far cry from the cost of the Casio, and is equipped with top-of-the-range fitness metrics for every eventuality.

(Image credit: Future)

To start with, it's worth noting that I can't separate the Casio's daily step counter into a specific workout, so by the time I'd strapped both watches on, and gone up and down the stairs putting my shoes on, finding my keys and earphones, and stepping out to the starting point of my run, I had already walked 269 steps, and that was reflected in the Casio's score. Not the best start to the experiment.

However, after the run was complete, I checked the scores on both apps immediately. Once the Apple Watch's workout was marked as 'complete' it stopped tracking my steps, so I didn't want to make the same mistake again and inflate the Casio's score. The moment I finished my workout on the Apple Watch, I screenshotted both apps.

And I was impressed. The Casio recorded a score of 4,910 steps. Minus my initial 269 steps, that leaves us at 4,641 steps in total for the Casio F-B100W.

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 recorded 4,679, a difference of just 38 steps. That's a teeny margin of error for two completely different watches in two completely different price brackets, operating solely on estimations from their onboard sensors, and I'm thrilled with this result.

What does this mean in practice? It means that if all you're interested in is tracking your steps, and you like the retro digital watch vibe (after all, retro tech has been making a comeback for a while now) I can say that the humble Casio F-B100W was just as good a step counter as the most expensive Apple Watch on the market, and I can double-down on my recommendation. It's a great watch.

Admittedly, it doesn't have the other advanced metrics of the Apple Watch (or any other metrics, for that matter), but this test was an exercise in testing the Casio step counter's quality, not objectively comparing the two watches — and it passed that test with flying colors.

• Cummings Aerospace fired two 3D-printed Hellhound S3 jet drones from a buggy-mounted launcher, a first for the weapon
• One operator sent both drones on separate autonomous missions using a single handheld fire control system
• The new launcher holds up to eight drones, and Cummings plans to fire it next from unmanned ground and naval vehicles

A small American defense firm has just shown what mass-produced, 3D-printed air power could look like in the field, and it fits on the back of a utility vehicle.

Cummings Aerospace has fired two of its 3D-printed Hellhound S3 jet-powered drones from a launcher mounted on a Polaris buggy, with a single operator using one handheld controller to send both drones off on separate autonomous missions.

The company says the test met all its objectives and marks several firsts for the turbojet weapon.

Moving drones from a bagpack to a buggy?

The demonstration took place on August 25, 2026, at the Pendleton UAS Range in Oregon, where a firm engineer fired the two Hellhounds one after the other. Both carried inert payloads and flew different preplanned routes at different speeds; the results were announced on October 12 2026.

Until now, the Hellhound had flown only in its man-portable form in more than a dozen flight tests. This was the first time it had been fired from a vehicle, the first use of a new launcher that can hold up to eight drones, the first ripple-fire of the S3, and the first time a single operator controlled more than one Hellhound at once.

Before launch, the operator programmed each drone's waypoints, altitudes, and flight path into the handheld fire control system. Once airborne, the drones flew those routes on their own while streaming data back, so the operator could watch both flights live and redirect or abort either mission.

The play here is about doing more with fewer people: CEO Sheila Cummings put it, instead of manually flying a single drone to a target, one soldier using one fire control system can simultaneously put multiple Hellhounds on multiple targets.

The Hellhound S3 is roughly the size of a baseball bat and weighs about 13 pounds. Its turbojet engine lets it fly more than 60 km (37 miles) at speeds up to 618 km/h (384 mph), putting it in a different class from the propeller-driven quadcopters and loitering munitions that have come to define the war in Ukraine.

It is also much easier to build, leveraging 3D-printed and commercial off-the-shelf components that allow for easy modifications, repairs, and mass production if needed. Cummings Aerospace frames the Hellhound as a multi-mission weapon rather than a single-trick munition. It can work as a loitering munition, a precision-guided munition, a one-way attack drone, or a counter-drone interceptor.

Operators can swap between four mission modules, covering armor-piercing, blast-fragmentation, electronic warfare, and decoy roles, in under two minutes without tools.

The company has previously said the turbojet's documented top speed lets it chase and destroy smaller Group 2 and 3 drones, giving it a hunter-killer role against other UAVs.

That counter-drone angle is arguably the most important here because the threat it is built to answer keeps getting smarter and cheaper; A recent report on a NATO-backed drone AI that picked its own target and struck it, and the US Army showing off its in-house "Dragoons" drone fitted with 3D-printed bombs are merely the tip of the iceberg. Cheap, printable airframes are becoming the common currency of modern conflict, on both the giving and receiving ends.

Much of the appeal of the Hellhound S3 as a viable counter lies in its manufacturing process. The Hellhound is built largely with commercially available 3D printers in-house, which is central to Cummings' goal of producing at least 100 S3 airframes a month and her stated interest in licensing the design to US and international partners for distributed production.

In an era where drone tariffs and supply chains have become a strategic concern, a weapon you can print close to the front is as much a logistics argument as a battlefield one, and one can assume that the Hellhound S3 is but the first of many that will eventually make it to the modern battlefield in different shapes, sizes, and capabilities.

• Federal Court of Australia orders Apple to open up its iOS ecosystem in Australia to third-party app stores
• Apple is also ordered to restore Epic Games' Fortnite back onto the Australian App Store
• Apple denies it has a monopoly in Australia and plans to appeal the decision

The Federal Court of Australia has ordered Apple to fully open up its iOS ecosystem in the country to third-party competitors, with Justice Jonathan Beach ruling that the tech giant misused its market power to maintain a monopoly over app distribution and in-app payments.

The ruling has also ordered Apple to restore the video game Fortnite and other Epic Games apps back onto the Australian App Store, six years after the Cupertino tech giant banned the game for bypassing Apple’s payment systems.

Both orders are set to take effect at noon Australian Eastern time on March 1, 2027.

“In response to regulatory or judicial constraints imposed in connection with the App Store that are anything other than detailed, prescriptive and precise, Apple has systematically implemented practices that seek to circumvent the practical effects of those constraints,” the ruling read.

Beach also said that Apple “devised and pursued a deliberate and comprehensive strategy of foreclosure in relation to iOS app distribution.”

An Apple spokesperson told TechRadar that the company “does not have a monopoly position in Australia or in any market around the world. We respectfully disagree with many findings in this case, including a market definition that has been rejected by other courts.

“We will request a stay and appeal the outcome to seek a resolution that respects our intellectual property and protects the safe, secure experience that consumers and developers expect from the App Store.”

Apple has until February 15 to appeal this decision.

TechRadar has also contacted Epic Games for comment, though Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney took to X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate the ruling.

The Australian Epic v Apple antitrust remedies were just issued, and are a huge victory for consumers and developers. We are studying the verdict and will share more soon.The Court has freed Fortnite in Australia and it will return alongside the Epic Games Store…soon. https://t.co/Ib1FIu1z9tOctober 22, 2026

Apple and Epic Games have been going back and forth in courts ever since the former removed Fortnite from the Apple App Store in August 2020 for selling the in-game currency V-bucks in a way that would circumvent Apple’s 30% commission fee on in-app purchases.

Last year, the US Supreme Court also ruled that Apple engaged in anti-competitive conduct and pricing. A separate ruling in 2024, meanwhile, forced Apple to allow US customers to add links and buttons inside their apps that bring them out to a website where they can input credit card information, though it ultimately didn’t grant Epic Games’ petition to open iOS to competing stores and payments. Sweeney, at the time, called the ruling “a sad outcome for all developers”.

(Image credit: Epic Games)No more loopholes?

With Apple looking to appeal this ruling, these changes are far from guaranteed to happen in March next year, but it would be interesting to see if the tech giant will adopt a similar “compliance through friction” strategy in Australia.

The 2024 ruling above saw Apple implement a 27% commission on transactions completed on those external websites, a disclosure warning and restricted developers from using traditional buttons or persuasive calls-to-action language.

The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) forced Apple to allow third-party app stores, sideloading (installing apps through websites) and alternative in-app payments. Apple, instead, found workarounds like implementing a “Core Technology Fee” (charging developers that opt out of the App Store 50 euro cents per first annual install regardless of whether the developer made any money), using convoluted and multi-step installation processes for third-party app stores and requiring alternate app store developers to secure a $1 million standby letter of credit.

Justice Beach called them “deterrence tactics”, saying the fees blocked “any genuine prospect of competition” and explicitly addressed those “disproportionate frictions”, non-neutral disclosure sheets and discriminatory fees in the ruling.

The ruling outlines specific bans that Apple has to follow:

• implementing the Core Technology Fee
• 27% commissions on on transactions done through external websites
• disclosure sheets
• forcing developers into new, bundled contracts just to use alternative distribution
• requiring developers to also display Apple’s In-App Purchase (IAP) button alongside their preferred payment method
• forcing developers to appoint Apple as their legal "agent" for marketing and delivery.

Some potential workarounds that Apple may explore could be under the guise of “security standards”, using user interface design to discourage users and aggressive geofencing, or we could even see something completely different.

In any case, this is far from the last time that Apple and Epic Games will face each other in court, with Apple’s appeal to the US Supreme Court scheduled for sometime during its October 2026–2027 term. The EU is still actively investigating Apple while Epic Games continues to challenge Cupertino’s policies under the DMA.

The Apple iPhone Duo is the rare Apple product that has not received universally glowing or negative reviews. Opinions are split over its lack of Face ID support, iPhone 17 Pro-grade cameras (but without the telephoto lens), and slightly hefty frame when folded. It's also generated more interest in an iPhone than I've seen in years, and when I followed my exhaustive, generally positive review with a pair of AMAs (Ask Me Anything) on Threads and X, I was flooded with questions. My Threads post alone has 1,300 comments.

Granted, not every question was about the Duo. Many took the "Anything" part literally and asked me about everything from my hairline to their favorite color. I played along as I fielded myriad queries about Apple's first folding device. Over 24 hours, I reiterated many points from my review, which I doubt many read, but I also learned a thing or two I missed while testing the product.

Post by @lanceulanoff View on Threads

Here are some of the highlights:

For my iPhone Duo review, I placed the folded phone on multiple MagSafe charge stands and holders. The MagSafe magnets sit on the back, right under the camera array, and the Duo fits perfectly on each stand. With charge stands, the Duo instantly slips into the redesigned Standby mode. I love it.

(Image credit: Future)

Someone on Threads asked me if I had tried unfolding the Duo and putting it on a MagSafe stand. So I did and quickly found that the weight of the half not attached to the charging stand made the entire phone rotate ever so slowly on the MagSafe charger. So, while you could use the unfolded Duo on a MagSafe charging stand, it is not recommended.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

After someone else asked if they could still use their MagSafe Wallet, I found that the Duo's back is too short to accommodate the standard MagSafe Wallet.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

With its two differently sized screens, the iPhone Duo is unique in the iPhone lineup, and there were reasonable questions about how features like vertical Wallpaper images work across the cover and inner display.

@LanceUlanoff How do wallpapers work? If you have a vertical photo on the outer screen does it not work on the inner one?October 22, 2026

I didn't know, so I set the cover wallpaper as a vertical photo I took with the Duo of the Empire State Building, and I gotta say, I love the handoff between displays. The Cover display showed the iconic building, and when I opened the Duo, it showed more of the photo.

Lance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / Future

There were a lot of questions about the Duo's split-screen capabilities, like if I could open more than two apps (no, but you can do a PiP video overlay), and if you could drag and drop content from one screen to another (you can).

(Image credit: Future)

Some wondered if you could run the same app on both screens. You cannot, but if you want to maximize your social media, I found that you could run TikTok and Instagram Reels in side-by-side windows. It's social media turned up to 11.

@lanceulanoff

♬ Ashes Over Atlas - Hank Deluca

During my review, I tried running the Kindle app, but the app wasn't optimized for the device and looked tiny and useless. Someone asked me about "iBooks," which is now known as Books.

(Image credit: Future)

As a first-party app, it's optimized for Duo, of course. Flipping virtual pages on the 7.6-inch inner display is a transporting experience.

@lanceulanoff

♬ Still Glass Horizons - Whispering Wanderer

Many wondered whether I hated the matte finish on the inner display (I don't), but I also got a ton of questions about the crease and the inner display's overall durability. A few wanted to know if I'd scratched it, either purposefully or by accident, with my fingernail. I had not, honestly; I don't even see fingerprints on the matte display.

(Image credit: Future)

A couple of people asked about the visibility of the crease and whether that area of the screen bounced or wobbled when I touched it. So I tested it by opening the phone and pressing down on the essentially invisible crease. No movement.

@Kevinpogee04 Honestly, there's no give https://t.co/tFB5zamnSCOctober 22, 2026

Many had obviously heard that not every app is optimized for the new inner display. In my review, I noted that LinkedIn and Gmail were particularly poor fits and later found that Adobe Acrobat still wasn't optimized. But developers are constantly delivering updates, so apps that didn't work yesterday look great today.

(Image credit: Future)

Still, people wanted to know how apps deal with the handoff from the 5.4-inch outer display to the 7.6-inch inner one. Optimized apps handle it smoothly; most simply expand without losing context.

Some, like DeckMan and Toastie, playfully use the two screens to create entertaining interplays. DeckMan, for instance, turns the duo into a virtual portable tape deck.

FutureFuture

An almost equal number shared their concerns about the size of the 5.4-inch cover display. It's actually not that small, but Apple's decision to place the Dock vertically on the right-hand side means that you lose a lot of pixels to what is often empty space. Others complained about the lack of support for left-handed users (they kept asking me if I was left-handed). Some are even bothered by the dock's placement on the much larger inner display. You can't move it, and this will probably remain a key issue for many potential Duo owners.

(Image credit: Future)

Every single iPhone model now supports Face ID, with the notable exception of the new Duo. It's probably the single biggest Duo misstep, and many asked me if I was having trouble adjusting to using Touch ID again. Initially, I was, but I have gotten used to it. I hope the next Duo brings back facial recognition.

I probably got a dozen or so questions about battery life. Some reviewers have criticized the Duo for subpar battery life if you mainly use the larger inner screen. I did not find that, but I did field quite a few battery life questions from concerned potential buyers. I told them what my tests found: all-day battery life in a variety of situations.

I struggled a bit when people asked me to compare the Duo to the iPhone 18 Pro Max. I get it; they want to know if they should stick with what they know or, perhaps, try the awesome new thing. It's not easy, though, to directly compare the single-screen iPhone 18 Pro Max with the dual-display Duo. But leaving aside the screens, if you focus on, say, the cameras, you might stick with the 18 Pro Max, which offers a telephoto and a variable-aperture main camera. The Duo is also heavier than the iPhone 18 Pro Max, which might be a deal-breaker for some.

(Image credit: Future)

There were also a healthy number of comparisons to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 lineup, especially the similarly sized and shaped Galaxy Z Fold 8. A few asked me to compare the cameras. Turns out that both the Z Fold 8 and Duo have just two external cameras: wide and ultra-wide, and the Z Fold 8 has just a couple of megapixels per camera on the Duo. Ultimately, it's a wash on the camera front.

(Image credit: Future)

I got just as many questions about the cameras' quality, including the 12MP Center Stage camera on the outside and the 4MP inner camera. I found it interesting that many knew not to directly compare it to the new iPhone 18 Pro Max lenses and instead focused on the more comparable iPhone 17 Pro's wide and ultrawide. In my testing, I found the imagery was just as good as what I got from that now year-old device. I do, however, miss the telephoto lens.

(Image credit: Future)

One person actually asked how this iPhone Duo is different from the Surface Duo that Microsoft launched in 2019 and discontinued in 2024. I gently explained that while the Surface Duo's inner screen had two displays, the iPhone Duo offers one flexible inner display.

(Image credit: Future)

Apple hasn't said much about Apple Pencil support, but that may be because the Duo currently only supports the Apple Pencil USB-C. Why? It's the only one that you can still charge separately from, say, a tablet. Apple Pencil Pro needs the iPad to charge. The Duo cannot charge another device. As one Threads user put it, "Which basically means that my Pencil Pro is useless?" Mine too, my friend, mine, too.

Birdbuddy’s latest feeders offer free AI bird-species detection at the lowest prices ever. Here’s what you get.

A series of judgments and settlements don’t seem to be slowing Meta’s provocative privacy practices.

Carbon-X can analyze DNA sequences while running on your laptop at home.

It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but it’s hyper specificity toward business owners and professionals.

Trust this genuine FTC warning. And maybe just don’t answer your phone.

The lodging platform is updating its policies around what hosts can require of guests.

If you struggle with doomscrolling when you should be sleeping, this new Brick could help.

Customers on T-Mobile One accounts from 2017 through 2019 could get a free 5G phone, credit toward a more expensive 5G phone or their last month’s payment and $25 gift card.

If it takes more time to review and approve a simple email than it would for me to write it myself, the whole promise of agentic AI falls flat.

1 in 5 households have cut back on groceries because of energy bills, according to a new Consumer Reports survey.

An exclusive TechRadar investigation into Google’s Chrome Web Store has revealed more than 350 untrustworthy VPN extensions targeting Russian users, with many imitating well-known brands. Combined, these tools have amassed over 218,000 users.

It’s not the first time potentially dangerous VPN extensions have been discovered. Earlier this year, Palo Alto revealed a significant number of dangerous VPN extensions that could leak users’ internet traffic. Alarmingly, we discovered that 89 of those extensions are still active and available.

So, why are there so many shady VPN extensions specifically targeting Russians, and what are the risks of using these low-quality products?

‘A game of whack-a-mole’

In total, we discovered that there are 369 Russian VPN extensions available on Google’s Chrome Web Store that fail basic transparency and professionalism tests.

Almost every single extension we analyzed lists a throwaway, anonymous personal Gmail address rather than a professional developer contact. And it appears these operators are running large clusters of extensions — just 70 developers are responsible for all of the extensions we found, with one email address associated with 24 individual apps.

Nearly three-quarters of these VPNs host their privacy policies on Telegram’s anonymous Telegra.ph platform, which hides the true owner of the service, and almost half (47%) have more reviews than users, which may indicate review manipulation.

Perhaps most egregiously, we found over 120 extensions using a name associated with a legitimate brand.

The most frequently hijacked name was Happ — a custom proxy client widely used in Russia — which was co-opted by more than 15 extensions. Among major international commercial providers, we found seven extensions imitating Windscribe and five impersonating ExpressVPN.

Both companies told TechRadar that they are aware of copycat extensions appearing on the Chrome Web Store and said they frequently ask Google to remove them when they are found.

Cherlynn Cha, Head of Security Operations at ExpressVPN, said that “copycat extensions put people at risk” because they give people a “false sense of security”. The company added that it employs an "enforcement partner” to scour the web for unauthorized use of the company’s name.

However, enforcement can be challenging. Rebecca Rosenberg, Head of Growth at Windscribe, said: “It’s pretty much a game of whack-a-mole now, the copycat is pulled and two more pop up.”

And the data backs that up. One email address we uncovered is linked to 14 apps, with the precise number constantly changing as their extensions are removed and new ones take their place.

Why are unprofessional VPN extensions a threat?

Unlike many other extensions, VPNs have the potential to access a huge amount of sensitive data. In fact, a VPN extension asks “for more access than almost anything else in the store,” Rosenberg said.

A VPN works by encrypting and re-routing your internet connection through one of its servers. While a legitimate VPN improves your digital privacy, it also means you are transferring all your trust from your internet service provider directly to the VPN creator.

In theory, the anonymous developer could see everything your ISP normally monitors. Think: websites visited, time stamps, and your home IP address.

It’s “a lot of trust to hand over," Cha said. Rosenberg added that giving your data “to an anonymous developer with a personal email and a privacy policy that doesn't load is the opposite of privacy”.

(Image credit: Future)Ongoing security concerns

Without detailed dynamic web testing of all the extensions, it’s impossible to know which may be harmful to users and which are purely unprofessional. However, Palo Alto previously found more than 350 apps that were linked to harvesting user data via traffic interception.

In our tests, 89 of these extensions were still available to Russian users, while email addresses associated with the extensions have continued to launch more apps since initial discovery.

One email address — ‘vale99505@gmail[.]com — was first flagged by Palo Alto in July. According to the company’s threat intel notice, the address was associated with extensions that do not provide “typical encrypted protection like reputed VPN extensions”, adding that the “threat actor” running the apps “has access to all communication”.

According to our most recent tests, six extensions linked to this address are still available for download.

At the time of publication, Google had not responded to requests for comment. TechRadar has shared the full list of extensions with the company and will monitor their availability in the coming weeks.

Windscribe said that Google “should absolutely be doing more” to protect its users from encountering untrustworthy VPN extensions on its Chrome Web Store, while ExpressVPN confirmed the company is in favor of “stronger verification for privacy and security tools”.

Stopping the rise of untrustworthy VPN extensions is important for everyone. But it’s no surprise that this specific network is focussed on Russia.

Why target Russians?

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, authorities in Russia have launched an unprecedented crackdown on digital freedom. Thousands of websites have been blocked in the country, including international media, social media and gaming platforms.

In response, VPNs have become a crucial tool for millions of people, which has subsequently prompted coordinated efforts by the government to regulate and restrict access to these vital privacy and security tools.

Most recently, this has included the plan to use AI to detect and block VPN traffic in the country.

In this context, developers looking to make a quick profit may spin up cheap VPN solutions that are poorly designed, entirely fake, or designed to harvest user data to sell to third-party advertisers.

But there’s a darker potential: malicious actors may be intentionally designing VPN extensions to trick Russians into downloading software that can actively monitor their internet browsing behavior.

While there’s no evidence that these extensions are linked to authorities in the country, amid growing concerns about state surveillance and deteriorating internet freedoms, taking extra care when selecting a VPN in Russia today certainly seems sensible.

How to defend yourself today

There are several steps you can take to make sure you’re downloading a legitimate version of a VPN extension:

• Check the developer’s name and website before downloading anything
• Check that the privacy policy is accessible, informative and related to the app
• If you know which VPN you want to download, go straight to the provider’s website
• Look out for the ‘Established Publisher’ badge on the Chrome Web Store
• Check for any unnecessary permissions like ‘geolocation’

It’s worth remembering that a VPN Chrome extension also only protects your activity in your browser. Anything you do outside of the browser won’t be encrypted so it’s worth using a well-respected VPN where possible.

And, like most things, if a product is free, it’s worth being skeptical. As Cherlynn Cha told us: “Be wary of free VPNs. Running a VPN network costs real money. If a service is free and it’s not clear how it makes money, your data may be what’s paying for it.”

How we found shady Russian VPN extensions

We compiled our data using a variety of sources, primarily an in-house web scraping tool that identified VPN extensions on the Google Chrome Web Store targeting Russian-language users. We collected metadata including user counts, developer contact emails, and privacy policy URLs.

We then filtered the dataset to remove legitimate, verified corporate VPN providers. The remaining extensions were analyzed for untrustworthy signals, such as using personal email addresses, unprofessional privacy policies and copying established VPN brands.

We also cross-referenced our data with threat intelligence research published earlier this year by Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 to verify how many malicious extensions previously flagged remained active.

All data and user counts are accurate as of October 12, 2026. Extensions are frequently removed and new copycats are constantly appearing. We continue to monitor their accessibility in the coming weeks.

• Hide.me VPN has introduced a completely redesigned dashboard for both its Android mobile and Android TV applications.
• The powerful SmartGuard feature, designed to block intrusive ads, trackers, and malicious websites, is also now available on the Android TV app.
• This update also brings stability improvements to the WireGuard and SSTP protocols, alongside new speed indicators to help pick the fastest servers.

Hide.me VPN has just rolled out a major update for its Android users, focusing on making its applications cleaner, faster, and much safer to use on the big screen.

The update introduces a completely redesigned dashboard, available across both Android mobile and Android TV. This visual overhaul makes it significantly easier to navigate your connection settings and find the optimal server for your needs with just a few taps.

But the biggest news for avid streamers is the arrival of SmartGuard on the Android TV app.

Previously limited to other platforms, SmartGuard is Hide.me's comprehensive online security tool built specifically to block intrusive ads, stop hidden trackers, and keep you away from malicious websites that can compromise your privacy.

Smart TVs and streaming boxes are notorious for tracking user behavior and monitoring what you watch to serve heavily targeted advertisements. With this update, Android TV users finally get the same robust ad-blocking power that mobile users have enjoyed. It makes it much harder for third-party snoopers and malicious actors to steal your information while you sit on the couch and stream your favorite shows.

WireGuard tweaks and IPv6 support

Hide.me has also bundled several vital technical enhancements into this release to keep your connection as stable and fast as possible.

For starters, fans of the lightning-fast WireGuard protocol will benefit from new stability enhancements and MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) optimization.

In simple terms, this ensures your data encryption remains rock-solid even if your mobile connection is unstable. If you regularly switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data networks while gaming or browsing, these tweaks will help keep your connection drop-free.

Hide.me has also improved its SSTP protocol support by adding hostname and IPv6 global address compatibility. To top it off, the update brings new speed indicators to the dashboard so you can easily identify the fastest servers at a glance, plus the addition of the Korean language to the app's supported list.

How to get the update

If you already have Hide.me installed on your Android smartphone, tablet, or Android TV, this update should roll out automatically depending on your device's auto-update settings.

For new users looking to take the revamped application for a spin, you can download the latest version directly from the Google Play Store. The provider also offers a robust free tier, meaning you can test out its strict no-logs policy and robust encryption without handing over your credit card details.

• New report finds clear mismatch between employer perception and worker sentiment
• Hybrid workers experience the most difficulty with collaboration tools
• Half of workers say they use unapproved tools over workplace software

New research from Ricoh has found businesses to be investing heavily in AI for workers, but those workers aren't exactly experiencing the productivity gains advertised on the tin.

There's a clear mismatch, with 91% over business decision-makers believing their AI investments are delivering the expected value, but one in two (53%) workers actually find those AI tools are creating friction or additional work.

Another half (55%) even go as far as saying the time spent managing poor technology interferes with their productivity.

Workers aren't being given the right AI tools

Ricoh analyzed four key workplace technologies – AI tools, communication and collaboration tools, data access tools and workflow management tools – and found AI to have the least impactful productivity boost.

An overwhelming majority (90%) of decision-makers also feel optimistic about how connected their tools and systems are, and yet three in four (76%) employees are calling out for systems that work better together.

"Fragmented technology, data and workflows create avoidable complexity that many employees are left to navigate themselves,” IDC Workplace Solutions Group VP Amy Loomis explained.

Despite a rise in remote working, just 14% of WFHers feel that they have collaboration difficulties, compared with 16% of office workers. The biggest snag is among hybrid workers (25%), who feel that disconnected systems are making it hard to collaborate with colleagues across multiple environments.

As a result, nearly half (45%) of workers admit to using non-approved tools like shadow AI at least monthly, which Ricoh argues creates a governance nightmare with employers struggling for visibility.

Still, with four in five (81%) decision-makers admitting that they're investing in new technology faster than they support worker adoption, there's a clear recognition that employers are falling short.

"Organizations need to better orchestrate the technology, information and workflows they already have," Ricoh North America Chief Digital Services and Delivery Officer Bob Lamendola explained, urging workplaces to slow down and concentrate on where new tools like AI can actually be useful.

The $849 Mori is designed to respond to your environment, knowing when to play and when to stay quiet.

• BioWare cinematic supervisor Tony de Waal says the now-canceled Mass Effect 5 offered "a level of autonomy and choice that no other game has been able to match"
• The developer says BioWare "saw what Larian and CD Projekt were bringing to the table" with Baldur's Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 and "started down a path to bring Mass Effect to the next level"
• De Waal also recounts his experience working on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which he called "a herculean effort"

A BioWare developer working on Mass Effect 5 has revealed new details about the now-canceled project, which was seemingly inspired by systems from Baldur's Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077.

Following the announcement that EA is shutting down BioWare and canceling the next Mass Effect game, former BioWare cinematic supervisor Tony de Waal has spoken up about the plans for the title, revealing that he was among the remaining "50-ish" people at the studio who were laid off, suggesting Mass Effect 5 had a very small production team.

"I was one of the lucky ones who stayed with BioWare to start on the next Mass Effect, where I believe we were making something special: a level of autonomy and choice that no other game has been able to match," De Waal said on LinkedIn (via PC Gamer).

"We saw what Larian and CD Projekt were bringing to the table with their latest offerings, and started down a path to bring Mass Effect to the next level while remaining true to the Trilogy."

De Waal started his career at BioWare "29+ years ago," left after Mass Effect 2's release, but returned in 2021 to "help get what would become Dragon Age: The Veilguard back on track and out the door."

The developer shared some challenges the team encountered along the way with the final Dragon Age entry, saying it was "a herculean effort that tested the limits of even my workaholic mindset" but is "proud of the level of polish we were able to pull off in the Frostbite engine."

"Seriously, you have no idea the craziness going on under the hood of that game to make a variable player character work across 3+ hours of cinematics, and the number of conditions to account for in the scenes towards the end of the game," he added.

Speaking more on Mass Effect 5, De Waal said he's "sad" fans "won't get to see what we were cooking" and "sad for the small, talented group of devs who were all punching above their weight to make something special."

Parent company EA announced major restructuring plans across its studios and in development projects. 400 people have been laid off, including roughly 50 roles at BioWare (via Bloomberg). Now De Waal is one of many out of work.

"Please consider those who stayed with BioWare until the very end. They are truly some of the most talented people I've had the pleasure of working with throughout my career," De Waal added.

"With that, if you need someone who knows cinematic production, blending gameplay with cinematics, the tools, the tech, and has the know-how to realize complicated narratives — a true production expert with nearly three decades of experience who isn't afraid to roll up their sleeves and create content — please think of me. I'm once again looking for the next studio and project where I can use the breadth of my skills to make a difference."

What started off as a dare became a fully fledged app in less than a day