Technology

• Kingdel Mini PC supports up to 32GB of DDR5 memory and 2TB SSD storage
• Runs Windows 11 and boasts dual 2.5 Gb Ethernet, and four screen support
• It has a 7-inch touchscreen that can be raised up or used flat

The mini PC market has evolved in recent years to include models with built-in displays, such as the Ayaneo Retro Mini PC with its 4-inch 90° flip screen, and the Aoostar G-Flip 370 and G-Flip mini, which feature 5-inch and 5.5-inch touchscreens, respectively.

Now, Chinese mini PC maker Kingdel, a relatively unknown player in the space, has entered the fray with a device featuring a 7-inch display and a dual-hinge design that flips beyond 90 degrees, enabling both vertical and horizontal use.

In addition to its built-in tablet-size screen, the Kingdel Mini PC supports up to four external monitors via HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and two Type-C ports. Networking options include dual 2.5 Gb Ethernet ports, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2.

Customizable RAM and storage

This compact machine runs Windows 11 and is powered by a 6nm AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, an 8-core, 16-thread mobile processor based on the Zen 3+ architecture. It has a base clock of 3.3 GHz, a boost clock of 4.9 GHz, and 16MB of L3 cache.

For graphics, the Kingdel Mini PC features the integrated Radeon 680M GPU, built on RDNA 2 architecture with 12 compute units running at 2.4 GHz. It’s designed to handle everyday tasks and light creative workloads.

Measuring just 175 x 137 x 55 mm, the device is compact enough for space-constrained setups. It is available barebones, without memory or storage, on Aliexpress for a reasonable $443.68, which is 40% off its usual $739.46 MSRP.

Alternatively, if you want a preconfigured model, there are a number of options ranging from 8GB DDR5 RAM with 256GB of NVMe storage for $482.24, right the way up to to 32GB RAM with up to 2TB of storage for $715.40. All models are currently 40% of the usual price.

Via Aliexpress

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Hints and answers for Connections for April 5, #664.

Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle No. 1,386 for April 5.

Don't want to shell out big bucks for a pair of premium noise-canceling headphones? Check out CNET audio expert's favorite cheap ANC headphones.

• With a price tag of $2,066, the GMKTec EVO-X2 is for those with deep pockets
• Radeon 8060S GPU pushes mini PC graphics performance to new heights
• 126 TOPS of AI performance make EVO-X2 a leader in its category

We recently reported on the official launch of the GMKTec EVO-X2, a compact yet powerful mini PC powered by AMD’s flagship Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU - and GMKTec even got AMD CEO Lisa Su to sign the first production unit, making it a nice little collector’s item.

GMK Gemini now says the EVO-X2 is now set to launch in the Chinese market for CNY 14,999, or roughly $2,066 - a steep increase over its predecessor, the EVO-X1, which cost $1,099 at launch.

At the heart of the EVO-X2 is the Strix Halo APU, boasting 16 cores and 32 threads with a boost clock of up to 5.1GHz. The system supports up to 128GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 2TB of SSD storage, positioning it as a serious contender in the best workstation category.

EVO-X2 packs power

Graphics performance comes from the integrated Radeon 8060S GPU, which includes 40 compute units, more than double the 16 CUs found in the Radeon 890M that ships with AMD’s Strix Point lineup.

In recent tests by ETA Prime, the EVO-X2 demonstrated smooth 1440p gaming performance, assisted by the advanced “Arctic” cooling system featuring a vapor chamber and dual-turbine fans, that keeps thermal output under 140W.

Built with AI and data-intensive workloads in mind, the EVO-X2 also boasts impressive machine learning capabilities. It supports a local 70-billion parameter model without needing cloud resources, and its XDNA 2 NPU delivers 50 TOPS of dedicated AI performance, contributing to a total of 126 TOPS, surpassing the estimated AI capability of Nvidia’s RTX 5090D.

For connectivity, EVO-X2 comes with four USB-A ports, two 40Gbps USB-C ports, an SD card reader, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.0, a 2.5GbE Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It also supports WiFi 7 for wireless connectivity.

Pre-orders in China begin on April 7 via JD.com. At the time of writing, there’s been no word on global availability for the new device.

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The annual National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention gets underway tomorrow, April 5, 2025, in Las Vegas, and one of the first show-related news items to hit my mailbox details a new ATSC 3.0 digital TV tuner from electronics manufacturer ADTH.

The ADTH NextGen TV USB is a $69.99 adapter that offers a low-cost way to upgrade any TV with an Android, Google, or Fire TV smart TV system to receive TV channels broadcast in the ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV format, which provides benefits such as high dynamic range support and Dolby Atmos audio.

Some of the best TVs from brands such as Samsung, Sony, Hisense, TCL, and Panasonic have built-in ATSC 3.0 tuners, but the feature has not yet become universally implemented. That situation has created a niche market for external tuners, most of which cost $200 and up, making ATSC 3.0 compatibility a pricey upgrade.

Now, with an external tuner selling for under $70, upgrading a TV with ATSC 3.0 will be an easier-to-swallow concept for a wider swathe of viewers.

ATSC 3.0: why you need it

According to the ATSC, an industry group that develops the standards used for TV and radio broadcasting, ATSC 3.0, or NextGen TV, is on track to soon reach 80% of viewers in the US (see the most recent coverage map below).

Along with high dynamic range (including Dolby Vision and HDR10+ formats) and Dolby Atmos audio, the benefits that ATSC 3.0 offers over the ATSC 1.0 broadcasting system (which is still active and supported even by TVs with ATSC 3.0 tuners) include interactive features such as personalized program guides and even games.

The format also supports 4K broadcasting, though that feature has yet to be implemented and so far appears likely to be eclipsed by HDR, which can be applied to 1080p broadcasts and has already been widely used for sports and other programs.

While many TV makers now provide ATSC 3.0 tuners in their TVs, in some cases the feature is reserved for the highest-end models. Samsung’s 2025 8K mini-LED TVs such as the Samsung QN990F, for example, provide ATSC 3.0 support, while some of its 4K models feature an ATSC 1.0 tuner.

LG also used to include an ATSC 3.0 tuner on its G-series OLED TVs such as the LG G3. Starting in 2024, however, LG ceased ATSC 3.0 support for all of its TVs, making an external tuner a necessity for them to receive ATSC 3.0 broadcasts.

The most recent ATSC 3.0 broadcast coverage map was released in December 2024 (Image credit: ATSC)

Clearly, LG’s popular OLED TVs would be a perfect fit for a relatively cheap, add-on device like the ADTH NextGen TV USB, which plugs into a USB port on a TV and connects to one of the best indoor TV antennas.

But brands like LG and Samsung use a proprietary smart interface for their TVs (webOS for LG, Tizen for Samsung), and, as mentioned above, ADTH’s USB receiver only works with the Android TV, Google TV, and Fire TV smart TV systems.

Will LG bring back ATSC 3.0 support to its TVs, and will Samsung start implementing it in lower-cost models? That's impossible to tell.

ATSC 3.0 support is growing, as is clearly demonstrated by Hisense, which added ATSC 3.0 tuners to its full Hisense 2025 TV lineup. Until then, many viewers will have to depend on external solutions and, unlike the new ADTH USB receiver, they won’t be cheap.

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Many of us remember January 19, the day TikTok was erased from app stores before being reinstated approximately 12 hours later.

We were told TikTok had a new shelf life of 75 days, and promised a US buyer would soon swoop in to save the day.

But today, April 4, is 75 days after January 19 - and we still don't have a finalized deal in place for one of the world's largest social media platforms with over 175M US users.

Is TikTok actually getting banned in the United States again?

No, TikTok won't disappear from app stores - yet

Even though that initial 75 day grace period, issued by Presidential executive order decree, has now passed, TikTok is here to stay...for now.

The Trump administration has issued yet another executive order to keep TikTok in US app stores for another 75 days, which makes the new deadline June 18.

He explains in a post on Truth Social, "My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress. The Deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days."

Post by @karissabe View on Threads

More importantly, ByteDance sent us their first public comment on the potential sale, and, to be honest, it sounds no more certain that what we''re hearing from President Trump:

"ByteDance has been in discussion with the U.S. Government regarding a potential solution for TikTok U.S.  An agreement has not been executed.  There are key matters to be resolved.  Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law," said a ByteDance spokeperosn in an email sent to TechRadar.

The question remains: How many 75-day extensions will we get before the long-awaited deal is finalized?

Trump mentions his administration does "not want TikTok to 'go dark,'" but at this time, we have very few details on the potential deal in place, and ByteDance notes there are "key matters" they still have to resolve.

While we wait for the pair to reach an agreement, there are numerous TikTok suitors in the mix.

We're aware of some interested parties, namely:

• Mr Beast
• Perplexity AI
• Oracle
• A consortium that includes Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary
• The White House

But TikTok's fate ultimately still looms in the balance as nothing concrete has come from any of these potential buyers.

Governments, Tariffs, and TikTok

President Trump also touches on tariffs, which have been making waves recently as popular tech companies deal with the rising costs of production and transit.

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders were just announced as delayed in the US "amid tariff uncertainty" for example, and it's possible the Chinese government isn't interested in approving a sale with these hefty fines in place.

Trump explains, "We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs (Necessary for Fair and Balanced Trade between China and the U.S.A.!). This proves that Tariffs are the most powerful Economic tool, and very important to our National Security!"

It's undoubtedly a rocky sea to navigate, but at least we know we have another 75 days of doom scrolling ahead of us.

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I was so excited for the Nintendo Switch 2 - in fact, I'm still excited for the Nintendo Switch 2 - but yet I can't help but feel just a little bit empty.

Following on from yesterday's Nintendo Direct, I was lucky enough to snag a Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World Bundle preorder this week at a UK retailer.

For previous console launches, I'd have felt giddy at the upcoming arrival of a new toy, but this time I just kind of feel... fine?

It's not because I'm not excited to play a new Forza Horizon-inspired Mario Kart or revisit some of the best Nintendo Switch games with enhanced graphics like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in 4K resolution (or perhaps 1440p) at 60 frames per second, but because my new Switch is lacking something very specific: A new single-player experience on launch day, and an Italian plumber one at that.

Opportunities came and went

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Depending on who you ask Super Mario Odyssey is arguably the best game on Nintendo Switch. Ask me, and I'd probably say it's one of my favorites alongside Breath of the Wild.

As Nintendo's event started yesterday, I was poised for the first proper 3D Mario since 2017's Odyssey. Since then we've had a remaster of Super Mario 3D World which added Bowser's Fury (the closest thing to a new 3D Mario we've seen since) and new 2D Mario experiences like Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

But still, eight years on and we've not got a direct sequel to Mario Odyssey or just the next in the long line of incredible 3D Mario games.

Unfortunately during the Nintendo event, opportunities came and went where Nintendo opted to prioritize other IPs instead of its most famous platforming protagonist.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that Mario Kart World is a huge release, but in my opinion, Nintendo's best experiences are single player and while replaying the Switch's Zelda games with upgraded graphics on day one will feel amazing, it won't be new.

Towards the end of the Nintendo Direct, after we'd seen all the new hardware, the company wowed fans with three back-to-back game reveals.

The first, which provided genuine shock and awe, was the announcement of a new and exclusive FromSoftware game that looks like a spiritual successor to Bloodborne called The Duskbloods.

Next, a star shot onto the screen and I thought we were about to be graced by the arrival of Super Mario Galaxy 3. Instead, it was a reveal for Kirby Air Riders, a successor to the GameCube game, Kirby Air Ride. But do you need another arcade racer in the same year as a new Mario Kart?

Finally, just to get my hopes up one last time, Nintendo closed the show with the reveal of Donkey Kong Bananza, the first 3D Donkey Kong game since 1999.

Don't get me wrong, the game looks awesome, but not only does it release on July 17, a month on from the Switch 2's arrival, but it also just makes me want Super Mario Odyssey 2.

Nintendo, where's my Mario?

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Most people will be very content with the Nintendo Switch 2's first six months on the market. By the end of 2025, we'll have games ranging from Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza to Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

That's a stellar lineup for the first year of a console, let alone half. But Mario is Nintendo, and without a new 3D adventure it makes the Nintendo Switch 2 launch feel lukewarm.

I've come to terms with the lack of Mario Odyssey 2 in 2025, but please Nintendo, make sure 2026 has a new 3D Mario adventure.

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• Donald Trump has announced sweeping tariffs on imports from major US trading partners like the EU and China
• Speculators have suggested that the price of the iPhone could hit $2,300 due to the tariffs
• We checked in with industry analysts for a balanced perspective

Donald Trump has announced that the US will levy sweeping tariffs on international trade that will likely affect the tech industry – with some projections suggesting a $2,300 iPhone could be on the cards.

Trump's proposed tariffs, announced on April 3, will affect imports from a long list of countries including allies like Canada and the European Union as well as major manufacturing economies like China and Vietnam.

Across the tech industry, commentators and consumers are examining what this could mean for them, and as one might expect the news media and internet have lit up with speculation.

According to Reuters, projections from Rosenblatt Securities suggest that the price of a “high-end” iPhone could rise to $2,300 (approximately £1,800 / AU$3,800).

That’s a hefty price rise indeed, but it comes with a few very important caveats. That estimate seems to be based on the price of the iPhone 16 Pro Max with 1TB of storage, which at $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,149 is already the most expensive phone Apple sells. To attain a price of $2,300, Apple would have to pass on the entirety of the proposed 54% tariff levied against China to consumers.

Apple does manufacture iPhones in other south-east Asian and south Asian countries like Vietnam and India, though both of these countries have been hit with steep proposed tariffs too: Vietnam at 46% and India at 26%.

The reality: what industry experts are saying

The tariffs were announced on April 3 by US President Donald Trump (Image credit: Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

So, are we likely to see a massive price hike for the iPhone? We checked in with industry analysts to get a balanced view.

Kate Leaman, chief market analyst at AvaTrade, told TechRadar: “The idea of a $2,300 iPhone grabs headlines, but it’s more worst-case than real-world. Yes, a 54% tariff on a $1,599 iPhone 16 Pro Max could technically push retail prices north of $2,400 – but Apple isn’t likely to pass the full cost to consumers.”

Leaman continued: “Apple typically absorbs 10-15% of shocks through margin compression and supply chain efficiencies. That means actual price increases might be closer to 20-25%. So we’re likely looking at a top-end iPhone maxing out around $1,900 by year-end.”

Leaman also notes that Apple’s pledged $500 billion investment in the US may lead the company to push for exemptions: “Apple is already shifting production to India and Vietnam, and with $500 billion invested in the U.S., it's expected to push harder on ‘Made in America’ exemptions. So, a $2,300 iPhone is possible, but not probable."

Nick Rakovsky, CEO of DataDocks, offers another balanced take, calling the prospect of a $2,300 iPhone “unlikely”.

Rakovsky told TechRadar: Unless we’re talking about broader inflationary pressure across the economy, Apple has every reason to avoid passing such a dramatic cost increase directly onto consumers.”

Continuing, Rakovsky said: “That said, all companies will feel some level of pain from these new tariffs – Apple included. The interesting question is how well each company can absorb or adapt to that impact. Apple, like the other tech giants, has been working to diversify its supply chain and make it more resilient for years now.”

Rakovsky also notes that Apple is keen to retain its market share and protect its brand perception, adding: “It comes down to pricing strategy, and few do that better than Apple”.

Noted Apple analyst and social media tipster Ming-Chi Kuo has also joined the conversation, noting in a post to X (formerly Twitter) that “85-90% of Apple’s hardware is assembled in China”.

China, as mentioned, has been hit with the heaviest tariffs at 54%, and Kuo adds that China is unlikely to be successful in negotiating this rate.

Kuo added: “India and Vietnam are far more likely than China to secure US tariff exemptions. Though the timeline is unclear, this would speed up Apple’s shift of assembly orders away from China until non-Chinese production can satisfy most US demand”.

Additionally, Kuo mentioned that high-end consumers may be more accepting of price increases.

The verdict: what this all means

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Overall, the common threads from multiple analysts suggest that a price rise for the iPhone can’t be ruled out, but Apple’s efficient supply chain and ability to accept a smaller profit margin may be able to insulate consumers from the full effects of the tariffs.

This all means that a $2,300 iPhone seems like a fairly unlikely prospect at the time of writing.

Many other devices sold by Apple and other manufacturers are made in countries that are due to be hit by tariffs, but for now we haven’t seen much analysis focusing on these products and can’t comment on any potential pricing impacts.

If you want a refresher on the handsets in question, be sure to check out our iPhone 16 Pro Max review and guide to the best iPhones. We’ll have the latest iPhone news as we hear it via our dedicated iPhone coverage.

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• ChatGPT-5 is delayed by a few months
• The time will allow OpenAI to better integrate the new model
• New o3 and o4-mini models to come in a couple of weeks

OpenAI has changed its plans and is set to put ChatGPT-5 on hold while releasing new o3 and o4-mini models in the next couple of weeks instead.

The news broke today in a tweet by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, in which he revealed why the plans were changing:

“There are a bunch of reasons for this”, wrote Altman, “but the most exciting one is that we are going to be able to make GPT-5 much better than we originally thought.

"We also found it harder than we thought it was going to be to smoothly integrate everything, and we want to make sure we have enough capacity to support what we expect to be unprecedented demand.”

The mention of 'capacity to support unprecedented demand' is clearly a reference to the recent outages that ChatGPT has been experiencing as millions of new users signed up to try out the new image generation abilities of ChatGPT-4o.

change of plans: we are going to release o3 and o4-mini after all, probably in a couple of weeks, and then do GPT-5 in a few months.there are a bunch of reasons for this, but the most exciting one is that we are going to be able to make GPT-5 much better than we originally…April 4, 2025

The next evolution of AI

ChatGPT-5 is the next big evolution of the popular ChatGPT LLM and will be a major development in the future of AI.

Its simpler name was also supposed to represent an alignment shift in OpenAI’s somewhat confusing product-naming conventions that will now soon feature both an o4 and an 4o model in the line-up simultaneously.

Rather than the user having to decide if they wanted to use a smaller, lighter model, such as 4o-mini or a deeper reasoning model, like o4, for their tasks, ChatGPT-5 will decide for you which type of model to use, based on your query.

So far, OpenAI has confirmed that even users on the free tier will have some access to ChatGPT-5 when it comes out, but users on the Pro and Plus tiers will get more. The only word on a release date we’ve been given before was “soon”.

Now it looks like we’ll have to wait a little bit longer for that integration of everything into one model, with Altman stating that ChatGPT-5 would now appear “in a few months”.

ChatGPT-o3 improvements

Commenting on the new o3 model, Altman also stated that, “We were able to really improve on what we previewed for o3 in many ways; I think people will be happy…”

Replying to a user on X who asked if there would also be an o3 Pro model, Altman gave a one-word reply – “coming!” – which would seem to confirm that a pro version of o3 is also in the works.

As to when we will see the o3 and o4-mini models, Altman stated, “in a couple of weeks, and then do GPT-5 in a few months”.

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• Intel expands its liquid cooling tech to support Nvidia’s future AI chips
• Superfluid cooling tackles 1.5kW heat loads for high-performance systems
• Taiwan partnerships position Intel as cooling leader for next-gen chips

It's no secret that Intel, which recently appointed Lip-Bu Tan as its new CEO, is facing difficult times.

The iconic chipmaker is reportedly considering spinning off its foundry division into a joint venture with TSMC in a bid to turn things around, but separate from those plans, Intel is also looking to change its fortunes by becoming a major player in cooling next-generation AI hardware.

The company’s Superfluid cooling solution is reportedly capable of managing heat output up to 1.5kW per chip, a level of performance that could be essential for cooling Nvidia’s GB300 superchip and also for upcoming rack servers, like those shown off at GTC 2025.

Blowing bubbles

At its event, Nvidia unveiled mock-ups of Kyber-based NVL576 racks featuring Rubin Ultra GPUs.

According to Nvidia's co-founder, president, and CEO Jensen Huang, these systems could draw as much as 600kW, with future racks potentially reaching megawatt-level power demands. As energy requirements grow, advanced cooling solutions like Intel’s Superfluid technology will become increasingly essential.

Superfluid cooling was first introduced by Intel in 2023 and uses microbubble injection to improve coolant flow and heat transfer efficiency.

mashdigi reports the technology draws inspiration from a method used by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, “where bubbles are generated under the hull of ocean-going ships to reduce water resistance and improve propulsion efficiency."

The site goes on to explain that in the case of Superfluid cooling, "a similar approach is applied by generating bubbles in the coolant to increase flow speed and enhance heat removal. This is combined with cold plate designs to further improve thermal conductivity.

Additionally, the system uses a new type of non-conductive dielectric fluid to prevent damage to submerged servers in the event of a leak.” This approach makes it highly suitable for dense compute environments where traditional cooling methods fall short.

Intel recently showcased its progress at the 2025 Superfluid Advanced Cooling Technology Forum in Taiwan, co-hosted with the Industrial Technology Research Institute.

According to United Daily News Network (UDN), the event drew over 500 attendees and more than ten local suppliers, highlighting strong industry interest. Taiwanese firms, including Maico, YuanShan, Kuenling, and Sun Max Tech, presented hardware built to support Intel’s cooling system, including server racks, liquid-cooled chassis and thermal components.

Intel is reportedly also investing in advanced materials to reduce corrosion and mechanical wear, including liquid metal-based designs and electromagnetic pump systems, in order to improve long-term durability and reduce maintenance for large-scale deployments.

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• ChatGPT Plus is going free for a limited time if you're a student
• US & Canadian students can get the AI's upgraded for free for two months
• This tier unlocks better AI tools and higher usage limits for the free-tier AI

ChatGPT Plus – ChatGPT’s premium tier – is going free for students in the US and Canada for a couple of months. Here’s how to apply and what the deal gets you.

The upgraded ChatGPT Plus tier usually costs $20 a month, and opens up access to ChatGPT’s advanced Deep Research model, the upgraded GPT-4.5 preview, and extends the limits imposed on users accessing the free tools (so you can send more prompts and upload more files before you hit your cap).

You’ll also get wider access to ChatGPT’s voice mode and screen-sharing abilities. And these tools can be super handy when studying for your finals this semester.

It's the perfcet time to try ChatGPT (Image credit: ChatGPT)

If you’re not sure why you got a practice question wrong you can show ChatGPT your test and answer and it can help explain how you made the error. The speech mode is useful for practicing languages as you can set the bot to converse with you at your level.

You can also upload your notes to the bot and get it to quiz you on them with custom tests to get you used to having your knowledge challenged in an exam-like environment.

Just remember to not rely solely on the AI.

Even with your course notes it will likely make a few reasoning errors, and when practicing languages it might teach you a phrase that’s technically correct but not one that’s actually used by people speaking the language day-to-day. For example, I’ve recently been watching streamer Ludwig in a YouTube series in which he travels across Japan and one his ChatGPT-taught phrases for “thank you” is equivalent to saying “I thank thee for thine service.”

But if you use ChatGPT’s study tools in conjunction with your own non-AI practice – and regularly check you’re not being taught something wrong – it could be a handy tutor.

Now, how do you get it for free?

The Plus tier gets you access to ChatGPT-4.5 (Image credit: OpenAI) How to apply for the ChatGPT Plus student offer

The offer is available from March 31 until May 31, 2025 and gives you two months of ChatGPT Plus once you claim it.

You’ll need to be a student in the US and Canada with OpenAI explaining it’ll verify your status instantly using the following methods:

• Authoritative Sources: SheerID first checks trusted databases, such as your university’s Office of the Registrar, to instantly verify your student status.
• Single Sign-On (SSO): If necessary, you’ll be prompted to log in securely with your school’s SSO credentials, confirming your affiliation directly through your institution.

It adds that if these methods don’t work you may need to go through a manual review, which requires you to upload “additional documentation.” OpenAI doesn’t outline what these documents are but we expect it’ll be something like an admission letter or student ID card from your college.

OpenAI also explains that not all schools will be supported, though it provides a form for you to request to add your school. It doesn’t promise top accept all requests, but it’s worth trying if you’re desperate to claim this $40 saving.

Lastly, if you’re already a ChatGPT Plus subscriber you’ll get your two free months added to your existing membership.

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Let me preface this by saying, that when I say I don't care about Copilot, I mean it. I've not owned a Windows PC since 2006, and I've never even installed the Copilot app on my Mac, iPhone, or even Android device.

I write about AI for a living, but there are very few AI tools I actually use in my daily life. Usually, I test them for work, come up with article ideas, and write about experiences with AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini - but I rarely use AI in my spare time.

Microsoft's Copilot is an AI tool that I've neglected, not only in my home life but also at work. I rarely cover Copilot, and when I do it's usually just a brief news story here or there.

Anyways, you get the idea Copilot just isn't really an AI chatbot that was on my radar. But after Microsoft's 50th Anniversary Copilot Event, that's all changed.

A complete overhaul

Copilot is often seen as a business tool rather than a consumer product. So much so, in fact, that I fully expected Microsoft's Copilot event to center around business use and barely touch on what that means for a consumer.

I couldn't have been more wrong. At Microsoft's event today, the company showcased a new vision for Copilot, which it now calls 'Your AI Companion', and I think it's time I take notice.

Today, in celebration of its 50th anniversary, Microsoft highlighted that the company's future is very much counting on software like Copilot, and that's a very exciting thing.

The company announced major upgrades to the AI chatbot including a memory, similar to that found in Gemini and ChatGPT, meaning Copilot will learn important information about you. Microsoft says Copilot can now "learn who you are deeply."

In a blog post announcing the new features, CEO of Microsoft AI Mustafa Suleyman said, "With your permission, Copilot will now remember what you talk about, so it learns your likes and dislikes and details about your life: the name of your dog, that tricky project at work, what keeps you motivated to stick to your new workout routine."

Elsewhere Copilot is getting vision, giving the AI on-screen awareness in Windows and access to your camera in mobile apps similar to Apple's Visual Intelligence or Google's Lens.

Microsoft announced much more at today's event, and you can read about it all in detail here. It's the agentic capabilities called "Actions", however, that really stand out and make me interested in giving Copilot a shot at becoming my daily AI driver.

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(Image credit: Microsoft) The AI personal assistant I've been waiting for?

My dream AI scenario is a personal assistant that does the mundane in my life so I can focus on the things that matter.

Whether it's filling out calendar entries, telling me when to leave for an appointment, or booking my next beard trim, I want AI to alleviate a little bit of the stress of life so I have one less thing to think about.

Apple Intelligence-powered Siri looked like my ideal scenario when it was showcased at WWDC 2024, but with WWDC 2025 fast approaching we've still not seen a tech demo to prove it's actually capable of what's advertised.

Today, Microsoft's Copilot announcement with an emphasis on an AI companion piques my interest and makes me wonder if the company to fulfill my AI want will ultimately be the Seattle tech giant.

It's hard to know for sure, considering I've not tested any of the newly announced Copilot features yet. But you better believe the first thing I'm going to do as soon as Copilot's update is available, is use it in my daily life.

I want to leave you with another quote from the CEO of Microsoft AI. He said, "The important point is that throughout Copilot is more than an AI, it’s yours. It remembers not just what you said, but who you are. Copilot helps you stay organized, think clearly, and learn more intuitively."

I've been burnt before by putting trust in AI marketing campaigns but Microsoft's Copilot announcements today make me excited for the future, and I can't wait to see if it can live up to the billing.

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• The Duskbloods was originally being developed for the original Switch
• FromSoftware was approached by Nintendo "with talk of Switch 2"
• The Switch 2's new online features also allowed FromSoftware "to stay as true to the original vision as possible"

FromSoftware has revealed that its Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive title, The Duskbloods, was originally being developed as an original Switch game.

One of the biggest surprises of the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct was, without a doubt, the announcement of The Duskbloods. It's not launching until 2026, but a new Creator’s Voice interview with director Hidetaka Miyazaki has offered new insight about the game and how it became a Nintendo exclusive in the first place.

According to Miyazaki, the multiplayer game was being made by a small team for the Switch before it eventually shifted to being developed for the Switch 2, allowing the studio to take advantage of the console's new hardware.

"A while back, we had the opportunity to meet with Nintendo to discuss ideas, and during this discussion, we presented a rough outline for The Duskbloods," Miyazaki said.

"It was still very bare-bones at the time—more a loose string of ideas than a proper presentation. The concept itself was different from anything we had done before, and Nintendo seemed very interested in helping make it a reality. So that’s when the project kicked off."

"At first it was being worked on by a small team as a title for Nintendo Switch," he continued. "However just as the game started to take shape, we were approached by Nintendo with talk of Switch 2, which led us to revamp our development path with this new hardware in mind."

Miyazaki added that Switch 2's new online features also allowed FromSoftware "to stay as true to the original vision as possible, which was very good news for us."

The Nintendo Switch 2 will be released on June 5, 2025, for $449.99 / £395.99, with preorders scheduled to open on April 8.

It was also announced that Elden Ring will be coming to the console this year alongside some new Switch 2 exclusive titles like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza.

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• Microsoft has upgraded Copilot to make the AI assistant a proactive AI companion
• Announced as part of Microsoft's 50th Anniversary Copilot Event, these new features will start rolling out today
• Features include chatbot memory, a research tool, and on-screen awareness to name just a few

Microsoft Copilot is taking the leap, transforming from a mere generative AI chatbot to a full-blown AI companion. At least, that's what Microsoft is promising in one of the most significant Copilot updates to date.

The changes, which add a wide array of new capabilities and enhance some existing ones, were announced on Friday, April 4, as part of Microsoft's Copilot/50th Anniversary celebration.

Granted, many of these features will be familiar to those running Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT. In fact, there's a solid chance that some of these enhancements come directly from Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI, which gives it access to many of the AI company's best generative models.

Copilot is, after all, built on the foundation of OpenAI's GPT models.

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Among the changes Copilot fans will find on Windows (and the iOS and Android apps) is, finally, a memory. The current version of Copilot on Windows 11 can hold onto previous conversations, but it has no recollection of what you discussed. A new prompt asking about a recipe or a trip you were planning with Copilot's help days or weeks ago, would draw a digital blank stare from the generative AI.

That changes with this update. As you chat it up, Copilot will (with permission, of course) collect key bits of info about you that indicate not just facts but preferences. Microsoft claims the new Copilot will build "richer user profiles." It now has the potential to "learn who you are deeply." While that might sound invasive, Microsoft says you can control exactly what you want Copilot to learn and retain.

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Personalization and memory are significant benefits but they might be outstripped by Copilot's new agentic capabilities that Microsoft calls "Actions." Where the previous Copilot might help you grab concert tickets and get a ride to the big show, or find a new apartment and even movers to help you lug your stuff from one place to the next, Copilot Actions can take a prompt about renting an apartment or booking storage and do all the legwork to make it happen. You're just entering a prompt.

Of course, it's not that simple. Copilot's Action capabilities are not ubiquitous. Microsoft has a small collection of launch partners that includes, OpenTable, Priceline, Vrbo, Viator, Kayak, Expedia, TripAdvisor, Skyscanner, Booking.com, and 1-800-Flowers. It seems that, for now, Actions will only work if you want it to take actions through those apps and services.

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The update is also making Copilot on Windows and mobile apps more aware. While the current version can look at photos and screenshots uploaded to the AI, the new version can use your mobile phone camera to see what you're seeing (it'll look at photos or live video).

Perhaps more interesting is that the Copilot's Windows app will be able to see onscreen activity within apps. It'll finally live up to its name, acting as a copilot on file management, Windows settings, and working on projects. It's the kind of system awareness Apple's been promising from Apple Intelligence and Siri for almost a year but has yet to deliver. It'll be interesting to see if what Microsoft delivers here with Copilot is as good as they're advertising.

The new Pages capabilities can take disparate project files and organize them into a single Canvas. But Pages appears to be more than an organizer, it can help you brainstorm ideas and then alter and incorporate them into your own projects.

Go deep

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If Pages isn't getting your project there, you might appreciate the new Deep Research. I know, everyone is calling the research portion of their generative AI platforms "Deep [something]". This one appears to work similarly in that it can help you accomplish multi-step research, acting as a sort of very intelligent research assistant.

Copilot is even delving into podcasts. Similar to what we've seen with Spotify generative AI podcasts and Google NotebookLM, it can generate podcasts based on topics of interest or other discussions you've had with the AI. Microsoft claims the podcast can play even as you continue to feed Copilot new prompts. It sounds a bit confusing, but also powerful and intriguing.

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There's also a shopping update, turning Copilot into a proactive personal shopper that can watch for deals, do product research, and even handle purchasing.

Finally, Copilot is taking Bing Search in what might best be described as a Google AI Overviews direction, but in a subtle and maybe more palatable way. From the looks of things, Bing search results will offer the option to take a generative deep dive inside traditional search results. It looks pretty good in the demo video, but we're anxious to see how it works on live Bing search results.

Not all of these updates will show up at once across Windows, iOS, and Android, but many are starting to roll out today. If you already have Windows 11 running Copilot, you may want to download the latest update and give your Copilot a radical AI Companion upgrade.

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• Ivanti recently patched a critical severity flaw in Connect Secure VPN
• Mandiant says the bug is being used in the wild by Chinese actors
• Two new malware strains were discovered

Ivanti has recently patched a critical severity vulnerability found in its Connect Secure (ICS) VPN appliances which was allegedly being abused in the wild by Chinese state-sponsored actors.

Researchers at Mandiant published a new security advisory stating Ivanti discovered and fixed a buffer overflow vulnerability in ICS 9.X (unsupported) and 22.7R2.5 and earlier versions. The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2025-22457, and carries a severity score of 9.0/10 (critical).

At first, no one was aware of the bug’s disruptive potential, Mandiant explained, but later - evidence of remote code execution (RCE) attacks were discovered.

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Cyber-espionage

In these attacks, allegedly conducted by a threat actor tracked as UNC5221, two new malware variants were used: TRAILBLAZE, and BUSHFIRE.

The former is an in-memory only dropper, while the latter is a passive backdoor. Furthermore, the researchers saw cybercriminals dropping malware from the SPAWN ecosystem, as well.

UNC5221 is a known, China-nexus espionage actor that was observed, on multiple occasions, targeting vulnerable Ivanti instances. For example, in early January this year, Ivanti said it saw two flaws - CVE-2025-0282 and CVE-2025-0283 - being abused by this threat actor. Both were impacting Ivanti Connect Secure VPN appliances.

In these attacks, SPAWN variants were also used.

Mandiant says that this CVE was probably first used in mid-March 2025, a month after the patch was released.

“We assess it is likely the threat actor studied the patch for the vulnerability in ICS 22.7R2.6 and uncovered through a complicated process, it was possible to exploit 22.7R2.5 and earlier to achieve remote code execution,” the researchers said.

Ivanti has released fixes for the exploited vulnerabilities and its customers are advised to upgrade their endpoints without hesitation, since the flaws are being actively targeted.

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A win for Die Roten at WWK Arena today would see them go 9 points clear at the top of the league.

• The State Bar of Texas is warning members about a data breach
• It is offering free credit and identity theft monitoring
• INC ransomware claimed responsibility for the attack

The State Bar of Texas, the official regulatory authority for lawyers in the US state, has confirmed suffering a data breach that resulted in the theft of sensitive member data.

“On February 12, 2025, the State Bar of Texas identified suspicious activity on its network and moved quickly to secure its environment,” a data breach notification letter sent to affected individuals reads.”Through the investigation, we determined that there was unauthorized access to our network between January 28, 2025 and February 9, 2025.”

The Texas State Bar is responsible for licensing, ethics enforcement, and professional development. Its members are mostly licensed attorneys, and it also provides legal resources for the public and supports the legal profession through education and advocacy.

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INC ransomware

While the organization did not detail the type of information stolen, or the identity of the attackers, ransomware operators called INC ransomware claimed responsibility for the breach. In fact, the group already leaked samples of the data on the dark web, which include full member names and some legal case documents.

While the authenticity of the data is yet to be determined, the State Bar of Texas has already offered free credit and identity theft monitoring service through Experian, until July 31 2025.

Potentially affected individuals are also recommended activating a credit freeze, or placing a fraud alert on their credit files to make sure the attack does not escalate further.

If the organization is added to a leak site, and samples are available to download, then it’s safe to assume that the negotiations between the attackers and the victim are ongoing.

If the archives get removed, then the organization likely paid the ransom demand. If the entire data gets put up for sale (or dumped), then the negotiations most likely broke down.

Law enforcement agencies advise against paying the ransom demand.

Via BleepingComputer

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