TechRadar News

• Windscribe CEO Yegor Sak's charges in Greece have been dropped after a two year legal battle
• The charges were in connection to alleged internet offences by an unknown user in June 2023
• Sak was accused of "illegal access to electronic data"

Windscribe has won a landmark case in Greece after a two-year legal battle, in a win for no-log VPNs.

Windscribe's Co-Founder and CEO, Yegor Sak, was charged in connection with an alleged internet offence perpetrated by an unknown user in June 2023. On April 11, 2025, an Athens Court decided to dismiss the case against Sak for lack of evidence of any wrongdoing.

Our legal battle is over. A few years back, some idiot used our VPN to do idiot things. Greece then decided to charge the Windscribe CEO @yegor for the crimes because it was his name on the VPN server bill. No logs existed of anything. Case dismissed. https://t.co/IPw0RKWgnRApril 25, 2025

As per the official legal document shared by Windscribe with TechRadar, Sak was accused of "illegal access to electronic data" to send mass spam emails.

An anonymous user allegedly used a Windscribe-owned server in Finland to breach a website in Greece and launch the attacks.

According to Sak, however, Greek authorities didn't issue any subpoena to the VPN company, as the norm requires. Instead, they directly charged Sak, the account holder of the Finland data center involved in the criminal activity.

"This sets a concerning precedent for anyone who owns servers that could be used by others," said Sak. "If upheld, it could have criminalised infrastructure ownership for actions taken by anonymous users."

Not only a Windscribe victory

The case against Windscribe was dismissed for lack of evidence that either the VPN company or Sak himself had committed any wrongdoing. This isn't only a victory for Windscribe, though.

"This was not just about me," said Sak. "It was about drawing a hard line around the role of privacy infrastructure providers. As we do not log user activity, we cannot hand over what we do not have."

Some say VPNs should be banned because a few people misuse them, but that's a rather misguided approach

Yegor Sak, Windscribe

A no-log VPN is a guarantee that the provider never stores or tracks users' activities and any other data that can identify them. This means that providers cannot share any information with law enforcement when asked, as these details simply do not exist.

A few companies before Windscribe have proved the legitimacy of this feature in real life over the years. For example, Mullvad did so in 2023 after being hit by an inconclusive police raid. Private Internet Access (PIA) also proved its no-log claims twice in Court.

The main goal of virtual private network (VPN) software is to keep people anonymous when they browse the web. This is why EU experts have deemed these services a "key challenge" to the work of law enforcement, with lawmakers currently considering whether data retention requirements should be changed.

Sak, however, now reiterates Windscribe's commitment to users' privacy and transparency. He said: "Some say VPNs should be banned because a few people misuse them, but that's a rather misguided approach. By that logic, we should also ban hammers and cars."

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• Google observed 75 zero-day bugs last year
• Most were used by state-sponsored actors
• Countries like China and North Korea were specifically mentioned

In 2024, Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) discovered 75 zero-day vulnerabilities, and argued that the majority were used in state-sponsored hacking campaigns. The company made these claims in “Hello zero-day my old friend, a 2024 exploitation analysis” paper published recently.

In the report, Google says that the number of zero-day flaws dropped compared to 2023 (from 98 to 75). However, the four-year trend is that the rate of zero-day exploitation “continues to grow at a slow but steady pace.”

While consumer devices continue to be the most attacked targets, there is an increase in adversaries exploiting enterprise-specific technologies. In 2023, roughly a third (37%) of zero-days targeted enterprise products, jumping to 44% last year. This, Google says, is primarily fueled by the increased exploitation of security and networking software and appliances.

Governments at it again

In fact, zero-day vulnerabilities in security software and appliances were a high-value target in 2024. Google says it identified 20 security and networking flaws, which was over 60% of all zero-day exploitation of enterprise technologies. Since the exploitation of these products results in a more efficient and extensive system and network compromise, Google expects threat actors’ focus on these technologies to continue growing.

The biggest abusers of zero-day vulnerabilities are the governments, Google says. “Between government-backed groups and customers of commercial surveillance vendors, actors conducting cyber espionage operations accounted for over 50% of the vulnerabilities we could attribute in 2024,” the report says.

Google singled out China as a major player in this regard, but also mentioned North Korea, whose operatives mixed espionage with financially motivated operations.

The number of Windows exploits rose to 22 (from 16 the year before), while on Safari and iOS it fell (from 11 and 9 to 3 and 2). Android retained its “lucky number” 7, as did Chrome. Firefox was up from zero in 2023 to one in 2024.

Via Ars Technica

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• Broadband provider Virgin Media has issued advice for UK users of its hub
• The company warns against placing a router in direct sunlight
• This could cause the router to overheat and perform badly – or ‘grind to a halt’ even – and there are other placement issues to consider, too

You might not have ever thought much about the positioning of your Wi-Fi router, but it’s important – particularly as summer is knocking on the door, and some countries are experiencing their first taste of a heatwave.

The Independent reports that prompted by the unusually warm April temperatures in the UK, broadband provider Virgin Media has delivered a warning that it really isn’t a good idea to have your router placed in direct sunlight when the weather gets hot. (Or at any time for that matter).

Virgin Media issued a statement to say: “Although we test our [broadband] hubs carefully at a range of temperatures, they are better off out of bright sunlight, just like your phone or laptop. If the hub gets too hot, it could slow down your connection or even grind to a halt altogether.”

This underlines the point that your router is just like any other piece of hardware – it warms up when used, and has vents and needs to stay cool. Put the device in strong sunlight in a baking hot room, and the results may not be pretty, as Virgin Media suggests.

In a similar vein, the statement advises that you shouldn’t stick your router in a cupboard, where again, it might get overly warm due to a lack of ventilation in the heat. Not to mention the fact that placing it in an enclosed space is interfering with the Wi-Fi signal anyway.

Other placement advice to avoid interference with the Wi-Fi includes: “Keep the Hub at least 1m away from cordless phones or baby monitors, and as far as possible from big obstructions like cupboards and fish tanks.”

(Image credit: Shutterstock) Analysis: Tricks to make your router quick (or at least a bit quicker)

Isn’t this all rather alarmist? No, in a word, if your router does get too hot, performance is indeed likely to be impaired. (And it’s not beyond consideration that damage could be caused, too, in cases of extreme heat conditions – something we’re getting more used to seeing these days).

Granted, this isn’t the first time Virgin Media has run this advisory, and in fact the company seems to trot this out on a yearly basis (ahead of summer in the UK). But it’s the first time I’ve seen it, and the advice given is good, plus more broadly, we should all think a bit more about the placement of our router.

Don’t put it in the sun, for sure, or in a cupboard, or in your TV cabinet, for all the heat-related reasons given above. Similarly, don’t shove the router under your desk – try to have it up reasonably high, not near the floor, and with as few obstructions as possible around the device. Any obstacles near the router will only diminish the Wi-Fi signal, just as sure as overheating will.

If you’re in the mood for improving your Wi-Fi in general, you might want to peruse our full guide on how to boost your Wi-Fi signal strength, which includes advice on positioning, as well as technical tweaks you can apply (such as changing Wi-Fi channels). It might be worth considering a Wi-Fi extender in some scenarios, too (such as getting a better signal in your garden for the summer, perhaps).

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The Smashing Machine sounds like the title of a Wallace & Gromit stop-motion comedy, but it's going to be a much more brutal experience than anything Feathers McGraw could come up with. It's a biographical drama based on real-life UFC legend Mark Kerr with Dwayne Johnson in the lead role.

Kerr himself is very excited: he shared the poster to his Instagram and wrote that he's "in disbelief that this is real". He is "so proud of the work DJ put into becoming The Smashing Machine. I have so much gratitude, humility and respect for every little detail production uncovered."

A post shared by Mark Kerr (@markkerrtsm)

A photo posted by on

This isn't the first time Kerr's story has been told on screen. There's another movie about his career which was made back in 2022 – but while the trailer is available to stream (and embedded below), you can't stream the movie, although I'll be amazed if one of the best streaming services doesn't buy the rights when the new movie's publicity starts to pick up steam.

What was the original Smashing Machine?

The 2002 movie, The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr, was critically acclaimed for its unflinching portrayal of the brutality of some of Kerr's earlier battles, and of Kerr's struggles with addiction.

It's a tough watch and of course, it's often very violent. And it sounds like it'll have very little in common tonally with A24's take on the same story.

While the new movie isn't out yet, some sites are running stories based on early viewings – and one of them, Worldofreel.com, says it could be the weirdest movie of 2025. According to Jordan Ruimy, "judging by what I’ve heard, there is zero doubt in my mind people are not ready for the type of film in store".

Ruimi describes it as "gonzo filmmaking", "not Oscar-bait in the least" and "one of the weirdest films A24 has ever produced." Given that this is the studio that gave us Everything Everywhere All At Once, Midsommar and The Lighthouse that's quite the claim.

(Image credit: A24)

The A24 movie will be released in theaters on October 3, 2025, and given Warner Bros. Discovery deal with the indie powerhouse, we can expect The Smashing Machine to stream on Max in the US after its box office run.

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Marvel Rivals patch notes arrive every couple of weeks or so, bringing bug fixes, Hero balancing changes, and more general updates. Sometimes, as is the case with the most recent patch, events are added, and certain Heroes receive buffs or nerfs to better bring them in line with the ongoing meta. Season 2's latest patch notes are now live, and they focus on improving the performance of a handful of Strategists.

These constant changes to Marvel Rivals help keep Competitive Mode fresh while providing a steady stream of reasons for players to check back in regularly. Since launch, Marvel Rivals has really proven itself as a worthy contender, landing on our list of the best free games and the best crossplay games.

Here are the latest Marvel Rivals patch notes for April 30, 2025. These outline buffs to Strategists like Adam Warlock and Mantis, while Captain America receives a nerf to his survivability. Read on for more info.

Update (April 30, 2025): Detailed Patch Notes for Marvel Rivals build version 20250430, which adds a new event and some significant buffs to Strategists. There's also a much-welcome change to the ranked points scoring system. More below.

Marvel Rivals patch notes for April 30, 2025

(Image credit: NetEase)

The latest Marvel Rivals patch notes detail changes added to the game on April 30 at 9:00 UTC. The main updates are as follows:

• All-New Event - Hellfire Gala: Moments
• Winter Soldier - Thunderbolts* Bundle (store)
• Black Panther - Damisa-Sarki Bundle (store)
• Thor's "Lord of Asgard" costume has been refined to improve visibility and ensure the crosshair isn't obstructed.
• Doctor Strange's "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" costume now boasts enhanced visual details and voice effects to more accurately capture the essence of the costume theme.
• You can now switch all costume-specific sound effects back to the default ones via Settings.
• Using the latest S2.0 data, we've recalibrated the baseline data for calculating each hero's performance scores.
• Locked accounts can now initiate the account deletion process even from a logged-out state.
• Hero balancing changes (full info later in this page)

These are just the main updates that arrived in Marvel Rivals alongside the latest patch. For full detail on all bug fixes, visit the Marvel Rivals blog.

Marvel Rivals balancing changes

(Image credit: NetEase Games)

Below, you'll find a list of the latest balancing changes in Marvel Rivals, detailing the buffs and nerfs that've been applied to each character.

• Captain America - Reduce base health from 650 to 600
• Doctor Strange - Decrease the energy cost to unleash the Eye of Agamotto (Ultimate Ability) from 3400 to 3100
• Groot - Reduce the health of Ironwood Wall from 700 to 600
• Spider-Man - Decrease the damage range of Amazing Combo from a 5m radius to a 4m radius
• Winter Soldier - Adjust the Tainted Voltage ability to have 2 charge levels, while keeping the cooldown time unchanged
• Adam Warlock - Add a new effect to Quantum Magic: When a critical hit lands on an enemy, reduce the cooldown time of Avatar Life Stream by 1s
• Cloak & Dagger - As Cloak, increase the damage of the Darkforce Cloak from 75/s to 80/s; As Dagger, increase the damage of the Lightforce Dagger on hit from 15 to 18
• Luna Snow - Adjust the Damage Falloff of Light & Dark Ice from 60% at 40m to 75%
• Mantis - Increase the hit damage of Life Energy Blast from 50 to 55
• Stars Aligned (Captain America - Winter Soldier Team Up) - Upon leaping to a teammate, Stellar Impact will provide 50 Bonus Health to allies within range

As you can see, the latest Marvel Rivals Hero balances apply to Strategists, upping their damage, or making their abilities more useful. Winter Soldier and Doctor Strange also get a buff, While Captain America, Groot and Spider-Man receive a slight nerf.

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• A new ChatGPT shopping experience is launching for all users
• Early users have expressed displeasure with the new recommendations
• Comparisons are being drawn to Corey Doctrow's "enshittification" concept

According to a new Reddit thread, some users are not happy with the new shopping features that are being integrated into ChatGPT and are rolling out now.

The new features make it easy to search for and buy consumer products online using ChatGPT's search feature combined with its rich natural-language prompts.

Reddit user 'Kjfitz', who started the thread, titled it, “the enshittification has arrived” in reference to the infamous neologism championed by Cory Doctrow in a 2022 essay about Amazon, which is generally used to describe how commercial pressures cause the experience of using platforms like Amazon, Google, and Facebook to gradually deteriorate over time as more monetization features are added.

The "Enshittification" has arrived from r/ChatGPT

“I asked ChatGPT about the impact of the current tariffs on inventories over the next few months. It returned a long list of links to toiletries I might want to buy”, said Kjfitz. “I asked it why it did that. It replied:

"As of April 28, 2025, OpenAI introduced new shopping features to ChatGPT, enhancing its capabilities to provide product recommendations complete with images, reviews, and direct purchase links. These features are available to all users, including those on Free, Plus, and Pro tiers, and even to users not logged in. The recommendations are generated organically, without paid advertisements or commission-based incentives, relying instead on structured metadata from third-party sources such as pricing, product descriptions, and reviews.​

"This update aims to offer a more personalized and streamlined shopping experience directly within the ChatGPT interface, allowing users to explore products across various categories like fashion, beauty, electronics, and home goods. If you have any specific preferences or need tailored recommendations, feel free to let me know!"

Other Reddit users were quick to express their displeasure with the new features. In reference to the notice that "The recommendations are generated organically, without paid advertisements or commission-based incentives" User 'crystallin' commented, “I give it less than six months before that changes.”

“Good God. Imagine the people using ChatGPT for mental health advice and it starts saying “you know what’ll fix your relationship with your kids? Switching to Allstate”, said Reddit user 'rosencranberry'.

A gradual deterioration

In 2024, the Macquarie Dictionary, the national dictionary of Australia, picked “enshittification” as its word of the year, describing it as “the gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform, and as a consequence of profit-seeking.”

It should be noted that currently there are no paid adverts or sponsored links attached to any of the shopping features in ChatGPT; however there's nothing to stop these being added in the future.

We’re still in the early days of shopping features being added to chatbots, and the AI search engine Perplexity has already made some inroads into adding shopping features, but this is the first time e-commerce features have been added to ChatGPT search.

“We’ll continue to bring merchants along our journeys as we quickly learn and iterate”, said OpenAI commenting on the launch of the new features yesterday.

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• Security researchers found dozens of flaws in Apple's AirPlay protocol
• Some of them allowed remote code execution attacks
• Apple has released patches addressing the flaws

Apple’s AirPlay Protocol and AirPlay Software Development Kit (SDK) carried numerous vulnerabilities that could be abused to run remote code execution (RCE) attacks, man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks, or denial of service (DoS) attacks. To make matters worse, some of these vulnerabilities could be used in zero-click attacks, meaning to pull it off - no interaction from the victim is required.

Cybersecurity researchers Oligo Security found 23 flaws and collectively dubbed them AirBorne. Two of the flaws could be used in RCE attacks, which are now tracked as CVE-2025-24252, and CVE-2025-24132. There is also CVE-2025-24206, a user interaction bypass vulnerability that allows crooks to bypass “Accept” click requirements on AirPlay requests.

"This means that an attacker can take over certain AirPlay-enabled devices and do things like deploy malware that spreads to devices on any local network the infected device connects to. This could lead to the delivery of other sophisticated attacks related to espionage, ransomware, supply-chain attacks, and more," Oligo warned.

'Vast and concerning'

"Because AirPlay is a fundamental piece of software for Apple devices (Mac, iPhone, iPad, AppleTV, etc.) as well as third-party devices that leverage the AirPlay SDK, this class of vulnerabilities could have far-reaching impacts."

The potential reach of AirBorne exploitation is “vast and concerning”, CyberInsider argues. The publication claims Apple’s wireless streaming protocol is “critical” to the company’s ecosystem and is operating on 2.35 billion active devices all over the world.

It argues that, in theory, a threat actor could compromise a MacBook at a coffee shop, and later use it as a steppingstone into an enterprise network, once the compromised device connects to the company’s Wi-Fi.

Apple has since fixed the flaws with iOS and iPadOS 18.4, macOS Ventura 13.7.5, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5, macOS Sequoia 15.4, and visionOS 2.4. The AirPlay audio SDK, the AirPlay video SDK, and the CarPlay Communication Plug-in have all been updated, as well.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Colorful has two new RTX 5060 gaming laptops on the horizon
• Benchmarks have leaked which indicates a sizeable leap over the RTX 4060 laptop GPU
• 8GB of GDDR7 VRAM may suffice for both laptop and desktop GPUs

We're still waiting for Nvidia's RTX 5060 GPU to launch, a GPU that is expected to complete Team Green’s Blackwell GPU lineup (at least, before the rumored Super models). Now, we have some early insight into the laptop version of this GPU's performance, which could strongly indicate what the desktop counterpart has to offer.

As reported by VideoCardz, Chinese laptop maker Colorful has two new Nvidia RTX 5060 gaming laptops on the way. Most importantly, benchmarks have already leaked (pictured below) for both systems; the Colorful iGame M15 Origo and the Colorful P15 Pro, which also use Intel's powerful Ultra 9 285H and Core i9-13900HX processors respectively.

Using the OpenCL API (used in general computing applications), the iGame M15 Origo scored 102,564 points while the P15 Pro hit 109,431 points. It's worth noting that there are no leaked Vulkan benchmarks, which is a graphics API commonly used in plenty of triple-A games, so these scores don't give us the full picture.

However, VideoCardz notably does highlight that the RTX 5060 laptop GPU is roughly 18% faster than its predecessor, the RTX 4060, thanks to its GDDR7 VRAM over the latter’s GDDR6 and more GPU cores.

There's no official confirmation of these laptops from either Colorful or Nvidia, so this leak is all we have at the moment - apply salt pinches where necessary. The purported leap over its predecessor suggests that 8GB GDDR7 may be enough to provide good performance - the same could be true of its desktop variant as well.

(Image credit: Geekbench) I still want 8GB GPUs gone for good, but I think GDDR7 speeds will be the difference

Now, don't get me wrong, I still absolutely want 8GB GPUs to be long gone. Modern games - especially poorly-optimized PC ports - are frequently very VRAM-hungry, to the point where 8GB can be too low for some triple-A titles. However, both RTX 5060 desktop and laptop GPUs could highly benefit from the upgrade to GDDR7 memory, and these benchmarks indicate a significant leap over the RTX 4060 based on older Geekbench tests.

With the anticipated improvements, I think 8GB of VRAM is slightly more acceptable for budget gaming laptops; particularly since gaming laptops with less powerful GPUs typically stick with 1080p and often don't go much higher than 1440p (which already makes no sense to me).

The potential of improved base frame rates, coupled with the advantage of Nvidia’s new DLSS 4 resolution upscaling and Multi Frame Generation, could make RTX 5060 laptops more appealing to budget gamers.

The desktop GPU is naturally expected to outperform the laptop variant (if it doesn't, something is seriously wrong), and these benchmarks tell me that the RTX 5060 may fare slightly better than I expected. Let's just hope that laptop pricing doesn't get too unrealistic, considering Nvidia's announced starting price of $1,099 for its major manufacturing partners.

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Some filmmakers become legends, and perhaps the most legendary filmmaker of all is Alfred Hitchcock. And now many of his most iconic movies, and movies inspired by the 'Master of Suspense', are coming to Netflix.

One of the movies you can stream from the 1st of June happens to be my favorite Hitchcock film, The Birds. Even decades on, it's a masterclass in suspense and creeping dread, and I still get the fear when I see more than a few black birds in real life.

Can't wait for Hitchcock's films to become some of the best Netflix movies to stream in June? Psycho, which had previously been available on Prime Video, is already streaming on Netflix if you're in the mood for screaming.

Which Hitchcock films will you be able to stream?

While Netflix hasn't revealed the entire list of Hitchcock movies that will be made available in the collection, we do know that five other masterpieces from the filmmaker will be added.

These include Vertigo, Rear Window, Frenzy, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Family Plot and "more". Netflix will also be including films strongly influenced by Hitchcock's work including Us and Barbarian, as well as a narrative feature called Hitchcock about his work and legacy directed by Sacha Gervasi.

It'll be interesting to see if the feature also talks about his cruelty: Hitchcock may have been a great director but as The Atlantic carefully put it he was "stringent with – and sometimes even sadistic toward – his female leads".

If you're in New York or intend to be, Netflix is also presenting a Hitchcock special at the Paris Theater from May 16 through June 29. 'HITCH! The Original Cinema Influencer' is a six-week screening of over 50 films, including 36 directed by Hitchcock himself and more than a dozen more movies bearing his influence, made in collaboration with him or in homage to his style.

35 of the movies will be shown in 35mm, including Rear Window, Vertigo and North by Northwest, Francois Truffaut’s The Bride Wore Black and Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Dialbolique.

The Alfred Hitchcock Collection will arrive on Netflix, one of the best streaming services, on June 1.

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• You can now talk to Perplexity AI from within WhatsApp
• Perplexity joins Meta AI and ChatGPT inside the app
• The move raises privacy concerns after comments from Perplexity’s CEO

If you regularly converse with artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, it might seem like a natural move to talk to them inside your favorite messaging app. Well, you’ve just gained a new option, as you’re now able to chat with Perplexity AI directly within WhatsApp.

To get started, all you have to do is add the following number within WhatsApp: +1 (833) 436-3285. Once that number is in your list of contacts, you can chat with Perplexity AI till your heart’s content.

Announcing the move on X, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas said that you’ll be able to get “answers, sources, image generation” from your WhatsApp chats, with “a lot more features coming soon.”

In a video accompanying the post on X, Srinivas asked Perplexity what they would look like if they were bald, then attached a headshot of themselves to the question. Perplexity replied with a doctored image of Srinivas with a bald head.

ChatGPT in WhatsApp

(Image credit: OpenAI)

Perplexity is just the latest AI chatbot to be added to WhatsApp. Meta, which owns WhatsApp, has added its own Meta AI tool to the app in the form of a permanent button in the lower-right corner. This gives you quick access to the company’s AI but also means you might accidentally trigger it since you can’t hide the icon.

If you’d rather your AI conversations appeared in your list of chats like those with living, human contacts, there are other options besides Perplexity. For instance, ChatGPT has recently become available in WhatsApp, and it can be contacted by adding the number +1 (800) 242-8478 to the app.

That said, you might have second thoughts about using a tool like Perplexity based on recent comments from its CEO. According to TechCrunch, Srinivas said Perplexity wants to build its upcoming Comet browser so that it can collect extensive data on its users, then sell that personal information to the highest bidder.

If that concerns you, you might want to think twice about feeding Perplexity’s WhatsApp AI with your personal questions.

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• WiZ has launched a new device to rival the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box
• The WiZ HDMI Sync Box uses the same tech, but is less than half the price
• It comes with an LED light strip, and can be synced with extra lights too

WiZ makes some of the best smart lights for home owners on a budget, and now it's taking the fight to Philips Hue with a new Sync Box that mirrors the colors on your TV screen, and mirrors them using a connected light strip or bars.

It's the same principle as Philips Ambilight technology, and effectively 'blurs' the edges of the screen for a more immersive movie or gaming experience.

The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box is the best Ambilight alternative around today, but it's also the most expensive. The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K, which launched in September 2024, has a list price of $349.99 / £299.99 (about AU$520), while the 4K version is $249.99 / £229.99 (about AU$390).

That's before you add the cost of the lights themselves, whether that's a set of Philips Hue Play Light Bars, or a Gradient Light Strip to stick on the back of your TV.

There are several affordable options available from brands like Nanoleaf and Govee, but even the best Ambilight alternatives struggle to match the performance of the Philips Hue Play system. That's because most budget-friendly color-mirroring systems use a camera mounted on top of your TV to monitor what's being displayed on the screen, then replicate those colors.

Although this can work well, it often results in more latency than using HDMI, and can be affected by reflections and lighting conditions in the room. That can break the immersion, or even become a distraction.

(Image credit: Signify) More immersion, less cash

The new WiZ HDMI Sync Box uses HDMI input instead, which eliminates these problems and means there's no need to spend time calibrating the system either.

The WiZ HDMI Sync Box supports HDMI 2.0 and video formats up to 4K, and unlike the Philips Hue Play Sync Box 4K it comes with a light strip included. To extend the lighting throughout the rest of your room you can also pair it with the WiZ Gradient Light Bars and Gradient Floor Light.

The WiZ HDMI Sync Box with TV backlight is available in two sizes. The kit for 55-inch to 65-inch TVs is £79.99 (about $110 / AU$170), while the version for 75-inch to 85-inch TVs is £99.99 (about $130 / AU$210).

The smaller kit is available now in the UK and Europe, while the larger set will go on sale in September. Prices and release dates for the rest of the world have yet to be announced.

We'll be testing the WiZ HDMI Sync Box very soon, and will bring you a full review so you can see how it compares with the pricier Philips Hue alternative, and decide which is the best companion for your home entertainment setup.

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At long last, Prime Video has finally unveiled its schedule for May 2025 and in addition to its usual roster of old favorites get ready for more original titles that are set to spruce up our array of best Prime Video movies and best Prime Video shows.

The most anticipated new Prime Video movie is Another Simple Favor, starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. It serves as the sequel to their 2018 black comedy crime flick, and has debuted with a fairly decent Rotten Tomatoes score of 81% so far.

As for original TV shows, the brand new nature docuseries Octopus! narrated by Phoebe Waller-Bridge will also swim its way into the Prime Video library on May 8, followed by the Prime Video original series Molly Mae: Behind It All, which will be returning for a second installment on May 9.

This is just the beginning of Prime Video's May 2025 calendar, and before these new original titles land on one of the best streaming services you'll be able to stream over 50 new movies on May 1 alone, the perfect way for you to start your summer streaming schedule.

From the romantic sci-fi feature Her (2013) to one of my personal favorite comfort movies Legally Blonde (2001), here are all the new Prime Video titles you'll be able to stream in May 2025.

Everything new on Prime Video in May 2025

Arriving on May 1

Agent Cody Banks (movie)
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (movie)
All Quiet On The Western Front (movie)
All The Money In The World (movie)
Animal House (movie)
Another Simple Favor (movie)
Are We There Yet? (movie)
Babe (movie)
Babe: Pig in the City (movie)
Barbershop (movie)
Barbershop 2: Back in Business (movie)
Because I Said So (movie)
Blood Diamond (movie)
Body of Lies (movie)
Boo! A Madea Halloween (movie)
Born On The Fourth Of July (movie)
Cinderella Man (movie)
Coogan’s Bluff (movie)
Dante’s Peak (movie)
Death Wish (movie)
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (movie)
Earthquake (movie)
Fried Green Tomatoes (movie)
Fury (movie)
Gattaca (movie)
Get On Up (movie)
Her (movie)
Heroes (movie)
How High (movie)
In The Heat of the Night (movie)
It’s Kind of a Funny Story (movie)
Jarhead (movie)
Jersey Boys (movie)
John Q (movie)
Legally Blonde (movie)
Loving (movie)
Mallrats (movie)
Overboard (movie)
Play Misty For Me (movie)
R.I.P.D. - Rest in Peace Department (movie)
Ray (movie)
Ride Along With Gag Reel (movie)
Space Cowboys (movie)
Starsky & Hutch (movie)
The Beguiled (movie)
The Exorcist (movie)
The Flintstones (movie)
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (movie)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (movie)
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (movie)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (movie)
The Karate Kid (movie)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (movie)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (movie)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (movie)
Traffic (movie)
Two Mules for Sister Sara (movie)
White House Down (movie)
You’ve Got Mail (movie)

Arriving on May 5

The Peanut Butter Falcon (movie)

Arriving on May 6

David Spade: Dandelion (TV show)
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (movie)

Arriving on May 8

Octopus! (TV show)

Arriving on May 9

Molly-Mae: Behind it All Part 2 (TV show)

Arriving on May 13

Lee Soo Man: King of K-Pop (movie)

Arriving on May 20

Motorheads (TV show)

Arriving on May 22

Earnhardt (TV show)

Arriving on May 23

Clarkson’s Farm season 4 (TV show)

Arriving on May 27

September 5 (movie)
The Fire Inside (movie)
The Second Best Hospital in The Galaxy season 2 (TV show)

Arriving on May 29

The Better Sister (TV show)

Arriving on May 30

Chomp Squad season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on May 31

Good Boy (TV show)

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The modus operandi of the original electric Citroen Ami was to make motoring as affordable and as widely accessible as possible, with the diminutive and very basic quadricycle flaunting many automotive norms in favor of cost-cutting.

Now, Citroen has refreshed the line-up, including the addition of a funky Buggy version that shuns its doors and hard-top for an altogether more beach-ready vibe.

As a reminder, the petite Ami can only manage a top speed of 28mph, lacks any sort of infotainment system (you bring your smartphone) and offers an EV range of around 46 miles. But it can be driven by 14-year-olds in some countries and costs less than many modern eBikes.

Citroen engineered the Ami so both of its doors are identical, mounted in a mirrored fashion so they open suicide-style for the driver and normally for the passenger, making it cheaper to manufacture and repair.

Everything is designed to be robust but affordable – it is basic city transport at its best and it has shifted more than 75,000 units in the past five years.

The refreshed line-up features a revised front and rear fascia with brand new lights, with moulded grooves in the front right and rear left wings, offering a nod to the original 2CV of the late 1940s.

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(Image credit: Citroen)

Three new color packs also join the fold, with Ami Spicy, Ami Icy, and Ami Minty (red, white and green) providing an alternative to the basic blue hue of the previous iteration.

But in order to cut costs, Citroen supplies the wheel trims and a set of decals so that customers can apply the very basic wrap themselves.

The Ami Buggy, on the other hand, wears its additional design touches on its sleeve, including gold 14-inch steel wheels, a small sports spoiler and black metal hoops that replace the standard doors. This makes sliding in and out easier, while zipped door covers are available to keep out the rain.

Equally, the soft fabric roof can be rolled back or removed, essentially creating a small electric Manx Buggy.

There’s also a Palmeira edition that adds colored floor mats and a little robot bobble head called Andy that sits on the dashboard. Why? We have no idea.

Electric micro mobility rules for many

(Image credit: Citroen)

It’s easy to pass off something like the Citroen Ami as a bit of a joke, but it is the sort of basic, electric micro-mobility option that helps many navigate the busy streets of European cities, as well as offering safer, four-wheeled freedom to teenagers.

The new design language moves away from the slightly cutesy look of the original electric Ami, yet the refreshed model still manages to start at just €7,990 in France. That’s around $9,000 / £6,800 / AU$14,200.

Now available in 18 markets, Ami is becoming a common sight on urban streets, where its 2.41m length ensures it easy to park and its 4-hour charge from a 3kWh outlet makes it a solid choice for inner-city car-sharing schemes.

The Buggy version is clearly a bit of a fun and a cool lifestyle accessory for someone that needs something simple to pop to the beach in, but electric micro-mobility in general has wider appeal.

The new Ami, for example, has been designed with disabilities in mind. There are specific stowage and lashing points for wheelchairs, as well as the option of a mechanical lever for manual control of both accelerator and brake functions.

With cities becoming ever-more populated, it's the sort of affordable solution that can keep us all moving... and parking.

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• Google has hinted that it could address PWM dimming issues later this year
• That likely means any improvements will come to the Pixel 10 series
• This could be good news for anyone who suffers headaches when using phones with low PWM dimming rates

Google’s Pixel phones have fantastic screens and there’s no reason to think the upcoming Google Pixel 10 series will be any exception, but one way in which they’ve so far been found lacking is their PWM (pulse-width modulation) dimming rates.

This refers to a method that some smartphones use to make their display appear dimmer. Essentially, rather than the voltage being adjusted, the display is rapidly turned off and on to give the appearance of decreased brightness.

This rapid switching on and off of the screen is imperceptible to most users, but for some it can cause headaches, and it’s at its worst when the PWM rate is quite low – which is the case with Pixel phones.

But that might change with the Google Pixel 10, as when Android Central asked Google whether it would consider upgrading the PWM dimming rate or adding a flicker-reduction accessibility option to Pixel phones, they were told by a Google representative that “their teams are aware and investigating this. You can expect updates later this year."

The Google Pixel 9 Pro (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future) Likely landing with the Pixel 10

That reference to “later this year” likely means any changes would come to the Pixel 10 series, which is expected to launch in or around August. That likely means older models won’t benefit, though it’s not impossible that these changes could land as a software update.

It’s also unclear whether this would mean changes to the PWM rate, moving away from PWM, or some other solution. But whatever the case, this is very promising news for anyone who struggles with PWM and particularly low PWM dimming rates.

Of course, this comment is a bit vague so we might be getting excited about nothing, but as Android Central notes, this isn’t the first time they’ve reached out to Google for comment on PWM over the last couple of years, but it is the first time they’ve had a meaningful response, which could be a sign that it’s finally something Google is addressing.

We should find out later this year, either with the Pixel 10 series or as part of a software update – perhaps Android 16.

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• The Apple Watch SE 3 is expected to launch in September
• A new report claims it has entered development with a major display upgrade
• Sizes of 1.6 and 1.8-inches have been tipped, hinting at a redesign based around the Apple Watch Series 9

The new Apple Watch SE 3, expected to arrive in September, has reportedly entered production sporting display size options of 1.6 and 1.8 inches, hinting at the long-rumored redesign we've been waiting for.

Apple should unveil its three new best Apple Watches for 2025 in September alongside the iPhone 17. While the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 should be the headliners, only the Apple Watch SE 3 is tipped to get a redesign, and we've just got our clearest hint yet at what that could entail.

As reported by 9to5Mac, the ultra-reliable supply chain leaker Ross Young has reportedly revealed that the new Apple Watch SE 3 displays have entered production. According to the report, "He estimates the displays as being around 1.6” and 1.8” each."

As the report notes, Apple gauges its Watch line by case size, not screen size. As such, it's difficult to pin down exactly what this means. However, the sizing mentioned is closest to that of the 41mm and 45mm Apple Watch range pioneered by the Series 7 and phased out with the Series 10.

Coupled with prior reports of a new design for the SE 2, it's safe to say that the Apple Watch SE 3 is hopefully going to look an awful lot like the Apple Watch Series 9 – a much-needed design overhaul.

Apple Watch SE 3's new sizes

(Image credit: Future)

Boosting the display size to 41mm and 45mm makes a ton of sense. The Apple Watch SE 2's design is starting to look long in the tooth alongside the sleeker Series 10. Handily, because the Series 10 measures 42mm and 46mm, Apple can increase the SE 3's display size accordingly while keeping the size difference as a clear point of differentiation in the lineup.

Other features and upgrades of the Apple Watch SE 3 remain veiled at this point. The big story for Apple Watch this year should be the introduction of blood pressure/hypertension monitoring, a feature certain to be reserved for the premium models in the lineup.

In the meantime, Apple should unveil watchOS 12 at WWDC 2025, which will reportedly feature a more transparent design reflective of Apple Vision Pro's visionOS.

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• Samsung has hinted that a new type of Samsung foldable is coming
• That most likely means the company's long-rumored tri-fold phone will launch this year
• However, based on previous rumors, it might not be widely available

We’ve been hearing for a while that Samsung could launch a tri-fold phone, possibly called the Samsung Galaxy G Fold, and now the company has strongly hinted that this device will launch in 2025.

As reported by SamMobile, the company stated during its Q1 2025 earnings call that it will “maximize product competitiveness based on form factor innovation.” Now, given that Samsung hasn’t released a phone with a new form factor since 2020, that suggests a new form factor is coming soon, with the tri-fold design being the only rumored candidate.

The company also stated that “Foldables will offer large-screen experiences for Fold”, which could be a reference to the rumored 9.9-inch screen of the Samsung Galaxy G Fold; that would make it a lot larger than the 7.6-inch Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Of course, we can’t be sure about any of this, but it’s already been rumored that the Samsung Galaxy G Fold will launch this year, so these comments further corroborate that prediction.

It could be coming soon, but maybe not everywhere

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

If the G Fold does land this year, it will most likely launch alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, both of which are expected in July.

However, it’s also possible that the Samsung Galaxy G Fold won’t get a global launch, with one report suggesting it will only be available in China and Korea. In which case, you might not be able to buy it.

Still, there’s always hope that it will go global, and even if this initial version doesn’t, subsequent models may well do.

We certainly hope the Galaxy G Fold will be widely available, though, because despite being one of the early pioneers of foldable phones, Samsung hasn’t done much to innovate in the space for quite a while now, so a tri-fold device could really freshen up its foldable line.

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• AMD’s RX 9060 XT is rumored for a May 21 launch at Computex
• The graphics card won’t go on sale until June, though, we’re told
• We do know that AMD intends to launch an RX 9060 offering at some point before the end of Q2, so June would be leaving it late

AMD’s RX 9060 XT is the next in line for the RDNA 4 range, rumor has it – at least outside of Asia (I’ll come back to that point later) – and we’ve just heard a possible release date for this GPU which will sit underneath the RX 9070 models.

VideoCardz reports that Chinese tech site Benchlife has the scoop on this one, claiming that the RX 9060 XT will be launched on May 21 (apply seasoning now).

This backs up a previous nugget of speculation from the grapevine contending that AMD is shooting for a mid-May launch. And it makes sense given that Team Red has its Computex keynote on May 21, which would be an obvious time to make a revelation like this.

I should clarify that this is just the reveal of the RX 9060 XT, we’re told, and these graphics cards won’t go on sale until later – in June, in fact, according to the report. (Assuming no translation issues are clouding the air here, which is always possible when the original material is in another language, Chinese in this case).

AMD itself has only confirmed that RX 9060 models are coming in Q2 2025, so June is at the late end of that timeframe.

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Gorodenkoff) Analysis: A sound bet for Computex

I wouldn’t bet against a Computex launch, because AMD has even said it will “announce key products and technology advancements” in the sphere of gaming at the show (among other areas, including AI PCs too). So, it seems likely enough, then, although arguably it’s also an easy target for an educated guess, if that’s what Benchlife is engaging in here.

The date also seems well placed to fire a shot back at Nvidia, in theory. The rumored release date for the RTX 5060 is May 19, so if that turns out to be correct, then AMD is perhaps looking to steal a bit of the thunder from Nvidia’s release here with a launch just a couple of days after. (Even if going by the rumored specs, the 9060 XT is going to be more pitched at the RTX 5060 Ti, rather than the vanilla RTX 5060).

So, again, all this makes some sense, and while I certainly think we should remain cautious, I’d be inclined to give Benchlife the benefit of the doubt here.

Pricing will of course be key, and we don’t yet have rumored pricing for the RX 9060 XT. Another key question that remains to be answered is whether AMD will release the RX 9060 XT in two flavors: 16GB and 8GB. Previous buzz has indicated that this might be the case, but more recent rumors are asserting that the 8GB model could be canceled before it flies the nest (due to the reaction to the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB).

The RX 9060 XT might be the next GPU to emerge globally as a more affordable RDNA 4 graphics card, but before then, gamers in Asia will get another product – the RX 9070 GRE. Like the GRE variants before it, this might be sold in other regions eventually, but for now, it’s a China-only prospect, with AMD having confirmed a May 8 on-sale date for this GPU.

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• OpenAI has rolled back the ChatGPT 4o update that caused the chatbot's AI personality to be 'sycophantic'
• CEO Sam Altman claims more fixes are coming
• We could see a personality selection option in ChatGPT in the future

Following Sam Altman claiming ChatGPT 4o's personality had become 'annoying', OpenAI has now made changes to the AI model, rolling back last week's update.

The company posted a blog post on its website highlighting the issue that had caused ChatGPT to become more 'flattering or agreeable – often described as sycophantic.'

Users found the update infuriating, with CEO Sam Altman sharing on X earlier this week that the company was working on a fix for the 'annoying' behaviour.

the last couple of GPT-4o updates have made the personality too sycophant-y and annoying (even though there are some very good parts of it), and we are working on fixes asap, some today and some this week.at some point will share our learnings from this, it's been interesting.April 27, 2025

In the blog post, OpenAI says, "In last week’s GPT‑4o update, we made adjustments aimed at improving the model’s default personality to make it feel more intuitive and effective across a variety of tasks."

"However, in this update, we focused too much on short-term feedback, and did not fully account for how users’ interactions with ChatGPT evolve over time. As a result, GPT‑4o skewed towards responses that were overly supportive but disingenuous."

In an effort to prevent this from happening moving forward, the company has highlighted how it looks to address sycophancy in the future.

For starters, training will be used to 'steer the model away from sycophancy' as well as added guardrails put in place to 'increase honesty and transparency'.

OpenAI also plans to add more ways for users to provide feedback on updates before they are rolled out to the wider public.

More personality updates to come

we started rolling back the latest update to GPT-4o last night it's now 100% rolled back for free users and we'll update again when it's finished for paid users, hopefully later today we're working on additional fixes to model personality and will share more in the coming daysApril 29, 2025

Following the rollback of the ChatGPT 4o update, Altman wrote on X, "we're working on additional fixes to model personality and will share more in the coming days."

Putting two and two together, it looks like users might get a ChatGPT personality selection tool in the future. OpenAI's blog post mentions the company is "building new, easier ways for users to shape ChatGPT's behavior" beyond custom instructions.

If you want to go further and change ChatGPT's personality yourself, we recommend trying the following prompt Reddit user TedHoliday:

"Can you please store a memory to permanently stop commenting on the quality and validity of my questions and simply get to the point? I don't want to be manipulated with flattery by a robot, and I don't want to have to skip past the garbage to get to the answer l'm looking for."

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• Surfshark has unveiled a privacy-oriented, free public DNS service
• The service promises never to log or track any activity
• Surfshark plans to put its DNS no-log policy under test soon with an independent audit to validate its claims

Surfshark has just become the first VPN provider to unveil a privacy-first public DNS service.

Unlike DNS servers that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) offers you by default, Surfshark DNS promises never to log or track any activity, and it's completely free to use.

Already offering one of the best VPN services on the market, Surfshark's new service seeks to help privacy-conscious individuals and organizations avoid online tracking.

Surfshark public DNS

"By offering a free, privacy-oriented DNS service, we are not only seeking Surfshark’s commitment to make the internet a safer place for everyone but also encouraging individuals, organizations, as well as NGOs to take their first steps towards enhancing online privacy," said Karolis Kaciulis, Leading System Engineer at Surfshark.

Short for Domain Name System, DNS acts as the phone book of the Internet. It translates human-friendly domain names that we all type online into numerical IP addresses that computers can understand. DNS servers—dedicated machines that handle and respond to DNS requests—are then a vital part of how the Internet works.

Yet, DNS servers that ISPs offer by default aren't necessarily private.

ISPs may collect and log users' DNS queries for user identification. They can also monitor DNS traffic and even block specific domains. Users can then be subjected to targeted advertising, too.

Surfshark DNS promises to be different, though. It operates under a strict no-logs policy, which means no collection, storage, or sharing of browsing activity. It also supports secure DNS protocols such as DoT, DoH, and DoQ to keep browsing activity private.

We're introducing our free privacy-oriented DNS service, designed for those who value extra privacy without compromising the speeds of their daily browsing. Check it out. https://t.co/YaU0xvw5nfApril 28, 2025

Many tech enthusiasts are used to opting for alternative public DNS servers to improve their overall internet performance. Yet, none of them, Kaciulis explains, are provided by companies primarily focused on security and privacy.

He told TechRadar: "Recognizing this gap, Surfshark decided to offer its own public DNS servers, aligning with its core mission of providing a more secure and private connection."

A third-party DNS server like Surfshark DNS could improve overall network performance. For example, it is less likely to become overloaded. It also promises to offer a better understanding of geolocation, which can provide users with closer servers.

Such a service can also help users bypass online censorship that ISPs may enforce at the DNS level.

Despite these benefits, Kaciulis doesn't recommend using Surfshark DNS alongside Surfshark's virtual private network (VPN).

"Our VPN inherently includes DNS protection, making a separate DNS configuration redundant for users," he said.

Similarly to its no-log VPN, though, Surfshark now plans to put its DNS no-log policy under test soon with a third-party independent audit.

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Welcome to our 48 hour coverage of World Password Day 2025 - here we will be bringing you all the news, updates, and expert insights into the world of passwords and password security ahead of the big day on May 1st 2025!

Most of us use passwords almost every day to access and protect online accounts, files, and documents. But passwords are only as secure as you make them, and remembering multiple complex passwords can be such a hassle.

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• advice from our experts to help keep your accounts and passwords secure
• exclusive deals from our password manager partners to keep your data safe
• insights into how passwords are evolving and the future of passwords
• password security content from our extensive archive
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