TechRadar News

• Nintendo Switch 2 users are reporting console online bans due to the use of the Mig Flash tool
• The tool allows players to back up legally purchased games
• It raises the question of console and game ownership amid the industry's shift away from physical game copies

The build-up to the Nintendo Switch 2's launch was shrouded in controversy, due to the price of the handheld console and its $80 first-party games – and it's now gone a step further in the aftermath of its arrival.

As highlighted by Tom's Hardware, Nintendo Switch 2 users are reporting cases of console online bans due to the use of the Mig Flash, a tool used to allow players to backup legally purchased games, essential for keeping multiple game copies on a single Switch cartridge.

Before launch, Nintendo essentially suggested through the user agreement, it may 'brick' Switch 2 devices that have been modded. The agreement warns users: "Nintendo may render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part". Based on user reports, "in part" appears to be the case, as access to all online services for banned users is no longer accessible.

This means multiplayer and access to the eShop to purchase digital games (both fundamentals to using a Switch 2) are gone, making the console an offline-only brick. It's a very similar measure to Sony exercising account bans to players caught jailbreaking or modding PlayStation systems – the only difference with the Switch 2 is that users state they aren't using pirated ROMs, but rather legal dumps of purchased games.

This further adds to the controversy of gamers losing ownership of games entirely; physical copies of games are slowly fading away, and players can have their games stripped away from them at any moment, even if piracy isn't involved, as Nintendo has just shown.

Analysis: Do you really own your Nintendo Switch 2 at this point?

(Image credit: Blue Pixl Media)

While I've berated Sony and Microsoft about this with their PlayStation and Xbox consoles, respectively, the Nintendo Switch 2 case is absurd to me.

Piracy is real, and I'm aware that Nintendo is trying to stamp it out from its Switch ecosystem, but when measures also affect those using legal game backups, it begs the question: Do you really own your Switch 2 handheld console?

The simple answer is no, because if you've purchased hardware at $449.99 / £395.99 / AU$699.99 or any price for that matter, and you can no longer access online services or be restricted (especially when you've done nothing illegal), then you don't have full ownership.

It's almost the equivalent of buying a gaming PC and using an Asus or MSI motherboard, and having it be bricked because the vendor didn't like what you did with the system. Yes, I know you can have Steam, Epic Games, or Battle.net bans, but the chances of that happening are slim, and you can easily make a new account.

With the Switch 2, the ban message states: "The use of online services on this console is currently restricted by Nintendo", which effectively means even if you create a new account, you still can't use online services on the same device. Not only does that affect owners, but it also ruins the value of reselling. It adds to the collection of Nintendo's anti-consumerism, and I'm expecting it to continue for a long while.

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It's not been a great week for calm beachside bathing: on Monday I was writing about all four Jaws movies coming to a streaming device near you, and now Netflix's new critical hit The Survivors will make you wary of what might wash up.

The six-part series has become one of the best Netflix shows with its 100% critical Rotten Tomatoes score. It's based on the book by Jane Harper and takes us to Evelyn Bay in Tasmania, where the body of a young woman from out of town washes up on the beach. What begins as a tragedy becomes an increasingly dark and complex drama about grief, guilt and resentment.

There aren't many laughs, as you've probably guessed, but according to The Guardian it's worth watching from behind your fingers: "The Survivors is a study in how raw grief and festering resentment warp everything – and how surviving a tragedy rarely means getting away unscathed." The portrayal of three mothers in particular "marks The Survivors indelibly out from the murder mystery herd."

What are critics saying about The Survivors?

Digital Mafia Talkies compared its power to that of Adolescence, the drama focusing on the misogyny that leads to a teen murder. "The Survivors covers a very wide array of topics, ranging from bad parenting to fragile masculinity. It delves into the concept of “nature versus nurture” and tries to answer if we become what our parents want us to be or if it all depends on the genes that we inherit and pass down... The results of these analyses are flawed but pointed enough to start some important conversations."

Screenhub Australia gave the show four out of five stars, partly because the opening episode appears to be going in a different direction from where the series ends up and partly because the reviewer couldn't find any of the characters remotely likeable. The show "does a solid job of setting up an intriguing premise. There’s plenty of suspects, and a few obvious red herrings that’ll no doubt end up having a skeleton or two in the closet. Taken as a pure whodunnit, it ticks all the boxes". Just not the likeable-lead one.

The New York Times (paywall) wasn't gripped immediately either, but became very involved as the episodes progressed. "Though it covers a lot of familiar angles, The Survivors outshines most of its brethren. The relationships here are knotty, the characters multidimensional in intriguing, moving ways. People can be both wonderful and cruel, loving but maybe not loving enough, loyal but also dishonest... The show picks up as it goes, and its plot lines nest like Russian dolls, giving the story a real sense of heft and potency."

The Survivors is streaming now on Netflix.

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Well, we all knew Prime Day was on the horizon, and Amazon has made it official. Prime Day is returning in 2025, kicking off on July 8.

Here’s the kicker, though – Prime Day isn’t just a two-day affair for 2025, it’s going to be a deal behemoth lasting four full days before wrapping at Midnight on July 11. That’s right, Prime Day is on the books for July 8, July 9, July 10, and July 11.

That’s a continued stretch of the word day, but as someone who’s covered more than a couple Prime Days – including for TechRadar among other pubs – it has me excited about the prospect of bargains. Surely, we can expect some deals that will last all four days – or even before and after the members-only shopping holiday is on – but it also might let Amazon usher in some other deal types.

Could it be a growth of Lightning ones or an expansion of invite-only? It could even be brands mixing up how they choose to start sales or when they begin. And for the Nintendo faithful, it could represent the time the console arrives on Amazon.

Either route, I’m assembling my 6 number of tips to make the most of Prime Day 2025 and how to find the biggest bargains.

It’ll be the time to buy Amazon devices

Considering it's Amazon's Prime Day 2025, it’ll be the time to score deep discounts on all sorts of devices made by the company. TechRadar’s US Deals Editor Mackenzie Frazier told me, "The best category during Amazon's Prime Day sale is hands-down its own lineup of smart home devices."

"It's“The retailer consistently offers record-low prices on its best-selling devices, including Fire tablets, Ring Doorbells, Kindle e-readers, and Blink security cameras. It's the best opportunity of the year to grab an Amazon device on sale for its lowest price," explained Frazier.

So if you've been holding out on scoring the new Blink Video Doorbell 2 or have been eyeing a big-screen Echo Show to use when you get off the waitlist for Alexa+ Early Access, waiting a few more weeks until July 8 might be the move.

Furthermore, while Prime Day 2024 didn’t bring many discounts on Kindles, the situation has changed. Not only did Amazon introduce the entry-level Kindle, a Paperwhite refresh, and an all-new Scribe in late 2024, but we've already seen discounts on them, making Prime Day 2025 potentially ripe for further discounts.

Keep an eye on prices now

One of my age-old tips is to ensure that the Prime Day deal is actually a genuine bargain. We’ve seen it time and time again during shopping holidays, but some companies raise their prices right before a sales window to bring the prices down. Meaning that it can show as a certain percentage off, but in all fairness, it’s not really an excellent deal.

So, you can keep tabs on the products you have now – maybe make a bullet list in a notes app or screenshot current listings – and then be ready for some quick math when Prime Day rolls around. You can also set items to your watchlist on Amazon.

We here at TechRadar will highlight deals that are truly deals and make it known, but you can also use a tool like “CamelCamelCamel,” a popular price tracking extension for Google Chrome, that makes it really easy to simply see the price history for a given item on Amazon.

Make a list of items you’re after

While you might encounter a Lightning deal that you just have to add to your cart, it’s best to go into these sorts of shopping events with an idea of what you’re looking for. Perhaps you’re hoping to score an LG OLED TV or a Sony Mini LED model from our list of best TVs, an iPad mini, or any other tech or non-tech device.

Having a list of what you’re looking for, housed on Amazon or elsewhere, can be really helpful and keep you on track to look for those items first, before diving into the numerous pages of deals that Amazon will likely want to showcase.

Expand your shopping beyond just Amazon

While Amazon has formally announced its Prime Day 2025 event, you can bet that other retailers will host Black Friday in July events or even just offer up excellent prices on sought-after products in the lead-up, after, and during the actual event. This means that it will be a great time to compare prices across the places you shop – think Best Buy, Walmart, and Target, among others like B&H Photo, Antonline, and Newegg.

For example, if you’re looking for an M1 MacBook Air, you’ll want to check Walmart. They’ve long been one of the main retailers to offer a bargain, and you get it new, in the box, whereas sometimes the most attractive price on Amazon is for a used or refurbished model.

You’ll likely find that Best Buy will serve up some competing TV deals to rival Amazon as well.

You don’t need to wait for Prime Day

While Prime Day will undoubtedly bring a ton of new deals, you don’t necessarily need to wait to find a deal on what you’re looking for. With a quick peek at Amazon right now, many smart home gadgets by the retailer and from other brands are discounted, as well as home goods, food, TVs, and tablets.

TechRadar highlights deals every day, and using those alongside a price tracker tool is a good way to measure how good an early deal is and if you should add it to your cart.

For instance, if a smart speaker or pair of headphones is already at an all-time low and fairly new, it might be wise to purchase now.

Make sure you have a Prime membership

Amazon Prime: 30-day free trial
If you've never signed up before, you can get a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime to get access to this year's Prime Day deals. You get the same benefits as paid members, including free delivery and access to other services such as Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Gaming, and more. You can cancel at any time during the trial to avoid paying the regular fee, which is $14.99 / £8.99 per month.

This one is self-explanatory, but you’ll want to make sure you have an active Prime membership as Amazon bills Prime Day 2025 as a members-only shopping event. You can sign up for a free trial if you aren’t yet a member, but after that, Prime costs $14.99 / £8.99 a month.

Last, but certainly not least, you’ll want to keep an eye on TechRadar as our experts will be hard at work sifting through all of the deals during Prime Day 2025 to find you the best of the best.

And if you’re after some deals now, we’ve already started tracking the best early Prime Day deals to shop right now. You can view the full list here, and I’ve shared my favorites below.

Today's best early Prime Day deals

Get a cheap streaming device with Amazon's standard Fire TV Stick on sale for just $20 at the retailer today. In our Fire TV Stick review, we found that the original version offered a cost-effective way to add essential smart features to your TV, including access to HD streaming apps, Alexa voice controls, and the ability to control other smart home devices.View Deal

The Apple AirTag is Amazon's top-selling tech gadget, and it's on sale for only $24 ahead of Prime Day. If you tend to misplace your keys or wallet or want to track your luggage, just attach the AirTag to anything you don't want to lose, and your iPhone will locate the item.

You can also buy an Apple AirTag four-pack for $74.99View Deal

Amazon isn't done with Apple deals - the retailer has the latest entry-level iPad, now available at its lowest price yet. While this particular model is outwardly extremely similar to the previous iteration, it features the powerful A16 chipset, making it a great choice for everyday browsing, shopping, and watching content.View Deal

The LG C4 OLED is ranked number one in our best TV guide, and Amazon has the 42-inch model on sale for its lowest price yet. The LG C4 boasts exceptional brightness, LG's latest Alpha 9 AI chip for enhanced performance, and impressive gaming features, including four HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz, VRR, and ALLM support, as well as 144Hz certification from Nvidia.View Deal

The Fullstar vegetable chopper has over 100,000 positive reviews on Amazon and is always a customer favorite at past Prime Day sales. For just $26.97, you get four interchangeable blades, allowing you to chop, julienne, and slice your favorite veggies in a flash.View Deal

Processor: Apple M4
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB

If you're looking for a powerful MacBook, here's a $150 discount on the upgraded 512GB MacBook Air, which brings the price down to a record low. We're not a huge fan of the massive surcharge Apple wants for a storage upgrade, but this is likely to be the lowest price we'll see for a while on this configuration.View Deal

The excellent Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus has just hit a brand new record-low price at Amazon. With a powerful chipset, excellent camera array, and expansive 6.7-inch display, the Galaxy S25 is a great all-rounder for most people. With this price cut, it's arguably one of the best value flagships on the market, too. Check out our Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus review for an in-depth overview of this device.View Deal

Dyson vacuums are consistently best sellers during holiday sales, such as Prime Day, and Amazon has a $120 discount on the highly rated V8 Plus model. Perfect for pet owners, it features powerful suction that works across hardwood floors and carpets and can transform into a handheld vac for quick and convenient clean-ups.

One of our favorite Android smartwatches at the moment, we rate the Galaxy Watch 7 for its health and fitness tracking and beautiful AMOLED display. Today's discount at Amazon brings a massive $100 upfront discount on the slightly larger 44mm size, which is a fantastic deal for one of the better smartwatches you can buy right now.View Deal

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We’ve known that Jeremy Allen White’s next big screen role would be as The Boss, AKA Bruce Springsteen, and now we have our first, formal look at the star ditching a chef’s coat for the look of an iconic, all-American rocker.

20th Century Studios has dropped the first trailer for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere today ahead of the film's arrival in theaters on October 24, 2025.

It’s our first look at the latest artist biopic – arriving after those covering Bob Dylan and Elvis – and most importantly, we get to see how White's shaping up in the lead role.

Rather than telling the story of the iconic Born to Run album or the formation of the legendary E Street Band, Deliver Me From Nowhere focuses on the making of Springsteen’s Nebraska. It’s one of his best, in my opinion, and also one of his most enduring works.

The film “chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 Nebraska album, when he was a young musician on the cusp of global superstardom, struggling to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past.”

At 2:36, it’s a pretty packed trailer that sets the story, shows off White as Springsteen, highlights the impressive cast, and features a look at a live performance.

Now, I’m a pretty big Springsteen fan myself, hailing from the great state of New Jersey, and my hopes were extraordinarily high for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.

I’ve read the book it’s based on – Deliver Me from Nowhere by Warren Zanes – and the music has been on constant repeat for me, so I’m pretty hooked after the trailer.

It opens with White as Springsteen purchasing a new car – vehicles, transport, a common theme in the Boss’ work – and quickly presents the idea of Bruce searching for something. We then get a look at the recording process for Nebraska as well as the sessions around it – Springsteen on his own with an acoustic guitar, a harmonica, and his voice recording into a 4-track recorder.

There are also snippets of record executives, suggesting the creative battle over the album's direction will play a key role in the movie, and we also get our first look at a young Springsteen with his father.

And of course, we get some music. Springsteen devotees are sure to get shivers when the familiar tune of the album's title track kicks in, and another real highlight is a look at White portraying Springsteen on stage with the full E Street Band; boy does he rock Born to Run – and sounds good doing it.

The cast is also stacked, and looks great from the glimpses we got in the trailer. Jeremy Strong plays Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau; Paul Walter Hauser is guitar tech Mike Batlan, Stephen Graham plays Springsteen’s father Doug, Gaby Hoffman is Springsteen’s mother Adele, Marc Maron is Chuck Plotkin, David Krumholtz is Columbia executive Al Teller, and Odessa Young is Faye, a love interest.

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is set to hit theaters on October 24, 205, and if you’re looking for something to watch in the meantime, take a look at Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on Disney+ or Blinded By The Light on another service like Prime Video.

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• MI355X leads AMD's new MI350 Series with 288GB memory and full liquid-cooled performance
• AMD drops APU integration, focusing on rack-scale GPU flexibility
• FP6 and FP4 data types highlight MI355X’s inference-optimized design choices

AMD has unveiled its new MI350X and MI355X GPUs for AI workloads at its 2025 Advancing AI event, offering two options built on its latest CDNA 4 architecture.

While both share a common platform, the MI355X stands apart as the higher-performance, liquid-cooled variant designed for demanding, large-scale deployments.

The MI355X supports up to 128 GPUs per rack and delivers high throughput for both training and inference workloads. It features 288GB of HBM3E memory and 8TB/s memory bandwidth.

GPU-only design

AMD claims the MI355X delivers up to 4 times the AI compute and 35 times the inference performance of its previous generation, thanks to architectural improvements and a move to TSMC’s N3P process.

Inside, the chip includes eight compute dies with 256 active compute units and a total of 185 billion transistors, marking a 21% increase over the prior model. Each die connects through redesigned I/O tiles, reduced from four to two, to double internal bandwidth while lowering power consumption.

The MI355X is a GPU-only design, dropping the CPU-GPU APU approach used in the MI300A. AMD says this decision better supports modular deployment and rack-scale flexibility.

It connects to the host via a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface and communicates with peer GPUs using seven Infinity Fabric links, reaching over 1TB/s in GPU-to-GPU bandwidth.

Each HBM stack pairs with 32MB of Infinity Cache, and the architecture supports newer, lower-precision formats like FP4 and FP6.

The MI355X runs FP6 operations at FP4 rates, a feature AMD highlights as beneficial for inference-heavy workloads. It also offers 1.6 times the HBM3E memory capacity of Nvidia’s GB200 and B200, although memory bandwidth remains similar. AMD claims a 1.2x to 1.3x inference performance lead over Nvidia’s top products.

The GPU draws up to 1,400W in its liquid-cooled form, delivering higher performance density per rack. AMD says this improves TCO by allowing users to scale compute without expanding physical footprint.

The chip fits into standard OAM modules and is compatible with UBB platform servers, speeding up deployment.

“The world of AI isn’t slowing down - and neither are we, " said Vamsi Boppana, SVP, AI Group. "At AMD, we’re not just keeping pace, we’re setting the bar. Our customers are demanding real, deployable solutions that scale, and that’s exactly what we’re delivering with the AMD Instinct MI350 Series. With cutting-edge performance, massive memory bandwidth, and flexible, open infrastructure, we’re empowering innovators across industries to go faster, scale smarter, and build what’s next.”

AMD plans to launch its Instinct MI400 series in 2026.

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• A Redditor was moving a huge slab of data from old drives to a new one
• They used OneDrive as a midpoint in an ill-thought-out strategy that left all the data in Microsoft's cloud service temporarily
• When they came to download the data, they were locked out of OneDrive, and can't get Microsoft support to address this issue

A cautionary tale shared on Reddit tells the story of a Windows PC owner who used OneDrive to store 30 years' worth of their data and lost the lot when their Microsoft account was locked, with no apparent way to regain access.

This is a nasty sounding predicament (highlighted by Neowin) to say the least, with the loss of what's described as three decades of "irreplaceable photos and work" which was transferred to OneDrive as a temporary storage facility.

The idea the Redditor had was that they needed to move that huge collection of files from multiple old drives where they were stored to a large new drive, and OneDrive was selected as the midpoint in that data migration journey.

So, they moved all the files off the old drives onto Microsoft's cloud storage service and prepared to transfer the data to the new drive, when they ran into a huge stumbling block. The Redditor was suddenly locked out of their Microsoft account (and therefore OneDrive, and all Microsoft services).

Now, this isn't a sensible way to manage this data transfer, of course (and I'll come back to outline why in a moment, in case you're not sure), but the point here is that the mistake happened, and the Redditor can't get any joy whatsoever from Microsoft in terms of trying to resolve the problem.

In their Reddit post, which is gaining a lot of attention, they say: "Microsoft suspended my account without warning, reason, or any legitimate recourse. I've submitted the compliance form 18 times - eighteen - and each time I get an automated response that leads nowhere. No human contact. No actual help. Just canned emails and radio silence."

They continue: "This feels not only unethical but potentially illegal, especially in light of consumer protection laws. You can't just hold someone's entire digital life hostage with no due process, no warning, and no accountability," adding that Microsoft is a "Kafkaesque black hole of corporate negligence."

Analysis: Microsoft needs to do better

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Okay, so first up, very quickly - because I don't want to labor on the mistakes made by the unfortunate Redditor - this is not a good way to proceed with a drive migration.

In transferring a large slab of data like this, you should never have a single point of failure in the process. By which I mean shoving all the data into the cloud, on OneDrive, and having that as the sole copy. That's obviously the crux of the problem here, because once the user was locked out of OneDrive, they no longer had access to their data at all.

When performing such an operation, or as a general rule for any data, you should always keep multiple copies. Typically, that would be the original data on your device, a backup on a separate external drive at home (preferably two drives, in fact), and an off-site copy in a cloud storage locker like OneDrive. The point is that if you lose the original data, you can resort to, say, the external drive, but if that's also gone to the great tech graveyard in the sky somehow, you can go to the second drive (or the cloud).

Anyway, you get the point, but the Redditor chanced this way of doing things - figuring, no doubt, that as a temporary measure, it was fine to rely solely on OneDrive - but clearly, that wasn't the case.

There are a number of issues with the scenario presented here where Microsoft has fallen short of the standards that a customer would rightly expect.

Why did this happen?

First, there's the fact that the Microsoft account was simply locked with no notification or message provided as to why. The OneDrive user can only guess at why this ban was enacted (and the obvious guess is that some copyrighted material, or other content that contravened Microsoft's policies, was flagged in the uploaded files, which would trigger the account to be automatically locked). It's worth making it clear that we (obviously) don't have any idea about the contents of this data.

Secondly, with this having happened, the most worrying part here is the Redditor's description of how they feel like they're banging their head against a brick wall in trying to talk to Microsoft's support staff about how to resolve this. After all, this is essentially their whole life's worth of data, and there should be some way to at least find out what the problem is - and give the person who's been locked out a chance to explain, and potentially regain access.

For all we know, it could be a bug that's caused this. But if nobody at Microsoft's listening, nobody's investigating, probably. And if you do use OneDrive as a cloud backup, not having access to your data at a critical time is a frightening prospect indeed. (Which is why you must sort out those other local backups as an alternative, or indeed, another cloud service if you really wanted to push the 'data redundancy' boat out).

Hopefully, the Redditor will eventually get to speak to a Microsoft support agent - an actual person - to iron this out. In theory, all that data could still be on Microsoft's servers somewhere.

This incident has occurred at a time when Microsoft is pushing its account services on Windows 11 users, as you can't install the OS without one (well, you can by using loopholes, although the company is busy eradicating some of those fudges). Not to mention pushing OneDrive, Microsoft 365, and other services with ads in Windows, of course.

That broad drive is an unfortunate backdrop here when you consider another recent misstep recently brought to light. That was the highlighting of a potential problem with deleted Microsoft accounts (deleted by the user, that is), which could result in the loss of the key for the default drive encryption applied with new installations of Windows 11 24H2.

Again, that nasty little (albeit niche) scenario could lead to all the data on your drive disappearing into a blackhole, never to be seen again. It's another odd situation you could end up in with no recourse at all in this case - and this, along with the Redditor's awful plight, are predicaments that Microsoft clearly should not be inflicting on consumers.

We've contacted Microsoft for comment about this specific case, and will update this story if we get a response from the company.

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It’s only mid-June, and I'm fortunate enough to have already tested three new flagship mini-LED TVs for 2025. The bottom line is that these new TVs are seriously bright – brighter, even, than last year’s crop, and all three look primed to take their place among our list of the best TVs.

The three models I’ve tested are the Hisense U8QG, Samsung QN90F, and TCL QM8K, each with a 65-inch screen size. The Hisense and Samsung TVs have been fully reviewed, while my TCL review is currently in process.

Release pricing for the 65-inch model of these TVs is as follows:

• Hisense U8QG: $2,199 / £2,199 / AU$2,999
• Samsung QN90F: $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,499
• TCL QM8K (US-only model): $2,499

Even though it’s still relatively early in the year, US prices have already dropped for some of these TVs, with the 65-inch Hisense U8QG now selling for around $1,499, and the TCL QM8K for $2,199. The Samsung QN90F hasn't yet seen a price drop, but we expect it, along with other TVs, to get a substantial discount during the upcoming Amazon Prime Day sales event on July 8 through July 11.

If you’re in the market for one of the best mini-LED TVs, you may be wondering which of these three TVs is the best fit for you. To help guide your shopping journey, I’ll take you through the plus and minus points of each, starting with some revealing graphs of their measured performance.

Hisense U8QG

(Image credit: Future)

As you can see from the above chart, the Hisense U8QG has the highest peak and fullscreen brightness of these three TVs. The U8QG’s picture is seriously bright! It also has the highest HDR color gamut coverage, with 97.8% for UHDA-P3 and 82.8% for BT.2020 – both fantastic results for a mini-LED TV.

In my U8QG review, I praised it for its refined local dimming, which yielded pictures with powerful contrast and detailed shadows. Colors also looked rich, though the TV benefited from some pro-level adjustment to its default Filmmaker Mode for best results.

The U8QG’s high brightness makes it a great TV for watching sports, and helpfully my time reviewing coincided with the NBA playoffs here in the US. For daytime sports viewing, this is helped along by an anti-reflective screen, which does an effective job of limiting screen glare from windows, lamps, and overhead lighting.

One area where the U8QG’s picture came up short in my testing was off-axis uniformity – when viewed from a far off-center seat, contrast and color saturation both took a hit. The TV’s otherwise impressive 4.1.2-channel built-in speaker system was also prone to subwoofer rattling on movies with heavy bass, and I had frustrations with its Google TV smart TV platform when attempting to browse broadcast TV channels pulled in by its ATSC 3.0 tuner (a US-only problem).

Gamers will find plenty to love about the U8QG, which features three HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 165Hz, FreeSync Premium Pro, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ gaming support (though it would be better if the U8QG had four HDMI ports). Overall, the Hisense U8QG is a great TV, and also a great value at its current price.

Samsung QN90F

(Image credit: Future)

As you’ll see in the chart above, the Samsung QN90F isn’t the same brightness beast as the Hisense and TCL TVs, but its picture is still plenty bright enough to stand out for daytime viewing, and its Wide Viewing Angle feature and superior motion handling make it a perfect TV for sports.

Another QN90F feature that makes it perfect for sports, and also for watching movies in bright room lighting conditions, is its Glare-Free screen, a tech found in other flagship Samsung TVs, such as the Samsung QN990F 8K mini-LED and Samsung S95F OLED, that effectively eliminates mirror-like screen reflections from all light sources, lamps included. The one caveat here is that in such conditions, you’ll need to forgo Filmmaker Mode and instead use the TV’s Movie mode, which was the one we used for our QN90F measurements and evaluation.

Aside from having a near-flawless picture, the QN90F has clear, powerful sound from its 4.2.2-channel built-in speaker array, and an almost impossibly svelte, stylish design for a mini-LED TV.

Samsung’s Tizen Smart TV platform has seen numerous improvements over the years, and the latest version incorporates the Samsung Art Store, a subscription service that lets you “stream” artworks from museums around the world to display on the TV’s matte screen.

Gaming is a QN90F strength, and it leapfrogs over the competition with four HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 165Hz, FreeSync Premium Pro, and HDR10+ gaming support, along with Samsung’s Gaming Hub for cloud-based gaming. We measured input lag in Game mode at a mere 9.5ms – about as low as it gets on TVs.

TCL QM8K

(Image credit: Future)

Although I haven’t yet published my TCL QM8K review, I have already spent enough time evaluating this TV to get a sense of its overall performance, and the news here is very good. As you can see in the chart above, peak and fullscreen brightness are about on par with the Hisense U8QG, and so is its HDR color gamut coverage.

(An equivalent model to the QM8K in the UK and Europe is the TCL C8K.)

Colors look rich, yet accurate on the QM8K, and its powerfully bright image and anti-reflective screen make it a great option for daytime sports viewing. Its picture looks uniform over a wider viewing angle than the Hisense U8QG, almost matching the Samsung QN90F in that regard.

The movies that I’ve watched on the QM8K so far have also looked great, with the new model equalling the local dimming prowess of its TCL QM851G predecessor. Motion handling is average, which is the same result we saw with the QM851G.

The QM8K has a powerful built-in Dolby Atmos/DTS:X speaker system with both side- and up-firing drivers that’s tuned by Bang & Olufsen. It also supports Dolby Atmos Flexconnect, which lets the TV transmit sound directly to wireless speakers instead of connecting a soundbar.

The QM8K also has solid gaming features, with 4K 144Hz (and 1080p at 288Hz) and FreeSync Premium Pro support. But with only two HDMI 2.1 ports, the specs for TCL’s TV lag behind its competition, and at 13.6ms, its measured input lag is also higher.

Which one to buy?

These are all very strong TVs when it comes to both performance and features. Given the current pricing, I’d be inclined to pick the Samsung QN90F, which combines excellent all-around performance with a stunning design, great sound and smart TV features, and superior gaming features and performance.

Not that I wouldn’t be happy with any of these TVs, but the Samsung offers a bit more, even if it may ultimately cost more.

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• A threat actor is offering two Cock.li databases for sale on the dark web
• Email hosting provider confirms authenticity of the database on sale
• Users are urged to change their passwords

A well-known email hosting provider, allegedly popular among hackers and cybercriminals, has been hacked, with sensitive information on more than a million users ending up for sale on the dark web.

The administration team for Cock.li confirmed someone had exploited a vulnerability in its now-retired Roundcube webmail platform - and that everyone who has logged in to its systems since 2016 is at risk.

“The hacker reports they took the “users” and “contacts” tables,” the announcement reads. “We were immediately able to confirm the validity of the leak based on the column count and samples provided.”

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Webmail users affected

Cock.li is a German free email hosting provider, focusing on privacy and advertising itself as an alternative to mainstream solutions - meaning it has apparently been used by people who don’t trust mainstream companies, as well as cybercriminals.

Recently, it decided to abandon Roundcube completely, after discovering a remote code execution (RCE) flaw being actively exploited in the wild.

"Cock.li will no longer be offering Roundcube webmail," the admins said at the time. "Regardless of whether our version was vulnerable to this, we've learned enough about Roundcube to pull it from the service for good."

Soon after that happened, the service was disrupted, and then a threat actor started selling two databases allegedly grabbed from Cock.li, for one bitcoin, claiming the databases contained sensitive user information.

The email hosting provider then confirmed the claims, and urged users to update their passwords.

The tables contained email addresses, first webmail login timestamp, last webmail login timestamp, failed login timestamp and counter, language, and a serialized representation of user preferences, which includes anything they saved into roundcube itself (different settings or signatures), for approximately 1,023,800 users.

The attackers also scooped up approximately 93,000 contact entries from roughly 10,400 users, including their name, email, vcards, and comments. Passwords, emails, IP addresses, and the data of anyone who never used webmail, was not compromised, the admins confirmed.

Via BleepingComputer

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Gerard Butler's action movie Plane is heading for orbit: after just one week, it has racked up 6.3 million views, making it the second most popular movie on Netflix in the US and setting a course for #1 in the global charts (it's currently sitting at number three for the week ending June 15).

It's averaging a decent four out of five stars among the critics, but it's playing particularly well with viewers: at the time of writing it's got a very impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoes from the streaming public, making it one of the best Netflix movies.

Butler is Brodie Torrance, a pilot forced to make a risky landing on a war-torn island only to discover that surviving the landing was only the beginning. When rebels take his passengers hostage, Torrance and the accused murderer his plane was transporting have to team up and fight back.

What are the critics saying about Plane?

Plane is rather old-school, it's strongly reminiscent of the big-name action movies of the 80's – and that's no bad thing, especially with Butler in the pilot's seat. As Loud and Clear Reviews put it, "Plane makes it clear that it isn’t reaching for new heights but it doesn’t wing it either".

Don't judge the movie on its trailer, says WCSH: it's better than that, calling it "a decent popcorn thriller". And The Screen says that "Plane is a straightforward movie with very few twists to offer, but the trick to making it engaging lies in its execution".

"Nobody’s going to declare Plane a classic," says Decider, "but between [director Jean-Francois] Richet’s visual acumen and Butler doing admirable diligence to a character who’s in over his head... it’s an enjoyable, fast-paced and surprisingly engaging diversion."

But perhaps Zack Pope is the most representative of the streaming audience's views: as he writes, "Butler + Plane = Awesome".

Plane is streaming now on Netflix.

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• CISA flags security issue affecting multiple TP-Link models
• It allows threat actors to execute arbitrary system-level commands
• Affected models have all reached end of life, so should be replaced anyway

Multiple TP-Link routers, which have long reached end-of-life (EoL) status, are being abused in real-life attacks, the US government is warning.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added a command injection vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, signaling abuse in the wild.

A command injection vulnerability allows threat actors to execute arbitrary system-level commands on a server by exploiting improperly sanitized user input.

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Popular routers

In this case, the bug is tracked as CVE-2023-33538 and has a severity score of 8.8/10 (high). It affects multiple models, including TP-Link TL-WR940N V2/V4, TL-WR841N V8/V10, and TL-WR740N V1/V2.

All of these models reached their EoL long ago - between 2010 and 2018. That means that they are no longer receiving updates, and that TP-Link will not be addressing the command injection vulnerability mentioned above.

Usually, when a bug is added to KEV, Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies have three weeks to apply the patch. Since in this case, there is no patch, users are urged to replace old hardware with newer versions. The deadline to complete the removal is July 7, 2025.

Most OEMs advise this for all of the equipment that reached end-of-life status, both hardware, and software.

Despite being a decade old, these devices are still quite popular - as ,ost can still be purchased on Amazon, where one of the models has more than 9,000 positive reviews, and another has more than 77,000 reviews and ranks well among other similar routers.

“Users should discontinue product utilization,” CISA warned on its website.

The proof-of-concept exploits are “widely available” online, Cybernews noted, highlighting these types of flaws are most dangerous on publicly exposed routers with remote access features. It doesn’t mean they cannot be exploited within the same local network.

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Sensay, a creator of AI-powered digital replicas of people, has established an AI-powered government on a real island it purchased off the coast of the Philippines. Previously known as Cheron Island, it's been renamed Sensay Island.

The Head of State (effectively, the President) of Sensay Island is Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, one of The Five Good Emperors of Rome, who was known for his love of Stoic philosophy and good judgement. Wartime British PM Winston Churchill is the Prime Minister, while Sun Tzu, author of the Chinese strategic classic, The Art of War, takes the reins at Defence. Alexander Hamilton is the new Treasury Secretary.

According to Sensay, “Each AI replica is designed to emulate the personality, values, and decision-making patterns of the historical figure it represents, providing a governance style infused with timeless wisdom and ethical principles.

To truly emulate the character of these historical figures, each recreation is uniquely trained on the literature, teaching, philosophies, and speeches of the real-life counterparts they represent."

How easily AI replicas from such disparate periods and with such strong characters will be able to work together in government remains to be seen, since their contrasting values must surely clash at points, not to mention be at odds with modern-day values.

The full cabinet

Here’s the full list of Sensay Island cabinet members:

Head of State (President): Marcus Aurelius

Prime Minister: Winston Churchill

Foreign Affairs Minister: Eleanor Roosevelt

Defense Minister: Sun Tzu

Treasury Secretary: Alexander Hamilton

Justice Minister: Nelson Mandela

Science & Technology Minister: Ada Lovelace

Education Minister: Confucius

Health Minister: Florence Nightingale

Agriculture Minister: George Washington Carver

Environment Minister: Wangari Maathai

Culture Minister: Leonardo da Vinci

Ethics Advisor: Mahatma Gandhi

Innovation Advisor: Nikola Tesla

Infrastructure Director: Queen Hatshepsut

Chief Strategist: Zhuge Liang

Intelligence Chief: T.E. Lawrence

Personally, I think DaVinci was a wise choice for Culture Minister, and it’s nice to see Nikola Tesla being recognized as Innovation Advisor, but I have to say I’m a little disappointed not to see Queen Cleopatra anywhere in the mix.

Confucius also presents some challenges as Education Minister, considering his unfamiliarity with modern technology, like AI.

Sensay Island is neighbor to Guinlep Island and Bamboo Private Island. (Image credit: Sensay)A real island

Sensay Island is indeed a real island off the coast of the Philippines. You can find it on Google Maps. It has a surface area of around 3.4 km², comprising beaches, rainforest, and coral lagoons.

From what we can see, there doesn’t seem to be any infrastructure of any kind on the island, so if you’re thinking of a visit, be aware that there’s probably no Wi-Fi.

While an AI government feels like something of a publicity stunt, there are serious reasons why Sensay has created an AI island:

“Sensay is looking to demonstrate that AI can be deployed in national governance to aid policymaking free from political partisanship and bureaucratic delays, and with unprecedented transparency and participation”, it says.

A fly on the wall

According to Marisol Reyes, the (AI-powered) Tourism Manager for Sensay Island, who you can chat with at its website, you can visit the island whenever you like:

“Absolutely, you can visit our beautiful island! We're thrilled to welcome visitors to experience this unique blend of cutting-edge AI governance and traditional Filipino hospitality. Sensay Island is open to tourists who want to explore our pristine beaches, vibrant coral sanctuaries, and witness history in the making with our groundbreaking AI Council.”

For those without the means to visit, the good news is that you can still get involved. You will soon be able to register as an E-resident of Sensay Island, allowing you to propose new policies for its AI-powered administration via an open-access platform:

“This will combine direct democracy with AI-enhanced decision-making”, says Sensay.

Dan Thomson, CEO and founder of Sensay, added, “This project shows Sensay’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI in a responsible direction. I hope our approach will show the public and world leaders that AI is a feasible and efficient way to develop and implement policies."

Despite an AI-controlled civilization leading to (attempted) human extinction in just about every major Sci-Fi movie I’ve watched in the last 40 years, from Logan’s Run to The Terminator, it seems that humans are still determined to give it a go.

But could AI actually provide a more balanced and sane government than our elected officials can? There’s only one way to find out...

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The Great Cassette Rewind continues, as more affordable tape-playing options capitalize on the love for collectible physical media, which has only grown in the wake of the vinyl revival.

Earlier in 2025, We Are Rewind announced a metal Walkman-like portable player that can play cassettes over Bluetooth or with the best wired headphones, and then followed it up with the We Are Rewind GB-001 boombox reinvention.

And yes, this goes all out at being a boombox just the way you remember it. It's got a front-opening cassette deck, it's got physical dials and buttons, it's got a folding handle, it's got twin VU meters on the front, it's got two-way speakers on each side, and it's slightly heavier than is really convenient.

There are two notable feature swaps from the boombox you had a few decades ago, though: the radio tuner is out and Bluetooth is in for wireless playback, and the battery is a built-in rechargeable option instead of needing a dozen cells each the size of a large hamster.

(Image credit: Future)

It's got a guitar/mic input if you want to play or sing along with the music, and you can use this input to record to the cassette deck. Sadly, you can't record to tape from the Bluetooth connection, and I wish it actually had two cassette decks so you could go really old school and record between them, but what's here is probably the right balance for using it in the real world.

Speaking of which, I did get to test it out, though in a slightly odd situation: I was at a big audio trade show, and we couldn't test it in the side room it was being shown off in, because there was a constant demo of much larger speakers.

So we just took it out into the public area, put it on the ground, and turned up the dial until I could enjoy my music and everyone around me was annoyed – the authentic public boombox experience!

Actually, I suspect that people were more curious than annoyed – they were at an audio trade show, after all, and this thing really stood out among all the more traditional hi-fi that dominated the show.

(Image credit: Future)

There is a deep, fundamental satisfaction that comes from turning up the volume and seeing physical VU meter needles start to jump higher and higher up their range; a reassuring supplement to what your ears are telling you, that rocking is about to happen.

Despite being at a hi-fi show, the GB-001's sound is not exactly audiophile, which will not be a shock to anyone – and is not what we really want from it anyway. Because I was listening to it on a noisy trade-show floor, obviously my assessment of its sound is very much limited, but it is at least representative of using the thing in the real world, where other sounds around you will conflict with it.

It's heavy through the low-end, which is common among outdoor speakers, because bass is easily lost when traveling through open air. It seems to know what it's doing with this bass, which felt fairly controlled and lively – the risk with going strong on bass is that it starts to become flat and lands with a thud, but this felt like it had bounce.

The mids felt a little lost among the sound around me even when I'd turned the volume pretty high, but the treble comes across, and again I feel like this is what you expect from this kind of speaker in this environment – all the movement and conversation around me is heavily in the mid-range and is most likely to overwhelm the audio, but I could still hear all the core essence of songs, and definitely the beat.

I couldn't tell you much about its delivery of detail in that environment, but I genuinely do feel like this asking the wrong question of a boombox.

(Image credit: Future)

One thing to note is that it delivers a notably broader sound over Bluetooth than it does from cassettes. It's one big reason why I don't think the tape revolution will ever take off in the same way as the vinyl revival. I know some people love them, but really cassettes were the best solution to a portability problem at the time, and basically every solution since then has been superior.

But there is a genuine charm to them outside of the sound, which is the same with vinyl. The physical ritual of opening a box, sliding out the cassette, and sliding it into the boombox's caddy is deliberate and satisfying.

The chunk of pressing the mechanical buttons tickles the right part of the brain. The click and silence of a successful rewind delivers anticipation that you're about to dig into something good.

And I've written about this before, but I genuinely miss the creativity of the mixtape era, and both of We Are Rewind's products have that in mind, both including a line-in option to record something personal to tape and share it with your crush/best fried, or sibling, or favorite artist you waited ages at the stage door to see who's definitely going to love your stuff and will be your big break.

Even with all that acknowledged, it's the light-up twin VU meters that are my favorite part of the whole thing. They're another element that adds anticipation; when the lights come on and the needle twitches, you're about to kick off a good time.

My next home hi-fi upgrade will be genuinely influenced by the presence of features like this, because now that it's possible to play all the music in the world in high quality with almost no equipment whatsoever (just some of the best earbuds and your phone), if you're going to invest in big physical units to provide pleasing playback, they should make you as happy physically as they do sonically.

I think the GB-001 gets this – it's about the ritual of music, at home or out at the skate park.

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Mario Kart World patch notes have arrived, detailing the latest updates to the game. There are bug fixes too, cleaning up some of the rough edges on certain maps, and fixing an issue with items not being used correctly. The latest patch notes are the first in an upcoming schedule of regular updates to Mario Kart World, so you'll want to stay up to date with the state of the game's latest version.

Now that Mario Kart World is here, alongside the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, there's plenty to keep you busy until the next big Switch 2 exclusive arrives. Having now spent 40 hours playing Mario Kart World, I've been impressed by how few bugs I've encountered. Still, Nintendo has recently pushed an update live, detailed in the latest patch notes.

Here's the latest patch notes for Mario Kart World, focusing on bug fixes now that the game is out and in the hands of players. As new updates go live, this page will be updated.

Update (June 18, 2025): Detailed latest patch notes that arrived June 17, 2025.

Mario Kart World latest patch notes

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The latest patch notes for Mario Kart World arrived June 17, 2025. You can read the full list of changes below:

• Fixed an issue where items were no longer able to be used.
• Fixed an issue where sometimes controls were inoperable when selecting a character and trying to start Free Roam from the “Free Roam” map.
• Fixed an issue where sometimes the game shut down when watching replay after a race.
• Fixed an issue where sometimes the game shut down after a race in “Online Play.”
• Fixed an issue where rate fluctuations were sometimes displayed incorrectly in “Knockout Tour” and “Online Play.”
• Fixed an issue where it was easy for a communication error to occur when trying to join Friends playing “VS Race” or “Battle” in “Online Play.”
• Fixed an issue where you sometimes slipped through the wall before the finish line of “DK Spaceport.”
• Fixed an issue where you sometimes couldn’t return to correct position after falling off the course between “Airship Fortress” and “Bowser’s Castle” while gliding.

The changes listed above have now been added to Mario Kart World. To ensure your game is up to date, check the "update" tab from the Mario Kart World game tile on your home screen. There will no doubt be future patches, so stay tuned for updates to this page.

Mario Kart patch notes archive

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Below, you'll find the previous patch notes added to Mario Kart World as part of an update on June 4, 2025. It focused on pushing online play live, adding CameraPlay, and other features ahead of launch the following day.

• Enabled CameraPlay.
  • A compatible USB camera (sold separately) is required for CameraPlay.
  • Players can turn camera ON or OFF in Multiplayer and Online Play modes.
  • When the camera is ON, the player’s face is displayed during the race.
• Enabled Online Play.
• Enabled LAN Play.
  • From the title screen if you press the L Stick and hold both the L Button and R Button, Wireless Play will change to LAN Play.
• Enabled players to upload and download ghost data in Time Trials.
• Enabled display of icons of players in close proximity in Free Roam.
• Increased number of characters you can select from the start.
• Improved operability when 3 or more players are playing in Multiplayer.
• Eliminated time limit for choosing courses when playing Wireless Play or LAN Play.
• Enabled display of update version on title screen.

Mario Kart World FAQ

(Image credit: Nintendo)What is the latest version of Mario Kart World?

The latest version of Mario Kart World is "1.1.1", added as part of an update on June 17, 2025.

How do I update Mario Kart World?

To update Mario Kart World, head to the homepage using the Home button. You then want to scroll over to the Mario Kart World game tile and press the "+" button. From here, you can select "Software Update" and then "Via the Internet". This will tell you whether your version of Mario Kart World needs an update. If it does, you can then set it downloading, and it'll all apply automatically. Note that you will need to be connected to the internet to do so.

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• An external IT partner to Scania lost its login credentials through an infostealer
• The hackers used the password to access Scania and steal files
• They asked the company for money, and later offered the archive for sale

Swedish automotive manufacturer Scania has confirmed suffering a cyberattack which saw it lose sensitive customer data.

Security researchers Hackmanac found a new thread on a dark web forum, in which a database allegedly stolen from ‘insurance.scania.com’ was being offered for sale to an exclusive buyer for an unknown sum of money.

“hi guys. we hacked new target and selling full attachment of 'insurance.scania.com'. Full attached files is 34,000 and first time hacked + just will 1 hand sell,” the ad, published in both English and Russian, reads. “few pic attached with remarks (for no one cant copy and scam people).”

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Supply chain attack

After the thread was posted, Scania confirmed the authenticity of the claims, saying it was breached in late May 2025 as part of a supply chain attack which originated at an external IT partner.

"We can confirm there has been a security related incident in the application "insurance.scania.com", the application is provided by an external IT partner," a Scania spokesperson said.

"On the 28th and 29th of May, a perpetrator used credentials for a legitimate external user to gain access to a system used for insurance purposes; our current assumption is that the credentials used by the perpetrator were leaked by a password stealer malware."

"Using the compromised account, documents related to insurance claims were downloaded."

Although the company did not detail what information was found in the stolen files, it’s safe to assume that it is sensitive, possibly financial, or medical. The number of affected individuals is also unknown for now.

After stealing the archives, the threat actor tried to extort Scania for money, reaching out on multiple occasions and demanding a ransom. Since it ended up offering the database for sale on the dark web, we can assume that the company declined the generous offer.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Privacy experts are raising concerns over Meta's decision to bring ads to WhatsApp
• On Monday, June 16, 2025, WhatsApp announced new ad features are set to land in the Updates tab
• In 2023, Meta denied claims that WhatsApp was planning to add in-feed ads on the platform

After years of rumors, worries, and denials, it's finally happened – WhatsApp is officially getting ads.

On Monday, June 16, 2025, Meta announced that it is rolling out this new feature over the next several months. The Big Tech giant, however, claims ads are built "in the most privacy-oriented way possible," ensuring that your personal messages, calls, and groups won't be used to target these ads to you.

Needless to say, privacy experts aren't buying it and call on worried users to look for alternatives. "The introduction of ads could signal a wider shift away from private messaging toward monetized, monitored communication," warns Chief Technology Officer at NordVPN, Marijus Briedis. "Your messages may not stay as private as you think."

WhatsApp ads – what we know so far

So, WhatsApp is getting new ads, but how does this work in practice?

Contrary to past rumors about potential in-feed ads – a plan that Meta denied in 2023 – WhatsApp ads are now set to be locked within its Updates tab. For now, at least.

The Updates tab, which the company said has 1.5 billion daily users, includes both Channels and Statuses. Channels are a list of dedicated interest groups you can join, while the latter replicates the Stories feature from Instagram. Both Channels and Statuses are going to get the ad feature.

WhatsApp ads come alongside two more features of the app's Updates tab – channel subscriptions and promoted channels. (Image credit: Meta)

A new Promoted Channels feature will soon start to recommend new sponsored channels based on your interests. A new Ads in Status option will also enable businesses to promote their services and products with targeted advertising among WhatsApp users.

WhatsApp is promising that these new features have been built with users' privacy in mind. Therefore, all personal messages, calls, and statuses are set to remain end-to-end encrypted, meaning that not even the provider has access to this sensitive info.

"To show ads in Status or Channels you might care about, we'll use limited info like your country or city, language, the Channels you’re following, and how you interact with the ads you see. For people that have chosen to add WhatsApp to the Accounts Center, we'll also use your ad preferences and info from across your Meta accounts," reads WhatsApp's official announcement, adding the company will "never sell or share your phone number to advertisers."

What the privacy tech industry is saying

Despite these reassurances, the privacy world isn't exactly thrilled by the prospect of bringing data-hungry advertisements to an encrypted messaging app.

Briedis from NordVPN, today's TechRadar's best VPN recommendation, fears that this move could lead to a dangerous shift in the business of private communications.

He said: "When advertising enters a messaging app, it often marks the beginning of deeper data collection. Meta says your chats are private, but its business model relies on data-driven surveillance. This isn’t just about pop-ups; it’s about protecting your privacy."

NordVPN certainly isn't alone in taking a strong stance against WhatsApp's ad features.

Your messages may not stay as private as you think

Marijus Briedis, NordVPN

As AI, tech, and privacy expert Luiza Jarovsky pointed out, personalized ads are unlikely to be a feature WhatsApp users would want or enjoy seeing in a private app.

"Either Meta is desperate for more revenue sources, or they just don't care. It's against common sense to introduce personalized ads in a private messaging environment," she wrote in a tweet, warning that "we'll likely see hundreds of creepy examples."

Austria-based digital group Noyb has then questioned the legality of such a plan in the EU – under the GDPR and DMA's freely given consent provision – and now threatens Meta with a legal complaint.

"Without freely given consent, linking data and showing personalized advertising is clearly illegal. Meta has already introduced a 'Pay or Okay' approach on Instagram and Facebook, without the Irish data protection authority or the EU Commission taking any effective action against it. We suspect that Meta will do the same with WhatsApp," said Noyb's chairman and lawyer, Max Scherm.

Use Signal. We promise, no AI clutter, no surveillance ads—whatever the rest of the industry does. We lead we don’t follow❤️ pic.twitter.com/11naKMBLlwJune 17, 2025

Experts suggest that worried users should start looking for more private alternatives.

"If you’re uncomfortable with being tracked, you do have options," said Briedis. "Privacy shouldn’t be treated as a luxury. It should be the baseline."

If you're looking to ditch WhatsApp, I recommend checking out either Signal, Session, or Threema.

All three messaging apps come with default end-to-end encryption protection across all your messages and calls, without ads. Crucially, contrary to WhatsApp, these services also encrypt metadata, promising a truly track-free and private experience.

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• Apple recently announced that its Journal app is coming to iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe for the first time
• There are six new features landing later this year
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Following Apple’s recent WWDC event, it’s safe to say that we’re in for a wave of new and exciting features coming to iOS 26 this September, and, as well as new additions like Apple Music’s AutoMix, Apple Journal is another app that’s getting several big upgrades.

After two years of absence, Apple is finally bringing the Journal app to iPad and Mac, which will be available when the new iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe updates are rolled out – which we’re expecting at the same time as iOS 26.

Apple Journal was introduced in 2023 as part of the iOS 17.2 software update, appearing as a pre-installed app native to iPhone. But the launch of iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe will mark the first time that Journal migrates to other Apple products.

(Image credit: Apple)

When it comes to Apple’s native apps I’ve never really felt the urge to experiment, particularly with Apple Journal as I’ve been more than satisfied using the Notes app for things like keeping track of my workout routine, or creating a shopping list. However, with the announcement of Journal’s six new features, Apple is encouraging me to get a little more creative with the way I use its native apps to get me through my daily life.

Apple Journal receives much-need TLC

The six new additions coming to Apple Journal cover both creative and practical functions, so it’s not just about amping your journal’s visual element but optimizing formatting and organization features within the app itself.

The first feature is the option to create multiple journals, so that you can document different types of entries and better organize them. This also allows you to have a clear view of your different journals, and with the help of the handy new map view interface, you can view your entries based on the locations you created them in.

Third, you’ll soon have more control over what entries you want to keep, discard, and revisit. Have you ever deleted an entry and immediately regretted it? Apple is taking that dreaded feeling away by introducing a function that allows you to restore recently deleted journal entries - similar to Photos’ ‘Recently deleted’ folder.

Apple is encouraging you to get more creative with Journal, allowing you to add custom drawings and hand-written text to entries. (Image credit: Apple)

Finally, in addition to its new and improved search function, Apple Journal is introducing new creative features to give you the freedom to create journal entries that scream ‘you’ – starting with inline images.

Instead of being restricted to the designated media section in an entry, you’ll be able to add images to appear inline with bodies of text, adopting the appearance of a physical journal or scrapbook.

Speaking of physical journals, one of the best parts is being able to hand-write your notes, an element that Apple is bringing to Journal. With the rollout of iOS 26, you’ll have the freedom to create your own drawings and hand-written text, which you can add to entries. It even comes with Apple Pencil support.

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There’s a lot of noise in enterprise AI right now. Under mounting pressure to deliver faster, safer digital services, businesses are turning to the next evolution in automation: Agentic AI.

No, this isn’t bolting on a chatbot and calling it digital transformation. AI agents are built to understand your organization, operating within your domain constraints with real autonomy. These agents operate inside your business, using your data to automate decisions, adapt to real-world problems in milliseconds, and embed themselves directly into operational workflows.

They blend the general reasoning power of today’s large language models with domain- specific intelligence grounded in company data. That might be clinical records, compliance frameworks, or engineering logs - whatever your business runs on. The result? Systems that take action: surfacing insights, automating tasks, and adapting based on your company policies and workflows.

Why it matters now

Demand for automation is growing, as are expectations around compliance, transparency, and data governance, especially in Europe. Agentic AI offers a response to both: scalable intelligence, designed to work inside complex regulatory frameworks.

That matters in sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services, where data security, explainability, and reliability aren't negotiable. These aren’t markets where “good enough” is acceptable. Customers simply can not tolerate hallucinated responses or unreliable systems where their data hits the public domain.

Agentic AI is safer. Not because it’s slower or more cautious, but because it’s built for the environment it’s deployed into.

Inside the architecture

Agentic systems rely on a layered approach, with different types of agents operating across an organization:

1. Human assistance agents support real-time decisions, generating summaries, highlighting next steps, and assisting in code review or sales workflows. They keep humans in control while removing friction from day-to-day tasks.
2. Transactional agents manage system-to-system workflows. They handle onboarding, verification, or inventory reconciliation autonomously when appropriate, with escalation when edge cases arise.
3. Autonomous agents identify and solve problems independently. In domains like DevOps, logistics, or diagnostics, they monitor environments, anticipate failures, and act proactively rather than reactively to resolve these types of issues. These agents work in tandem rather than in isolation. Together, they form an intelligent layer across enterprise systems - learning, adapting, and coordinating actions in ways that were previously siloed or manual. True digital transformation across the enterprise.

Vector-based context

Key to all of this is the use of custom vector databases. Vector databases enable AI agents to fetch relevant, security-controlled context from sensitive data without actually exposing that data in its original form to the agent. This is a game-changer for regulated industries. Rather than relying on generic training data from the public internet, this draws directly from the institutional knowledge inside your firewalls.

That means better accuracy, stronger compliance, and fewer surprises. It also means outputs that reflect your standards, rather than what’s statistically likely.

European inferencing

Agentic systems are already transforming highly regulated sectors in Europe. In healthcare, they reduce administrative overheads, improve triage, and accelerate innovation while protecting patient privacy. In manufacturing, they’re powering predictive maintenance, supply chain optimization, and real-time field service. Within finance, these agents enhance fraud detection, refine compliance, and provide hyper- personalized services.

Agentic AI adoption is particularly strong in regions with tighter data controls - namely France, Germany, and the Nordics - because these systems respect the boundaries enterprises are required to operate within.

These systems increasingly rely on serverless inference, which allows businesses to scale their AI infrastructure without wedding themselves to their maximum theoretical usage. That’s critical in Europe, where innovation budgets are often tight, and sovereign infrastructure matters. Agentic AI is being built to meet those regulatory requirements from day one.

Yes, Europe’s regulatory environment slows things down. But that friction forces better thinking. It pushes enterprises to build with trust, accountability, and explainability. Creating market conditions where sustainable AI can thrive.

GDPR, the EU AI Act, NIS2 and other regulatory frameworks define the standards by which responsible AI can scale. As US start-ups chase MVPs and launch before the proper guardrails are in place, European enterprises may end up with AI that’s more compliant and generally more effective in the long term.

The next step

Agentic AI marks a turning point in how businesses interact with their data and workflows. It moves beyond static automation to deliver systems that act, learn, and improve within the constraints enterprises define.

This is not a plug-and-play future. It’s a future that demands thoughtful design, domain- specific strategy, and an unflinching focus on outcomes. The rewards will be sustainable and significant for the organizations that build smart and scale responsibly. The hype in off-the-shelf, plug-and-play solutions will fade. Agentic AI infrastructure is built for the latest ways of working. Enterprises that invest now and build with intent will lead in the next stage for what’s next.

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

When my AirPods Max broke at the beginning of the year, I was faced with a difficult decision: double down and spend another $549 / £499 / AU$899 on headphones that certainly haven't dropped in price since their December 2020 release (and might let me down again) or find a pair that I could count on.

Swapping them for a pair of headphones that cost half as much has made me realize there’s something better out there for me. And I’d argue there’s something better out there for you, too.

It’s hard to overstate how much I loved my AirPods Max when I first got them and they still absolutely merit a mention as some of the best headphones out there. Their sound is exquisite, both dynamic and detailed yet bassy and zealous. And spatial audio was still a bit of a rarity back then, making them a real game-changer for watching movies and TV on the go. Even their noise cancelling – oft placed in a distant third place after that of Bose and Sony – was a revelation, still offering blissful silence on busy streets and public transport.

Sure, they’re a bit on the old side now and despite adding wired USB-C lossless audio earlier this year have been been sorely in need of some quality-of-life updates for a while. Their cheaper stablemates, the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro, include a bunch of features they don’t, such as Conversation Awareness, more powerful chips and weatherproofing, despite their much cheaper price. But I was willing to put up with their occasional quirks, given that they were always so dependable – it was easy to fool myself into believing they’d always be there for me.

Until they weren’t. After just over two years of use, my AirPods Max started to act up. In contrast to their previous rock solid connectivity, they developed the Memento-esque habit of forgetting their connection every time they slept, even though my Macbook and iPhone’s OS still showed them as paired. Attempting to reconnect would fail; performing a soft reset did nothing. Worse, whenever I pressed their pairing button, I was greeted with a slow blinking orange light, a distress signal I’d never witnessed before.

The only solution I eventually did hit on was to perform a full restore to factory settings and set them up from scratch. They would then stay connected until the next time they were switched off or left idle for 15 minutes, at which point they’d lose the connection again.

(Image credit: Future)

I dealt with this the same way I diagnose any mystery malady – I turned to Dr Google, which helped me diagnose the likely culprit as a faulty Bluetooth module. Unfortunately, as Apple Care+ only lasts two years, the cost of repair was likely to be expensive; Apple’s repair prices are frustratingly opaque but users online who’ve undergone similar repairs have said they’ve been billed up to half the cost of the device.

This left me with a bit of a dilemma. Paying the repair cost would have undoubtedly given my headphones more life. But how long would it be before the next issue arose, like the battery reaching the end of its lifespan? Even if Apple replaced the whole unit – as it’s often wont to do, to save on the hassle of repair – where was the guarantee I wouldn’t just get a further two years of life, followed by another hardware fault?

Mentally totting up the cost of several hundreds pounds of repairs or buying a whole new pair every two years, I started to wonder if I was really willing to burn potentially thousands of pounds to feed my headphone habit for the next decade.

Typically, I’m not one to make a decision today that I can instead procrastinate over tomorrow, so I wanted to pick up a stopgap pair of cans I could use until I’d made my mind up. As TechRadar’s review editor, I’m lucky enough to have access to a library of the best noise cancelling headphones for testing, so I borrowed a loaner pair for using in the office: the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100. And, boy, was this an eye-opener (read: ear-opener) and a half.

Starting with audio quality, the P100 sounded way better than I’d expected for a mid-range pair of noise cancelling headphones – they lack the whomp of some of their bassier rivals but they’re also seriously expressive and don’t neglect certain frequencies just to artificially boost the low end. I can’t work without music playing so I wear headphones for easily eight hours straight, yet at no point did they start to feel uncomfortable. And at a list price of $239 / £199, I wouldn’t find it quite so galling even if they gave up the ghost in just a couple of years. And that won't happen, since Cambridge Audio tells us the battery module can be replaced (although for how much, I'm not sure).

For me, that really drove home something that often gets overlooked with modern wireless headphones – we’re increasingly paying more for lower longevity. And maybe you’d actually be better off spending a bit less.

(Image credit: Future)Most headphones aren't built to last

Look, I appreciate in some ways two years is quite a long time. Twenty-four months ago, I didn’t even write for TechRadar. Elon Musk was in charge of the dumpster fire that was Twitter rather than the dumpster inferno that is X. And the phrase ‘Brat summer’ would have attracted mystified looks, rather than weary eyerolls.

But in the world of audio equipment, two years is not a long time. Most audio equipment doesn’t tend to be a biennial purchase; instead it’s built to last. I bought my budget pair of KEF Cresta 3 floorstanding speakers and Cambridge Audio A5 amplifier when I was 20 years old. Terrifyingly, I’m almost double that now and yet both gadgets work as well as the day I bought them. Even wired headphones, properly taken care of, can last years – especially given they’re often repairable and have replaceable parts.

I don’t need to be a soothsayer of snark to know that some will likely write off this whole episode as being unique to Apple products, given they’re notoriously hard to repair and often tied to short product cycles. But I’d argue the issue runs far deeper than that: across many of the major headphone brands, premium prices have become a guarantee of fancier features, not necessarily increased reliability. And part of that is down to their evolution from a predominantly analog product to what amounts to a sophisticated computer in their own right.

(Image credit: Future)

As wireless headphones have become smarter, they’re increasingly reliant on chipsets and firmware that aren’t necessarily designed with longevity in mind. The CPUs and modules required to apply sophisticated audio processing or drive connectivity are incredibly sophisticated components and each introduces an extra point of failure. Meanwhile, firmware updates can be abandoned at a brand’s discretion when shinier products become their new priority. Just like our smartphones, which many of us throw out on a three-year upgrade cycle, we’re increasingly sacrificing audio gadgets’ Methuselah-like longevity and sustainability for something that burns much brighter but for a fraction as long.

Clearly we shouldn’t abandon all the great features offered by noise cancelling headphones just because they have the life expectancy of a butterfly entering a jet engine's air intake. I’m not going back to the dark days of having to untangle a bramble of wires every morning or hear other human beings’ conversations on the subway. But it has all made me wonder whether I’m willing to commit myself to spending $549 / £499 / AU$899 every two or three years, just to gain relatively modest improvements in terms of features and sound quality.

This feeling has been compounded the more I’ve tried out some of the excellent competitors available at the lower end of the market. For example, the aforementioned Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 have expressive spacious sound, decent – if not exactly silent – noise cancelling and a battery life that puts most rivals to shame, lasting a ludicrous 60 hours with ANC on and up to 100 hours without.

Inevitably, the P100 lack certain features: you don’t get proprietary spatial audio (Cambridge Audio doesn't dig that kind of thing), nor the sumptuous bass of Apple’s cans but, even if they did die after a couple of years, their $239 / £199 price means I could get 2.5 times as long a period of use before I’d spent as much as I would on another pair of AirPods Max. And the fact that elements like the battery are user-replaceable with standard tools means that they shouldn’t cost anywhere near as much if you’d rather opt for the sustainable option of repairing them, rather than handing them in at my local recycling center.

So while I’ve loved all the premium, audiophile-grade noise cancelling headphones I’ve owned in the past, I think those days are behind me. Sorry, AirPods Max: I’m not coming back.

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• Wix announced buying Base44
• Base44 is a popular low code/no code platform powered by AI
• It will remain a separate entity

Wix.com, one of the best website builders in the world, is jumping on the vibe coding bandwagon with the acquisition of Base44.

This morning, the company shared a press release with TechRadar Pro, in which it announced its purchase of the AI-powered platform that “enables anyone to create fully functional, custom software solutions and applications using natural language, without the need for traditional coding.”

Wix bought Base44 for $80 million, and agreed to possibly pay even more through 2029, depending on how well Base44 performs. It did not detail which metrics it will be tracking in that respect.

Base44 will not be merged into Wix but will instead remain a distinct product and business, the company confirmed. It doesn’t expect the acquisition to be felt in its 2025 bookings and revenue, too. “We expect to incur approximately $25 million in retention bonus payments paid to Base44 employees in 2025 as part of the above initial consideration paid on the transaction, which will be excluded from non-GAAP and free cash flow (FCF) results,” the press release reads.

According to Similarlabs, Base44 has more than 40,000 users, making it a rather popular solution among web app builders, particularly those looking to bypass conventional development hurdles. It comes with built-in services like database management, user authentication, email, analytics, storage, hosting, and even domain/DNS setup. It has a drag-and-drop interface, as of recently also supported by a conversational AI chatbot.

AI galore

In recent times, Wix has been aggressively adding Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) across its suite of products and solutions. In December 2024, it demonstrated AI Site-Chat, a feature designed to serve as a virtual agent for customers. In January 2025, it released Business Launcher, an AI-powered tool designed to help entrepreneurs create new business initiatives, from concept to execution, and a few months later, in May, it introduced the Wix Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, which enables users to generate code through AI assistants such as Claude, Cursor, and Windsurf.

“This acquisition marks a pivotal milestone in Wix’s commitment to transforming creation online,” said Avishai Abrahami, CEO and Co-founder of Wix. “Maor and his team at Base44 bring cutting-edge technology, strong market penetration, and visionary leadership that seamlessly align with Wix’s dedication to enabling users at all levels of expertise to express their intent while intelligent agents manage execution. "

For Maor Shlomo, CEO of Base44, there isn’t a better fit than Wix.

“Wix is probably the only company that can help Base44 achieve the scale and distribution it needs while maintaining, if not accelerating, our product velocity," he said. “Our market is massive. It has the potential to replace entire software categories by enabling people to create software instead of buying it. Wix’s DNA – its customer obsession, innovation, and speed – perfectly aligns with ours, and its scale will catapult Base44 forward at exactly the right time.”

You can read this insightful blog post from Avishai Abrahami to learn more about the acquisition and Wix's AI vision.

Comment from the expert

Given all the buzz around vibe coding, I was expecting Wix to jump into the space in some way, shape, or form in the coming months.

Although the world's biggest website builder isn't the first through the 'vibe' party door, Hostinger launched its own vibe coding platform called 'Horizons' back in February of this year, that doesn't mean it is behind. By acquiring Base44, Wix has skipped a stage of major development, helping it unlock an industry leading product without having to go through the often problematic early iterations.

Given Wix's commitment to becoming an all-in-one platform for businesses, I am surprised by the decision not to integrate Base44 into the Wix platform. I asked Wix if you would need a separate membership for Base44 - you will - although there is currently a free plan available so you can give it a go without having to pay for yet another subscription.

The press release didn't mention any plans to add the Base44 platform to Wix, I suspect that may be in the pipeline, but when that might be is unclear.

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LLMs have been plagued by hallucinations from the very start. Developers are investing huge amounts of money and time into improving these models, yet the problem remains: hallucinations are rife. And in fact, some of the newest models – as OpenAI confessed to on its recent launch of o3 and o4-mini – hallucinate even more than previous ones.

Not only do these programs hallucinate, but they also essentially remain ‘black boxes’. Hallucinations are hard to defend against, because they are the result of random chance. The answers simply seem plausible, serving some basic use cases, but requiring extensive human oversight. Their hallucinations remain imperceptible to non-subject matter experts.

These two problems present major barriers to AI’s widespread adoption, especially in regulated industries like law and healthcare where accuracy and explainability are paramount. It’s ironic, since these industries are at the same time often the most likely to benefit from software that can automate information processing at scale. So if current models are failing to overcome these barriers, where can we go from here?

Why most AI is fundamentally untrustworthy, and getting worse

Large Language Models, or LLMs, have taken the world by storm over the past few years. This type of software uses predictive algorithms to produce outputs in response to inputs in the form of text. They’re incredible pieces of technology, but nobody knows exactly how they produce specific outputs. The answers they produce simply happen to satisfy our requests… until they don’t.

Since LLMs use statistics to determine their outputs, they occasionally come up with answers or responses that are incorrect. Just as when somebody bets on a horse in a race, even if they were to account for all the variables that could affect all of the competitors’ performances, they’ll occasionally be wrong. When LLMs do this, we refer to it as a ‘hallucination’.

Hallucinations are inherent to LLMs; one cannot have an LLM without them, since they’re statistically prone to them. And because LLMs do not truly understand the information they receive and produce, they’re unable to notify users when they do it. That’s problematic for everyone, but especially so in applications where the stakes are much higher: in law or healthcare, for example.

What symbolic reasoning is, and why it's key to reliable AI

As OpenAI has essentially just confessed, nobody knows how to solve this problem using current generative AI models. There is, however, a way to solve it using another model: a type of AI that uses ‘symbolic reasoning’ to address the faults inherent to LLMs.

Symbolic reasoning is an old, well-established method for encoding knowledge using clear, logical rules. It represents facts as static pieces of knowledge, meaning that it’s not possible for software to manipulate or interpret them incorrectly.

It’s the same kind of technology that allows us to perform calculations and run formulae on spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel (people don’t check twice to see if the calculation is correct or not). Symbolic systems prove their trustworthiness through determinism – the same inputs to a symbolic system should always produce the same outcome; this is something an LLM could never guarantee.

Unlike LLMs, symbolic AI allows users to see exactly how it has made a decision, step by step, without hallucinating the explanations. When it doesn’t understand the input, or can’t calculate the answer, it can tell the user so: just as when we receive error messages on Excel if a formula is input incorrectly. This means that symbolic systems are truly transparent and traceable.

How neurosymbolic models could be the future of enterprise-grade, auditable AI

The reason why we don’t just use symbolic models for generative AI programs is because they’re not particularly good at processing language. They lack the flexibility of LLMs. Each model has its own strengths and weaknesses.

The solution to this, then, is to combine the strengths of both to create a new category of AI: ‘neurosymbolic AI’. Neurosymbolic AI benefits from both the rules-based features of symbolic AI and the flexibility of the neural networks that underpin LLMs. This allows users to perform functions that process unstructured information in documents, while following a formula that provides structured answers the software is able to explain.

This development is crucial to the adoption of effective AI within business, but especially in heavily-regulated industries. In those contexts, it’s not good enough to say that a certain outcome has been generated and we don’t know how the program has come to that answer, but it looks about right. It’s imperative, above all, to understand how the program has come to its decision. That’s where neurosymbolic AI comes in.

What’s special about doing things this way is that neurosymbolic AI will admit when it cannot produce an accurate response. LLMs don’t, and will often produce convincing answers anyway. It’s easy to see how this can be hugely useful in insurance, for example, where a neurosymbolic AI program could automatically process claims, flagging cases to trained humans when it’s unsure of the suitable outcome. LLMs would just make something up.

It’s time for us to recognize that, while they’ve certainly pushed the technology forward, our current models of AI have reached an insurmountable wall. We need to take the lessons from the progress we’ve made and seek other solutions that will allow us to approach from a different angle. The most promising of these solutions is neurosymbolic AI. With it, we’ll be able to foster trust in a technology that, in its current format, has none.

We've featured the best AI website builder.

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