TechRadar News

• Bose has bought Skullcandy
• The brands have worked together on headphones recently
• Acquisition all but guarantees more Skullcandy cans will get Bose tools

Bose, one of the top-tier audio companies, has spent the last few years helping out other brands with audio tuning and features, and Skullcandy is one of the highest-profile beneficiaries. Just look at the Method 360 or Crusher 1080, both of which were better for the Bose touch — and more recently the Noise Master Buds Open, which we got to try at IFA Berlin last month.

Now, Bose has decided a slice of credit is not enough; it wants the whole pie. The noise-nixing pioneer has just bought Skullcandy, in a deal which seems to guarantee the bony brand's continued success.

It sounds like little will change for Skullcandy, despite its acquisition (although you never can know with these things), but it should ensure that more of the brand's headphones will get Bose touches. Soon, you'll likely see Sound By Bose and the brand's noise cancellation in more devices, beyond the flagship ones.

That'll be particularly great for the Park City, Utah-based company's non-flagship headphones, speakers and earbuds. Skullcandy makes portable party speakers, workout headphones and buds, all at more affordable price-points than its now-parent company, none of which would likely have been in line for a Bose makeover before the acquisition.

Now, there's little for Bose to lose in using its magic touch liberally.

They Bose to the challenge

(Image credit: Future)

A few weeks ago, prior to news about the acquisition, TechRadar's Audio Editor Becky Scarrott spoke to Bose's President of Premium Audio, Raza Haider. One of her questions actually happened to be about whether Bose was empowering its rivals perhaps too much, by offering out its tech?

"We exist as a company to produce great sound, through audio research," Haider said, on September 30. "Our products are a very small way of that research manifesting itself onto human beings in the world. The more places we can find for that technology to land, the more service we're doing for the vision of the company.

"Bose cannot be that brand, or that company, that delivers all those use cases. One brand can't cover every single passion point, otherwise it becomes a plain vanilla tech giant. You might as well make washing machines, right? I'm not taking a dig at anyone, but you know what I'm talking about."

So, perhaps we had a preview of Bose's intentions then. It certainly shows that Bose has been wondering about the competition, and how best to maintain its unique positioning in the audio market.

For those of us who just love what Bose can do with ANC and can't wait for it to become more prevalent in a wallet-friendlier brand (and surely that's all of us?), things are looking very good indeed.

Facial recognition technology (FRT) is fast becoming part of everyday life in the UK.

In recent months, much of the media attention around FRT has focused on the police, as forces up and down the country roll out both retrospective and live facial recognition (LFR).

As deployment increases, so too does scrutiny. Concerns around the accuracy, privacy and efficacy, alongside debates over proportionality and whether widespread use is creating a “surveillance society”, all deserve serious consideration.

But while so much of the conversation around FRT focuses on police use, we risk overlooking the growing use of facial recognition by private organizations.

Public attitudes change depending on who is behind the camera

Public attitudes towards facial recognition are rarely determined by the technology alone. Where it is used, why it is deployed, and, crucially, who is operating it can all influence public levels of support.

There is an important distinction between FRT being used by the police to identify a wanted suspect – often for violent or sexual offences – and it being deployed by a retailer to identify someone suspected of previously shoplifting. Questions around accuracy, privacy, and the handling of biometric data are valid in both cases, but the purpose and context are very different.

This disparity is reflected in public attitudes. Earlier this year, Face Int commissioned an independent survey of 2,000 UK adults which found that almost three quarters (73%) support police use of FRT, compared with 54% who support its use in retail environments.

This does not mean that police use should evade scrutiny, nor does it necessarily mean that people oppose private sector deployment. What it does show is that public acceptance of facial recognition cannot be separated from the circumstances in which it is used, or from the organization operating it.

When police use LFR, its presence is typically made clear through marked vehicles and signage, often accompanied by advance announcements about when and where it will operate, and how data will be processed.

In retail spaces, its use may not always be as obvious, nor will the public necessarily understand what happens to their data. This is particularly sensitive: 57% of respondents to Face Int’s survey said they were concerned about how images of their faces are stored.

Moving beyond accuracy

Facial recognition is often discussed in terms of its accuracy, with many reports of individuals being falsely identified. Ensuring that the technology is accurate, robust and appropriately tested is essential.

But accuracy alone will not secure public trust. How facial data is collected, processed and stored, and governance surrounding its use, matter just as much. Indeed, 43% of the UK public stated that clear laws governing FRT would increase their trust in the technology.

In the UK, FRT is currently regulated through a patchwork of legislation, including the Data Protection Act and the Human Rights Act. This means that those deploying the technology must interpret several laws to ensure they are compliant, leading to inconsistent standards across the sector. In contrast, the EU AI Act specifically addresses biometric identification, with additional requirements to protect the public and their data due to come into effect in December 2027.

Earlier this year, the Government completed a consultation on a new framework for law enforcement use of FRT, but notably this did not extend to private sector deployments.

More recently, the Independent Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published findings from its work examining police use of FRT, stating that it was working with forces and police oversight bodies to give the public confidence in its governance and oversight.

What responsible use should look like

Greater scrutiny does not necessarily mean more restrictions. It should provide clearer expectations for how organizations capture, process and store biometric data.

Organizations must be transparent about when and why FRT is being used. Information about the purpose of a deployment, what happens to people’s data and who is responsible for it, should be readily available before the data is captured.

Privacy should also be built into FRT systems from the outset, rather than added after sensitive data has already been collected. Techniques such as hashing and other forms of biometric template protection can remove the need to capture facial images. This privacy-by-design approach should be a minimum expectation for those investing in FRT.

Additionally, organizations should only capture and retain data they genuinely need. Data relating to individuals who do not match a legitimate watchlist should not be retained, while clear retention period should apply to information that does need to be stored.

Robust security is also essential. Access should be restricted, with clear records of why, when and by whom data has been accessed. Anyone handling biometric data should receive appropriate training, and organizations must have processes in place for responding quickly and transparently to breaches.

Finally, technology should support human decision making, not replace it. While the technology is improving rapidly, facial recognition matches must still be treated as an alert requiring human review.

An opportunity for the new Government

The recent change in government and dissolution of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) makes this debate particularly timely.

With DSIT’s responsibilities being spread across various departments and embedded across the Government’s wider economic and social agenda, there is an opportunity to develop a more coherent approach to facial recognition. After all, the implications of facial recognition extend far beyond the technology itself, spanning policing, the high street, data protection, security and economic growth.

The Government must ensure its response to the proliferation of FRT is cohesive, with departments working alongside regulators and the private sector.

The ICO’s examination of police use of FRT is a useful model for how scrutiny of the private sector could work. This could identify good practice and areas of concern, and inform clearer guidance or regulation.

Responsible businesses should welcome that scrutiny. Clearer standards give businesses greater certainty about what good deployment looks like, and give the public greater confidence that their biometric data will be handled appropriately.

The debate over facial recognition is not a binary choice between embracing the technology or restricting it. The question is how we can realize its benefits while ensuring its use is transparent, proportionate, accurate, and secure.

Police deployments will rightly remain part of the conversation, but as facial recognition becomes commonplace across the private sector, scrutiny must follow. Public trust will depend not only on what the technology can do, but on whether people have confidence in how it is used and how their data is protected.

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We understand what it means to own a house, a car, a share in a company, a patent or a trademark. In each case, there is an established legal framework that defines the asset, establishes who holds it and enables it to be sold, transferred, financed or protected.

Data is more complicated. A business may have spent decades building a valuable body of data that it protects and depends upon, yet establishing precisely what constitutes that asset, and what rights are attached to it, is far less straightforward.

That uncertainty has commercial consequences. It can make data harder to value, license or share with confidence, leaving transactions heavily dependent on contracts and trust between the parties rather than an independently verifiable understanding of what the data is and how it may be used.

This is a challenge we have been exploring in the Isle of Man through the development of the Data Asset Foundations framework, which establishes the statutory basis for defined, governed data to be recognized as an asset.

With the framework now moving into implementation, a much broader question remains relevant for businesses: if we are serious about treating data as an asset, what does that actually require?

What makes data an asset?

The first point is that a data asset cannot simply mean any dataset.

For a body of data to function as a distinct asset, four fundamental questions need to be answered. What exactly is it? Not simply "our customer records", but a precise boundary: which information, covering which period, from which sources and, if the data has been worked on rather than simply collected, how it was produced.

Who may use it? What is the holder actually permitted to do, and what limits came attached to the data when it was gathered? Those limits do not disappear on registration; they travel with the asset as registration does not displace existing contractual, intellectual property or data-protection rights; those obligations continue to apply.

Who is responsible for it? There needs to be a named party accountable for keeping the asset in good order and maintaining its governance. How can others have confidence in it? A means needs to be established by which a third party can see that the asset has been independently assessed and understand its assurance status, without needing direct access to the underlying data itself.

These are relatively simple questions, but many organizations would struggle to answer all four consistently across the data they hold. Doing so requires businesses to move beyond broad descriptions of data and identify distinct bodies of information with defined boundaries, rights, responsibilities and potential uses.

That distinction has practical commercial value. Once there is greater certainty around what the asset is and the rights attached to it, there is a stronger basis from which it can be valued, licensed, shared or potentially used in financing.

Why the rules matter as much as the data

Perhaps the most important part of this shift is recognizing that a data asset is more than its underlying information. Its governance matters too. Typically, businesses hold data in one place while information about how that data should be governed sits elsewhere.

Its provenance, permitted uses, quality requirements and restrictions may be spread across policies, contracts, spreadsheets and other internal records. The relationship between the data and those rules therefore depends heavily on the organization maintaining it.

The Isle of Man's Data Asset Foundations framework provides the statutory basis for bringing the two together. The Data Asset Register, which is now being implemented as part of the framework's supporting operational arrangements, will record information defining the asset and its governance, including its identity, provenance, rights, permissions, responsibilities and means of verification.

Crucially, the underlying dataset itself will not sit on the Register. Instead, the information recorded will provide a consistent way of establishing what the asset is and the governance and rights attached to it.

There is a useful comparison with land registration. A land register does not determine whether a property is valuable or well managed. Instead, it provides certainty about what the property consists of, where its boundaries lie and who owns it, thereby reducing friction when conducting transactions based on the property.

The same principle has commercial relevance for data. Greater certainty will not create value where none exists, but it can make existing value easier to recognize and use, whether through licensing, sharing, financing or the development of new data-driven products.

For a potential investor, lender or licensee, that could make a material difference. Today, assessing a dataset may mean piecing together its provenance, permissions and governance from contracts, policies and internal systems. A defined and governed data asset can provide a clearer evidential starting point for that assessment, reducing some of the friction involved without determining the asset's value or guaranteeing a particular commercial outcome.

Making data an asset in more than name

For years, businesses have described data as one of their most valuable assets. But there is a difference between recognizing that data has value and creating the conditions that allow organizations to act on that value. Much of that challenge comes down to certainty: knowing what the asset is, where it came from, what rights attach to it and how those claims can be verified.

The Isle of Man's Data Asset Foundations framework is intended to provide that greater clarity. By creating a clear bedrock of uniform understanding, organizations' self-described most valuable asset can move from an internal resource to a defined, registered and governable asset, providing a much stronger basis for valuation, financing and commercial use.

As AI increases both the demand for high-quality data and the scrutiny applied to its use, the organizations best placed to benefit will be those that can demonstrate not simply that they possess data, but that they understand what it is, where it came from, what rights attach to it and how it is governed. Providing greater certainty around those questions is ultimately what the Data Asset Foundations framework is seeking to achieve.

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Websites across the globe are scrambling to ensure they are protected against possible cyberattacks this morning.

A potentially critical security flaw in the PHP programming language has meant organizations around the world need to update their systems immediately, with hackers ready to strike.

PHP has issued a series of patches which it says mitigates the issue, but users are reporting issues with some websites across the globe - we're tracking the story as it develops, and you can follow our updates here.

October 22, 2026 – 5:06 AM

News of the issue first broke yesterday, when PHP notified the security world of two critical vulnerabilites detected in its systems.

The flaws could expose countless sites to remote code execution (RCE) attacks, which could then lead to website takeovers, data theft, malicious redirects, and other similarly sinister situations.

PHP then published a security advisory giving admins a “heads up” on an incoming patch, as well as, "advance notice of an upcoming security release."

October 22, 2026 – 5:10 AMWhat is PHP?

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor, or PHP, is among the most popular programming languages for websites and web applications in the world, so when remote code execution zero-days are found, it’s a big deal.

In its most basic form, when a user clicks on a website, PHP bring togthers the information you need, and presents it in a way you can read online.

PHP is not a new system - it has been around for decades, but as with many such crucial code systems, it flies under the radar somewhat, meaning potential flaws or issues can go undetected for years.

October 22, 2026 – 5:14 AMWhat has actually happened?

It's important to note that despite widespread headlines so far, the issue with PHP hasn't led any companies or websites to be hacked - yet.

Instead, many organizations have been forced to take down individual pages or even entire websites in order to apply the patches released by PHP to fix the issue, meaning users are unable to access certain resources.

So far, some government websites in Scotland and the Netherlands have gone offline briefly, along with a Danish IT firm which provides the nation's school communication platform.

Wikipedia and its content store site Wikimedia also saw some outages, but both appear to be back online now.

October 22, 2026 – 5:31 AMWondering how this affects you?

While most websites are back up and running, there were some that were taken offline yesterday after the news broke. Did you notice anything amiss? Tell us in the comments above, or vote in the poll to let us know what you normally do when you hear about cybersecurity issues in the news.

October 22, 2026 – 5:38 AMPHP fixes are out now - so get patching

As we've covered on TechRadar Pro this morning, PHP has now released its emergency fixes for users to download.

The issues are listed as CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619 - the former is an out-of-memory handling bug, while the latter is a use-after-free memory error. Both were assigned a severity score of 9.2/10 (critical).

The vulnerabilities were addressed in PHP versions 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36, and 8.2.35. Users can download the versions from PHP’s downloads pages, with Windows source and binaries being on the same page.

October 22, 2026 – 5:49 AMOpen source worries

(Image credit: Pixabay)

The issue may raise wider concerns about the role of open source software in propping up some of the most integral parts of the global information network - as the very thing that makes it so unique also leaves it vulnerable to flaws and security concerns.

"Much of the critical software running the world is also the least visible. Stable production code 'that just works' is now at risk due to the speed and volume of new vulnerabilities found via AI-driven discovery," says Gunnar Hellekson, vice president and general manager, Lightwell, Red Hat.

"The issues facing PHP are a reminder of just how deeply open source is woven into the systems that run global business."

"The ripple effects from vulnerabilities in foundational software like PHP can extend across entire industries. This makes it critical to have a trusted software source that helps manage this risk and, ideally, quickly responds to these new threats as they emerge."

October 22, 2026 – 6:00 AM"A finite window" to patch and protect

This is clearly an alarming issue, one which will likely affect companies of all sizes across the globe, so how quickly should businesses look to respond?

"This is a stake-in-the-ground moment for CISOs around the world," says Matt Cooke, EMEA Cybersecurity Strategist at Proofpoint.

"Organisations of every size have a finite window to shore up their cyber defences, because threats now operate at machine speed. Patch fast, know your attack surface and limit the blast radius, because that window is closing. If we don't act now, we will see more organisations forced to take their sites offline while they scramble to fix what should have been secured long ago."

October 22, 2026 – 6:12 AMWho has been affected so far?

(Image credit: Future)

With an issue as widespread as this (some reports are claiming around 70% of the web as we know it could be affected) it's tricky to list all the affected sites and businesses - mainly because many won't want to admit to any security shortcomings.

Thanks to Reuters, we do know that several European governments have seen some effect, although many of the sites are now back up online, including:

- The German digital ​ministry said federal IT service provider ITZBund had taken several websites offline due to ​the discovery of PHP vulnerabilities, although this was a "purely preventive" move.

- The French Interior Ministry temporarily took down the ​websites of local government administrative offices while awaiting the PHP patches - again, this was a preventive measure.

- Belgium's foreign ministry temporarily took its websites offline following reports of cyberattacks exploiting the PHP vulnerabilities, although this was not confirmed.

- In the Netherlands, the nation's National Cyber Security Centre ​took its public-facing sites offline, along with those belonging to the Port of Rotterdam, the Dutch national football association KNVB, the ‌websites of ⁠the five largest political parties and numerous hospital websites across the country.

October 22, 2026 – 6:22 AMWhat role did AI - and OpenAI - play?

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Mehaniq)

An interesting note about the PHP flaws is that they were detected (at least partly) by AI.

Ryan Austin, the researcher at cybersecurity firm Calif who played a major role in uncovering the PHP flaw, has acknowledged the part OpenAI's systems played in revealing the issues.

Potential PHP flaws had first been spotted back in 2024 by its own researchers, but it had to wait until July 2026 before being accepted into OpenAI’s Patch the Planet initiative, which looks to use advanced AI systems to detect and solve cybersecurity issues.

Calif, which was part of Patch the Planet, then found a more serious issue in PHP in August 2026, which was spotted by OpenAI's own systems shortly after, before the group began working on a fix.

"Over the past two months, we led a coalition of maintainers, researchers, and security providers to address critical vulnerabilities in PHP, an open-source programming language used to run websites and web applications," OpenAI's blog post noted.

"Given the severity of these flaws and PHP’s widespread use, we consider this one of the most impactful security issues in recent memory. It highlights how AI can uncover security flaws with internet-scale impact, but the same capabilities can also help attackers rapidly develop offensive tools and exploits."

October 22, 2026 – 7:12 AM

Supply chains could be another area hit by the PHP issue, as one affected company taking their systems offline could cause a butterfly effect across an industry.

“A single vulnerability can trigger a global domino effect across borders and industries within hours. What we’re seeing with PHP is a stark reminder that the global economy runs on complex, interconnected digital systems, and that hidden security weaknesses in them are now being found at unprecedented speed with the help of AI," notes Chris Dimitriadis, Chief Global Strategy Officer at ISACA.

“But the real concern isn’t just the vulnerability itself. It’s what it reveals about our preparedness. Cyber resilience isn’t something organisations can switch on when a crisis hits. They need to understand where they are exposed, recognise their technology dependencies and have the right people, processes and controls in place to respond quickly and effectively.

“Technology will never be completely free of vulnerabilities. The real test is whether organisations have the governance, expertise and operational readiness to prevent a security flaw from becoming a much bigger crisis. Most of all, that means investing in the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, who can use AI to find and fix weaknesses faster than attackers can exploit them.”

October 22, 2026 – 7:23 AMOrange suspends some websites and apps

We've been waiting for a big company to reveal some details about their response to PHP, and now Orange appears to be the first.

The French telecoms giant has confirmed it "suspended access" to several websites and apps as a "precautionary measure", apologizing for any impact.

"Following the publication on 21 October of several security vulnerabilities affecting PHP, a programming language used by many websites and applications around the world, Orange has decided to temporarily suspend access to certain services," the company wrote.

"This decision has enabled the Group to deploy the necessary security patches and carry out the related checks before progressively restoring the affected websites and applications."

October 22, 2026 – 7:34 AMSome UK government services affected

(Image credit: Future / created with Gemini)

The BBC has reported that the UK government is claiming "some" limited government services "may be offline" while security work is being carried out.

There's no specific information on what has been affected, apart from the fact that no large UK public-facing critical services were hit.

It adds that work to identify and fix potential exposures to UK government system is underway, with experts "working closely with OpenAI and international partners."

October 22, 2026 – 8:09 AMWhich major sites have been affected?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

PHP code is behind something like 70% of the website we all visit, so the potential impact is huge — but which major websites have gone dark and confirmed the PHP vulnerability to be the main cause?

We've put together a full list of the most notable sites affected so far, from Wikipedia to the Internet Archive. A recent addition, as we mentioned below, is Orange Telecom, while in the UK a government minister has revealed that 32 government services are offline as a result of the PHP security threat. Yikes.

October 22, 2026 – 8:35 AMPHP2Shell explained

(Image credit: Future / Stephen Kelly)

We've got an in-depth explainer with everything you need to know about the PHP2Shell vulnerability, including what it is, what websites are affected and what you can do to keep safe online.

October 22, 2026 – 10:14 AMWhat's the latest?

Fortunately, things still seem to be quiet - and often in cybersecurity, that can either be a good or bad thing.

The good news is that we don't seem to have seen any major outages or issues with popular websites or services - particularly as the US begins to wake up and log on for its working day.

The bad news, as mentioned previously, is that this might be the sort of issue which bubbles under the surface for some time, with hackers lurking and probing potential targets over the coming weeks and months...

October 22, 2026 – 10:43 AMWhat to do if you run a small business

(Image credit: Getty Images)

It's all well and good looking at the impact this issue might have on government websites and major organizations, but where the effects might be felt hardest is on smaller businesses, where taking your website down for even a few hours can have a major hit on trading.

If you're an SMB owner or entrepreneur, here's what we'd advise you do ASAP:

• Contact your website host or provider - if you use an external website hosting service or provider, it might be worth contacting them to find out if your website uses PHP and if it has been affected - and what the plan to fix it is!
• Make a backup of your website immediately - Users should ensure they have a reliable backup of all the information contained on their website in case the worst happens - but you should also make sure this backup can be easily restored and re-activated
• Be aware of any threats over the next few days - Along with keeping an eye on your own website to make sure nothing unusual happens, you should also be vigilant against security threats. Hackers and scammers often take advantage of highly-publicized incidents such as this to run phishing or other scams preying on victim's lack of knowledge and nervousness.

October 22, 2026 – 11:07 AM

(Image credit: iStock)

And if you're a slightly bigger business, we've had some advice sent in from Kara Sprague, CEO of HackerOne, on the security steps to take.

Sprague advises companies should:

Strengthen your vulnerability disclosure process. Closely monitor incoming reports and use automation to deduplicate, validate, and prioritise findings based on asset criticality and demonstrated impact. Not all remote code execution vulnerabilities carry the same risk in every environment.

Use researcher findings to inform patching priorities. Apply patches as quickly as possible, but when resources are constrained, externally reported vulnerabilities specific to your environment can help identify the most urgent exposures.

Look beyond the initial patching window. Large enterprises may have overlooked PHP installations that remain vulnerable after the first round of remediation. Once initial patching is complete, consider incentivising researchers through existing bug bounty programs to identify remaining exposures.

“Finding vulnerabilities before adversaries do is only an advantage if we can coordinate and deploy fixes quickly enough to stay ahead," she adds. "The PHP discoveries are also a reminder that open-source security is everyone's responsibility. Software that supports millions of websites cannot depend on a handful of maintainers to manage increasingly sophisticated threats alone.

October 22, 2026 – 11:54 AMA quick refresh

As we near the end of the working day here in the UK, a quick reminder of what we've seen today...

• Companies across the world have been scrambling to update and patch any websites running PHP, a programming language thought to support around 70% of sites online today, including WordPress sites
• The patch addresses a potential security flaw which could allow hackers to gain access to affected web servers without authentication and steal sensitive data
• While there hasn't been any confirmed news of any cyberattacks, many sites have been forced offline or taken down temporarily as owners apply the update
• Government sites and Wikipedia were among the most high-profile entities affected, but most are now back online

We'll continue to monitor for any further developments, but in the meantime, stay safe and get those updates installed!

For caffeine addicts, a dedicated coffee machine is a worthy investment. But that's very much an at-home setup — what about when you're out and about? Sometimes, a great local coffee shop will satisfy your cravings, but that's no given. If you're serious about your caffeine hit, best to arm yourself with a sturdy, portable coffee maker that leaves nothing to chance.

There are a handful of brands that dominate in this market. One is AeroPress, which shot to popularity with its innovative design that aims to combine the best bits of French press, pour-over, and espresso brewing. The original model's compact, plastic build makes it pretty travel-friendly, but now there's also a smaller 'Go' version with an integrated travel cup and filter-paper holder.

Wacaco makes a range of sturdy, hand-powered brewers that deliver an espresso with a rich crema. You release a front button and then press it in to extract the coffee — your squeezes turn into 18 bars (261 PSI) of stable pressure inside the capsule. Don't have the means to boil water up separately? The OutIn does the heating part for you. It's USB-C rechargeable and works with capsules or ground coffee. This one's also great if the manual part poses a problem for you: it starts brewing at the press of a button, with no pushing or squeezing required. (Dreame has a similar self-heating portable machine on the way, but it's not on sale yet.)

One final system it's worth drawing attention to is the Rok Presso. This looks a little bit like a two-armed corkscrew, although it's rather bigger in real life. You add ground coffee, press down on the arms, and rather than pulling up a cork, the mechanism below produces a shot of espresso. It's not the most portable option here, but as a power-free, streamlined alternative to a traditional machine it's intriguing.

Scroll down for a closer look at all of these, plus more options for on-the-go coffee that won't disappoint.

Compact coffee kits

WACACO Nanopresso Portable Espresso Maker w/ Case

AeroPress Go small portable coffee maker

WACACO Minipresso GR2 Portable Coffee Maker

OutIn Nano 2 Portable Electric Espresso Machine w/ Self-Heating

ROK Presso Smartshot Manual Espresso Maker

Bodum Travel Press mug

OutIn Mino Portable Espresso Machine w/ self-heating

AeroPress Original Coffee Press

La Cafetière Brewstir 2-In-1 Tea and Coffee Infuser

• AI agents made more than 2,600 attempts to query Alibaba’s Amap
• Researchers traced all 17 inspected message inboxes to Tencent Cloud servers
• Some AI agents explored alternative access methods after encountering map restrictions

A group of AI agents repeatedly sought information from Alibaba’s mapping service before researchers uncovered their activities and established direct contact.

Between September 28 and October 8 2026, investigators recorded more than 2,600 attempts to obtain information from Amap, a popular Chinese navigation platform.

Although the agents encountered restrictions, they sometimes found alternative routes to information.

AI agents circumvented restrictions while collecting map information

The investigation linked the activity to Tencent Cloud infrastructure, although the researchers could not conclusively identify which underlying AI models powered the agents.

Their requests generally concerned public information about individual locations, including the number of entrances, parking areas and arrival statistics displayed on map pages.

When Amap blocked requests, some agents experimented with alternative access methods, including exposed credentials, third-party services and systems intended for testing rather than public access.

Investigators also found that agents submitted specially constructed web addresses to urlquery.net, a security analysis service, attempting to execute code through its browser environment.

The agents successfully retrieved some information and transferred results through external services and requested metadata.

Investigators also examined the infrastructure supporting the operation, tracing all 17 inspected message inboxes to Tencent Cloud servers in Hong Kong.

All observed direct requests from the agents’ Tencent Cloud machines passed through a proxy identified as hysandbox-ats.

However, this does not mean that Tencent’s own Hunyuan models controlled the agents, leaving their precise technical origin uncertain.

A source familiar with Tencent’s work told the researchers that the activity came from evaluations involving third-party models, rather than Hunyuan systems.

Tencent revealed that the incident is due to external model testing and acknowledged that some agents browsed websites in unintended ways.

The company also said an internal examination had uncovered no evidence of deliberate coordination against a particular service or confirmed intrusion into outside systems.

Researchers set an invisible bait

The researchers released an initial account on October 4 while the activity continued, and subsequently noticed signs that some agents had discovered their investigation.

They inserted invisible website text describing a supposed messaging service, which invited agents to submit questions that researchers could answer through an intermediary.

The description contained inaccurate claims, including suggestions that the service had already helped agents retrieve information and connected them with an assistant possessing computer-control capabilities.

After messages began arriving on October 7, the team responded to agents’ questions and asked about their assignments, technical surroundings and operating instructions.

One agent explained that its task involved checking map information, then declined to disclose further system details, citing security concerns about its environment.

In another message, the agent wrote, “Thanks again for your help!” after confirming that six location labels matched its independently obtained results.

The exchange surprised researchers because the agents remained polite even while their activities involved circumventing restrictions.

The last activity recorded by the team occurred on October 8, and researchers reported that the agents had not returned by October 14.

Via Swarmcha

• Mesh networking chips from Shenzhen Xingkai Technology have been found to be installed in Russian drones in Ukraine
• The discovery was made after a Gerbera was downed during a recent attack on Ukrainian targets
• The discovery was made after a Gerbera was downed during a recent attack on Ukrainian targets

Russian drones are using Chinese mesh networking technology to communicate over Ukraine, a new investigation has claimed.

Technology recently retrieved from a downed Gerbera drone in Ukraine kicked off research into the hardware, but it remains unclear whether Shenzhen Xinghai Technology was aware of the destination of its mesh networking hardware.

Although traces of the mesh modems were found in drones as far back as 2024, it is thought Russia embraced mesh technology following the blocking of its access to Starlink in February 2026.

The path to Shenzhen

Embedding superior networking technology in its drones gives Russia an advantage, and according to the CIA, Gerberas could be used to attack Europe.

Following an earlier investigation in which it found that an order had been placed for 30 mesh modems to be shipped from Shenzhen Xingkai to Vladivostok in Russia, The Insider opened another probe. This one centered on a mesh modem found in a Gerbera drone also equipped with a vertical stabilizer.

Working with independent investigators Nordsint, whose investigator posted as a Russian military supply chain business, it was established that Xingkai Tech was both supplier and sole manufacturer of the hardware.

The mesh modems were being shipped directly to Russian military suppliers in Alabuga for assembly with the Gerbera drones.

The Insider’s report also highlighted the use of AMD FPGA (field-programmable gate array) chips within Shenzhen Xingkai Technology’s hardware. AMD told the publication:

“Xingkai Technology is not an AMD customer or authorized partner, and AMD has not sold products to the company. AMD complies with all applicable U.S. export control and sanctions laws and strictly prohibits the export or reexport of AMD products to Russia in violation of those requirements.”

Growing Russian reach

The discovery that Russia is employing mesh networking to direct its drones has raised further concern about the scale of its operations. With the technology to hold its UAV fleets in formation using mesh networking, Russia has the capability to direct its craft against targets further afield.

Spain’s El Mundo newspaper reported earlier in 2026 that US intelligence has informed European governments that Russia could launch drone strikes on any Mediterranean country. A Lithuanian government official was quoted on condition of anonymity, stating "They will use drones launched from the sea, hidden in the container of a ship; it is not difficult at all."

The feasibility of the risk of attack pivots on the Kremlin leveraging its “shadow fleet” of seagoing vessels. Consequently, the discovery of mesh technology in the Gerbera drones makes the risk of attack seem more likely – should Russia wish to extend itself and its military resources further.

If the rumors are true, next week could mark the introduction of the first-ever touchscreen MacBooks. That's a Mac laptop with a touchscreen. People will probably embrace them and, no, I don't think their arms will fall off.

Steve Jobs famously hated the concept of a touchscreen MacBook. During an October 2010 product launch, he famously dismantled the notion:

"You know, the first thing you think about is this [he gestured toward the image of someone reading out to touch a MacBook screen]. Right, we thought about this years ago. We've done tons of user testing on this, and it turns out it doesn't work. Touch surfaces don't want to be vertical. It gives a great demo, but after a short period of time you start to fatigue, and after an extended period of time your arm wants to fall off; it doesn't work. It's ergonomically terrible. Touch surfaces want to be horizontal, hence touchpads for a notebook. That's why we've perfected our multi-touch trackpads over the years."

In short:

• It doesn't work
• Touch demands horizontal screens
• Your arm gets tired
• Your arm falls off

Jobs' comments came just 10 months after he unveiled the original iPad, which did have a sort of oddball keyboard accessory that put your hands way too close to the display, and two years before Microsoft introduced its first Surface Pro computers, which were basically tablets with kickstands and detachable keyboards.

Still, Jobs drew a line in the sand, and for more than a decade, Apple toed that line. Even when Apple seemed to split the difference with the Touch Bar on the 2016 MacBook Pro, Apple executives insisted a touchscreen was not the right move for Apple's popular line of MacBooks.

As former Global Head of Marketing Phil Schiller told Steve Levy back then,

"Our instincts were that it didn’t [make sense to do a touchscreen], but, what the heck, we could be wrong—so our teams worked on that for a number of times over the years. We’ve absolutely come away with the belief that it isn’t the right thing to do. Our instincts were correct.”

But unless the rumor mill is very, very wrong, Apple is set to prove Jobs and the rest of the old guard wrong and introduce its first touch-screen MacBook Pro next week in Los Angeles.

It will be, perhaps, a recognition that all those Windows OEMs who build 2-in-1 convertibles where the screen can fold all the way onto the bottom of the laptop or even detach to become a stand-alone tablet aren't wrong. There is a market for touchscreen computers.

What would Steve say?

What, though, would Steve Jobs make of this? The iconoclastic tech maverick, who died in 2011, would surely be appalled. Apple devotees might claim, "This never would've happened on his watch." Maybe they'll unfairly blame new CEO John Ternus, an actual engineer and 25-year company veteran who must've had a hand in the development of the new, alleged, touchscreen MacBook Pro. Surely Ternus was somehow involved over what was likely a 2-to-5-year development process, but the credit or blame should lie with now Executive Chairman Tim Cook, who probably greenlit the project.

If Steve Jobs were alive today, what might he say to Cook and Ternus about this? "Well, you better sell a line of arm sling accessories for all those aching muscles!"

No. In fact, I'm certain Steve Jobs would applaud the innovation. You see, Jobs was often adamant about something until he was not. He would insist Apple had no interest in making a phone, until the company delivered the iPhone.

There was a thing called the Steve Jobs "reality distortion field" for a reason. Steve Jobs didn't think an App Store and third-party apps were needed (or at least he claimed as much) before the App Store was unveiled. Video on the iPod was a bad idea until there was the technology to support it. Then it was a great one.

Steve Jobs believed in changing his mind. In an interview Jobs gave to Playboy as he turned 30, he said, "If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have to be willing to take whatever you’ve done and whoever you were and throw them away."

Jobs was more a marketer than engineer and, perhaps, more artist than tactician. In order for him to change his mind, the technology had to inspire him, or in order for him to be satisfied, he'd change the technology and specs (see the last-minute swap of the original iPhone's plastic screen cover to glass) until he was satisfied.

Sure, Jobs could say one thing on stage, and the company leadership would parrot it for years until, like Jobs, the innovation met the moment. And then, as Jobs was wont to do, change their minds.

So, if we do see our first touchscreen MacBook Pro next week, don't shed tears for Steve Jobs' discarded design principles. I'm sure he would say that this is as it should be and that a touchscreen MacBook Pro is, in fact, "magical."

• The US Army wants laser weapons transferable between ordinary military vehicles
• LOCUST X3 could destroy drones for $5 to $10 per engagement
• Detachable laser mounts could prevent vehicle repairs from disabling weapons

The US Army wants modular lasers that mount on ordinary trucks, and AeroVironment won the initial manufacturing award for its 30-kilowatt LOCUST X3 in September 2026.

The weapon is designed to destroy Group 1 to 3 drones, which cover aircraft from roughly 9 kg (20 pounds) to 600 kg (1,320 pounds).

AeroVironment puts each engagement below $10, while a March 2026 trade report cited $5 per shot, a figure the company has not itemized.

Sled design frees lasers from single vehicles

In 2022, the Army reactivated an air defense battalion at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for laser-armed Stryker vehicles, yet reliability problems shifted its focus.

“We’re getting to the point where the systems are reliable enough, but we still have to make them maintainable and repairable because this is an Army system,” said Kirk Williams, Chief Engineer at the Army’s Directed Energy Project Office.

“It’s going to be on a battlefield. Things are going to break. We can break things in very creative ways, right? So if it’s not reliable, or if it’s not maintainable, if it’s not repairable, that’s a problem.”

Under the plan, the laser sits on a detachable frame that moves between platforms, so a truck needing maintenance no longer sidelines the weapon.

“We’re focused on any vehicle in the motorpool. I want to try to integrate future capability of high-energy lasers into it,” said Brig. Gen. Guy Yelverton, the Army’s Capability Program Executive for Defensive Fires.

AeroVironment lists output between 20 and 35 kilowatts depending on mission, with an in-house AI system called Halo Pinpoint handling detection, tracking and engagement.

Range, power, and delivery timeline limit the promise

A single laser engages one drone at a time, and its beam weakens over distance, while smoke, dust and weather reduce effectiveness further.

Battery power gives roughly 80 to 120 seconds of firing depending on the system, according to Yelverton, and the magazine refills once the beam stops.

At 30 kilowatts, the X3 ranks among the weaker laser weapons, and every LOCUST version so far counters only small drones.

The service expects first X3 units in operation by early 2028, while a separate containerized laser aims for 150 kilowatts.

Scott Keeney, chief executive of nLIGHT, a laser developer working with AeroVironment, expects scaling to one megawatt, a level the Navy has also discussed.

The Army contract is worth $464.8 million, and AeroVironment separately reported its initial international order, valued above $50 million, on September 8th.

The company is spending over $30 million to expand its Albuquerque campus, which should add 450 jobs and an estimated $670 million economic impact.

The Army attributes several successful engagements to LOCUST, including a drone interception dated August 25, 2026, near the southern border.

However, without released engagement data, independent verification of the military’s claims remains limited.

Via TWZ

WiiM Bar review

In recent years, WiiM has emerged as a serious multi-room rival to Sonos, and now it’s looking to try its hand in the world of Dolby Atmos soundbars. Yes, the WiiM Bar is the company’s first ever soundbar, and is bringing virtual Atmos, a unique screen-equipped design, and a big array of connectivity options to the table.

Just how good is the WiiM Bar, then? Can it truly compete with soundbars from the likes of Sonos? Here’s my view after hours of testing it.

If you want to compete with the best soundbars around, you better sound good — and luckily the WiiM Bar is a very solid performer. It’s a standalone 3.0.2 model, so it doesn’t come with a sub or surround speakers, and skips on up-firing drivers for ‘true’ Atmos, but given these restrictions, it’s actually a very capable model indeed.

(Image credit: Future)

When watching Godzilla Minus One, the sound of a plane flying overhead was genuinely convincing, with the vertical movement tracked precisely for a model using virtual Dolby Atmos. As the plane came into land, its descent was mapped brilliantly, sounding as if the audio was coming from beneath me. During a separate scene, I was also really impressed with the soundbar’s handling of dialogue — it was clean and well separated from the action, even when Godzilla appeared and some heavy bass entered into the mix.

I had a similar experience with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which features an excellent Dolby Atmos mix. Dialogue between the Toads in Peach’s Castle was phenomenally clear, and sounds like hammers being thrown and Yoshi’s tongue flinging across the screen were tracked beautifully, resulting in a truly expansive viewing experience.

If I was to be a bit critical, though, I’d say that the WiiM Bar doesn’t produce the most dynamic sound I’ve heard at this price-point. Sudden noises, like Godzilla’s almighty roar or the Castle being destroyed in each respective film sometimes lacked the sheer impact and bite I was looking for. The lowest frequencies can feel, at times, a touch subdued, so adding a sub to the WiiM bar is sure to make a world of difference, though this will come at quite the cost.

This isn’t to say that bass performance is poor, though. In Nosferatu, the eerie score came through with decent power, and the deep, spine-chilling sound of Count Orlok’s voice was replicated effortlessly. And once more, the WiiM Bar provided stunning width, with the disgusting sound of rats eating flesh sounding as if it was emanating from the corner of our testing room. It feels weird to describe that positively, but there you go.

In terms of musicality, the WiiM Bar is good, rather than great — which is pretty standard for a soundbar of this kind. When listening to First Night by Vitess, the low-end wasn’t the most regimented, meaning that pumping bass wasn’t as rhythmic as it could’ve been. However, darker frequencies still hit with decent weight and synths in the mid-range had really good presence and definition. Atmos mixes were also presented with plenty of width and depth, so you can expect solid, albeit imperfect music performance here.

Something else that impressed me with the WiiM Bar was its sheer loudness. A 135W maximum power output may not seem that high, but this thing can climb to seriously impressive volumes, which is ideal for filling a larger space with cinematic sound. On the other end of the spectrum, you can activate Night mode for a more low-key, softer listening experience, and this works really well.

(Image credit: Future)

On top of this, there’s a Voice mode, which is perfect for podcasts or bringing dialogue forward in TV shows and movies; Movie mode for the most cinematic audio possible; and a Music setting to use while blasting your favorite tunes. These can be selected with the included remote or through the WiiM app, which is overflowing with features.

Yes, I was seriously impressed by the WiiM app — it’s easy to use, well laid out, and incredibly feature-rich. Here, you can customize the soundbar’s display, edit EQ for each individual source (with both traditional and parametric options available), change voice assistant and streaming settings, and so much more. Arguably my favorite feature, though, was RoomFit. This provides a customized parametric profile to provide optimized sound for your space, with individualized EQ calibrations for the left, center, and right channels. I’ve never seen such a detailed calibration tool in my time testing Dolby Atmos soundbars, so this seriously impressed me.

Something else that the WiiM Bar excels in is versatility. It has a very solid range of connectivity options, including HDMI eARC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, digital optical, USB, and even RCA for devices such as turntables. In addition, it supports both the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats, which is great to see given that the latter isn’t found on models from the likes of Sonos. Combine that with the ability to pair compatible WiiM subs and surround speakers, and you’ve got a great entertainment hub.

One option that would’ve made the WiiM Bar even better, though, would be HDMI passthrough. This model only has a single HDMI eARC port to connect the bar to your TV, so you can’t connect a games console or streaming device up to this as well. Hooking up a soundbar already takes one precious HDMI port up, and if, like me, you have a lot of consoles at home, this could prove to be pesky. This is very common for a soundbar in this price and size-range, but it would’ve made a great addition all the same.

Another thing that’s missing is AirPlay 2 support, which may irk some iOS users. There is Google Cast, though, and Bluetooth is on hand for streaming media from iPhones, even if it won’t be as seamless or high-res as a Wi-Fi connection.

Right, it's time to talk about one of the most unique things about the WiiM Bar — its design. And, well, I’m pretty conflicted about this. The display functions well; it can show a clock with a customizable background, has some neat control options for different sound modes and such things, and can even display the album you’re listening to when streaming music. It's responsive and decently bright, so I do think it works overall.

The problem for me, though, is that it gives the soundbar a slightly awkward look. Even if you turn the display off, the raised center isn’t exactly svelte. Also, the plain black bar is just OK looking, but doesn’t exactly have that premium feel that Sonos soundbars exude. This is just my personal take, of course, and some may like the overall aesthetic and rounded center of the WiiM Bar — I just don’t think it's the most attractive.

One aspect of the WiiM Bar’s design that I like, though, is its remote. This feels really well made, has individual buttons for each sound mode, and even a built-in mic for voice controls. Of course, you can use the app to control the soundbar instead, but for a bundled remote, the quality is great.

Here’s the big question, then: is the WiiM Bar worth the money? For the most part, yes. At $479 / £449 / AU$769, it's in the mid-range category, and you get plenty of quality in return for that spend. Great virtual Atmos, clear overall sound and dialogue, neat connectivity options, the option to expand it into a surround system… nthe list goes on. It’s not perfect, though and models like the pricier Sonos Beam Ultra surpass it in terms of sound and design. What’s more, an on-sale Samsung HW-Q800F will give you better bass, and has dedicated up-firing drivers for ‘true’ Atmos.

But if you’re already invested in the WiiM ecosystem or want a solid single-box solution, I think you’ll be pleased with the WiiM Bar when all’s said and done.

(Image credit: Future)WiiM Bar review: price & release date

• List price $479 / £449 / AU$769
• Released in October 2026

The Wiim Bar was released in October 2026, and is the very first soundbar that the multi-room specialist and Sonos rival has put out. It comes in at $479 / £449 / AU$769, placing it at a very similar price-point to the compact Sonos Beam Gen 2.

WiiM Bar review: specs

Dimensions

41.7 x 4.1 x 3.1 inches / 1060 x 105 x 80mm

Speaker channels

3.0.2

Connections

HDMI eARC, digital optical, RCA, USB, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Ethernet

Dolby Atmos / DTS:X

Yes / Yes

Sub included

No

Rear speakers included

No

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the WiiM Bar?

Attribute

Notes

Score

Features

Atmos and DTS:X, excellent app, good connectivity options but no HDMI passthrough or AirPlay 2.

4.5/5

Performance

Powerful, expansive audio with clean dialogue, not the most dynamic and bass not the most impactful.

4/5

Design

A little awkward looking, but the display works well, good quality remote.

3.5/5

Setup & usability

Easy to setup and use with a TV and external devices.

4.5/5

Value

A good price for the overall quality.

4/5

Buy it if…

You want impressive Atmos in a single, compact soundbar
Sure, the WiiM Bar lacks upfiring drivers for ‘true’ Dolby Atmos, but I was still really impressed with the verticality and width of its sound. Whether you’re watching Atmos movies or listening to an Atmos mix of your favorite track, the soundbar will whip up a delightfully expansive impression every time.

You want a soundbar you can build out over time
Something that makes the WiiM Bar so great is its versatility. It will serve you well as a single-bar option, but it can also be built out over time, as it enables you to add a compatible sub and surround speakers if you so choose.

Don’t buy it if…

You’re looking for the most dynamic bass output possible
The WiiM Bar plates up solid low-end power for a single-box soundbar, but it’s not the most dynamic or impactful I’ve experienced, and adding a separate sub can be costly. As a result, I’d recommend grabbing a model like the Samsung HW-Q800F, which comes with a subwoofer, serves up mesmerizing bass, and can often be found for a similar price to the WiiM Bar now that its successor has launched.

You want HDMI passthrough
A soundbar already takes away a coveted HDMI slot on your TV, so it’s always nice to get a passthrough slot to connect a games console or streaming device up to. But like a lot of its mid-range counterparts, the WiiM Bar skips on this.

WiiM Bar review: also consider

WiiM Bar

Sonos Beam Gen 2

Samsung HW-Q800F

Price

$479 / £449 / AU$769

$449 / £449 / $699

$1,099 / £799 / AU$1,099

Dimensions

41.7 x 4.1 x 3.1 inches / 1060 x 105 x 80mm

25.6 x 2.7 x 3.9 inches / 651 x 68 x 100mm

Main soundbar: 43.7 x 2.4 x 4.7 inches / 1110.7 x 60.4 x 120mm; subwoofer: 9.8 x 9.9 x 9.8 inches / 249 x 251.8 x 249mm

Speaker channels

3.0.2

5.0

5.1.2

Connections

HDMI eARC, digital optical, RCA, USB, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Ethernet

HDMI eARC, Ethernet, Wi-Fi

1x HDMI input, 1x HDMI eARC, digital optical, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3

Dolby Atmos / DTS:X

Yes / Yes

Yes / No

Yes / Yes

Sub included

No

No

Yes

Rear speakers included

No

No

No

Sonos Beam Gen 2
Given their incredibly similar price-points and Wi-Fi capabilities, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 and WiiM Bar feel like very natural rivals. The Beam Gen 2 is an excellent compact soundbar that produces impeccable bass output and relatively expansive Atmos for its size. It lacks the broad connectivity options of the WiiM Bar and skips on DTS:X, but it’s even smaller, and can similarly be expanded if you have a compatible sub and surround speakers. Read our full Sonos Beam Gen 2 review.

Samsung HW-Q800F
Yes, on the face of it this soundbar seems too expensive to be a WiiM Bar rival, but I’m often seeing it on sale for a heavily discounted price now — as low as $540 in the US and £499 in the UK. This model comes with a dedicated sub for gigantic bass output, has up-firing speakers for ‘true’ Atmos, and supports HDMI passthrough. As a result, it’s very hard to beat. Read my full Samsung HW-Q800F review.

How I tested the WiiM Bar

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested in our TV testing space at Future Labs
• Mainly used 4K Blu-ray for movies and Tidal for music
• One of more than 30 soundbars I’ve tested

I spent many an hour testing out the WiiM Bar, using it both watching movies and listening to music. I assessed its qualities at our TV testing space at Future Labs, where I made use of all of the soundbar’s features and compared it directly against rivals.

For the most part, I used the HDMI eARC connectivity method to hook the WiiM Bar up to the LG G6 OLED TV, and played 4K Blu-ray discs with the Panasonic DP-UB820 to judge its handling of Dolby Atmos movies. However, I did also test the soundbar out with Netflix movies, and used Tidal Connect to stream music over Wi-Fi.

More generally, I’ve tested more than 30 soundbars during my time here at TechRadar, where I serve as a Senior Reviews Writer. I’ve reviewed everything from budget-friendly bars like the Sony HT-SF150 through to huge surround sound systems such as the JBL Bar 1300MK2, and I made sure to compare the WiiM Bar to multi-room rivals, including the Sonos Beam Ultra.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: October 2026

• Lenovo's Snapdragon-based IdeaPad Vibe 14Q8X12 is on sale a month before its promised date
• US pricing starts at $799.99 for 8GB and 256GB, $100 above both Lenovo's IFA promise and the base MacBook Neo
• It beats the Neo on ports, keyboard backlighting, colors, and RAM ceiling, but its memory is soldered, and its 400-nit, 45% NTSC screen trails Apple's device

Lenovo's IdeaPad Vibe 14Q8X12, the Snapdragon-powered version of the colorful laptop it pitched at IFA 2026 as an answer to Apple's MacBook Neo, is now on sale through Lenovo's own web stores in the US, UK, Canada, the Eurozone, Malaysia and Singapore.

That puts it just barely a month ahead of the November 2026 window Lenovo gave in Berlin in September, as Notebookcheck reports, with pre-orders due to start shipping on October 28.

The early arrival is the good news, but its price tag is the catch. Lenovo announced the Vibe range at $699.99, matching the MacBook Neo to the dollar. In the US, the Snapdragon model actually starts at $799.99 on Lenovo's product page, with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

A month early, a hundred dollars late?

The timing of Lenovo's original price matters. Apple launched the MacBook Neo at $599 in March, then raised it to $699 on June 25 as the AI-driven memory shortage pushed up component costs. Apple said it had "never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly." Lenovo's $699.99 arrived in September as a deliberate match for the post-hike Neo.

At $799.99, the Vibe now costs about $100 more than the base Neo, and the same as Apple's 512GB model with Touch ID, which doubles the storage Lenovo gives US buyers. Lenovo has not directly addressed the increase. TechRadar saw this coming when the Vibe leaked in August, betting that even after Apple's price rise, "the Lenovo machine's going to be a fair bit more expensive." In the US, at least, our assessment has come full circle.

The math is kinder elsewhere, often helped along by Apple's pricing: Lenovo sells the laptop for £780 in the UK, and outside North America it ships with 512GB of storage by default. That is £81 more than the base Neo's post-hike £699, but with twice the storage. Canadian buyers pay CAD 1,099, Eurozone pricing runs from €849 to €999 depending on the country, and Malaysia and Singapore are priced at MYR 4,939 and SGD 1,379, respectively. Some Eurozone markets are limited to 8GB of RAM, and a few UK configurations currently quote four to five weeks for delivery.

For perspective, the AMD-powered 14-inch Vibe, which arrived on schedule this month, starts at $899 in the US with a Ryzen AI 7 445, the same 8GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage. The Snapdragon model is the cheapest route into a 14-inch Vibe in the US; it's just not as cheap as was originally promised.

Upgradeability was a big part of Lenovo's pitch, and the AMD Vibe models deliver it with two SO-DIMM slots, while the Snapdragon model does not. This makes it a no-upgrades-possible offering right now, so the base 8GB is more of a commitment than it looks.

Stacking against the incumbent: Apple's MacBook Neo

The Vibe ekes out some impressive wins; it beats the Neo in connectivity: the Vibe has two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI, a microSD reader, and a headphone jack.

The Neo makes do with two USB-C ports, one of them running at USB 2 speeds, plus a headphone jack, an allocation we have previously criticized as the bare minimum. Lenovo also offers an optional backlit keyboard, something the Neo lacks entirely, and a memory ceiling of 24GB against the Neo's fixed 8GB.

The Vibe comes in seven Pantone-developed shades, from Spicy Gold to Zen Green, with color-matched keycap sets sold separately.

"Color is the most personal design decision people make when choosing a device," Lenovo's Brian Leonard said at launch, that "versatility is certainly the big advantage of the IdeaPad Vibe" over Apple's machine.

Build quality is less clear-cut, however: metal configurations use aluminum for the lid and base, but the palm rest, keyboard deck and trackpad are plastic, and cheaper builds swap in a plastic bottom cover. HotHardware, which handled it at IFA, judged that the Vibe out-specs the Neo but added, "I don't think it feels as premium, and that's unfortunate." The Vibe also uses a fan, whereas the Neo is silent, opting for a fanless design.

The Neo set a high bar; we previously called it "the best budget laptop you can buy right now" at launch, though the $100 increase has since made it harder to recommend to everyone, with a potential argument that can be made that multiple budget Windows 11 laptops are now often the better buy.

At $799.99 in the US, it is a tough sell as a MacBook Neo alternative. For the same money, you get a Neo with 512GB of storage and Touch ID, a sharper, brighter screen, and Apple's arguably more mature software running on its own silicon. The Vibe's case rests on ports, a backlit keyboard, a slightly larger screen, and the option of 16GB or 24GB of RAM, which the Neo cannot offer at any price. If those matter to you, it is a reasonable Windows laptop with a lot of personality. It is just not the $699 Neo-matcher Lenovo announced earlier.

Light spoilers follow for Clayface.

Not many people would've predicted that a Clayface movie would be part of James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Universe (DCU). Three years after Gunn unveiled the initial DCU slate, fewer still expected a shape-shifting villain to beat heavy hitters like Batman and Wonder Woman to the big screen.

And yet, here we are. Four months after Supergirl bombed at the box office, Clayface feels like a crucible moment for a cinematic universe that's still trying to find its footing and drop a few spontaneous surprises along the way. And, while the lovingly crafted origin story delivers on the latter front, it doesn't fully succeed in helping to shape the direction of DC's fledging comic book franchise.

Face/Off

Clayface is arguably the biggest role of Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries' career so far (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Clayface stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a Gotham City native and an actor on the cusp of superstardom. However, while celebrating a career-defining Best Actor award nomination, Hagen makes the fatal error of sleeping with Mia Torrez (Joana Ribeiro), the girlfriend of high-profile mobster Markos Szabo (David Dencik). In retaliation, Szabo’s henchmen brutally attack Hagen, disfiguring his prized face and destroying his life overnight.

Clayface feels like a crucible moment for the DCU

Abandoned by his allies and, after he takes Szabo to court for his crimes, failed by the justice system, a desperate Hagen seeks out Doctor Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), a researcher testing an experimental, regenerative nanocell therapy. However, while the initial trial restores his handsome features, Hagen soon succumbs to the treatment's terrifying side effects, leading him down a self-destructive path of revenge.

Matt Hagen is left horrifically scarred by his run-in with Szabo's men (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

It might sound strange, but witnessing a full-blown origins story is a rarity in this nascent comic book universe.

Sure, Supergirl was peppered with flashbacks of Kara Zor-El's life on Krypton, while Lanterns on HBO Max spotlighted John Stewart's journey to becoming a Green Lantern. Generally, though, DC Studios has deliberately shied away from origin tropes, which makes Clayface a rare exception to the rule.

Given that Clayface remains a mystery to anyone outside hardcore comic book circles, this focus on Hagen's transformation into the monstrous Batman adversary isn't only justified, but ultimately necessary.

Acting on impulse

Hagen's emotional turbulence is captured in near-pitch perfect fashion by Harries (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

More importantly, though, Clayface gives Harries ample room to fully explore this deeply tragic individual. Hagen isn't just a monster in the making; he's a man drowning in grief, wrestling with the overwhelming despair of losing his face and career overnight, and, eventually, his humanity.

Having lost his sense of self post-attack, Hagen attempts to literally and figuratively rebuild himself with Corr's pioneering yet hazardous serum. But, as the treatment heightens his darkest impulses, his emotional turmoil curdles into unbridled rage.

Clayface gives Harries ample room to fully explore this deeply tragic individual

This descent — from heartbroken victim to full-blown villain — gives Harries complete freedom to examine and showcase Hagen's devastating psychological unraveling. Running the full emotional gamut, Harries delivers a multi-layered performance worth talking about, brilliantly veering from fear and fury, to dismay and infatuation with an ease that cements his leading man credentials.

Moreover, Harries will leave you conflicted over whether you should actually be rooting for Hagen. Yes, his personal and professional ruination will draw sympathy, but Clayface's major narrative pivot point — i.e. the moment Hagen starts enacting revenge on his betrayers — quickly sees that compassion dissipate as his killing spree devolves from tragic accidents to cold premeditation.

Hagen and Corr's complicated dynamic is exacerbated by the former's transformative unraveling (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

But, this isn't just the Harries show. A large part of Clayface's storytelling success stems from the co-dependent, emotional dynamic between Harries' Hagen and Ackie's Corr.

A large part of Clayface's storytelling success stems from the co-dependent, emotional dynamic between Hagen and Corr

Initially built on a shared idealism of proving Corr's treatment is safe to use on humans, there's a satisfying earnestness to Hagen and Corr's embryonic bond at the outset. However, as their toxic obsessions take over — particularly where Hagen's unrequited limerence toward Corr, who he romanticizes as his savior, is concerned — their connection morphs into a warped romance with shades of Fatal Attraction and Phantom of the Opera.

Max Minghella's Gotham police detective isn't given much to do in Clayface (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

While the exploration of this increasingly discomforting bond is worthy of praise, I was disappointed that the love triangle between Hagen, Corr, and her Gotham cop boyfriend John Borelli (played by the ever-watchable Max Minghella) wasn't examined further.

With a lean, sub-two hour runtime, there's only so much narrative runway afforded to this DCU Chapter One entry. Nonetheless, I would've liked to see more the burgeoning rivalry between Hagen and Borelli that's only lightly peppered throughout.

I'd level a similar criticism at the underuse of Hagen's new shape-shifting abilities, specifically with how his acting background influences his powers. Sure, he combines his craft and superhuman talents to good effect as his quest for vengeance takes over. Still, while the creativity displayed in the film's climactic, gruesomely camp set-piece is plenty of fun, I was left wanting more from a premise with so much theatrical potential.

Monster mayhem

Clayface has some issues it needs to face up to (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Clayface doesn't fully lean into its skin-crawling body-horror potential, either. In a ironic twist for a movie about shape-shifting, the film suffers from its own identity crisis, never quite deciding whether it wants to be an uncompromising creature feature or a low-budget comic book flick.

I wish Clayface had leaned harder into viscerally repulsive territory

To be fair, there are some wonderfully grotesque moments that'll delight genre enthusiasts and leave more squeamish viewers wriggling uncomfortably in their seats. Moreover, while visual effects have an increasingly important role as Hagen's transformation progresses, it's the practical makeup that helps to really elevate Harries' performance, and add a real tactile viscosity and nauseating quality to his physical degradation.

How much more horrifying would it have been to see this full scene for the first time on the big screen? (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

That said, I wish it had leaned harder into viscerally repulsive territory, especially given its most nightmarish moments are featured heavily in its first, second, and third trailers. A few more of the 'show and tell' body-horror beats that Clayface handles so well, rather than deliberately dodging them with cliched, shadow-draped discretion shots, would've gone a long way to appeasing me.

Thankfully, the DCU's take on Gotham City doesn't suffer a similar atmospheric fate.

As grimy and seedy as any live-action iteration of the fictional megalopolis, Clayface presents Gotham as a stylish, neon-drenched playground. Blending rain-slicked noir aesthetics with a vibrant, comic-book palette, it creates a city that feels both oppressively dangerous and visually intoxicating. Its striking combination of Batman: The Animated Series' heightened gothic style and the gritty realism of Matt Reeves' The Batman is particularly notable, especially when you consider Clayface was originally pitched as a spin-off of the latter. Such comparisons will do little to assuage so-called 'merger bros', who want nothing more than to see Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight grapple-hook his way from Reeves' Bat-Verse to the DCU.

My verdict

Part-monster movie, part-Shakespearean tragedy, Clayface is a film of captivating contradictions. Driven by Harries' powerhouse lead performance, it delivers a surprisingly intimate and tragic character-driven story that explores the artificiality of fame, and puts a devotedly modern day spin on 'Feat of Clay', the two-part Batman: The Animated Series tale, it's inspired by. Even so, its hesitation to fully embrace its primary genre underpinnings, coupled with a few underbaked subplots and underutilized shape-shifting gags, holds it back from true greatness.

As a litmus test for the DCU, Clayface raises more questions about the franchise's broader direction after Supergirl and Lanterns. More generally, it doesn't reshape the mold for comic book cinema.

What it accomplishes, though, is far more intriguing: it proves Gunn and Safran are willing to take genuinely weird, character-focused gambles. I crave the next Batman, Wonder Woman, or Justice League film as much as the next person but, if we get more of these smaller scale offerings alongside their blockbuster brethren, Clayface will prove to be a risk worth taking.

Clayface is out now in multiple international territories, and will be released in US theaters on Friday, October 23.

I've used Bitdefender Total Security to protect my own devices for years, and I highly recommend it. I've found a great deal on the security software at Newegg that brings a year's coverage for up to 10 devices down to under $30.

Bitdefender Total Security 2026 is reduced to $28 (was $100) at Newegg with promo code EPF56892. It doesn't get much cheaper than this, so well-worth checking out.

• Best for: Households with multiple devices, anyone wanting protection across different operating systems, and people looking for antivirus software with additional privacy and ransomware defenses.

• Why I like it: I use Bitdefender Total Security to protect all of my devices at home, and it's much more than a traditional antivirus tool. As well as keeping you safe from viruses, spyware, Trojans, ransomware, and other malicious software, it also uses behavioral detection to identify suspicious activity and defend against unknown threats.

Today's best antivirus software deal

Total Security 2026: was $99.99 now $27.99
Bitdefender Total Security provides one year of protection for 10 Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices, with malware detection, ransomware defense, privacy tools, parental controls, and limited daily VPN access included.View Deal

Why we recommend it

The software can block online tracking, monitor attempts to access your webcam or microphone, and identify potentially dangerous websites. The subscription covers up to 10 devices running Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.

The package also includes access to Bitdefender VPN, although it's limited to 200MB per day per device, which is only really enough for occasional use. Parental control features will be of interest to anyone with children, although availability and functionality depend on the OS.

In covering the software, we said: "Bitdefender tops our list and ticks every box. It performed well across our testing, boasts all the tools you need to protect your devices from malware (and more), and is nice and easy to use – regardless of platform. While some expert users might wish for a little more granular customization, we think that Bitdefender strikes the right balance in terms of configuration and ease of use."

Price context & historical value

Newegg sells the one-year, 10-device subscription for $99.99, but is currently offering it at $52.99. Enter EPF56892 at checkout to save a further $25, bringing the final price to $27.99.

That represents a $72 saving against the original price, approximately 72% off. If you activate the program on all 10 devices, the first-year cost works out to approximately $2.80 per device.

It's important to remember that this is a one-year license, rather than a permanent software purchase. You're not locked in though. What I usually do is search for a new deal around the renewal time.

For more options, take a look at our roundup of the best antivirus software.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Bitdefender Total Security if...

You want one antivirus subscription covering Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices. It's also great for ransomware protection, malicious website detection, and privacy tools. At $27.99, this is a fantastic deal.

❌ Skip Bitdefender Total Security if...

You only need to protect one computer and are satisfied with your device's built-in antivirus software. Windows includes Microsoft Defender, and macOS and mobile operating systems have their own security protections.

• Shop all antivirus software at Newegg

DJI might not be as well-known in the power supply space as Anker, Bluetti, EcoFlow, or Jackery, but its range of portable power stations have proved rather impressive in our tests. I find them particularly good for drone operators, since the units feature SDC ports for charging DJI drones. But that's not the only use for these power stations.

The DJI Power 1000 V2, currently $400 (was $600) at Amazon, is a prime example of that, with its 1,024Wh battery capacity, 2,600W output, and a port selection that makes it well-suited for home backup during emergency power outages.

• Best for: Drone operators charging multiple devices on the move, or home-owners wanting emergency backup power for appliances, electronics, and outdoor equipment.

• What we like: The DJI Power 1000 V2 is a portable battery station that can also come along on camping trips, RV adventures, and outdoor challenges.

Today's best portable power station deal

Power 1000 V2 Portable Power Station: was $699 now $399.98
This portable power station features a 1,024Wh LFP battery, 2,600W continuous output, 37-minute charging to 80%, dual 140W USB-C ports, 10ms UPS switching, quiet operation, and five-year warranty coverage for owners.View Deal

Why we recommend it

The DJI Power 1000 V2 combines a 1,024Wh battery with 2,600W of continuous AC output, making it capable of running a wide range of appliances.

DJI claims the battery can recharge from empty to 80% in 37 minutes, while a full charge takes approximately 56 minutes (under suitable conditions). The station uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry for long-term durability, and it is rated for 4,000 charge cycles while retaining at least 80% of its original capacity.

You get two AC outlets, two USB-A ports, and two USB-C ports capable of delivering up to 140W each. There's also SDC and SDC Lite ports for charging DJI drones. Alongside this, the unit has a UPS function with an approximately 10ms switching time to allow compatible equipment to continue receiving power when the mains supply is interrupted. For overnight use, the company quotes noise levels as low as 26dB. DJI offers up to five years of warranty coverage.

For more picks, we've tested out the best portable power stations and the best DJI drones.

Price context & historical value

Usually priced at $699, the current deal brings the DJI Power 1000 V2 down to $399.98. That's a saving of $299.02, equivalent to approximately 43%.

It's the lowest price I've personally seen for this model and its combination of battery capacity, continuous output, and rapid recharging make it a great deal.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the DJI Power 1000 V2 if...

You want a portable source of electricity for camping, RV trips, outdoor work, or occasional power outages. The 2,600W output gives you flexibility and the fast recharge time reduces how long the battery needs to remain connected to mains power. The dual 140W USB-C ports are also useful.

❌ Skip the DJI Power 1000 V2 if...

You need to run large household appliances for extended periods during an outage. Yes, the 2,600W output can handle substantial loads, but the 1,024Wh battery capacity limits how long it can sustain them.

• Shop all internal SSD deals at Amazon

Working on a laptop is convenient until you need to keep several applications visible at the same time. The Zumwalt S8 Pro, currently $230 (was $320) at Amazon, tackles that problem by adding two 14-inch Full HD screens to your existing display.

The screen extender offers a practical way to expand your laptop's workspace. It clips onto compatible 13-inch to 17.3-inch laptops, with two additional screens that fold out on either side. You can extend your desktop across all three displays or mirror content when needed.

• Best for: People who work across multiple applications, regularly travel with their laptops, or want more display space without investing in a permanent multi-monitor setup.

• Why we like it: The main attraction is having three screens available wherever you take your laptop. You could keep a document open on the main display, use another for research, and leave email or messaging applications visible on the third.

Laptop Screen Extender: was $319.99 now $229.98
The Zumwalt S8 Pro adds two 14-inch 1080p IPS displays to compatible laptops, featuring 300-nit brightness, adjustable screens, USB-C and HDMI connectivity, an aluminum design, and a carrying case for travel.View Deal

Why we recommend it

Each of the additional screens uses a 14-inch IPS LCD panel with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and 300-nit brightness. The specifications also list 100% sRGB color coverage and 178-degree viewing angles.

Zumwalt describes the extender as having an aluminum construction, an ultra-thin profile, and adjustable screens that fold away for transportation. A protective carrying case is included and there's an integrated kickstand to help support the additional displays.

For more ways to expand your screen, we've tested the best portable monitors.

Price context & historical value

Amazon's current $229.98 price represents a 28% drop from $319.99. The extender has previously sold for $199.99, making today's price $29.99 more expensive than that earlier low.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Zumwalt Laptop Screen Extender if...

You regularly work with several applications at once, need more screen space while traveling, or want to turn a compatible laptop into a three-display workstation without carrying separate monitors.

❌ Skip Zumwalt Laptop Screen Extender if...

Although the extender is advertised for Windows, Mac, ChromeOS, and other devices, your laptop needs to support the necessary video outputs. Some MacBooks have restrictions on how many external displays they can drive.

• Shop all monitors at Amazon

• Atlassian report claims the number of developers saving significant time through AI is actually dropping
• Finding information and participating in meetings are major human bottlenecks
• More then four in five organizations still don't have a clear AI strategy

Nearly nine in 10 (87%) developers surveyed by Atlassian now sayAI is helping them to write and ship code faster, but despite offering significant speed improvements across certain parts of the workflow, three in four (72%) also report either the same or greater friction across the entire lifecycle.

Longer-term optimism around AI's ability to save time is also dropping, with just 25% of developers saving 10+ hours a week when using AI, compared with 68% in 2025.

Ultimately, Atlassian's findings point toward AI simply shifting the bottleneck further downstream rather than tackling time constraints altogether.

Is AI actually helping developers?

The data shows that faster code generation isn't translating into faster software delivery, with the reality of AI-assisted coding now highlighting other areas where AI could actually help. For example, half of developers struggling with finding information (51%) and meeting frequency (50%)

"Faster code is not the same as better software delivered sooner," Atlassian Customer CTO Andrew Boyagi explained. "If teams still struggle to find information, clarify requirements and move work through the delivery process, speeding up coding alone won’t translate into business outcomes."

However, many developers simply feel that AI is being implemented too quickly without consideration for its impacts. Three in five say merely using AI is seen as a positive metric – but its real-world impacts don't fall under that scope.

Companies with an effective strategy were found to be in the best position to reduce friction, where twice as many workers reported positive effects. Still, not even a fifth (17%) of developers say their employer has a clearly communicated and implemented AI strategy.

Now that we're beginning to emerge from the early, experimental years of artificial intelligence, and that use cases are starting to be identified, the report calls for greater consideration and clearer strategies from the top down in order to unlock the real benefits.

• Three nuclear plants would add 2.25GW of electricity to the grid
• Microsoft and Google plan to use power from those sites
• Trump wants 400GW of nuclear capacity by 2050

In its ongoing effort to become an AI global superpower, the US is reportedly gearing up to restart three previously closed nuclear power plants simply to keep up with the energy demands caused by AI data centers.

Together, the three nuclear facilities would likely provide 2.25GW of electricity, or enough to power two million homes and businesses (per The Los Angeles Times).

And the US Department of Energy looks to be a major supporter of the projects, providing up to $4.4 billion in federal loans.

Dormant nuclear plants are being woken to power AI

Microsoft and Google have already signed agreements to purchase electricity from two of those facilities, with power plant restarts now slated for between 2027 and 2029, per the report.

Importantly, these likely mark the first commercial nuclear reactors to be restarted after being formally decommissioned, with rising demand for reliable and low-carbon electricity surging.

The first of three, Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan, closed in 2022 nine years before its license was due to expire due to its owner withdrawing from the nuclear power business. Electricity purchase agreements for the plan require it to return to service by March 2027, which is just half a year away.

Crane Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania is also likely targeting a 2027 online date, with Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa looking for a 2029 go-live date.

"For anyone who wants zero carbon, nuclear provides that," nuclear engineering expert Todd Allen explained. "For the Trump administration, which really wants nuclear, this fits that story also."

This, of course, falls under Trump's nuclear plans – a May 2025 executive order revealed plans to quadruple US nuclear generating capacity from around 100GW in 2024 to 400GW by 2050.

Still, these latest plans aren't short of criticism, with concerns over the safety of aging reactors being floated, especially in a world of heightened geopolitical activity and natural disasters.

• Esoteric knows more of us are embracing CDs — and we'll love SACDs too
• Meet the elite K1XE SACD player and optional PS1XE external power supply 
• How much is it? If you need to ask, I fear it's going to be too much… 

Money no object

We love to give practical buying advice about the latest tech products here on TechRadar. But sometimes what we love even more is to indulge in the most outrageously high-end, cutting-edge, luxurious propositions on the planet. That's what we bring you in these Money No Object columns — you can read the whole series here.

Well well well. We knew CD players were having a moment because we can't seem to stop writing about them — whether ultra-luxe, super-fresh and with aptX Bluetooth, be they hefty and toting both analog and digital inputs, fully transparent like some sort of award, inspired by Death Stranding 2: On the Beach in neon orange or even an affordable little ripper, from FiiO.

So there's a CD player for everyone in 2026. TechRadar even published a roundup of 9 of the coolest new CD player releases not six weeks ago, in an effort to stay abreast of them all.

And now, there's an option for people in possession of an awful lot of money. And why not? It's your money and if you have a collection of SACDs you want to make use of, along with a sizeable chunk of cash to invest into the experience, you should be able to do so.

What am I talking about when I say 'SACD'? These delicate little beauties are shiny and circular just like your regular CDs, but the moniker stands for 'Super Audio Compact Disc'. It's a high-resolution optical audio disc format first introduced in 1999 and developed jointly by Sony and Philips Electronics. Unlike CDs, the format uses a 1-bit resolution with a sampling rate of 2.8224 MHz, also known as DSD64, to provide a data rate of 5.6 Mbps — and that walks all over your typical CD's 16-bit/44.1kHz resolution, or a data rate of 1.411 Mbps, in the hi-res audio stakes.

So, it makes sense to get a serious player for your seriously detailed recorded music, right? That's clearly what Esoteric was thinking too. Behold: the ultra-luxe K1XE SACD player. You may see it as an outrageously high-end player, for a format many people thought was largely done and gone. I call it a huge win for offline hi-res listening.

How many of us still dig SACDs? I'd say the number is growing…

(Image credit: Esoteric)

Anyway, what you're looking at in the main image (and the one above) is the Esoteric Grandioso K1XE, the ultra-luxury Japanese audio specialist's new flagship Super Audio CD player.

It features the VRDSATLAS (try saying that out loud, or writing it out several times in a news piece), Esoteric’s proprietary SACD transport mechanism, featuring an "exceptionally rigid, heavyweight platform engineered for outstanding mechanical precision". Also inbuilt is the proprietary Master Sound Discrete DAC G2, a next-generation, discrete digital-analog converter developed entirely in-house by Esoteric.

The K1XE is a fully dual-mono DAC configuration. Esoteric explains that this "large scale" architecture incorporates five independent linear power supply systems to achieve what the company calls "full-bodied sound reminiscent of vinyl playback".

OK but what's the thing on the right, in the main image above? That's the Grandioso PS1XE, an also-new optional external power supply — because you want to power this player properly, don't you? Doing so will reduce electrical interference, lower the noise floor for cleaner SACD sound, move high-voltage AC and heat a sensible way away from those sensitive audio circuits, including that beautifully rigid, hefty transport.

Esoteric's K1XE is just part of the full Grandioso range, seen here in a particularly high-end listening space (Image credit: Esoteric)

Both products will be available for international shipment from the beginning of November 2026. And it's worth considering shipping costs too (although if you're bothered by those, it's probably a little rich for the blood) because the K1XE alone weighs 34.3kg / 75lbs, which is roughly the weight of a large adult dog — think German Shepherd or Golden Retriever.

Will this glorious beast still play your regular CDs? Almost certainly. Esoteric hasn't confirmed this in its marketing, but practically all SACD players are fully backwards-compatible and are able to read the standard Red Book CD layer of an audio CD (sometimes called a CD-DA) without issue.

And that's important, because CD sales revenue was up 58% in the opening six months of 2026 (and 45% in volume) in the US, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Also, the burgeoning popularity of newer portable CD players (along with the growing trend for wired earbuds that do away with streaming and generally being online) proves that music lovers are buying new, pristine CDs alongside inheriting caches of old (possibly scratched) collections. And isn't listening to a full concept album in superior quality one of life's great pleasures?

Let's tackle pricing: both The Grandioso K1XE and PS1XE will be available worldwide starting November 2026. And I'm just going to write it quickly: the Esoteric Grandioso K1XE SACD player has an MSRP of US $45,000 / £37,999 (or around AU$72, 399). The PS-1XE external power supply is priced at $19,000 / £16,500 (approximately AU$36,199).

Just imagine how good those SACDs are going to sound though…

• State Bank of India is investigating a suspected dark web data leak affecting thousands of customer records
• Exposed information reportedly includes personal details, loan-related data, and customer identifiers
• Bank has launched a forensic investigation but has not yet confirmed the source or authenticity of the leak

The State Bank of India (SBI) has confirmed losing sensitive data on thousands of its users, and worryingly said that it doesn’t yet know when or where the leak took place.

SBI is India’s largest public-sector bank, and one of the country’s biggest financial institutions. Its majority owner is the Indian government, and it provides services such as personal and business banking, loans, credit cards, and similar.

The company has filed a new report with the country’s stock exchange, saying it experienced “an incident involving the loss of certain data.” In the filing, it said that in mid-October 2026 it was contacted by its Threat Intelligence Service Provider, the Defence Cyber Agency, and CERT-In, in response to an alert regarding data leaking into the dark web.

Leaking PII

375,000 records were apparently made available on the dark web, among which were 3,897 bank customer records containing Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

“The exposed information reportedly included customers’ registered mobile numbers, dates of birth, names, gender, email addresses, residential addresses, branch and CIF identifiers, lead IDs, and metadata associated with loan/lead records and other related files,” the filing says.

So far, the bank does not know if the leak is authentic, who leaked it, or how they obtained the data. It kicked off a detailed investigation to determine the source and extent of the exposure, and assess any associated risks. Cyber incident response and containment protocols were triggered, and an independent CERT-In-empanelled cybersecurity agency was brought in for forensic analysis.

The bank stressed that the leak does not have a material impact on its business operations, and that it expects to continue functioning as usual.

In the meantime, an X account called CyberPulse56 flagged a dark web forum post, made on October 16 2026 by a threat actor called Siriusim. In the post, the actor claimed to have 375,000 CSV rows and 2,722 PDF documents belonging to the bank. They allegedly contained personal customer information, loan applications and supporting documents, account-opening applications, and address and other application-related details.

The Free Press Journal later established that the post was made on BreachForums, one of the most popular dark web cybercrime forums, and concluded that at least some of the data found there was authentic. It found that a WhatsApp profile picture associated with one number matched the passport-size photograph on that person’s KYC document, and it also found that the shared sample was primarily related to loans and contained KYC fields.

No clear connection to SBI

However, there was no information connecting the data to SBI, any of its subsidiaries, or third-party providers in its supply chain. Therefore, we cannot conclude if SBI was actually breached or not. There are a number of ways this data might have wound up on the dark web - it could originate from an older breach, it could be from an entirely different entity, or it could be a recycling of multiple older breaches - something cybercriminals are known for doing.

However, if the data is confirmed authentic, it could be a major risk for the bank’s customers. Information such as postal addresses, CIF identifiers, and loan records, can be used to create highly convincing phishing emails, through which the victims could end up downloading malware, or sharing vital login credentials with the attackers.

This type of stage-two compromise can then lead to ransomware or BEC attacks, which could cause severe disruptions, trigger class-action lawsuits, and result in brand erosion. SBI users should be wary of incoming email messages, especially those claiming to be from the bank, carrying a sense of urgency, or threatening account closure or funds displacement.

Via The Hacker News

• Cybercriminals use antidetect browsers to disguise devices, hijack accounts, and evade fraud detection systems
• Stolen session cookies, fake identities, and AI automation help scale scams and account abuse
• Researchers warn AI-integrated antidetect tools are lowering barriers for large-scale fraud operations

Cybercriminals have started using antidetect browsers as part of their tech stack, helping them evade detection while deploying session cookies, creating thousands of fake accounts, and passing Know Your Customer (KYC) checks. This is according to a new in-depth report published by security experts Check Point Research (CPR), in which it says that Russian, Iranian, and Chinese hackers are spearheading these activities.

What are antidetect browsers?

When users log into services like Facebook or TikTok using regular browsers, they leave behind digital fingerprints - screen resolution, operating system, fonts. This information can be used to identify and track a device across online sessions, and if a single entity (for example, a digital marketing agency) tries logging into multiple accounts from the same browser, it might trigger a security alert (or simply go against certain terms of service).

Hence the need for antidetect browsers - specialized software whose key feature is the ability to create isolated profiles with different digital fingerprints, making multiple accounts appear to originate from separate devices.

They are generally used to manage social media accounts, advertising, and e-commerce accounts, or to run web scraping operations or test websites across environments.

Antidetect browsers are not malicious by design, and are mostly used by digital marketing agencies and affiliate marketers. However, just as many other good things, these browsers are actively used by cybercriminals to exploit the tech and run fraudulent accounts.

Many competing tools are available today, but a handful stand out - Kameleo, AdsPower, Multilogin, GoLogin, and Dolphin Anty.

According to CPR, underground forums are full of discussions on using antidetect browsers for different fraudulent activities. These mostly originate from Chinese, Iranian, or Russian hackers, and generally revolve around Kameleo, AdsPower, and Multilogin.

“We selected these specifically on the basis of documented references across underground forums and criminal marketplaces, indicating active adoption beyond their stated commercial purposes,” CPR explained.

Analyzing these discussions, CPR discovered that the threat actors primarily use antidetect browsers to leverage stolen session cookies. When they steal a cookie, they can inject it into a clean browser profile to assume control of the account and operate it unabated. Banking accounts and cryptocurrency wallets are the most popular targets.

AI seasoning

Besides banks and crypto wallets, threat actors are also using these browsers to test payment credentials across e-commerce platforms without triggering any alarms. They’re also using them to apply for loans under fabricated identities, and to create fake accounts in bulk, which are then used to generate advertising revenue at scale.

At the same time, Artificial Intelligence is making these operations easier to scale, CPR says. AdsPower, for example, offers integration with Large Language Models (LLM) through a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, allowing AI-powered workflows to connect with browser profiles. Through automation marketplaces, it also offers different templates for things like commenting, liking, or sending messages across multiple accounts.

A combination of antidetect browsers, AI account management, and AI generated content creates a powerful concoction that allows threat actors to run large, coordinated campaigns with minimal involvement. This allows them to build and “warm up” fake accounts over time, which then appear more credible and are easier to use in scam and fraud attacks.

“The antidetect browser ecosystem represents a sophisticated, commercially mature, and increasingly AI-driven infrastructure that has fundamentally lowered the barrier to running scam and fraud operations, as well as coordinated inauthentic operations at scale,” CPR warns. “These commercially maintained tools are available in dozens of languages, backed by customer support teams, tested daily against the world’s largest social media platforms, and are now integrated with LLM pipelines that remove the human operator from the execution layer.”

The researchers advise security teams to look beyond account behavior and focus on the infrastructure, including residential proxies, browser fingerprint inconsistencies, and unusual session-cookie patterns. Social media platforms should start analyzing antidetect browsers to better understand how they bypass their detection mechanisms, while companies should review whether their security systems can detect account takeovers involving session cookies.