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Updated: 2 hours 7 min ago

Splitgate 2 is being 'pushed back to beta' as 1047 Games shuts down the original Splitgate and undergoes more layoffs

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 09:50
  • Splitgate 2 is being put back into a beta state but will remain playable
  • 1047 Games has said it will rework major parts of the game following player feedback
  • The studio is also laying off employees and shutting down the original Splitgate servers to accomadate Splitgate 2's overhaul

1047 Games has announced that its free-to-play first-person shooter Splitgate 2 is returning to beta following player feedback.

The studio shared its decision in an X / Twitter statement, saying that the game, which launched on June 6, will go "back to beta" and the team will be reworking the game until early 2026.

After admitting it rushed certain features, 1047 Games said major parts of the game will be overhauled, including progression, gameplay, and monetization.

"We’ve heard your feedback, and we agree with you: we launched too early," 1047 Games said. "We had ambitious goals with Splitgate 2, and in our excitement to share it with you, we bit off more than we could chew. We rushed certain features, made some boneheaded mistakes, and most importantly – we didn't give you the polished, portal-filled mayhem you fell in love with.

"So we're going back to beta. We'll be heads down until early next year, rebuilding major parts of the game to capture the spirit of what made Splitgate special. That means reworking progression from the ground up, adding more portals to our maps, simplifying monetization, refocusing on classic game modes you've been asking for, and more, which we’ll share soon."

As a consequence, and just over a month since cutting an undisclosed number of jobs, 1047 Games is laying off additional staff members, to "shift our resources to focus on this rework".

"This is heartbreaking. These are our teammates and our friends, and they helped build what we have today," 1047 said. "They're receiving severance and job placement support, and we're committed to doing everything we can to help them through this transition. We hope to bring them back when we can."

In addition, the original Splitgate servers will also be shutting down this month, "in an effort to retain as many team members as possible", but is considering the possibility of supporting offline or peer-to-peer matches.

"While we'd love to keep servers online indefinitely, it's cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past couple of years, and we have to prioritize our team," the studio explained.

Although Splitgate 2 is returning to beta, the game will remain playable, and Chapter 3 will still ship as intended, along with bug fixes and "high-priority changes."

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Categories: Technology

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 has a trailer that’s even more discouraging than the first movie, but die-hard fans will be pleased with one detail

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 09:41
  • Five Nights at Freddy's 2 has an official trailer
  • The horror movie is confirmed to be released in cinemas on December 5
  • Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail and Matthew Lilard reprise their roles from the first movie

The Five Nights at Freddy's 2 official trailer has been released ahead of the sequel movie's cinema premiere on December 5. The upcoming new movie has, strangely, bypassed the Halloween release window, so fans will have to wait until closer to the festive season.

The sequel is set to unleash more animatronics out into the wild than the first Five Nights at Freddy's did, as it will take us beyond Freddy Fazbear's pizzeria – and notably, Scott Cawthon is involved in adapting the screenplay again.

Looking at the trailer, fans can expect Easter eggs and some new faces – or lack thereof – when it comes to Withered Bonnie, the broken rabbit animatronic from the second game.

What is Five Night's at Freddy's 2 about?

Set a year after the first Five Nights at Freddy's movie, the official plot synopsis teases that the stories of the pizzeria have been "twisted into a campy local legend, inspiring the town’s first-ever Fazfest".

So yep, you guessed it, people have developed a morbid fascination with what went down and now there's a festival dedicated to the creepy animatronics, which totally isn't a recipe for disaster or anything.

We'll once again follow former security guard Mike and police officer Vanessa, who are doing everything they can to protect Mike's 11-year-old sister Abby. But when Abby sneaks out to try and see the animatronics again, she "reveals dark secrets about the true origin of Freddy's, and unleashing a long-forgotten horror hidden away for decades".

Not a bad way to continue the story, in my opinion, but despite the last movie being Peacock's biggest ever launch, it was a critical flop, so there's a chance I'll stick to playing the games instead.

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Categories: Technology

The three generations of AI coding tools, and what to expect through the rest of 2025

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 09:32

From the outside looking in, the AI coding assistance market might seem like one big blur of assisted coding. The reality is far more nuanced and moving at breakneck speed.

What started as simple code completion has evolved through distinct generations, each representing a fundamental shift in how developers work with AI tools. And if you're not paying attention, you're already behind.

The First Generation: When AI Learned to “Complete Our Sandwiches Sentences”

The AI coding revolution began modestly with code completion - think of it as autocomplete on steroids. Early pioneers like Kite paved the way, but it was GitHub Copilot that brought this capability to the masses through Microsoft's vast distribution channels. By 2024, 62% of developers reported using AI tools for writing code, with code completion as the gateway drug.

But here's where the industry got it wrong: the marketing promised a revolution while delivering an evolution. GitHub aficionados touted 20% productivity improvements, skeptics countered that it was a net-negative trend generating garbage code, and the truth, as always, lived somewhere in between. It was a wonderful, helpful capability that developers genuinely liked.

But game-changing? Not quite.

The numbers tell an interesting story. As of 2024, over a quarter of all new code generated by Google is written by AI. Yet despite this massive adoption, according to the 2024 DORA report, speed and stability have actually decreased. The first generation delivered on quantity but struggled with quality - a classic case of solving the wrong problem.

The Second Generation: From Assistant to Agent

Then, at the beginning of 2024, something fundamental changed. Cursor, Zencoder, and other AI tools that live in developers' IDEs got completely new brains with radically different capabilities.

These weren't just code completers anymore - they were in-IDE coding agents. What enabled this generational shift is the new class of models that are more agentic, specifically, they are better at using tools, understanding your project environment, and keeping their wits together over longer sessions.

The shift was deceptive because visually, nothing changed. Same interface, same integration points, but under the hood? A completely different beast. The agents could fix a bug in a large repository or help users "vibe code" an entire prototype using unfamiliar technology.

It’s one of those rare cases of “same UI, different UX” - the use cases have changed, and the usage has changed with them. Developers spend 10 times more on these second-generation tools, burning significantly more tokens as they offload increasingly complex tasks.

The Third Generation: SDLC-Integrated Software Engineering Agents

Mark the second quarter of 2025 in your calendars as the early emergence of the third generation, and it's happening faster than most realize:

-May 9th: Zencoder launched Zen Agents, marking a shift from individual productivity to team-based agents covering full SDLC.

-May 16th: OpenAI launched Codex, allowing you to use ChatGPT semi-autonomously in your GitHub.

-May 19th: GitHub Copilot launched agentic DevOps.

-May 20th: Google announced an asynchronous Jules agent.

-May 22nd: Anthropic announced Claude 4, upgrading its Claude Code tool that supports command line automation.

-June 10: Zentester is launched to bring automated verification into AI SDLC

The industry is keen on unlocking the next level of value by moving from IDE-based coding agents to software engineering agents integrated across the entire software development lifecycle. These agents can grab issues from your backlog, implement features, run automated tests, and leverage your CI/CD pipeline's security scanners. They will soon be self-correcting the errors that appear in this cycle.

I’m a big fan of collective intelligence and human ingenuity. Over the last four decades and 100M engineers (who are still the golden standard of intelligence), the industry has evolved a sophisticated suite of tools and processes to support software engineering.

I have always felt that early attempts to train LLMs to replace tools like compilers or debuggers were commercially and scientifically a dead end, and that teaching LLMs to leverage existing tools and processes is a better route. That philosophy (leveraging existing tools) moved the industry to the second generation, and now that philosophy (leveraging dev ops) is leading to the third generation.

The Reality Check: We're Still in Beta

Here's the crucial caveat: just as first-generation code completion evolved from buggy and primitive to genuinely helpful, this third generation is still nascent. The capabilities are there, but they're rough around the edges. For the next six months, plan to re-evaluate these tools every two months - that's a breakneck pace at which we'll see step-function improvements. As is common with AI, you can get tremendous value if you deploy it in the right scenario with the right context.

The promise of 10x engineers is coming to life, and the biggest shift is happening this calendar year. In my career, it took 5-15 years to see generational changes in any particular software category, and we now see them twice within 12 months. First-generation tools needed strong code LLMs and fill-in-the-middle benchmarks.

Second-generation agents acquired longer context windows, tool usage capabilities, and the ability to navigate development environments. Now, third-generation agents are leveraging better models that can navigate websites for end-to-end testing, understand CI/CD tools, and orchestrate multiple specialized agents working in concert.

What This Means for You

The industry is moving from AI coding assistants to in-IDE coding agents to SDLC-integrated software engineering agents. Each transition represents not just an improvement but a fundamental reimagining of how developers work with AI. By the end of 2025, most start-ups and forward-looking enterprises will heavily use second-generation in-IDE agents and will offload a sizeable chunk of routine work to the third-generation agents integrated into CI/CD.

The future of software development isn't about typing faster - it's about thinking bigger while AI handles the implementation details. Keep your eyes open, update your tools frequently, and most importantly, adjust your expectations and evaluations. The age of software engineering agents has arrived, and it's moving faster than any of us anticipated.

We list the best Large Language Models (LLMs) for coding.

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

Categories: Technology

Alphabet sees results soar, boosted once again by soaring AI and cloud demand

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 09:03
  • Google revenue is up 14%, driven by a 32% growth in Google Cloud revenue
  • The cloud division's annual revenue run-rate is now $50 billion
  • The Gemini App has 450 million monthly active users

Alphabet has exceeded quarterly revenue expectations by a not-so-insignificant $2.43 billion by posting $96.43 billion in its second quarter 2025, marking a health 14% year-over-year increase, with the company having AI and its cloud services to thank.

Google Cloud revenues rose by 32% in the quarter to $13.6 billion – considerably more than the 12% rise in Google Services revenue, which covers areas like Search, subscriptions, devices, YouTube ads and more.

In a blog post breaking down the earnings, CEO Sundar Pichai revealed Google Cloud's annual revenue run-rate has now passed the $50 billion mark.

Google Cloud boosting Alphabet's overall revenue

"We are seeing significant demand for our comprehensive AI product portfolio," Pichai explained in the post.

"We operate the leading global network of AI optimized data centers and cloud regions."

Pichai added nine million developers have now built with the company's Gemini 2.5 family of models, while 70 million videos have already been generated using Veo 3, which Pichai described as a "viral hit."

Speaking about Google Cloud revenue in particular, Pichai revealed the number of large contracts worth more than $250 million has more than doubled year-over-year. Google Cloud also signed the same number of $1 billion+ deals in the first half of 2025 as it did in the whole of 2024.

Wayfair, Mattel, Target, Capgemini and BBVA were cited among Google Cloud's major clients, with OpenAI also recently confirming that it would use Google Cloud infrastructure to support ChatGPT in the US, the UK, Japan, the Netherlands and Norway.

On the consumer side, the Gemini App now has more than 450 million monthly active users, and daily request have grown by more than 50% since last quarter.

All of this saw stock prices rise by about 3% in after-hours trading, with Google currently ranking as the world's fifth-most valuable company with a market cap of $2.315 trillion, just a few paces behind Amazon.

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Categories: Technology

Microsoft gives you another reason to hook up your Windows 11 PC and Android smartphone - it's a security feature that could come in seriously handy

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 09:00
  • The Link To Windows app on Android has a new 'Lock PC' button
  • This allows you to remotely lock your Windows 11 PC from the phone
  • Other goodies introduced with Link To Windows recently also include the ability to grab clipboard contents from your PC on your smartphone

Windows 11 users are getting the ability to lock their PC remotely by using their Android smartphone, assuming these two devices are hooked up via the Phone Link app.

Windows Central reports that the ability to lock your Windows 11 PC with the tap of a button from your phone is now present in the overhauled Link To Windows app on Android. Apparently, it's in version 1.25071.165 of the app (or newer), but the functionality is still rolling out, so it may take a while yet to turn up for all users.

The 'Lock PC' button could come in very handy if you leave your desktop PC for a quick trip to the coffee machine, but end up called away for longer, and so you want to ensure the device is secure while you're away (without having to return to the computer).

As Windows Central notes, when you use this remote lock function, it will disconnect your smartphone from the Phone Link app until you log back in.

The freshly redesigned Link To Windows app now also lets you access the contents of the clipboard on your Windows 11 PC (if you have this synced), and allows for viewing recently shared files, too.

(Image credit: Shutterstock AI)Analysis: a battery-saving alternative to dynamic lock

These are potentially very useful extras that add a good deal of convenience - it might be very handy to grab Windows 11 clipboard contents on your smartphone. And as noted, the ability to remotely lock your computer could be a security lifesaver of sorts in certain situations (maybe not often, but when you need the ability, you'll be glad of it).

There is something else to be aware of here, though, in terms of existing functionality. As Windows Central points out, you can already have your PC automatically lock when you're not present by using a Bluetooth-powered feature. This is called dynamic lock, and it works by kicking in when you've left your PC, and your smartphone is far enough away so the Bluetooth signal weakens to a certain level.

The catch here is obvious enough, though - not everyone wants to keep Bluetooth on constantly (given the battery drain on the phone, or indeed the Windows 11 PC, if it's a laptop). So, a simple manual alternative in the form of the 'Lock PC' button is clearly a boon.

Microsoft is making good progress with Phone Link, even if that progress is more of the slow and steady variety than huge leaps forward. Still, some bugbears remain with users, most notably that only Samsung Galaxy phones get the best features.

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Categories: Technology

NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, July 25 (game #509)

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 09:00
Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, July 24 (game #508).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #509) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

Today's NYT Strands theme is… Step to it!

NYT Strands today (game #509) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

  • PANTHER
  • HATE
  • STALE
  • GRACE
  • HARM
  • CHAT
NYT Strands today (game #509) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #509) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: bottom, 5th column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #509) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #509, are…

  • MUSIC
  • COSTUME
  • RECITAL
  • TEACHER
  • CHOREOGRAPHY
  • SPANGRAM: DANCE CLASS
  • My rating: Hard
  • My score: 2 hints

A tough one for me today, so kudos if you roared through the search without any issues. I even struggled to find non-game words.

In hindsight, I should have seen DANCE CLASS a lot more quickly, as I’d already gotten class as a non-game word – but was completely blind to the word that preceded it.

The other reason today’s game took me longer than usual was that my first hint gave me MUSIC, which didn’t help narrow things down at all. I quite patently failed to “step to it”. 

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, July 24, game #508)
  • GROWL
  • SNARL
  • HISS
  • HUFF
  • SCREECH
  • STOMP
  • RATTLE
  • SPRAY
  • SPANGRAM: WARNING
What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Categories: Technology

NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, July 25 (game #775)

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 09:00
Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, July 24 (game #774).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #775) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

  • ОН
  • MARY
  • FAIR
  • MOTHER
  • MUM
  • BEE
  • IN
  • OUT
  • MA
  • BALL
  • BED
  • SECRET
  • FOUL
  • QUIET
  • OK
  • PRIVATE
NYT Connections today (game #775) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: Don’t tell anyone
  • GREEN: Four of the 50
  • BLUE: Heard at the ballpark
  • PURPLE: Precede with a royal word

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #775) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: HUSH-HUSH
  • GREEN: STATE ABBREVIATIONS
  • BLUE: BASEBALL CALLS
  • PURPLE: QUEEN __ 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #775) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #775, are…

  • YELLOW: HUSH-HUSH MUM, PRIVATE, QUIET, SECRET
  • GREEN: STATE ABBREVIATIONS IN, MA, OH, OK
  • BLUE: BASEBALL CALLS BALL, FAIR, FOUL, OUT
  • PURPLE: QUEEN __ BED, BEE, MARY, MOTHER
  • My rating: Hard
  • My score: Perfect

My brain always goes into a kernel panic when there are two-letter words in Connections, which is why I'm rating today’s puzzle as hard. 

That said, there were only four of them – which meant that you could get STATE ABBREVIATIONS even if it wasn’t immediately obvious. It wasn’t to me, so I was relieved to have guessed them correctly and not fallen into a dastardly trap.

Fortunately, my lack of baseball knowledge didn’t stand in the way of completing all four groups without a mistake, but I did waver over whether to include MOTHER or FOUL in the QUEEN group. I was imagining some kind of chess infraction. 

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, July 24, game #774)
  • YELLOW: COLOSSAL GIANT, GREAT, MAMMOTH, TITANIC
  • GREEN: LEAVE QUICKLY BOUNCE, DIP, JET, SPLIT
  • BLUE: PARTS OF A BASKETBALL HOOP BACKBOARD, NET, POLE, RIM
  • PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF SYNONYMS FOR "NAB" KNICK, LUTE, RABE, STEEL
What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Categories: Technology

Quordle hints and answers for Friday, July 25 (game #1278)

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 09:00
Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, July 24 (game #1277).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1278) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1278) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1278) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1278) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1278) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• B

• R

• C

• M

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1278) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1278, are…

  • BONUS
  • RESIN
  • CEDAR
  • MADAM

Another good round for me today, although I later realized I wasn’t as clever as I first thought (often the case!).

With A-D-A locked in as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th letters and knowing the word also containedan M, there was no other choice other than MADAM, while my final word could only end with US – so BONUS wasn’t the stretch guess I initially thought.

Daily Sequence today (game #1278) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1278, are…

  • TODAY
  • FILET
  • SUNNY
  • LIMIT
Quordle answers: The past 20
  • Quordle #1277, Thursday, 24 July: AGONY, VERVE, GLEAN, MINUS
  • Quordle #1276, Wednesday, 23 July: OZONE, PENCE, ROOMY, WIDER
  • Quordle #1275, Tuesday, 22 July: OPTIC, GIDDY, VOCAL, ADULT
  • Quordle #1274, Monday, 21 July: KNEED, SNAIL, PINTO, FEAST
  • Quordle #1273, Sunday, 20 July: GRACE, COUNT, EGRET, GIANT
  • Quordle #1272, Saturday, 19 July: EARLY, CLICK, TRITE, SPREE
  • Quordle #1271, Friday, 18 July: CINCH, FOYER, FUDGE, TAFFY
  • Quordle #1270, Thursday, 17 July: CRESS, TABOO, POWER, HATER
  • Quordle #1269, Wednesday, 16 July: UNCLE, NADIR, REMIT, BROOM
  • Quordle #1268, Tuesday, 15 July: VILLA, FLECK, TIGER, CRANE
  • Quordle #1267, Monday, 14 July: SURGE, PIZZA, PAPER, POPPY
  • Quordle #1266, Sunday, 13 July: KAYAK, DECRY, RUDDY, HATER
  • Quordle #1265, Saturday, 12 July: WREAK, NANNY, CLASP, STAIN
  • Quordle #1264, Friday, 11 July: LAPEL, DRAIN, FROND, GROSS
  • Quordle #1263, Thursday, 10 July: CROSS, WHEEL, UNDID, PENCE
  • Quordle #1262, Wednesday, 9 July: SHIRE, SIXTH, SINGE, IMAGE
  • Quordle #1261, Tuesday, 8 July: PLIED, PRANK, GAWKY, OXIDE
  • Quordle #1260, Monday, 7 July: DROLL, TRUCE, TWIRL, SINCE
  • Quordle #1259, Sunday, 6 July: AMPLY, SPAWN, EXTOL, RIDGE
Categories: Technology

Thousands of travellers could be left without Internet as Turkey bans websites and apps of major eSIM providers - but don't worry, there's a catch

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 08:59
  • Turkey's telecom regulator, the BTK, has blocked access to websites and apps of major eSIM providers
  • Holalfy advises users to install and activate eSIMs before they travel
  • Failure to activate the eSIM before could leave thousands without internet access

The BTK, Turkey's telecom regulator, has banned access to the websites and apps of major eSIM providers.

As summer holiday time commences, around 13 million Brits are flying away on holiday in the next two months, with Turkey one of the top tourist destinations.

The ban includes top eSIM providers for international travel, including Holafly, Airalo, Ubigi, and Saily.

How can travelers still access the Internet in Turkey?

With these recent changes, UK travelers are strongly advised to install and activate their eSIM before they take off, meaning users should ensure the eSIM is fully downloaded and activated on their device before departure.

"To avoid getting caught out, UK travellers should ensure their eSIM is fully downloaded and activated before leaving the UK. This means setting up your digital SIM while still on UK networks and confirming it's working properly before departure," says Pablo Gomez, CEO of Holafly.

Most eSIM providers for Turkey allow you to install and activate your plan ahead of time, and the process is typically quick and simple.

However, failing to do so could leave users without internet access on arrival. In that case, users will have to rely on public Wi-Fi or try to find a physical SIM, not ideal when free Wi-Fi isn’t always available, and many people are understandably wary of the security risks that come with using public networks.

“Otherwise, you could be left without internet access the moment you land, which can be a serious issue if you rely on your phone for maps, transport, or bookings,” added Gomez.

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Categories: Technology

Microsoft SharePoint attack now sees victim count rises to 400 organizations, including US nuclear agency

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 08:38
  • Microsoft SharePoint vulnerability is proving incredibly attractive to hackers
  • New estimates place the number of organizations affected at 400
  • The hackers have deployed ransomware against some affected organizations

New estimates regarding the recently-exploited Microsoft SharePoint vulnerabilities now evaluate that as many as 400 organizations may have been targeted.

The figure is a sharp increase from the original count of around 100, with Microsoft pointing the finger at Chinese threat actors for the hacks, namely Linen Typhoon, Violet Typhoon, and Storm-2603.

The victims are primarily US based, and amongst these are some high value targets, including the National Nuclear Security Administration - the US agency responsible for maintaining and designing nuclear weapons, Bloomberg reports.

Ransomware deployed

So far, no sensitive or classified information is confirmed to have been leaked, but the hackers have also seemingly broken into systems belonging to national governments in Europe and the Middle East, the US Education Department - and the full extent of the repercussions won’t be seen for a long time yet, experts have warned.

Microsoft has confirmed that these security flaws, although now patched, were used by the Chinese threat actor Storm-2603 to deploy ransomware - which could cost the affected organisation millions.

"Microsoft tracks this threat actor in association with attempts to steal MachineKeys using the on-premises SharePoint vulnerabilities," the company shared in a report. "Starting on July 18, 2025, Microsoft has observed Storm-2603 deploying ransomware using these vulnerabilities."

The vulnerability allows hackers to extract cryptographic keys from servers run by Microsoft clients, these keys in turn let them install programmes onto the servers - including malware or backdoors which could allow the hackers to return at a later date. This means that patching the vulnerability should be a top priority for any organisation affected.

Microsoft did issue a patch for this vulnerability early on, but some bypasses were identified, so customers were advised to be extra vigilant and deploy Antimalware Scan Interface (AMSI) as well as antivirus software. Since, additional security updates have been rolled out to address the issues.

China has repeatedly denied the accusation of cyber espionage, and a Chinese embassy spokesperson told TechRadar Pro it hopes, “relevant parties will adopt a professional and responsible attitude when characterizing cyber incidents, basing their conclusions on sufficient evidence rather than unfounded speculation and accusations.”

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Sam Altman says there’s ‘Something about collectively deciding we're going to live our lives the way AI tells us feels bad and dangerous’ as OpenAI CEO worries about an AI-dominated future

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 08:32
  • Sam Altman is worried about people's over-reliance on ChatGPT
  • The OpenAI CEO says, "Something about collectively deciding we're going to live our lives the way AI tells us feels bad and dangerous."
  • ChatGPT receives over 2.5 billion prompts a day, making OpenAI one of the most popular platforms on the planet

OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, says people have an "over-reliance" on ChatGPT and it's worrying for future generations.

Speaking at a Federal Reserve banking event, Altman said, "People rely on ChatGPT too much. There's young people who say things like, 'I can't make any decision in my life without telling ChatGPT everything that's going on. It knows me, it knows my friends. I'm gonna do whatever it says.' That feels really bad to me."

This comes after new data has found ChatGPT receives over 2.5 billion prompts a day from more than 500 million weekly active users.

Altman's comments highlight the unknown about AI and its rapid growth, with those pioneering in the space unsure about the detriment it might cause.

Last month, following the major ChatGPT outage, I wrote about how AI is "genuinely helping millions of people get through life," and while that seems to be the case, there's also a worrying number of people who use the technology so much that they can't cope with life without it.

During that 10-hour outage, I received emails from ChatGPT users who hadn't written emails in months without the help of AI, used the technology to help with their online dating, and even a user who told me they needed ChatGPT to help them get to sleep.

Now, Altman wants to emphasize his concern surrounding the wider population's use of AI. "Something about collectively deciding we're going to live our lives the way AI tells us feels bad and dangerous," he says.

Sam, you can't have your cake and eat it

In this rapidly evolving industry, we're seeing a rate of innovation that I don't think I've ever experienced in my 30 years on this planet. Almost daily, new AI software breaks through glass ceilings, performing exponentially better than previous versions.

OpenAI's innovation in the space has been a major driving force in Altman's estimated $1.8 billion net worth, but now he's starting to get concerned by people using it?

The AI space is largely unregulated, from copyrighted AI image generation tools to chatbots like Grok hallucinating in some of the worst ways possible (I won't get into that here).

That said, the rate at which companies like OpenAI are releasing products means they are providing powerful tools to users without truly knowing how they'll have an impact on people's lives.

I agree with Altman in the sense that we're becoming over-reliant on AI and ChatGPT in particular, but does a tech billionaire who's profited from this over-reliance have the right to now say they are fearful? I don't think so.

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Here's how you can pre-order the Lego Game Boy now that its release date and surprisingly affordable price have been revealed

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 08:26

The Lego Game Boy has now been officially revealed, and is the latest in a long line of Nintendo-themed Lego products.

Shown off at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 for the first time (following a teaser from a few months back), the Lego Game Boy launches on October 1 for a surprisingly affordable price of $59.99 / £54.99. Honestly, given the costs of previous Nintendo Lego sets, I was expecting something much higher than that.

The best part is that pre-orders are live now, and you can secure your very own either at the official Lego online store or at Amazon in the US and the UK. However, the UK has yet to receive an Amazon store page for the product at the time of writing. You can check the deal blocks below, which will take you exactly where you need to go to get your pre-order in for the Lego Game Boy.

Lego Game Boy pre-orders: cut to the chase
  • Price: $59.99 / £54.99
  • Pre-order date: July 24, 2025
  • Release date: October 1, 2025
  • Availability: Lego and Amazon in the US, currently only Lego in the UK
  • Design: 421 pieces of nostalgic Game Boy goodness. It's almost 1:1 scale, and features unique bricks for the d-pad and buttons. It also ships with cartridge bricks featuring art from Super Mario Land and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, as well as some screen art that can slot into the device's front.
Lego Game Boy: US pre-orders

Featuring 421 pieces and lovely aesthetic touches like cartridges and screen art, the Lego Game Boy looks like a brilliant little collector's piece. And at 60 bucks, it won't set you back too much compared to pricier sets.

Price check: $59.99 at Amazon (pre-order)View Deal

Lego Game Boy: UK pre-orders

You can also pre-order the Lego Game Boy in the UK for £54.99. It's available at the Lego Store, but there's currently no Amazon store page for the product, unlike in the US.View Deal

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Only Murders in the Building season 5 finally confirms a release date on Disney+ and Hulu – and it’s the show’s most impressive achievement yet

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 08:17

Grab your podcasting microphones and magnifying glasses, because Only Murders in the Building season 5 is confirmed to return on September 9, 2025, and it looks like we’ll finally find out what happened to poor old Lester. The beloved doorman was binned off at the end of season 4, with Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) refusing to believe it was an accident.

As Disney+ tells us: “Their investigation plunges them into the shadowy corners of New York and beyond – where the trio uncovers a dangerous web of secrets connecting powerful billionaires, old-school mobsters, and the mysterious residents of the Arconia. The trio discovers a deeper divide between their storied city they thought they knew and the new New York evolving around them – one where the old mob fights to hold on as newer, even more dangerous players emerge.”

The next installment is set to feature newbies such as Renée Zellweger and returning favorites like Meryl Streep, who will all be embroiled in the plot somehow, though it’s absolutely incredulous how many poor souls have bitten the dust in such a short space of time. What’s more astonishing, though, is how consistently Only Murders in the Building has stuck to its production schedule, and in my opinion, that only makes it all the more binge-worthy.

Only Murders in the Building season 5 is one of the most consistent shows to binge on Hulu and Disney+

Selena Gomez (Mabel), Steve Martin (Charles), and Martin Short (Oliver) in Only Murders in the Building. (Image credit: Disney/Hulu)

I’m as shocked as any of you that Only Murders in the Building has gotten as far as season 5, let alone that each new season feels as fresh as the last. But all of this is thanks to the show’s sharp schedule, rigidly adhered to by its entire company of actors. As fans pointed out when the season 5 release date was announced on X/Twitter (see below), five seasons in five years is incredibly impressive in this cultural economy.

5 seasons in 5 years... they’re singlehandedly saving television https://t.co/YHi4tQtGGlJuly 23, 2025

Let’s put that into a wider perspective. Stranger Things has kept us waiting far too long, delivering its final season of eight episodes after a lengthy three-year hiatus. The length between Squid Game and Severance’s first and second seasons wasn’t too far behind, with fans (including me) finding it difficult to summon the same level of interest when you’ve likely forgotten what has already happened in the meantime. So, the fact that Only Murders in the Building season 4 is still fresh enough in our heads to remember Lester’s sorry fate before season 5 begins is joyous.

The fact that the industry has changed so much in the last decade (or even following the Covid-19 pandemic, for that matter) often gets thrown around as to why TV production has changed, as does the delay caused by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. But if a TV show like this can keep on trucking – with more episodes per season than most of its competitors, it should be noted – there really is no excuse. No standards have been dropped, no creativity has been compromised, and no magic has been lost along the way. If Streep can fit this into her bulging schedule, anybody can.

If Only Murders in the Building season 5 suddenly loses its footing, maybe my praise will be for nothing. But when there is comically-timed murder, there is TV success, and nobody has got a hold of that like this nosey trio.

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Hades 2 is expected to get a full release soon but Supergiant Games has just one more early access update for us

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 08:16
  • A new Hades 2 early access update has been released
  • Supergiant Games said it wanted to drop another patch before the game gets a full launch
  • Patch 11 includes further improvements, balance adjustments, and more bug fixes

Supergiant Games has released another Hades 2 update ahead of the game's full launch.

Patch 11 is now available to download and offers even more balance updates and other fixes. Despite previously suggesting that the early access game would soon enter full release, the developer explained in the Steam patch notes that it wanted to deliver one more before it does.

"While we said our prior patch would likely be our last before our v1.0 launch, as the Fates would have it, there is indeed this one more, which includes further improvements, balance adjustments, and fixes based on your feedback and what we've observed. Thank you for playing in Early Access!" Supergiant said.

Among the long list of changes, the patch notes also feature an important notice for players before the launch of version 1.0.

Supergiant said that, in preparation for the version 1.0 launch and forthcoming story sequences surrounding the True Ending, any Zodiac Sand or Void Lens resources players have will automatically be converted to Prestige when they load their save progress when the game is fully released.

The studio hasn't given a reason for this, but players have theorized it's so they can't trigger the True Ending and share spoilers as soon as the game launches. It would also mean players will need to collect Zodiac Sand and Void Lens again.

If players do already have a stockpile of these currencies, it's best to spend them to unlock their respective rewards before they're converted.

Hades 2 was released in early access in May 2024. A full launch date has yet to be announced.

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Clorox sues Cognizant for "giving away" passwords which led to major breach

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 08:09
  • Clorox 2023 breach happened when a threat actor impersonated an employee and had their credentials reset
  • Clorox argues Cognizant did not follow standard procedures
  • Cognizant says cybersecurity wasn't its job to begin with

Clorox is suing its IT service provider Cognizant following a 2023 ransomware attack which cost the firm millions of dollars in damages.

Recently filed with the Superior Court of California, the lawsuit says Cognizant is being sued for breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, gross negligence, and intentional misrepresentation.

Back in 2013, Cognizant was contracted to operate Clorox’s employee service desk, which included tasks such as password recovery, credential resets, and IT support for staffers. In 2023, a cybercriminal called a Cognizant employee on the phone, said they were a Clorox employee, and asked for a password and multi-factor authentication (MFA) recovery, since they lost access to their account.

Whose job is it, anyway?

In the filing, Clorox argues the Cognizant employee complied without following established procedures on identity verification, providing alleged transcripts of phone calls between the attacker and the Cognizant employee which allegedly prove the password reset was granted on the spot.

Once the attackers gained access, they reset MFA tokens, changed phone numbers linked to SMS authentication, disabled cybersecurity tools, and exfiltrated sensitive files from the system.

As a result, Clorox had to shut down its systems, pause manufacturing, and rely on manual order processing for weeks. This allegedly resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in lost sales and reputational damage.

Clorox is now seeking $49 million in direct remediation damages, as well as $380 million in total damages.

In response to the lawsuit, Cognizant told the press it wasn’t their job to defend the IT network from attacks.

Speaking to BleepingComputer, a company spokesperson said: "It is shocking that a corporation the size of Clorox had such an inept internal cybersecurity system to mitigate this attack. Clorox has tried to blame us for these failures, but the reality is that Clorox hired Cognizant for a narrow scope of help desk services which Cognizant reasonably performed. Cognizant did not manage cybersecurity for Clorox."

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KontrolFreek reveals new Minecraft thumbsticks, including a model for Nintendo Switch 2

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 08:00
  • KontrolFreek has revealed new Minecraft themed controller accessories
  • This includes thumbsticks and grips
  • Both are available now

Gaming accessory brand KontrolFreek has unveiled a new series of controller add-ons in collaboration with hit survival game Minecraft.

The KontrolFreek Minecraft Thumbstsicks are compatible with the DualSense Wireless Controller or Xbox Wireless Controller and feature a bright green, blocky Creeper-inspired design.

A set of two mid-rise sticks, they're intended to increase comfort and control over extended Minecraft sessions. They also help your controller stand out from the crowd, making them the perfect choice for fans of the popular creative sandbox game.

They arrive alongside the KontrolFreek Minecraft Thumb Grips, more compact versions that slip over the top of your thumbsticks like a cover. They have a similar design, and are available for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 controllers.

The Minecraft Thumbstsicks cost $19.99 / £19.99, while the Thumb Grips come in a little cheaper at $12.99 / £12.99. Both are available now via the KontrolFreek website and other retailers.

KontrolFreek is the most popular controller enhancement brand according to data from market research firm Circana. They remain a mainstay of the first-person shooter (FPS) community, with some players and content creators swearing by the small accessories.

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Avengers: Doomsday’s second lead is rumored to be Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, and I know exactly how he’s trained for the next Marvel movie

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 06:52

We know all too well that Avengers: Doomsday will put Robery Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU as Doctor Doom front and center, but if rumors are to be believed (first discussed by entertainment journalist Matthew Belloni on The Town podcast), Chris Hemsworth’s Thor will be the new Marvel movie’s secondary lead character.

Chris Hemsworth’s potential casting update in Avengers: Doomsday makes sense, given that he’s the most prominent Avenger of the bunch out of the movie’s confirmed cast, meaning it’s only natural he’ll step up to lead our heroes as the newbies find their feet and the X-Men make their full transition into their new cinematic universe.

I should stress “confirmed” here. After the studio’s five-hour Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement that convinced millions of people to watch a bunch of empty chairs, it’s still suspected that a hefty percentage of actors involved in the movie have been kept under wraps. If any of the original Avengers who survived the post-Thanos chaos happen to pop up, it could be endgame (pun intended) for Thor’s leading man reputation. Even so, how much attention anyone can successfully draw away from Doom himself remains to be seen.

Regardless, I’ve been keeping an eye on Hemsworth’s moves in the build-up to Doomsday filming (in a non-stalkery, appreciative way), and one of his biggest new projects likely explains how he’s prepared for Marvel’s most momentous moment of the decade. And if I’m right, everyone else he’s squaring up to better be wary.

Chris Hemsworth’s new series Limitless was ideal training for Thor’s return in Avengers: Doomsday

I’m talking about the second season of Limitless: Live Better Now, Hemsworth’s documentary series made in conjunction with Darren Aronofsky, Disney+ and National Geographic. We’re veering off course from how he was pushed to his limits the first time around, instead exploring how to live a better life through three high-stakes challenges focused on pain, fear, and cognitive decline. Translated, that means scaling the highest man-made rock climbing wall in Switzerland, being put through South Korea’s rigorous SAS training program and learning the drums to play with Ed Sheeran on his most recent sold-out stadium tour.

Not only does this mean Thor can now serenade Doctor Doom with ‘Thinking Out Loud’ if it all goes belly up, but the physical and mental demands of Hemsworth’s tasks should mean he’s in the best shape possible to give the action-packed performance of his life. From the trailer alone, we see him push through feats that even his stunt double hasn’t had to endure, going far beyond the typical fitness regimes we know the actor has always kept up with. He’s not so successful when he’s hooked up to a cramp simulator while trying to play Jenga with his mates, but hey, even the best of us are wiped out by a bad tummyache.

Taking on two huge physical feats within the last year likely means Hemsworth’s resilience is built up to brand-new levels, with the Swiss climbing wall and South Korean training regime being among the hardest in the world to get through. It’s also likely he’s built up a new kind of tolerance for managing pain (episode 3 will look at this more directly), meaning he can push himself ever further on Marvel’s set. Does this mean Doctor Doom can do less fictional damage on our alleged lead Avenger? I’d like to think so.

Thankfully, we’re going to get Limitless episodes a lot sooner than we have to wait to find out if Thor is indeed our second lead in Doomsday. Limitless arrives on Disney+ (internationally) and Hulu (US) on August 15, 2025, with all three episodes released in one go. Doomsday arrives in cinemas on December 18, 2026, delayed from its original release date of May 1, 2026.

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Microsoft claims Windows 11 24H2 is the 'most reliable version of Windows yet' - but there are PC gamers out there who disagree

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 06:49
  • Microsoft is claiming Windows 11 24H2 is the most reliable version ever
  • The company says it has 24% fewer crashes than version 22H2
  • In a blog post about resiliency, Microsoft also clarifies the benefits of the latest Windows update for 24H2

Microsoft has put forward a case for Windows 11 24H2 being the "most reliable version" of its desktop operating system ever made.

The long and short of this is that the software giant claims there are a good deal fewer crashes with version 24H2 compared to version 22H2 of Windows 11.

XDA Developers spotted that Microsoft made this assertion in a post on the Windows IT Pro Blog, stating that: "We're also proud to share that Windows 11 24H2 is our most reliable version of Windows yet. Compared to Windows 10 22H2, failure rates for unexpected restarts have dropped by 24%."

This is based on telemetry data gathered this month (July 2025) by Microsoft, we're told. Unexpected restarts refers to complete lock-ups of the system, and as noted earlier in the post, these Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) experiences have been changed to a more streamlined black screen. That happened in the latest update for Windows 11 24H2, which just arrived in preview (but will be a full release next month).

Microsoft underlines the benefits of the new BSoD (which handily enough uses the same acronym) and notes that: "In Windows 11 24H2, we made significant improvements to crash dump collection that reduced the time users spend on the [BSoD] screen from 40 seconds to just 2 seconds for most consumer devices." (I should note that the bolding for emphasis is Microsoft's).

Furthermore, Microsoft reminds us of recent progress in terms of recovery from nasty crashes, namely boot failures, observing that the most recent Windows 11 update also represents the rollout and general availability of quick machine recovery. QMR is a new spin on attempting to fix a PC that will no longer boot to the desktop.

Analysis: crash tests, dummy

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)

There's no doubting that Microsoft has made some useful strides forward here in terms of making Windows 11 devices more resilient, which is the theme of the blog post. But does the latest version of Windows 11, 24H2, really have a quarter fewer crashes than 22H2?

Well, we obviously need to be cautious about stats produced by internal testing - not that I'm accusing Microsoft of anything underhand, but we're all aware that in these kind of scenarios, multiple tests can be carried out and results cherry-picked. (This practice is common across all marketing, of course).

There are doubtless those who would argue vehemently that 24H2 very much isn't the most reliable take on Microsoft's desktop OS that's ever been seen - mainly based on all the bugs that came with this release. I won't bang on about those glitches again, save to say that there were indeed a lot of them initially, and some were very odd affairs indeed.

I've always been of the opinion that the shift to a new underlying platform for Windows 11 (called Germanium) threw a number of unexpected spanners in the works for the OS.

Microsoft has made a lot of headway in fixing those bugs, mind - although not all of them - and I've got to accept the stats the company presents here at face value. (I can hardly disprove them with my own crash testing, after all).

However, what I can say is that this is all relative, anyway. By which I mean I've not seen a BSoD in ages, on my Windows 11 PCs, or indeed my Windows 10 machines.

So, fewer crashes means those BSoD instances are even closer to next-to-nothing - and how meaningful is the difference, then? I'm not sure. There's no disputing that in contemporary times, full-on lock-ups are a lot rarer in Windows than they used to be. Rewind time by 15 years or so, and crashes like this were more of a problem (and go back further, to the turn of the millennium, and that was doubly true).

Whatever the case, Microsoft deserves some credit here, and I'm also hoping that the new quick machine recovery feature will be a useful string to the troubleshooting bow when a PC hits a boot failure (that most dreaded of problems).

I have my reservations about the redesigned BSoD, mind - as I've said before - and you can bet that Microsoft's assertion that Windows 11 24H2 is the most reliable version ever is going to cause the grinding of some gears out there - particularly with those who adopted 24H2 early, and were unfortunate to run into some of the many bugs that plagued the release (gamers were especially in the firing line).

However, there are anecdotal reports on Reddit that Microsoft is finally getting it right with version 24H2, even if it was wonky to begin with - though note that in the same thread, others are still reporting negative experiences (again, particularly those who are keen PC gamers).

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CISPE files official EC legal complaint against Broadcom's VMware takeover

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 06:27
  • Broadcom was given European approval to acquire VMware in July 2023
  • CISPE's European Cloud Competition Observatory has issued Broadcom two red warnings
  • CISPE is now asking the European Commission to annul its decision amid ongoing concerns

The Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe (CISPE) has filed a formal appeal to challenge the European Commission's decision to approve Broadcom's 2023 acquisition of VMware.

CISPE – a group representing Europe's sovereign cloud infrastructure providers, and recently in the news for bringing complaints about Microsoft's unfair cloud licensing fees – is now seeking annulment of the Commission's decision.

The news comes around two years after the European Commission approved the takeover, at which point Broadcom promised to deliver continued interoperability.

CISPE isn't happy about Broadcom's VMware acquisition

In November 2024, CISPE announced it would be launching the European Cloud Competition Observatory (ECCO) to monitor competition. Later in February 2025, the organization wrote: "In the case of Broadcom, CISPE members and customers report little or no engagement from the company on their issues."

As such, ECCO assigned a Red/Critical status to Broadcom, which was reconfirmed in May 2025 when ECCO wrote: "This second report finds that Broadcom’s wide ranging and brutal imposition of unfair contract terms for cloud infrastructure service provides continue unabated."

At that time, ECCO called for "urgent official investigations," while CISPE Secretary General Francisco Mingorance noted that "Broadcom shows no interest in finding solutions, or even of working with European cloud infrastructure providers."

"Urgent action is needed," Mingorance added.

On July 24, 2025, CISPE claimed there had been errors in law and a flawed competitive assessment by the Commission in the first place – although the Commission had acknowledged competitive risks, it had not imposted conditions on Broadcom.

Since the VMware takeover, Broadcom has terminated contracts with short notice periods and introduced new licensing terms with drastic price hikes (up to 10X) and mandatory multi-year commitments.

In this most recent development, Mingorance noted that hospitals, universities and municipal authorities have also been affected – not just cloud service providers.

"The Commission was warned this would happen, yet it stood by. It must now reconsider its decision," the Secretary General concluded.

TechRadar Pro has asked Broadcom for a response to CISPE's complaint, but we did not receive an immediate response.

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T-Mobile’s Starlink satellite service officially launches – here’s which phones it supports and how it compares to Apple’s free rival

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 05:49
  • T-Mobile’s Starlink-powered satellite service has just fully launched
  • You can connect to satellites without needing apps or settings changes
  • It’s available for a monthly fee, even to non-T-Mobile customers

T-Mobile has just launched its Starlink satellite service, dubbed T-Satellite, after testing it for many months. It brings connectivity to remote areas not currently served by any of the major mobile networks – but what do you get from T-Mobile, and how does it compare to the free alternative offered by Apple?

With T-Satellite, T-Mobile says you’ll get coverage provided by over 650 satellites orbiting the Earth. Your phone will connect automatically, with no apps to download or settings to change. That said, you may get a small amount of downtime as your phone disconnects from one satellite and connects to another – the satellites are moving in orbit, after all, so you won’t always be hooked up to the same one.

According to T-Mobile, the service works with over 60 mobile devices. That includes every iPhone from the iPhone 13 onwards, the Samsung Galaxy S21 and later, Google Pixel phones going back to the Google Pixel 9, and more.

Other supported devices include the latest Motorola Razr 2025 series and the latest Samsung Galaxy A56. You can read the full list on T-Mobile's eligibility guide. The latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 are listed as "coming soon".

If you’re on T-Mobile’s Go5G Next or Experience Beyond plans, you get T-Satellite included for free. Other T-Mobile customers can access it for $10 a month per line, although the company says the price will rise to $15 per month after a “limited time.” Customers of other networks can also sign up for $10 a month (later $15 a month) by contacting T-Mobile.

How does Apple compare?

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple has offered its own satellite service for a few years now, so you might be wondering what its advantages and disadvantages are compared to T-Satellite.

For one thing, Apple’s offering is a lot broader than what you get with T-Mobile. With Apple, you can send and receive messages, contact emergency services, share your whereabouts with Find My, organize roadside assistance for your vehicle, and get weather reports. T-Satellite, meanwhile, only supports sending and receiving text messages. It doesn’t offer data or any of the other services that Apple supports.

As well as that, Apple’s satellite functionality is entirely free (for the time being, at least), whereas T-Mobile’s requires a monthly subscription. On the other hand, you can only access Apple’s satellite service if you have an Apple device, while T-Mobile’s works with a range of iOS and Android products.

You’ll need to consider which option suits you best based on your circumstances. But with T-Satellite emerging from its beta-testing period, you’ve got another choice for staying connected when you’re off the grid.

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