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Wireless innovation has shaped our digital world. From Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to Z-Wave and Thread, we’ve watched protocols emerge to solve distinct connectivity problems. Now, a new technology is stepping in not to connect devices, but to give them spatial intelligence.

Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is quietly transforming how devices understand and interact with their environment. It’s not as flashy as 5G or as familiar as Wi-Fi, but its impact on secure access, real-time location tracking, and automation is profound and increasingly relevant for businesses.

What Is Ultra-Wideband?

UWB is a short-range, low-power wireless protocol that transmits data through very short pulses over a wide frequency band, typically 3.1 to 10.6 GHz. Its defining feature is time-of-flight (ToF) measurement, enabling devices to calculate exact distance and direction between each other with centimeter-level accuracy.

Where Bluetooth and Wi-Fi can tell you a device is nearby, UWB can tell you exactly where it is, how far away, and which direction it’s moving in real time.

RTLS 2.0: Why UWB Is a Breakthrough

Having spent years building and enabling Wi-Fi and BLE solutions used in enterprise RTLS deployments, I’ve seen some of their limitations first-hand. These technologies suffer from environmental noise, RF interference, signal distortion from multipath effects, meter-level error margins, and degraded performance in dense or metallic environments.

Ultra-Wideband (UWB) solves these challenges by using precise time-of-flight (ToF) measurements rather than signal strength. This enables centimeter-level positioning accuracy (typically less than 30 cm), low-latency updates suitable for real-time automation, high reliability in cluttered or reflective environments, and energy efficiency suitable for mobile tags and long-duration deployments.

Why UWB Matters: Strategic Pilots Point to Real Business Impact

Across sectors, a growing number of businesses are no longer just testing UWB; they’re piloting solutions that point to long-term competitive advantage. In corporate campuses, UWB is enabling frictionless, intent-based access control that adapts to hybrid work models and improves security posture.

In healthcare, hospitals are trialing UWB for staff duress alerts, equipment tracking, and patient flow management, solving problems that legacy RTLS couldn’t address with precision. In manufacturing and logistics, early adopters like Siemens and Zebra are leveraging UWB not just for asset tracking but as a foundation for digital twins and automation triggers.

With enterprise infrastructure now supporting UWB through access points from Cisco and Juniper, businesses can deploy it as part of existing network upgrades. Emerging standards like Aliro, FiRa, and the Car Connectivity Consortium are reducing fragmentation, ensuring that today’s pilots evolve into interoperable, scalable deployments.

These pilots aren’t just proving technical feasibility; they’re defining how UWB will power the next generation of access, automation, and location-aware business systems. Today, UWB-based RTLS solutions are being actively adopted in manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare environments by companies like Siemens and Zebra.

These systems provide real-time visibility into the location and movement of assets, materials, and personnel, enabling use cases such as digital twins, workflow optimization, inventory accuracy, and safety enforcement. In hospitals, UWB helps track medical equipment, monitor patient flow, and ensure staff safety. The shift from pilot programs to operational deployments underscores UWB’s growing maturity and proven value across industries.

Enterprise Access Points Now Shipping with UWB

Enterprise vendors like Cisco and Juniper have already integrated UWB radios into their commercial access points, enabling high-accuracy indoor location services for asset tracking, automation, and spatial intelligence. These platforms combine high-speed connectivity via Wi-Fi, basic proximity awareness via BLE, and precise spatial awareness via UWB.

This marks a significant shift toward unified enterprise infrastructure that supports both connectivity and advanced location-aware services.

UWB in the Smart Home: Invisible but Powerful

UWB brings the same benefits to smart homes that it’s bringing to factories and offices:

Hands-free presence detection: Lights turn on as you walk in. Doors unlock as you approach from the outside only. Devices respond based on where you are in the room.

Intent-based automation: UWB goes beyond occupancy; it understands movement, direction, and identity.

Secure, frictionless access: No need to pull out a phone or tap a card. UWB verifies your presence and position securely and invisibly.

The Ultra-Wideband (UWB) ecosystem is being shaped by major industry initiatives focused on interoperability, security, and widespread adoption across homes, vehicles, and commercial spaces. Aliro, part of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, is set to launch in 2025, defining secure and interoperable UWB access control for residential, hospitality, and commercial environments, integrating with Matter and other smart home protocols.

The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) has developed a Digital Key specification, adopted by automakers like BMW and Hyundai, enabling UWB-based passive vehicle entry and digital key sharing, which is now influencing smart lock and property access solutions.

Meanwhile, the FiRa Consortium develops technical standards and certification programs to ensure UWB remains reliable, secure, and interoperable across access, automation, and tracking applications. FiRa supports both CCC and Aliro profiles under its testing and certification umbrella. Together, these efforts are transforming UWB into a trusted, scalable platform, moving beyond vendor-specific solutions.

At CES 2025, UWB-powered smart locks from brands like Ultraloq and Schlage showcased hands-free auto-unlocking, demonstrating the practical impact of these standards in real-world applications. By aligning technical specifications and fostering ecosystem-wide compatibility, Aliro, CCC, and FiRa are accelerating UWB’s role in smart environments, from homes and cars to commercial spaces, ensuring seamless and secure user experiences.

How UWB Complements, Not Replaces, Other Wireless Protocols

UWB doesn’t compete with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth; it complements them. Each protocol plays a different role in the connected environment:

Wi-Fi provides high-bandwidth data connectivity, and UWB adds precise indoor positioning to the same access point.

Bluetooth (BLE) excels in device pairing and basic proximity with low power and ubiquity, while UWB provides centimeter-level ranging and directionality.

Thread/Z-Wave supports low-power mesh networking, great for automation, and UWB enables intent-based triggers and presence awareness.

NFC provides secure, intentional tap-based access; UWB enables the same level of security passively and hands-free.

The future is multi-protocol. UWB will often be embedded alongside BLE and Wi-Fi, silently enhancing the intelligence of connected experiences.

Why Consumers Won’t Ask for UWB - And That’s OK

UWB isn’t a protocol users will connect to or configure. It’s not trying to be the next Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Instead, it operates invisibly, delivering context, precision, and automation without user intervention.

We already see this with Apple’s AirTag, which uses Bluetooth for wide-area discovery and UWB for pinpoint precision when the user is nearby. That moment when your iPhone tells you to “turn left” or “go five feet forward” to find your keys? That’s UWB at work, providing directional awareness far beyond what Bluetooth can offer on its own.

Similar features are emerging in Samsung’s SmartTag+ and Google’s Find My Device network, leveraging UWB for object finding, room-level location, and even AR guidance. Yet the average user may not have any idea what UWB is, nor do they need to.

In fact, UWB is already embedded in hundreds of millions of smartphones and tracking tags, from iPhones and Pixel devices to select Galaxy models. Consumers benefit from its capabilities every day, without ever needing to know the acronym.

That’s UWB’s strength: It works quietly in the background, making environments more responsive, secure, and aware, without requiring attention, setup, or even awareness. Think:

- Smart locks that unlock as you approach

- Cars that know it’s you before you touch the door

- Lights that follow your movement room to room

- Devices that guide you to lost items with directional arrows

UWB may never become a consumer buzzword, and that’s exactly how it was designed to succeed.

The Bottom Line

UWB is the missing spatial layer in our increasingly intelligent environments. It delivers the precision and context that AI, automation, and access control systems require, but without asking users to do anything differently.

Whether you’re designing smart homes, connected cars, secure campuses, or dynamic retail spaces, UWB won’t be the feature customers ask for. But it will be the reason everything works better.

For forward-looking businesses UWB isn’t optional–It’s foundational.

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

Artificial intelligence has become a back-office powerhouse and essential resource for sifting through data, optimizing processes, and automating the repetitive. But as AI tools become more accessible, they are no longer just crunching numbers behind the scenes. Executives are increasingly turning to these platforms as a trusted advisor for providing strategic insight and informing business decisions.

Our recent survey found that nearly three-quarters (74%) of executives trust AI’s input over that of friends or colleagues. Even more striking, 44% said they would allow generative AI to override a decision they had already planned to make. These findings mark a profound shift in how leadership decisions are made.

Traditionally, executives have relied on a blend of data, gut instinct, and conversations with trusted advisors. Now, AI is earning a spot in the inner circle, signaling a fundamental redefinition of how leaders pair human insight with machine intelligence to drive better outcomes.

AI as Strategic Co-Pilot

As companies prepare for an AI-focused future, business operations are being rewritten. Companies in every industry are looking for ways to incorporate AI that can help them build even the smallest competitive advantage. As a result, AI is taking on a new role as the C-suite’s strategic copilot, handling tasks like data analysis and recommendations (52%), uncovering hidden risks (48%) and presenting alternate strategic paths (47%).

AI is helping leaders go deeper—to challenge assumptions, test new scenarios, and make more informed decisions about how their business operates. But even in everyday life, AI is finding valuable and exciting uses, with some guardrails.

I’ve used it to help plan family vacations and generate personalized bedtime stories for my children. While it struggles to manage complex scheduling (and the nuances of how I manage my calendar), AI has transformed how I approach and solve many problems, offering a helpful sounding board for tasks in both my personal and professional life.

SAP CEO Christian Klein recently shared that he uses generative AI to preview quarterly earnings results and better understand company performance.

AI’s influence extends to other roles in the C-suite as well, from automated anomaly detection in financial transactions for CFOs, to streamlining contract reviews and generation of new contracts for CPOs, to COOs needing to evaluate capacity planning and manage variability in market demand.

And, of course, there is always the most common use case of all – summarizing complex documents and topics, and generating subsequent action items.

We’re far from alone. More leaders are beginning to incorporate AI into the highest levels of planning and forecasting.

Critical Thinking and the Human Touch

As AI’s influence in the boardroom grows, so does the trust leaders place in it. Part of this stems from AI’s growing ability to analyze massive volumes of data and provide contextually rich insights. In some situations, AI is usurping the guidance of near and dear advisors as previously mentioned. A trusted colleague might offer valuable perspective, but they haven’t parsed two billion data points before weighing in.

Still, there are limits. While executives should continue to use AI to help with business matters, there’s a risk that critical thinking will be lost rather than enhanced as a result. True strategic decision-making will always require a human touch—which AI can't replicate.

Going forward, executives must strike a careful balance, keeping people involved to help make complicated and high-value strategic decisions, while using AI to enhance their thinking, not replace it.

Building a Foundation for Strategic AI Use

Such heightened reliance on AI will also force organizations to grapple with foundational challenges. The reality is that many companies still lack the reliable data infrastructure needed to support high-trust AI use. Lack of alignment between IT and business teams, patchy system integration and concerns about data quality all threaten to undermine the effectiveness of AI as a strategic advisor.

Companies must establish clear guardrails, like those below, to ensure these tools are used reliably and responsibly, balancing speed and scale with transparency and human input.

• Develop AI literacy across leadership through dedicated training and upskilling programs.
• Prioritize transparency by using platforms that can explain their reasoning in clear, understandable terms.
• Define boundaries for where and how AI should influence decision-making, particularly in ethically sensitive or high-risk areas.

Co-Creation: The Future of Leadership

As AI becomes a true collaborator in the boardroom, the goal isn’t to hand over control. It’s to elevate leadership. In this new era, great leaders won’t always have the right answer, but they will know when and how to ask the right questions—and where to turn for the best insights.

Going forward, we see leadership evolving from command-and-control to co-creation. Those who thrive will be the ones who understand how to blend human experience, emotional intelligence, and machine-derived insight into a cohesive and future-first strategy.

With AI as a loyal advisor, the possibilities for transformative leadership are just beginning.

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When Target decided to enter the Canadian market in 2013, it envisioned a rapid rollout of over 100 stores within two years, supported by a highly automated and sophisticated supply chain system. The strategy looked promising on paper, but the execution was rushed, and the technology behind inventory management and distribution was not properly tested or adapted to the new market.

Stores opened with empty shelves despite warehouses being full of stock, due to systemic data and process errors. The technology-driven supply chain was too rigid and failed to handle the operational realities of a new market and diverse product ranges. Within two years, Target Canada posted losses of over $2 billion and eventually shut down all its stores—a cautionary tale of prioritizing aggressive technology-led execution over a solid, adaptable strategy.

It often seems that organizations are too interested in the new high-tech gear, rather than the root of operations, asking themselves: cloud first? Cyber first? It can be easy to get carried away with the new features and functionalities of a shiny new AI or automation tool.

Without a clear understanding of the underlying problem, even advanced tools become ineffective, leading to wasted investments, poor adoption, and unmet expectations. Businesses need to step back, rethink purchasing decisions, define their wants and, understand the benefits of implementing such tools before making any hefty decisions that will end in a costly write off.

Think value, not hype

Out of all the heralded technology innovations in the last few years, AI has taken the spotlight. Generative tools, such as ChatGPT, have offered instant access to useful information, provided time-saving efficiencies for employees, and allowed tasks to be streamlined. However, this is only the case for companies that use generative AI tools regularly and in the right places.

A survey in 2024 found that only 2% of British respondents actually used generative AI tools on a daily basis - a contrast to the vast number of businesses that are signing up to use this technology. Organizations need to remember that technology without a purpose is a wasted cost that adds to the increasing financial pressures that many businesses are already feeling.

AI hasn’t been the only trend embraced in the last few years. The cloud is a further case in point where the problem-solving capability of the solution often hasn’t been considered. Initially, it is seen as a way to reduce costs though many organizations have been surprised by spiraling costs and integration headaches.

So, rather than following the mindset of ‘cloud-first’, the question should be: “Does cloud benefit my strategy?” Maybe only certain workflows benefit from moving to the cloud or, potentially, the service needs to be used just on certain days. Using the technology selectively and scaling down when it is not required, is part of the strategy that needs to be established to ensure that an organization stays cost-efficient, ensuring real value is gained.

Stakeholders are your best friends

How do businesses pivot to an outcomes-focused strategy? Too often, isolated departments and IT teams deploy technologies based on tech-first mandates with little input from those who will actually use them day-to-day. A shift in perspective is critically important. Organizations should engage key stakeholders closest to the pain points early in the process, allowing their insights to shape the strategy and identify effective, problem-solving tools.

There is a common misconception that successfully transforming an organization's IT infrastructure means rushing into expensive deployments and buying the latest technology or chasing the newest trend cycle. However, just a more selective approach to automation and AI can extend the value of existing infrastructure to suit organizational goals.

From shiny tech to strategic outcomes

It’s easy to be mesmerized by digital transformations or to believe that what your organization is missing is AI automation. But success will rarely start with the tool.

A great deal can be learnt from Target: involve end users in planning stages and don’t be fooled by the hype. Remember, problem first, product second.

Outcomes need to be placed at the heart of every business strategy that way organizations can unlock far more value from the tools they already have, while making smarter, more deliberate decisions about what to adopt next. This might mean refining the use of cloud services or using automation to achieve efficiencies in areas where it makes a measurable difference

Starting with the obstacle and not the tech ensures that the outcome is a more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable approach to digital transformation.

Tech is just the tool. Strategy is the solution.

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The interconnectedness of our digital world brings a wealth of benefits, including the ability to conduct tasks that were once manual with greater speed and convenience. At the same time, society faces an ever-expanding set of dangers, both personally and professionally, on a daily basis. For business executives in particular, the continually evolving threat landscape is now one where the lines between personal and professional, as well as digital and physical, are increasingly blurred.

The latest findings from the Ponemon Institute underscore this new reality. Based on a survey of nearly 600 U.S. security professionals, Ponemon’s new 2025 Digital Executive Protection Report shows a notable increase in attacks targeting business leaders, with survey respondents reporting a rise from 43% in 2023 to 51% in 2025. A combination of factors is driving this trend: executives’ expansive digital footprints, combined with unmonitored and insecure home networks and personal devices, which are often used for work purposes.

The Report also highlights a general lack of cybersecurity training and preparedness among companies to prevent such attacks. As a result, corporate executives are caught in a perfect storm, rich with opportunities for cybercriminals to cause financial and reputational harm – to leaders, their families, and their companies.

The Escalating Risk of Deepfakes

When examining the types of attacks targeting executives that cause the most harm, the Ponemon findings reveal an increase in deepfake impersonation attacks, from 34% of respondents reporting an incident in 2023 to 41% in 2025. Deepfakes are artificial images or videos created by AI, trained on a collection of authentic media samples of the individual being targeted, including still images, videos, and audio clips, all of which are easily found online. The more samples used, the more authentic the deepfake can appear to be.

Given their highly visible public profiles and prolific social media activity, business executives, high-net-worth individuals, and their family members are easy targets. According to the Ponemon survey, the most common deepfakes experienced are impersonation of executives’ trusted entities and urgent demands for payments or information about a detected security breach.

Of those targeted, 28% reported being impersonated by a trusted entity, such as a colleague, executive, family member, or known organization; 21% stated that executives and board members received urgent messages, including demands for immediate payment or information about a detected security breach.

Additionally, 42% of respondents stated that their organizations’ executives and board members have been targeted an average of three times by a fake image, while 66% of respondents indicated that it is highly likely their executives will be targeted by a deepfake in the future.

Survey respondents disclosed that the financial toll of deepfakes is neither known nor measured. However, most respondents cited the cost of staff time spent responding to attacks and the expense of detecting, identifying, and remedying the breach as the most serious financial consequences stemming from such attacks.

Why are deepfakes on the rise?

There are multiple reasons for the increasing number of deepfake attacks. First, the barrier to creating sophisticated and convincing deepfakes continues to drop, given easy access to AI tools and other technologies that power social engineering attacks. According to the Ponemon report, visibility challenges also make it difficult to detect attack tactics, such as deepfakes; half of the respondents stated that their team lacked the necessary insight to prevent a breach.

The report’s findings align with my team’s daily observations on the front lines: the threat landscape is rapidly evolving and expanding, putting a bullseye on the backs of high-profile, high-value executives for both cyber and physical attacks. Over the past few years, we have witnessed an acceleration of sophisticated tactics, such as deepfakes and impersonation scams, that directly target these leaders in their personal digital lives. Hackers understand that executives' personal devices and home networks can be an easy pathway to penetrating corporate defenses.

Securing the company network and infrastructure is critical, but it still leaves gaps. Protecting the organization’s leaders — and their families — is essential to reducing corporate risk, making Digital Executive Protection a non-negotiable security imperative.

How can organizations prevent future incidents?

A multi-faceted, holistic approach that focuses on both robust long-term prevention and immediate damage mitigation is required.

I strongly recommend a prevention strategy that encompasses comprehensive defense in depth, including implementing robust email security protocols, establishing strong multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all accounts, and deploying secure password managers, along with continuous monitoring of home networks and devices.

Key to this approach is minimizing executives’ digital footprints, proactively monitoring their personal devices and home networks for threats, and educating them and their families on best practices for online safety.

In the aftermath of any attack – whether a deepfake impersonation leading to fraud or a sophisticated phishing attempt – critical steps should be taken swiftly, such as conducting data broker removal, initiating credit freezes, disputing fraudulent charges with financial institutions, and securing compromised accounts to prevent further financial loss or data exfiltration.

To adequately secure individuals against today's – and tomorrow’s – sophisticated cyber threats, extending comprehensive privacy and cybersecurity far beyond the corporate perimeter is critical. Digital Executive Protection is necessary to safeguard leaders and their families across every facet of their connected lives – from their personal smart devices and online accounts to entire home networks and smart home technology.

The rising tide of deepfake attacks, as revealed by the Ponemon Report, underscores a critical shift in the cybersecurity landscape: executives are now prime targets, their digital lives serving as a vulnerable gateway to enterprise compromise. This escalating threat, fueled by easily accessible AI and a widespread lack of comprehensive personal security training, demands a holistic and proactive approach.

Organizations must extend robust digital executive protection to their leaders and their families, encompassing everything from digital footprint reduction and device hardening to advanced threat monitoring and rapid incident response, giving them peace of mind that they are safe from escalating cyber and physical threats.

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Nick Park’s Wallace and Gromit were brought crashing into the 21st century in December 2024 with their latest adventure, Vengeance Most Fowl. The film challenges our growing dependence on smart technology in the form of a robotic garden gnome, built by Wallace to support his gardening business, which is then hacked by the Kubrick-esque Feathers McGraw for his own nefarious purposes.

One of the more interesting but less commented on parts of the film shows Gromit cautiously entering his house and being greeted by what he thinks is Wallace’s reassuring voice, only to be confronted with Feathers and the robotic gnome.

Technology’s ability to mimic linguistic patterns, to clone a person’s voice and understand and respond to questions has developed dramatically in the last few years.

This has not gone unnoticed by the world’s criminals and scammers, with the result that social engineering attacks are not only on the rise but are more sophisticated and targeted than ever.

What are social engineering attacks?

Cybercriminal social engineering manipulates a target by creating a false narrative that exploits the victim’s vulnerability (whether that is their willingness to trust people, their financial worries or their emotional insecurity). The result is that the victim unwittingly but willingly hands over money and/or information to the perpetrator.

Most social engineering scams consist of the following stages: (1) making connection with the victim (“the means”), (2) building a false narrative (usually with a sense of urgency or time limitation) (“the lie”) and (3) persuading the target to take the suggested action (e.g. transferring money or providing personal details) (“the ask”).

Usually, stage 2 (the lie) is where most people spot the scam for what it is, as it is difficult to build and sustain a convincing narrative without messing up eventually. We have all received text messages, emails or social media messages from people purporting to be our friends, long-lost relations in countries we have never been to, or our banks, asking us to provide them with personal information, passwords or money.

Historically, such communications were easy to spot, as they bore the hallmarks of a scam: generic greetings and signatures, spelling mistakes, poor or unusual grammar and syntax, inconsistent formatting or suspicious addresses.

Liar, liar, pants on…f-AI-re?

However, the rapid sophistication of generative AI tools means that it is increasingly easy for criminals to craft and sustain plausible false narratives to ensnare their victims; the “lie” or stage 2 in the social engineering scam. Companies and law enforcement agencies are scrambling to stay ahead of the technological advances and are working hard to predict developments which will be used for social engineering.

One potential use case for generative AI in this area is a dynamic lie system, which would automatically contact and interact with potential victims to earn their trust before moving to stage 3 (the ask). This would be particularly useful for “advance-fee” or “419” scams. These scams work by promising the victim a large share in a huge amount of money in return for a small upfront payment, which the fraudster claims will be used to obtain the large sum.

The AI-based dynamic lie system could automate the first wave of scam emails to discern whether the potential victims are likely to ‘take the bait’. Once the system identifies an engaged individual who appears persuaded by the communication , it can then pass the control to the human operator to finish the job.

Another development which has already gained traction is the use of AI to clone human speech and audio to carry out advanced types of voice phishing attacks, known as “vishing”. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission has warned about scammers using AI voice cloning technology to impersonate family members and con victims into transferring money on the pretext of a family emergency.

Current technologies allow voices to be cloned in a matter of seconds, and there is no doubt that with advancements in deep learning, these tools will only become more sophisticated. It would appear this form of social engineering is here to stay.

Do androids dream of electric scams?

“If there’s one job that generative AI can’t steal, it’s con artist.” So said Stephanie Carruthers, Global Lead of Cyber Range and Chief People Hacker at IBM in 2022. Fast forward 3 years and Carruthers has changed her position. Our concerns about AI are not just limited to the impact on the workforce but have now expanded to include AI-based bots which can craft tailored social engineering attacks to specific targets. As Carruthers notes, “with very few prompts, an AI model can write a phishing message meant just for me. That’s terrifying.”

Currently AI is being used by threat actors as an office intern or trainee to speed up completing the basic tasks required to carry out social engineering attacks. Carruthers and team did some experiments and found that generative AI can write an effective phishing email in five minutes. For a team of humans to write a comparable message, it takes about 16 hours, with deep research on targets accounting for much of that time.

Furthermore, generative AI can churn out more and more tailored attacks without needing a break, and crucially, without a conscience. Philip K. Dick noted that for his human protagonist, Rick Deckard, “owning and maintaining a fraud had a way of gradually demoralizing one”, but in an increasingly digital criminal underworld, maintaining a fraud has never been easier.

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• Google’s NotebookLM now supports Video Overviews in dozens of languages
• The upgrade gives Video Overviews the same language options as the Audio Overviews
• NotebookLM creates its summaries from actual uploaded documents

Google’s NotebookLM first debuted its AI-powered research tool with Audio Overviews capable of making AI-produced 'podcasts' with digital hosts. The logical extension into Video Overviews followed, with a synthetic voice accompanied by a series of slides that include text and illustrations. However, that capability was only available in English until now.

NotebookLM Video Overviews are now available in more than 80 languages. For most people, that translates to translatable versions of video walkthroughs based on your uploaded notes and linked source materials. The AI professor is already there and is now a multilingual expert as they present your own content in everything from Tamil to Polish and beyond.

These aren’t AI summaries scraped from the web or hallucinated based on a vague prompt. NotebookLM is grounded in the actual material you upload. Everything the AI says, in video or audio, is pulled directly from your documents, not from generic training data.

Of course, the video in this context isn't a cinematic masterpiece. The slides are not fully animated explainers. This isn’t TikTok for term papers; it’s more like PowerPoint for people who don’t want to make PowerPoints. The goal is clarity, not spectacle.

Global AI video

That's not the only global upgrade to NotebookLM, though. While Audio Overviews had been available in many languages recently, they were limited to brief highlights. Now, everyone gets the complete audio AI experience as an alternative to the video option.

For those who might want to read a white paper while driving or cooking, this is enormously practical. It won’t win a Grammy, but it might just help you understand a textbook or complex report. Professionals working internationally could use it to summarize a week’s worth of meeting transcripts as shareable videos or audio recaps from Catalan to Portuguese. No need to rely on a colleague’s English comprehension.

If you want to see how AI can digest and explain your collection of academic papers, blog posts, and YouTube videos, you can produce a narrated video by uploading your sources as usual, then clicking on the Video Overview button. Shortly, a video of approximately seven minutes will be ready for you to share, download, or use as you wish.

That’s not to say this solves everything. The AI can still struggle with nuance, for instance. But the reliability of the presentations is valuable on its own. Now, they just look good too.

You might also like

• I tried using NotebookLM’s new AI Video Overviews and ended up with some usefully informative, but rather dull PowerPoint presentations
• Google will turn those long documents into your next favorite podcast
• I fed NotebookLM a 218-page research paper on string theory and the podcast results were mind-blowing

AI-generated music is becoming more widespread but not necessarily popular. And that's just the publicly acknowledged AI music. Now, artists are dealing with seeing their name and voice attached to music they never performed or approved of, even if they passed away decades ago.

The most recent high-profile incident occurred when English folk singer Emily Portman heard from a fan who liked her new release, except the album, Orca, though released under her name, was entirely fake. The whole thing had been pushed live on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, and other major platforms without her knowledge or consent.

A post shared by Emily Portman (@emilyportman)

A photo posted by on

Portman took to social media to warn her fans about what was happening. The fact that the AI could mimic her artistic style well enough to trick some fans just added to the creep factor. It took weeks for Spotify to address the problem, and you can still see the album on Spotify even if the music is gone.

Portman joins a litany of acts, from pop artist Josh Kaufman to country artists Blaze Foley, who passed away in 1989, and Guy Clark, who died in 2016, in having her work mimicked by AI without her approval.

It seems we’ve moved past the novelty of AI remixes and deepfake duets into digital identity theft with a beat. The thieves are often good at being quiet in their releases, able to score whatever royalties might trickle in.

Further, even getting the music taken down might not be enough. A few days after the initial incident, Portman found another album had popped up on her streaming page. Except this time, it was just nonsense instrumentals, with no effort to sound like the musician.

AI's future sounds

Having scammers use AI to steal from actual artists is obviously a travesty. There are some blurry middle grounds, of course, like never-real musicians pretending to be humans. That's where AI-generated “band” Velvet Sundown stands.

The creators later admitted the origin of the AI band, but only after millions of plays from a Spotify profile showing slightly uncanny images of bandmates that didn’t exist. As the music was original and not directly ripped from other songs, it wasn’t a technical violation of any copyright laws. The band didn’t exist, but the royalties sure did.

I think AI has a place in music. I really like how it can help the average person, regardless of technical or musical skills, produce a song. And AI tools are making it easier than ever to generate music in the style of someone else. But, with streaming platforms facing 99,000 uploads a day, most of which are pushed through third-party distributors that rely on user-submitted metadata, it’s not hard to slip something fake into a real artist’s profile. Unless someone notices and complains, it just sits there, posing as the real thing.

Many fans are tricked, with some believing Orca was really Emily Portman’s new album. Others streamed Velvet Sundown, thinking they’d stumbled onto the next Fleetwood Mac. And while there's nothing wrong with liking an AI song per se, there's everything wrong with not knowing it is an AI song. Consent and context are missing, and that fundamentally changes the listening experience.

Now, some people argue this is just the new normal. And sure, AI can help struggling artists find new inspiration, fill in missing instrumentation, suggest chord progressions, and provide other aid. But that’s not what’s happening here. These are not tools being used by artists. These are thieves.

Worse still, this undermines the entire concept of artistic ownership. If you can make a fake Emily Portman album, any artist is at risk. The only thing keeping these scammers from doing the same to the likes of Taylor Swift right now is the threat of getting caught by high-profile legal teams. So instead, they aim lower. Lesser-known artists don’t have the same protections, which makes them easier targets. And more profitable, in the long run, because there’s less scrutiny.

And there's the issue of how we as music fans are complicit. If we start valuing convenience and novelty over authenticity, we’ll get more AI sludge and fewer real albums. The danger isn’t just that AI can mimic artists. We also have to worry that people will stop noticing, or caring, when it does.

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Samsung’s massive, in both price and size, micro-RGB TV is barely two weeks old, but it’s making waves for those two factors as well as the promised visual quality. The 115-inch Micro RGB Samsung Vision AI Smart TV – yes, a long formal product name for sure – is out in Korea right now for 44.9 million KRW and will soon be up for order in the United States at $29,999 with more markets to follow.

I had the chance to check one out in person at Samsung’s new headquarters in New Jersey. While it wasn’t a formal testing session, it was clear from my first look that Samsung's micro-RGB tech here is creating immersion on a grand scale with picture quality to rival even the best OLED TVs.

I also had the chance to view it after seeing the similarly sized and priced, but notably different 115” Class Samsung QN90F Neo QLED 4K TV. And while that TV looks sharp and bright, the new micro-RGB TV's picture is much more controlled and realistic. Samsung even created a custom Micro RGB AI Engine to handle visuals in the $30,000 TV, specifically for the likes of upscaling and enhancing colors.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

The tech here is reflected in the name of the product category – micro-RGB TV – and it’s the first consumer release from Samsung. It uses micro-scale LEDs for the TV's backlight, which is comprised of individual, quite tiny red, green, and blue modules. That’s the key difference here – like the best mini-LED TVs, it still uses the core principles of LCD technology, but swaps white or blue backlighting for red, green, and blue micro-scale LEDs that can be more accurately controlled. All, of course, in a quest to deliver the best picture quality.

So while this isn’t at the same level as Samsung's The Wall microLED tech, the 115-inch micro-RGB TV is a stunner, with the ability to produce vivid, rich, and crisp colors that don’t skew super bright and end up oversaturating or blowing out a particular visual. While Samsung only had test content running on the micro-RGB TV, it looked great from all angles, not just a direct head-on view. Even at extreme angles to the left or right in the lifestyle set-up space, the micro-RGB delivered a vivid view, with reds and blues especially popping.

Having also seen the 115-inch Neo QLED 4K TV, I can confidently say it outperformed it in terms of visuals, at those angles and even head-on. It simply looked a step above, offering more accurate, realistic interpretations of colors that could still pop and get bright without skewing them out of reality. It has more than four times the dimming zones compared to top mini-LED TVs, and significantly greater color accuracy.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

Contrast points for more stark or ones that require black were a bit more minimal in the test footage. However, since it can turn off those individual LEDs, it didn’t offer lesser performance there.

Of course, Samsung’s 115-inch micro-RGB TV won’t be for everyone. $30,000 is a lot for a TV, especially a first-generation of sorts, and even though it’s still LCD-based, the excitement here is around the use of individual red, green, and blue micro-scale LED modules in the backlight. The pictures here don’t really do justice to the experience of viewing this, but I’m really excited about where micro-RGB is going. It does undercut Samsung’s own The Wall, which is true microLED and costs a ton more, so seeing that bits of that tech are starting to trickle down might make for more exciting developments in this space.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

Alongside it being Samsung’s first micro-RGB TV, this 115-inch size also comes with the brand's VisionAI tech onboard for smarter features – like asking what something is while you’re watching content – but also handles the upscaling to ensure content looks great on this grand scale. You’ll also find Samsung’s Art Store here, and you do get access to a rotating allotment of photos and art to display, even if you don’t subscribe. Although I didn’t get to try any gaming or watch F1 races, the TV does support a 144Hz refresh rate.

If you get the chance to see this TV in person, I would take the opportunity to – it's certainly one of the best I've seen in quite some time.

For now, Samsung’s 115-inch micro-RGB TV is available in Korea at 44.9 million KRW and will soon be available in the United States for $29,999. You can sign up for more details on that launch here, and the company has confirmed it should roll out to more markets in the coming months. Just make sure you have the space for it.

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• Best Buy Marketplace sells DVD and Blu-Ray discs
• Online only via third party sellers
• Available in-app and online from today

We've been saying for ages that reports of the death of movie discs are premature, and it looks like Best Buy agrees with us: it's launching a new online marketplace that'll sell DVDs, Blu-Rays and UHD Steelbooks as part of a doubling of its online offering.

If you're thinking, "Hang on, didn't Best Buy stop selling disc-based movies in early 2024?", you're right: they did. Citing the changing way we enjoy entertainment, Best Buy announced in late 2023 that it'd stop selling DVDs and Blu-rays in its stores and online after the holiday season, though it continued to sell the best 4K Blu-ray players afterward.

So what's going on? As FlatpanelsHD reports, this isn't a reversal: you're not going to see the DVD or Blu-Ray aisles return to your local store. The new marketplace is online and features third-party sellers, and those sellers will be the ones offering DVDs, Blu-rays and Steelbooks.

Oppenheimer's 4K Blu-Ray sold out in its first week at many major retailers. (Image credit: Universal Pictures)Why the death of the disc isn't inevitable

Caring about movies on Blu-ray isn't just nostalgia. Some movies simply aren't available to stream, and the ones that are don't stream in the same quality as you'll get from the best Blu-Ray editions. That's because streaming uses compressed media formats, and that inevitably involves loss, something particularly apparent with movie soundtracks.

There's also the ongoing worry with streaming that what's available today won't be available tomorrow as licensing deals expire or bean-counters decide to cut back the catalog. And of course, different movies are on different streamers, and with prices of streaming services ever rising – Apple TV+ upped its prices just last week – cutting back on your streaming subscriptions means losing access to a lot of movies and shows.

I'm not being naive: the days of disc-based media being the world's favorite home entertainment option are over. But for serious movie fans – and people with serious home cinema setups – it's still a superior experience. Just ask Christopher Nolan.

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• Compact colorful laptop concept designed by Microsoft employee offers fresh ideas for portability
• Experimental a_77 laptop shows how compact layouts and playful design can work together
• Microsoft designer’s laptop concept isn't real, but we wish someone would make it

In his spare time, Braz de Pina, Principal Product Designer at Microsoft, comes up with some amazing hardware concepts that we wish were real, and shares these on his website, and Behance and Instagram pages.

Although he came up with the a_77 compact laptop concept over a year ago, I’ve only just stumbled across it and wanted to share the device with anyone else who might have missed it.

The a_77 started life as a simple 3D model of a small keyboard. De Pina then added a screen and ports, eventually shaping the model into a fully realized laptop.

(Image credit: Braz de Pina)Copilot key

The process gave the device an unusual form that looks very different from traditional designs.

The keyboard itself is the defining element. It features a 65% layout with function keys along the top, an oversized escape key, and a bright orange power button.

A Copilot key sits beside the spacebar (even though this isn’t an official Microsoft product, he works there, so a Copilot key was always going to be part of the design), while a ThinkPad-style nub below the Enter key offers cursor control.

Speakers sit along the bottom edge, making the most of the compact frame.

The screen, which de Pina says is touch-enabled, doesn’t stick to standard aspect ratios such as 16:9. Instead, it resembles an enlarged smartphone display, giving the device an unconventional but still practical format.

This choice, paired with the small footprint, makes the laptop feel both portable and approachable.

The a_77’s appearance is where it breaks most from current design trends.

Instead of metallic finishes, it uses plastic in bold colors including yellow, blue, and white.

Fan vents line the sides and back, and four USB-C ports are split evenly across both edges.

Its compact size makes it easy to imagine carrying in a jacket pocket, and USB-C charging would do away with the need for a bulky external charger.

Even though it is only a concept, the a_77 shows how laptops can be reimagined to carry personality as well as function, something that I’d personally love to see a lot more of.

Via Yanko Design

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If Huda felt like she'd been ganged-up on in the villa, as she's stated in interviews, at the very least Love Island was good preparation for the reunion. Olandria understandably wants answers, but the trailer (embedded below) teases what appears to be something of a pile-on.

You can watch the Love Island USA season 7 reunion online from anywhere with a VPN and potentially for free.

Premiere: 9pm ET / 6pm PT on Monday, August 25 (US, CA)

WATCH FREE: CTV (CA)

Stream: Peacock (US) | Crave (CA)

Use Nord VPN to watch any stream

On-hand to stir the pot are Andy Cohen and Ariana Madix, experts at feigning concern while picking gleefully at fresh wounds. One of the big topics of conversation is a cheating scandal involving one half of Love Island season 7's winning couple.

Bryan describes his indiscretion as "a lapse in judgement", though he and Amaya still appear to be together. On-hand to witness said lapse was Chris, although to be fair to him he may have been too busy tallying up Huda's faults to notice. There are also tears from Hannah and a spot of verbal jousting between Ace, kitted out impeccably in a three-piece suit, and Jeremiah, who's on the back-foot from the start because he looks as if he got dressed in the dark by a paramedic.

The pièce de résistance, however, appears to be the screening of a previously unseen, extended version of the heartrate challenge, which was what brought the beef between Chelley and Huda to a head originally.

Read on as we explain how to watch the Love Island USA season 7 reunion free from anywhere.

Can I watch the Love Island USA season 7 reunion for free?

Yes. Canadians can stream the Love Island USA season 7 reunion for FREE on catch-up for a limited time via the CTV website and app.

We also expect the entire series to hit free-to-air 9Now and ITVX in Australia and the UK very soon.

Unblock any stream with a VPN

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the Love Island USA season 7 reunion on your usual subscription?

You can still watch it thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear as if they're back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business wanting to watch their usual services. We recommend NordVPN (try it now risk-free).

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How to watch the Love Island USA season 7 reunion in the US

The Love Island USA season 7 reunion is exclusive to Peacock in the US. It premieres at 9pm ET / 6pm PT on Monday, August 25.

The Peacock price starts at $7.99 a month or $79.99 per year.

Not in the US? Anyone from the US who wants to watch their usual streaming service from abroad can do so by using a VPN.

How to watch the Love Island USA season 7 reunion in Canada

The Love Island USA season 7 reunion airs on both Crave and CTV in Canada, at 9pm ET / 6pm PT on Monday, August 25.

It will be available to stream for FREE for a limited time after broadcast via the CTV website and app.

Alternatively, Crave plans start from CA$9.99 a month (plus tax). Crave offers classic HBO series, on-demand movies, Crave originals and Showtime content.

Outside of Canada? Use a VPN to gain access to all the content you'd normally stream at home.

Can you watch the Love Island USA season 7 reunion in the UK?

Love Island USA is typically shown on free-to-air ITV in the UK, though at the time of publication there's been no word on season 7. When it arrives, it will be available to stream for free on the ITVX streaming service.

In the meantime, if you're traveling across the pond from the US or Canada, a VPN will help you tune in. Nord VPN is our recommended provider.

Can you watch the Love Island USA season 7 reunion in Australia?

Aussies can watch Love Island USA on free-to-air Channel 9, though at the time of writing plans for season 7 are still under wraps. When it starts airing, it will be available to stream for free on the 9Now streaming service.

For now, if you're an American or a Canadian traveling Down Under, a VPN will help you tune in. Nord VPN is our recommended provider.

Love Island USA season 7 reunion trailer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

• Finchetto develops photonic packet switch eliminating electronic control bottlenecks
• Dual-wavelength innovation enables optical routing without electronic memory slowdown
• Future-proof passive optics promise scalability beyond terabit network generations

Photonics chip startup Finchetto is working on an optical packet switch which could help hyperscale networks scale into the AGI era. The design could potentially switch data up to 1000 times faster, while using less power and remaining scalable for future network speeds.

At a basic level, a digital packet switch receives data on one port, reads the header stored in memory, and forwards the packet out through the right port. That is straightforward in electronics, but not in photonics.

The problem with an optical packet switch is that light cannot be stored. A light beam carrying a data packet cannot be paused while its header is read, so conventional designs revert to slower electronic processing.

Future-proof

Finchetto’s co-founder, Mike Pearcey, realized that the data and header could instead be transmitted on two separate wavelengths simultaneously.

One carries the payload, the other the destination, allowing the switch to route packets optically.

Finchetto CEO Mark Rushworth told Blocks & Files: "We’ve eliminated the electrical control signal, the rate limiter on how granular you can get your switching in the circuit switches. We’re talking tens of microseconds, reconfiguration time, others are looking at less than a microsecond reconfiguration time, but that’s not fast enough to do a hundred gig network even, which is fairly low small fry these days. By eliminating that electronic control signal that says; switch this way, switch that way; that’s taking tens of microseconds or hundreds of nanoseconds and replacing it with light controlling lights, we’ve reduced that switching time to low nanoseconds."

He added that the processing part of the switch “is actually taking those two parallel wavelengths and it is transposing the data onto the addressed wavelength. So only one wavelength comes out … on the destination wavelength, and then you have demultiplexer would send them out. Then you can physically get the data to the correct destination based on what wavelength it is on.”

Rushworth also stressed, “The packet remains integral as an Ethernet or Infiniband packet. Whatever protocol you’re using stays so that it can be understood at each end without any issues. We keep the same protocol that the system has.”

He argued the all-optical design is inherently future-proof: “At the moment, cutting edge is 800 gigabits per second. They’re pushing on 1.6 terabyte per second. In two, three years it’ll be 3.4 and so on. But because the switch is passive optics, it doesn’t matter what speed the signal comes in, because whatever the speed, we’ll pass it through.”

Finchetto is still in the early stages, with hurdles ahead including flow control in a bufferless optical system and completing the firmware, software, and management layers needed for a full network solution.

If successful, the company expects to have a lab-ready product within 12–18 months.

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• European firms are deeply locked into foreign office suites and systems
• American platforms manage the communication backbones of Europe’s largest corporations
• Reliance on external providers exposes utilities and healthcare to foreign oversight

For years, European governments and corporations leaned heavily on American technology offerings instead of nurturing local alternatives.

That choice now carries visible consequences, as sanctions and shifting trade rules brought in by the Trump administration drastically reshape the balance of power.

A recent analysis of business email domains across Europe by Proton shows a striking majority of publicly listed firms rely on American providers such as Google and Microsoft.

Data reveals the depth of reliance

Behind the rhetoric of digital sovereignty, the reality is that much of Europe’s digital infrastructure rests on technology stacks that entities outside its borders control. This is not just about convenience software but also about essential systems that underpin finance, healthcare, and utilities.

Email may appear mundane, but it often serves as the gateway to office software, online collaboration platforms, and cloud-based storage.

When a company commits to a provider for email, it usually adopts the full suite, embedding foreign technology deep into its operations.

This trend is not limited to smaller economies but also includes the continent’s largest players, where dependence cuts across industries from energy and telecommunications to pharmaceuticals.

In countries like Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden, over 90% of publicly listed companies rely on American services for email and related infrastructure.

However, the shocker is probably Ireland, which is at loggerheads with the US on several policies, but 93% of its businesses depend on American tech.

The UK, although mostly an ally of the US, has an alarming 88% of businesses relying on US tech, while other European heavyweights like Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland recorded 74%, 72%, and 68% of businesses relying on US tech, respectively.

Even France, which often champions its own autonomy, sees two out of three (66%) companies tied to US providers.

Eastern European countries like Bulgaria (16%) and Romania (39%) are the least dependent on American tech, and Russia is not even on the list of nations dependent on the US.

National security concerns emerge when utilities, transport systems, and healthcare facilities communicate through networks governed by foreign jurisdictions, but perhaps not when the network belongs to the US.

The reliance stretches far beyond convenience; it embeds itself in the very systems Europeans use every day - dependence on foreign technology does not just present a financial vulnerability; it raises questions about surveillance, geopolitical leverage, and the future of innovation.

AI training programs outside Europe’s control can sweep in sensitive business data, while reliance on external platforms exposes companies to warrantless legal demands.

This arrangement has also fostered a talent and capital drain, as engineers and investors direct their focus toward Silicon Valley rather than strengthening European ecosystems, whether through proprietary services or alternative Linux distros.

Some argue that American technology simply offers the best tools available, which may be true in terms of efficiency and global reach, yet the consequences of reliance are increasingly hard to ignore, since the US can turn off the switch at any time, and thousands of companies will be in crisis.

The fact that so many European firms cannot operate without American software demonstrates the fragile nature of Europe’s autonomy.

Rather than securing independence, Europe risks locking itself further into external dependencies at a moment when political winds in Washington are shifting.

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• Adjustable channels for 3D immersive audio
• Hi-res audio via TIDAL Connect and Google Cast
• New dialog enhancement mode

Sennheiser's flagship soundbar, the Ambeo Max, is getting a major firmware update called AMBEO OS2 that should deliver a serious audio upgrade to what's already a very impressive soundbar.

This is the most important upgrade since the Sennheiser Ambeo Max launched back in 2019, and it keeps the soundbar current with more recent high-end examples of the best soundbars from the likes of Sony and KEF.

There are three key components to the upgrade. There's customizable 3D audio; extended hi-res lossless audio performance; and a voice enhancement mode to deliver better vocal clarity in movies, TV shows and sports.

(Image credit: Sennheiser)Sennheiser Ambeo OS2: what's new and how to get it

OS2 delivers adjustable volume levels for the side, top and center channel speaker virtualization, enabling you to tweak the 3D audio to suit your room and your own personal preference.

The existing Dolby Atmos Music on TIDAL has been supplemented with support for audio up to 24-bit/192kHz via TIDAL Connect. And you can now stream at up to 24-bit/96kHz via Google Cast for Audio.

Last but not least, there's a new Voice Enhancement Mode that Sennheiser says "ensures dialog remains clear and intelligible even when sound effects or music dominate the mix". I wonder how that'll cope with Christopher Nolan's Interstellar.

Ambeo Max owners can get the new upgrade in two ways: via the Smart Control app on iOS or Android, or by downloading it to a USB drive from sennheiser-hearing.com.

This is obviously good news for Ambeo Max owners. But I think it's worth noting for prospective Sennheiser soundbar purchasers too, since a company delivering an update this significant after five and a bit years is a pretty impressive commitment to its customers.

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• Google released a study outlining how much energy and water its AI uses
• Experts say the figures lack important context
• Google insists these figures represent the average user experience

A new study from Google claims its Gemini AI model only uses very minimal water and energy for each prompt - with the median usage sitting at around 5 drops (0.26 milliliters) - the equivalent electricity used for 9 seconds of TV watching (roughly 0.24 watt-hours), resulting in around 0.003 grams of CO2 emissions.

Experts have been quick to dispute the claims, however, with The Verge claiming Google omitted key data points in its study, drastically under-reporting the environmental impacts of the model.

Whilst models and data centers have become more efficient, it seems there’s more to the story than Google is letting on.

The tip of the iceberg

One of the authors of a paper cited in the study, Shaolei Ren, associate professor of electrical engineering at the University of California told the publication; “They’re just hiding the critical information. This really spreads the wrong message to the world.”

AI models like Gemini are supported by data centers - huge warehouses full of servers which consume intense amounts of water and energy, straining local resources.

Governments across the globe have been sanctioning the building of these data centers, despite the destruction they could bring to local countryside - and consumers are likely to be the ones paying for the extra energy used.

One of the biggest concerns with Google's study is that it omits indirect water usage in the estimates, which form the majority of the use related to AI. Whilst the figures are technically correct, the missing context of the extreme energy use paints a misleading picture.

The study only looks at the water used by data centers to cool their servers, but left out is the electricity these data centers demand, which in turn leads to new gas and nuclear plants - which also cool their systems with water, or use steam to turn turbines.

Water isn’t the only metric Google misrepresented though, with the paper only outlining a ‘market based’ carbon emissions measure, which offsets the figure using Google’s promises to use renewable energy to support power grids. Savannah Goodman, Head of Advanced Energy Labs told TechRadar Pro,

"We hope to share environmental metrics that are representative of a typical user's behavior, and reasonably comparable over time. However, with the rapidly evolving landscape of AI model architectures and AI assistant user behavior, there are outliers either from small subsets of prompts served by models with low utilization or with high token counts."

"In order to share metrics that represent a typical user’s experience and are robust to this rapidly evolving field, we chose to measure metrics for the median prompt — which is robust to extreme values and provides a more accurate reflection of a typical prompt's energy impact."

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If you’re buying a flashy new pair of over-ear headphones, what are you looking for? Amazing sound quality, top-tier noise cancellation, and high levels of comfort are surely all crucial. But something I’m also keen to assess here at TechRadar is looks – how clean do a pair of headphones appear on the ear? What sets them apart from competitors?

Yep, if like me, you wear over-ear headphones all the time, even when taking public transport and out and about, I’m sure you’ll want them to look as good as they sound. So, I’ve compiled a list of 5 headphones that I and the wider TechRadar team have tested, all of which really are stunners.

And although this isn’t a list of the best headphones overall, I’ve made sure that each model listed supplies a strong audio performance, comes with a nice array of features, and feels pleasant in use. Interested? Then let’s get into the list.

1. The budget beauty: 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51

(Image credit: Future)

The 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 are our pick for the best budget cans that money can buy, and their aesthetic plays a significant part in that.

Like a lot of 1More cans, they have an extremely sleek curved on-ear look, giving them a sharp, well-defined appearance. They combine that with an attractive matte black finish, red detailing on the ports and earcups, and a slim headband. Bring that all together, and you’re looking at a really attractive pair of over-ears.

They also offer surprisingly effective ANC, a highly customizable sound, and outrageously long battery life – 65 hours with ANC on and 100 hours with it off! All of that for less than $100 / £100? Oh, go on then.

Read our full 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 review.

Not really your thing? Then how about the awesome value Sony WH-CH720N, which appear higher in quality than their low price may suggest.

2. The magnificent mid-ranger: Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

(Image credit: TechRadar)Check this out

(Image credit: Future)

Want to know what tracks I use to test headphones here at TechRadar? These are the 7 failsafe tracks I use when reviewing audio gear

Right, a quick disclaimer, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless are mid-rangers in my book for UK buyers – they’re regularly available for well under £200. In the US, they’re a fair bit pricier, but these are simply too suave for me to omit from the list.

These five star-rated headphones combine large oval-shaped earcups, a unique fabric headband, and a far smoother appearance than their predecessors, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless. I specifically really like the variant that has copper-colored detailing around the outside of the earcups as well as the Sennheiser logo – it really makes this model pop.

Of course, you know that’s not all. They’ve got a pleasantly neutral, crisp sound signature, awesome battery life, and better noise cancelling than you might expect. Talk about the full package.

Read our full Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless review.

Want something a little different? Then how about the comfort kings that are the Anker Soundcore Space One Pro

3. The majestic mid-to-premium model: Marshall Monitor III ANC

(Image credit: Future)

Even though the Sony WH-1000XM6 are the pair of headphones I use daily, they’re not my favorite headphones you can buy looks-wise. That award would go to the Marshall Monitor III ANC, which are absolutely stunning, in my opinion.

They have a faux-leather exterior, visible wires to represent the brand’s rock ‘n’ roll roots, and gorgeous golden details. I see a lot of stylish people donning the Marshall Major IV on-ears, and I don’t mind those, but I prefer the slimmer form of the Monitor III’s.

My colleague at Future, Nikita, wears these cans everyday, so I wanted to get her opinion. She said: “There's a very good reason why Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong is the posterboy for these headphones, and that's because they make me look and feel like a rockstar. They look like a million bucks and I love how sleek and compact they are as well. Based on looks alone, the Monitor III’s are the best-looking headphones I've owned”.

Pretty high praise, right? But there’s more! I adore the red-velvet-lined carry case, immersive sound, and seemingly endless playtime these headphones offer. They’re a true standout option in today’s market, but for all the right reasons.

Read our full Marshall Monitor III ANC review.

They’re divisive, but if you want something truly eye-catching, the Nothing Headphone (1) is an S-tier option.

4. The pretty and premium pick: Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

OK, we’re getting into expensive territory now, but with headphones like the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3, you’re getting what you pay for. I could speak for hours on end about their spacey, hypnotic sound signature, but it's looks we’re talking about here, and these have them in abundance.

The earcups are slim and well built, there’s a satisfying feeling fabric headband, and stellar color options – there’s Anthracite Black, Canvas White, or Indigo Blue. If you want cans that indicate you value sound highly, these should be a go-to.

We love the audio quality, evolving feature-set, and enhanced ANC on the Px7 S3, so if you’ve got around $450 / £400 to spend, you can’t really do much better than this.

Read our full Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 review.

If you’re not sold on the Bowers, I also personally like the Sonos Ace – they’re amazing for movies, very solid for music, and super stylish.

5. The luxurious looker: Dali IO-8

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

At the time of writing, our guide to the best over-ear headphones places the Dali IO-8 in first place for design. Yes, we’ve described them as “the best over-ear headphones for ultra-luxe looks as well as sound”.

These cans have exceptional build quality, using brushed, anodised metal on the exterior, memory foam lining the inside of the earcups, and a tasty choice of ‘iron’ black or ‘caramel’ white finishes. Their perfectly circular earcups also have a minimal, yet premium look that’s timeless.

One issue some may take with the IO-8 is that there’s leather on them. There’s no vegan alternative either, unfortunately, but the aforementioned Marshall Monitor III ANC are a nice vegan-friendly alternative.

The Dali IO-8 aren’t only beautiful, they’re also able to offer positive, detailed audio, with support for the hi-res aptX Adaptive codec also on the menu. They appear to be somewhat elusive and highly expensive in the US, but UK buyers should be able to scoop these up for less than £500.

Read our full Dali IO-8 review.

Apple fans, if you don’t own them already, the Apple AirPods Max are a seriously sexy pair of cans; they’re my alternate option in this bracket, no questions asked.

So, those are my personal picks, but I’d love to hear from you. Do you have any of these headphones? What do you make of them? Or are there some other models that you really like the look of? Let me know in the comments.

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I adore my Nintendo Switch 2, but as many predicted, it faces a familiar challenge: battery life. It's by no means dreadful, but I definitely find it runs out a little faster compared to my Switch OLED (and the original Switch before that).

Of course, it does feature a bigger battery than its predecessors, but that's mostly to account for improved performance. Still, I've not second-guessed my generational upgrade once.

However, since I travel often and frequently forget to charge up when there's the opportunity, even a slightly diminished handheld battery life can prove irritating. There are heaps of Switch 2 cases on sites like Amazon, and an ample supply of the best power banks on offer too, but given the Switch 2's innate portability, I'm loath to pack my bag with too many loose gadgets.

That's where Belkin's Charging Case for Nintendo Switch 2 comes in. This bad boy packs a 10,000mAh battery pack complete with a display, and also comes with its own USB-C charger. I snagged one of the sage cases myself, and it's washed away my battery anxiety overnight – but there's a lot else to love.

The case is also available on Amazon in the UK here for £49.99, or from at Belkin Australia for AU$99.95.View Deal

First up, let's talk about protective measures. Now, it could be the slightly larger frame in contrast to its ever-thin profile (or the loftier price tag...), but I've been nursing my Nintendo Switch 2 like a newborn babe for fear of it being damaged, especially when I'm travelling.

Available in three chic colors (black, sand, and sage), Belkin's charging case is well-padded and made with a durable polyester outer shell and a wraparound zip. I adore the trendy sage colorway, which is slightly more green than grey and matches my largely matcha-influenced aesthetic for 2025.

Open up the case and you'll find a soft velvety interior as well as some built-in storage; namely, a mesh pocket for wires and other accessories (including a fitted Apple AirTag pocket), and a flat panel with 12 elasticated game card holders. On the other half, there's a recess to house the battery with a velcro strap to keep it secure, and the Switch 2 slots in neatly above this in a fitted bed to keep it snug.

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(Image credit: Future)

With the Switch 2 in tow, it weighs in at 2.6 lbs / 1.84kg; a little meaty, yes, but far more compact than the alternative loose portable battery. It's backed by a two-year warranty, too, so you're covered on multiple fronts.

All this contributes to far greater peace of mind for me when I'm out and about with my Switch 2, whether that's through keeping me charged and ready to play, protecting my case from damage, or offering peace of mind that, should it get lost, my Apple AirTag can easily help me relocate it.

You can grab Belkin's charge case for $69.99 / £49.99 / AU$99.95, but there's also a non-charging version available for $29.99 / £17.99 / AU$39.95. If you've not yet bought Nintendo's latest handheld, you can read TechRadar’s full review of the Nintendo Switch 2 here.

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• Windows 10's extended support offer is currently rolling out
• A fair few people aren't seeing it, though - myself included
• Microsoft has said that the rollout is happening 'slowly' but that it will be available for everyone before Windows 10's End of Life in October 2025

If you're running Windows 10 and hoping to get extended support for the OS in order to avoid having to upgrade to Windows 11 come October 2025, you may be wondering exactly where the offer of that support is.

While it's officially rolling out, as of a month ago in limited form, Windows Latest reports that the extended security updates (ESU) scheme hasn't reached many people yet.

The button to kick off the enrolment wizard that allows you to sign up for the scheme - which can be done for free, as you may have seen - should appear in the Windows Update panel. However, a good few people - including Windows Latest readers - just aren't seeing this button at all, so they can't sign up.

The tech site contacted Microsoft about this and was told by the company that the enrolment wizard is indeed rolling out currently - as was officially announced recently - it's just that this is happening "slowly".

There's nothing you can do to prompt the button to appear in Windows Update; you just have to wait.

(Image credit: Shutterstock - Wachiwit)Analysis: a seemingly cautious rollout

I am still running Windows 10, and I'm planning to take the offer of extended support (for reasons I've discussed in-depth recently), but I also haven't yet seen it on my PC. There are scattered reports on various online forums from people wondering where the offer is, so it does seem like the rollout is on the cautious and slow side, as Microsoft indicates.

The good news is that Microsoft has assured Windows Latest that the enrollment wizard will arrive on all Windows 10 PCs before the End of Life of the older operating system, which is mid-October 2025. So, it's just a case of being patient, although personally I'd rather not leave signing up for the program until the last minute.

Hopefully, Microsoft will kick the ESU rollout into a higher gear with the next big update for Windows 10, which arrives on September 9, 2025. We shall see, and perhaps ironing out bugs in the wizard has been part of the issue here - there was a notable glitch whereby the sign-up process was failing for some folks, a problem Microsoft resolved the week before last.

Meanwhile, as Windows Latest points out elsewhere, Microsoft is stepping up its full-screen nags being displayed to Windows 10 users, urging them to upgrade to Windows 11, as of the most recent August update. These are pop-ups that have been seen before, and it's likely they'll be fired out again next month and when October rolls around, when support is cut off for those who haven't signed up for the ESU.

I'm going to avail myself of the free option for extended updates, which requires syncing PC settings to OneDrive, as this is something I already do anyway. For those who'd rather not do so - and remember, it is just your Windows settings, not your files and data that's synced - they can still pay $30 (or equivalent in their currency) to join the ESU (which was the only option initially).

A third route is to cash in 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, provided you have accumulated that many.

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When we sit down to watch our favorite TV series online, we rarely consider the streaming process – we just hit play. In reality, there’s a video codec seamlessly managing the compression and decompression of the data to deliver that effortless, high-quality viewing experience. For example, High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC or H.265) has been one of the more widely used video standards across streaming platforms and consumer devices for the last decade.

In more recent years, Versatile Video Coding (VVC or H.266), the next generation codec launched, offering significantly improved video compression efficiency and performance over HEVC. The benefits of using VVC include streaming higher resolution content at lower bitrates, improved data efficiency and better visual quality.

However, while VVC delivers a superior performance to HEVC, widespread adoption of new codecs often takes time due to standardization process timelines, compatibility conditions and hardware requirements.

VVC is gaining traction, particularly around the development of software decoders but hardware support is still playing catch up. Several steps must now happen for VVC to achieve full industry endorsement.

The benefits of VVC and catalysts to adoption:

As viewer expectations for quality increase and streaming platforms continue to develop, VVC is well positioned to meet future video compression needs. The codec has a robust technical architecture and clearly established intellectual property policies. It also delivers an impressive 50% bitrate reduction compared to HEVC, for the same perceived quality. The result? Reduced buffering and improved delivery of 4K and 8K content, without high data costs.

VVC can be used across many applications rather than one specific use case driving adoption. Technologies that would benefit most from VVC, such as 8K, VR (Virtual Reality), and volumetric video are growing in use cases, but are not yet widely adopted by consumers and businesses. While they definitely show promise, they haven't yet reached the scale of demand needed to drive immediate uptake of VVC.

The area showing most promise so far in driving VVC adoption is broadcast. VVC's superior compression efficiency makes it particularly valuable here, as bandwidth limitations mean that improved compression directly impacts cost efficiency.

In the broadcast sector, there's growing momentum from both European (DVB) and North American (ATSC) standards bodies supporting VVC, with Brazil launching experimental VVC-based transmissions in May, in advance of a subsequent commercial rollout. ATSC has recently incorporated VVC into its 3.0 specification.

Removing VVC adoption roadblocks:

Despite clearly demonstrating the capabilities of VVC, one obstacle to implementation is that firmware in some devices – such as certain Smart TVs - will require updating to enable it, despite already having the necessary hardware. This can create market fragmentation where some devices are provided with updates while others remain without VVC support.

In terms of mobile platforms, VVC has been proven to run efficiently on older mobile devices in software, easing concerns about its computational demands. However, this is an area where adoption is still slightly behind.

That said, creating a viable option to enable VVC via firmware updates in consumer electronics presents an opportunity to accelerate rollout without requiring hardware refreshes. But integration in devices must be accompanied by the availability of VVC content and services.

Overcoming regional differences:

Some markets have already integrated HEVC into their landscapes, meaning a new migration could take time and further investment. Yet regional discrepancies can also work as an advantage for VVC. For instance, broadcast markets such as Australia haven't yet completely migrated to Advanced Video Coding (AVC) - the codec that came before HEVC. This might mean that they bypass HEVC entirely and move directly to VVC, potentially speeding up uptake in these specific areas.

VVC also faces competition in the video codec landscape, particularly from AV1 (AOMedia Video 1). Developed by the Alliance for Open Media, AV1 has achieved significant adoption in streaming platforms and web-based applications, and the next generation codec, AV2, is expected to be finalized soon. However, AV1's performance characteristics make it less suited for complex content, meaning that, in terms of coding efficiency, AV1 and VVC aren't direct competitors in high-end applications.

The future for VVC development looks bright

We’ve recently seen VVC being demonstrated publicly. Most notably, the technology was used to power 8K trials at the Paris Olympics, with a private demonstration delivered to premier broadcasters. The practicality of VVC for streamers has been enhanced by Fraunhofer HHI’s release of the VVdeC/VVdeC software decoder (Versatile Video Encoder/ Decoder) in 2020. This software has been ported to various platforms and web browsers, so that developers wishing to integrate VVC don’t necessarily need to start from scratch.

Real-world deployment of VVC is still in its early stages. However, continued market education, industry collaboration, and integration into a variety of devices and applications will help drive implementation throughout 2025 and beyond. As a doorway to widespread VVC adoption, major streaming platforms need to begin offering VVC streams.

Even one major service adopting VVC could create a significant domino effect, where competitors follow suit and create momentum across the entire ecosystem. So the next time you sit down to stream your favorite series, you may just be pioneering the very latest video codec, in full 4k or even 8k glory.

VVC’s unique position at the intersection of broadcast, streaming, and emerging immersive media makes it a pivotal technology in the evolving digital video landscape. As content delivery networks face increasing bandwidth demands, VVC's compression advantages could become increasingly valuable, potentially reshaping how video is distributed across global networks. For businesses in these industries, it’s certainly a technology to monitor.

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

New and sophisticated threat actors known collectively as "Scattered Spider" have emerged as one of the most concerning challenges facing organizations worldwide. These groups – including UNC3944, Oktapus, and Muddled Libra – have, yet again, fundamentally transformed the attack paradigm by prioritizing human psychology over traditional malware deployment.

A new breed of cyber adversary

What sets Scattered Spider groups apart from conventional cybercriminals is their masterful exploitation of human vulnerabilities rather than system weaknesses. These threat actors have perfected the art of social engineering, employing sophisticated techniques such as voice phishing (vishing), SMS phishing (smishing), and chat-based manipulation to convincingly impersonate legitimate employees and trusted contacts.

The success of these groups lies in their ability to establish initial network access through carefully orchestrated human interactions. By studying organizational structures and employee behaviors, they craft highly personalized approaches that bypass traditional security measures through the simple act of conversation. This ‘human-first’ methodology is proving remarkably effective against even well-defended networks.

The mechanics of deception

The true danger of Scattered Spider operations becomes apparent when examining their sophisticated approach to multi-factor authentication (MFA) bypass. Through strategic SIM-swapping attacks and carefully orchestrated helpdesk manipulation, these criminals exploit the inherent trust relationships within organizations. They convince IT support personnel to reset MFA credentials or transfer system control, often using information gathered through extensive reconnaissance to appear legitimate.

Once inside target networks, Scattered Spider groups demonstrate exceptional operational security by employing "Living off the Land" tactics. This approach involves leveraging legitimate administrative tools already present within most enterprise environments – including PowerShell, PsExec, AnyDesk, and even credential-harvesting utilities like Mimikatz. By utilizing these ‘authorized’ tools for malicious purposes, the groups effectively operate beneath the detection threshold of traditional security solutions.

This minimal malware approach presents a significant challenge for organizations relying heavily on signature-based detection systems. Traditional antivirus solutions and legacy security tools may never register suspicious activity, allowing attackers to maintain persistent access while conducting their operations with impunity.

The attack unveiled

The Scattered Spider groups’ attack methodology follows a predictable, yet highly effective pattern. The process typically begins with extensive reconnaissance and credential harvesting, where attackers gather detailed information about target organizations, their employees, and internal processes.

Following this intelligence-gathering phase, the group leverages AI-driven phishing techniques and sophisticated voice cloning technology to craft highly personalized smishing campaigns. These messages appear remarkably authentic, often incorporating specific organizational terminology, recent company events, or industry-relevant information scraped from LinkedIn and dark web data, which lends credibility to their deceptive communications.

The social engineering component represents perhaps the most insidious aspect of their operations. By impersonating legitimate employees, these criminals manipulate helpdesk staff and telephony personnel into performing security-compromising actions. They skillfully exploit the helpful nature of IT support teams, often creating artificial urgency or leveraging apparent authority to bypass standard verification procedures.

Once initial access is established, Scattered Spider groups focus on persistence through strategic deployment of remote management tools, using credential dump tools such as Mimikatz, secretdump, and ADRecon to escalate access. They also utilize internal tools and tunneling such as Ngrok, RSocx to hide movement, ultimately leading to data exfiltration or ransomware deployment, depending on the group's specific objectives for each engagement.

The warning signs

Security teams must develop heightened awareness of specific indicators that may signal Scattered Spider activity within their environments. Sudden increases in remote-access sessions, particularly those involving tools like AnyDesk or ScreenConnect, warrant immediate investigation, especially when these sessions occur outside normal business hours or originate from unfamiliar geographic locations.

Multiple MFA reset requests channeled through phone-based support within compressed timeframes often indicate systematic attempts to manipulate helpdesk personnel. Organizations should also monitor for unrecognized SIM-swap alerts or unexpected one-time password deliveries to employees, as these frequently signal active credential compromise attempts.

Perhaps most concerning are instances where security tools experience mysterious disabling or unauthorized administrative actions appearing in system consoles. These events, particularly when coupled with anomalous lateral movement patterns involving valid employee credentials used in atypical ways, strongly suggest advanced persistent threat activity.

Industry impact and future implications

While recent intelligence suggests Scattered Spider groups have begun targeting the aviation industry following successful retail sector exploits, security professionals must recognize that no industry remains immune to these sophisticated attacks. These groups’ methodology proves effective across diverse organizational structures and business models, making widespread vigilance essential.

Building defense strategies

Protecting against Scattered Spider groups requires a carefully orchestrated multi-layered approach that simultaneously addresses technical vulnerabilities and human factors. Email security solutions are needed to provide crucial frontline defense by intercepting phishing attempts, credential-harvesting campaigns, and smishing attacks before they reach employees. Advanced anti-impersonation features within these solutions help reduce CEO and CFO fraud schemes commonly leveraged in these sophisticated campaigns.

Modern endpoint security and endpoint detection and response solutions are the next layer of defense required for essential visibility, as they detect unauthorized remote access tools, identify credential dumping attempts, and flag unusual lateral movement patterns from compromised endpoints. Additionally, advanced behavioral analytics can identify "Living off the Land" techniques even when traditional malware signatures are absent, catching attackers who rely on legitimate system tools for malicious purposes.

However, technology alone cannot adequately address this rapidly evolving threat. These sophisticated attacks underscore a fundamental shift in cybersecurity: humans, not machines, have become the new perimeter that organisations must defend. Therefore, security awareness training serves as a critical human-layer defense, empowering staff to recognize deception tactics early in the attack chain.

The emergence of Scattered Spider groups represents more than just another type of cybercriminal outfit – it signals a paradigm shift requiring organizations to layer traditional technical controls with identity safeguards, behavior-based detection systems, and continuous employee education to create truly comprehensive protection against human-centric cyber threats.

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