TechRadar News

Most mini PCs we test have the same sort of look. Little black boxes or Mac mini-style silver designs. Acemagic's X3 does things a little differently: styled like a Nintendo Entertainment System, it's quick enough for work and light gaming, while bringing a big dose of nostalgia.

For a very limited time, the Acemagic Retro X3 is $509 (was $799) at Acemagic when you use the code RETRO40. That's the cheapest I've ever seen this mini PC, which comes equipped with an eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 H255 chip, 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, and 512GB SSD.

• Best for: Retro gaming fans and home users who want a compact, capable Windows PC with a design that stands out.

• Why we like it: We're big Nintendo fans here at TechRadar Pro. So of course, this classic retro-themed "console" one catches the eye. On top of some good specs for the price, the mini PC also features Radeon 780M graphics, a fast USB4 port, two M.2 slots for adding storage, and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity.

• What you need to know: While you can expand storage, memory is soldered to the board here. And if you're more of a SNES fan, check out the higher-spec but higher-priced Acemagic X5.

The Retro X3 pairs an eight-core, 16-thread AMD Ryzen 7 H 255 with Radeon 780M integrated graphics, 16GB of LPDDR5 memory, and a 512GB SSD, with a second M.2 slot for more storage. Ports include USB4, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.0, 2.5G Ethernet, and six USB-A ports, and it ships with Windows 11 Pro. The step-up Retro X5 has a 10-core Ryzen AI 9 365, Radeon 880M graphics, 32GB of memory, a 1TB SSD, and dual 2.5G Ethernet.

Use promo code RETRO40 to get $40 MORE off. View Deal

Why we recommend it

Acemagic has built a following for affordable mini PCs - we included the K1 as our top mid-range pick in our guide to the best mini PCs we've tested. But the Retro X3 is its most eye-catching yet, with a gray shell and red power button that’ll take anyone who grew up with an NES straight back.

We haven’t tested it ourselves, but we previously covered the initial launch and welcomed the hardware boost inside its retro casing when it launched. In Notebookcheck’s review, it delivered solid, stable performance with low case temperatures, though the fan got clearly audible under heavy load and the 16GB of memory is soldered, so you can’t upgrade it later.

Price Context & Historical Value

At $509 with code RETRO40, the Retro X3 is cheaper now than it was the last time we checked back in September, where it was priced at $539. For comparison, it's discounted at Amazon right now for $575 (was $639).

The Retro X5 is a different story, since $1,099 is a lot to pay for a mini PC, even one with a faster Ryzen AI 9 chip and 32GB of memory. Unless you need the extra power, the X3 is the better buy.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Acemagic Retro X3 if... you want a compact Windows PC for everyday work, streaming, and light or retro gaming, you love the retro console look, or you’d like to add storage later through the spare M.2 slot.

❌ Skip the Acemagic Retro X3 if... you need more than 16GB of memory, since it’s soldered and can’t be upgraded, you want a near-silent PC under heavy load, or you’d rather not wait for a pre-order to ship.

• See all mini PCs at Acemagic.

Following just behind Currys earlier this week, the Argos Black Friday sale has also just started, promising a whole month of deals across tech, gaming, appliances, homeware, toys, and more. I've done my usual thing and taken a look through to bring you all of the biggest offers and the best deals — check out my 14 top picks from Dyson, Shark, Garmin, Samsung, and more.

• Browse the full Argos Black Friday sale

One standout offer at this early point in the sale is this JBL Charge 6 for £129.99 (was £169.99). That's a solid saving on the portable speaker we awarded a full five stars for its booming sound and easy-to-carry design. It's so good, in fact, that we gave it a top spot in our best speaker buying guide.

Just like other retailers, Argos is also offering a 'Price Guarantee' on select products throughout its Black Friday sale. It means that any item displaying that badge will not fall any further in price before December 25. If for some reason it does, you will receive an Argos voucher for the difference.

Given that Argos has said its Black Friday sale will run for a whole month, there will almost certainly be more deals added over the next few weeks. I'll keep an eye on the sale and will add more recommendations from myself and the TechRadar team as we spot them.

Argos Black Friday sale — quick links

• Appliances: up to 20% off fridges & dishwashers
• DIY: up to 30% off tools & outdoor
• Fitness: up to 50% off exercise equipment
• Furniture: up to 50% off
• Gaming: up to 50% off games & accessories
• Headphones: from £19.99
• Health & Beauty: up to 50% off GHD & Philips
• Kitchen: up to 50% off small appliances
• Laptops: from £149
• Phones: up to £250 off Samsung & Honor
• Toys: up to 50% off
• TVs: from £149
• Vacuums: Shark & Dyson from £99.99

My 14 top deals from the Argos Black Friday sale

We awarded the JBL Charge 6 five stars, and it currently sits atop our list of the best speakers, so I definitely want to shout out this deal you can nab right now at Argos. With booming sound and an easy-to-carry design, you really can't go wrong if you're shopping for a powerful and capable portable speaker.View Deal

It's not every day that we see such a massive discount on a top-rated Garmin smartwatch. The Venu 4 is the ideal all-rounder, excelling in usability, performance, and design. What's better than all of that? Well, it's our pick for the best Garmin smartwatch at a record-low price.View Deal

Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: was £219 now £169
The latest Pro version of Samsung's earbuds lineup is a real step up according to our 4.5-star review — and this is a new lowest-ever price. I have a pair and agree, as they offer fantastic sound quality, impressive noise cancellation, and a classy design. Features in the app are genuinely useful if you want to customise the sound and level of noise cancellation to your liking. As far as premium buds for Android users go, these are tough to beat.View Deal

20,000mAh Power Bank: was £27.99 now £18.67
A power bank is always a handy item to have — and this is a low price for a large-capacity and easily portable one from Belkin. The brand makes a lot of portable chargers, cables, and other related equipment, so you can expect good quality and performance, all for this super-cheap price in the Argos Black Friday sale.View Deal

IY143HUK Vacuum Cleaner: was £229.99 now £150
You get a lot for your money with this affordable stick vacuum from the top brand Shark. It has a runtime of up to 40 minutes, an anti-allergen complete seal, and comes with a crevice tool attachment. It's a good choice of cordless vacuum for most users and multiple floor types, so if you need a capable vacuum, I'd recommend it at this discounted price.View Deal

U8000H 58-inch 4K TV: was £419 now £329
Here's a good low price for a basic TV. This 58-inch Samsung display supports high-quality 4K resolution and offers an easy-to-use interface for accessing all the major streaming apps. You can expect competent yet not exceptional image quality and performance, but that may be all you need for general everyday viewing – especially if you're on a tighter budget.View Deal

For homes where small spills and stains are a regular problem, this Vax SpotWash could be a smart buy while it's half-price at Argos. You get a handful of useful attachments included to tackle different types of problems and pet messes in your home or car, as well as a small bottle of cleaning solution to get you started.View Deal

Quantum 650: was £129.99 now £89.99
The JBL Quantum series is an impressive lineup of gaming headsets, and this is a solid deal for one of the mid-range options. You get 50mm carbon dynamic drivers for powerful audio quality, a detachable mic with excellent background noise filtering, a lightweight design to ensure comfortable gaming sessions, multi-compatibility, and all the handy customisation and sustainability features that Quantum gear is known for.View Deal

Ninja's space-saving air fryer is down to a good price ahead of Black Friday, so now's the time to buy the popular and well-rated appliance — especially if you have minimal space on your countertop. We loved it at TechRadar, scoring it full marks in our Ninja Double Stack Air Fryer review and even putting it in our best air fryer buying guide. Well-built and great-looking in any kitchen, it offers five cooking levels across two drawers and two racks, while the 7.6L capacity is ideal for medium to big families.View Deal

The JLab Go Air Pop Plus are small and incredibly cheap but pack in a lot of key features and surprisingly strong sound for the price. There’s a long battery life of over eight hours, while the charging case adds an extra 24 hours. On-ear controls are reliable and they sound better than anything else in this price range. If you’re on a tight budget, these are a great buy.View Deal

Argos has slashed £250 off the latest Samsung Galaxy S26 for Black Friday. This flagship Android smartphone scored an impressive four stars in our review thanks to its stellar screen, excellent battery life, and strong all-around performance. It's a great buy if you want a capable all-around smartphone.View Deal

V8 Cyclone: was £379.99 now £229.99
Designed to be simple to use yet powerful and versatile, the Dyson V8 is well-suited for all homes – even if you have pets shedding hair around your living space. It has two different power modes with fully sealed filtration, which traps 99.99% of microscopic particles as small as 0.3 microns. A de-tangling motorbar easily removes ground-in dirt too. If this is your first Dyson, you’ll be amazed and alarmed at how much dirt it sucks up. This offer is a good price for one of the manufacturer's more affordable models that also comes with a selection of handy accessories.View Deal

Display - 14 inches
Processor - Intel i5
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 256GB

If you want a good value Windows laptop, then this configuration of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is a strong buy. It features an Intel i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD to ensure good performance for general home use. I'd say it's a good option if you're on a budget and need a basic laptop for everyday use, college, admin tasks and light work.View Deal

P6L 65-inch 4K TV: was £429 now £399
If you want a cheap big-screen TV, then this TCL P6L is a good choice from the latest Argos sale. Expect decent, if unspectacular, picture quality and performance, but with all the handy smart features and streaming apps you might need within easy access. It's a reasonable price for a large TV from a solid budget brand like TCL.View Deal

• Attackers allegedly stole $6.36 billion from Binance in a record-breaking cryptocurrency exchange breach
• Investigators linked the attack to North Korea’s Lazarus Group, exploiting access from a compromised engineer
• Binance said customer funds remain safe, while authorities and partners froze billions in stolen assets

Cybercriminals, allegedly from an infamous North Korean hacking organization, have gained access to one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges on the planet - Binance - and in less than half an hour withdrew $6.36 billion worth of different tokens.

Security researchers TRM Labs said the attack was carried out by a group called TraderTraitor, which it describes as “North Korea’s premier hacking unit”.

“We base this assessment on robust on and off-chain intelligence sources,” TRM Labs said in a report, noting that TraderTraitor is part of Lazarus Group, North Korea’s state-sponsored threat actor blamed for some of the biggest crypto heists in history, with the FBI blaming it for the $1.5 billion Bybit hack that took place on February 21, 2025.

Gone in 20 minutes

Binance’s experts, as well as independent researchers, are still piecing together what happened, so information might change throughout the day(s). What we know so far is that a DevOps engineer had their laptop compromised, which was confirmed by Richard Teng, Binance co-CEO, in a LinkedIn post.

“That gave an attacker access to a service container, where they submitted unauthorized withdrawal transactions,” he said.

Right now, no one really knows what exactly happened and what it means that a DevOps engineer’s laptop was compromised. However, we do know that Lazarus is famous for running operations DreamJob and Contagious Interview, in which they set up fake companies and fake jobs, and then approach software engineers working on crypto projects. They entice them with lucrative job offers and exciting opportunities, and sneak malware during the multiple interview rounds.

But Binance’s security measures are more robust than that, and simply installing malware on one device could not have sufficed. Teng confirmed that, too, saying “the attacker did not simply use one engineer's permissions, and this was not a single "one-click" action. It involved a more complex attack process.”

Funds are SAFU

TRM Labs said the attackers pulled funds from 10 different chains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Tron, Solana, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Avalanche, and Polygon. The Ethereum chain was the hardest one hit, losing roughly $3.79 billion. It could be because of the chain’s smart contracts feature, which allowed the attackers to keep withdrawing funds as they were landing into the wallet.

Binance is one of the biggest and most popular cryptocurrency exchanges on planet Earth, and as such it holds billions of dollars in user funds. This attack, however, did not target user funds, but rather Binance itself. This was confirmed by both Teng and TRM Labs, with the co-CEO saying “your funds are safe”, and “Binance will cover all losses from the SAFU fund and company funds.”

In response to the attack, Binance temporarily restricted deposits and withdrawals. Numerous users took to X this morning to say their transaction requests were denied. The police and other relevant entities were notified, and around $3 billion were already frozen on-chain, apparently.

Tether, Circle, Ripple and World Liberty Financial froze about $2.67 billion in stablecoins, TRM Labs confirmed, while Arbitrum's Security Council froze 8,426 ETH and 74.6 million ARB on its network, for a total of roughly $2.7 billion.

What’s particularly interesting about this incident is how the market responded. In 2013, when Mt.Gox (at the time the biggest crypto exchange in the world) got hacked for $450 million, it was considered a “black swan” event, sending bitcoin down by more than a third (35%) in a few weeks. The 2025 Bybit hack sent BTC down approximately 7.5%. In response to the Binance hack, BTC dropped a measly 6.7%, which is just another Friday in the crypto world.

Phishing incoming

Trouble always comes in pairs, and this Binance hack will most likely be no exception. Security researchers NordVPN are warning users that other hacking groups might try to take advantage of the news to target users with phishing emails.

“Another risk is criminals exploiting the confusion and fear among crypto owners on other platforms. An email claiming your funds are at risk, a fake support account offering help or a message urging you to move your cryptocurrency to a ‘safe wallet’ could be an attempt to steal from you,” said Marijus Briedis, Chief Technology Officer at NordVPN.

“Check updates through the Binance app or a website address you already trust. Avoid links in unsolicited messages, and never give anyone your password, verification codes or wallet recovery phrase. Pressure to act immediately should be a reason to pause and verify the request.”

“These steps can reduce the risk of someone taking over your account, but they cannot prevent a breach of the platform itself. Cryptocurrency firms typically have watertight cybersecurity, as they are digital-first businesses, so if one can be involved in the biggest hack in history, it shows just how lucrative a single flaw can be.”

• T-Mobile has rejected the idea of sharing its network with Starlink
• The company's CEO argues that satellite is an "inferior" technology to what T-Mobile currently uses
• Verizon and AT&T have also turned Starlink down

For all its lofty ambitions, Starlink Mobile doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere fast. SpaceX recently announced plans to build “the world’s most advanced mobile network” using its Starlink satellites, but satellites alone won’t cut it — the service also needs ground-based infrastructure and enough spectrum to power it, neither of which Starlink really has.

So its initial plan seemed to be to launch an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) by partnering with T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T and gaining access to their infrastructure.

However, all three of those names have rejected SpaceX’s proposition, with T-Mobile’s CEO, Srini Gopalan, recently going so far as to say in an earnings call (via WCCFTech) that "satellite is an inferior version of FWA with even more constraints in terms of things like what is the size of the beam."

No need for satellites

(Image credit: SpaceX)

FWA, or fixed wireless access, is what carriers often use to bring broadband to homes and other static locations in rural areas, combining a router with a 5G or 4G signal, rather than using fibre optic cables.

FWA exists in urban areas too, but it’s particularly useful where conventional broadband struggles. So, essentially, Gopalan is arguing that satellite connectivity is a worse option, even in many rural and hard-to-reach areas, than FWA.

On top of that, Gopalan claims that “two-thirds of our FWA customers come from dense urban areas. We see huge growth opportunities in those areas still, all under the fallow capacity model. So we don’t really see a synergistic opportunity with satellite providers.”

All of which could be a big problem for SpaceX, as it’s likely the company will have to rely primarily on its satellites for now. Though with its plans to launch 15,000 new satellites, lease 80,000 cell tower sites, and possibly install cellular base stations on existing Starlink dishes, it could still deliver a viable mobile network — and a threat to the big three — eventually.

I’ve been playing Final Fantasy Resonance for the past few weeks, and it is a delightful love letter to the Final Fantasy series — a beautiful turn-based role-playing game (RPG) that blends new and old across its gameplay and aesthetics to create an adventure I have adored every second of.

While it might have its roots in a now defunct mobile gacha game — Brave Exvius — don’t hold that against it. The only holdover is the core story. Everything else, from the gameplay to the wide world map to explore to the visual style, has been overhauled — the pay-to-play elements are gone too; all unlocks are completely free

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Release date: October 26, 2026

The end result of this total rebuild is a classic-feeling RPG that is somehow just as at home among 2026’s gaming lineup as it would have been among one from decades ago.

There are some tweaks I’d make here and there: mostly to Visions, and to the story that’s a little predictable, but neither of these issues has sapped the joy from what is easily among the best Nintendo Switch 2 games I’ve played this year (it’s also releasing on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS5 and PC).

(Image credit: Square Enix)Back to basics

After spending decades finding ways to mix up the turn-based action it popularized, Final Fantasy Resonance returns the series to a much more classic interpretation of it. When it’s their turn to act your party and enemies get to make a basic Attack, spend MP to perform some kind of special Skill action like casting a spell, Summon a powerful esper to fight by their side, or use an item from the party’s bag — with the order characters go determined by their speed.

It facilitates a slower and more tactical approach to engaging enemies than the action-focused gameplay of more modern Final Fantasy entries, which pairs nicely with Resonance’s less traditional combat mechanic: Stagger.

Dealing enough damage to your foes that’s a flavour they’re weak to will fill their meter and Stagger them — they’ll lose their go that turn if they haven’t acted yet, will take more damage until the next round, and whoever staggered them will get a second action.

(Image credit: Square Enix)

If you Stagger every enemy at once, you enter a Sweeping Stagger — your whole party will get a second action, and you’ll be able to deliver a powerful Resonance attack. This sees one of your equipped Visions rush forward to deliver a cinematic finishing blow — showcased by a 3D cinematic that briefly takes you out of the game’s HD-2D style.

Resonance isn't just Final Fantasy meets Octopath Traveler. It might seem that way based on my description so far — seeing as it borrows Octopath’s visual identity and a core aspect of the series’ Break and Boost system

Best bit

(Image credit: Square Enix)

Exploring the game world to find secret items or hidden bosses always feels so rewarding. Especially later on, when you unlock the airship. There are several secrets I found out of pure curiosity, and it felt so fulfilling to be rewarded for hunting around.

But besides the nuances of Resonance’s Stagger system, which make it different from what Octopath offers, you’ll also find this game’s plot is quintessential Final Fantasy — more on that in a moment — and it takes a different approach with its Job / Class system through Visions. They feel more like weapons you swap in and out than a Class you’ll want to perfect and stick with.

Visions are (mostly) manifestations of the core Final Fantasy games’ protagonists which aid your party in combat: performing the Resonance attacks I mentioned earlier, but also unlocking a separate list of actions and abilities for the party member they’re equipped to. Most skills you’ll only have access to while the Vision is actively deployed, but there are also permanent unlocks to earn by mastering a Vision — letting you mix and match aspects of Visions on a single party member to craft your ideal champion.

As I mentioned, this will feel a lot like Jobs from other Square Enix titles, but because so much of a Vision’s identity is lost from your character when you unequip it — most permanent Mastery unlocks are more generic, yet still useful, abilities like improving stats — I’ve found it better to see Visions as Equipment. Before entering a tough fight, you might want to swap out your loadout to best suit the challenge ahead — such as equipping your party with water attack dealers when facing off against a fiery foe.

(Image credit: Square Enix)A medley or overstuffed buffet?

Taking everything I’ve said so far, you might fear Final Fantasy Resonance would turn out to be a mess.

It combines aspects of several games (Octopath Traveler, Brave Exvius, and classic Final Fantasy). It jumps between 3D and HD-2D visuals across different cinematics. There’s just over two dozen Visions to master, each their own skills to augment the base abilities your party develops. You can call forth powerful Summons to deal even more damage to your foes. There’s a giant map to explore, bursting with secrets to discover in every corner. There are main quests and side missions to complete over tens of hours, as well as secret boss fights and a coliseum to become the champion of.

(Image credit: Square Enix)

It’s a lot, yet Final Fantasy Resonance never felt like a mess.

Square Enix shows a mastery of the HD-2D art style. The world's environments are stunning, character sprites are expressive, and there are some amazing 2D spectacle across the game’s cutscenes and attack animations. The animatics feel fan-made in a good way — full of expression, and getting as much as possible from the medium.

The flashes of 3D work surprisingly well to augment special moments. Rather than feeling incongruous, the 3D Vision Resonance attack and Esper Summon cinematics give these abilities an appropriately otherworldly aspect.

Games which let you throw everything and the kitchen sink at your enemies have a habit of feeling too easy. However, playing on Expert difficulty, I found fights (especially boss fights) were a challenge — one I could overcome, but not without playing tactically. Button mashing and praying won’t save you here.

These different abilities also built up gradually over time. This let me get to grips with systems before some new aspect was thrown into the mix.

(Image credit: Square Enix)

And when the gameplay is so engaging, and the visuals so beautiful, I had no problem adventuring back and forth to complete side quests and seek out every secret hiding in the world.

Close to perfection

If I must find fault with Final Fantasy Resonance, it would be in two areas.

The first is that while I love a lot of the Visions system, it struggles for much of the mid-game because it focuses too much on the main Final Fantasy protagonists who are (let’s face it) pretty samey. This is showcased by the fact that the majority of them are classified as Commando or Breaker types.

The precise builds and abilities do change, but for example there aren’t many supportive Healers amongst them — meaning building out a dedicated support character in your party is a little tough at times as you’ll either need to stick with a Vision you’ve mastered, or accept your party will be multi-classing early on.

(Image credit: Square Enix)

Given how useful some Mastery abilities are, you’ll want to multiclass to some extent (Tronn’s ability to halve MP costs is one you need to unlock for as many characters as possible as soon as possible), but given the game says the Vision system offers you the freedom to customize the party however you want, I was a little disappointed that the reality doesn’t quite match this.

Secondly, I’d say the plot is Final Fantasy in its purest form. There are crystals, war between ancient mystical powers and new age technology, sacrifice for the greater good, twists and turns that reveal secrets about the characters’ and the world’s past, and an awful lot else that is a little cliché.

The story is certainly good enough to keep me engaged; it's just nothing special.

Though as I’ve said, neither of these gripes kept me from adoring Final Fantasy Resonance. Every time I sat down to write this review I had to force myself to not reach over for my Nintendo Switch 2 to play another five minutes — and like any good game my attempts to set time limits on myself never succeeded in keeping my play sessions shorter than a few hours at a time.

(Image credit: Square Enix)

While it is available on several consoles and PC, my Nintendo Switch 2 has been superb. If you have a choice, this is where I’d recommend playing, as it runs so smoothly, it’s easy to chip away at quests while on the go, and you can still enjoy a beautiful big-picture experience when the handheld is docked.

Should you play Final Fantasy Resonance?Play it if…

You miss classic Final Fantasy
Resonance is the best Final Fantasy game I’ve played in years, in all the best ways. It feels both new and old and is sure to delight long-time fans of the series.

You love Octopath Traveller
There’s a lot of Octopath in this game, yet Resonance still feels unique enough to scratch the HD-2D itch without feeling samey.

You want a long, but not too long, RPG
Unlike some RPGs that can stretch into the hundreds of hours, most players will finish Resonance and its side quests somewhere between 30 and 50. Still long enough to sink your teeth into, but not have it take over your life.

Don’t play it if…

You hate turn-based combat
Not everyone enjoys the tactical ebb-and-flow of a turn-based RPG. If that’s you this game isn’t for you.

You hate exploration
While not as vast as an open-world game, Final Fantasy Resonance is full of hidden secrets to find across its overworld, and dungeons. If you prefer a more linear adventure you might not get as much out of this experience as you could.

You’re tired of cliché fantasy stories
The Final Fantasy Resonance story feels like an amalgamation of every FF game to come before. It’s not bad, but the twists and turns are frequently predictable which can disappoint gamers who love a good story.

Accessibility features

Besides the features built into your console of choice, Final Fantasy Resonance has no accessibility features baked into it.

However, as a turn-based RPG, gameplay can be as slow as you need. It doesn't matter if you take five seconds, five minutes, or five hours to lock in an action, and unlike games such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, there are no active parry or dodge mechanics that require precise timing on the player's part.

(Image credit: Square Enix)How I reviewed Final Fantasy Resonance

I reviewed Final Fantasy Resonance for around 30 hours on my Nintendo Switch 2. Predominantly, this was with base system hardware in handheld mode — plugging away on trips, my commute, and while relaxing on the couch — but I did experience the big-screen docked mode for several hours on my 4K Fire TV (relying on an 8BitDo Ultimate 2 controller for inputs).

In all modes, the game ran smoothly, and I never regretted my decision to play the game on the least powerful system it’s launching on.

First reviewed October 2026

• US Air Force wants AI to detect mistakes during aerial refuelling
• Tanker cameras would supply footage for automated analysis of refuelling operations
• AI would monitor aircraft speed, alignment, positioning, and approach velocity

The US Air Force is exploring using AI to identify mistakes during aerial refuelling operations and improve how crews receive performance feedback.

The proposed system would analyze footage captured by tanker aircraft cameras, identifying flight manoeuvres and operational errors that conventional assessments might overlook.

Military officials want the technology to provide detailed evaluations of refuelling exercises, reducing dependence on human judgement during one of aviation's most demanding procedures.

AI system will monitor aircraft movements and refuelling accuracy

The initiative focuses on developing software capable of examining interactions between tanker aircraft and approaching receivers throughout the complicated fuel transfer process.

Using computer vision and machine learning, the technology would examine aircraft movements and determine whether crews maintained appropriate separation and alignment.

It would also monitor the refuelling boom, comparing its movements against aircraft trajectories to identify potentially dangerous deviations during fuel delivery.

Measurements would include aircraft speed, relative positioning, approach velocity and alignment, allowing instructors to examine specific manoeuvres rather than relying on general observations.

The proposed software would automatically identify departures from expected flight conditions and generate performance information for instructors reviewing completed refuelling missions.

Currently, assessments depend substantially on instructor observations, crew evaluations and manually examining recorded footage, according to the military's research solicitation.

These methods can produce inconsistent judgements, particularly when instructors interpret the same manoeuvre differently or overlook brief errors during complicated operations.

Therefore, the software’s assessment will include graphical overlays, colour-coded performance maps and chronological displays identifying significant events during individual refuelling exercises.

The Air Force consequently wants automated measurements that could provide more consistent evaluations while helping personnel understand precisely where mistakes occurred.

The project falls under the Small Business Innovation Research programme, which invites companies to develop technological solutions addressing specific military requirements.

Interested developers have until November 25 2026 to submit applications outlining how their proposed systems could satisfy the service's operational and training requirements.

KC-46 tanker technology and future training applications

The initial development effort concentrates on the KC-46 Pegasus, a refuelling aircraft equipped with cameras supporting remotely controlled fuel transfer operations.

Its remote vision equipment allows boom operators to guide the refuelling apparatus using camera feeds and 3D displays instead of direct observation.

However, the aircraft's existing viewing technology has experienced persistent technical difficulties, although military officials expect most outstanding problems to be resolved soon.

Developers are expected to consider interactive review environments that allow pilots and instructors to examine manoeuvres from different perspectives.

The technology could eventually connect with flight simulators, virtual reality equipment and augmented reality training platforms already used for aviation instruction.

Military planners want an operational prototype suitable for integration with existing training arrangements for at least one category of receiving aircraft.

The solicitation also identifies potential applications beyond refuelling, including automated assessments of other aviation activities throughout the Department of Defense

Via Defense News

Elvis Presley has been dead for nearly 50 years, but apparently even the 'King of Rock and Roll' can't escape the AI industry's appetite for training data. The owners of 274 Elvis songs made famous by Presley have sued Anthropic, accusing the company behind Claude of using his music without permission to build its AI models, and are seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages.

AI companies should have to take copyright seriously too, even if that makes their business models more expensive.

Anthropic disputes the allegations and says it intends to defend the case. AI companies have long argued that training models on copyrighted works can qualify as fair use, an issue courts are still working through. There's an important legal difference between learning patterns from existing material and reproducing protected expression, but that distinction has become a remarkably convenient place for the AI industry to hide its enormous dependence on other people's creativity.

It's hard to sympathize with the companies on the receiving end of these sorts of lawsuits, even when the plaintiffs are not without resources of their own. Unfortunately, these disputes are becoming all too normal. AI-powered music is becoming more widespread, if not necessarily popular, and we've reached a point where discovering that an AI company allegedly used hundreds of copyrighted songs without permission barely qualifies as surprising news.

The only unusual part is that this time the person whose music is at the center of the dispute happens to be Elvis Presley.

A little less uncompensated song use

The lawsuit makes an accusation that goes beyond simply using copyrighted material for training. According to the complaint, Claude could generate material that closely resembled existing Elvis songs, even after Anthropic introduced safeguards intended to prevent infringement. Requests to recreate songs for modern audiences allegedly produced versions retaining recognizable elements of the originals.

Claude is an impressive assistant, but its ability to answer questions doesn't suddenly make songwriters' copyright interests irrelevant.

An AI model learning about music isn't automatically infringing copyright, and copyright law doesn't give anyone ownership of an entire musical style. But if a commercial AI system reproduces protected lyrics or creates unauthorized adaptations, it's hard to see why the company behind it should get a special exemption simply because the copying happens through complicated software.

AI companies have been trying out various arguments in court, but a lot of it feels like an attempt to claim that AI development is so important that the usual rules should somehow bend around it. Training requires enormous amounts of information, and licensing everything would be expensive or inconvenient, but that's a standard headache for companies whose products rely on copyrighted material.

(Image credit: Warner Bros)

TV shows and movies license music, whether an original track or just the right to record a new version for their project. No company is allowed to simply grab hold of copyrighted material simply because clearing it would slow down development. AI companies should have to take copyright seriously too, even if that makes their business models more expensive.

It's also particularly galling that songs people spent years creating and popularizing can become raw material for commercial technology without the rights holders having any meaningful say. Access to a work and permission to exploit it are separate questions, regardless of how sophisticated the software becomes. Ignoring those rules is why artists who passed away decades ago seem to produce new music whose earnings don't go to their estate.

AI music turns the volume up

Elvis is hardly the first musician to become part of this fight. Major music publishers have already sued Anthropic over allegations involving copyrighted lyrics, while AI music generator Suno has faced legal challenges from record labels. The Elvis lawsuit stands out because it focuses on the catalog associated with one of the most recognizable performers in history.

That fame might help draw attention to a problem that has affected considerably less powerful creators for years. Independent artists may struggle to establish whether their work was used to train a model. If someone with Elvis Presley's commercial legacy needs a federal lawsuit to challenge alleged unauthorized copying, ordinary musicians' prospects look bleak.

Of course, the companies controlling Elvis's catalog aren't struggling artists themselves, but that doesn't make the underlying complaint any less important. The principle shouldn't depend on whether the copyright owner is wealthy or famous.

(Image credit: Getty Images / Mike Kemp)

I'm also not convinced that every AI company needs unrestricted access to practically everything ever written or recorded to produce useful technology. Claude is an impressive assistant, but its ability to answer questions doesn't suddenly make songwriters' copyright interests irrelevant. If AI developers want to build profitable products using creative works, they should be prepared to explain where that material came from and why they were entitled to use it.

The courts may decide in Anthropic's favor due to fair use, but even that ruling wouldn't automatically mean AI companies have permission to go wild on every song ever recorded. The best path forward won't be as simple as making it always allowed or illegal to use copyrighted material for AI training, but the companies building these systems shouldn't rely on their ambitions as a good enough reason to ignore rights holders.

The AI industry has become very good at explaining how much it needs human creativity, but it's time it became equally good at respecting the people responsible for it.

• Nvidia reveals plans to invest $3 billion in Meta’s share offering
• Meta could raise $95 billion to finance its expanding AI infrastructure
• Nvidia hardware will support Meta’s next generation of artificial intelligence agents

Nvidia has revealed plans to invest $3 billion in Meta’s share offering while both companies increase cooperation on artificial intelligence systems designed to operate as personal agents.

The agreement will give Meta access to additional Nvidia computing technology as Facebook’s parent company develops its Muse models and associated artificial intelligence services.

It also includes discussions about agent supervision technologies, although the companies have not disclosed a timetable for implementing every proposed collaboration.

Nvidia hardware will power Meta’s next generation of AI agents

Meta expects to install more Nvidia equipment, including its forthcoming Vera Rubin platform and Vera central processors, to support training and execution of advanced agent systems.

The companies also intend to improve performance throughout the computing process, with particular attention to processing efficiency, system throughput and infrastructure operating expenses.

Networking equipment will form another part of Meta’s planned deployment, including Nvidia Spectrum-X technology and BlueField-4 components for handling communication between computing resources.

The companies are considering Nvidia’s OpenShell architecture for safer agent deployment, alongside Sentry technology intended to track agent activity and support data processing.

“AI agents represent a new computing paradigm — software that understands our goals, reasons, uses tools and gets work done on our behalf,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia.

“This changes how we use computers, from operating applications to working with intelligent agents.”

Meta claims its Muse systems have achieved strong results in benchmark testing, while consumer downloads have climbed since their initial release.

“Muse is how we bring personal superintelligence to everyone. We’re excited to keep working with Nvidia to deliver the best personal agents and frontier models for billions of people,” said Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta.

However, the companies have not supplied specific download totals or independent comparisons that would establish how widely these models outperform competing products.

Meta’s multibillion-dollar fundraising supports its AI expansion

Nvidia’s investment comes as Meta prepares to raise substantial capital through share sales intended to finance its expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Meta initially outlined a fundraising programme worth approximately $35 billion, comprising $22.5 billion in ordinary Class A shares and $12.5 billion in convertible depositary securities.

The company subsequently increased its ordinary share sale to $25 billion, with each Class A share offered at $625 and depositary securities priced at $50 per share.

Its broader fundraising plans could generate up to $95 billion through successive offerings, though the full amount is not guaranteed.

Nvidia’s proposed $3 billion contribution would make it a participant in Meta’s financing, linking its investment directly to a major customer’s infrastructure spending.

The companies have not disclosed how much additional Nvidia equipment Meta will purchase under the expanded partnership or when all planned deployments will occur.

• Getac's B360X and B360X Pro are bringing Intel Panther Lake chips, 14-inch 1,400-nit screens, and Wi-Fi 7 to its rugged B360 line
• The 180 TOPS headline only applies to the B360X with a Core Ultra X7, a chip Getac doesn't offer in the defense-focused Pro
• The Pro's integrated AI rating is about 98 TOPS, in line with last year's model, leaving an optional Nvidia RTX PRO 500 as its main AI upgrade

Getac has unveiled the B360X and B360X Pro, a pair of fully rugged 14-inch notebooks built around Intel's Core Ultra Series 3 "Panther Lake" processors and pitched at people who need to run AI workloads far from a reliable connection.

The Taiwanese company says the new machines deliver up to 180 TOPS of AI compute with both models due in November 2026 and no pricing announced.

Getac isn't subtle about who the Pro is for. Its product page calls it "purpose-built for defense and military professionals" and lists defense as its only industry, while the B360X is pitched at public safety, utilities, and industrial manufacturing. Our 2023 review noted that the B360 Pro is "sold as military-grade and mission-ready, out of the box," and that still seems true in 2026.

What has grown is the breadth of the push. In March, Getac launched CommandCore, a rugged drone ground control station that it pitches to "Army aviation and integrated air defense systems." Rivals are chasing the same customers, with Durabook's triple-screen Z14I-DX3 aimed at command posts and drone teams.

Plenty of upgrades under the hood even as focus remains centric to AI

Both notebooks replace the outgoing B360 and B360 Pro's 13.3-inch 1080p panel with a 14-inch, 1920 x 1200 LumiBond display rated at 1,400 nits, plus a touchscreen that Getac says works with compatible gloves or in the rain.

According to Getac's B360X spec sheet, the larger screen fits in the same 342 x 281mm footprint as the 13.3-inch models, with a slightly slimmer chassis and a 2.38kg weight.

Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 are standard, with 4G LTE, 5G Sub-6, and a dedicated L1/L5 GPS module optional, alongside up to two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a smart card reader, TPM 2.0, a 5MP Windows Hello camera, and an optional second SSD for up to 4TB in total. The usual rugged credentials are included: MIL-STD-810H, MIL-STD-461G, and IP66 ratings; a 6ft (1.8m) drop rating while operating; and optional salt fog certification.

Intel calls the 180 TOPS figure platform TOPS, which adds the NPU, integrated graphics, and CPU together. Only Panther Lake's "X" chips reach it because only they carry the 12-core Arc B390 graphics, which accounts for 122 TOPS on its own, plus a 50 TOPS NPU, according to Intel's figures.

Getac offers exactly one such chip, the Core Ultra X7 358H, and its own footnotes confirm it is only available on the B360X. The B360X Pro tops out at the Core Ultra 7 356H and 366H, which use a four-core graphics version, and the 356H is rated at 98 TOPS on the same measure.

That is essentially level with last year's hardware. The Core Ultra 7 255H offered in Getac's 2025 B360 range is rated at 96 TOPS, so on Intel's own yardstick, the defense-focused model's integrated AI budget has barely moved.

A lot of AI muscle on offer

What has changed is where those TOPS live. The NPU jumps from 13 TOPS on the older Arrow Lake H chips to as much as 50 TOPS, clearing the 40 TOPS bar Microsoft set for Copilot+ PCs, and Getac now lists both models under that banner on its website. That matters to the target audience and the need to know it is achievable on battery, since NPUs are built around sustained, low-power inference.

Even that isn't new for the family. Getac billed its Lunar Lake-based B360 Plus as the first fully rugged Copilot+ PC when it launched in June 2025, with a 48 TOPS NPU, and the Core Ultra 7 258V it offers is rated at around 115 platform TOPS. When we covered that machine, we warned that the practical benefits "may not be as clear-cut as the branding suggests," and things have since come full circle.

Microsoft has also cooled on the NPU push. As PCWorld pointed out in January 2026, few applications make use of NPUs, and Windows' newer AI tooling lets developers run inference on GPUs and CPUs as well. Getac's generational AI claims hold up for the top B360X configuration, and for NPU-bound work across the range. For the Pro, they are a stretch.

Getac hasn't explained why it reserves the X7 for the B360X, but Intel's platform rules likely explain it. The X-series models seem locked to LPDDR5x memory, and Notebookcheck's spec comparison shows the X7 358H exposes 12 PCIe lanes, versus 20 on the Core Ultra 7 356H. A machine built around a discrete GPU option and an expansion bay needs those lanes more than it needs a bigger iGPU. This means Getac's stated specs might need a small tweak to note that the B360X also comes in an LPDDR5X-touting trim, since it makes no mention of any memory but "DDR5" so far.

The B360X Pro takes a different route, offering an optional RTX PRO 500 Blackwell with 6GB of GDDR7. Getac's release frames it as a graphics upgrade, but this is where the Pro's real AI headroom sits.

Nvidia rates the RTX PRO 500 at 294 AI TOPS, but its own RTX PRO line card carries a crucial footnote: "NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs are based on FP4 AI TOPS with sparsity." Intel quotes 8-bit integer (INT8) operations without that sparsity assumption, so the two numbers can't be compared directly.

For context, the RTX 5090's headline 3,352 AI TOPS corresponds to 838 INT8 TOPS without sparsity, a four-to-one ratio. Applying the same ratio to the RTX PRO 500 puts it at roughly 74 dense INT8 TOPS, below the 122 TOPS Intel claims for the X7's integrated graphics.

That doesn't make the B360X the better AI machine for every job. The Nvidia card brings 288GB/s of dedicated memory bandwidth, native FP4 support, and CUDA, still the default target for much AI software, although 6GB of VRAM limits the size of the model it can hold. Getac hasn't published benchmarks for either configuration.

Via TechPowerUp

Astell & Kern PD5: Two-minute review

It’s been a long time since Astell & Kern has had a genuinely affordable digital audio player in its line-up, and the launch of the PD5 does nothing to change that.

It’s been a while since the company had anything as visually unremarkable as this in its catalog, too — but try not to get hung up on the perceived value and instead concentrate on the priceless nature of its sound quality.

And besides, a considerable amount of money put Astell & Kern’s way for a PD5 may not buy you much in the way of design or tactility but it gets you an extremely thoroughly specified device. Eight Cirrus Logic DACs? 20-point EQ adjustment? Balanced and unbalanced headphone outputs? The ability to work as a desktop DAC? Enough power to get a tune out even the most uncooperative headphones? The PD5 has all of this, and more — and it’s all in the service of audio performance that’s as good as any portable device at anything like this price point.

When it comes to clarity, to detail retrieval and to outright fidelity, the PD5 is extremely hard to criticise and yes, it fully emphatically deserves a place in our best MP3 players guide. And its talents don’t stop there, not even close — its sound is punchily robust, effortlessly dynamic, brilliantly controlled and organised, and thoroughly engaging. If you take your portable listening experience seriously (or your desktop listening experience for that matter — the PD5 is also an excellent USB DAC), this Astell & Kern absolutely demands your attention.

Away from audio quality the PD5 isn’t perfect; there are rare occasions on which it can be glitchy in operation, its on-screen menus are approaching ‘miniscule’, and it neither looks nor feels quite as expensive as it actually is. All of this, though, is made to seem fairly trivial by the way the PD5 performs its primary function.

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Astell & Kern PD5 review: Price and release date

• Priced $1,049 / £899 / AU$1,349
• Announced in August 2026; released in September 2026

The Astell & Kern PD5 digital audio player is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it costs £899. In the United States it will set you back $1,049, while in Australia it goes for AU$1,349.

Anyone familiar with such devices knows that for an A&K player, that's actually not so expensive — again, note my 'for an A&K player' wording there. This company's flagship DAPs go for $3,999 / £3,799 / AU$6,599 (Astell & Kern A&ultima SP4000 and its newer T-suffixed sibling, I'm looking at you), but you can also get a hi-res player from A&K's sub-brand — called the Activo P1 — for $430 / £399 (around AU$869).

There are crucial differences in the specifications which I'll go into, but it's good to have an idea of the market at least, when looking at such a fee and being told by its makers that it is "entry level".

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Astell & Kern PD5 review: Features

• Eight (count ‘em!) Cirrus Logic CS43198 DACs
• Balanced and unbalanced headphone outputs
• Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX HD support

The PD5 isn’t the first Astell & Kern product that’s been so thoroughly specified that discussing every one of its features in any kind of depth might take up most of your day. So let’s say right from the off that no eventuality has been overlooked where the PD5 is concerned, and then let’s deal with the headlines and then try not to get too bogged down in all the rest of it…

Never knowingly understated, Astell & Kern has fitted eight Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC chipsets here. The user interface gives you the option of listening using four, or all eight — listening in octa-mode offers optimal sound quality, but eats into battery life quite badly (engage all eight DACs and you’re looking at 15 hours of playback as opposed to the 28 or so you should get when listening to ‘just’ four). Taking the battery from ‘flat’ to ‘full’ takes around two-and-a-half hours.

In terms of feeding digital audio content to that considerable digital-to-analog conversion line-up, you have a few options. The bare-bones Android user interface Astell & Kern has deployed here, along with dual-band wi-fi, allows you to download the app of your favourite music streaming service(s), and 64GB of internal memory allows you to store some content to the PD5’s local storage. There’s a microSD card slot on the bottom of the frame (next to the USB-C slot that’s used for data transfer and for battery charging) too — it can accept cards of up to 1.5TB, which should prove adequate for all the hi-res content you might desire.

The player can deal with resolutions of up to 32bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256, and is Roon Ready as well as featuring full-on Qobuz Connect integration. Or you might decide to bypass the fancy-pants D-to-A circuitry altogether and use Bluetooth to drive a pair of wireless headphones (although it does seem a bit of a weird idea to spend £899 on a player in order to use it like a smartphone).

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

The PD5 features Bluetooth 5.3 with codec support up to and including aptX HD. It also has two headphone outputs: an unbalanced 3.5mm socket and a balanced 4.4mm alternative that’s compatible with five-pole jacks. Use the 4.4mm output, select octa-DAC mode, and the Astell & Kern can summon a mammoth 8Vrms of power — so even the most demanding headphones will have to do as they are told. But there are quite a few ways in which the sound can be affected, both by the device and by the person using it, before it reaches these outputs.

The ‘EnviroTune’ feature uses a mic integrated into the top edge of the PD5 to analyse ambient noise in real time and correct those frequencies affected by it without just making everything louder. The ‘Teraton Alpha’ audio engine that’s familiar from some of Astell & Kern’s uber-pricey DAPs minimises noise from the power supply and creates amplification that’s as stable and distortion-free as possible. And ‘Enhanced Signal Alignment’ technology synchronises outgoing signals in an effort to negate phase distortion and deliver the most coherent sonic image possible.

The end user, meanwhile, gets a choice of digital filters and some quite in-depth EQ adjustment to look into. The default filter is ‘low latency fast’, and it is as distinct in its effect as ‘low latency slow’, ‘phase compensated fast’ and ‘phase compensated slow’ are from each other. A ten-band EQ offers fairly granular adjustment of the sound, and an ‘advanced’ EQ interface allows frequency response to be defined using a graph with 20 (!) plotting points.

The PD5 will function as a desktop too, thanks to its USB-C slot’s ability with data transfer. Simply make a hard connection to, say, your laptop, select ‘DAC input’ in the ‘USB Mode’ sub-menu, and the Astell & Kern automatically switches on octa-DAC mode in order to give your computer a proper go at sounding decent for once.

Features score: 5 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Astell & Kern PD5 review: Sound quality

• Clarity, detail and dynamism in equal measure
• Organised and fully resolved sound
• Well-controlled punch and drive

The Astell & Kern PD5 is an admirably unpicky device, although obviously there are limits. Give it the sort of standard content available on a proper music streaming service (which means a CD-quality resolution of 16bit/44.1kHz) and it does an admirable job of maximising the information available to it. Step down from there, though, to the sort of squashed nonsense served up by Apple Music or Spotify, and the PD5 struggles to conceal its disdain. But you didn’t spend proper money to listen to compressed poverty-spec streams, did you?

So a 16bit/44.1kHz stream of Hood’s Western Housing Concerns is delivered in tremendous fashion. The presentation is open and spacious, with an expansive soundstage on which each element of the recording gets ample room in which to stretch out and express itself. The layout is rigorously observed, and the PD5’s powers or organisation mean the stage is locked in place and completely convincing.

Tonality is absolutely neutral, the player offering neither heat nor chill to the colour of the recording. There’s excellent clarity to the presentation, a really dark and quiet background in front of which the band perform — and at every stage of the frequency range, there’s absolutely fanatical attention to detail. No matter how minor an occurrence, how far back in the mix, or how fleeting, the Astell & Kern will seize upon it and give it precisely the amount of weight and emphasis it requires.

Frequency response is similarly even-handed, and similarly convincing as a result. A switch to a DSD64 file of Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough reveals deep, textured, tremendously varied and thrillingly solid low-frequency response, and bass is controlled to the point that rhythmic expression is never less than positive and confident. Midrange resolution is no less accomplished, with the singer’s mic technique made every bit as apparent as his tone and timbre. The top of the frequency range strikes a lovely balance between substance and brilliance, and again there’s an absolutely stack of information available. The PD5 doesn’t over- or underemphasise any part of the frequency range, and as a result this glossy, audibly expensive recording sounds as natural and polished as it ever did.

Dynamic headroom is considerable when it’s time to describe big variations in volume or intensity or attack, and the more subtle dynamics of harmonic variation and transient response are never overlooked. The entire presentation hangs together seamlessly, the Astell & Kern offering a proper sense of unity and singularity to recordings of every type.

And perhaps best of all, there’s nothing show-y or even especially analytical about the way the PD5 goes about things. As far as insight into a recording goes it’s basically untouchable at the money, but that’s not what defines the Astell & Kern. It’s the energy of its sound, the engaged and engaging nature of its performance, that makes it as entertaining a listen as you’ll get from a portable device costing less than four figures.

Sound quality score: 5 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Astell & Kern PD5 review: Design

• 120 x 70 x 16mm (HxWxD)
• 4.1in touchscreen display
• 198g

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the Astell & Kern PD5 as a physical object, let me make that clear from the off. The dimensions are nicely palm-sized, the weight is sufficient to make it feel like a premium product without being a burden to a jacket pocket, and the standard of fit and finish is impeccable.

And I’m not about to pretend I miss the painfully pointy edges of some previous Astell & Kern models, either — the PD5 is a much friendlier proposition in this respect — nor the painfully self-conscious offset screen of the old SR35. But there’s nothing remarkable about the design of the PD5, nothing to set it apart from the pack of products competing with it for your hard-earned. Even the volume dial, previously a little Astell & Kern design flourish, is unremarkable here.

I realise I can’t have it all ways, and a calm and sensible aesthetic is preferable to something overwrought and wilful. But I find myself slightly concerned that for the PD5, Astell & Kern may have bypassed its industrial design team altogether…

Design score: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Astell & Kern PD5 review: Usability and setup

• Bright, rather reflective screen
• In-depth menus
• Occasional operational oddities

As mentioned, the PD5 uses a stripped-back version of Android as its user interface — and it’s all the better for it. Too many digital audio players pointlessly include a lot of your smartphone’s functionality for no reason, as far as I can tell, other than to eat into the machine’s local memory.

The 4.1in touchscreen is bright, although rather more reflective than is ideal, and it’s responsive without being on a hair trigger. The Astell & Kern’s menus are extensive, and as a result the font size is really very small — but squint and you should be able to make out what’s what (even if the occasional use of ‘red on black’ for text is a terrible idea).

Setting up the PD5 to your satisfaction isn’t the work of a moment. But when you finally get finished you can at least be sure you have a digital audio player that’s primed to do exactly what you want, and in the manner you want it.

There are occasional glitches in operation, though — or, at least, that’s my experience. I install the Tidal music streaming app, and also insert a microSD card full of hi-res content. But every now and then, both sources will play at the same time. Pressing ‘play’ on a Tidal file usually stops playback from the local storage and vice versa — but not always, which is a weird one and no mistake.

Usability and setup score: 3.5 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)Astell & Kern PD5 review: Value

Because the majority of the money you’ve spent on a PD5 has gone on the internals, it’s difficult to suggest its perceived value is especially high even if you accept that it’s beautifully constructed and even quite tactile. No, the value for money Astell & Kern is offering here doesn’t reveal itself until you start listening — and then it becomes quickly apparent that your money has been very well spent indeed.

Value score: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Astell & Kern PD5? Buy it if... 

You have needy headphones
The PD5 is equipped to make even the most difficult headphones bend to its will.

You’re after uncompromised sound quality
With the Astell & Kern you get what you pay for and then some.

You’re sharp-eyed as well as sharp-eared
Navigating those set-up menus is no job for anyone who’s misplaced their spectacles.

Don't buy it if... 

You want to see, as well as hear, where your money has gone
The PD5 is a perfectly pleasant little device, but its appearance doesn’t exactly shout “almost a grand!”

You don’t own decent wired headphones
The Astell & Kern sounds perfectly fine via Bluetooth, but really your smartphone will do a pretty similar job.

Astell & Kern PD5 review: Also consider

FiiO M23
The FiiO M23 has been around for a couple of years now, but really this only means it’s now competing almost directly with the PD5 on price. It remains a biggish, bulky-ish device, it’s true, but it also remains one of the most poised, direct and downright musical digital audio players around. Give it the right stuff to work with in terms of content and headphones, and the sound quality is enthralling. Read our full FiiO M23 review

How I tested the Astell & Kern PD5

• Listened using Tidal and Qobuz files
• Popped a 512GB microSD card loaded with extremely hi-res content into it
• Used Sennheiser IE900 and Meze Audio Strada for most of my testing

I installed the Tidal music streaming app and also deployed Qobuz Connect (it’s a slicker experience altogether than installing the app onto the player), and I inserted a 512GB microSD card loaded with extremely high-resolution content.

Then I connected a pair of Sennheiser IE900 IEMs using the 4.4mm balanced output, and also used a pair of Meze Audio Strada headphones connected the same way.

I also investigated the PD5’s desktop DAC credentials by plugging it into an Apple MacBook Pro and using the Qobuz and Tidal desktop apps to listen to hi-res using the same pairs of headphones.

• First reviewed in October 2026

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Now that I've seen and touched the touchscreen MacBook Pro, I'm starting to understand that, despite the invention of a Frankenstein-ed new display term ('PROLED'?), this display might be something special. It looks extraordinary, and when compared visually with, say, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Aura Edition, which also has a Tandem OLED, it doesn't even seem to be of the same species.

There are good reasons for this, which span from the fabrication process to the core specs of what is clearly Apple's most advanced laptop display yet.

Starting with manufacturing, Apple says it employed an unnamed manufacturing partner to build these panels in what's known as a Gen-8 OLED Fab. Seeing as there are just four of these cutting-edge facilities in the world, and that one of them is operated by Samsung Display, which has reportedly partnered with Apple on display tech previously, I'd guess it's Samsung.

One of the most notable features of these manufacturing facilities is their massive size. Whoever the partner is, we know that the touchscreen MacBook Pro's panels are being manufactured in a chamber around the size of the Colosseum in Rome. These huge facilities improve yield, efficiency, and costs.

Though less than a millimeter thick, the laptop PROLED XDR panel is comprised of 50 layers. Even what appear to be individual panels have many layers, sometimes just a nanometer thick. The two stacks of OLED have, for instance, 30 layers, though the organic self-emissive material is layered onto the panels and dried, making the layers range from one nanometer to hundreds of nanometers thick. FWIW, I held some of these individual panels, and they are incredibly thin and light.

Behind the OLED is the TFT (thin-film transistor) glass substrate that powers and drives the imagery on the surface.

What's not mentioned here is the digitizing layer (basically the same touch technology you find on the iPhone and iPad) that drives touch; that's because it's integrated with the whole in a process that, if it isn't already, probably should be patented.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Despite working with a third party, the production is another Apple trademark bespoke process, and one not necessarily replicated in other Tandem OLED or even basic OLED display manufacturing processes.

The specs bear that out. Where the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Aura Edition touch display has a pleasing 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, Apple's touchscreen MacBook Pro boasts 10,000,000:1. In person, and even under bright lighting conditions, the blacks and definition I saw on the touchscreen MacBook Pro PROLED XDR are stunning.

The MacBook Pro display also looks better because Apple equipped it with up to 2,000 nits for HDR and SDR content, and both an anti-reflective screen and the option of the nano-etched one, as well. Essentially, I could see myself reflected in the Lenovo, and could not detect my reflection in the MacBook Pro.

Also, for those concerned about fingerprints collecting on the touchscreen MacBook Pro, Apple has applied an oleophobic coating to the standard and etched displays. In my hands-on time with several of the new laptops, I didn't notice any significant fingerprints.

Lance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / Future

Compared to the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i's 1,600 nits, the touchscreen MacBook Pro looks better equipped for working in direct sunlight. Based on what I saw, the MacBook Pro also maintains much better off-axis color quality.

Looking beyond direct visual comparisons with pro-grade Windows laptops, Apple is positioning the touchscreen MacBook Pro display as both a color reference screen and one that has grayscale precision reportedly sufficient for medical diagnostics. This is basically a reference monitor on a laptop frame.

So, sure, the story is that we finally have a touchscreen MacBook, but it may be the visual quality that ultimately wins over creative, business, medical, and film professionals. It's probably the best display Apple has ever produced, not just for a laptop, but possibly for any Mac system.

Of course, a screen panel alone does not make a laptop, and there are questions around whether everyone wants or needs touch, if the redesigned hinge is stable enough to keep the laptop from wobbling with every touch — and if touch capability is worth the almost $1,000 premium.

• Saab develops a working underwater drone demonstrator in less than a year
• Sweden's new underwater vehicle has completed its initial sea trials
• Military authorities will evaluate the drone before deciding on procurement use

Saab has built a large uncrewed underwater vehicle demonstrator, known as LUUV, in collaboration with Swedish defense authorities.

The company finished development in less than a year after receiving its contract, and the prototype has already passed its first sea trials successfully.

This means the drone now counts as a working demonstrator, giving engineers a real platform they can test and improve in the water.

Quick progress and real-world testing

The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and the Swedish Armed Forces are also involved, and they will help judge whether the technology suits military needs.

Saab says the fast progress came from officials and engineers working side by side to develop and test the equipment in a short period.

“This project demonstrates how new technologies can be rapidly translated into practical operational value,” said Mats Wicksell, head of Saab’s business area Naval.

“The fact that we have also been able to develop and test the system in such a short timeframe demonstrates the strength of the collaboration between the Swedish Armed Forces, FMV and Saab.”

Saab argues this kind of partnership can shorten the time between spotting a military requirement and testing a practical solution at sea.

The completed sea trials offer a first look at how the vehicle performs in actual ocean conditions, rather than only during development testing.

A demonstrator is an early working model built to prove that an idea functions, rather than a finished product ready for regular service.

However, this milestone applies only to a demonstrator, so further development is still needed before the system can be considered ready for operational use.

Going forward, Saab expects the next phase to bring more autonomous functions, software improvements and additional sensors.

Software, benefits, and open questions

The project relies on Saab's Autonomous Ocean Core, a proprietary software platform designed to let underwater and surface vessels operate autonomously without constant human control.

This software-focused approach lets developers build automated functions into marine platforms and adjust them later as operational requirements change over time.

Saab believes uncrewed underwater vehicles could extend mission endurance, improve awareness of activity beneath the surface and strengthen a navy's overall capabilities under the sea.

Such platforms could prove useful for maritime surveillance and other underwater missions, although Saab has not shared the full specifications of this particular demonstrator.

The company has not announced the vehicle's size, maximum depth, endurance, speed or payload capacity, so many important details remain unknown for now.

The next development phase will therefore be important, because it should show which capabilities the platform can actually deliver to the armed forces.

Swedish authorities will, however, use these results to decide whether the technology deserves more investment.

Whatever happens next, Saab has shown that close collaboration between industry and government can deliver a working underwater vehicle in a remarkably short time.

Via Drone Front

I did not expect to love the AirPods Max 2 so much, upon testing them. Nobody is more surprised than me that I chose Apple's new over-ears for Headphones of the Year at the TechRadar Product of the Year Awards 2026.

Bowers & Wilkins has won this award the last few years, and I even hovered over the excellent five-star HEDD HEDDPhones D1 for a moment. But despite being trailblazing cans from a pioneering new audio outfit (and for some, that will fit the bill perfectly) the D1 are open-back, wired, passive beasts. And the thing is, AirPods Max 2 just do so much more for the money.

Even though you, the readers, also voted the AirPods Max 2 for this award in our TechRadar Readers' Choice Awards 2026, I'm certain there will still be some cries of discontentment about this. 'Wait, so Apple's AirPods Max 2, the set that look almost identical to the 2020 originals, and have lower battery life than any of the competition, and have no wireless hi-res codecs (and the wired lossless support also came to first-gen model anyway), and that still come with the weird headphone bra case, those won?'

Yes. Yes really. And if you give me a few minutes, I'm going to explain why. That said, if you still want to comment below, I'm all ears.

(Image credit: Future)Yes, AirPods Max 2 look similar to their 7-year-old siblings — they're just that good

OK, so the lossless stuff with a wired connection isn't new, and neither is the look of the things. But what has changed with these March 2026 issue cans is the inclusion of a new H2 chip and all of its computational wizardry. And this makes them punchier sonically, ups the ANC efficacy significantly (and it wasn't at all bad beforehand, remember), and adds new perks such as Live Translation, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Head Gesture control and the Camera Remote feature.

The one caveat is that some features require an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. Android owner? This isn't your day I'm afraid, and I'm sorry about that — your closest pick would be last September's Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Gen 2).

But the box-fresh Apple Intelligence features genuinely make for an excellent, full-throttle music and call-handling experience that does everything you need and does it with minimal fuss, app consultations, screen taps or button pushing.

For me, the right way to go about Apple's incredible implementation of ANC here is to deploy both noise cancellation and the Conversation Awareness toggle, which you'll find with a tap of the AirPods Max bubble near the top of the settings tab on your iPhone, or by swiping down from the top-right of your screen, to get the Control Center.

What it means is that by default, you will not be interrupted, but when you speak up, music is automatically lowered and external noises are piped in as you need them. And I'm mentioning this specifically because so many rival headphones aim to offer this (ie. a cocoon of silence as a backdrop for your music, but with a decent bit of software that kicks in when you speak to take it all away and pipe ambient sound in) and don't get anywhere near achieving what Apple has done.

OK so it's not groundbreaking. But it is so, so good in your everyday work life — I implore you to try it, if you get the chance.

That said, if you take just one thing away from this particular feature let it be that the claim in the marketing release is true: the noise-cancellation in AirPods Max 2 really is 1.5 times better than before. It's outstanding.

These headphones are almost deviously, head-shakingly good at isolating and melting away the noise from my surroundings, but without the wind-tunnel effect or pressure sensation I have occasionally found disconcerting or nauseating in other cans — the handful that offer ANC anywhere near this effective, at any rate.

I maintain that for emotive music or movies using Apple's special (and decidedly specific) brand of head-tracked Spatial Audio with a backdrop of near-silence wherever I tested them, Apple's AirPods Max 2 went straight to the top of a big pile.

Did I mention how comfortable they are? So many headphones start to dig in across the top of my head. That never happens with Apple's slightly odd-looking but delightfully nonrestrictive mesh headband.

Simply put, they're the headphones I started reaching for on the daily since I acquired them in March of this year, and they're still the set I reach for now. I didn't think this would happen, but it would be wrong of me to deny it, all the same.

Despite several other new releases resting on my desk at any given moment, it's the AirPods Max 2 I always go for when the working day is done. And I was taught a long time ago that this can only mean they're the best product you've currently got — we cannot argue with our own subliminal preference. I mean, that is as long as they haven't run out of battery…

• Report says AI is being given too much authority and autonomy to handle business-critical security decisions
• 70% of organizations delegate decisions to AI that would have been made by a human 12 months ago
• A “control gap” exists between the authority given to AI and an organization’s ability to audit it

Delegating complicated decisions to AI is leading organizations to place relatively new technology in charge of user permissions, in control of sensitive data, and risk security issues, new research has claimed.

A study by Illumio looked into how organizations are handing decision recently performed by humans to AI, without apparently taking into account the potential for serious issues to arise.

It found the majority (70%) of organizations are delegating previously human-made decisions to AI, but only around half (49%) can see what action is taken by an AI agent an audit it.

AI recommendations

The nature of AI agents makes this a particularly risky strategy, and the research has found that an incredible 56% of organizations are willing to accept greater cyber risks than 12 months ago. Almost half of that group (47%) have admitted to permitting AI actions in production environments.

Allowing AI agents to have free run of enterprise data, applications, and infrastructure is leading to wholly avoidable situations. Illumio’s research found that a control gap between the rules that organizations believe AI agents are operating within and what the technology is actually capable of.

Some 76% of organizations have experienced one or more security issues thanks to AI in the past year, with 35% revealing that following AI recommendations would result in a security risk. Meanwhile, 26% reported AI agents or tools had connected to other systems without the necessary approval.

More worrying is the 24% of organizations reporting AI’s drive to access data it shouldn’t be able to see, and another 24% stating it has triggered (or produced) an unauthorized action.

Strict limits

Of course, AI is already used within cybersecurity, and has proved successful with multiple vendors rolling out AI-enhanced solutions. But while 67% of organizations are using AI cybersecurity tools, 32% let AI conduct investigations without human oversight and 29% permit the software to deploy code changes completely unsupervised.

“The biggest AI risk may not be a system that breaks its rules. It may be one that was never given meaningful limits in the first place," noted Raghu Nandakumara, VP of Industry Strategy at Illumio.

Unleashing AI agents without constraints has left businesses struggling to control the software.

As Nandakumara observes, AI agents are persistent, and attempting to outwit their next move is pointless. Instead, “businesses must set strict limits on what they can access and do, then enforce those limits within the application and across the underlying infrastructure. That is how you contain unexpected behavior before it causes real damage.”

• AI firm DeepGreen has suggested building data centers underwater
• This would help to keep the locations cool and running efficiently
• But the proposed locations could seriously harm endangered whale species

AI data centers need an awful lot of water to keep their machines running at optimal temperatures, and that creates a problem: just how do you get that much water on-site? One potential solution seems almost blindingly obvious: why not build them underwater? Yet as residents across the US are discovering, that idea is proving to be highly controversial.

Take the recently-pitched $100m underwater data center located off the coasts of Maine and Alaska, for example. AI firm DeepGreen Holdings has proposed building data centers off Western Passage, Maine, and Upper Cook Inlet, Alaska, and they would cover some 1,650 acres and comprise 66 compute pods and 300 tidal turbines.

The problem? Both locations are home to endangered whale populations that could be significantly impacted by the developments. In the case of the Maine site, the Gulf of Maine is linked to critical habits for the North Atlantic right whale. As for Upper Cook Inlet, that’s a designated critical habitat for the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale.

Whales rely heavily on echolocation to aid their feeding, navigation and social activities. Construction of enormous data centers of this scale would produce sizable noise pollution that could adversely affect the whale populations, potentially threatening what are already endangered animals.

According to researchers (via Gadget Review), the heat produced by the data centers, meanwhile, could scare off the cold-water prey that the whales need to survive.

Putting whales at risk

(Image credit: datacenterdynamics)

As you might expect, these projects have not gone down well with researchers and the public. For instance, Cooper Freeman of the Alaska Center for Biological Diversity described the move as “just really outrageous.” Freeman added that “We’re deeply concerned about all the harms this project could bring,” adding that the proposal lacks an awareness of “how dangerous this is for the inlet.”

On Reddit, meanwhile, members of the public seem equally upset at the idea. One described it as “Evil. May these people be judged one day and punished for this level of absolutely evil. Disgusting.” Others were even skeptical that underwater data centers are even feasible in the long run, due to the hardware's longevity.

With AI data centers consuming untold amounts of energy and requiring significant cooling to keep everything humming along, it’s not surprising that some companies are looking to submerge their facilities beneath the waves as a remedy. But when that idea involves worsening the situation for endangered species, perhaps it’s time to find another solution.

• A wheeled robot lays battlefield wire while engineers remain under cover
• A remote-controlled frame unwinds wire across exposed battlefield terrain without nearby engineers
• Ukrainian ground-robot missions rose from 7,511 in January to 19,940 in July 2026

Ukrainian troops are using remotely-operated wheeled robots to construct defensive obstacles in dangerous locations where military engineers face direct exposure.

The ground robot carries coils of wire on specially designed frames, releasing the material across designated areas as it moves forward.

Images from the Ukrainian military show one of these autonomous vehicles with six wheels, but the manufacturer and model remain unknown.

Ground robots take over dangerous engineering duties

The ground robot comes with a specially constructed framework mounted above its wheels that helps it to hold the wire rolls in place.

Its sloping support structure permits the material to unwind gradually while the machine advances, creating obstacles along the chosen route.

This machine is remotely operated by Ukraine's 16th Separate Support Brigade while remaining under cover.

This minimizes the risk and removes the need for engineering teams to stand outside protected positions while manually deploying wire across exposed terrain.

Ukrainian military officials acknowledge these dangers, explaining that robotic machines are now being deployed to construct battlefield obstacles instead of exposing soldiers.

“Installing barriers in an open area is always a risk for combat engineers. But today, this hard work is done by ground-based drones,” the Ground Forces of Ukraine said on social media.

At the moment, details regarding the carrying capacity, operational distance, and the amount of fencing that this robot can deploy in a single mission remain undisclosed.

Robotic missions increase sharply across Ukraine

This latest deployment extends Ukraine's expanding employment of unmanned terrestrial machines, protecting soldiers from confrontations.

Similar systems already transport ammunition and essential battlefield provisions, reducing the frequency of dangerous supply missions.

Data from Ukraine’s DELTA military management platform shows that robotic activity has increased considerably during the ongoing war with Russia.

Recorded operations reached 19,940 in July 2026, compared with only 7,511 in January, which points to much greater reliance on remotely operated ground equipment.

By the beginning of September, the total had reached roughly 112,000 recorded missions, showing how quickly these machines have become part of military operations.

These numbers cover robotic operations in general rather than wire installation specifically, so they cannot show how often these particular vehicles are used.

The military has not said how many barrier installation vehicles are currently in use, or whether other units operate similar equipment on the battlefield.

No figures have been released for successful installations, equipment losses or the distance these machines cover during each assignment, so their real effectiveness remains unclear.

Via Drone Front

Well, it’s finally happened: Apple has got with the times and finally made a laptop with a touchscreen. However, while the new MacBook Pros with PROLED screens look like fantastic devices, I think Apple has made a mistake by putting its first laptop touchscreen on the more expensive MacBook Pro, rather than the more mainstream MacBook Air… or even the MacBook Neo.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with a touchscreen starts at $2,899 / £2,899 / AU$4,599, and the 16-inch model starts at $3,399 / £3,399 / AU$5,499. That’s a big ask for most people, especially these days.

Of course, MacBook Pros, as the name suggests, are aimed at professionals, and thanks to their high-end components, they should really be seen as investments that allow you to speed up your workflow.

Interestingly the new touchscreen MacBook Pros come with Apple’s M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. If you want Apple’s latest M6 chip, you’ll need to go for the non-touchscreen 14-inch MacBook Pro that was announced a few days earlier. Perhaps confusingly, the M6 is less powerful than the M5 Pro and M5 Max, and so far there are no hints that Apple is preparing to release M6 Pro and M6 Max chips.

(Image credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN / Getty)

My point is that by putting its first-ever laptop touchscreen on its most powerful — and expensive — MacBooks, Apple is severely limiting the potential audience for the technology. Had it instead put a touchscreen on the more affordable MacBook Air, it could have had a real hit on its hands.

Who’s it for?

As someone who has used plenty of Windows laptops and Chromebooks with touchscreens in the past, I know how useful they can be for certain tasks, and I often miss them when using a MacBook.

Being able to scroll down a website with a finger, turn a page in an ebook, or quickly tap a menu item feels natural and intuitive, and I’m sure it will on the new MacBooks. My daughter, who grew up with touchscreens on everything, would also instinctively poke an often sticky, grubby (kids, you’ve got to love them!) finger at a MacBook screen and be surprised when nothing happened.

If you’re dropping $3,000+ on a touchscreen laptop just to use the touchscreen for browsing websites, then you’re either super-rich or you should get help with your budgeting.

These are all pretty simple tasks and gestures. What I've never used touchscreens on laptops for, however, is for complex tasks and tools, such as recording and editing music in Ableton Live, or editing videos in Adobe Premiere Pro.

Instead, for things that needed precision or complexity, nothing beat the good old combo of keyboard and touchpad (or even better, keyboard and a mouse), as well as other external peripherals such as MIDI controllers and drawing tablets. Which leads me to wonder why Apple picked the MacBook Pro, a device that’s supposedly designed for exactly those type of tasks, to showcase its first laptop touchscreen.

If you’re dropping $3,000+ on a touchscreen laptop to mostly just to use the touchscreen for browsing websites, then you’re either super-rich or you should get help with your budgeting.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and no touchscreen starts at $2,999 / £2,999 / AU$4,799. As the MacBook Pro with the PROLED XDR touchscreen with the same specs costs $400 / £400 / AU$700 more, that’s quite a premium for the touchscreen.

Yes, I know the PROLED XDR screen offers better image quality as well thanks to its tandem OLED tech (check out our explainer on why this is a big deal), but if you don’t need that additional image quality, which includes better contrast, higher brightness levels, and support for the Adobe RGB color gamut, and are just interested in the touchscreen, then essentially yeah, you’re paying $400 extra for it.

If you’re a professional, especially one in the creative industry, you’ll need to think long and hard if that investment is worth it. Meanwhile, the likes of the MacBook Air and MacBook Neo aren’t really used for complex creative tasks, and instead used for casual day-to-day use, where touchscreens are much more useful.

(Image credit: Mario Tama / Getty)

Granted, adding an extra $400 / £400 / AU$700 to the price of a MacBook Neo or MacBook Air wouldn’t be great, especially as they’ve just had a price bump earlier this year, but Apple wouldn’t need to include the OLED tech and advanced image-quality options included in the MacBook Pro. A touchscreen MacBook Neo for $899, say, could be a real hit, especially if Apple was to also keep the non-touchscreen model for people who still want the ultimate affordable way to get into the Mac ecosystem.

This isn’t just an Apple problem, of course. The new laptops powered by Nvidia’s RTX Spark SoC, which are aimed at the same creative professionals and heavy local AI users as the MacBook Pro (with similarly high price tags), come with touchscreens. I’ve spent a decent amount of time with each one at various events, and I found that the touchscreen was the least-used part of the laptop — in fact, I often forgot those laptops had one. Because there aren’t cheaper, non-touch, models, though I didn’t resent its inclusion.

As I said, I do get the appeal of touchscreen laptops, but I find the technology is best used in 2-in-1 devices where the keyboard can be flipped behind the screen (or removed entirely) so that it can be used as a tablet-like device.

In an ideal world, then, Apple would have put its touchscreen on an entirely new 2-in-1 MacBook, but I can’t see that happening any time soon. Apple sort of has a device like that — the powerful iPad Pro, which can be paired with a Magic Keyboard that turns it into a touchscreen laptop. The problem there, however, is that despite coming with Apple’s powerful M-series chips, the same you’ll find in MacBooks, the iPad Pro is limited to the iPadOS operating system and mobile apps.

Put macOS on that bad boy, however, and allow us to run full desktop applications on it, and hey presto: Apple has a touchscreen MacBook that utilizes the tech in a way that’s actually useful. Until then, I’ll stick with my standard MacBook Pro, and just try to remember not to prod it with my sausage fingers too often.

• YouTube announced it's hit 150 million subscribers across Premium and YouTube Music
• The platform also generated $11.2 billion in ad revenue
• Users say free tier ads are only getting worse, with some calling them 'unbearable'

YouTube announced that it has surpassed a whopping 150 million subscribers across its Premium and YouTube Music experiences — marking a huge milestone for the video platform and one of the best music streaming services.

Alphabet Inc CEO, Sundar Pichai, announced the figures in the platform’s Q3 earnings release on Wednesday (October 28), which increased by 25 million from a total of 125 million subscribers in March 2025, though individual numbers for Premium and YouTube Music weren’t disclosed. Pichai also shared that YouTube’s ad revenue rose to more than $11.2 billion compared to $10.3 billion in 2025.

Speaking about the milestone, Google’s Chief Business Officer, Philipp Schindler, said "With Premium and Premium Lite, viewers have choice. As more people opt into premium experiences, it’s a win for viewers, creators, and our business. Subscriptions help fund the creator ecosystem and drive the platform forward."

YouTube has accumulated over 25 million subscribers between now and when it last confirmed its total membership count in March 2025. When you break that down, that’s approximately 1.25 million new subscribers signing up each month, and it’s only going to increase.

While it’s not a traditional on-demand film and TV content platform, YouTube has emerged as a serious competitor among the best streaming services. In 2017, the company launched YouTube TV, and according to a recent report from Nielsen, it has surpassed Netflix in popularity for TV viewing. In July 2026, 49% of TV time was viewed via streaming platforms, with YouTube making up 14.2% of that, followed by Netflix at 7.8%.

There’s no denying YouTube Premium is rising in popularity, but as the company puts more effort into improving its paid services, a number of users have said its free version is becoming increasingly difficult to use because of the number of ads.

Earlier this year, I bit the bullet and signed up to a YouTube Premium free trial and, annoyingly, the experience was vastly more enjoyable. Not only does it grant you ad-free viewing, you get background and offline listening, as well as small but handy control tools and full access to YouTube Music. But once you go back to its free version, that’s when you truly realize how out of control YouTube’s ads have become — and I’m not the only one who’s noticed (see below).

Youtube ads have become out of control. from r/youtube

In addition to YouTube’s ‘completely unbearable’ ads, users have also pointed out the rise in AI-generated sponsored content which one Redditor claims advertise "obvious scam products". The combination of the two is the main catalyst for users abandoning YouTube as a platform altogether, and tech-savvy users are already opting for alternative ways to bypass ads.

One of the most popular ways YouTube viewers are working their way around ads is downloading browsers such as Brave, which users on Reddit have praised. Browsers like this come with built-in ad blockers, so it can automatically skip over ads when you’re streaming YouTube for free.

While YouTube gives you the option to tailor your ad experience and block certain types of promotional content, some users claim that when they do this, YouTube only feeds these ads to them even more. One user on Reddit used Old Spice as an example, saying "it's like blocking them has a reverse effect." Similarly, another user had an experience where they reported a potential scam ad, only for YouTube to email them with a counterargument.

I’m with a lot of other users who continue to call out YouTube for how expensive Premium has become (it now costs $15.99 / £12.99 / AU$22.99 a month), especially when you factor in your existing streaming subscriptions, so many of us just put up with its free service. Despite enjoying what Premium had to offer during my free trial, it doesn’t justify adding another subscription plan to my roster — my bank account will fall out with me.

• Attackers abused camera management software to gain initial access and establish persistence on networks
• Campaign used DLL sideloading and reverse shells to evade detection and maintain control
• Researchers urge treating camera systems as security-sensitive assets and monitoring them for abnormal activity

Security researchers have warned of an ongoing campaign targeting an apparent vulnerability in camera management software. The vulnerability is being used for initial access, allowing threat actors to establish a foothold on company infrastructure.

The warning bells were sounded by security outfit Huntress, whose researchers Harlan Carvey and Lindsey O'Donnell-Welch said that in September and October 2026, they observed a “handful of incidents” originating from camera management software.

In all cases the attackers abused a legitimate camera management system to side-load a malicious DLL file and gain access to the underlying system.

Who watches the watchmen?

Surprisingly, the team could not determine which camera software was being targeted, nor by whom.

“Huntress analysts were unable to determine the full name or creator/vendor of the software, as the file did not contain an embedded File Version Information section,” they said.

However, they did find an executable containing a few notable strings, which led them to believe a Korean company called 3R Global could be involved. They couldn’t confidently say that the Camera Management System (CMS) executable was downloaded from that company’s website, though.

Unfortunately, without knowing the exact name of the software being targeted, it is impossible to tell how many victims there were, or how big the attack surface is. Huntress’ “handful” designation does very little to explain just how dangerous this vulnerability is.

While the lack of key data limited their visibility into exactly how the threat actors were compromising the software, they could see what they were doing once they were inside - launching a reverse shell and side-loading malicious DLLs.

Once the initial access had been established, the attackers would drop a file named rs.win32.exe to the endpoint and would launch it via a command line. The command line would supply a remote IP address and port, and include an admin username.”This led us to see this as a reverse shell,” they said.

From there, they would drop a file called WpcMon.exe - a legitimate Microsoft Windows Parental Control Monitor file, used for parental-control and activity-monitoring features. In this case, however, the file is used to load malicious DLLs called IPHLPAPI.DLL and samcli.dll. On the surface, both appear to be legitimate zlib compression libraries, but in fact, they were changed to provide beaconing, contacting the external C2 server from time to time.

Huntress watches the watchmen watching the watchmen

“Part of the infection process also included creating persistence by adding a reference to the newly installed WpcMon.exe in a value beneath the user's Run key,” the researchers explained. “Threat actors typically add a program path to a user's Run registry key so Windows automatically launches their payload whenever that user signs in.”

Side-loading malicious DLL files is a popular infection technique. Instead of deploying an obviously malicious program (which might get flagged by antivirus products), the attackers drop a DLL file containing weaponized code, and then get a legitimate program (such as the parental control software) to run it. Since the process starts with a legitimate executable, it is more difficult to identify as malicious.

It does not guarantee evasion of security software, though.

Defenders should treat cameras and their management platforms as potential entry points into the broader business environment, Huntress warned. They should inventory the software, restrict its access, and monitor for unusual processes and outbound connections.

The researchers also advise defenders to use application control to prevent unapproved executables and DLLs from running in user-writeable paths, and to investigate the sequence of CMS.exe, rs.win32.exe, abnormal WpcMon.exe, and unapproved outbound connections.

In a year that saw the arrival of next-gen RGB mini-LED to the mass market and elite OLEDs get more impressive and flexible than ever for brightness, my TV of the Year at the TechRadar Product of the year Awards 2026 is, in fact, the mid-range LG C6 OLED TV.

The latest in the LG C-series lineage, the LG C6 earned the full five stars in my LG C6 review, delivering what has always made LG’s C-series TVs among the best TVs around, but taking a few key features to another level (more on that below).

When I compared it to its predecessor, the LG C5, my admiration for the C6 was further solidified, again as the latter showed major upgrades over the former — that's not something you always see in newer TV models. At the time, I said I thought the C5 was better value — but six months on, the C6's price has dropped significantly, and it's now phenomenal value.

This win actually marks LG’s first return to the top of the TV of the Year podium since 2022, with Samsung’s mid-range QD-OLED the S90C taking the crown in 2023, with subsequent victories for Samsung’s flagship OLED models, the S95D in 2024 and the S95F last year. While Samsung released very impressive TVs in 2026, one of the key things we're all looking for even more than usual this year is value, and C6 has a few key elements that make it the best bang for buck.

Accuracy, brightness and power

The LG C6 (left) has a new, improved processor that means it deliver better brightness and colors over its predecessor the LG C5 (right) (Image credit: Future)

One of the LG C6’s big upgrades was to its processor. While previous generations of the C-series had used LG's Alpha 9, the C6 was fitted with the Alpha 11 AI Gen 3: LG's most powerful chip, and the same one used in the flagship LG G6. This meant faster processing times for easier use and navigation, as well as upgraded picture features including 13-bit image processing for reduced color banding, and an upgraded brightness booster.

But did these features actually translate into real-world improvements? When I compared the C6 to the C5, the answer was a resounding yes. The C6 registered 1,438 nits peak HDR brightness in Filmmaker Mode in a 10% window — a notable step-up over the C5’s 1,180 nits in the same test. It even hit 245 nits fullscreen HDR brightness, which was 50 nits higher than the C5. That may not sound like much, but for an OLED battling against reflections in bright rooms, it makes a clear difference.

As for actual real-world viewing, the HDR brightness boost was best demonstrated in scenes with a sunset on horizon, such as Wicked and Top Gun: Maverick, where the C6 clearly had higher peak brightness, resulting in punchier HDR highlights. Bright scenes and colors also looked more impactful and engaging on the C6, particularly when large areas of white, such as snow, were on screen.

It was the C6's (left) improved color temperature accuracy that impressed me the most, making movies like The Batman look even better than they did on the LG C5 (right) (Image credit: Warner Bros. / Future )

But, the thing that impressed me the most with the C6 during my testing was its color temperature accuracy. When I viewed the C6 and C5 together, it was obvious that the C6 had a green tint effect on it (something that has affected OLED panels in the past), which you don't really register when you're watching it solo, but is clear when comparing against other high-end panels.

This was most noticeable in The Batman, namely the scene after he fought with a gang on a subway platform. Watching the scene on both the C6 and C5, they both demonstrated excellent contrast with well-balanced dark and bright tones, but the C6 clearly had a much more accurate color temperature, meaning the gray tones of the walls and platform actually looked gray, whereas the C5’s green tint took away some of that true-to-life accuracy.

Outside of this, the C6 also delivered bolder colors that popped more on screen, more accurate skin tones and slightly more refined dark tones than the C5. Watching Elemental during my C6 testing was a particular treat, as the red, purples, pinks and blues throughout really dazzled on screen. The C5 had also done a great job with that movie, but the C6 just had more.

Unbeatable value

The LG C6 really can do it all, from superb picture quality to razor-sharp gaming performance: all for better value than its closest rivals (Image credit: Disney / Future )

The C6 is not a ‘cheap’ TV by any means, but one thing the C-series has always excelled at is value for money. It’s got a full suite of gaming features, and when you pair it with responsive, smooth performance, it’s easily the best gaming TV available. Its motion is also super smooth for sports, and because it's available in sizes from 42 inches to 83 inches, it’s versatile for any space. It really is a jack-of-all-trades TV.

But in this year’s C6, an exciting new twist happened with its larger 77- and 83-inch models, both known as the LG C6H: they received the same Tandem RGB OLED panel used in the LG G6. And the best part? This came at no changed cost from the LG C5, which used a less-advanced OLED EX panel. So at these sizes, the LG C6 is practically the same TV as the LG G6, but cheaper.

We always worry about price increases from previous models when a TV launches, due to inflation as well as upgrades touted by manufacturers — and obviously this year has been especially hard for tech price rises.

However, the C6 launched for nearly identical prices and those prices have been dropping ever since. At the time of writing, several months from its release in April 2026, you can pick up a 65-inch C6 for $1,499 / £1,799 / AU$3,995 already, which is a $1,200 / £700 price drop (none in Australia yet unfortunately). And with Black Friday around the corner, there’s only more opportunities to get one for less.

When you put its upgraded performance and features over its predecessor, stable prices, upgraded panels in larger sizes at no extra cost and its genuine value for money together, the C6 is my obvious pick for TV of the Year. Yes, there may be more impressive TVs out there if money's no object, but here in 2026 money very much is an object — and no other TV ticks all the box boxes, including value, so impressively.