TechRadar News

• Available for Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
• Requires Android 16 and One UI 8
• One UI is still a beta for some Galaxy phones

As promised, Samsung has begun the rollout of Gemini support to its Galaxy Buds 3 earbuds. It's a free update, and it's easy enough to get and install. But there's one caveat: you might need to install beta software on your phone.

Gemini doesn't run on the earbuds themselves – it's far too demanding to run natively – so it needs your phone or tablet to act as a messenger between your mouth and Gemini's ears.

As 9to5Google reports, at the moment the updates appear to be exclusively for phones running the One UI 8 atop Android 16. That's factory-fitted on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and on the Galaxy Z Flip 7, but for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series One UI 8 is still a beta – ie. a pre-release version of the operating system, that while available (to a select group of users) is meant for testing.

(Image credit: Samsung)How to get Gemini on the Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro

If you have a Galaxy S25 Series or older, the stable version of the One UI 8 software isn't due until late September 2025. However, there is a beta version and from next week it will be available for more devices including the Galaxy S24 Series, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6. The beta will expand further next month to include the S23, Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5 and several A-series models.

Once you've got One UI 8 up and running, the next stage is to check for software updates for your earbuds… and then pray. I'm being dramatic there, but only slightly: the Gemini upgrade is reportedly "wonky" and results may differ from device to device.

If you've got the update, you should now see a new "Set up Google digital assistant" option at the top of the Voice Controls section in Samsung's app. This enables you to set up the Gemini integration with your smartphone or tablet.

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• Unidentified hackers access Air France and KLM through a third-party service provider
• The attackers stole names, contact details, and more
• Passport data was not compromised

Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have confirmed recently suffering cyberattacks in which both airlines lost sensitive customer data.

The companies, both owned by the same airline holding firm, sent out data breach notification letters to affected customers, and in a statement shared with Tweakers, KLM said the incident happened when threat actors broke into a third-party service provider.

“Unusual activity was detected on a third-party platform used by our contact centres, which led our IT security team, together with the third-party system involved, to swiftly implement corrective measures to put an end to the incident,” the company also told Cybernews.

Was it Scattered Spider?

We don’t know exactly how many people were affected by the breach, but the airlines transport more than 80 million people every year.

The information stolen in this attack include people’s full names, contact details, Flying Blue numbers and tier levels, and subject lines of service request emails.

Luckily, passport numbers, payment card details, passwords, or Flying Blue Miles (the airline’s loyalty program) balances were not stolen.

There was no word on the attackers, and no one claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, in late June 2025, the FBI warned Scattered Spider hackers were now increasing targeting airlines.

Scattered Spider works by impersonating company staff, and convincing support employees from the IT department that they lost access to their corporate accounts.

After gaining initial access, they map out the company, identify high-level individuals, and then repeat the process until they gain access to accounts through which they can steal data.

The hacking group struck Qantas in early July 2025, and Hawaiian Airlines in late June, and Russian Aeroflot, American GlobalX, and Canadian WestJet have all suffered similar incidents in recent months.

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• A video of an iPhone 17 Pro dummy unit in orange has leaked
• This shade is far more eye-catching than most Pro iPhone colors
• Viewers are very mixed on whether it's a good color or not

Leaks suggest that – along with understated black, white, and dark blue shades – the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max might be sold in orange, and now a video has given us our best look yet at a dummy unit in that color.

Shared by leaker Majin Bu, you can see that this is quite a striking shade, and far more colorful than Apple’s Pro models tend to be. Whether it’s a good color is more debatable – Bu says it “looks so good”, but many of the replies to their post are a lot more negative.

@AnxiousHolly, for example, said “this looks hideous”, while @black0nder said “the worst color in iPhone history”. But @YSL_Laurentttt said “Let that be official and I’m getting the 17 Pro”, and @vernons said “if it really looks like that, it could be the winner in this year's upgrade.” So, this really does seem to be a love-it-or-hate-it shade.

iPhone 17 Pro orange looks so good pic.twitter.com/N9ehzP6ldnAugust 7, 2025

A good move

Whatever you think of this specific color choice, though, we’d say it’s a positive sign that Apple might offer such a shade, as it could mean the company is getting more comfortable with the idea that its Pro phones don’t always have to be sold in smart, understated shades.

We’ve long been calling for more colorful premium phones, so perhaps Apple is finally listening. But whether we’ll see more might depend on how well this orange shade sells.

And that’s assuming Apple really does launch an iPhone 17 Pro in this color. For now, we’d take this rumor with a pinch of salt, but we should find out soon, as the iPhone 17 series is likely to land in early September, with one leak pointing to September 9.

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Enterprise cloud demands have evolved beyond the early drivers of adoption. Now, more than ever, businesses must be prepared to scale at a moment’s notice. Meeting unexpected user demand while maintaining service levels is an ongoing challenge. At the same time, cloud computing workloads are becoming increasingly specialized, requiring optimized solutions across CPUs, DPUs, and AI accelerators to fully harness cloud-native architectures and frameworks.

As a result, cloud spending has become a critical operational priority. According to Flexera, nearly half of all workloads and data are now in the public cloud. In fact, 72% of IT decision-makers (ITDMs) are prioritizing cloud optimization as a key organizational initiative to drive cost savings.

These trends highlight the importance of right-sizing cloud solutions. Enterprises must ensure that their infrastructure is optimized for their specific business needs and workload requirements. The right cloud strategy delivers flexibility, security, performance, and cost efficiency, all of which are fundamental to maintaining a competitive edge.

Why the Time is Now

Cloud computing has long been the backbone of modern digital infrastructure, primarily built around general-purpose computing. However, the era of one-size-fits-all cloud solutions is rapidly fading in a business environment increasingly dominated by AI and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads. Legacy cloud solutions struggle to meet the computational intensity of deep learning models, preventing organizations from fully realizing the benefits of their investments.

At the same time, cloud-native architectures have become the standard, as businesses face mounting pressure to innovate, reduce time-to-market, and optimize costs. Without a cloud-optimized IT infrastructure, organizations risk losing key operational advantages—such as maximizing performance efficiency and minimizing security risks in a multi-cloud environment—ultimately negating the benefits of cloud-native adoption.

Moreover, running AI workloads at scale without an optimized cloud infrastructure leads to unnecessary energy consumption, increasing both operational costs and environmental impact. This inefficiency strains financial resources and undermines corporate sustainability goals, which are now under greater scrutiny from stakeholders who prioritize green initiatives.

Beyond performance gains, security is yet another critical consideration when selecting cloud-optimized hardware that often goes underappreciated. Cloud-optimized hardware often provide a strong suite of advanced security features, such as confidential computing. These technologies ensure that sensitive data remains encrypted while in use, reducing the risk of physical DIMM (Dual In-line Memory Module) attacks or virtual threats in hyperconverged infrastructure environments.

As the risks of data breaches continue to escalate – both in financial and reputational terms – organizations must recognize that leaving cloud environments unprotected is no longer an option. The rise of sophisticated cyber threats, from rogue hackers to nation-state-sponsored actors, makes enhanced cloud security a non-negotiable priority.

Your 2025 cloud optimization playbook

Furthermore, as industries push forward with the adoption and deployment of AI tools, IT leaders must ensure that their cloud infrastructure can support compute-intensive workloads while balancing cost, security, and efficiency considerations. While each organization's computing needs are unique, IT teams embarking on hardware modernization should consider the following:

Performance: Are your cloud instances equipped for the level of compute performance your business requires? Cloud infrastructure must support a range of workloads, from web front-end applications to in-memory analytics and heavy transactional processing.

Cost and efficiency: Can you reduce your cloud footprint by running the same workloads on fewer servers? Prioritizing instances with high compute density allows businesses to run more VMs or containers per server, achieving significant cost and energy efficiency benefits.

Security: Does your cloud instance provide the level of data protection you require? Confidential computing helps mitigate security risks by protecting data in use, reducing vulnerabilities in virtualized environments.

Ecosystem: Opting for processors powered by industry-standard x86 architecture simplifies cloud environments, making it easier to develop, maintain, and migrate applications with minimal disruption.

Unseen optimization, tangible impact

For IT decision-makers, understanding the cost implications of each 'unit of work' is crucial when selecting cloud instances. Traditional infrastructure forces enterprises to choose between overprovisioning resources – leading to unnecessary expenses – or under provisioning, which can cause performance bottlenecks. Cloud-optimized hardware changes this equation by enabling businesses to achieve more with fewer resources while maintaining high levels of performance, security, and efficiency.

As cloud technologies continue to evolve, enterprises that prioritize modernization will reap the benefits of seamless scalability, improved sustainability, and a resilient digital foundation for future innovation. In a world where agility is critical, cloud optimization is no longer a luxury—it is a business imperative for staying competitive in 2025 and beyond.

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

‘Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should’. While this famous line from Jurassic Park is a poignant reminder of the dangers of unchecked ambition, it can also be applied to today’s rapidly evolving and fragmented AI landscape.

The mainstream availability of AI has compounded issues with shadow IT, as employees increasingly sidestep governance to deploy powerful, self-service AI tools. In this environment, many businesses are faced with how to manage the element of control when unmanaged AI systems start making critical business decisions based on fragmented, unverified data.

Like John Hammond’s ambitious yet doomed theme park, some organizations are now creating something powerful without fully understanding the risks or having proper containment measures in place.

It’s become a business imperative to find ways to ensure AI-ready data is trusted, compliant, and seamlessly connected. Here we explore the unintended consequences of AI-driven shadow IT and why businesses need a structured approach to data management to avoid costly mistakes.

The rise of AI-powered shadow IT

Shadow IT is not a new challenge, but AI takes it to a new level. With so many generative tools now readily available, employees can solve problems, generate content, or make recommendations at speed. This happens often without needing any technical expertise or approval.

This speed is both a blessing and a risk. In their enthusiasm to experiment and move fast, teams often pull data from disparate sources, bypassing enterprise-grade controls in favor of quick, isolated fixes. Over time, these short-term solutions accumulate, and organizations are left with a patchwork of systems, models and insights that don’t speak the same language.

The risk isn’t just that teams are duplicating efforts or misinterpreting data. Business-critical decisions affecting customers, supply chains, product development and strategic direction are increasingly being made based on unverified siloed information. When AI systems operating on flawed data foundations make recommendations that influence growth strategies, the potential for bias or error multiplies exponentially.

Unify and trust your data

The antidote to this growing risk is not to clamp down on experimentation. It’s to build the right data foundation, one that supports innovation while maintaining context and integrity.

This means giving employees access to high-quality, AI-ready data from across the business. It’s essential to build one harmonized layer that connects all business AI applications and ensures that everyone from developers to decision-makers can rely on a single source of truth.

This foundation keeps context intact, so the entire business can see where, how, when and why data was produced, building trust and accurately informing decisions. When data is unified, it also supports regulatory demands and keeps the business agile to future compliance requirements.

The cost of siloed data and duplicated spend

There’s a significant cost benefit to this too. When growth is the unanimous business goal, organizations cannot afford to hemorrhage spend on an inefficient IT landscape.

It’s estimated that organizations today spend up to 50% of their IT budgets on data and analytics, with a significant portion of that going on attempts to harmonize disconnected data sources. Yet, despite these efforts, many businesses still lack a continuous, unified data layer that brings these sources together in a coherent, usable way.

That’s not just inefficient, it’s a missed opportunity. In the age of AI, the power of data lies not just in how much you have, but in how well it’s connected. Without a shared foundation, AI models risk drawing the wrong conclusions or being trained on outdated information.

This in turn leads to additional budgetary pressures. Businesses need to confidently scale AI across functions, knowing insights are accurate, secure and compliant.

From raw data to business outcomes

To move from raw data to real business outcomes, organizations need more than just infrastructure. They need a strategic approach to data and analytics that supports decision-making at every level.

This means combining new technologies with existing business processes to create enriched, curated data products that deliver meaningful value. It means equipping users with advanced analytics, benchmarking tools and AI-powered insights applications that can both interpret the data and recommend actions.

This strategic approach helps limit the spread of shadow IT by reducing the need for employees to seek out unapproved tools or shortcuts. By aligning data initiatives with established governance frameworks and cultural values, organizations can ensure consistency, compliance and trust in the data being used. At the same time, it creates space for innovation and agility, enabling teams to move quickly and confidently within a well-defined structure.

When done right, the benefits are clear: smarter decisions, faster responses and better outcomes across the board.

Creating a culture of AI confidence

Ultimately, the question businesses need to ask is not whether they’re prepared to use AI, but whether they’re ready to do it responsibly and reliably.

Readiness starts with a strong data foundation, ensuring that information is accurate, accessible and well-governed. It means empowering teams with tools and guidance to innovate responsibly, creating a culture where experimentation with the right tools is encouraged.

The lesson from Jurassic Park was not that innovation is dangerous. It’s that innovation without structure, without guardrails and without consideration of the bigger picture can quickly spiral out of control.

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

• OpenAI's GPT-5 debut included the reveal of a new integration that allows ChatGPT Pro users to link their Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts directly to the chatbot
• ChatGPT can summarize your day, create a schedule, and flag important emails
• Though an opt-in feature requiring user confirmation, privacy issues are likely to be raised

The spectacle of GPT-5 may have overshadowed some of OpenAI's other news during its livestream on Thursday, but the demonstration of ChatGPT's new ability to directly peruse and analyze a user's Google data caught my eye as a major moment in ChatGPT's development and OpenAI's battle for supremacy among AI chatbots.

The new feature enables ChatGPT users to connect the AI chatbot to their Gmail, Google Contacts, and Google Calendar data. The demo showed ChatGPT responding to a request to see a schedule of the following day by going through the user's calendar and email inbox, then rapidly compiling a complete and complex schedule, including important unread emails to respond to.

This may not sound like a breakthrough to anyone who’s already overwhelmed with their digital list of things to do, but ChatGPT sorting that information and putting it in front of you might actually lower your stress, at least judging by the demo.

It's easy to imagine an AI outline for your day, or a nudge to handle that still-unread message, reducing the mental workload by cutting out the tedious sorting and linking of scheduled events to relevant emails. You might say, “What’s on my plate today?” and see your calendar paired with that flagged email. That would mean no more toggling between Gmail and your calendar, squinting at what's urgent.

Further, the data could help ChatGPT learn more about you and your needs by reading the meeting invites you've sent, deadlines you've barely hit, and RSVPs you sent the second you got the invite. For now, this option is only available to ChatGPT Pro users, though OpenAI promised it would become more widely available soon.

ChatGPT won't sneak a peek at your messages

That said, the idea of handing over Gmail and Calendar data to ChatGPT might raise an eyebrow or two for good reason. Gmail could hold confirmation of doctor appointments and secret romantic rendezvous plans.

Don't worry about inadvertently sharing those details with ChatGPT, though. You'll need to opt in to link your accounts to ChatGPT and confirm actions before they occur, which will prevent any emails from being sent automatically.

Then again, there are plenty of smart scheduling bots and email add-ons that automatically pull event details or remind you about missed invites. But ChatGPT’s integration adds actual conversation to the mix. You don’t forward an email or set up complex rules of how the automated system should respond to certain family members. You just type in regular language, and it will act more like a human secretary.

Assuming you're okay with the concept, you can see how those who use Google and ChatGPT might value linking the two. Especially if you're not a fan of Google Gemini for one reason or another. You might long to have an AI chatbot connected to your Google account, but simply prefer ChatGPT to Gemini. OpenAI wants to give you that option.

If Google doesn't have an exclusive claim to linking your email and calendar to an AI chatbot, then OpenAI can hope to win out in other areas where it may feel it has the advantage, like the power of GPT-5. You just have to be okay with letting ChatGPT see which weddings you'll be attending in the next few months.

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• Hard drives sold as new contained decade-old internals from previously used Seagate and Western Digital units
• SMART data was manipulated to hide prior usage, masking serious mechanical and read error issues
• Attingo analysis revealed leftover user data, proving zeroing only touched the start of storage sectors

A recent case involving UnionSine-branded external hard drives has raised serious questions about the integrity of some products sold through Amazon’s marketplace.

An investigation by data recovery company Attingo uncovered supposedly "new" hard drives contained 2.5" HDDs from major brands like Seagate and Western Digital manufactured over a decade ago.

These findings contradict the product labelling, which lists a manufacturing date from spring 2025.

Used drives masquerading as new

The drives were sold under the identifier HD2510 during Amazon’s Tech Week promotional period, and were assumed by buyers to be new portable HDDs suitable for regular backup and storage use.

Attingo’s teardown of the drives revealed not just their age, but also signs of previous use, with the evidence extending beyond the hardware identifiers.

The company said some of the HDDs still contained fragments of user data, with only the beginning of the data fields zeroed out.

This practice, commonly used to simulate full data erasure, failed to eliminate all traces of prior use.

One recovered XML file even contained a timestamp from May 2024, pointing to very recent activity inconsistent with a supposedly unused device.

Some of the data traces were linked to TV recording systems, suggesting that the drives had once been in operational environments.

Attingo also noted inconsistencies in SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) data, which is used by operating systems to assess hard drive health.

Although the displayed operating hours suggested zero usage, other key metrics, such as the read error rate, told a different story.

This kind of manipulation has been seen before in fraud cases involving repurposed HDDs, especially those sold through gray market channels.

The presence of numerous read errors and mechanical anomalies conflicted with the SMART status, indicating a fresh drive.

The fact that this issue emerged from a well-known retail platform, rather than a niche marketplace or obscure online store, is of particular concern.

Attingo CEO Markus Häfele expressed alarm at the findings, saying the situation was not only misleading to consumers but also potentially dangerous from a data protection standpoint.

"It's unfortunately well known that used hardware is occasionally declared as new on platforms like eBay or in direct imports from Asian retailers – but the fact that this is happening systematically as part of a widely advertised Amazon campaign is truly scandalous," Häfele said.

Though the incident has sparked renewed concern about the reliability of NAS HDDs and external storage devices offered through third-party sellers online, Amazon has yet to respond to the allegations.

Via Computerbase

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OpenAI’s much‑anticipated livestream reveal of GPT‑5 crammed a lot into about an hour and a half of announcements and demonstrations. CEO Sam Altman didn't show any of the fear he claimed to feel about the new AI model, just a lot of pride at what he and his team had accomplished.

Much of the presentation showed off GPT-5's technical milestones and how they translate into powerful new and upgraded AI features for users. Altman also had some lighter fare to unveil for ChatGPT, offering more customization options and ways for users to link their existing online footprint to ChatGPT.

Here are the five most notable pieces to emerge from GPT-5's debut.

GPT-5 arrives

(Image credit: OpenAI)

GPT-5 is the next iteration of OpenAI's models, bigger and more powerful, but not dissimilar in its basic form. Even so, GPT-5 is big and complex enough to reach a new level in how it seems to reason.

Essentially, you no longer have to spoon-feed it context or restate complex prompts three times, or at least not nearly as often. Multifaceted questions like how changing interest rates might affect Gen Z homeownership trends in mixed markets might take several prompts refined multiple times to provide the answers you seek with earlier ChatGPT models, but GPT‑5 can unpack the whole thing.

Based on the demonstrations, GPT‑5 seems to parse each part separately and stitch it together. And it flags when there's a gap in its knowledge, which is far better than confidently hallucinating. It applies that way of thinking to how it interacts with users, too. While obviously not 'thinking', it does appear to read between the lines well enough to reflect a user's mood and even adjust its response to an expressed emotion.

The model is supposed to be particularly good with math and coding software. Good enough to handle the increasingly popular pursuit of 'vibe coding,' where you simply describe a feeling or a mood of a piece of software, and the AI produces the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to match your design vision.

GPT-5 sizes

(Image credit: OpenAI)

GPT-5 comes in many sizes in addition to the standard version. There's also the smaller gpt-5-mini, and an even leaner gpt-5-nano, which lives solely in the API. The big news is that free ChatGPT users now get access to both GPT-5 and mini, while ChatGPT Plus subscribers enjoy higher usage limits across the board.

If you’re a Pro user paying $200 a month, you’ll now get unlimited GPT-5 access, along with access to the more powerful gpt-5-pro model and gpt-5-thinking. These both take longer to provide answers, but come back with deeper, more thoughtful responses.

There is no need to pick and choose yourself, either, though. ChatGPT now picks the right model automatically based on what you're asking and what plan you’re on.

ChatGPT custom personalities and colors

ChatGPT has a default, pleasantly bland personality, but GPT‑5 is advanced enough to offer more variety in the tone and style of the AI chatbot. If you don't want the usual neutral mode, you can choose “Cynic” for sarcasm with your answer, “Listener” if you’re venting and just need it to echo back understanding, "Nerd" for a side of geeky trivia, and "Robot" for the purely mechanical response.

These personalities don’t undercut the answers you get, but they do flavor the response. Therefore, you might get dry wit with productivity tips from the “Cynic” tone or gentle encouragement in your goals from “Listener.”

Additionally, the chatbot's appearance can now be altered with the new color themes. If you're a paid subscriber, you'll soon be able to adjust the look of ChatGPT instead of switching between the usual black or white.

Voice Mode

(Image credit: Future)

ChatGPT's Voice Mode is getting an audio glow-up of its own. OpenAI is rolling out a much-improved version that not only works with custom GPTs but also adapts its tone and speech style based on your instructions and overall vibe.

You can ask it to be snappier, slower, warmer, or whatever else you want. For ChatGPT Plus users, voice responses are now nearly unlimited. Free users still get access, too, with a few hours a day to chat hands-free.

To streamline things, the old Standard Voice Mode is being phased out entirely within 30 days. After that, everyone will be on the same upgraded experience.

Google connections for ChatGPT

(Image credit: Future)

Next week, ChatGPT Pro users will be able to hook up their Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts directly to ChatGPT. That means no more switching tabs to check if you're free next Tuesday or digging through threads to find that one email you definitely forgot to reply to.

Once connected, ChatGPT will pull in what it needs to help respond to your queries. OpenAI assured users that it will only pull in the minimum needed and only when it’s helpful.

You don’t need to say “check my calendar” or “pull that contact.” The AI will do so based on whether you request something that requires it, like scheduling a meeting. It will pick a time that works for you and write the email on your behalf. Other subscription tiers are scheduled to get access to the connections in the near future, so this won't be limited to Pro forever.

All of these upgrades leveraging GPT-5 point to OpenAI's bigger plans to make its AI models an intimate part of your life, not just a tool you occasionally turn to and feel annoyed about having to carefully parse answers. Smarter reasoning means less cleanup for the user. Vibe coding shifts AI from merely aping code to interpreting your intended use with software. The personalities and colors make the AI feel like it's more unique to you, not just a one-size-fits-all tool, especially with the more realistic voice and access to your email account and calendar

GPT‑5 mimics awareness better than any of its predecessors. That means it could blend into our routines and become as second nature to use as our smartphones. Or at least, that's what OpenAI and its investors likely hope to see happen.

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• AMD Threadripper Pro 9995WX outpaces Intel Xeon W9-3495X significantly in Premiere Pro benchmarks
• Video editing PC workloads benefit from AMD’s higher core density and sustained throughput
• Measured gains in DaVinci Resolve and After Effects highlight Threadripper’s content creation strength

AMD’s Threadripper PRO 9000WX series has delivered a blow that Intel’s Xeon workstation CPUs may not recover from.

Benchmarks from Puget Systems covering real-world content creation applications found the new Threadripper chips outperformed Intel’s Xeon W-3500 series across nearly every category, often by wide margins which left little room for excuses or rebuttal.

At the top of AMD’s stack is the 96-core 9995WX, priced at $11,700, delivering a Cinebench 2024 multi-core score of 7,508, 27% ahead of the previous-gen 7995WX and a staggering 125% faster than Intel’s most powerful Xeon tested.

Threadripper pulls ahead?

Even AMD’s mid-range 9975WX with 32 cores ($4,100) routinely beat Intel’s 60-core w9-3595X in workloads like Blender, DaVinci Resolve, and Unreal Engine compiling.

Intel’s best simply couldn’t keep up, either in raw throughput or clock speed, and often looked inefficient by comparison.

In Photoshop, where high single-core speed matters, AMD's 16-core 9955WX came out on top with an overall score of 11,384 - whereas Intel's Xeon w5-3535X managed only 6,801, barely 60% of AMD’s best showing.

Even the weakest Threadripper 9000 chip tested outperformed every Intel CPU across the board in Adobe’s suite of creative tools, including Premiere Pro and After Effects.

In After Effects 3D workloads, the 9955WX again dominated with a 9% lead over the 9995WX and a 40% advantage over Intel’s top performer.

DaVinci Resolve further emphasized Intel’s problem: the 9975WX scored 180 in Intraframe processing, a 10% improvement over AMD’s previous generation, while Xeons lagged by more than 20%.

AI-related benchmarks using LLaMA.cpp showed consistent scaling on AMD, with the 9995WX processing 16% more tokens per second than its predecessor.

Intel’s Xeon parts trailed even lower-tier Threadripper models here, further underlining their inefficiency in modern workloads.

Workstation tasks like compiling in Visual Studio or shader building in Unreal Engine showed predictable trends.

The 9995WX and 9985WX completed these tasks dramatically faster, with the former finishing Unreal Engine compilation in 68% of the time required by the previous generation.

Intel’s Xeons simply couldn’t compete; even their 60-core chip was outpaced by AMD’s 32-core offering.

While AMD's new processors come with a 10–20% price increase over the 7000WX line, the performance uplift and DDR5-6400 support help justify it.

In nearly every test, AMD’s dominance was clear and systematic, leaving Intel’s Xeon series looking outdated and overpriced.

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• Access to ChatGPT-5 is being given to all ChatGPT users
• You get new features like ChatGPT Voice and better writing
• ChatGPT-5 access is rolling out right now

At today’s ChatGPT-5 launch event, we got to see exactly why OpenAI is so excited about the new version of ChatGPT. It’s faster, more intuitive, less likely to hallucinate, and can integrate with your Gmail in even more useful ways to know more about you.

In fact, at one point, the OpenAI presenters actually got ChatGPT-5 to write a eulogy to the previous ChatGPT-4o model as a demonstration about how much better its writing capabilities had become.

The eulogy was warranted because OpenAI isn’t restricting access to ChatGPT-5 to Plus and Pro subscribers – it is giving it out to free tier users too, so everybody now gets access to a better ChatGPT. That effectively means the end for ChatGPT-4o.

The vast majority of today’s presentation was about how much better ChatGPT-5 was at writing code than previous versions, and also how much better it was at enterprise applications, like law, health care, education, and finance.

Of course, most of us simply use ChatGPT to help us get things done in our daily lives, but there were plenty of improvements that are worth noting for everyday users, too, and they’re mostly available in the free tiers.

Let’s take a look at what you get access to without paying.

1. Writing improvements

As with GPT‑4o, the difference between free and paid access to GPT‑5 is usage volume. At some point on the free tier, your access to GPT-5 will reach the usage limit, and then you’ll be kicked back to GPT-5 mini.

Plus subscribers will get significantly higher usage volume before that happens. That means you’ll get access to the improved writing ability in GPT-5. You’ll find that its prose has a lot more rhythm and beat to it than the prose in GPT-4o did.

2. ChatGPT Voice

(Image credit: Future)

With the free tier, you still only get limited access to ChatGPT-5’s voice mode (along with file uploads, image creation, and data analysis), but you should get more access per day now than you did before.

What used to be called 'Advanced voice mode' is now called 'ChatGPT voice'. OpenAI says that “Standard Voice Mode retires on September 9, 2025, unifying all users on ChatGPT Voice”.

ChatGPT Voice is better than before, with more natural-sounding conversations. Hit the voice button on the mobile app for ChatGPT to give it a go right now.

3. New highlight colors

You’ve always been able to change the theme of ChatGPT from light to dark to System, but now you can add accent colors to your chats in the Settings. These apply to elements in ChatGPT-5 like conversation bubbles and highlighted text.

This is the first time color has been used in the ChatGPT interface, and it takes some getting used to, but I think this is a feature you’ll come to enjoy.

What you don’t get

ChatGPT-5 has better memory, reduces hallucinations, and as a free user, you’ll get all that too. So what don’t you get?

Well, as before, access to the Sora AI video generator is restricted to Plus and Pro users, as is ChatGPT Agent. And in terms of new models, the super-powerful ChatGPT-5 Pro is only available to Pro users.

But I’m still suck on GPT-4o?

If you’re frantically hitting the refresh button on your ChatGPT page waiting for access to GPT-5 then you’re not alone right now, but it is on the way.

A message on the OpenAI website says: “We are gradually rolling out GPT-5 to ensure stability during launch. Some users may not yet see GPT-5 in their account as we increase availability in stages.”

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• Another rumour suggests the MacBook Pro OLED is arriving in late 2026
• We've again been told that Samsung Display will manufacture the screen
• This is one of the more consistent MacBook rumors, with doubt having crept into other theories

Yet another rumor indicates that Apple is set to release a MacBook Pro with an OLED display later in 2026.

MacRumors spotted the report from Dealsite.co.kr (a Korean website), which claims that Samsung Display is going to be the only supplier of these OLED screens for an Apple MacBook that'll debut late in 2026.

We're told that Samsung's Gen 8.6 OLED assembly lines are easily able to meet the demand Apple will require for OLED panels in its MacBook Pros. And that Samsung's investment in this production capability allows for a suitably attractive manufacturing cost when it comes to that all-important bill-of-materials for the MacBook.

Obviously, we need to be careful around any rumor, but this isn't the first time we've heard Samsung's name mentioned as the maker of the MacBook's OLED screen.

In March 2025, well-known Apple leaker Mark Gurman predicted that the big change for the MacBook Pro won't be coming until late in 2026 - with a major redesign centering on a Samsung 'tandem' OLED (two panels squished together, as it were, to allow for better brightness and power efficiency), as well as making the laptop thinner.

Furthermore, Apple may trade out the 'notch' in the screen for a 'hole cut' webcam.

Analysis: Shifting timeframes, perhaps - but there's one constant

(Image credit: Future)

This year's MacBook Pro will supposedly be a minor upgrade - if indeed the notebook refresh even arrives in 2025, as another (very recent) piece of speculation from Gurman suggests it has been delayed to early 2026. This will be the MacBook Pro M5, and the OLED model will, in theory, come late in 2026 with the M6 chip onboard.

Of course, take all of this with a grain of salt, as that would be rather unusual in terms of launch timing for Apple - but that doesn't mean it can't happen.

In short, the rumor mill has got somewhat confused about exactly what Apple's MacBook plans are in terms of launch dates - perhaps because the company is tinkering with those plans and moving timeframes internally.

Whatever the case, one rumor has remained fairly constant, which is that the MacBook Pro is going to get OLED first, and this will happen late in 2026 - with Samsung now consistently being mentioned as the manufacturer of the screen.

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ChatGPT's GPT-5 brain trainslpant marks a turning point in the steady march toward General Artificial Intelligence. With GPT-5 models, ChatGPT, from free to Pro, gets more personal, reliable, accurate, capable, proactive, and productive. It's even more ready than ever to engage with you on health issues.

For those who've been following along for the three years since OpenAI launched ChatGPT, these updates might not suprise you but even those most familair with ChatGPT might feel a little bit like the AI train is getting away from us, speeding to an unknown destination, and in a way, those who will be most affected by the coming AI wave are the youngest among us, specifically, your children.

Maybe you don't have kids, but I bet you know someone who does, or maybe you're a teacher dealing with children every day. Children's lives are already surrounded by AI, and it's likely some are using it at school, at home, for fun, and even as a surrogate friend.

It's time, though, you had The Talk. That's right, talk with your kids about AI and its place in the world and, especially, their lives.

I suggest you frame it this way:

AI is not alive

GPT-5 seriously levels up ChatGPT's conversational capabilities in both text and live conversations. It can seem alive and human. The algorithm and models are more complex than ever, but they do not yet match the complexity of the human brain (even if GPT-5 is a big step on the road to Artificial General Intelligence), though they can sometimes outthink you.

Children, in particular, will probably love chatting with GPT-5's more customizable voices. That's why it's so crucial they understand what they're really talking to – a cloud-based system hosted on servers possibly thousands of miles away. There's no one on the other side chatting with them.

AI is just a tool

Since the dawn of the digital age, new technologies have often seemed like magic. We could do things we never did before, like create art on a screen, manage vast amounts of data in spreadsheets, and build programs that could create rich, open worlds in video games.

AI is on that path, but far more powerful. However, its capabilities should not be viewed as the end product, but rather as the tools and skills that help your children achieve their goals, whether it's hearing a funny story or completing a class project.

It's also a tool in that it only works as well as you understand how to use it. ChatGPT's success, even running GPT-5, depends largely on the quality of your prompt.

You'll want to show your kids how to create the best prompts and then follow-ups that ensure GPT-5 delivers the right response.

AI is powerful but not perfect

Even though GPT-5 promises to cut down on hallucinations, that does not mean it's error-free. Explain to your children how they cannot take ChatGPT's "facts" as pure truth without double-checking them.

That might be a tough lesson for your kids (and maybe you) who will think the work is done and want to return to playtime. You need to walk them through the process of fact-checking ChatGPT (and other AIs).

AI should be treated as a work partner, not a servant

GPT-5 can now, based on a prompt, code and build entire apps and websites. That's attractive to adults and children who might be looking to level up their coding skills but don't want to spend the time learning how to code.

It's worth reminding your kids that ChatGPT with GPT-5 is best used as a programming, development, and design partner. You provide the idea and then work with the AI to shape the final outcome.

Explain the concept of collaboration with your kids and why that's valuable. Otherwise, they might supply one prompt, get an OK result, and assume they now know how to code and that the result is the best they and ChatGPT can do.

The less your kids engage with the AI coding output, the less they'll understand about application development.

AI isn't your doctor

There is a strong focus in GPT-5 on health, helping you figure out what a symptom might mean or even the right questions to ask your doctors. Kids will surely try asking ChatGPT some health-related questions about bumps, bruises, aches, pains, and even odd symptoms. However, they need to understand that the best place to start addressing these concerns is with their parents, who will likely take them to the doctor.

Look, I'm sure ChatGPT, especially with the GPT-5 upgrade, can help parents understand medical test results, but as OpenAI wrote in its release on the update: "Important note: ChatGPT does not replace a medical professional. "

The message to your kids is that human professionals are no so easily replaced.

AI isn't your friend

This is one of the greatest concerns when it comes to AI, and I'm glad that GPT-5 is adding more guardrails to ensure that conversations do not go to dangerous places, and the recent upgrades added to impose pauses in challenging (perhaps overly emotional) conversations.

Even so, your kids are probably already talking to and sharing with ChatGPT and other AIs. There is an epidemic of loneliness, and some kids may see ChatGPT's live voice mode as a friend. It's your job to remind them it's not, and to insert yourself between them and AIs.

AI together

This leads me to my final tip, which is to do AI with your children.

Think of AI like any emerging technology, from PCs to CD-ROMs to the Internet to social media. None of these tasks should ever have been undertaken by kids alone. Parents shouldn't act as if AI is not of interest to them and, therefore, not part of their job as a parent.

If your kids are using AI, you should be sitting next to them, exploring and learning together. Be as comfortable and conversant as they will become with AI.

Follow these steps, and you and your whole family will be ready for ChatGPT, even with the introduction of the powerful GPT-5 model.

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• Corsair workstation 300 puts 128GB RAM into a chassis smaller than a shoebox
• Integrated graphics may hold it back from real-time rendering or GPU-accelerated production work
• 50 TOPS NPU hints at serious AI muscle inside a deceptively small package

Corsair has introduced the AI Workstation 300, a mini PC built around AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, positioning it as a high-performance workstation PC for professionals and AI developers.

At under $2000, it sits in a competitive space where expectations are high for both raw performance and long-term reliability.

This unit marks the 13th system to feature the Ryzen AI Max+ 365 series chip, following other systems like HP Z2 Mini G1a and GMKTEC EVO-X2, suggesting growing interest in AMD's latest integrated AI silicon.

Small form factor delivers big on memory, storage, and AI hardware

This system comes in a 4.4L form factor, which is considered portable relative to other Strix Halo devices in the market.

It's small size packs 128GB of LPDDR5X memory, a 1TB NVMe SSD, and the Radeon 8060S integrated graphics with support for up to 96GB of dynamic VRAM.

While these specs appear promising on paper, the use of integrated graphics for a workstation PC raises questions about its capability for GPU-heavy tasks such as real-time 3D rendering or high-resolution video editing.

Developers and engineers focused on AI inference or code-based workflows may find it adequate, but creative professionals relying on discrete GPU acceleration might be more cautious.

Corsair claims the device is ready for local LLMs, AI-assisted development, and creative work, backed by a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of up to 50 TOPS of acceleration.

The included Corsair AI Software Suite improves its AI capacity, but proprietary toolkits often face adoption and compatibility hurdles outside tightly controlled workflows.

Thermal management is handled by a dual-fan cooling system, which could help maintain stable performance in a tightly packed chassis.

The 350W power supply also seems sufficient for its components, though it leaves little headroom for future expansion.

The I/O selection is more extensive than one might expect from a system of this size, including USB 4.0, an SD card reader, and 2.5G Ethernet.

This device, which comes with a two-year warranty and lifetime tech support, is currently on pre-order and will commence shipping in September 2025.

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• Peacock has dropped a first trailer for The Paper
• This is our first look at Oscar Nuñez's comeback
• The anticipated The Office spin-off will be streaming from September 4

The Paper finally has a trailer and this is a huge moment for fans of The Office. We've all been nervously waiting for our first proper look at the Peacock series and honestly, it looks good.

Even though I already knew about Oscar Nuñez's comeback as his accountant character, also named Oscar, it was still exciting seeing him alongside the brand new cast, with a very funny first appearance.

We've seen some bad The Office reboots lately, like The Office Australia, but right now I'm cautiously optimistic about what The Paper will bring to the table.

Take a look for yourself below, the wait is over!

When is The Paper coming to Peacock?

(Image credit: Peacock)

We don't have long to wait as the first four episodes of The Paper are dropping on September 4, which is great news for fans wanting to jump right in and binge-watch.

The series will then have a weekly release schedule with two episodes arriving until the season finale on September 25.

There's a new cast here made up of Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Tim Key, with the only returning member being Oscar Nuñez.

Right now, we don't know about The Paper's future, but we do know this is an all-new story set in the same universe as The Office, its iconic predecessor.

This time, the documentary crew has chosen to focus on the Toledo Truth Teller newspaper, which is on the decline. A plot has teased that we should expect "all the dysfunction, awkwardness, and heart" that we saw in The Office.

Only time will tell, but this first trailer is a very good start.

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• OpenAI chose Narvik for its low-cost hydropower, skipping traditional European data hubs entirely
• Stargate Norway project will use 100,000 Nvidia GPUs in a massive, renewable-powered setup
• $1 billion data center promises 520MW capacity and state-of-the-art direct-to-chip cooling systems

OpenAI’s European ambitions have taken a surprising turn with the launch of its Project Stargate in Northern Norway.

Instead of traditional tech hubs like Germany, France, or the UK, OpenAI has chosen Narvik, a remote but energy-rich location, to host what could become one of Europe’s largest AI infrastructure facilities.

The site, part of OpenAI’s “OpenAI for Countries” initiative, aims to deliver massive compute resources powered by 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs by the end of 2026.

A billion-dollar joint venture with deep industrial roots

Stargate Norway is a joint venture between AI infrastructure firm Nscale and Norwegian industrial heavyweight Aker, both of whom have committed substantial funding to its development.

"Announcing Stargate Norway and delivering one of the first European AI Gigafactory to market is a strategic milestone for the region and boosts its role in the global AI landscape," said Josh Payne, CEO of Nscale.

The initial 20MW phase alone is backed by roughly $1 billion investment, with long-term plans to scale capacity to 520MW.

The site will rely entirely on renewable energy and feature advanced cooling systems, including closed-loop, direct-to-chip liquid cooling, with excess heat reportedly reused to support local low-carbon projects.

The rationale for choosing Narvik over more central locations appears rooted in cost and resource availability.

The region offers low electricity prices, abundant hydropower, and a naturally cool climate.

"Norway has a proud history of turning clean, renewable energy into industrial value, powering global industries like aluminium and fertilizer… Northern Norway, with its surplus of clean energy, available capacity, and industrial readiness, is the ideal launchpad for this transformation," said Øyvind Eriksen, President & CEO of Aker.

Narvik’s relatively underutilized transmission capacity also makes it viable for heavy compute loads, something many traditional European data hubs struggle to accommodate.

OpenAI is positioning itself as the initial consumer of the compute power, but surplus capacity is expected to be distributed across the UK, Nordic countries, and Northern Europe.

From a hardware perspective, the planned installation of 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs positions Stargate Norway as a serious contender in high-performance computing.

That kind of scale will require robust CPU support and a data center optimized not only for GPU-intensive workloads but also for fast CPU handling and storage throughput.

"Europe needs more compute to realize the full potential of AI for all Europeans — from developers and researchers to startups and scientists — and we want to help make that happen," said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.

As data centers evolve into strategic assets, the decision to place one of the world’s largest AI compute facilities in Narvik marks a bold shift, one that could reshape the geographic balance of AI development in Europe.

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• Experts say Microsoft Teams and Zoom are perfect for hiding Ghost Calls
• Attackers can obtain temporary TURN credentials and create a tunnel
• Vendors must implement safeguards, because there are no vulnerabilities in sight

Researchers from Praetorian have shed the light on Ghost Calls, a post-exploitation command-and-control evasion technique which send attacker traffic through legitimate Traversal Using Relays around NAT (TURN) servers used by the likes of Zoom and Microsoft Teams, to evade detection.

The attack works by hijacking the temporary TURN credentials that conferencing calls receive when they join a meeting, and then establishing a tunnel between the compromised host and the attacker's machine.

Because all the traffic is routed through trusted Zoom/Teams IPs and domains, which are typically whitelisted inside enterprises, these types of hijacking attacks can fly under the radar.

Teams and Zoom susceptible to attacks

Praetorian explained that because the attack leverages infrastructure already allowed through corporate firewall,s proxies and TLS inspection, Ghost Calls can easily evade traditional defenses.

Blending traffic with normal, low-latency video meeting traffic patterns also helps the cybercriminals, who can eliminate the exposure of attacker-controlled domains and servers

Praetorian explains in the first of its two blog posts that video conferencing platforms "are designed to function even in environments with relatively strict egress controls," so if an attacker can crack into these systems, they could have a higher chance of data exfiltration.

"Additionally, this traffic is often end-to-end encrypted using AES or other strong encryption. This means the traffic is naturally heavily obfuscated and impossible to analyze in depth which makes it a perfect place to hide as an attacker," the researchers added.

TURN credentials typically expire after two to three days, so tunnels are short-lived, but alarmingly, Praetorian explains that there isn't necessarily a vulnerability for vendors to patch, adding that they must instead focus on introducing further safeguards to prevent against Ghost Call attacks.

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Prime Video is one of the best streaming services out there, but it's also not the cheapest, which is why it's great to see that its 30-day free trial is still up for grabs.

That’s a huge draw for entertainment junkies, giving potential new subscribers an entire month to catch award-winning Amazon Originals, live sports and whole host of movies, including recent Oscar winners like Anora, for free.

• Prime Video free trial: sign up to get it now!

Signing up is easy, there’s tons to watch, and a paid membership doesn’t have to break the bank once the Prime Video free trial has come to an end. Indeed, there's so much to uncover – just look at our best Prime Video shows and best Prime Video movies roundups for the biggest and best titles.

I've really been enjoying Prime Video, especially since the streamer adapted my favorite video game series, Fallout, for the small screen. With Fallout season 2 and other great Prime Video Originals like The Wheel of Time and The Rings of Power impressing audiences, it's worth sticking around beyond your free trial.

Steps for how to get an Prime Video free trial

If you’re new to Amazon Prime, or it’s been over twelve months since you were a Prime member, then the 30-day Prime Video free trial is available. It’s even better for students, who are entitled to an incredible 6 months of free streaming.

Signing up is easy, just follow the bullet points below:

• Go to Prime Video
• Select ‘Try Prime’
• Sign in to your Amazon account
• Follow the on-screen instructions if prompted

Your Amazon account will need a current, valid credit card linked to it. But, as long as you cancel your membership before the free trial period expires, you won't be charged.

In the US, Amazon Channels often provide a seven-day trial too, letting you explore a la carte options like Cinemax. But you need to be a fully-fledged, Amazon Prime subscription member to get those.

Step by step guide for how to get a Prime Video free trialVisit the Prime Video app or site

(Image credit: Prime Video)

To get started, head to the Prime Video site or download the app on your tablet or phone. If you're a new customer, you'll be prompted to "start your 30-day free trial", which you can click on to navigate to the next step.

Sign in to Amazon or create a new account

(Image credit: Amazon)

If you already have an Amazon account but you've never used Prime Video, you can sign in to continue to your free trial. If you're a new customer, you'll be prompted to sign up for an Amazon account where you'll provide details like your email, shipping address, and preferred billing card details. You will also complete a small captcha puzzle to verify you are human.

Sign up for your 30-day free trial

(Image credit: Prime Video)

Finally, you'll be taken to this screen which prompts you to add a billing card for when your 30-day free trial ends. Once you've done this, you'll be redirected to start your trial. Remember to cancel before your 30-day period is up if you don't want to get charged!

Prime Video free trial: What to watch

Don't miss the critically-acclaimed Fallout on Prime Video. (Image credit: JoJo Whilden/Prime Video)

There’s plenty to feast your eyes on with thousands of movies and TV series. It has classic Hollywood fare licensing movies like It’s A Wonderful Life, brooding modern thrillers – like You Were Never Really Here and Zodiac, for example – and plenty of comedies and feel-good indie flicks.

Prime Video is packed with great Prime Video Originals too, including Hunters, Fleabag and The Boys to name only a few. Then there’s a slew of hugely anticipated releases like the Gen V, as well as Mr. and Mrs.Smith.

Meanwhile, sports fans can enjoy live matches and docuseries like All or Nothing. And, if some of your favorite programming is missing, chances are you’ll find it via Amazon Channels. There are more than 100 you can subscribe to, such as HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Shudder, which often provide their own 7-day free trial.

Much like Netflix, the content available does vary from country to country. So the best way to see exactly what's on offer where you are is to head to Amazon and grab that 30-day free trial.

Prime Video free trial: FAQsHow much does Prime Video cost?

Amazon Prime – which bundles together Prime Video, unlimited music, free delivery, and more – typically costs $14.99 a month in the US and £8.99 in the UK, AU$9.99 in Australia and €8.99 in Europe.

If you pay for a full annual membership, you can save a decent chunk of change, all the while getting lightning-fast delivery and multi-media entertainment all year round.

Plan

Monthly

Annually

Standard

$14.99 / £8.99 / AU$9.99 per month

$139 / £95 / AU$79 annually

Ad-free

$17.98 / £11.98 / AU$12.98

$174.88 / £130.88 / AU$114.88

Which countries is Prime Video available in?

Prime Video can be watched in over 200 countries and territories, giving access to both Amazon Prime or Prime Video subscriptions to anyone with a compatible device.

The only places it's not available is Mainland China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Russia, Belarus, Syria, and Vietnam. 

Can I get a Prime Video free trial as a student?

Yes, in the US you can sign up for Prime for Young Adults, a six month free trial which gives you access to free shipping, access to Prime Video and Amazon Music.

You are eligible for this deal if you are a currently enrolled student, or between the ages of 18-24. It lasts until you turn 25, or graduate. After that sixth month trial, Prime for Young Adults members are charged a monthly payment of $7.49 unless cancelled.

In the UK, you can sign up for a similar subscription called Prime Student which entitles you to the same benefits, and entitles you to a six month free trial. You’ll need to be enrolled at a UK university with a .ac.uk email address to be eligible, and after the trial you'll pay £4.49 a month.

How do I cancel my Prime Video free trial?

1. Go to Amazon.com
2. Go to Account & Settings, then select the Your Account tab.
3. If it's a Prime Video-only subscription, select End Subscription.
4. To cancel your whole Amazon Prime subscription, go to Prime Membership Settings, Manage Subscription, then choose to End Subscription.

Has Prime Video had any price hikes?

When Prime Video launched back in 2016, it cost $8.99 /  £7.99 / AU$8.99 per month, and it has gone up since then thanks to the addition of a new tier.

In 2024, Prime Video did see a price hike as the streaming service introduced a new ad-supported tier. This meant that those wanting to watch without ads would have to pay an additional $2.99 / £2.99 / AU$2.99 per month.

• Microsoft's AI helper for gaming has debuted in Windows 11
• Gaming Copilot is in the Game Bar, but it's only in beta testing for now
• Gaming handheld owners may worry about performance, but Microsoft says it's optimizing the feature for these devices

As Microsoft promised earlier this year, Gaming Copilot - the AI helper for gamers - is now on PCs (after previously debuting in testing on smartphones in the Xbox mobile app).

Neowin highlighted a blog post from Microsoft announcing that Gaming Copilot (previously called Copilot for Gaming) is now in the Game Bar for Windows 11 PCs, although the functionality is still in beta testing.

This means that Xbox Insiders (testers) will get an icon for Gaming Copilot in the Game Bar - just click that to fire up the assistant in Windows 11 on your gaming PC (or perhaps handheld).

The AI understands what game you’re currently playing, and is designed to help you when you get stuck in a game, and to do so seamlessly - in the Game Bar overlay - without having to switch away to a web browser window to look for tips and so forth.

Microsoft also points out that for added convenience, there's a Voice Mode, so - assuming you have a microphone - you can talk to Copilot to ask for help. The AI will also use screenshots of the game that's running to understand what you're asking about, and hopefully provide more relevant info and guidance as a result.

As noted, this feature is now available on the Game Bar, but only to those who are in the Xbox Insider program - you'll also need to ensure the Xbox app on your PC is updated to the latest version.

Note that Microsoft has only deployed this feature to the US and certain other countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Singapore. Notably, the UK and Europe aren't getting Gaming Copilot yet, which is unusual and likely bound up in data regulations.

Analysis: Concerns about in-game handholding on handhelds - and more besides

(Image credit: Microsoft)

This looks to be a useful feature, despite the cries of 'no, not more AI jammed into Windows 11'. I get that sentiment, but in fairness, if you're not interested - or worried about privacy in some way (with the AI 'watching' your gaming) - just don't use Gaming Copilot.

As to how useful this AI assistant will be, I haven't tried it personally, but it does look like a neat time-saver. There is a worry when it comes to Windows 11 gaming handhelds, namely that it's going to hit performance (and battery life). After all, this is an extra task going on in-game (which is the mentioned convenience) - so how might that affect frame rates?

Microsoft acknowledges this concern in its blog post and notes that right now, the feature is limited on handhelds. The company advises: "While Gaming Copilot (Beta) is also available now for Xbox Insiders to try on Windows handhelds with limited functionality, further optimizations are underway for handhelds as we approach the launch of the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X."

Of course, if you have your smartphone handy, you can always use Gaming Copilot on that second screen - via the Xbox mobile app - and swerve any performance concerns (albeit that's hardly a seamless way of working).

Perhaps there's another potential worry here, too, and that's related to the convenience of having hints and help on tap in such an easy fashion. Are AI-powered abilities like this going to encourage more laziness in gaming, with people reaching for help after only being stuck for a very short time, rather than trying to figure things out themselves?

I guess that's a broader, more philosophical concern about gaming, and the choice to enlist the help of AI seamlessly, at the drop of a hat, could have more of an impact than we might imagine in the future. Although the bigger worry will doubtless be with AI snaking its helpful tentacles into competitive games, and Microsoft is already talking about how Gaming Copilot will offer 'proactive coaching' and 'richer game assistance' in general.

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• Sony's chief financial officer Lin Tao has admitted that its current live-service strategy "is not entirely going smoothly"
• Tao said, despite Concord's shutdown and Marathon's delay, she still believes in Sony's strategy but will learn from its mistakes
• Live-service games accounted for 40% of Sony's first-party software revenue in Q1, but "for the full year it's a little less, probably between 20-30%"

Sony has admitted that its current live-service strategy "is not entirely going smoothly" following the disastrous launch of Concord, but says it will continue with its plan and learn from its mistakes.

During a recent Q&A session after the company's latest financial results (via VGC), one caller asked the panel of executives for an update on PlayStation's live-service strategy amid the delay of Marathon and following the shutdown of Concord.

In response, Sony's chief financial officer Lin Tao said that she still believes in live-service games, despite recent negativity, explaining that other games like Helldivers 2 and Destiny 2 have managed to produce a steady revenue stream that didn't exist five years ago.

"Last year Concord [shut down], and this year Marathon was postponed, so somewhat negative news has been coming out," said Tao (via an interpreter).

"But if we look at the past five years, five years ago live service games were almost non-existent for PlayStation Studios. We [now] have Helldivers 2, MLB The Show, and Gran Turismo 7, and Bungie’s Destiny 2, so we have these four live services contributing to sales and profits in a stable manner."

During the presentation, it was revealed that live service games accounted for 40% of first-party software revenue for Q1 and "for the full year it's a little less, probably between 20-30%".

"So in terms of the transformation, it’s not entirely going smoothly, but from a longer-term perspective, if you look at the changes over five years, you see that there’s definitely been a change," Tao added.

"Of course, we recognise that there are still many issues, so we should learn the lessons from mistakes and make sure that we introduce live service content where there’s less waste and it’s more smooth."

Concord was shut down just two weeks after its launch due to poor sales and a low player count.

At the time, game director Ryan Ellis said Firewalk Studios was exploring options, had ceased the sale of Concord, and offered refunds to all PS5 and PC players.

While this live-service game overwhelmingly underperformed, PlayStation's Helldivers 2 was a massive success, selling 12 million copies in its first 12 weeks on sale. The game was so popular at release that Arrowhead was forced to increase its concurrent player cap to 700,000 after it breezed past 450,000.

Developer Arrowhead Game Studios also recently announced that the Sony-published game will launch on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on August 26, 2025.

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• NordVPN just launched 'Is it down?,' a service that checks whether popular websites and services are working correctly
• The tool relies on user reports to function; if users report problems, 'Is it down?' reflects that
• This isn't the only service to check website outages available on the market

NordVPN is the brand behind the best VPN service according to our extensive ranking, but today's announcement is about something slightly different. The company announced the arrival of "Is it down?," a new website checker.

The checker works much the way you'd expect. Users can report outages for some of the most popular services, including Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. If enough users report an outage, NordVPN's service will show it.

This is a great way to calm those "is it my internet, or is it this specific website" fears that we're no strangers to. However, NordVPN's new feature is entering a saturated market, as it isn't the first service to check website outages.

How does 'Is it down?' work?

(Image credit: Nord Security)

Much like similar services, NordVPN's "Is it down?" is simple and, most importantly, completely free to use. If you're having trouble loading a specific website or app, you can visit NordVPN's website and select the service that's currently acting up.

Once you're there, simply click on "Report" and confirm that you're a real person experiencing issues with said service. You can also leave a comment for other users to see if you scroll down the page.

"By providing crowdsourced visibility into service health, we aim to empower users with first-hand information," said NordVPN's CTO, Marijus Briedis.

Beyond the basic reporting function, NordVPN's new tool also lets you see outages that took place over the last 24 hours, as well as short descriptions of past issues.

For instance, on the YouTube page, everything looks like smooth sailing, with the last reported outages noted in 2021, 2020, and 2018. This comes from external sources – NordVPN wasn't monitoring these websites back then.

(Image credit: Nord Security)

To determine whether a website is down or not, NordVPN recalculates the status of each service once every 30 minutes. This is based on user reports submitted during a 24-hour window.

The company says that as long as the number of reports doesn't cross the 50% baseline, the service is deemed to be online. Between 50% and 75%, NordVPN reports a partial outage. If the number of reports crosses 75% of the baseline, the service is deemed to be fully down.

NordVPN lets you look up the status of a few different services, including:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Reddit
• Yahoo
• Discord
• Cox
• Xbox Network
• X (Twitter)
• PlayStation Network

We reached out to NordVPN to ask about its plans for the new feature. A representative for the company confirmed that it’s planning to add more websites and services to ‘Is it down?’ sometime in the future.

Other options exist, but NordVPN could succeed

NordVPN's new feature could certainly come in handy. Many of us wonder whether there's something wrong with our internet when a website won't load – this should fix the problem. However, NordVPN enters a fairly saturated market.

Similar services already exist, in fact, including DownForEveryoneOrJustMe and IsItDownRightNow.

The advantage these have over NordVPN is that they're not limited to a handful of websites; you can type in an address and check whether it works. They ping the server themselves as well as allow user reports, which makes them a little more standalone than the NordVPN alternative.

However, NordVPN could very well succeed in this field. It's a well-known brand, globally recognized for excellent VPN solutions. This could make it easier for users to find the new service and adopt it as their go-to option during website outages.

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