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• Consumers given until January 2026 to update Office to retain support for voice tools
• A backend update means older versions will no longer be supported
• A broader Office/Windows update push is ongoing

Microsoft is warning users of older versions of Office that they will soon be losing access to certain voice tools, including transcription, dictation and read aloud, as of January 2026.

The dropped features include systems to read documents and emails aloud, speech-to-text conversions and voice-to-text input, but those who fail to update to Office version 16.0.18827.20202 or newer will lose out.

This is for most casual users, however Government Cloud users including GCC, GCC High and DoD environments will have an additional two months to apply the change.

Older Microsoft Office versions losing voice tools soon

"To ensure continued high-quality performance of the Read Aloud, Transcription, and Dictation features in Microsoft 365 Office apps, we're upgrading the backend service that powers these capabilities," the notice warned.

Microsoft justified the change by adding it is upgrading the backend service which powers these voice features, therefore older versions must lose support to ensure ongoing compatibility with newer versions.

Word, Outlook, OneNote and PowerPoint are among the most commonly used apps to lose support for voice tools, and there will be no local fallback once the deadline is passed. Perpetual license holders will already be used to limited functionality, lacking most cloud-powered voice tools already.

This isn't the only change that Office users are facing in the coming months – by October 14, 2025, Office 2016 and 2019 will reach end of extended support. Office apps on Windows 10 also lose support later this year, with Windows 10 itself going out of date in October too.

With numerous Microsoft-related deadlines all approaching at rapid speed, the company is finally seeing an uptick in adoption of its latest software. Windows 11 installs finally overtook Windows 10 installs for the first time in July 2025, after a moment of crossover in June.

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A good multivitamin is a great way to fill nutritional gaps and help you look and feel your best.

The statue of Albert Pike, a Confederate general and Freemason leader, was vandalized and taken down on Juneteenth in 2020. It is the only statue of a Confederate general in Washington, D.C.

(Image credit: Eric Baradat)

• A new overview trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World has been released
• The trailer offers a new look at Switch 2 enhancements, new stages, Mouth Mode Transformations, and more
• A new boss rush challenge called The Ultimate Cup Z EX has also been revealed

Nintendo has released a new overview trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World ahead of the game's release later this month.

The Switch 2 version was first revealed during the console's reveal, which confirmed enhancements, additional features, and the announcement of the Star-Crossed World downloadable content (DLC)

In this new trailer, we got a fresh look at brand new Starry Stages, which will be added alongside the story DLC. After a meteor crashed into the Forgotten Land, aspects of the world and familiar locations have been altered, creating new paths and areas to discover.

During the Switch 2 Edition reveal, the first look at Spring Mouth was shared, but the latest trailer has also confirmed that two additional Mouth Mode Transformations will also be featured: Gear Mouth and Sign Mouth.

With Gear Mouth, players can latch onto walls and roll vertically. Sign Mouth allows players to slide along slopes, jump in the air to reach things, and execute a spin attack on enemies, while Spring Mouth lets Kirby "Smash Down" on enemies.

New activities are also on the way. Players will be able to collect Starry Coins in each stage and spend them on the Gotcha Machine EX from Astronomer Waddle Deeto to unlock new figures.

A new challenge at the Colosseum called The Ultimate Cup Z EX will also be available, where players can "test your mettle and might in an even tougher boss rush".

The Switch 2 Edition also arrives with all-new improvements, including improved graphics and faster frame rates for both the base game and the DLC.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World launches on August 28.

Players who already own Kirby and the Forgotten Land on Nintendo Switch can purchase a digital upgrade pack to access Star-Crossed World and the new enhancements on Switch 2.

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Can you believe it? Little Bobby is all grown up in King of the Hill season 14, which takes us back to the beating heart of Middle America. It’s not surprising considering the show had a release date of August 4 – almost exactly 16 years after it initially stopped airing in 2009. Set in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas, we’re picking back up with Hank (Mike Judge) and Peggy (Kathy Najimy) as they move back to town after Hank’s retirement, while Bobby (Pamela Adlon) is making a new life for himself as a fully-fledged adult,

The new Hulu show (which is also available on Disney+ in the UK and Australia) has been praised as being charming and a slow-grower, much like the original series when it debuted in 1997. It’s both ridiculous and familiar all at once, managing to incorporate a brand-new world while keeping tabs on everything that made the comedy the animated success story it was. As we know, the world has changed a great deal since 2009 (let alone 1997), and it’s almost strange to see a version of Middle America largely unaffected by politics.

But that’s not the change I think we need to keep an eye on. Cultural, societal and political shifts while King of the Hill has been off air go without saying, yet the biggest change affecting the show itself is the rise of streaming services. It’s not something the comedy has ever had to deal with before, and according to its creators, the viewing landscape has undoubtedly changed what we’re watching in season 14.

King of the Hill season 14’s switch to streaming has undeniably changed what we’re watching, say creators

“Everybody’s trying to figure out how to match audience viewing behavior to the way business models used to work,” showrunner Saladin K. Patterson told The Hollywood Reporter. “So, a microcosm of that is this whole thing that a season is 10 episodes now, and that certainly affects the stories we can tell, but not all in a bad way. In some ways, 10 episodes is creatively more refreshing than having to do 22 episodes. Trust me, the unspoken secret that we always had was it’s hard doing 22 episodes, and by time you get to episode 17, you’re starting to repeat yourself probably. But monetarily speaking, that was a great model. Now for streamers like Hulu and Disney+, it’s a little different.”

He continued, “When we were breaking out the season arc, it certainly made us skip ahead, I think, in a way that we wouldn’t necessarily have skipped ahead in the first 10 episodes under the broadcast model. Think about the Connie ( Lauren Tom) and Bobby relationship. We wanted the season to end with them getting together, so that meant, along the way, we had to jump that relationship ahead faster than we would have had we had 22 episodes to get them together. That fit to how we brought the stories and what we had to pick and choose in terms of what we showed.

“The word that comes to the top of my head is it makes you be more ‘efficient.’ It also makes you figure out, assuming I want to get from A to B, what in between has to be shown to make it make sense when we get to B. Versus if I had to get to A to H, I have B, C, D, E, F and G to hit along the way. It makes us have to be a little more selective with what we have our characters experience if we’re trying to get them to the same place by the end of a season.”

Of course, the fact the King of the Hill reboot is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu rather than one of the other best streaming services around also changes what we’re seeing. In Patterson’s own words, the comedy never hugely pushed the boundaries of speaking out, but now season 14 is so heavily tied to family-friendly brands, that’s even more constricted.

“On the one hand, the Hulu execs for the show were fans of the original, so we all were on the same page in terms of wanting to recapture what made the original special,” he explained. “But there were situations where the Disney of it all put some limiters on us that I know Fox would not have, even though we were on Hulu and streaming, which theoretically has broader S&P [standards and practices] than Fox. But for us, staying true to the show meant we weren’t ever going to be too gratuitous with the curse words and things, but we do take some liberties. The characters do curse in ways they can’t curse on broadcast.

“That being said, Hulu still made us go through and pull out all the F-bombs because they don’t want the TV-MA label, and it’s fine.”

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The Made By Google event is just around the corner – it’s happening August 20 – but some of the tech launching from it might be further away than we had realized if new leaks are to be believed.

That’s according to WinFuture (machine translated to English from German), which claims that its unnamed sources are telling it that while the Google Pixel 10 lineup will land later this month, the new foldable, earbuds and smartwatch won’t be landing as quickly.

The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Pixel Watch 4, and Pixel Buds 2a (which have all previously been teased by leaks) are instead reportedly set to be available from October 9.

Problems with Google’s supply chain are the cited excuse for the delays, though WInFuture says its source didn’t get into specifics.

Google Pixel 10 leak (Image credit: Android Headlines / @OnLeaks)

There’s a whiff of irony here if the leak proves correct, as Google just teased Apple for its tech not being ready in a Google Pixel 10 ad, which pokes fun at the delayed launch of the AI-enhanced Siri. At the time of writing, the new Siri still hasn’t launched in its promised full capacity.

If Google’s hardware is delayed, this will cause its own frustrations for many who were desperate to upgrade their tech – especially if it is indeed held up by over a month.

As with all leaks though, we should take these details with a pinch of salt.

Apart from the Google Pixel 10, we haven’t had any direct promise of what hardware we’ll see at Made By Google, and we haven’t heard any official release dates for any devices.

Nevertheless, this leak could be one to keep in mind on August 20 so we aren’t too disappointed if some of Google’s new tech is as delayed as it suggests.

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• The Avid EVO TWO is an evolution of the EVO THREE
• Low-end frequency of just 28Hz, with a 3.5-way driver design
• £27,995 / €34,995 / $38,995 (about AU$57,589)

British hi-fi firm Avid has unveiled the new flagship in its EVO speaker range, the EVO TWO, as part of its ongoing 30th anniversary celebrations, which also recently included its first all-new turntable in 12 years.

Avid describes the EVO TWO as an "advancement" of the current EVO THREE speakers, with the new model delivering an enhanced bass response, a wider dynamic range and a more expansive sound stage.

The speakers will be available in the UK, Europe and the US, but they've been made with the US market in mind: according to managing director Conrad Mas, “It is particularly suitable for larger rooms and properties where wall construction may be less rigid, a common scenario in many North American homes."

(Image credit: Avid HiFi)Avid EVO TWO: key specs and pricing

The EVO TWO feature a 28mm (1.1-inch) hand-coated soft dome tweeter, two 160mm (6.3 inch) mid-range drivers and a 250mm (9.84 inch) low-frequency driver with a low end of 28Hz – the addition of the latter means that Avid is referring to this as a 3.5-way speaker system.

That's not something the company has made up – 3.5-way speakers aren't common, but there's a history of great, hefty, floorstanding speakers with hidden bass drivers.

The drive units are mounted on a rigid anodized aluminum baffle and rear plate, and the speakers are available in two finishes: black or gloss white.

As Conrad Mas explains: "The EVO TWO was developed in response to customer feedback requesting a speaker with great presence and low-end articulation, whilst maintaining the clarity and openness characteristic of the EVO series."

The EVO TWO will be available through authorized dealers from September 2025 and the price is £27,995 / €34,995 / $38,995 (about AU$57,589). I'm not sure it'll crash our list of the best stereo speakers at that price, but I'd love to find out with a nice long listening session myself…

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• A key Stranger Things actor has already guessed a big detail about one of its spin-offs
• Finn Wolfhard is the only person who's worked out the outline of its live-action offshoot
• It's been described as "like David Finch's Twin Peaks"

The final season of Stranger Things' mainline show isn't out yet, but one of its key cast members has already worked out what its live-action spin-off is about.

Speaking as part of a Variety profile piece on Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler in the popular Netflix show, its creators Ross and Matt Duffer revealed Wolfhard had correctly guessed what said offshoot's premise entails.

First, a bit of background on that untitled project: in late 2022, Netflix revealed that the Duffer brothers were developing two spin-offs of their massively successful supernatural sci-fi horror series via their Upside Down Pictures production company. One of those, titled Tales From '85, is an animated project that'll tell an original story between Stranger Things' third and fourth seasons, and feature many of the show's primary cast. It's unclear if they'll be voiced by the same actors who played them in the main series, though.

However, confirmation that the other project is a live-action one notwithstanding, we've heard nothing else about one of the best Netflix shows' other offshoots. Well, until today (August 5), anyway.

Netflix will wrap up Stranger Tihings' main story with a fifth and final season (Image credit: Netflix)

So, what is it? The Duffers didn't provide any answers when asked by Variety, but did admit that Wolfhard had perfectly surmised what the siblings were planning to do from a storytelling perspective.

"Nobody – not Netflix, not any of the producers, not any of the directors, not any of the actors – nobody else has figured out what the spinoff is," Ross Duffer said. "Finn figured it out, which is pretty remarkable. We’ve mind-melded with this kid a bit."

Interviewed as part of the same Variety article, Wolfhard was a bit more forthcoming on one of the projects that'll follow in Stranger Things season 5's footsteps. Indeed, while he didn't state what the Duffers were planning, he gave us a tantalizing glimpse into the kind of story – or, rather, stories – they're looking to tell.

"[It's] like David Lynch’s Twin Peaks," the young star teased. "Sort of an anthology and different tones, but similar universe or same universe. I think [it'll be] set in different places and all tied together through this mythology of the Upside Down. Don’t even talk about Hawkins [and] don’t have any mention of our characters.

"They were toying around with ideas in case Netflix wanted them," he continued. "I’m sure they do and I’m sure it will happen, but there’s nothing official. I think the coolest way, the way that I would do it, there has to be labs everywhere. If there was one in Hawkins, there’s one in Russia. Where else could they be?"

Matt and Ross Duffer are developing new projects set in the Stranger Things universe (Image credit: Netflix)

An anthology series set in the Stranger Things universe with a 'new weird' genre vibe similar to that of one of the best shows of the last 40 years? Sign me up.

As for the fifth and final season on Netflix's incredibly popular TV Original, its launch is only a few months away now. Indeed, Stranger Things season 5's trio of release dates were revealed in June, and its first volume, which comprises four episodes, will debut on one of the world's best streaming services this November.

More recently, we were finally treated to the first official trailer for Stranger Things season 5, which only heightened my excitement for its last hurrah. After a three-and-a-half year wait for it, here's hoping Stranger Things 5 lives up to the hype.

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• Security researchers found three flaws in Nvidia Triton Inference Server
• When used together, they can grant remote code execution capabilities
• A patch has been released, so users should update immediately

Nvidia Triton Inference Server carried three vulnerabilities which, when combined, could lead to remote code execution (RCE) and other risks, security experts from Wiz have warned

Triton is a free open source tool working on both Windows and Linux which helps companies run AI models efficiently on servers, whether in the cloud, on-site, or at the edge.

It supports many popular AI frameworks and speeds up tasks by handling multiple models at once and grouping similar requests together.

Patching the flaw

Wiz found three flaws in the Python backend:

CVE-2025-23319 (out-of-bounds write bug with an 8.1/10 severity score), CVE-2025-23320 (shared memory limit exceeding vulnerability with a 7.5/10 severity score), and CVE-2025-23334 (an out-of-bounds vulnerability with a 5.9/10 score).

"When chained together, these flaws can potentially allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to gain complete control of the server, achieving remote code execution (RCE)," Wiz said in its security advisory.

The risk is real, too, they added, stressing that companies stand to lose sensitive data:

"This poses a critical risk to organizations using Triton for AI/ML, as a successful attack could lead to the theft of valuable AI models, exposure of sensitive data, manipulating the AI model's responses, and a foothold for attackers to move deeper into a network," the researchers added.

Nvidia said it addressed the issues in version 25.07, and users are “strongly recommended” to update to the latest version as soon as possible.

At press time, there were no reports of anyone abusing these flaws in the wild, however many cybercriminals will wait until a vulnerability is disclosed to target organizations that aren’t that diligent when patching and keep their endpoints vulnerable for longer periods of time.

Via The Hacker News

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When I was a kid in the early 2000s, Lindsay Lohan was across the holy trinity of sleepover movies: Mean Girls, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and Freaky Friday. Each is a sacred text, a rite of passage watched until you and your friends are all word perfect, songs and scenes ingrained into your memory well into adulthood.

Thankfully, Hollywood is hellbent on resurrecting as many existing IPs as it possibly can, meaning Disney is giving us girls now in their 30s a sequel to the 2003 body swap comedy Freakier Friday. In the original movie, a mum and daughter swapped bodies, which allowed them to realize how they’ve been unfair to the other (don’t worry, they got switched back in the end). Lindsay Lohan is now on the other side of rebuilding her post-child star life and ready to reunite with Jamie Lee Curtis, and the result is absolutely glorious.

Mild spoilers for Freakier Friday ahead.

Let’s start with the bad news: Lohan’s Anna and Jake (Chad Michael Murray) are no longer together in Freakier Friday, despite their will-they-won’t-they romance being the entire plot of the first movie. Anna has decided to go parenthood alone in Freakier Friday, raising now 15-year-old daughter Harper (Julia Butters) on her own. Tess (Curtis) is the psychologist-turned-podcaster we remember, intent on helicopter grandparenting as best as she can. Anna meets fellow parent Eric (Manny Jacinto) when Harper gets into trouble with his daughter Lily (Sophia Hammons), and the two fall in love. When Anna and Eric soon plan to get married, a (frankly terrible) mystic at her bachelorette party swaps spirits between the quartet, and it’s a race against time to fix it.

When I found out that the storyline beats were almost exactly the same as the original movie just with additional characters I didn’t want, and even when I saw the trailer, I was braced for the worst. However, nothing could have prepared me for the spring in my step immediately after watching the full movie, which is a lightness I haven’t felt through films for decades. Freakier Friday ticks all the boxes we’re desperate for it to (feel-good storytelling with a light-hearted touch, Lohan at her best, silly nods to girlhood) and that’s going to be a lot of happy young women who’ve been left unfilled by mainstream media.

Freakier Friday is far from perfect, but it is a millennial teenage dream

The best things in life are those that are perfectly imperfect, and in an industry that’s striving for AI greatness and motion-blended superhero glory, that’s refreshing. As a Disney movie, Freakier Friday is not trying to be anything else – it’s not trying to compete as a box office smash, and it’s not trying to get a new audience base. Instead, it’s a love letter to its fans from way back when, and in turn, for Lindsay Lohan, too.

For me, the best part of Freakier Friday is seeing a happy, healthy Lohan back where we want her and absolutely loving it. She thrives working with Curtis and Murray, and it’s almost as if no time has passed. Freaky Friday clearly created an environment she felt comfortable in, meaning she could give her whole heart to the sequel when the timing was biologically right (according to Curtis, Disney was approached when Lohan could viably have a teen daughter).

Lohan turns up to our premiere in a nod to the final outfit she wore in Freaky Friday, and the love in the room for what they have created is palpable. It shows in every one of her scenes, effortlessly finding the balance between legendary Disney icon and a comeback kid proving she never lost the acting chops she was once heralded for. Between them, Lohan and Curtis go full throttle back into the 2000s, with plenty of references to their original movie through a stylised narrative structure typically left behind in the noughties (think school food fights, comedic detention scenes and impromptu fashion shows).

If you’re a fellow child of the noughties, Freakier Friday has this wonderfully rare ability to suspend time, leaving the everyday stresses of 2025 life at bay. In this bubble, the biggest worry is seeing whether Pink Slip will play ‘Take Me Away’ (more on that later), and if Anna will make it to her wedding on time. There’s love, laughs, and plenty of Easter eggs, and it’s genuinely the closest we can come to travelling back in time.

New additions hold up just as well, for the most part

Lindsay Lohan (Anna) and Jamie Lee Curtis (Tess) in Freakier Friday. (Image credit: Disney)

However, this doesn’t mean the new elements in Freakier Friday are left out in the cold. There’s a fresh take on modern social stereotypes that doesn’t feel as though someone’s mom has written it – instead the movie comes across as understanding what it means to be a young woman in the 2020s. Nobody is taking themselves or anything around them too seriously, meaning the movie has flexibility to lean into the unhinged storytelling that children’s TV was fixated with 20 years ago.

The only place this doesn’t entirely work is with popular singer Ella (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), who Anna now manages. She struggles to feel like a popstar that would genuinely appeal to the TikTok generation, shoehorned into the plot just so Anna has enough emotional background to make up for her split with Jake.

This brings me to my biggest gripe with the sequel – you cannot continue a well-known 2000s IP and not use Chad Michael Murray properly. He was the biggest onscreen heartthrob of a generation, and I was genuinely overcome with nostalgia by seeing him in the flesh just before watching the movie. I hope he’d still be with Anna (or at the very least be back together by the end), but he’s sparsely seen and is only used to prop up jokes coming from Tess. There’s no explanation for why they’re no longer together, and, without spoilers, there’s certainly a missed opportunity to extend his connection to the movie’s main dilemma.

But enough about Chad (I’ll just rewatch Sullivan’s Crossing for a Murray hit). What about Pink Slip? Yes, the iconic fictional band is back together, and yes, you’ll see the entire back catalog. I recommend watching with your best friend for the full emotional effect of belting the words as the band has their onscreen reunion, albeit you might be a bit thrown off by a jarring edit that goes against the original film’s soundtrack. Still, this is a small price to pay for a cinematic moment of dreams, and boy, seeing Christina Vidal back where she belongs is mine.

Frankly, I’m impressed with Freakier Friday. The minute a sequel comes out decades after the original, it’s set up for a losing streak, but Lohan and Curtis’ effortless embodiment of 2003 means the overall premise works despite the huge chunk of time in between. Cinema buffs will say it’s terrible, and they’re probably right. But Freakier Friday is a worthwhile sequel, and it’s definitely what I – and I imagine other noughties children – want.

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The live-action film will make its TV debut next month.

• Microsoft recently produced some new support documents
• These contain some helpful advice for would-be upgraders to Windows 11 who run into problems
• Some of this is very handy to know - including why you may not immediately be offered Windows 11 after upgrading your CPU

Microsoft recently provided some fresh troubleshooting advice for those looking at upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 who might be confused in some respects.

Neowin noticed a couple of relatively new support documents which have been published by Microsoft at some point earlier this year. They deal with problems that may arise after upgrading the hardware in your PC in order to get Windows 11, or encountering a particular message telling you that some aspect of the upgrade 'needs attention'.

Let's start with the former scenario which is covered in a support article on 'checking if a device meets Windows 11's requirements after changing hardware' and imparts advice for those who have just made an upgrade to ensure their Windows 10 PC can meet the more stringent requirements for Windows 11.

That upgrade is most likely to be a new CPU - as older processors are often a major sticking point - or possibly the addition of a TPM 2.0 module (a security feature).

At any rate, whatever hardware change you've made to your PC so it's eligible for Windows 11, you may find that when you fire up Windows Update in order to trigger the upgrade, that it isn't there. In other words, the system will tell you that your PC still isn't compatible with Windows 11, even though you've just installed that shiny new component which should do the trick.

However, as Microsoft explains, there's no need to panic here. It's actually the case that it "can take up to 24 hours for Windows Update to refresh eligibility info", meaning that you may need to wait for some time before the hardware change filters through and registers with Windows Update - and you're then offered Windows 11.

If you can't wait, there's a trick to manually refresh the eligibility assessment of your PC (using Task Scheduler, as advised here), or the easier route is to use the PC Health Check app rather than going into Windows Update (as the app will immediately recognize your upgraded hardware, Microsoft informs us).

As for the second support document brought to light, this addresses what to do if you see a 'What needs your attention' notification during the Windows 11 upgrade process, which is a certainly something of a vague spanner in the works.

Microsoft explains in detail what this is all about, outlining the reasons why a would-be Windows 11 upgrader might see this notification pop up - including an explanation of the rather cryptic 'no action is needed' message that may accompany it. In this case, the user can't do anything - which you might guess - but what you might not guess is that the known issue causing the message may be resolved by Microsoft in time. And if this happens, you will automatically be offered the Windows 11 upgrade - so, there's still hope in this scenario.

Microsoft also details what you can do about 'incompatible privacy settings' if that's the cause of the notification, and provides more info on what to do if incompatible software is the issue.

Analysis: Better late than never

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

These are handy clarifications to be furnished with, especially the info on the delay with an upgrade to Windows 11 being cleared on your PC, if you're proceeding via Windows Update after installing new hardware.

Those not aware of this (and I wasn't) could potentially upgrade their CPU (say), then spend hours searching the web in vain attempting to find out why they still can't get Windows 11, if they didn't try the PC Health Check app as well as Windows Update (which is entirely possible). So, that app is clearly your best bet for a simple, immediate upgrade to Windows 11 after you've installed the necessary new hardware to meet the requirements of the OS.

Ideally, mind, all these details should have been in place a long time ago. Better late than never, of course, but Microsoft really should have been more on the ball with some of this info, rather than adding it recently, at this late stage in the game - no doubt prompted by the fact that Windows 10's End of Life is rapidly coming into view.

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• Unit 42 saw 4L4MD4R being deployed via ToolShell
• The crooks are asking for $500 worth of Bitcoin
• ToolShell is a Microsoft SharePoint Server bug patched in late July

The risk for businesses who haven’t patched the ToolShell vulnerability keeps growing after new reports suggest ransomware actors are also joining the exploitation party.

Researchers from Palo Alto Network’s cybersecurity arm, Unit 42, said they observed a threat actor known as 4L4MD4R using ToolShell to gain access and try to deploy the encryptor.

ToolShell is a nickname for a deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability, recently discovered in on-premises Microsoft SharePoint Server instances. It is tracked as CVE-2025-53770, and was said to allow unauthenticated remote code execution, giving attackers control over unpatched systems simply by sending a crafted request. It was given a severity score of 9.8/10 (critical), and was patched in late July, 2025.

4L4MD4R has joined the chat

Less than two weeks after Microsoft issued an emergency mitigation, security researchers started noticing an uptick in attacks, and victim counts in the hundreds.

"There are many more, because not all attack vectors have left artifacts that we could scan for," Eye Security warned at the time.

Many high-profile organizations fell victim to different cyberattacks thanks to this flaw, including the US National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Education, Florida’s Department of Revenue, the Rhode Island General Assembly, and government networks in Europe and the Middle East.

Now, ransomware players are hopping onto the ToolShell bandwagon, as well. According to Unit 42, 4L4MD4R is based on open-source Mauri870 code. It was spotted on July 27, when the researchers were investigating a failed attack.

"Analysis of the 4L4MD4R payload revealed that it is UPX-packed and written in GoLang. Upon execution, the sample decrypts an AES-encrypted payload in memory, allocates memory to load the decrypted PE file, and creates a new thread to execute it," Unit 42 said.

The identity, or possible national affiliation, of the group is unknown at this time. However, the researchers said the hackers were demanding a payment of 0.005 Bitcoin, which translates to roughly $500.

Via BleepingComputer

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I've reviewed plenty of Dyson Airwrap alternatives, but the one I was most excited to try out was the Dreame AirStyle Pro. Dreame is a relatively new brand, but is rapidly establishing itself as a key player in the home appliances space.

We've tested a number of its products in different categories, and they've consistently impressed us – the Dreame R20 sits at the top of our best cordless vacuum guide, and its X50 Ultra Complete is our favorite premium robot vacuum. And that's just a couple of examples.

So my expectations for the AirStyle were high. I'd seen it demoed at a press event, my teammate had tried it out briefly at IFA and loved it, and when my test sample arrived my first impressions were great. I thought it was a shoo-in for my best hair styler roundup.

Let's start with the good bits. The dryer part is well-designed – it's comfortable to hold, well-balanced, and looks and feels high quality. The controls are intuitively placed and out-of-the-way enough that it's unlikely you'll press them accidentally, and the spring-loaded slider cool shot is especially well thought-out.

(Image credit: Future)

There's a great range of attachments, including those all-important auto-wrapping curl barrels (the innovation that made the original Airwrap so popular), and three different brushes for smoothing and volumizing.

Dreame has also added a Flyaway attachment (positioned to rival the one included with the Dyson Airwrap i.d.) and a smart-looking Fast dry attachment that blasts the air out at a right-angle to the handle, for comfortable drying. All are packaged up neatly in a stylish storage box.

The price is right too: it's still a bit of an investment, but almost exactly the same as its main Airwrap-alike competitor, the Shark FlexStyle.

What's the problem?

So far, so good – so why did the Dreame AirStyle Pro end up being the biggest disappointment of my product reviewing year? The first (and most significant) problem is that it just doesn't get hot enough.

I don't have especially long or thick hair (collarbone-length, and fine strands but quite a lot of them, for the record), but it couldn't get it dry. I spent several minutes waving the AirStyle ineffectually around my head before giving up and switching to a dedicated hair dryer – I just don't have that kind of time available in the mornings, okay?

(Image credit: Future)

It was so lukewarm that I wondered if I'd been sent a faulty review model, but not so – looking at Dreame's website reveals the two heat settings as 122ºF / 50ºC (medium) and 176ºF / 80ºC (high). In comparison, the Dyson Airwrap i.d.'s maximum heat setting is 194ºF / 90ºC.

The lack of heat is frustrating when you're in a rush and need to dry your hair efficiently, but it has a bigger problem for this kind of styler, too. You need a certain amount of initial heat to 'set' styles, and I found my curls seemed to drop much more quickly when created using the AirStyle versus other auto-wrap curlers I've tested – even cheap ones like the Revamp Dynamic Radiance Pro.

(Image credit: Future)

The second problem is that the tools don't attach securely enough. It's a simple twist mechanism, with no 'click' and no release switch. That's fine for something like the Fast dryer attachment, but with brush tools that require twisting as part of the styling process, I fairly regularly ended up with a dryer in hand and a brush hanging tangled in my hair.

Despite these frustrations, I'm hesitant to give up on Dreame's multistyler just yet. It just has so much promise. When (or if – nothing is confirmed yet) a new version arrives, I just hope these two problems will have been addressed.

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Phone calls to local Social Security offices are currently being rerouted to other field offices — often to staff who don't have jurisdiction over the caller's case, employees say.

(Image credit: George Walker IV)

• Google says it plans to pause data centre usage at key times
• Data centres use huge amounts of energy, straining the grid
• Global energy demand is surging as AI is widely adopted

It’s no secret that AI and data centres are consuming energy (and water) at an alarming rate, and it has become apparent the current levels of consumption are far above what most energy grids can feasibly support long term, a problem which will only escalate as more organisations deploy AI in the day-to-day.

This unfortunate truth isn’t lost on tech giants, who are now scrambling to try and mitigate the heavy sustainability burdens increased AI development has left them with - and Google has now announced it will start shifting or reducing power demand during ‘certain hours or times of the year’.

This ‘demand response’ means data centers are interconnected more quickly, and the need to build new transmission and power plants is lessened - helping grid operators manage power grids more efficiently and effectively.

Flexibility brings strength

A summer of intense heatwaves and extreme weather conditions has seen a high demand for energy as air conditioning units are becoming a necessity.

AI is not yet a necessity for the vast majority of uses, so Google has agreed to pause or reschedule non-urgent tasks until the demand surge is over.

Partnering with the Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) and the Tennessee Valley Authority, the new agreement will push Google closer to its 24/7 carbon-free energy ambition, helping to ‘bridge the gap between short-term load growth and long-term clean energy solutions,’ and delivering immediate benefits.

“As we add new large loads to our system, it is critical that we partner with our customers to effectively manage the generation and transmission resources necessary to serve them,” said Steve Baker, president and chief operating officer of I&M.

“Google’s ability to leverage load flexibility as part of the strategy to serve their load will be a highly valuable tool to meet their future energy needs.”

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Combs was convicted on July 2 of two counts of transportation for prostitution. The music mogul had filed a request to be released on bail before his sentencing, which is scheduled for Oct. 3.

(Image credit: Gregg DeGuire)

• A new IndieWorld Showcase has been announced for August 7
• The livestream will be 15 minutes long and feature new announcements and updates on indie games coming to the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2
• A new IndieWorld Showcase could mean a potential Hollow Knight: Silksong appearance

Nintendo has announced a new IndieWorld Showcase scheduled for this week, meaning a potential look at a host of new indie games and perhaps even a release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong.

The next IndieWorld Showcase will air on August 7 at 6am PT / 9AM et / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST and can be watched on Nintendo's official YouTube and Twitch channels.

The livestream will be roughly 15 minutes long and consist of "new announcements and updates on indie games coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch."

Join us this Thursday, August 7 at 6am PT for a new #IndieWorld Showcase! Tune in for roughly 15 minutes of new announcements and updates on indie games coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch. Watch here: https://t.co/UqgwVI23d4 pic.twitter.com/NHiNg7jQUYAugust 5, 2025

Like with every IndieWorld Showcase, we can't be sure which indie studios will announce their games, but there is one game everyone and their mother wants to see.

Hollow Knight: Silksong fans have been waiting a long time for Team Cherry to finally provide an update on the game.

It was first announced in 2019 and has made appearances at several live presentations throughout the past few years.

The sequel made a reappearance during the Nintendo Switch 2 showcase back in April (very briefly), along with confirmation of a 2025 release window, but there is still no specific release date.

We also know that the game will be released for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.

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