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The Pixel 11 Pro is one the new additions to Google's flagship phone lineup, sitting alongside the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold (we've tried them all out, and were impressed). The Pro's screen is the same 6.3-inch size as the standard Pixel 11, but is brighter and higher-resolution. The build quality of the phone is also a step up over the basic model, and the rear camera setup is more advanced too.

If you've decided this is the phone for you and you've taken advantage of one of the Pixel 11 Pro preorder deals, now's the time to get a case sorted. Below, I've rounded up a selection of my favorites, in the US and in the UK.

My go-to brands for reliable, tough cases are Otterbox and Spigen. Those cases are generally on the pricier side, so I've included some cheap-and-cheerful Amazon alternatives. These tend to come from weird, no-name brands, so quality can be hit-and-miss. I've stuck to the options that come backed with reassuring reviews. And I've also thrown in a selection of fun cases from Casetify, which is the best place to look for quirky options to add some personality to your phone.

US cases

FNTCASE Pixel 11 Pro Case Compatible With Magsafe

CASETiFY Sunset wave case

Temdan Pixel 11 Pro Case with built-In invisible Kickstand

Spigen Ultra Hybrid Magfit for Pixel 11 Pro Case, Clear White

Spigen Ultra Hybrid Magfit for Pixel 11 Pro Case, Frost Black

OtterBox Pixel 11 Pro Lumen Series Case — Clear

Spigen Tough Armor Magfit for Pixel 11 Pro Case, Black

CASETiFY Blue Reflections case

Spigen Tough Armor Magfit for Pixel 11 Pro Case, Abyss Green

CASETiFY Wave Trip - Blue Voltage MagSafe case

Spigen Nano Pop Magfit for Pixel 11 Pro Case, Black Sesame

OtterBox Pixel 11 Pro Defender Series Pro Case - Black

UK cases

Spigen Nanopop Magfit Case for Google Pixel 11 Pro - Blueberry Navy

TOCOL Google Pixel 11 Pro Case, Magsafe Compatible, Alpine Green

FNTCASE Google Pixel 11 Pro Case, Fit for Magsafe

Spigen Ultra Hybrid Magfit Case for Google Pixel 11 Pro - Clear White

Ringke Google Pixel 11 Pro Case, Onyx (Dark Green)

CASETiFY Happy Croissants case

OtterBox Pixel 11 Pro Lumen Series Case - Clear

CASETiFY Hibis-Kiss case

JETech Magnetic Matte Case for Google Pixel 11 Pro, Black

CASETiFY New York Subway Metro case

Spigen Liquid Air Magfit Case for Google Pixel 11 Pro - Matte Black

OtterBox Pixel 11 Pro Defender Series Pro Case - Black

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks with Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona about conditions aboard the USS Lincoln and his calls for an investigation into sailors' treatment.

(Image credit: Tom Brenner)

Travel eSIMs are useful, but they still leave you guessing. You pick a country, choose a data pack, hope it lasts, and then lose whatever is left when the plan expires. If your trip has more than one country, the whole process starts again. Roamless caught my attention because it tries to remove that cycle.

Instead of making you buy a new eSIM or country plan for every trip, Roamless gives you a single global eSIM and a single balance. You add credits, use data where Roamless is supported, and keep the leftover balance for later. That makes it especially useful for people who travel a few times a year and hate wasting unused data.

Roamless also offers Roamless Numbers, a paid add-on that gives you a virtual number for calls and SMS inside the app. Roamless says it can receive SMS messages, including some verification codes, but I would still keep a regular SIM active for banking OTPs, since many banks block virtual numbers.

• Take a look at our other picks to find your best eSIM for international travel

Roamless: Pricing

(Image credit: Roamless)

Roamless runs two plan types that can work independently or together on the same eSIM.

Plan

Price

Data

Validity

Hotspot

RoamlessFlex

Avg. $2.45/GB

Pay per MB used

Never expires

Yes

RoamlessFix

Varies by destination

Fixed bundle

30 days from first use

Yes

RoamlessFlex

Flex is the main reason to consider Roamless. You add credits to your wallet, and Roamless deducts data usage as you go. The average rate is around $2.45 per GB, although pricing varies by country.

The important part is that your Flex credits do not expire. If you add credit for one trip and use only part of it, the remaining balance stays in your account for the next trip. That makes Roamless feel less wasteful than eSIM plans that expire after a fixed number of days.

New users may receive free Flex credits when they sign up, though the amount may vary based on current promotions. If you join through a referral code, both you and the person who referred you receive $5 in Flex credits after your first top-up. You can also turn on Auto Top Up to refill your wallet automatically when your balance drops below $5.

RoamlessFix

Fix plans are fixed data bundles for a country or region, valid for 30 days. They usually make more sense when you already know where you are going and how much data you will need. The per-GB price can be lower than Flex on larger bundles, but prices vary by destination, so it is worth checking the app before buying.

The catch is that Fix plans don't renew automatically. When your Fix plan expires, Roamless automatically switches back to your Flex balance so you stay connected without changing anything. Fix works best if you already know where you're going and how much data you'll need. If your plans are flexible or you're visiting multiple countries, Flex is usually the better choice.

Roamless: Features

The best thing about Roamless is that it removes some of the small decisions that make travel eSIMs annoying. You are not constantly deleting eSIMs, reinstalling profiles, or trying to use up leftover data before it disappears.

• Non-expiring credits: Most pay-as-you-go eSIMs attach an expiry date to your balance. Roamless doesn't. Flex credits sit in your wallet until you spend them. That matters most for travelers who take a handful of trips a year and don't want to scramble to use a balance before it disappears.
• Automatic Fix-to-Flex fallback: If your Fix plan runs out mid-trip, Flex credits automatically take over. You stay connected.
• Single global eSIM: Install once. The eSIM automatically connects to local carrier partners in 200+ destinations. On Flex, that spans every supported country with no reinstalling between trips or border crossings.
• Hotspot and tethering: Share your data with other devices. Any data you use comes out of your Flex balance or FIX plan.
• In-app calling: Roamless lets you make international calls through the app, with rates starting from $0.01 per minute. It works over any internet connection, including Wi-Fi, a local SIM, or the Roamless eSIM.

Roamless Numbers: Why It Matters

(Image credit: Roamless)

Most travel eSIMs are data-only. They get you online, but they do not give you a phone number for calls or texts. Roamless Numbers is Roamless's answer to that gap.

With Roamless Numbers, you can subscribe to a virtual number inside the app and use it for calls and SMS over the internet. Roamless says Numbers are now available in four countries, with monthly and annual subscription options. The listed price is $6.95 per month, or $59.95 per year ($4.95 per month if you pay annually, a 28% saving).

(Image credit: Roamless)

I'd have used this on a trip where my Airbnb host and a delivery driver both needed to reach me and I had no way for either to call back. That's the real use case: any time a hotel, a ride app, or a client needs to reach you while you're abroad. I also like that it lives in the same app as my travel data. One less VoIP app to manage.

The important limit is verification. Roamless says Numbers can receive SMS, including two-factor authentication and verification codes. That does not mean every bank or financial app will accept them. Many services are strict about virtual numbers, so your regular SIM is still the safer option for banking OTPs.

Number porting is not supported, and each subscription is tied to one Roamless Number. So this is a useful travel add-on, and not a full replacement for your main phone line.

Roamless: Installation

(Image credit: Roamless)

Setup takes about five minutes on an iPhone. Download the app, create an account, add funds or choose a plan, and follow the activation steps. The app walks you through labeling the new eSIM line, setting it as your data connection, and turning on roaming.

Two things are worth checking before you travel. First, install the eSIM while you are on a stable Wi-Fi connection. Second, after installation, make sure Roamless is selected for mobile data and that data roaming is turned on for the Roamless line. If your phone keeps switching back to your home SIM, you could end up using your carrier’s roaming instead.

After that, the setup is done. Land somewhere new, turn data on, and the app connects. You don't touch it between trips or border crossings.

Android setup can vary more by device. Samsung and Pixel phones are usually straightforward, but some models may need extra APN steps. If you use a less common Android phone, check Roamless’s setup guide before you leave.

Roamless: Compatible Devices

Brand

Popular compatible models

Notes

iPhone

iPhone XR, XS, XS Max, SE 2/3, iPhone 11–17 series, iPhone Air

Regional variants can differ, especially the China mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao models. Check for “Add eSIM” before buying.

Samsung Galaxy S

Galaxy S20–S25 series, including Plus and Ultra models

Some regional or carrier-locked variants may not support third-party eSIM installation.

Samsung Galaxy Z

Galaxy Z Fold2–Fold7, Galaxy Z Flip/Flip3–Flip7, Flip7 FE

Check the exact regional model before purchase.

Google Pixel

Pixel 4 and newer, including Pixel 8, Pixel 9, Pixel 9a, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and Pixel 10 series

Some carrier variants may have restrictions.

Huawei

P40, P40 Pro, Mate 40 Pro, Pura 70 Pro, Pura X Foldable, 80 Pro/Pro+/Ultra

Compatibility varies strongly by region. Confirm the exact model first.

Xiaomi

12T Pro, 13 series, 13T Pro, Redmi Note 13 Pro+, 14 series, 14T/14T Pro, Redmi Note 14 Pro+, 15/15 Ultra

eSIM support varies by market and variant.

Motorola

Razr 40/50 series, Razr+ / Razr Ultra, Edge 40/50 series, ThinkPhone 25, Moto G34/G35

Region-dependent. Confirm in device settings before buying.

For older or less common phones, check Roamless’s device page or ask support first. If your phone does not support eSIM, you can still use the Roamless app for Roamless Numbers and in-app calls over Wi-Fi or mobile data.

Roamless: Customer Support

(Image credit: Roamless)

Support runs through three channels: in-app chat, email, and a help center split into four categories. The FAQ section alone has 58 articles, which tells you something about how many edge cases Roamless has run into. The in-app chat opens with an AI agent first, and you have to ask for a human if the bot can't handle it.

Once you're past setup, you won't need support much. The eSIM connects automatically at every border, and the app itself is where most of what could go wrong (a failed activation, a calling glitch) actually happens.

Roamless: Final verdict

(Image credit: Roamless)

I'd recommend Roamless to anyone hopping between countries more than once a year. The Flex wallet is the whole pitch: credits that don't expire beat every fixed eSIM plan I've used that punishes you for not finishing your data in time.

The single global eSIM backs that up. Install once, forget about it, and it just works at the next border. That alone makes multi-country trips less annoying than switching separate eSIMs. Roamless Numbers is a nice extra if you want calls and SMS in the same app, but don't lean on it for banking OTPs. Banks reject virtual numbers often enough that your regular SIM should stay the backup.

Skip Roamless if you need unlimited data or the cheapest single-country plan available. For everyone else traveling light and often, it's one of the more practical eSIMs out there right now.

Roamless: FAQsHow does RoamlessFlex work?

Roamless Flex works by letting you add credits to your Roamless wallet and pay only for the data you use. The app deducts your balance as you go, and any unused credits stay in your wallet because they never expire. If you travel often or visit multiple countries, you can keep using the same wallet without having to buy a new eSIM each time.

What is RoamlessFix, and when should I use it?

Roamless Fix is a prepaid data plan that gives you a fixed amount of data for a specific country or region. The plan stays valid for 30 days from the time you first use it. It works best if you already know where you're traveling and roughly how much data you'll need. If you don't use all your data within 30 days, the remaining balance expires.

Does Roamless offer unlimited data?

No. Roamless does not offer unlimited data plans. Roamless only offers Flex and Fix plans. Flex lets you pay only for the data you use, while Fix gives you a set amount of data that expires after 30 days. If you need unlimited data for streaming or heavy daily use, you'll need to look at another eSIM provider.

Can I receive banking OTPs with Roamless while traveling?

No. You should not rely on Roamless for banking OTPs while traveling. The Roamless eSIM is data-only, and Roamless Numbers uses virtual phone numbers instead of regular mobile numbers. While some services may send SMS to a virtual number, many banks and financial apps block VoIP numbers for security reasons. Your regular SIM card is still the safest option for banking verification.

Does Roamless support hotspot and tethering?

Yes. Roamless supports hotspot and tethering on all of its data plans. You can share your mobile data with a laptop, tablet, or another phone without paying extra. Any data used through hotspot is simply deducted from your Flex wallet or your Fix data allowance, just like data used on your phone.

Does Roamless work in China?

Yes. Roamless works in mainland China. Once your Roamless eSIM is installed, your phone connects automatically through Roamless' roaming partners when you arrive. You don't need to buy a local SIM card, making it a convenient option for travelers who want mobile data as soon as they land.

Do I need to buy a new plan for each country I visit?

No. You do not need to buy a new plan for each country if you use Roamless Flex. The same Roamless eSIM and Flex wallet work across more than 200 supported destinations, and your phone connects automatically when you cross a border. If you use a Roamless Fix plan, you'll only need to buy another plan when you travel outside the country or region covered by your current package.

A few years ago, landing in a new country usually meant hunting for airport WiFi, comparing local SIM cards, or paying roaming fees you would regret later. GigSky helps you avoid all that. The California-based eSIM provider has been at this since 2010, and what started as a tool for enterprise road warriors now serves over a million people across 200+ countries.

GigSky has added a subscription tier, dedicated cruise and ferry plans, in-flight data packages, and a Visa partnership that hands eligible cardholders up to 3GB free before they spend a single dollar. Here’s all that you need to know about GigSky.

GigSky: Pricing and plans

Gigsky's pricing model is very flexible, and that gives you the space to see what fits your needs best. Plans are not sold as fixed tiers the way a phone contract is. Instead, you browse by destination, choose your data amount and duration, and pay for exactly what you need.

There are no subscriptions you will accidentally roll into, or hidden roaming fees bolted on at checkout. The plans start from $3.99, with the actual price varying by country, region, how much data you need, and how long your trip runs.

• We've rounded up the best eSIMs for Europe.

The structure breaks into six main plan types:

Plan type

What it covers

Best for

Country plans

Single-country data, fixed duration

Short trips to one destination

Regional plans

Multi-country coverage within a defined region (Europe, Asia Pacific, Caribbean, etc.)

Multi-stop regional travel

Cruise + Land plans

At-sea coverage on 290+ ships plus land coverage in 200+ port destinations, in one eSIM

Cruise goers who also explore on shore

Ferry plans

Data on ferry routes

Island-hopping, cross-channel crossings

Inflight plans

In-air connectivity on supported airlines

Frequent flyers who work at altitude

Offshore plans

Maritime and offshore use beyond cruise ships

Offshore workers, sailing, remote maritime

Beyond those one-time plans, GigSky also offers subscriptions. The GigSky One plan is built for people who travel enough that buying individual plans starts to feel like a part-time job. It covers a broad set of countries under a single subscription, with monthly, quarterly, and annual billing options. The longer you commit, the better the per-month cost.

Every new user also gets a free 100MB plan with no credit card required. It is not enough for streaming or navigating a city all day. But it is more than enough for messaging, checking email, or pulling up directions in a pinch, which makes it an easy way to test the service before spending anything.

GigSky: Features

GigSky handles installation through the app or a QR code, activates automatically when you land, and works on any eSIM-compatible smartphone. There are no hidden steps and no manual network selection.

GigSky is a data-only service, but the plan includes more than just data:

• Hotspot included: Tethering is available on all plans at no extra cost. One plan covers your phone, your laptop, and whoever you are traveling with.
• Fastest available network: GigSky connects to whatever the local infrastructure supports, 5G, 4G, or 3G, without capping your speed based on plan tier.
• Fair use on unlimited plans: After 2.5GB in a single day, speeds reduce until the following day. Messaging and email hold up fine at reduced speeds; streaming does not.
• Top-ups without reinstalling: Buy more data in the app and it loads onto the existing eSIM profile. No QR codes, no settings menus.
• Gift cards: GigSky credit is available as a gift if you want to sort someone's connectivity before they travel.

• We've rounded up the best eSIMs for USA.

GigSky: Installation

(Image credit: GigSky)

Getting GigSky onto your phone takes about five minutes, and there is nothing technically demanding about it as long as you do it before you leave. That last part matters more than it sounds. You need a Wi-Fi connection to download and install the eSIM profile, and the airport Wi-Fi at your destination is not the moment to find out you missed this step.

Once you are ready:

• Download the GigSky app on iOS or Android and create a free account.
• Browse plans for your destination and complete your purchase.
• Install the eSIM directly through the app, or scan the QR code that arrives in your email. The QR option is useful if you are setting up on a tablet separate from the device you used to buy the plan.
• When you land, switch the eSIM on in your phone's settings. It connects automatically to the strongest available local network from there.

• We've rounded up the best eSIMs for Turkey.

Is GigSky compatible with your device?

GigSky works across a wide range of phones, tablets, and laptops, but compatibility depends on whether your device supports eSIM and whether it is unlocked for international use. Here is how the most common devices stack up:

Device

Compatible models

iPhone

XR, XS, XS Max, and all models from iPhone 11 onward

iPad Pro

11-inch (1st gen through M4), 12.9-inch (3rd gen through 6th gen), 13-inch (M4)

iPad Air

3rd generation through M2 (both 11-inch and 13-inch)

iPad mini

5th and 6th generation

iPad (standard)

7th through 10th generation

Android

Most flagship and mid-range eSIM-capable handsets from the last few years

Windows

Microsoft Surface Pro X

Other

Fairphone 4, Honor Magic 4 Pro

GigSky: Support

Customer support runs around the clock, every day of the year. This matters for a travel product, since travelers rarely need help during business hours in their home time zone. You can reach support through the app or by email, and response quality is generally solid.

The FAQ section on the GigSky website is unusually thorough. Most practical questions a first-time user would have, from how to activate in a specific country to what happens when data runs out mid-trip, are answered there before you need to contact anyone. The Help Center covers troubleshooting, getting started guides, and announcements on recent service changes.

But I really liked their e-Sim Guide, which covered most of the basics that I needed to get started.

GigSky Cruise: Staying connected at sea

(Image credit: GigSky)

The standard experience for the internet on a cruise ship is either expensive, slow, or both. Cruise lines have historically charged per-megabyte rates that would have felt steep in 2005, and most travelers have just accepted it and treated sea days as a forced detox.

GigSky's cruise offering is a direct argument against that.

GigSky describes itself as the only eSIM built specifically for cruises, and the claim holds up. Cruise and Land plans cover 290+ ships from major lines alongside more than 200 land destinations, all on a single eSIM profile. At sea, your phone connects to satellite network infrastructure.

When you pull into port, the eSIM automatically shifts to land-based carrier networks. You do not switch plans, reinstall anything, or take any manual action.

Key features of GigSky Cruise

• One plan for sea and land: A single purchase covers both sea days and port days. On a multi-port itinerary, the alternative is managing a separate SIM or eSIM plan for every country you visit. GigSky collapses that into one.
• Automatic network switching: The handover between satellite at sea and cellular on land happens in the background. You do not manage it.
• Hotspot and top-ups work the same way: Tethering is included at no extra cost, and if you run through your data mid-voyage, you reload from the app without reinstalling the profile.

(Image credit: Gigsky )Who is the cruise plan actually for?

GigSky Cruise is not the right choice for everyone on a ship. If you are doing a week-long Caribbean sailing and your main use case is posting photos in port and checking the weather, the free 100MB trial might cover most of what you need, with a small paid top-up for the moments it does not.

For travelers who work remotely, need to stay in contact with family, or are on a longer voyage with multiple ports, this plan comes in handy.

On a two-week Mediterranean itinerary hitting eight countries, the alternative to a single GigSky Cruise plan is buying eight separate eSIM plans, installing them one by one, and managing the switches manually. There is also the category of cruiser who simply wants more than the ship's Wi-Fi, which tends to be throttled, expensive, and shared across hundreds of passengers.

GigSky's sea day coverage handles email, messaging, VoIP calls, and light browsing without the queue-and-throttle experience of onboard internet packages.

GigSky: Final verdict

When I first came across GigSky a couple of years ago, the knock on it was always price. You could find cheaper per-gigabyte rates from regional competitors, and for the average traveler doing a single-country trip, a local SIM bought at the airport often still won on cost. That critique is not wrong, but it has become less relevant as GigSky has built out additional features that local SIMs fundamentally cannot do.

A local SIM does not cover you when the ship leaves port. It does not automatically switch to the next country when your train crosses a border. It does not have a subscription model that prevents you from repeating the purchase ritual every three weeks. And it definitely does not come with a partnership that hands eligible Visa cardholders 3GB for free before they spend anything.

The lack of calls and SMS may matter for some travelers, but for the things that actually consume data on the road, GigSky covers most of the bases without the usual SIM-swapping routine. If you travel frequently, especially on cruises or multi-country trips, it starts feeling less like an alternative and more like the default setup.

FAQsDoes GigSky offer 5G connectivity?

Yes, GigSky offers 5G connectivity where the local network supports it. GigSky connects you to the highest available generation at your destination: 5G in cities that have deployed it, 4G LTE in most populated areas, and 3G in more remote regions. Keep in mind that 5G consumes data faster than 4G, so if you are on a limited plan, it is worth being conscious of what you are doing on a 5G connection.

What is GigSky One?

GigSky One is the subscription tier for frequent travelers. Instead of buying individual plans per trip, you pay monthly, quarterly, or annually for ongoing data coverage across a broad set of countries on a single eSIM. Longer commitments come at a better per-month rate.

Does GigSky work with Visa cards?

Yes. Eligible cardholders get up to 3GB of complimentary data across 175+ countries, discounts of up to 30% on every plan, and up to 7 days of unlimited data at curated Visa Destinations. Eligibility depends on your card and issuing bank, and you check it inside the GigSky app. Participating programs currently include the US, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Japan, Caribbean, and Latin America, among others.

What is the fair use policy on unlimited plans?

The fair use policy on unlimited plans says that after 2.5GB in a single day, speeds slow down until the following day from your plan's activation time. Email, messaging, and VoIP calls still work at reduced speeds. Heavy streaming and large file transfers are the activities most affected.

Slop. The word that people have settled on, and it fits.

LinkedIn posts that say nothing. Investor decks assembled from prompts. Sales outreach that feels personalized but went to thousands of people. Conference presentations that look polished but collapse when someone asks a substantive question.

Nobody in a position of power seems to want to say this clearly, so here it is: we are making it ourselves.

People racing to scale content with AI tools are burning through the one thing that makes any of this worth doing, which is the reasonable expectation that when a person puts their name on something, a person thought about it.

When the thinking did not happen, the name is borrowed credibility, and audiences tend to feel the difference.

A denial of service attack on professional attention

Think about what high-volume, low-signal communication actually does to the people on the receiving end. It is a denial of service attack. Done at scale, they do not just waste time. They degrade the channel for everyone trying to use it honestly.

Trust in professional life is not a soft value. It is the mechanism by which work gets done. Slop corrodes that mechanism slowly, quietly reshaping expectations until the default posture toward professional content shifts from curiosity to suspicion.

The deck nobody built

Anyone who spent serious time at an event this year noticed it. You sit in the room and thirty minutes in you realize the presenter has not actually field-tested any of what is on the screen. The model made it coherent. Coherence is not the same as true.

The tell is always the same. Someone asks a follow-up question that goes one layer below the framework and the answer drifts. Not because the presenter is unintelligent. Because there was no thinking to retrieve.

This matters because a presentation is a claim: I know something about this, I worked it out, and it is worth your time. An AI-assembled deck without the underlying experience is not a weak presentation. It is a lie. It borrows the authority of hard-won perspective without having won it.

The prototype that is not a product

For most of software's history, the gap between a prototype and a product was real and substantial. Building a finished product required engineering time, design iteration, infrastructure decisions – all the unglamorous work that separates a demo from production. That gap created useful friction.

AI has compressed that gap in ways that are genuinely exciting and genuinely dangerous. You can now generate a working interface, complete with plausible data and coherent navigation, in a matter of hours. Teams can test market appetite and validate direction before committing to a full build. That is legitimately valuable.

What is not legitimate is presenting that prototype as though the hard questions have already been answered. Can it scale? What happens at the edges? What does it cost to run? These are not details to resolve later. They are the product.

A prototype shown honestly invites conversation. A prototype shown as a finished product forecloses it, and the interest on that debt gets paid in credibility.

Thinking versus the appearance of thinking

The fundamental choice we make every day, often without recognizing it is this: are we using AI to think better or to avoid thinking?

There is a version of AI-assisted work where the human is still the author. The thinking happened. The judgment was applied. Then there is the version that produces slop. The deck assembled via prompts. The prototype shown without the word prototype appearing anywhere. No thinking happened. No perspective was shared. An audience was addressed but did not receive anything.

Getting ahead of the trust crisis means being honest about which version we are practicing and having the discipline to stop calling the second one a strategy.

The bill has started to arrive. Response rates to AI-drafted cold outreach have collapsed. Investors reviewing AI-generated pitch decks are getting quicker at identifying when the strategic narrative was assembled rather than discovered. In product, the reckoning takes the form of churn.

The cruelest part is that the organizations doing the flooding harm not only themselves but everyone trying to communicate honestly in the same space. Individual rationality producing collective ruin, one generated paragraph at a time.

There is a longer consequence that rarely gets named. Frontier AI models were trained on the accumulated output of human knowledge-sharing: forums, papers, articles, the slow sediment of people working things out in public. New questions posted on Stack Overflow are down almost 80% year over year. If the knowledge commons are replaced by AI-generated output, we are not building on a base of human insight. We are iterating on a fixed one.

Slop does not just erode trust in the present. It risks stagnating the knowledge base that the future depends on.

What we owe the people we are trying to reach

As AI drives content toward abundance, credibility becomes the only real differentiator, and it is the scarcest resource in the communication ecosystem. The organizations and individuals who protect it now will hold something that becomes more valuable as the surrounding environment degrades.

Worth the time to actually write the thing, work through the strategy, build the product before calling it one. Worth asking whether what you are about to put in front of people reflects your thinking or just a model's prediction of your thinking. And sometimes it is worth saying nothing rather than saying the algorithmically optimal version of nothing.

Trust has always been the currency of professional influence. Right now, a lot of people are flooding the market with counterfeits. The people on the receiving end know. They may not say so in the meeting, or click unsubscribe, or walk out of the session. But something shifts. The next email gets opened a little more slowly. The next deck gets a little less benefit of the doubt. The next demo gets a harder question in the room.

Credibility does not collapse all at once. It drains, quietly, one hollow interaction at a time. And by the time you notice the account is empty, the withdrawals have been happening for a long time.

We list the best productivity tools.

This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to 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/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

• Car Thing display dongles are currently e-waste...
• ... but this new software online lets you revive them
• Created by fan engineers to bring back old tech

It's been several years since Spotify killed off its Car Thing auto dongle, bricking devices which customers owned, and some users have never forgiven the brand for that 'Car Thing is being discontinued' pop-up on their displays. But, even though it's been four years since the brand announced the end of the road for Car Thing, fans have finally found a way to bring it back.

Over the last few months, an engineer has been working on a revival project, and they finally have it — in the form of Mira. This is a software you can download onto your old Car Thing, to bring back its functionality in your vehicle.

You can download the software via Github, and get it working on your Car Thing by connecting it to your phone or computer, but you don't need a permanent install of anything onto your device (other than Spotify, obviously).

Then, you'll be able to keep using your Car Thing to add Spotify playback to your smart system-less car, just as the streaming giant intended when it unveiled the thing.

It's not quite Car Thing...

... but it's close. The designer has shared a list of features available in Mira, and it's pretty extensive. You can use voice commands, see album artwork and lyrics, use gesture controls to navigate, use Car Thing's physical dial and see the transcripts of podcasts.

Apparently there are a few Bluetooth connection bugs in the current version of the software, and Reddit commenters on the announcement post are clearly waiting for Apple Music and YouTube Music support. But Mira's mere existence is great news in making up for Spotify's failings.

Perhaps best of all in this 'pay-for-everything' existence is that Mira is free to download and use, with no rolling subscription fee (so, just whatever you pay for Spotify and your device, obviously).

I didn't have 'Car Thing coming back to life' on my 2026 bingo card, but now that it has, I'm not surprised Spotify had nothing to do with it. The brand has been too busy essentially swerving the AI slop problem (then belatedly backpedaling and trying to contain the issue) to work on any hardware projects. So it makes sense that buyers would have to step in if they wanted to get their Car Things back on the road.

• Microsoft Excel is pulling the COPILOT () function
• Function allowed users to describe tasks in natural language, including as part of a formula
• It never reached public launch, and has now been overtaken by other tools

Microsoft is dropping its COPILOT function in Excel as part of its wide-ranging overhauls to the AI platform.

In a Message Center alert, the company warned users that the tool will be pulled on September 14, 2026.

First announced in August 2025 and originally set for launch in January 2027, the tool has been in testing for over a year with Frontier and Insider users, but Microsoft has apparently decided not to move forward with its service.

Copilot dismissed

At launch, Microsoft had described the COPILOT () function as helping users to describe tasks in natural language, including as part of a formula, before receiving the results created by Copilot, in their cells, without needing to open up a separate Copilot window

It proved an initial hit for tasks such as text summarization, classification, content generation, and looking up information on the Internet.

Some examples of =COPILOT's use cases include summarizing customer feedback, categorizing data, integrating external knowledge and formatting.

In its most simple form, a function might look like "=COPILOT(prompt_part1, [context1])" – though context is optional.

Microsoft did say the function should not be used for numerical calculations, which might have been a major use cases for many - as well as saying users should avoid using it for gathering and finding information already stored inside a workbook or for content subject due to legal and compliance requirements.

So what's next? Microsoft explained that it is removing the COPILOT() function as it believes Excel cam already provide other, more effective ways to access the same AI capabilities.

Users can continue working with Copilot through both the Copilot side panel and the floating Dynamic Action Button (DAB), making a dedicated function slightly redundant.

The move comes as Microsoft makes a number of changes to AI capabilities within Excel as user demands continue to evolve and change.

This includes a new update to Copilot in Excel aimed specifically at finance workers, positioning the spreadsheet software as an AI-powered tool for financial modelling, forecasting and reporting.

Via Neowin

A child actor since she was cast in various commercials as an 11-month-old, Panettiere was best known for her role as the country music star Juliette Barnes in the series "Nashville."

(Image credit: Jon Kopaloff)

One small phone attachment can spot cams, leaks, insulation problems and more. I was amazed when I tried it at my house.

AI conversations have moved past the point of curiosity.

Boards and leadership teams are no longer asking what AI might eventually do.

They are asking where it is actually working, what measurable value it is creating - and why so many promising experiments still fail to become durable operating advantages.

Across industries, companies have invested heavily in AI pilots, proofs of concept and impressive demos.

Yet many remain stuck in what I think of as pilot purgatory: the place where a tool works in a controlled environment but never survives contact with the complexity, exceptions and accountability required in production.

The problem usually isn’t the model

In my experience, AI initiatives rarely fail because the underlying technology is not powerful enough. They fail because of how the technology is applied. A model can be impressive in a sandbox and still be irrelevant to the business if it is not embedded into a real workflow, connected to the right data, governed appropriately and measured against outcomes that matter.

That is why access to AI is no longer a differentiator. Anyone can buy access to models or integrate a third-party tool. The real advantage lies in the things that can’t be bought off the shelf: proprietary data, deep domain expertise, and the discipline to continuously improve AI once it is operating at scale.

For us, those principles come together in our Lean AI approach, rooted in a Lean operating model that drives continuous improvement through testing, learning, and acting. Instead of chasing technology for technology’s sake, our Lean AI approach helps us move AI beyond experimentation and into production, where it can improve service, boost productivity and create real business value.

Production AI requires discipline, not experimentation for its own sake

This is where many organizations get stuck. They treat AI as a portfolio of experiments instead of an operating capability. Organizations that successfully operationalize AI tend to do the opposite.

They prioritize AI opportunities based on business value and points of operational friction, identifying manual, repetitive and high-volume work. Then, they build and deploy agents where automation can improve speed, accuracy, scalability or service quality across the entire customer workflow.

There is no hobby AI in this model. Every deployment needs a clear business case, a workflow owner, measurement, feedback loops, and a plan to scale. That discipline is especially important with agentic AI, because agents operate with more autonomy than traditional software.

Progress is not always linear. Systems improve, encounter new edge cases, retrench and improve again. Human oversight isn’t a temporary bridge either; it is part of the architecture.

The application layer is where the moat gets built

The AI ecosystem is often described in layers, from the underlying IT infrastructure and large language models to the applications built on top of them. Those foundational layers are essential, but they are not where most enterprises will build durable, competitive moats.

The real advantage comes at the application layer—where AI is integrated into workflows, systems, exceptions, data and human judgment that define how a business actually runs. If an enterprise does not own or deeply control that layer, it risks turning AI into another generic capability rather than a competitive advantage.

Take supply chain logistics as one example. Moving a single shipment isn’t a linear task. It may require coordinating moves by truck and ship and rail, customs documentation in multiple countries, handoffs at multiple facilities, and weather and market conditions that change by the hour. A generic AI tool does not understand that workflow out of the box.

Context is the hard part

Every industry has its own data and context that powers it. In supply chains, that context lives in historical pricing patterns, warehouse operations, customer-specific policies, shipment characteristics, driver performance, market cycles and the judgment of people who have solved messy freight problems for years.

That context cannot simply be purchased. It has to be collected, structured, governed and applied. AI becomes more effective when it’s built into your technology platform and can learn from those realities rather than relying on generic information alone. Just as important, employees add institutional knowledge through continuous feedback, teaching AI agents the same way they would train a new operations employee.

Take something as seemingly straightforward as scheduling a truck to pick up freight. On the surface, it sounds like a narrow task. In practice, it requires understanding customer requirements, freight characteristics, facility policies, loading dock constraints, appointment systems and exceptions that may vary by location. An AI agent can only automate that work reliably if it has been engineered with the right context and oversight.

The companies that get the most from AI will be the ones that move beyond pilots and treat it as an operating model. That means starting with real business problems, owning the application layer where differentiation happens, feeding agents with proprietary context, keeping humans in the loop and measuring outcomes relentlessly.

AI will not reward the companies with the most demos. It will reward those that can operationalize learning faster than their competitors.

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AI spend made headlines again recently with the Claude Fable 5 model from Anthropic. Before security concerns led to the model being suspended, there were also cost concerns. Anthropic says Fable costs $10 or approximately €9 per million input tokens and $50 per million output tokens. This is double the price of the company’s previously most expensive model, Claude Opus 4.8.

Posts soon began to pop up on LinkedIn, showing just how quickly teams were going through their tokens and, as a result, their budget. There are some caveats here. Namely, that Fable 5 is an advanced model and, for most businesses, won’t need to run non-stop or be used for every task.

But therein lies a key issue: AI use is accelerating and models are evolving. But the level of control and visibility businesses have over how much is being spent, by who and for what is lagging behind.

How AI consumption became a finance problem

There is a massive shift within the UK software market toward AI and specifically Anthropic’s ecosystem. Proprietary data from Pleo looking at the top tech merchants based on number of spending customers, shows that Anthropic (Claude) surged from 12th place in Q4 2025 to 7th in Q1 2026. Meanwhile, the average spend per customer increased +43.0% in this time.

This rapid climb signals that Anthropic has reached enterprise maturity in the UK market with businesses moving beyond the experimentation phase. But while this reflects growing confidence in AI adoption, it also presents some financial challenges.

On the whole, AI has redefined how the workplace runs, but it is not a free trial. The cost of tokens has gone up, and new models that can achieve what was seemingly unthinkable a few years ago come with a price tag to match. The new challenge for business leaders is to leverage these technologies but also limit rampant spending.

This is why many organizations are turning to their finance teams. Finance has the visibility to dig into the details and map AI use across the organization, whether it quietly shows up as a subscription renewal or a new budget request. But more than that, they can be instrumental in ensuring teams embrace open conversations, not just OpenAI.

AI activity does not translate to AI value

Just about every organization will have developed transformational ways of using AI tools. But, whether they know it or not, there will be wasteful ones too.

When it comes to inefficient use, some of the major culprits include asking AI agents open-ended questions, model mismatch where tokens are burned unnecessarily; and duplicate tools, resulting from shadow AI and overlapping subscriptions. These prevent businesses from seeing the full picture; one that is, in all probability, very expensive.

User literacy can improve this. But for finance teams they must start with the grey area of AI consumption. Two teams might show as active AI users, but one that’s using an LLM to produce more content faster is doing something fundamentally different to one that’s using it for peripheral productivity tasks. In fact, only 29% of European SMEs using Gen AI are doing so in core business activities.

To improve the control they have over AI, organizations must start by elevating their visibility from who is using AI, to who is using it to become smarter, faster and more productive.

How to regain control over AI use

A complete view of AI spend is essential, regardless of whether costs are rising.

Breaking spend down by department, team and budget helps identify both disproportionate usage and areas where adoption may be lagging. These should be combined with performance metrics such as the time-to-first-draft on marketing content; code review cycle times in engineering; support ticket resolution time in customer support; and so on.

This combination of spend and performance can reveal whether AI investment is translating into measurable productivity gains and not just higher software costs.

Visibility should also extend to model-level usage. As mentioned before, the cost difference between frontier reasoning models and lighter alternatives can be tenfold. Monitoring model and vendor usage alongside token consumption helps organizations route routine tasks to lower-cost options, maximize ROI and reduce unnecessary spend.

Finance teams should therefore expand reporting and budgeting frameworks to include AI-specific metrics. A key question at month-end is whether AI-enabled teams are increasing output and capacity without increasing headcount. This provides a clear headline for AI's impact, can justify investment and distinguish between high-value and low-value AI usage.

Ultimately, effective control over AI is not about costs alone. It is about understanding where AI is creating value and ensuring investment is aligned with business outcomes.

AI control is at your fingertips

The good news is that none of these metrics require a sophisticated AI analytics stack. Finance teams should already have the tools for real-time visibility into what’s being spent and where. All that’s needed now is to fold AI into the mix and collaborate with other departments to measure and improve its ROI.

The outcome is that organizations control AI use through oversight, without restricting spend, adoption or innovation through lengthy procurement processes. Spend policies, category controls and clear approval thresholds control what is spent, and everything is measured.

But crucially, teams don’t slow down as a result. The only difference is that AI is optimized for impact.

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Most travel eSIMs ask you to pay before you even know if they work in your destination. Firsty flips that. You get a real, working data connection for free, supported by short ads, before spending a single euro. For a product category that's been moving toward higher prices and longer commitments, that's a genuinely different pitch.

Firsty is a Dutch eSIM startup founded in September 2023, built around one idea: give travelers free connectivity first and let the product sell itself. With a 4.1/5 on Trustpilot and over a million users, it's working. But the free tier has limits, the paid speeds are modest, and the company is still young.

Want more options? Take a look at our best eSims for international travel.

Firsty: Pricing and plans

Plan

Price

Speed

Data

Ads

Hotspot

Firsty Free

€0

256 Kbps - 1 Mbps

Unlimited (ad-gated)

Yes

No

Comfort+

From €1/day

Up to 5 Mbps (tiered)

Unlimited (tiered speed)

No

Yes

First Class

From €2/day

Extra high (up to 5G)

5GB full speed, then lower

No

Yes

Firsty Free

(Image credit: Firsty )

Free is exactly what it says. You pay nothing, watch a short ad every 59 minutes, and get data in return. The speed sits between 256 Kbps and 1 Mbps, enough for WhatsApp, Google Maps, email, and Uber. Not enough for Instagram Reels or a Zoom call, and Firsty isn't pretending otherwise.

On the downside, the free plan isn't available globally. It's currently limited to users in North America, Europe, and APAC. If you're traveling to regions outside those three, you'll need a paid plan from day one.

The free plan also has a referral perk. Invite a friend and you get 7 days of ad-free browsing added to your account. It's a small touch, but it shows Firsty is thinking about retention, not just acquisition.

• We've rounded up the best eSIMs for Europe.

Comfort+ (Daily plan, starts at €1/day)

(Image credit: Firsty)

Comfort+ is the entry-level paid option, and for most travelers it's probably the right call. At €1 per day, you get ad-free browsing, faster speeds, and access to social media and navigation without throttling out of the gate.

The speed structure is tiered:

• First 500 MB: up to 5 Mbps
• 500 MB to 1.5 GB: 1 Mbps
• Beyond 1.5 GB: 512 Kbps

You stay connected throughout. The speed just steps down as you use more data. For a travel day of maps, messaging, and light browsing, 500 MB at 5 Mbps is more than comfortable. Video calls are pushing it. Streaming is not what this plan is for.

You only pay for the days you actually use it. Pause it when you're back home, reactivate when you land somewhere new. Your unused days don't expire.

First Class (Daily plan, starts at €2/day)

(Image credit: Firsty)

First Class is for people who need their phone to work like it does at home. At €2 per day, you get 5GB of high-speed data, connecting to the fastest available local network, up to 5G where available. Streaming works, hotspot works, and if you need to get your laptop online through your phone, this is the plan for it.

After 5GB, speed steps down rather than cutting you off completely, which is the right call compared to providers who just shut you down.

Firsty: Features

Firsty keeps the experience deliberately simple. You are not choosing between regional bundles, juggling add-ons, or shuffling through settings to find hidden upgrades. The core product is straightforward, and a few features stand out more than the rest.

• Freemium model: Most "free" tiers in tech are either so restricted they're useless or so good they're unsustainable. Firsty's free tier threads the needle. You get enough connectivity for the moments that matter most after landing: booking a ride, pulling up directions, checking your hotel reservation, or messaging the person you're meeting. It is a simple idea, but a useful one, and the ad-supported model is what makes it possible.
• Single global eSIM: You install Firsty once and keep using the same eSIM wherever you go. There is no buying a new plan for every country, switching profiles, or sorting through a marketplace of regional options. The app handles the network side automatically, connecting to a local provider in the background. On the Daily plan, that coverage extends to more than 180 countries.
• Flexible daily billing: You pay only for the days you use a paid plan. If you're on Comfort+ and you spend a day on a beach with no need for more than basic speed, you drop back to Free and don't get charged. That flexibility is genuinely useful and separates Firsty from subscription-first competitors.
• Pause and save: Unused paid days do not disappear when your plans change. You can pause your plan and pick it back up later, with the remaining credit still intact. There is no pressure to burn through data just because you paid for it, which is especially useful if your travel schedule changes unexpectedly or you end up needing less connectivity than planned.

Firsty: Installation and activation

(Image credit: Firsty)

Getting Firsty running takes about five minutes, and most of that time is waiting for the eSIM profile to download.

Download the app from the App Store or Google Play, create an account using your phone number or email, answer a few quick questions about which apps you use most, and pick your plan. The app then walks you through the eSIM activation steps: labeling the new line, setting it as your data line, and toggling the right settings on your device.

Two things to get right before you start. First, do the setup on Wi-Fi. Installing an eSIM profile over mobile data is asking for trouble, and Firsty's own instructions flag this clearly. Second, once the eSIM is active, turn off automatic data switching. If your phone defaults back to your home carrier for data, you'll get hit with roaming charges and wonder why Firsty isn't doing anything.

After that, it's set and forget. You don't re-install for each trip or each country. The app handles network selection automatically wherever you land.

Firsty: Compatible devices

Firsty covers a solid range of devices across Apple, Samsung, Google, and a handful of other Android brands, which means most travelers won't have a compatibility issue before they even check.

That said, the official supported devices list hasn't been updated since December 2024, so newer releases like the iPhone 16 series, iPhone 17, Pixel 9, and Galaxy S25 are missing from it entirely. If you're on a recent flagship, chances are it works fine, but it's worth checking with Firsty's support team to confirm before you travel.

Brand

Compatible Models

Notes

Apple iPhone

iPhone XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, SE 2 (2020), 12 / Mini / Pro / Pro Max, 13 / Mini / Pro / Pro Max, SE 3 (2022), 14 / Plus / Pro / Pro Max, 15 / Plus / Pro / Pro Max

iPhones purchased in China and Hong Kong are not eSIM compatible

Apple iPad

iPad Pro 11" (A2068, 2020+), iPad Pro 12.9" (A2069, 2020+), iPad Air (A2123, 2019+), iPad (A2198, 2019+), iPad Mini (A2124, 2019+), iPad 10th gen (2022)

LTE-capable iPads only

Samsung Galaxy S

S20 / S20+ / S20+ 5G / S20 Ultra, S21 / S21+ 5G / S21 Ultra 5G, S22 / S22+ / S22 Ultra, S23 / S23+ / S23 Ultra / S23 FE, S24 / S24+ / S24 Ultra

Some US, South Korea, China, and Hong Kong models are not compatible

Samsung Galaxy Note

Note 20, Note 20 Ultra 5G

Some US, South Korea, China, and Hong Kong models are not compatible

Samsung Galaxy Z

Z Fold, Z Fold2 5G, Fold3 5G, Fold4, Fold5 5G, Z Flip, Flip3 5G, Flip4, Flip5 5G

Some US, South Korea, China, and Hong Kong models are not compatible

Samsung Galaxy A

A54 (select model numbers only)

Some US, South Korea, China, and Hong Kong models are not compatible

Google Pixel

Pixel 2 XL, 3 / 3 XL / 3a / 3a XL, 4 / 4a / 4 XL, 5 / 5a, 6 / 6a / 6 Pro, 7 / 7a / 7 Pro, 8 / 8 Pro

Some Pixel 3 and 3a models from Australia, Japan, Taiwan, and those on US or Canadian carriers are not compatible

Huawei

P40, P40 Pro, Mate 40 Pro, P50, P50 Pro

Oppo

Find X3 Pro, Find N2 Flip, Reno 5A, Reno 6 Pro 5G, Reno 9A, Find X5, Find X5 Pro, A55s 5G

Sony Xperia

10 III Lite, 10 IV, 10V, 1 IV, 1 V, 5 IV, 5 V, Ace III

Xiaomi

12T Pro, 13, 13 Lite, 13 Pro, 13T Pro

Motorola

Razr 2019, Razr 5G, Razr 40, Razr 40 Ultra, Razr+, Edge+, Edge 40, Edge 40 Pro, Edge 40 Neo, G52J 5G, G52J 5G II, G53J 5G, G54 5G, G55 5G, G84

Firsty also lists compatible models from Sharp AQUOS, Rakuten, Honor, Vivo, and Nokia. These cover a smaller share of travelers but the full model breakdown is available on Firsty's supported devices page.

Firsty: Support

(Image credit: Firsty)

Firsty's support options are straightforward. You can reach the team via email at support@firsty.app, through the in-app help section, or through the online help center which covers the most common setup and troubleshooting scenarios.

The response quality holds up. App Store reviewers consistently describe the support team as responsive and easy to reach. On Trustpilot, where Firsty currently holds a 4.1/5 score with 283 reviews, customer support gets regular mentions as a positive.

Reddit tells a more mixed story. Most complaints are about device compatibility on unsupported Android models and connection issues during setup, nearly always caused by not installing on Wi-Fi.

For straightforward travelers, iPhone users and anyone on a mainstream Samsung, the setup is clean and support rarely needs to get involved after the first install.

Firsty: International calling

(Image credit: Firsty)

Most eSIM providers stop at data. Firsty added calling in 2025, and it is one of the more practical additions to the service. If you need to ring a hotel, contact a host, or make a quick local call, you can do it without relying on a separate app. The feature is currently available in the US, Canada, Singapore, Japan, and Europe, with additional regions expected over time.

The calling works through a credit top-up system that's separate from your data plan. You buy credits in flexible amounts from €1 to €50, they don't expire, and you pay per minute based on the destination. Calls go to 200+ countries, and you keep your own caller ID throughout, so whoever you're calling sees your regular number, not some unknown international line.

Rates are transparent and published openly on the website. Europe and North America average around €0.03 per minute. South America runs higher at around €0.07. Asia averages €0.12 per minute. Africa and Oceania are the most expensive at €0.56 and €1.08 per minute respectively. The app shows you the real-time rate before every call, so there's no bill shock at the end of a trip.

Firsty: Final verdict

For budget travellers, Firsty’s free plan alone is worth installing before any international trip. You land, you have Maps and Uber working, and you haven't spent anything. For people who need more, Comfort+ at €1/day covers a normal travel day without breaking the bank. First Class at €2/day handles everything, including streaming and hotspot.

The limitations are real but narrow. The free plan only works in North America, Europe, and APAC. Comfort+ isn't built for heavy data use. Plus, Firsty is still a relatively young company, founded in September 2023, which means its network depth in some regions won't match providers who've been at it for a decade.

But for what most travellers actually need, it delivers. And no other eSIM provider at this price point is offering a permanent free tier with this kind of coverage.

Firsty: FAQsWhat is Firsty?

Firsty is a Dutch eSIM provider founded in September 2023. It offers a permanent free data tier supported by short ads, alongside paid Daily plans for travelers who need faster speeds. One eSIM covers 180+ countries with no SIM swaps or regional plan purchases required.

How does the free plan work?

You watch a short ad every 59 minutes in exchange for data at speeds between 256 Kbps and 1 Mbps. That's enough for WhatsApp, Google Maps, email, and Uber. The free plan is available to users in North America, Europe, and APAC only.

What is the difference between Comfort+ and First Class?

Both are Daily paid plans. Comfort+ costs €1/day and gives you tiered speeds starting at 5 Mbps for the first 500 MB, stepping down to 1 Mbps and then 512 Kbps as you use more data. First Class costs €2/day and gives you 5GB of high-speed data up to 5G, plus video streaming and hotspot. After 5GB, you stay connected at a lower speed rather than being cut off.

Does Firsty work on my phone?

Firsty works on most modern eSIM-capable smartphones including iPhone XR and later, Samsung Galaxy S20 series and later, Google Pixel 2 XL and later, and select models from Huawei, Oppo, Sony, Xiaomi, Motorola, and others. iPhones purchased in China and Hong Kong and some Samsung models bought in the US, South Korea, China, and Hong Kong are not compatible. Check Firsty's supported devices page for the full list.

Can I make calls with Firsty?

Yes. Firsty supports international calling to 200+ countries through a pay-as-you-go credit system. Credits range from €1 to €50 and never expire. The feature works on all plans including Free, and your own caller ID shows on every call. It's currently available in the US, Canada, Singapore, Japan, and Europe.

Do I need to buy a new plan for each country I visit?

No. You install the eSIM once and it works across all supported countries automatically. The app connects you to the best available local network without any manual switching.

How do I install Firsty?

Download the app, create an account, pick a plan, and follow the in-app steps to activate the eSIM. Do the setup on Wi-Fi, not mobile data, and turn off automatic data switching on your device after activation to avoid accidentally falling back to your home carrier's roaming rates.

The legal sector’s use of AI is maturing, and its use is going beyond simply being an external chatbot or standalone tool. The focus is shifting to embedding AI into everyday legal work, giving it access to the documents, matters, knowledge and systems lawyers use every day.

As firms increase their investment in AI technology, they need to look beyond what AI models can generate and focus on a more practical question: how do those models connect to the information lawyers rely on, where does that information sit, and how is access governed?

That connection challenge is why Model Context Protocol (MCP) has started to attract so much attention.

Separating the standard from the assumptions

MCP is an open standard that gives AI tools a more consistent way to connect to external systems, data sources and applications. For all the excitement around MCP, firms need to be clear about what it does, and just as importantly, what it does not do. Otherwise, there is a risk that firms either overestimate what MCP can solve on its own or dismiss it as just another technical acronym.

The reality sits somewhere in the middle. MCP can help AI tools connect to the systems and data sources firms already use, but it does not automatically solve challenges around governance, integration, permissions or legal context. With misconceptions starting to spread across the legal sector, here are five common myths to clear up.

Myth 1: MCP is only for Claude

Although MCP was created by Anthropic, it is not just a Claude feature. It is an open-source framework and is now becoming part of the broader conversation around how AI agents connect to external tools, data sources and systems.

That distinction matters for law firms and legal organizations generally. If MCP is treated as a single-vendor feature, it can be dismissed as something tied to one model or product roadmap. But as a broader connectivity standard, firms need to think about how it fits into their wider AI strategy, integration architecture and governance model.

Myth 2: MCP replaces APIs

APIs still matter. They remain the backbone of platform-to-platform connections, allowing software systems to exchange data and trigger actions. MCP does something different: it acts as a protocol layer on top of APIs, giving AI agents a more standard way to discover and interact with approved legal systems, tools and data sources.

Put simply, MCP is closer to a universal adapter for AI, than an alternative to APIs. Just as USB gives different devices a common way to connect, MCP gives AI tools a more consistent way to understand what systems and functions are available to them, and how they can interact with those systems.

But it does not remove the need for APIs, authentication, system owners or clear rules about what AI tools can and cannot access.

Myth 3: MCP means moving documents into AI tools

There is a common misconception that connecting AI to legal systems means copying a large volume of documents into external AI platforms. In practice, AI should only be given controlled access to governed systems. Documents, precedents and matter files can remain within the firm’s trusted environment, with AI tools using MCP to retrieve only the information they are authorized to access.

Rather than creating another uncontrolled copy of sensitive material, firms can let AI work with the right information while existing permissions, security policies and governance controls remain intact. To hit the right balance, legal IT leaders should be asking “Where does the data stay, what is exposed, and how is access controlled?

Myth 4: All MCP integrations are the same

As MCP becomes more common, there will be a temptation to treat any MCP-compatible integration as broadly equivalent. That would be a mistake. MCP standardizes the connection, rather than the value of what comes through it. One integration may provide a basic route to retrieve files.

Another may provide richer information about permissions, matter relationships, document history, metadata and audit trails. Both may be MCP-compatible, but they will not deliver the same outcome.

Law firms need to focus on what the AI receives, whether access rights are enforced and whether activity can be audited.

Myth 5: MCP automatically gives AI legal context

MCP creates the route into systems, but it does not decide what the AI receives or understands. Connection does not mean context. In legal, this is more than a simple retrieval problem. An AI tool does not just need access to a document in a DMS. It needs to understand the matter, client, permissions, version history, related work and institutional knowledge around it.

For example, an AI tool may be able to find a precedent agreement, but does it know whether that precedent is current, whether it belongs to a similar matter, whether it reflects the firm’s preferred position, or whether the lawyer has permission to access the related material? Without that context, AI may generate an answer, but the answer may not be reliable enough for legal work.

That is why MCP should be seen as the access layer, not the intelligence layer. It can help AI tools connect to legal systems, but the value comes from what those systems expose through MCP: governed, matter-aware and permission-sensitive context.

Connection is only half the story

MCP gives law firms a more standard way to connect AI tools to the systems they already use. But legal AI depends on more than connection. The firms that benefit most will be those that treat MCP as the starting point, not the destination. The quality of the information, the controls around it and the context that gives it meaning will determine whether connected AI makes a genuine impact in legal work.

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run by Society of the Sacred Heart, is closing after a decade.'/>

For 10 years, a Catholic-run home offered young women an affordable place to live in the nation's capital as they studied and launched careers. Now, that community is saying goodbye.

(Image credit: Charlotte Kesl for NPR)

Unexpected absences can cost employers tens of thousands of dollars a month. An app that helps workers with last-minute transportation, food and childcare is making a difference.

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New bans on using student IDs for voting in Indiana and New Hampshire have sparked lawsuits after creating the latest hurdles to the ballot box for the U.S. voting-age group least likely to vote.

(Image credit: Joseph Prezioso)

Four states are suing the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, alleging that the platforms were designed to hook kids and that Meta hid the mental health risks.

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In some wellness circles, tadalafil is promoted as a longevity drug. There is evidence showing a link between it and a lower risk of death in men, but there are no well-controlled trials in humans.

There's a lot homeowners can do to prepare for wildfires, such as managing flammable plants and using fire-resistant building materials. But some states struggle to pass rules requiring those steps.

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Landowners and activists worry about impact to the environment around SpaceX's complex.

(Image credit: Reynaldo Leaños Jr.)