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• Galaxy Unpacked 2026 was Buds-less
• A new report tips an end-of-year announcement
• Perhaps announced alongside tablets and FE (or 'Fan Edition') devices

Samsung's latest product launch event, Galaxy Unpacked 2026, was uneventful. Well, uneventful for audio fans; there were three foldable phones, two smartwatches and some all-seeing glasses... but where were the much-rumored Galaxy Buds Able?

This is a new pair of open earbuds, which we'd heard would be released alongside the foldables (it didn't). So where are they?

Well, shortly before Galaxy Unpacked, we may have heard our answer. According to a Korean publication called Electronic Times, which commonly reports on industry news, the Able are coming much later in the year.

The report states that the buds will release in 'Q4', though separately says September or October (September is Q3). Either way, expect them later in the year.

That could see the buds come alongside new tablets, or new FE smartphones or earbuds, all of which we're expecting to see before Santa's visit in December.

UnAble to launch?

According to the report, Samsung delayed the launch of the Galaxy Buds Able, implying they were originally meant to release alongside the Folds and Flips.

They're said to be delayed so that Samsung could evaluate "the product's quality and launch timing". The latter point is fair enough; the Galaxy Buds 4 haven't been on shelves for long.

The latter point also implies that Samsung doesn't think the Able is 'there' yet, and that's also fair enough; open earbuds — especially the even newer ear-cuff or clipping kind — aren't as easy as normal buds. The fit and audio architecture is a lot more important, and brands need to figure out a way to ensure audio quality isn't lost as the music is beamed from the buds to your ear.

To compete with big rivals from Shokz and Bose, the Galaxy Buds Able need to be top-quality, and I imagine Samsung won't launch anything until it can hit that bar.

So essentially, pencil in a rough 'September or October' date in your calendar for these new earbuds — and keep following our news coverage. As we know, so shall you.

• DC Studios has released the official trailer for body-horror movie Clayface
• It'll take shape in theaters worldwide on October 23
• Viewers have plenty of questions about the forthcoming DC Universe film

DC Studios has released a new trailer for its next movie Clayface — and, as someone who's not a fan of body horror, it made me squeamish in the best way possible.

The forthcoming DC Universe (DCU) film, which will take shape in theaters worldwide on October 23, will see the Batman villain star in his first-ever solo flick. And, while its latest round of footage answers some big questions that audiences had about the comic book movie, it leaves casual viewers with even more.

Indeed, the teaser might finally pull back the curtain on how the titular shapeshifting character is created and why he embarks on a Gotham City-based quest for revenge. Nevertheless, there are myriad questions that the DCU Chapter One film's latest trailer, which arrived three months after Clayface's first "super freaky" trailer, leaves unanswered.

For what it's worth, my guide on everything we know so far about Clayface provides clarity on some of the queries that are likely rattling around your head. If you don't have time to read through that extensive article right now, though, I've moulded a quick-fire Q&A below that'll shed light on your biggest burning questions. Bear in mind that potential spoilers immediately follow for Clayface, so proceed at your own risk.

Is Clayface in the same universe as The Batman?

The Batman Part II is currently slated to be released in early 2028 (Image credit: Matt Reeves/DC Studios)

Let's get one of the most notable questions out of the way first: no, Clayface is not set in The Batman Universe.

That franchise, which stars Robert Pattinson as the titular vigilante and is helmed by Matt Reeves, is a completely separate entity to James Gunn's DCU. It's the latter — which also comprises Superman, Supergirl, Creature Commandos, and Lanterns — that Clayface is a part of.

Will Batman be in Clayface?

Batman was very, very briefly seen in Creature Commandos season 1 episode 6 (Image credit: Max/DC Studios)

Another popular query I've seen floating around the internet since Clayface's second trailer dropped. In short: no, Batman isn't expected to appear in this film.

"Why not?" you might ask. The short answer is Gunn and Safran haven't started the search for the DCU's Batman, let alone publicly announced which actor will play him.

Unless a stand-in — one likely silhouetted against the background, like the legendary Caped Crusader was in episode 6 of Creature Commandos on HBO Max — makes the briefest of cameos in Clayface, then, I'd temper your expectations over a possible appearance from the Dark Knight.

Is this the same Clayface who appeared in Creature Commandos?

We've already seen this version of Clayface before in the DC Universe (Image credit: Max)

Yes. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Safran confirmed that the Clayface who appears in this film is the same one who had a role to play in Creature Commandos season 1.

Prior to Safran's comments on the matter, there had been some confusion as to which Clayface we'd see in this movie. After all, there have been numerous iterations of the character in DC Comics. Of that contingent, Basil Karlo and Matt Hagen are the most famous — and it's the second of that pair who'll not only appear in Clayface, but who also showed up in Creature Commandos.

Where does Clayface sit on the DCU timeline?

Clayface precedes what's happened in other DCU projects (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Clayface is the fifth DCU Chapter One project that'll see the light of day. Timeline-wise, though, it'll be the first one that audiences should watch if they choose to watch the DCU films and TV shows in chronological order — Gunn confirming as much on Threads in April.

Who plays Clayface?

Tom Rhys Harries is the actor behind the eponymous character (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

That'll be Tom Rhys Harries, a Welsh actor who some readers will recognize from Doctor Who episode 'Dot and Bubble'.

According to Gunn, he and fellow DC Studios co-head Peter Safran were "blown away" by Harries' audition for Clayface's lead role. Based on the footage we've seen this far, Harries seems like a great fit for the character, but we'll have to wait until the movie is actually released to be able to put Gunn's comments into their full context.

How did Clayface become Clayface? What's the plot of the DCU movie?

Matt Hagen will take part in a scientific trial to restore his heavily scarred face back to its original form (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Where the latter question is concerned, here's the flick's updated story synopsis: "Matt Hagen’s meteoric rise from Gotham street kid to Hollywood leading man is tragically cut short when a local crime boss' actions leave him horribly disfigured.

"Abandoned by his team and with nothing left, Matt seeks out a cutting edge treatment that miraculously returns him to his former self… but, also unexpectedly affects his grip on reality, spiraling him down a destructive path of all-consuming revenge."

As for Harries' Matt Hagen becomes the tragic, metamorphosizing villain, Clayface's latest trailer and plot brief confirm that he'll be patient zero for an experimental serum that initially seems to heal him. However, it doesn't take long for this ground-breaking treatment's side effects to *ahem* take shape and turn him into a transmutating monster.

What are Clayface's powers?

Clayface has a number of superhuman abilities that make him a tough foe to overcome (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

As his villainous alias implies, Clayface's mud-like physiology gives him the ability to mould his body in any way he sees fit. That means he can grow and shrink in size, alter his density at will, and is impervious to traditional physical attacks, including punches, kicks, and all kinds of weapons.

Furthermore, the metahuman possesses superhuman strength, durability, and reflexes. Lastly, he has the ability to regenerate, although that's a process that takes a long time, especially if, say, he's torn apart by an explosion of some sort.

Who's written and directed Clayface?

Mike Flanagan took inspiration from Batman: The Animated Series' 'Feat of Clay' storyline for this flick (Image credit: DC)

Horror auteur Mike Flanagan is the main man behind Clayface's story. However, Hossein Amini (Obi-Wan Kenobi, 47 Ronin) also helped to pen its screenplay.

As for its filmmaker, James Watkins is the man behind the camera. His directing credits include Speak No Evil, The Woman in Black, and Black Mirror episode 'Shut Up and Dance'.

What is Clayface's movie rating?

Don't expect Clayface to be a PG-13 rated film (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Clayface will carry a hard R-rating in the US. That's the equivalent of an 18 age rating in the UK and an Restricted (R18+) rating in Australia.

The DCU's other films in Superman and Supergirl were suitable for kids accompanied by an adult, but this one certainly won't be. Expect plenty more gross body horror moments, hyperviolent action, and other mature content to be woven through its sub-two hour runtime.

For more DCU coverage, find out everything we know so far about Lanterns and get the full lowdown on Superman film sequel Man of Tomorrow.

The pint-sized Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 just made its debut at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, but as someone who has been in a year-long love affair with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, there’s a different phone turning my head: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

This new entry in the Z Fold lineup is, in effect, the true sequel to last year’s Z Fold 7, because the new Z Fold 8 adopts a passport-like design that’s squatter than we’ve seen before. Meanwhile, the Z Fold 8 Ultra has identically sized 8-inch inner and 6.5-inch cover displays to the Z Fold 7.

However — and as you’d hope for from a new entry in the series — the Fold 8 Ultra isn’t the same in every way. Here are five key differences you'll want to know about if you're thinking of upgrading, or buying your first foldable (you can also read my first impressions of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra elsewhere on TechRadar).

1. Get ready for a (small) price hike

(Image credit: Future)

The elephant in the room I need to address before we get into the exciting stuff is the price: the Z Fold 8 Ultra does cost more than the Z Fold 7.

Admittedly, this was entirely expected — thanks to the RAM crisis, we’ve been hit by price hike after price hike, even for older gadgets which would normally see price drops over time. But the news here isn't as bad as many expected.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 launched at $1,999 / £1,799 / AU$2,899, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 will set you back $2,099.99 / £1,899 / AU$2,999.

Any price increase is unwelcome, but considering that I and many others were bracing for something much worse, I’m not too frustrated by this, especially factoring in the upgrades on offer here.

2. A bigger battery

The Samsung Galaxy Z 8 phones (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Ahead of its reveal I shared the changes I most wanted to see from the Z Fold 8, and the most important entry on that list was a bigger battery.

Despite, on paper, boasting a longer battery life than the Z Fold 6, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 never kept going as long as my previous foldable, and many other Z Fold 7 owners have shared their battery-life frustrations with me over the past year.

That’s why I’m excited to see the Z Fold 8 Ultra boast a 5,000mAh battery capacity thanks to its silicon carbide cell.

Admittedly, this isn’t the wild 7,000mAh capacity some recent handsets from brands such as Oppo have delivered, but compared to the Fold 7’s 4,400mAh battery I’m hoping to see a major improvement in stamina with the Z Fold 8 Ultra.

3. Closer to Ultra cameras

(Image credit: Future)

Last year, Samsung made some serious improvements to the main camera on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 by giving it a 200MP lens that more closely matches the capabilities of the Ultra models in its flagship S series. Admittedly, the Z Fold 7 still fell a little behind the S25 Ultra in this area (and behind the newer S26 Ultra), but certainly not as far behind as the Z Fold 6 was behind the S24 Ultra.

This year it's the turn of the ultra-wide camera on the Z Fold 7's successor to get an upgrade, with the 12MP snapper getting upgraded to 50MP on the Z Fold 8 Ultra — and the 200MP main camera is also getting the S26 Ultra’s HDR capabilities for more vibrant-looking shots.

The 12MP 3x telephoto camera is still the same, which is a shame — I’ve been loving the 50MP 5x telephoto on my Galaxy S26 Ultra — but this latest upgrade brings us one big step closer to the Galaxy Z Fold series boasting the same camera hardware as the Galaxy S Ultra lineup, and I can’t complain about that.

Besides the hardware, the Z Fold 8 Ultra is also getting the S26 Ultra’s impressive Horizontal Lock stabilization tech, which keeps your shots looking steady even with some absurd levels of camera tilt.

4. Display enhancementsThe Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 UltraFutureThe Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7Future

While not the flashiest or most obvious change, especially because it’s the same size and shape as before, the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s display has received two notable improvements.

First, peak brightness is increased from 2,600 nits on the Z Fold 7 to 3,000 nits, which should make your screen easier to see in bright sunlight and enable better HDR performance.

Second, Samsung has added a matte coating to the inner display to reduce glare. Coupled with a new hinge design which lets the screen open more fully flat than before, this does seem to have resulted in a less noticeable crease than we’ve seen on previous Z Fold phones.

In fairness, I would say the crease on the Z Fold 7 is close to nonexistent, but, especially when light reflects off the inner display in a particular way, it can become annoyingly apparent. Thanks to this flatter design and reduced glare, my initial assessment is that the screen looks much less noticeably 'unfolded' when you open up the Z Fold 8 Ultra — though it’s worth noting this is comparing a new Z Fold 8 Ultra with a Z Fold 7 that's seen close to a year of constant use.

5. A Gen 5 chipset

(Image credit: Future)

Rounding things off, all three of Samsung's new foldables — the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 8 — get a chipset upgrade over last year's models, in the shape of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, the same processor you’ll find in the Samsung Galaxy S26 lineup.

Compared with the chipset in the Z Fold 7, Samsung says you can expect a 19% faster CPU, 24% better GPU performance, and an NPU that’s 39% more powerful than before — leading to better onboard AI processing.

I personally haven't found that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 left me wanting for more power. It’s quick and responsive in use, gaming on the foldable has been a delight, and its AI abilities are fine for my needs. That said, I won’t say no to better performance, even if it is the upgrade I’m least excited about compared to the bigger upgrades coming to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

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• Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and Square, launches collaboration app Buzz
• Buzz is an open platform for humans and AI agents to interact and work
• The app welcomes AI agents from any provider, including Anthropic and OpenAI

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has launched a new, free collaboration app designed as a shared space for humans and AI agents to collaborate within the same channels and conversations.

Launched under the Block brand (parent company of popular POS app Square), the Buzz app being positioned as a modern and comprehensive alternative to Slack and GitHub.

On the app, agents will have their own profiles, cryptographic identities, channel memberships and permissions, giving them near-human-like capabilities to review or propose code, complete tasks, create channels and coordinate other agents.

Jack Dorsey's Buzz app is a human-AI collaboration space

Importantly, Buzz is set to be an open space that allows connections to any model, including Claude Code, OpenAI Codex and Block's own open-source framework.

"Every company is going to need a place where humans and agents work together," said Block Head of AI Capabilities Bradley Axen said.

From launch, desktop apps for macOS, Windows and Linux are available for Buzz, which is built on Nostr, a "free and open-source protocol for social media and other things" per Nostr's own terminology. That means a decentralized alternative to the likes of Slack, though those Nostr underpinnings do mean a Buzz identity can theoretically travel across other Nostr-compatible systems.

On the privacy front, messages and media on Block-hosted relays aren't end-to-end encrypted, and agent providers like Anthropic and OpenAI may also receive prompts and related channel content. However, organizations can choose to self-host if they need additional security measures.

While Buzz isn't alone in looking to tap in on agentic communications – Slack sees itself as an agentic operating system through which AI agents can collaborate and coordinate, too – Dorsey's app tries to take this one step further by being a team chat, project context, agent orchestration and code hosting place all under one roof.

Most business leaders are aware that AI adoption in their organizations has moved faster than the governance around it. When we surveyed 250 finance decision makers in mid-market organizations, we found that 83% of teams were already using AI, yet only 53% had a formal framework for its safe use.

If finance - a function with some of the highest standards for data accuracy and compliance - is operating with that kind of governance gap, it is reasonable to ask whether other departments across the business look any different.

That gap represents a risk - and it's a risk that sits squarely with the business and its leadership. So how do you encourage innovation when it comes to AI without losing control of the risks it brings?

There is an international standard designed specifically to address this: ISO/IEC 42001. It is not a compliance exercise to tick a box; it is a practical framework for governing AI responsibly, with direct implications for how business leaders evaluate the software they rely on.

For SaaS businesses, ISO 27001, the standard for information security management systems, has become the norm. It's a key requirement, providing assurance to customers about how the business ensures Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability for the data it hosts and processes on their behalf.

ISO/IEC 42001, published in 2023, is its counterpart for AI: the first international standard governing how organizations develop, deploy and oversee AI systems. Whether or not you pursue certification yourself, it should be a key reference point when evaluating any AI-powered software you use.

Why we need a standard for AI security

It's not even four years since the public launch of ChatGPT heralded the boom in use of generative AI. Not only has the technology moved at an incredible pace since then but so has its adoption in business.

We've all been told that AI will transform productivity and change the world of work forever. So it's not surprising that many organizations have been racing to buy licenses and get people using it. In organizations that haven't done so, it's likely that staff are using it on the side anyway - which creates another problem: "Shadow IT".

"Shadow" AI use seems to be rife. Among the finance decision makers we surveyed, in almost half (46%) of organizations where AI hadn't been officially adopted, people were using AI assistants anyway and 30% were using AI-powered forecasting and analysis. It would be surprising if the picture looked much better elsewhere in the business.

So it's worth asking: where is the data we have spent so much effort protecting, through ISO standards such as ISO 27001, now going - and do I have visibility and control over it?

The scale of ungoverned AI use matters in any organization. ISO 42001 provides a structured way to ask the right questions, whether you are reviewing your own internal AI use or evaluating a software vendor.

How ISO 42001 helps business leaders

Certain parts of an organization have particularly high standards for data accuracy and integrity - finance teams producing regulatory reporting, legal teams managing case records, HR functions handling sensitive employee data. ISO 42001 helps ensure those standards are reflected in the AI tools and processes you use, whatever your context.

Transparency: ISO 42001 requires that AI outputs can be explained and traced. Whether AI is producing a report, performing an automated workflow or flagging an anomaly, you as the human in the loop should be able to explain what the system did and why. That human in the loop is a key component of the standard.

Accountability: ISO 42001 stresses clear ownership of AI systems and their outputs. That means the use of any AI in business-critical workflows should have a defined owner who is responsible for its performance and governance.

Risk management: ISO 42001 requires ongoing risk assessment for AI systems over and above those in place for ISO 27001. This doesn't usurp what you have currently in place. It complements current risk evaluation through a focus on AI and the implementation of controls to help manage that identified risk.

That means identifying what could go wrong, how likely that event is and ensuring the right controls are in place to mitigate it. Those risks might include data accuracy, model performance degrading, security of sensitive business data and the risk of AI acting on outputs that have not been adequately verified.

The questions you should ask

ISO 42001 offers you a useful way into important conversations with software vendors, whether or not they've achieved formal certification. It prompts some important questions.

- How are the vendor's AI systems developed, tested and monitored? The ideal response would show documented processes for keeping things accurate and trustworthy, with the human in the loop clearly built into the processes.

- How does the AI product produce its output? What happens when an output is incorrect or unexpected? It's worth understanding whether the AI outputs come from a layer bolted onto a core system and drawing on verified data from that system - or whether they are generated predictively, the way a large language model would work.

- How does the vendor manage the risk of AI model performance changing over time? One of the frustrations of using AI is that LLMs can become less good at a task they did well before. You need to know your vendor is on top of this issue.

- What accountability exists within the vendor's organization for these AI capabilities? You need a relationship with a vendor that's prepared to take responsibility for its product and the data that flows from it.

- Does the vendor use your data to train or improve its AI models? This is a question that more business leaders are asking, and rightly so. Your data should never be used to improve a third-party model. Look for vendors who operate a zero-retention policy, meaning your data is used only in a live, read-only state and is never fed back into AI training processes.

However capable AI gets, it will not be replacing human decision-making and accountability at the top of organizations in the foreseeable future. That remains the job of leaders who need to know they are putting their names to decisions grounded in complete, accurate and trustworthy data from their own systems.

ISO 42001 is the mechanism by which you can hold AI to the same standards of accuracy, transparency and accountability that rigorous organizations have always required. It will not slow down AI adoption. But it will ensure that adoption does not come at the expense of the controls that protect your organization and your reputation.

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A new acronym is starting to appear in boardrooms, investor conversations and executive debates: MANGOS - Meta, Anthropic, NVIDIA, Google, OpenAI and SpaceX.

It is being used as shorthand for the new power cluster of the AI era, and perhaps as the successor to FAANG as a symbol of where technological gravity now lives.

Here is my take: MANGOS is not the destination. It is the opening move.

Over the next five years, some companies that dominate their markets today, icons of an era, businesses that once seemed structurally unassailable, may lose relevance, decline, or be replaced by new leaders. At the same time, new companies will emerge from places nobody is currently watching.

This has happened before. It will happen again. What is different this time is the speed and the depth of structural change required to survive it.

The world is being reshaped by AI. But the companies that will win are not the ones that simply add AI to what they already do. They are the ones who rebuild themselves around it entirely.

The tool-adoption trap

There is a seductive but dangerous interpretation of AI transformation that goes something like this: deploy a copilot here, add a chatbot there, automate a few workflows, report efficiency gains to the board, and move on.

That approach may create efficiency gains, but it does not create an AI-native company.

The companies building genuine competitive advantage right now are not asking, “Where can we use AI?” They are asking a harder question: “If we were starting this company today, with AI as a native capability rather than a retrofit, what would we look like?”

The answer, almost always, is dramatically different from what they look like now.

This is not a technology shift. It is a company redesign. And the gap between those two ways of thinking is where many organizations are currently losing.

What AI-native actually means

The term AI-native is used loosely, so let me be precise about what I mean by an AI-native mindset. It has concrete, structural implications that go far beyond which tools a company deploys.

The first is re-engineering the org chart to unlock AI outcomes, not to preserve legacy structures.

Most organizational hierarchies were designed for a world of information scarcity, where value came from controlling access to data, expertise and decision-making authority. AI inverts that logic. Information is becoming abundant. The constraint is now judgment, creativity and the ability to act on signals faster than competitors.

An org chart built for the old world can suppress the outcomes the new world makes possible. Redesigning for AI is not about simply cutting headcount. It is about rethinking where human judgment actually adds value, and structuring the organization so that AI amplifies it rather than working around it.

The second is increasing talent density with genuine intentionality.

AI adoption does not happen organically at the pace this moment demands. When transformation requires a cultural shift as fundamental as this one, where every employee’s relationship with their work is changing, organic adoption is too slow.

It has to be a CEO mandate, driven from the top, resourced seriously and measured against real outcomes. The companies that treat AI training as an optional benefit will be outrun by the companies that treat it as a core operating requirement.

The third, and the one I find most underappreciated, is eliminating before automating.

There is a reflexive impulse in most organizations to reach for automation as the response to inefficiency. But the highest-value process is often the one that should no longer exist.

Before you make something faster, you need to ask whether it needs to happen at all. Automating a broken process at scale just produces broken outcomes faster. The discipline of elimination, of genuinely questioning whether a workflow, a layer of approval, a reporting structure or a product feature actually needs to exist, is harder than automation, and more valuable.

The fourth is relentless commercial focus.

AI investments must drive measurable revenue growth or profitability. This sounds obvious, but in practice, it is where many transformation programs lose their way. The excitement of the technology can become its own justification. It cannot be.

Every significant AI investment should have a clear line of sight to a commercial outcome, not eventually, not in theory, but in a timeframe that the business can actually hold itself accountable to.

In commerce, this distinction is already becoming visible. The winners will not simply add AI tools to search, customer service, merchandising or operations. They will rethink how decisions are made across the entire business, from product discovery to fulfilment, customer experience, media and profitability.

The hidden risk for today’s market leaders

If you are a market leader today, you face a specific and uncomfortable dynamic.

The capabilities that got you to dominance, your processes, your organisational structure, your institutional knowledge, your partner ecosystem, are also the things that can make transformation hardest. They are not only assets. If left unquestioned, they can become anchors.

New entrants do not have this problem in the same way. They are building AI-native from day one, without legacy infrastructure to protect or organizational politics to navigate. They will not necessarily announce themselves before they are ready. By the time many incumbents recognize the threat, the gap may already be significant.

This is not a reason to panic. It is a reason to move with urgency that many large organizations are not currently demonstrating.

MANGOS is the beginning, not the ceiling

The MANGOS companies are defining much of the infrastructure of the AI era, and their influence on how the next decade of business is conducted will be profound.

But the history of technology tells us something important: infrastructure enablers and application-layer winners are usually not the same companies.

The railroads did not own all the businesses that the railroads made possible. The internet infrastructure companies of the 1990s did not capture most of the value that the internet created. MANGOS is building the rails. The question for every enterprise leader is what they are going to build on them.

The winners of the next era will be the companies that take AI infrastructure as a given, build organizational and commercial models designed specifically for an AI-native world, and execute with relentless focus.

They will come from industries nobody is currently betting on. They will emerge from markets that look mature or even declining. They will be led by people who understood earlier than everyone else that this is not an upgrade cycle. It is a redesign.

The game is on. Execution based on experimentation driving bold outcomes is what will make the difference.

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The recent fatal shootings by ICE officers in Texas and Maine come at a time when the federal agency has hired a huge number of officers quickly. Some law enforcement experts worry that this kind of a hiring spree can lead police agencies to cut corners in vetting new hires.

(Image credit: Gregory Rec)

Nutrition advocates and public health experts are mystified by the decision to eliminate SNAP-Ed, given the Trump administration's embrace of the Make America Healthy Again agenda.

(Image credit: Rachel Wisniewski for NPR)

Sisters Theresa Alethia and Danielle Lussier call themselves the Sisters of the Little Way of Beauty, Truth and Goodness. Their order plans to help victims of abuse.

(Image credit: Natosha Via for NPR)

These maps show that the redistricting battle President Trump initiated has so far had a particular impact on largely Black congressional districts in Republican-led states.

(Image credit: Rahul Mukherjee)

Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration are weighing the evidence for seven different peptides. Favorable votes would pave the way for easier access.

(Image credit: Sarah Silbiger)

Transportation officials have removed a growing list of safety materials that mention bike lanes from federal websites. Safety advocates warn that's undermining proven measures for reducing crashes.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

The New York Times reported earlier this month that security concerns had led the Secret Service to urge Trump to fly home from Turkey on a different jet.'/>

The New York Times will argue in court Thursday that the White House is abusing the justice system to intimidate reporters over a story that angered President Trump. 

(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

The online outcry over the renaming of a summer festival illustrates the unease over the data center boom in the South.

(Image credit: Stephan Bisaha)

Trump administration signs nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, Trump ramps up aggression against Iran despite declining support, House passes Pentagon funding bill.

In life, you often have to meet something at what it is, not what you want it to be. This is the logic that I need you to apply to Ransom Canyon season 2 when you watch it, as all eight episodes drop on Netflix on July 23.

This Western drama soap opera hybrid serves to entertain, but it doesn't ever aim to cross a boundary. It's not striving to be the best TV show of 2026, or do anything remotely challenging or ambitious. Ransom Canyon is a show that stays in its subtly cringe and often stereotypical lane... and for that, I'm thankful.

I don't need all of my television to be profound, life-changing or even that meaningful. Sometimes, I just want to switch my brain off and pretend I live in a picturesque, rural town on the other side of the world where everyone has unrelenting drama except for me. Enter Double K ranch owner Staten (Josh Duhamel), local bar owner Quinn (Minka Kelly) and an eclectic ensemble of characters.

When Netflix commits to the soap opera bit, it ticks the genre boxes incredibly well. Season 1 of Ransom Canyon was already a strong outing, but now that the show knows itself a little more, season 2 is easily on par with the strongest seasons of Virgin River, the streamer's most iconic "cozy drama" IP.

The catch? Season 2 is releasing just weeks after the epic Yellowstone spinoff Dutton Ranch released on Paramount+, which was widely praised by fans and critics (including me) alike. With both shows in such close proximity of each other, it's easy to see how weak the cowboy drama in Ransom Canyon actually is.

Ransom Canyon season 2 is a love story with cowboying on the side — that's an important distinction

Here's where the two shows differ dramatically: Dutton Ranch is a Western drama that sprinkles complex love stories in between. Ransom Canyon is a love story that sprinkles Western drama in between.

Once we've understood this, we know that we can't directly compare them... as much as we want to. The two have completely different functions and goals, and it's highly likely that the fanbases won't fully cross over. That being said, I think following straight after the return of Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) in the Yellowstone spinoff will undoubtedly hurt Staten and Quinn's second outing.

On the surface, season 2 puts a lot of emphasis on the ongoing land feud between the Double K ranch owned by Staten and the Fuller ranch next door, now owned by dubious newcomer Yancy (Jack Schumacher). But by the time we've reached the season 2 finale, it feels completely inconsequential.

This is because we're really being driven by the romantic drama that intertwines the Ransom Canyon residents rather than the mechanics of the town itself. Nobody really cares who owns what or who works where, as long as the right people settle into the relationships that are clearly destined for them.

If Netflix hadn't have hyped the feud up in its marketing, I don't think I'd have noticed that the cowboying actually lets Ransom Canyon down so easily. Taylor Sheridan ain't in these parts, and I think it will always show.

But it's a sensational soap opera — as is cast newcomer Patricia Clarkson

(Image credit: Netflix)

As a flat-out soap opera, Ransom Canyon season 2 is delicious. The indecisively infuriating will-they-won't-they dynamics run wild, the dramatic breakups are deployed at the perfect time, but when it comes down to it, things draw to a close in exactly the way you think they will.

It's almost a comfort to know what you're going to get at an end result, to have something that's often more stable than your actual life (well, if you remove all of the fictional chaos ). Even though tensions between Staten and Quinn remain front and centre, not a single supporting character feels underused.

With each connection feeling like a fulfilling one, we're really getting a lot of bang for our buck when it comes to narrative sustenance. An extra shoutout must go to newcomer Patricia Clarkson, who joins the series as Quinn's firecracker mother, Claire. I've honestly got no clue how the show scored such a uniquely legendary talent, but they've certainly not been complacent about it.

Is Ransom Canyon season 2 more of the same? Essentially, yes. Is that a bad thing? No, that's exactly what we want. If you overlook the cowboying, you'll probably fall in love with each and every character as much as I did... and soap opera historically aren't my thing. If you can't trust the opinion of a reformer hater, who can you?

Fliki is a popular AI video generator, trusted by more than 12 million users worldwide and 50,000 companies, including brands like Meta, ByteDance, Oracle, and PayPal. You can create and edit AI videos with natural-language prompts using its AI Copilot.

In this article, we’ve put Fliki to the test, evaluating its features, pricing, and real-world in-app experience to help you find out whether this AI video editor lives up to its claims and whether it’s the right tool for you.

Fliki: Plans and pricing

Fliki is a fairly limited free video editing software, which gives you three credits per month, or 36 credits for the entire year. You can export videos with a maximum length of one minute in 720p resolution, along with access to 300 standard voices. All other video and audio generation features are limited on the free plan and restricted by the number of credits you receive.

We found the provision of just three credits per month quite stingy. For instance, generating a one-minute AI video costs around 0.8 credits. If it includes an AI avatar, it can cost around 5.3 credits alone. This means you can't do much with the free plan besides testing out the platform.

To get the most out of Fliki, you'll have to subscribe to one of its paid plans. Its Standard plan starts at $28 per month. Right now, you can get 50% off the subscription, bringing the effective price down to $14 per month. With this plan, you get 2,160 credits for the entire year, along with an expanded export length of 15 minutes in 1080p resolution, which disappointed us a bit. Kapwing, for instance, allows you to export videos in 4K quality at around the same price.

You can check out Fliki by clicking here.

(Image credit: Fliki)

That said, you get unlimited access to various video and audio tools, along with features like voice cloning, custom voices, and Brand Kits. You also get access to various templates, which help you create content using pre-built video layouts. This plan also includes several collaboration features, such as the ability to bulk-create videos from a single CSV file, an AI assistant, and Zapier integrations. However, it still does not include team collaboration, which is again a letdown.

Then there's the Premium plan, costing $88 per month, or $44 per month with the current discount. Here, the maximum export length increases to 40 minutes, but the resolution remains capped at 1080p. Some additional features include unlimited AI avatars, custom fonts, faster exports, and team collaboration.

If you've exhausted your credits, you can purchase top-up credits if you have an active subscription plan. These additional credits are valid for up to 180 days and remain active even if your subscription is canceled during this period. You can get 60 credits for $10, 130 credits for $25, and so on, all the way up to $2,500 worth of credits.

Fliki: Features

Fliki houses as many as 54 tools to create and edit videos and images, supporting various use cases. For instance, you can create social media reels, TikTok videos, or a faceless YouTube channel with Fliki.

There’s also the popular AI Avatar feature, which helps you build avatars of your own and reuse them in your videos. Besides this, you also get an AI Script Writer, voice cloning, a subtitle generator, and a pretty fun Talking Photo feature.

That said, we found Fliki’s AI avatars to be based largely on real people, rather than offering the wide range of outlandish and fictional characters we get with a site like Kapwing.

(Image credit: Fliki)

These are better viewed as use cases rather than standalone features. The core feature remains the same: generating videos and images through prompts. These prompts can be in the form of scripts, reference images, videos, or even audio. Editing tools include background removers, translators, and screen recorders.

Fliki has made a lot of recent additions to its available tools, making it a more complete video generation and editing platform. For instance, it has introduced new models such as Flux Klein 2, Nano Banana 2 for images, Kling 3.0, Seedance 2.0 for video, native audio, multi-shot, and P-Video for video and lip-syncing needs.

You can also use your own media in video workflows, along with 130 new character-driven voices in 20+ languages. As recently as February 2026, Fliki rebuilt its voices to include a wider range of emotions, such as laughing, sarcasm, and deadpan, all of which can be fine-tuned using natural language descriptions.

Fliki now also supports YouTube-licensed music protected by copyright. It has also expanded its character library, allowing you to create and reuse AI characters across multiple projects.

(Image credit: Fliki)

One of its most exciting additions has been the ability to create stop-motion story videos with needle-felted wool puppet looks. Another addition is TikTok auto-publishing, which allows you to post videos created through Fliki directly to TikTok by linking your account in Workspace Settings. You can either publish them immediately or set up a drip schedule to release episodes on TikTok.

Fliki: Interface and in use

Getting started with Fliki is very easy. We used a Google account to sign up for the platform, which took less than a minute. Once you’re in, you’re greeted with a dashboard featuring a black background, along with various features highlighted in small red rectangular tabs below a prompt box.

On the left-hand panel, you’ll find all the settings you need for your video creation, including Media, Subtitles, Audio, AI Copilot, and various templates. However, note that not all of these will be accessible if you’re on the free plan, as several features are locked behind Fliki’s paid tiers.

(Image credit: Future)

The best part about editing with Fliki is its AI-powered editing assistant, where you can type in plain English what you want. For instance, you can ask it to make the intro slower or add a text overlay at any point in the video.

Besides this, you get two ways to build a video. The first is an at-a-glance scene reel laid out horizontally with a full timeline, while the second is a traditional timeline with functions like zooming and snapping, giving you more control.

Fliki has also overhauled its dashboard, giving it a more intuitive layout with a fresher look and easy-to-access tools.

Fliki: How we tested

We used the free version of Fliki to check out its AI video generation capabilities. We entered the following prompt: A woman in a red coat walks across a rain-soaked city street at night, neon signs reflecting in the puddles, camera slowly tracking alongside her (the same prompt we use for all our AI video testing).

We were impressed by the sheer number of customization options that Fliki offers. Once you enter the prompt, you have to select the video duration you want, with the minimum being 30 seconds. This was a bit disappointing, as we’d have liked to see shorter video generation options as well.

(Image credit: Future)

However, Fliki gets to work once you make the selection and generates a detailed script for you. You can edit this script before moving ahead with video generation. Besides this, you get a lot of options to customize your video right before the generation process starts.

(Image credit: Future)

For instance, you can choose the format and template, selecting between portrait, square, and landscape modes, along with the type of character you want. You can also select the AI model you want to use for generation, although most of them are Pro features. Besides this, you also have the option to select a voiceover, add captions, or choose an AI avatar.

(Image credit: Future)

We found this to be pretty convenient since you can make all the required selections in one place and don’t have to go back and forth through the platform making edits afterward. Once we were done with all the selections, we clicked on Generate Video. The actual video rendering process took less than a minute.

(Image credit: Future)

However, since the free tier does not allow you to create AI videos on its own, we were a bit disappointed by the output. The final video consisted of still images with voiceovers instead of a full-fledged video, like we got with Kapwing.

Fliki: Alternatives

While Fliki is a pretty good AI video generator and editor, it does have a few strong competitors. The first one would be Adobe Firefly, which costs around $8.49 per month, around 40% cheaper than Fliki during the discount period.

The biggest advantage of Firefly is its robust workflow features, which allow teams to build virtual storyboards and collaborate in real time, something that Fliki restricts to its highest-tier plan. You also get access to Adobe Express Premium and Photoshop with all its paid plans. That said, its video editing capabilities are still in development and are not as good as Fliki’s.

Another competitor is Kapwing, which comes with better AI avatar generation capabilities. While Fliki depends heavily on real-life characters, Kapwing gives you a lot of fictional character generation options, such as Dracula, vampires, and everything else you can imagine.

Kapwing also supports 4K video exports of up to 120 minutes, whereas Fliki restricts exports to just 1080p, which is certainly not enough in the modern content creation landscape. That said, Kapwing is a bit more expensive than Fliki, costing $16 per month. However, its free plan is more robust, allowing you to create AI videos instead of videos with still images and voiceovers.

Fliki: Final verdict

We used the free version of Fliki to check out its AI video generation capabilities. We entered the following prompt: A woman in a red coat walks across a rain-soaked city street at night, neon signs reflecting in the puddles, camera slowly tracking alongside her (the same prompt we use for all our AI video testing).

We were impressed by the sheer number of customization options that Fliki offers. Once you enter the prompt, you have to select the video duration you want, with the minimum being 30 seconds. This was a bit disappointing, as we’d have liked to see shorter video generation options as well.

However, Fliki gets to work once you make the selection and generates a detailed script for you. You can edit this script before moving ahead with video generation. Besides this, you get a lot of options to customize your video right before the generation process starts.

We've tested a range of video makers and editors, including the best video editing software, the best video editing apps and the best free video editing software.

The incident is stirring debates over the need for stronger AI guardrails and the extent to which AI agents are capable of acting on their own.

(Image credit: Michael Dwyer)

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z-series foldables have been officially unveiled, and pre-orders have also kicked off in Australia.

We’ve covered Samsung’s pre-order offers through its Australian eStore here, but retailers and telcos across the country are jostling for your attention with their own pre-order deals.

The best outright pre-order deals are direct from Samsung with up to AU$650 in savings, while the best telco deal is from Vodafone, with savings of up to AU$1,000.

In case you missed the Galaxy Unpacked last night, you can check out our live coverage of the launch. As for the handsets themselves, you can also read our first impressions of the newly redesigned Z Fold 8, Z Fold Ultra and the Z Flip 8.

I’ve collected the best outright and telco deals for the 2026 Samsung foldable range below, with links taking you straight to the pre-order pages:

Best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 pre-order deals

Trade in any qualifying device (with a value of at least AU$1) and you can get an extra AU$150 credit off the Fold 8 with this exclusive pre-order offer. If you bundle the Fold 8 with a Galaxy Tablet, Watch, Buds, Ring or other accessories, use the code UNFOLD2026 to take $150 off your entire cart (until July 25, which then drops down to AU$50 off until August 14). You can also redeem Rewards Points to save more, and check out with PayPal for an extra AU$150 off. But that’s not all — if you want more storage, our exclusive code TR-FOLD8 will take another AU$200 off the 1TB model.View Deal

While Amazon isn't discounting the device per se, you’ll receive a AU$300 Amazon credit and 20% off selected Samsung accessories.View Deal

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 | Vodafone Small Promo Plan | 80GB | 24 months | AU$128.28p/m

Vodafone is offering a AU$700 handset discount and discounting its Small Plan by AU$13p/m off (plus mobile data boosted to 80GB), but what makes it the best telco deal is the addition of a AU$300 credit when you trade in an old device. View Deal

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 | Optus Small Choice Plus Plan | 60GB | 24 months | AU$126.18p/m

If you’re not looking to trade in your old phone, Optus slightly beats Vodafone’s offers with a AU$750 handset discount for the Galaxy Z Fold 8, as well as a AU$15p/m off plan fees for the first 12 months.View Deal

Best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra pre-order deals

Like the Z Fold 8 above, the bonus trade-in credit here is also AU$150 on qualifying devices, and the Unpacked Eco-Voucher and PayPal savings also apply, and using the TR-FOLD8 exclusive code will take AU$200 off the 1TB model.View Deal

Like the Z Fold 8 above, pre-ordering from Amazon will net you a AU$300 credit and 20% off selected Samsung accessories.View Deal

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Vodafone Small Promo Plan | 80GB | 24 months | AU$140.78p/m

The AU$700 handset discount and AU$300 trade-in bonus credit from the Z Fold 8 above also apply here, with the monthly cost at AU$140.78p/m with Vodafone's cheapest plan.View Deal

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Optus Small Choice Plus Plan | 60GB | 24 months | AU$138.69p/m

Like the Z Fold 8 above, Optus is offering a $750 discount on its Ultra sibling, as well as a AU$15p/m off plan fees for the first 12 months.View Deal

Best Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 pre-order deals

The trade-in credit for the Z Flip 8 is lower at AU$100 during the pre-order period, and the potential savings from the UNFOLD2026 Unpacked Eco-Voucher (AU$150 off during the first 72 hours) and checking out with PayPal (a further AU$150 off) apply here, too.View Deal

Just like its more premium siblings above, pre-ordering the Galaxy Z Flip 8 from Amazon will give you a AU$300 credit and 20% off selected Samsung accessories.View Deal

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 Ultra | Optus Small Choice Plus Plan | 60GB | 24 months | AU$94.92p/m

Optus is also giving the Z Flip 8 a $750 discount like the two more premium handsets above, as well as a AU$15p/m off plan fees for the first 12 months.View Deal

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 | Vodafone Small Promo Plan | 80GB | 24 months | AU$105.36p/m

The Z Flip 8 gets a smaller AU$500 handset discount at Vodafone, but the trade-in credit is the same at AU$300 like the Z Fold 8 and Ultra. The monthly cost of AU$105.36p/m with Vodafone's cheapest plan makes it more expensive than Optus' offer above.View Deal

Other retailer pre-order deals

Want to check out what else is out there? These other retailer offers are also available:

• JB Hi-Fi: Get a AU$300 JB Hi-Fi gift card if you pre-order any of the 2026 Samsung Galaxy Z-series phones
• The Good Guys: Get a AU$300 The Good Guys eGift Card and free delivery if you pre-order any of the 2026 Samsung Galaxy Z-series phones

Don't ask me what happened in any single episode of The Big Bang Theory, because I honestly can't remember.

Across 12 seasons, a myriad of in-jokes, long-standing gags and endless scientific lore were created, and you can bet your bottom dollar that hardcore fans won't have forgotten a single thing.

This level of detail initially made me nervous to try watching new HBO Max spinoff, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.

Our titular heroic lead, on-off girlfriend Denise (Lauren Lapkus), as well as friends Kripke (John Ross Bowie) and Bert (Brian Posehn), are brought back together when Stuart (Kevin Sussman) triggers a multiverse armageddon by accidentally breaking a device built by Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki).

Clearly, the spinoff is its own thing, but there's enough of a TBBT connection to assume that you'll need to know the ins and outs of the main season in order to enjoy it.

That's not the case, though. Not only can you be a Big Bang dunce and still have a whale of a time watching — and perhaps more importantly, always understand what's going on — Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is actually designed to contradict the existing IP lore, according to creators Zak Penn and Bill Prady.

'You're not obligated to be consistent'

"One of the wonderful things about moving from universe to universe is you're not obligated to be consistent," Prady tells me.

"We're in a different universe. When we were doing this, I was always reminded of an episode of Doctor Who where the Doctor is confronted with the with the inconsistency in the episode that they're in. He points out that time is more of a vague 'timey-wimey' kind of thing, and I think we had a lot of that going on to say, 'This is a different universe, and that's how it is in this universe.'"

Even from episode 1, which drops on HBO Max on July 23, you can see how it would break your brain to try and conform to the rules and regulations of TBBT.

Stuart and the gang are frequently confronted with alternative versions of themselves and others are each aware of completely different things... and that's before we consider that there's always an overarching physical difference to each universe visited.

"We kind of approached it like we're not trying to construct this perfectly organized science fiction idea," Penn adds. "In fact, we want to both violate the ideas that we set up and then have the characters acknowledge that that's what we've done. We do that quite a bit.

"There's characters all over the season mentioning that things don't really make sense... nobody can follow it. That was a deliberate choice because. The show isn't designed to be something that's a puzzle to figure out perfectly."

As the saying goes, if you can't beat them... be bewildered by the choices being made around you. Trust me: part of the fun is trying to keep up with the multiverse madness and second-guessing what comes next — and you'll never, ever be right.