Error message

  • Deprecated function: implode(): Passing glue string after array is deprecated. Swap the parameters in drupal_get_feeds() (line 394 of /home/cay45lq1/public_html/includes/common.inc).
  • Deprecated function: The each() function is deprecated. This message will be suppressed on further calls in menu_set_active_trail() (line 2405 of /home/cay45lq1/public_html/includes/menu.inc).

Feed aggregator

New forum topics

How tariffs might impact small American winemakers

NPR News Headlines - Fri, 05/02/2025 - 03:26

President Trump's new tariffs could help the American wine industry by making wines from abroad more expensive. But some smaller American winemakers aren't feeling as positive about them.

Categories: News

Two Kent State shooting survivors remember the day 55 year later

NPR News Headlines - Fri, 05/02/2025 - 03:23

In this StoryCorps, two former Kent State University students remember when National Guardsmen opened fire on Vietnam War protesters 55 years ago this weekend.

Categories: News

Thunderbolts* ending explained: what does the asterisk mean, is there a post-credits scene, and your biggest Marvel questions answered

TechRadar News - Fri, 05/02/2025 - 03:00

Marvel's Thunderbolts* movie is out now, and it's a film you won't want to miss.

I'm not just talking about how good it is, either (be sure to read my Thunderbolts* review to find out why). Indeed, it's far more important than many people realize, especially when it comes to setting up future Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) projects.

Below, I'll explain how Thunderbolts* lays the foundation for events still to come. I'll also answer your biggest questions about the Marvel Phase 5 film, including the foremost one on everyone's minds prior to its release. That being, what's with the asterisk in its title?

Full spoilers immediately follow for Thunderbolts*. Turn back now if you haven't seen it yet.

What does the asterisk mean in Marvel's Thunderbolts* movie?

Valentina (third left) uses her street smarts and marketing skills to turn the Thunderbolts* into The Avengers 2.0 (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

In short, the group's unofficial name, The Thunderbolts, is replaced with an official moniker, The New Avengers.

So the reason for the asterisk in the title is due to the titular team being renamed in the film's final scene, which is reconfirmed by The New Avengers' logo appearing during the movie's end credits crawl. From that point on, Yelena Belova and company will go by their new team name.

That won't be a huge shock to some MCU devotees. Ever since Marvel added the asterisk to the movie's title, fans have theorized that the ragtag group would be renamed before Thunderbolts* ended.

However, considering that the eponymous team comprises anti-heroes, reformed villains, and superpowered misfits, some observers suggested they'd collectively be called The Dark Avengers. After all, this is the name given to a group of superpowered individuals in Marvel Comics that includes Bob Reynolds/Sentry and John Walker/US Agent, two of the characters who appear in this film.

Yep, you're looking at the latest version of Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

The New Avengers' moniker is a better fit for the group in the MCU, though.

Indeed, The Avengers haven't existed since they defeated Thanos in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Sure, Sam Wilson, the second person to adopt the mantle of Captain America, plans to reform Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Captain America: Brave New World, but he's yet to do so before the events of Thunderbolts*.

That delay provides Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine with the perfect opportunity to introduce Belova and company to the world as The New Avengers.

After defeating Sentry's darker half (aka The Void) in his Shadow Realm, The Thunderbolts – a name derived from Belova's childhood soccer team that lost every match it played – find themselves back in New York. Moments after returning to their reality, they spot the power-hungry de Fontaine and quickly pursue her down Main Street.

"Wait... us?" (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Before they can arrest her for her crimes, though, the group stumbles into a street-based live press conference, which de Fontaine has hastily arranged. There, the CIA's duplicitous overlord tells the assembled press (and those watching the live broadcast) that Belova and company have not only saved the day, but are also a secret project she's been working on.

It's here that de Fontaine rechristens the group as The New Avengers. Confused but seemingly won over, the group accepts the new title, but not before Belova tells de Fontaine, "We own you now".

Essentially, the slippery CIA director has to do as she's told now. Otherwise, Belova and co. will come clean about de Fontaine's actual secret project, which involved Sentry/The Void's creation, her attempts to avoid impeachment, and so many other shady business dealings she made.

How does the titular team defeat The Void?

The Void is the physical representation of the dark part of Bob's split personality disorder (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Through the power of friendship and hugging!

I joke, of course – I don't mean to belittle the weighty thematic material explored in Thunderbolts*. As someone who's suffered with mental health issues in the past, I applaud its cast and crew for tackling such difficult subject matter, and for telling a story that'll strike an emotional chord with many cinephiles. It certainly did with me.

Anyway, the titular group beat The Void via unconventional means. Bob Reynolds' two superpowered alter-egos are arguably the strongest beings – human race-wise, anyway – in the entire MCU (sorry, Thor and The Hulk). That much is made clear by how easily Sentry deals with the rest of The Thunderbolts during their fight in the Watchtower.

The Void is even more powerful than Sentry. Again, that's evident by the ease with which his Shadow Realm spreads across New York City. (As an aside, I do wonder if Daredevil: Born Again season 2 will reference this event. After all, that Disney+ show is also set in New York, so, unless the series' sophomore season takes place prior to Thunderbolts*, it would be odd if it didn't mention the fact that a giant shadow literally overtook the city.)

Bob was experimented on in Malaysia by de Fontaine's OXE group (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

But I digress! In a bid to stop The Void, Belova – and, some time later, the rest of the team – enter the Shadow Realm, fight their way through their worst memories and traumas, and eventually find Bob, who's hiding in his 'best' worst memory.

Working together, the group eventually finds a memory of Bob's that shows he's not only been experimented on by de Fontaine's OXE research group, but also marked the first time that The Void manifested.

Long story short, The Void overpowers everyone except for Bob, who eventually fights The Void for control of his mind. As Bob pummels his darker self, though, The Void starts to silently overtake his consciousness with its shadow powers – a move that'll wipe Bob out of existence because The Void will have absorbed him into itself.

In a Hail Mary move, Belova – with Red Guardian's help – breaks free of her shackles, parkours her way to Bob, hugs him from behind, and tells him he's not alone. The rest of the team soon follow and silently embrace Bob, too. Overwhelmed by their humanity and comradeship, Bob breaks down and, in doing so, stops physically and mentally beating himself up.

Free of the darkness that consumed them, the group is suddenly transported back to New York. Belova asks Bob if he's okay, to which he responds that he is but has no idea what just happened. From here, we lead into the above section's stuff about de Fontaine, the press conference, and The New Avengers reveal.

Who dies in Thunderbolts*?

Taskmaster's time in the MCU was short and not very sweet (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

There's only one major character death in Thunderbolts* and it's one that was foreseen by fans many months before the film's release.

While appearing in Thunderbolts* first trailer and initial slate of press images last August, Olga Kurylenko's Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster has been conspicuous by her absence in promotional materials ever since. In fact, in the weeks leading up to one of May 2025's new movies arriving in theaters, Taskmaster has been completely MIA.

Inevitably, that led MCU devotees to suspect she wasn't long for this world – and that proves to be the case. During the four-way fight between Belova, Walker, Ava Starr, and Dreykov in the film's first act, Taskmaster is shot in the head and killed by Starr. It's an unceremonious way for her to bow out of the MCU and, based on some early fan reactions following the launch of Thunderbolts*, it's a death that's not gone down well with some.

Are there any Marvel cameos in Thunderbolts*?

Anthony Mackie's Captain America is referenced, but he doesn't physically appear (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

No. Unlike Bucky Barnes' surprise cameo in Captain America 4, there are no unexpected appearances from new or returning MCU characters in Thunderbolts*.

There's the odd reference or two to those who populate Marvel's cinematic juggernaut. Wilson is namechecked a couple of times. Meanwhile, former US President Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross is briefly mentioned by de Fontaine during her Senate hearing; the CIA director reminding the assembled elected individuals of Ross Hulk-ing out in Brave New World.

Those rare occurrences aside, you won't see other Marvel characters at any point. Well, unless you count the appearance of a certain group by way of a space vessel, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Is Geraldine Viswanathan's Thunderbolts* character Mel going to become Songbird in the MCU?

There may be more to Mel (left) than meets the eye (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Geraldine Viswanathan's Mel, aka de Fontaine's assistant, might not seem like the superhero type. In fact, to the average viewer, one of the primary supporting characters in Thunderbolts* will be seen as nothing more than de Fontaine's diligent albeit emotionally torn lackey.

Diehard Marvel fans, though, may pick up on the fact that Mel isn't just a simple background character. If you were paying attention, you'll have noticed Mel wears a gold necklace – one that has a gold bird sitting in a ring – throughout the film. Hmm, I wonder where we've seen that before...

Alright, enough teasing. Some fans believe Viswanathan is another Marvel hero hiding in plain sight. That's because, in Marvel Comics, there's a superhero called Songbird whose civilian identity is – wait for it – Melissa Gold.

Songbird's powerset includes the ability to create supersonic soundwaves, fly, and use echolocation (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Now, this could be nothing more than a curious case of misdirection on Marvel Studios' part. That said, the fact that there's a character called Mel who wears a gold necklace with a songbird hanging at the end of it is too much of a coincidence in my and many other viewers' eyes.

It might not be a coincidence, either. In a January 2025 chat with ScreenRant, Viswanathan danced around a question about whether she's playing Songbird in the MCU.

Asked if she considers herself to be a songbird, she replied: "I have no idea what you're talking about. Never in my life have I heard something like that...Oh, look what you've done. Now, I'm all nervous."

Don't be surprised, then, if Viswanathan isn't just confirmed to be playing Songbird in the MCU at some point, but that she'll also return in the next Avengers movie as part of a yet-to-be-revealed second round of Avengers: Doomsday cast reveals. Sure, Doomsday may already have 27 confirmed characters, but there's always room for more!

Does Thunderbolts* have a mid-credits scene?

MCU fans won't want to leave their seats early for this Marvel movie (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

There is – and it's a call-back to a humorous line of dialogue Alexei Shoshtakov/Red Guardian utters around the film's midpoint.

The scene opens with Shoshtakov loitering in the cereal aisle of a grocery store. Striking up a conversation with a fellow shopper, he tries to convince her to buy a box of Wheaties, which is adorned with images of The New Avengers. He even poses next to the box, hoping that she'll recognize him (FYI, it doesn't work).

Earlier in the film, Shoshtakov jokes that, if The Thunderbolts save the day by putting a stop to de Fontaine's nefarious plans, they could not only end up on the front of Wheaties cereal boxes, but also be the "little kiddie toy" that children find among the cereal itself.

Despite appearing to convince his fellow cereal enthusiast to buy a box of Wheaties, though, Red Guardian doesn't realize that the person puts it back on a different shelf when he's not looking. Clearly, he put them off with his over-the-top persuasive tone!

What is the Thunderbolts* post-credit scene? And how does it set up The Fantastic Four: First Steps?

The Fantastic Four are seen – well, their starship is – in Thunderbolts* end credits stinger (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Thunderbolts' end credits stinger takes place 14 months after the film's primary narrative.

Initially, it reunites us with Bucky Barnes, Belova, Walker, and Starr, who have returned to The New Avengers' headquarters – they might be stationed in The Watchtower, aka the building formerly known as Avengers Tower, but it's hard to tell. The quartet is sporting new costumes that look a bit corny (I'm hoping this is down to the corporate or commercial nature of The New Avengers, rather than the suits they actually decided to wear!).

Anyway, as they enter the main room of their HQ, they discuss the fact that Wilson/Cap 2.0 is suing them for trademark infringement. Wilson is upset they've snatched the Avengers moniker from under his nose. Despite Bucky meeting Wilson to smooth things over, Bucky reveals the conversation "went poorly".

As the conversation continues, Belova mentions some form of "space crisis," but, before we learn more, Shoshtakov interrupts to say he's fashioned a new, garish-looking tracksuit they can all wear. It's littered with sponsors, such as Tide, and has a giant 'New AvengerZ' logo on the front, which Shoshtakov suggests can circumvent Wilson's attempts to sue them for the team's new name.

Will we see The New Avengers greet The Fantastic Four in one of First Steps' likely end credits scenes? (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Bob is also present, but he hasn't – and doesn't want to – use his powers to fight anyone (if it comes to that) because he's worried The Void will return. He says he "did the dishes", though, so at least he's of some use.

Suddenly, a data pad held by Belova lights up. Moments earlier, Bucky told Belova to use Earth's satellite system to learn more about these "space anomalies" they've been made aware of. Lo and behold, Bucky's idea works – and it's here that Thunderbolts* reveals its ties to The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which arrives in theaters on July 25.

The data pad alerts the group that a mysterious space vessel has appeared above Earth-616 via a multidimensional portal. Belova pulls up the footage on her tablet and, as a short motif of The Fantastic Four's MCU theme plays, we see the group's futuristic-looking rocket ship, complete with a huge 'F4' logo on it, barreling towards Earth.

Downey Jr's Doctor Doom will be the Multiverse Saga's primary antagonist (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios/Marvel Studios)

So, how does this film's post-credits scene set up what'll happen in The Fantastic Four's latest big-screen reboot?

The short answer is: I'm not sure, but we know First Steps is set in an alternate reality. That much was made clear last April when Marvel teased some key story details about the film and then released a poster that confirmed to fans that it wouldn't be set in the MCU. So, Marvel's First Family will exist in another universe for much of First Steps' runtime.

"For much of" are the key words here. Again, we've no idea about how First Steps, aka the first Marvel Phase 6 movie will end, but fans have speculated that the titular team will be forced to flee their universe – because First Steps' main villain Galactus destroys it, Robert Downey Jr's Victor von Doom (who'll be the Big Bad of Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel Secret Wars) casts them out, or for some other reason.

Regardless, Thunderbolts* confirms The Fantastic Four will find themselves in the MCU by the time First Steps' story ends. The *ahem* steps taken to get there, though, are still up for debate.

You might also like

Marvel Unlimited monthly subscription: was $9.99 per month now $4.99 at Marvel
The ultimate digital comics subscription for Marvel fans is offering new and returning customers 50% off their first month, which is much cheaper than a streaming subscription to watch all the best superhero movies. To gain access to a library of more than 30,000 comics, use the code 'SPIDEY50' at checkout. You're able to use the Marvel Unlimited app on all iOS and Android devices, including the web, too. But, be quick – the deal expires on May 5!View Deal

Categories: Technology

Trump orders end to federal funding for NPR and PBS

NPR News Headlines - Fri, 05/02/2025 - 02:48

In an executive order, President Trump directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to stop funding NPR and PBS, the nation's primary public broadcasters.

(Image credit: Charles Dharapak)

Categories: News

I tested PageCrawl, a great free website content monitoring tool

TechRadar Reviews - Fri, 05/02/2025 - 02:37

A content monitoring tool is essential for business purposes, like regulatory compliance, competitor monitoring, and brand protection. It also helps identify market trends and consumer preferences. Individuals may also use these monitors to track online sales, offers, job applications, and more.

PageCrawl is one such popular online content monitoring software best known for its customizable plans. Its free plan is one of the most comprehensive, offering features like unlimited alerts, custom notifications, and third-party integrations that are usually available under paid plans.

Apart from online pages and websites, you can also track PDFs, Excel, and Word files using PageCrawl. Plus, all these pages can be managed, imported, and modified in bulk.

Come take a dive with us as we explore in detail PageCrawl and its features, pricing, competition, and support.

PageCrawl: Plans and pricing

PageCrawl offers one of the most comprehensive free plans we have seen in the industry. It allows you to track 6 pages and run up to 180 checks a month. Plus, you get screenshots for the last 3 checks and a 90-day view history.

What we liked the most was the unlimited alerts you get on this plan through email, Discord, Telegram, Slack, and Teams. You can also automate workflows through Zapier integration. The only downside is that the frequency of each check is only once per day.

Next, the Standard plan gives you an option to choose the number of pages you want to track – 100, 200, or 300. The basic 100-page plan allows you to run 15,000 checks per month and costs $8. The 200-page plan (with 30,000 checks/month) is priced at $16/month, while the 300-page plan (with 45,000 checks/month) will cost you $24/month.

The plan allows you to check for changes every 15 minutes. You also get a 12-month view history, email support, API & Webhooks, and Review Boards. This plan allows you to track online-hosted PDF, Excel, and Word files.

Lastly, the Enterprise plan starts at $30/month for 500 pages and 100,000 checks a month. You get 8 plan options to choose from here; the upper ceiling is 4,000 pages per month with 800,000 checks. This makes PageCrawl ideal for even large businesses.

Here, you get a check frequency of 5 minutes, a premium proxy tool, user access roles, and premium email support. What's more, you can also bypass CAPTCHA on websites by paying just a small additional fee.

Note: The pricing mentioned above is for a monthly subscription. If you pay annually, you get two months for free. So, if you’re paying $8/month for the Standard monthly plan, you’ll only need to pay $80 if you choose the annual option.

PageCrawl: Features

Much like other trackers, PageCrawl also gives you the option to either track the whole page or select elements you specifically want to track.

Sometimes, the pages you want to track may be locked behind passwords. In such cases, you’ll only need to configure authentication on PageCrawl. Once done, you can use the same configuration to track multiple pages. This also works for PDFs, Excel sheets, Word, or CSV documents protected by passwords.

(Image credit: PageCrawl)

Besides this, PageCrawl also circumvents bot detection safeguards employed by Cloudflare for seamless tracking. You can even bypass reCAPTCHA/hCAPTCHA authentication for an additional fee.

What we liked the most about PageCrawl is that there are a lot of organization options. You can set up a folder hierarchy that allows you to group tracked pages by categories. Pagecrael also lets you attach custom labels to group pages by keywords or tracking status.

If you work in teams, you can create team-specific workspaces where employees can only monitor pages relevant to their needs. This enhances collaboration and prevents dual work.

To add to this, there are various templates. For instance, if a specific team is tracking only product listings, they can stick to one template to avoid confusion. The same goes for other pages like blog posts or service pages.

Taking this a step ahead, PageCrawl offers a “Review Board” – Kanban-like dashboards that streamline your monitoring process. There are also options to customize the reporting frequency. You can either choose to get real-time updates for time-sensitive changes or get daily or weekly reports for non-urgent changes.

These updates can be received through email alerts, SMS, Slack, Telegram, or Discord. You can also set up conditional notifications to only get alerts when certain words appear. This narrows down the search and prevents false positives.

Other notable features include proxy servers to track geo-restricted pages, third-party integrations, storage for view history and screenshots, auto page discovery, data export and reporting, and so on.

PageCrawl: Interface and in use

The most interesting thing about PageCrawl is that you can start tracking without creating an account. On its homepage, there’s a field to enter the URL of your website.

Once you do, it will show you a snapshot of the current version of the page and send all future updates to your email. However, this way, you won't be able to access any of the other features. So, we recommend registering your account.

(Image credit: PageCrawl)

Once you create an account, you’ll get a dashboard where on the left side you’ll have the menu. This is where you can manage your integrations, notifications, labels, and templates. Here, you will also find the option to create a new workspace or add a new user.

In the center, you will see a list of all the pages you are tracking along with their current status and last update.

Overall, the interface is simple. All the features are in plain sight, and everything you'll need is on one page.

PageCrawl: Support

PageCrawl offers decent support. There’s a help center containing tutorials and guides on almost every query you might have. And if you want to get in touch with the team directly, you can email them your support inquiries at help_me@pagecrawl.io. Please note that email support is only available on paid plans.

The response time depends on the plan you are subscribed to. If you have the Standard plan, the typical response time is 72 hours, whereas if you have the Enterprise plan, the standard response time is 24 hours, excluding weekends.

PageCrawl: The competition

PageCrawl is an all-in-one content monitoring tool. However, if it still doesn’t suit your needs, here are a few options you can look at.

Fluxguard has some of the best AI tools in the industry. It has an AI tool for translating websites to English, one for summarization, one for filtering irrelevant updates, and another for creating custom AI prompts to narrow down your search. However, it's a little expensive. If you want the same benefits for an even lower price, try Visualping.

Visualping has similar AI features. Its AI can help you summarize reports, filter notifications, and speed up setup with smart suggestions. Plus, it's cheaper than Fluxguard. What’s more, its plans are customizable just like PageCrawl.

PageCrawl: Final verdict

PageCrawl is a great tool for all businesses, thanks to its wide array of plan options – you can track from 6 pages to 4,000 pages per month. It's also one of the few tools that offers a comprehensive free plan with unlimited alerts, folders, and label categorization. The interface is simple and navigable, and the customer support is decent.

It also has a lot of organization options, which makes it easy for inter- and intra-team collaboration. There’s even a Kanban-like dashboard for better tracking and monitoring.

You can track websites, PDFs, Excel sheets, Word, or CSV files locked behind passwords.

Plus, PageCrawl sends you alerts through various modes such as SMS, emails, Telegram, Slack, and Discord, the frequency of which can be customized. Having said that, PageCrawl doesn’t offer AI features, which is why you may want to consider alternatives like Fluxguard or Visualping.

FAQs What is a content monitoring tool?

A content monitoring tool tracks a website or a page and notifies you of any changes on it. Whether it's a change in the content, code, or interface, you will be notified instantly. Most of these tools also create daily or weekly change reports for you so that you can get consolidated information.

Who is PageCrawl ideal for?

PageCrawl, thanks to its mind-blowing free plan, is best for those looking to try out a content monitoring tool – or folks who have limited needs. You can track 6 pages and get unlimited alerts without paying a single penny. Plus, you even set up conditional alerts, organize your work through folders and labels, and connect with 2,000+ apps for a seamless workflow.

Beyond this, even small and large businesses find PageCrawl worth the money. The paid plans start at $8/month, going all the way up to $240/month.

We've listed the best website builder service.

Categories: Reviews

I tested Fluxguard, a great choice for monitoring websites, especially for mid-sized to large businesses

TechRadar Reviews - Fri, 05/02/2025 - 02:25

Website monitoring is a must-do for all businesses. It helps you with competitive intelligence, regulatory and privacy compliance, and brand protection. Even on a personal level, website monitoring comes in handy – you may want to keep an eye on your favorite product or monitor your job application.

Fluxguard is one of the best online content monitoring platforms that lets you monitor all changes on any website. It's best known for its AI-powered tools that automate a lot of mundane tasks, making the whole tracking process easier. Although you can get started with a free plan, Fluxguard offers a lot of paid plans for businesses of all sizes.

In this guide, we will take a closer look at its best features, pricing, support, and more. We’ll even compare it with some alternatives to ensure you walk away with only the best tool for your needs.

Fluxguard: Plans and pricing

Fluxguard’s versatile pricing makes it ideal for all sizes of businesses, be they startups or enterprises. You can get started with its free plan, though.

Although the number of sites on the free plan is limited to just three, you get an AI translation tool to translate pages to English – something you won’t get with other monitors. Plus, you can keep 3 versions per page and get daily/instant updates.

The first paid plan is the Standard plan, priced at $99/month. It allows up to 3 users to monitor 25 websites per month. Along with that, you can monitor specific parts of a page and track pages locked behind a login page. However, we found it a bit more expensive than the likes of Visualping and Watchete.

The Plus plan is what most average-sized businesses will benefit from. It's priced at $199/month and allows 5 users to monitor 50 websites per month. Here’s where you get a lot of AI functions – AI summarization tools and AI prompts. You can also use proxy servers to crawl the same website from different regions.

Next, there’s the Premium plan priced at $499/month. It allows 10 users to monitor 100 websites per month. In addition to that, you get an AI filtering option to filter out irrelevant changes, consolidated AI email summaries, updates every 5 minutes with Rapid Crawling, and real-time notifications with Webhooks. This plan is ideal for all large businesses.

For enterprises that need something bigger than the Premium plan, Fluxguard offers a customizable Enterprise plan.

Fluxguard: Features

The most unique feature of Fluxguard is the AI translation tool. Even on the free plan, you can translate websites in other languages to English and track them.

Other than that, it has a full-fledged suite of phenomenal AI tools. There’s an AI tool to translate websites in another language to English, for instance, and another to summarize all your change reports so that you don't have to read through the entire report.

There’s also a tool that creates custom AI prompts that will help you identify key changes and filter out unnecessary updates. For instance, if you’re looking for a job as a typist, you can tell the AI prompt to look for this specific word in its searches. If a match is found, the result will be marked with a yellow flag.

(Image credit: Fluxguard)

We also loved Fluxguard's Proxy Network feature that lets you crawl the same website from different regions. Sometimes, websites have different content for different locations, and you may not be able to track geo-specific content from your home network. With the Proxy Network feature, however, you can monitor each one of these versions.

Thanks to its Form Submission Tracking feature, you can also monitor changes in gated content or sites that are locked behind a login page. This means that websites that are not public will also be available for you to track.

Next up is the Alternative PDF monitoring feature that lets you crawl large PDF files (more than 4MB in size) that live on the web. This is something that isn’t possible with many website monitors. It can come in handy when you’re dealing with lengthy research papers or regulatory documents.

Last but not least, you get to choose which parts of a page you want to monitor and which you want to skip. Monitored content could include texts, media files, and code.

Fluxguard: Interface and in use

Fluxguard’s interface is quite basic, which is also why it's fairly easy to use. You’ll only have to enter the URL of the site you wish to track on the dashboard. The tool will then immediately start crawling the page.

(Image credit: Fluxguard)

At the center of the page, you will find all the details about the last version, the last check, and the monitoring status, i.e., whether it's currently being monitored or not.

On the right side, you will get a snapshot of the current version, and above that, you'll have an option to adjust the crawling frequency. Below all of this will be a list of related pages in case you wish to monitor them too.

Overall, we found the tool easy to use – everything you need is on one page. However, one downside is that Fluxguard doesn’t offer browser extensions like some of its peers. So, you’ll have to keep returning to the dashboard every time you want to add a new website to track.

Fluxguard: Support

Fluxguard has a massive database of help resources. First, there’s an in-depth FAQ section answering almost every question you might have. There’s also a separate tutorial page helping new users set up and a separate video library with video solutions to common user queries. You can even join webinars if you want a live demonstration on how to use the platform.

Overall, we found a lot of resources that will help you set up and use Fluxguard without much fuss. If you still have any issues, you can reach out to the sales team through a contact form. There's also a live chat option, but it isn't 24/7. Still pretty useful, though.

Fluxguard: The competition

Unlike Fluxguard, Wachete can even track offline text documents in PDF, DOC, and DOCX files. Wachete also lets you connect it with 7,000+ apps through Zapier, ensuring smooth workflows. Plus, it is more affordable than Fluxguard, starting at just $5.40/month.

While Fluxguard’s highest-paid plan lets you monitor only 100 websites, Wachete’s highest-paid plan lets you monitor 3,000 pages.

The other alternative is Distill.io, which lets you build macros to monitor complex websites where content is only visible after a certain user action. Plus, you can customize alerts and notifications on Distill through predefined conditions.

This way, you only get alerts relevant to your needs. It's also more affordable than Fluxguard – paid plans start at $12/month and allow 30,000 monthly checks.

Fluxguard: Final verdict

Overall, Fluxguard is a great pick, especially because of its AI-driven approach. Firstly, there’s an AI translation tool that can translate websites to English. Then there's the AI summarization tool to summarize change reports, an AI custom prompt tool to identify key changes, and an AI filtering tool to eliminate irrelevant changes.

There’s also a network of proxy servers to help you track websites from different geographical regions. The interface is pretty simple and easy to use, too, and even non-techies can use it straight out of the box.

Fluxguard comes with a free plan that lets you monitor three websites. That said, it's admittedly a bit on the expensive side. So, if you’re on a budget, maybe consider alternatives like Visualping or Wachete.

FAQs What is a website monitoring tool?

A website monitoring tool keeps an eye on your target websites or pages and notifies you if there are any changes to them. The change could be regarding the content, code, or any other page element. A lot of these platforms, such as Fluxguard itself, allow you to either monitor the entire page or select parts of the page to monitor.

Who is Fluxguard best for?

Fluxguard is ideal for medium to large businesses. It has a bunch of AI tools to automate mundane tasks, such as translation and report summarization, so that you can focus on things that actually matter. Also, businesses often need to track websites outside their own region. In that case, you can use Fluxguard’s proxy network to track such addresses.

We list the best website builder service.

Categories: Reviews

Embracing the ‘Emotional Hype Cycle’ allows enterprises to adopt Gen AI responsibly

TechRadar News - Fri, 05/02/2025 - 01:47

The adoption of technology can spark all kinds of emotions – not just in terms of the tech itself but also the brands behind them. As consumers, it’s widely accepted we often allow our emotions to influence our tech purchasing decisions. But to what extent do businesses or other large organizations use an emotional response to help make similar purchasing decisions?

The reason I ask that is because there’s a suspicion that as IT professionals – whether we like it or not – we’re increasingly relying on an emotional response to influence our technology choices. And increasingly, we’re seeing this in relation to the adoption of generative AI (Gen AI) solutions.

This may seem like an odd observation to make, especially when making objective investments in technologies such as SaaS platforms or security solutions where everything should be benchmarked against KPIs, ROI and other measures.

And yet, a clear pattern of behavior is emerging that links the adoption of Gen AI with a more ‘emotional’ purchasing response. Here at Tanium, we call it the ‘Emotional Hype Cycle’, and it’s already being used to influence our IT strategy. And while it leans on Gartner’s Hype Cycle, the big difference is the emotional factor and the important part this plays.

The ‘Emotional Hype Cycle’ explained

The easiest way to explain it is to look briefly at all eight stages of the curve to see just how much of an emotional rollercoaster it can be for enterprises and employees when making decisions about technology:

Triggered: A new innovation breaks onto the scene and becomes the ‘latest thing’. It’s not just new – the tech can be challenging and disruptive, triggering a range of emotions. Generative AI isn’t just another breakthrough -- it’s a seismic shift that has the potential disrupt industries and reshape the way we think about technology itself. As a game-changing technology, it has the ability to ignite excitement and deep unease and mistrust in equal measure.

Hyped: People, businesses, sectors and governments get caught in the excitement of it all. While there may be some notable high-profile successes, there are plenty of failures along the way.

Rejection: After the excitement, it’s time for the post-hype headache as organizations face setbacks such as the technology failing to live up to expectations. As technology is rejected, some organizations will prohibit adoption. As a result, staff are left in limbo and shadow IT emerges.

Doubt: Some may view this rejection as a failure. Instead, the period – which is often shaped by caution, doubt and skepticism – allows enterprises to assess the technology with greater objectivity. It provides breathing room for organizations to consider ethical factors such as bias, as well as other issues like privacy and protection. Hesitancy is the default emotion here.

Comfort: Over time, organizations tend to develop a sense of gradual acceptance as they build their own test beds and case studies in controlled environments. To start with, access is limited, but these pilots are useful since they help to manage excitement and expectation.

Habitual: Now things start to pick up. Businesses get into the rhythm of using and applying the technology thanks to the establishment of common standards and governance. It’s at this point that we see the emergence of fair and effective user policies – along with more established working patterns – that not only set the tone but also the foundation for enterprise-wide rollouts.

Social: The technology becomes part of the social fabric of the organization, with adoption now widespread. Critically, when it comes to the technology’s strategic role, there is a connection and alignment between IT and the wider business.

Creative: This is a transformative stage for users and the enterprise as people use the technology to innovate and operate in productive new ways. Not only is this rewarding, but it’s also an early indicator of technology maturity.

What’s clear is that the Emotional Hype Cycle provides a clear roadmap to help organizations move from uncertainty to maturity as they adopt Gen AI. At its heart, it emphasizes a thoughtful, structured approach to integrating new technologies, ensuring decisions are guided by governance, ethical considerations and strategic alignment.

Practical strategies that deliver the smooth adoption of Gen AI

Crucially, it acknowledges human tendencies to react to ‘feelings’ or ‘hunches’ while offering practical strategies to help smooth the adoption of Gen AI. 

For instance, the ‘Doubt’ phase calls for a rigorous, ethical assessment of AI, addressing concerns like bias, privacy and security. This is followed by the ‘Comfort’ stage, which encourages organizations to run controlled pilots and test beds, allowing enterprises to experiment with Gen AI’s potential in a safe and manageable way.

Similarly, as organizations progress, the framework calls for the incremental development of governance and standards, something that is central to the ‘Habitual’ stage. In terms of a strategic approach, it acts as a brake on runaway excitement or hysteria while helping to establish processes and protocols for responsible use.

Wherever you look, the Emotional Hype Cycle offers a way to navigate the highs and lows of technology adoption. It empowers organizations to balance excitement with caution while embracing Gen AI in a way that is measured. Crucially, it allows businesses to embrace Gen AI as a transformative force for innovation and productivity.

We provide an extensive list of the best AI tools.

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

Categories: Technology

Paired with my usually ineffective AC, this circulator cooled down my house phenomenally quickly

TechRadar Reviews - Fri, 05/02/2025 - 01:00
Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S: two-minute review

As someone who has a house that's over 100 years old, my A/C and heater struggle to heat or cool down my rooms and it usually results in high bills at the height of summer or winter. I've tried many different ways to fix this problem – and I think I've finally found the answer in the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S.

Despite the name, the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S is more accurately described as an air circulator. While it has nine different wind speeds and can blow air long distances, it's not the best fan I've tested when used on its own. However, its ability to horizontally and vertically tilt 120-degrees makes it an outstanding tool for circulating cool or hot air from an air-conditioner or a heater around a room.

I used this air circulator in my house, running a number of tests to see how well it works, and I was beyond impressed. When paired with my air-conditioning, the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S cooled my living room faster than the air-conditioner could work. In fact, in less than 10 minutes, it cooled the living room down by five degrees – which I know because I monitored the temperature of the room in the Dreo app where I can easily control the various settings of the fan.

Beyond its air circulating powers, the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S offers more features and settings than most other fans or air circulators on the market. With five different specialty modes and ambient lighting with customizable color and brightness settings, it more than justifies its $119.99 price tag. Tack on the fact that you can schedule the fan, create custom specialty modes, and adjust the oscillation degrees, and this Dreo product feels slightly underpriced.

Read on for a fuller picture of how the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S performed during testing.

(Image credit: Future) Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S review: price & availability
  • List price: $119.99 / £129.99
  • Launched: April 2025
  • Available: US, Canada, UK

The Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S was part of an April 2025 launch of summer cooling products by Dreo. It's priced at $119.99 / £129.99 for all three color options. It can be purchased direct from Dreo, but it's also available on Amazon (although make sure you're buying the model you want here – the product codes are rather well hidden, and a lot of this brand's fans look very similar).

Considering this air circulator fan is stylish, can be controlled within an app, has ambient lighting, and vertical and horizontal oscillation, I would say the price is reflective of the features. I've seen fans with less features and cooling capabilities that cost more.

How does it compare to the competition? One of TechRadar's best-rated fans is the Shark FlexBreeze, which costs $199.99 / £199.99. That model does some things the 508S can't – it can be used cordless or taken outside, and has a misting function, for instance – and it's also more powerful as a standalone fan than the 508S.

Also highly rated is the MeacoFan 1056P, which costs $189.99 / £149.99. This is perhaps a better comparison point because, like the 508S, it can oscillate horizontally and vertically to circulate air. This starts to look poor value for money compared to the Dreo model – there's no app control with the Meaco option, and the vertical and horizontal oscillation range is smaller.

  • Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5
Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S specs Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S review: design
  • Modern pedestal fan / air circulator with vertical and horizontal oscillation
  • Outfitted with ambient lighting in different colors
  • Controllable through display buttons, a remote, app, and voice control

The Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S arrived in a few pieces that were easy to put together, even without the instructions provided. It took all but a few minutes to assemble the fan.

While I tested a white colored Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S, it comes in two other colors, silver and gold. The fan sits on a pole that goes into a round base. The pole itself is adjustable, and according to Dreo, it can be adjusted 0-5 inches. Oddly, I measured the full extension with a measuring tape, and found the pole extends up to nine inches for a maximum fan height of 40 inches.

On the pole, there is a digital screen that displays the different settings and fan speeds, indicated by the numbers 1-9. Below the display are a variety of touch buttons – power, fan speed/timer, ambient light, ambient light color, vertical oscillation, and horizontal oscillation/child lock button.

(Image credit: Future)

The fan itself has what Dreo calls 3D oscillation, which basically means that the fan head tilts 120 degrees vertically and 120 degrees horizontally. This is why the fan head feels a little loose around the area where it connects to the pole – to allow for movement.

In addition to the touch buttons, a remote control is provided, as well as a holder for it that clips onto the pole. The remote has the exact same buttons as is found on the fan itself.

(Image credit: Future)

The Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S also connects to the Dreo app, meaning you can control the fan within the easy-to-navigate app. It has also the same buttons found on the fan and the remote, as well as a few others. For instance, in the app, you can adjust the vertical and horizontal oscillation degrees to anything between 0 and 120 degrees. You can also turn off the panel sound in the app and see the temperature of the room. In fact, the ambient temperature from the last 24 hours and past 30 days are recorded.

This fan is outfitted with five different specialty modes. While you can set the Turbo mode with the remote or the display buttons, you must use the app to set the fan on Normal, Auto, Sleep, or Natural mode. You can also create a custom mode that lets you set an ambient temperature goal and oscillation degrees. Users also have the ability to schedule the fan to turn on and run for a certain amount of time.

(Image credit: Future)

Equally as interesting is the amount of control you have with the ambient lighting. Not only can you adjust the brightness level of the light, but there is a gradient that lets you choose up to 1500+ colors, so you're not limited to just a set number of colors. You can even adjust how the light presents itself on the fan. There's the Constant setting – which means the light will remain constant. The Breath setting results in a breath-like pulse of light that can be set on low, mid, or high speeds. With the Circle setting, the ambient light changes cyclically in a set sequence at a low, mid, or high speed.

This is perhaps one of the quietest fans I've ever tested. I barely hear it, even when it's on Turbo mode. For reference, when placed on fan speed 1, it has a 40dB rating, while on Turbo mode, the sound rating is 67 dB.

  • Design score: 4.5 out of 5
Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S review: performance
  • Extremely effective as an air circulator used with air-con or a heater
  • Good airflow power, but there are more effective standalone fans
  • Tons of convenient control options, but voice assistant support unreliable

As mentioned above, my air-conditioning unit and heater struggle to cool and heat my house. I've had many technicians tell me that I could benefit from a second unit and more vents. I make do with what I have, but unfortunately, my house has little insulation, and the cool or hot air tends to seep out the ceiling, the windows, or the walls, and my units run longer and ultimately cost me more.

I think I've found a solution in the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S and I couldn't be more ecstatic. Before I explain how phenomenally this air circulation fan worked, I'm going to break down my use of a variety of other features it offers.

(Image credit: Future)

I typically alternated between using the remote and the app to manage the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S, as it really didn't make sense for me to walk over to the fan and use the touchscreen buttons. I was able to use the remote 30 feet away as long as the remote was in the sight line of the fan. Maybe it would work at farther distances, but this is as far as I could go based on the design of my house.

Most of the time I used the app, since you can't access all the settings with just the remote or display buttons. The Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S can be voice controlled with Google Assistant and Alexa too. I tested this out by connecting to Google Assistant on my phone. It only took a few minutes to do within the app, though it was a little confusing, so if you're not tech savvy, you might need to rope in a tech-forward friend to help you out.

With voice commands, I was able to turn the air circulator or the oscillation on and off, increase or decrease the fan speeds, change specialty modes, and check the temperature of the room. While I was able to turn the ambient lighting on and off, Google Assistant couldn't change the color of the ambient lighting for me. There was also a point where I asked it to increase the fan speed to 5 and it increased the fan speed to 4. Clearly, there are some limitations to Google Assistant and Alexa. At least, Dreo provides voice command examples in the app, so you know exactly how to change the settings.

(Image credit: Future)

I didn't use the ambient lighting feature often, except at night when I placed the fan in my bedroom. I'd turn on the ambient lighting, sometimes switching to colored lights for the fun of it. It doesn't light up a room, but it kind of works like a soft night light. While this is not a necessary feature for me personally, I think it definitely adds value to the product.

Now to the most important feedback – is the air circulator actually effective? The answer is yes. Before testing the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S, I hadn't turned my A/C on yet as it wasn't quite hot enough outside to warrant it. That said, my home had grown pretty warm. In fact, it had reached 82F (28C) inside my living room. I know this because the fan can read the temperature in the room it's located, and you can see that temperature reading within the app.

I decided to turn on my A/C and set it to 72F (22C). I wanted to see how long it would take the air circulator fan to cool down my living room that much. I turned on the fan and set the vertical and horizontal oscillation degrees to 120 degrees and the fan speed to 9.

The A/C and the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S had only been running for one minute when the temperature in my living room dropped one degree. I felt the room cool almost immediately.

This is even more impressive when you consider the layout of my house. The dining room and the study are connected to the living room, and there are large walkways (like six feet of space) between them. The air circulator was placed in a corner of the living room. Because I didn't shut off the living room from the dining room or the study, the air circulator was probably working double time, and still the temperature dropped quickly in the living room.

Within seven minutes, the temperature had dropped by four degrees to 78F (26C). At the 15-minute mark, I decided to turn the fan on Turbo mode. After thirty minutes, the living room temperature had dropped to 74F (23C). It took 45 minutes for the living room to cool to 72F (22C), although when I checked my house's thermometer, it said that the house had only cooled to 76F (24C) in that time.

I was thoroughly happy with these results, and I could imagine all the benefits of using the air circulator in the future. In the winter, I'll put it in my bedroom before I go to sleep and use it to circulate hot air from the heater and effectively warm up the room quickly so that it's nice and cozy before I get under the bed covers. This summer, I'm definitely going to use it to circulate the A/C's cool air in the kitchen, so I don't overheat when I'm cooking dinner.

(Image credit: Future)

I can't say this for sure, but I think the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S could save me some money. For instance, rather than lowering the A/C, which will be expensive, I'm planning to set the A/C in the high 70s. That will still give me enough cool air for the air circulator to circulate the cool air in whatever room I'm sitting in and make that room cooler for me. I don't really care if the rest of the house is cool, only if the room I'm in is cool. Money saving idea? I think so!

If you don't have an air conditioner, the TurboPoly 508S can still be used a standalone fan. When it's set on the Turbo speed level, I can feel the airflow 29 feet away, and 12 feet away when it's set on speed level 1. However, I've recently tested three other fans (the Shark HydroGo desktop fan, and the Dreo Smart Tower Fan 519S and Shark TurboBlade tower fans), and I found their airflows much more effective at cooling.

I'll say this – there are times of the year when I don't have my air-conditioning or heater on but I'd still like a fan to cool me down. The Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S will work just fine until I turn on the A/C or heater. But I wouldn't necessarily buy it with the plan to only use it as a fan. It's best designed to circulate air in a room, and I think I've explained above why I love this product for having that capability – and in fact, it assists in keeping me overall cooler or warmer than any fan actually does.

For the most part, I used the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S on Normal or Turbo mode. Sometimes I adjusted the oscillation so that the fan would direct airflow right on me, but as I said, most of the time, I used it as an air circulator.

(Image credit: Future)

I'm a big fan of the Natural mode, because it simulates the feel of a breeze. This is nice when I'm not super-hot but I just want some light air movement across my skin. The Sleep mode also worked fantastically. Like other Dreo fans, when in Sleep mode, the fan speed decreases once every 30 minutes, stopping after the second decrease. For instance, if I set the fan speed at 7 while on Sleep mode, the speed would reduce to 6 after 30 minutes and then 5 after another 30 minutes. It would remain on 5 the rest of the night.

The Auto mode is a smart feature that is super helpful. When set, Auto mode will increase the fan speed until the room temperature lowers. Once the room reaches a comfortable level (which is noted in the app), the fan speed decreases, maintaining that comfortable temperature. I used this feature sometimes, because it was nice not having to monitor the temperature reading within the app.

I didn't schedule the air circulator often, except when using the Sleep mode at night. Usually, I'd schedule the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S to turn on about 30 minutes before I went to sleep so that the air in the room could circulate and cool down before I went to bed.

A cool addition is the option to create your own custom mode, which essentially lets you choose temperature blocks and oscillation degrees. I like that I had the option to customize a mode, but I didn't really find much use for it, at least not at this time. Perhaps in the future, when I've used the fan for longer, I'll see how a specific custom mode might benefit me.

  • Performance score:4 out of 5
Should you buy the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S? Buy it if...

You want a to boost your air-con

The Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S is an air circulator fan, which means it's designed to circulate hot or cold air around a room, heating or cooling down a space faster than an A/C unit or heater could do on its own. This is all thanks to the vertical and horizontal oscillation capabilities of the fan. As an air circulator, the 508S is phenomenal.

You want a fan with smart features

Although it comes with buttons and a remote control, this Dreo fan is most conveniently controlled within the Dreo app. The app has so many customizable settings, from the color of the lighting to a scheduler and custom mode creation. Not only that, but it has some smart features like voice command with Alexa and Google Assistant and an Auto mode that increases or decreases the fan speed based on the temperature of the room.

You love cool lighting features

The Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S doubles as a nightlight thanks to ambient light color settings. Not only does it have a white light that you can turn on at night, but in the app you can choose from over 1,500 colors within a color graph.

Don't buy it if...

You want a powerful standalone fan

I've tested a number of fans, and if it's a standalone fan you're after, there are more effective options than the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S. While it does have high fan speeds and a Turbo mode, it isn't the most powerful fan or the best on the market to keep you cool without combining it with an A/C.

You want a fan with 180-degree horizontal oscillation

This fan can oscillate vertically and horizontally 120 degrees, which is impressive. However, there are fans that oscillate 180 degrees horizontally, if you're worried the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S's oscillation won't be enough.

You're on a tight budget

There are some air circulator fans on the market that cost less than $100/£100. While they lack many of the features of this Dreo fan – like a wide range of speeds, specialty modes, app connectivity, smart features, and lighting – they still do a decent job at circulating air in a room, if you're happy to keep things simple.

How I tested the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S

Testing of the Dreo TurboPoly Fan 508S occurred in April 2025 in my house in North Texas. I used every specialty mode, the different fan speeds, and tested how far away I could feel the airflow. Not only did I test the fan in different areas of my house, but I used it in conjunction with my air-conditioning unit to see its effectiveness in circulating cool air around a room and how that impacted the room's temperature.

Read more about how we test

  • First reviewed April 2025
Categories: Reviews

India will include caste details in its next census

NPR News Headlines - Fri, 05/02/2025 - 00:00

The count is likely lead to demands to raise the country's quotas that reserve government jobs, college admissions and elected offices for lower and intermediate castes.

(Image credit: Anupam Nath)

Categories: News

China mulls U.S. overtures on trade talks, but demands tariffs be canceled

NPR News Headlines - Thu, 05/01/2025 - 23:36

Exporters, importers and recent government statistics all suggest that trade in both directions is slowing sharply as a result of the tariffs. Neither side appears willing to be seen giving ground.

(Image credit: Ng Han Guan)

Categories: News

Today's NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, May 2

CNET News - Thu, 05/01/2025 - 22:19
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 2.
Categories: Technology

Premier League Soccer: Stream Man City vs. Wolves Live From Anywhere

CNET News - Thu, 05/01/2025 - 19:00
Pep Guardiola's men continue their bid for a top-five finish as they take on the in-form Old Gold.
Categories: Technology

Why I Still Use a TP-Link Router

CNET News - Thu, 05/01/2025 - 18:05
The company is under investigation by three US departments, but I'm not ready to replace my TP-Link router yet.
Categories: Technology

Health care for transgender children questioned in 400-page Trump administration report

NPR News Headlines - Thu, 05/01/2025 - 17:56

President Trump called for the report in an executive order, titled "Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation."

(Image credit: Evan Vucci)

Categories: News

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 rumored specs: predictions for every key spec

TechRadar News - Thu, 05/01/2025 - 17:30

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 might not be a comprehensive upgrade on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 from what we’ve heard so far, with various aspects possibly staying the same. But there are some parts of the phone that likely will be substantially improved.

While nothing is certain yet, we can look at claimed leaks and rumors to get a good idea of what specs we might see.

So that’s exactly what we’ve done below, and where there aren’t any tips we’ve used educated guesses to fill in some of the gaps.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 predicted specs

If you’re familiar with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6’s specs then you’ll note that the predicted specs in the chart above are a mix of old and new. But let’s start with some of the areas where the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 will reportedly be an improvement on its predecessor.

One of the main upgrades could be the screen sizes, with multiple sources suggesting the Galaxy Z Flip 7 could have a roughly 4-inch cover screen, which is up from 3.4 inches on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6. So that would make the cover screen significantly larger this year.

One of those sources also points to a slightly larger 6.85-inch foldable screen – up from 6.7 inches on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7. So, in both cases you should have more space to interact with the phone, though this should have the greatest impact on the cover display, which is quite cramped on the Z Flip 6.

So far there’s no word on the resolution, but presumably the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 will either match or better the Z Flip 6 here, meaning a foldable screen of at least 1080 x 2640, and a cover screen of at least 720 x 748.

We also fully expect the foldable display will have a 120Hz refresh rate, since the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s does, while the cover screen will probably be 60Hz.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Another upgrade we’ll almost certainly see is the chipset, with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 rumored to use either a Snapdragon 8 Elite or an Exynos 2500.

So far there’s no agreement on which – and it could be that some regions will get one and some the other, but while the Snapdragon 8 Elite will likely outperform the Exynos 2500, either of these would be an improvement on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the current model.

RAM and storage however may not be improved, with the one leak on that front pointing to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 having 12GB of RAM and a choice of 256GB or 512GB of storage, just like the Z Flip 6. However, its performance may get a boost from a larger vapor cooling chamber.

One of the more disappointing things we’re hearing is that there might be no upgrades at all to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7’s cameras, with leaks pointing to the same 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, and 10MP front facing cameras as last year.

Finally, there’s the battery, and multiple sources point to this being 4,300mAh, which would be a noticeable upgrade on the 4,000mAh of its predecessor. That’s great news, as 4,000mAh really isn’t much for a phone of this size.

What we don’t know is how fast it might charge, but the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 supports 25W wired charging and 15W wireless, so expect at least that much.

You might also like
Categories: Technology

Stadium Is a Hit: Here's What's Next for Overwatch's Wild New Mode

CNET News - Thu, 05/01/2025 - 17:00
Players have spent several million hours in the game mode already, and new heroes and maps are already lined up.
Categories: Technology

Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for May 2, #221

CNET News - Thu, 05/01/2025 - 16:28
Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 221, for May 2.
Categories: Technology

Google Voice Gains Three-Way Calling Feature and On-Call UI Tweaks

CNET News - Thu, 05/01/2025 - 16:11
Google Voice is getting a new feature that will make heavy users happy and some simple UI tweaks to make navigation easier while on a call.
Categories: Technology

To celebrate May the 4th, ask Alexa these Star Wars questions

CNET News - Thu, 05/01/2025 - 16:04
Hrrmmm. Your Amazon virtual assistant, talk like Baby Yoda you can make. Yes, hrrmmm.
Categories: Technology

Best Identity Theft Protection and Monitoring Services for May 2025

CNET News - Thu, 05/01/2025 - 16:03
Hackers are getting smarter about stealing your money and data. A comprehensive ID theft protection service can help monitor your information online.
Categories: Technology

Pages

Subscribe to The Vortex aggregator