Feed aggregator

The next book in the Fourth Wing series is an anthology, not a continuation of Violet's story.

Two brands win readers over, but for different reasons.

Don't expect miracles from this trick, but it could help you extend your phone's battery life just a little bit more.

Hong Kong was once known for its freedom of publication, but political changes have created a challenging environment for independent bookstores.

(Image credit: Kanis Leung)

I'm quite happy with my current Sonos speaker. Still, I've just seen that the manufacturer has once again launched its double upgrade credit campaign, meaning it could be a good time for some new tech, as you can save 30% on your next speaker or soundbar when you buy direct from the manufacturer.

• Claim your 30% Sonos discount

The whole process is very straightforward. Start by logging in to the upgrade page and checking that you own a product that's eligible for the program. If you do, you should see a button to activate your upgrade credit. After that, simply add the new product you want to buy to your basket, and then activate the discount at the checkout.

There's a good selection of products in the promotion, including the excellent Sonos Arc soundbar for $629 / £629, which we awarded four and a half stars out of five in our Sonos Arc review. Or there's the latest Sonos Roam 2 for $125 / £125 that we said was even better than the original version in our Sonos Roam 2 review.

Just a heads up that time is running out on the double credit promotion, as it's scheduled to end on July 17. After that, it reverts to the original 15% off.

Save 30% on Sonos speakers and soundbars

Sonos: 30% off when you upgrade at Sonos
If you already own an eligible Sonos speaker or soundbar, you can activate a discount in your account that lets you save 30% on a brand-new product. Options include the majority of top Sonos speakers, soundbars and subwoofers, such as the Arc, Beam, Five, Move, and Roam. This offer is only available until July 17, when the discount will drop to 15%.View Deal

Is the Sonos upgrade program worth it?

(Image credit: Sonos)

The Sonos upgrade program is a no-brainer if you've got an eye on a new speaker or soundbar from the manufacturer.

The list of qualifying products nearly covers the entire catalogue, so chances are that, if you bought one in the last decade, you will have the discount available. Just make sure the product is registered in your account and then head to the upgrade program page to claim your discount.

You will also see that there's an option to print a shipping label to send your current item back. However, you don't actually need to do a trade-in to get the discount. That's only if you want to send it back so it's recycled or if you no longer need it.

Me? I would just hold onto any existing items, as they will continue working as normal, so you can use them in another room or give them away to someone else who will make use of them if you want.

Whether you're an office worker or a student, I always find now is a great time to pick up a laptop for work and study that's actually worth the money.

MacBooks might be expensive, Chromebooks can be underpowered, but there are plenty of big-brand Windows 11 machines under $600 right now that can handle productivity tasks, schoolwork, creative projects, and everyday use without issue, and will stay useful well beyond the next school year.

These are the three deals that stood out to me right now.

Today's best laptop deals

Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X processor, this Copilot+ PC combines 16GB of memory, a 512GB SSD, a 14-inch touchscreen, Wi-Fi 6E, and up to 32.25 hours of battery life for students and everyday productivity.View Deal

My top pick overall here is HP's OmniBook 3, which is currently $599.99 (was $949.99) at Best Buy. It runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon X processor with up to 32.25 hours of battery life, making it an excellent choice for office professionals and students planning to spend many hours away from a power outlet.

It comes with 16GB of memory alongside a 512GB SSD, making it far better equipped for multitasking and running Microsoft's growing collection of AI features. The laptop also features a 14-inch 1920 x 1200 touchscreen, Wi-Fi 6E, and HDMI 2.1 for hooking up an external monitor.

Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X processor, this Copilot+ PC pairs 16GB of memory with a 512GB SSD, a 14-inch WUXGA display, USB4, Wi-Fi 6E, and up to 29 hours of battery life.View Deal

Another great choice is Asus' Vivobook 14. Also on sale at Best Buy, the model is priced at an even more affordable $548.

It combines the same Snapdragon X processor as the OmniBook 3 with 16GB of memory, a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and a 14-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS display.

Although it skips the touchscreen, it does keep the Copilot+ PC AI features, 45 TOPS NPU, WiFi 6E, HDMI 2.1, USB4, and impressive 29-hour battery life.

At 3.28lb, it's also the lightest laptop here, making it a great fit for students carrying it between classes. If you don't need touch support, I'd say this is the best all-round buy of the three.

Powered by Intel's Core i7-1355U processor, this laptop combines a 15.6-inch 120Hz Full HD display, 512GB SSD, WiFi 6, and plenty of ports, making it a dependable choice for schoolwork and everyday computing. It only has 8GB of RAM though.View Deal

Finally, there's the Dell 15 Laptop for $550 (was $750) at Dell. Powered by a 13th Generation Intel Core i7-1355U processor, it comes with a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD, and 15.6-inch Full HD 120Hz IPS display which will make it useful for recording notes, writing essays, multitasking, and so on.

The laptop includes Wi-Fi 6, USB-A, USB-C and HDMI ports, as well as an SD card reader, and a headphone jack. My biggest reservation is that it only comes with 8GB of DDR5 memory, which really isn't enough in 2026. You can upgrade the laptop to 16GB of RAM if you want, but that will cause the price to skyrocket to $949.99.

For more top choices, we've also tested the best student laptops, best business laptops and the best laptops for engineering students.

• The UK government confirmed it will not limit VPNs
• Data reveals only 7-10% of teenagers use a VPN to bypass age checks
• Social media curfews, autoplay restrictions were also announced

The UK government has officially scrapped the idea of restricting virtual private networks (VPNs) to enforce its impending social media bans, delivering a massive victory for digital privacy advocates.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast today, the government confirmed a major U-turn on the subject, with Online Safety Minister Kanishka Narayan stating: "We decided not to limit VPNs."

This was further cemented in a written parliamentary statement by Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, who clarified that the government will not age-gate or ban the best VPN software because "VPNs have legitimate privacy and security uses."

The announcement ends fears that sweeping age verification laws could inadvertently break online privacy for millions of adults.

Cybersecurity experts and privacy groups previously warned that restricting these tools would be a disaster waiting to happen, prompting an open letter from the industry urging lawmakers to leave everyday privacy tools alone.

Privacy wins, but platforms face new rules

'We have decided not to limit VPNs'Online Saftey minister Kanishka Narayan told #BBCBreakfast the Government has decided not to restrict access to Virtual Private Networks (VPN) as part of a social media ban for under 16s, despite initially suggesting it would take action… pic.twitter.com/pP94b81aeRJuly 15, 2026

While VPNs are safe from a blanket government ban, the social media ban loophole hasn't been completely ignored.

Kendall confirmed the onus will now fall on social media platforms "to take robust steps to detect and prevent attempts by underage users to circumvent age assurance measures."

To achieve this, the government has tasked Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to report by October on how platforms can better detect and prevent VPN use for age-check circumvention. The government also plans to engage directly with VPN providers regarding voluntary actions.

This shift in responsibility aligns with newly released government research.

A Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) report revealed that while 26% of 11- to 17-year-olds use a VPN, findings show they do so primarily for privacy.

Only 7-10% use them to bypass age checks, whereas 45% simply enter a false date of birth.

Midnight curfews and AI limits

While everyday privacy tools have been spared, the government is pressing forward with strict new rules to combat digital addiction — that online commentators already deemed "ineffective and useless" — with the first regulations coming into effect in early 2027.

Following the upcoming blanket ban on social media for under-16s, new measures will ensure 16- and 17-year-olds don't face a sudden "cliff edge" of addictive features. Government consultation revealed that nearly one in three children actively want help managing their screen time.

Under the new rules, older teens will face default social media curfews from midnight to 6 am. Additionally, persuasive features like autoplaying videos and personalized infinite feeds will be switched off by default to make logging off easier.

"This is about giving these older children more choice and control over the feeds and reducing that sense that they can never switch off being online," Kendall stated.

The protections also extend to artificial intelligence.

The government will require mandatory breaks for under-18s using AI chatbots to prevent emotional dependency. Furthermore, lawmakers are working with health regulators, including the MHRA and DHSC, to consider banning therapy chatbots entirely if they provide dangerous or unverified mental health advice to minors.

In a survey, 93% of cancer researchers who study disparities said federal policy changes have affected them. Funding is harder to come by and they worry it's slowing progress in their field.

(Image credit: Andrew Brookes/Image Source)

• ArcticWolf uncovered 292 malicious GitHub repositories spoofing legitimate tools and products, delivering a new BoryptGrab infostealer variant
• Malware steals from 19 browsers, 32 crypto wallets, messaging apps, Steam, and Windows Credential Manager, and uniquely bypasses Chrome’s App‑Bound Encryption via code injection
• Most repos have been removed, but some remain active; GitHub’s popularity makes it a prime target, underscoring the need to vet code before use

Russian actors have reportedly created hundreds of malicious GitHub repositories masquerading as legitimate software but acting as a dangerous infostealer.

Cybersecurity researchers ArcticWolf discovered the campaign after finding their own products spoofed as part of the attack.

In total, the researchers found 292 fake repositories, spoofing things like security products, developer tools, macOS utilities, games, and more. Each repository contained a README file with the download URL.

Obviously malicious

Victims who download the program get a variant of the BoryptGrab infostealer family that grabs data from 19 browsers (passwords, cookies, payment information), 32 cryptocurrency wallets, Telegram, Discord, and Steam sessions, credentials for Meta’s Max, data from Windows Credential Manager, and more. It can also exfiltrate files from Desktop and Documents, and grab screenshots.

While most of the features can be found in other BoryptGrab variants, this one is unique in a sense that it can bypass Chrome’s App-Bound Encryption through direct code injection into the browser process.

While it hasn’t been specifically said that the threat actors are Russian, the compressed data is later sent to a Russia-based command-and-control (C2) infrastructure.

What’s also worth mentioning is that the malware is not designed to last. It has no anti-analysis layer, and doesn’t even try to hide itself in any specific manner. It does not establish persistence and simply tries to grab as much sensitive data as it can on the first attempt.

The attack, which seems to have started in the final days of June, is almost thwarted now, since most of the malicious repositories have been removed from GitHub. Citing “researchers”, BleepingComputer reported that several dozen still remain active, though.

Because of its importance and popularity in the open-source community, GitHub is currently one of the most targeted platforms on the internet, which is why it’s important to double-check and vet every piece of code before it’s applied to a project.

The same phenomenon that causes the beautiful aurora borealis may also cause way more havoc than previously thought.

Denshattack! is undoubtedly one of 2026's best indie games, providing endless amounts of fun. It takes clear inspiration from several fast-paced platformer classics, from its splashy and colorful art style, bombastic and intense OST, to its high-speed and intense levels.

Instead of the conventional control of a character, developer Undercoders has you taking control of a train. You focus on style mixing skills and speed across multiple theme park-like levels, and aim for the highest scores possible throughout to beat rival gangs, and fight to wreck a 'shady megacorp', known as Miraidō, in a 'Japanese dystopia'.

Frankly, the story wasn't my focus going in, but rather how the developers could keep the experience feeling exciting as you progress — and fortunately, it managed to do just that with each stage feeling like it was ripped straight out of an action-packed comic book.

This is a game that I can certainly see others coming back to over and over again for challenges to obtain higher scores, and most importantly, enjoy the intense atmosphere each level provides.

Denshattack! borrows from three huge platformer classics

(Image credit: Undercoders / Fireshine Games)

From the off, the inspiration behind Denshattack! was clear as day. The incredibly fast-paced and intense train adventure sequences reminded me very much of my experiences with Sonic games, notably Sonic Unleashed and its first Windmill Isle level.

In Denshattack!, you'll be overwhelmed with how many combinations you may have to remember at such high speeds, and you'll need fast hand-eye coordination to pull off tricks and dodge obstacles. You'll have several objectives to hit in each level, some being main objectives, but others standing as optional, with the latter contributing to the final score.

One example is what I call the brake-to-boost mechanic; Denshattack! allows players to break at any given moment during a level, but will give you a heads-up when turning a corner on a track for a drift. If you hold down the left trigger and let go at the right time (when the meter is centered in the middle and fully green), you'll get a big boost to speed, which is often one of the optional objectives in levels.

The intensity of Denshattack!'s gameplay is incredibly high; avoiding crashes into walls, jumping to change railway tracks, and even timing perfect landings to increase your score add to the game's difficulty. It even encourages you to avoid obstacles at the very last second, with one aspect of each level's final score labelled 'dares', effectively testing your daredevil skills.

Many of these mechanics play a significant role in boss battles, which require faster reaction speeds. That might sound straightforward, as most boss battles in games are more difficult and require better timing, but with how rapid Denshattack!'s gameplay flow is, leaving you very little time to settle, it's absolutely worth noting.

Sometimes, it can even feel like the game is moving just a tad bit too fast when you're attempting to keep track of objectives — arguably an issue with modern-day Sonic games too — but getting the hang of controls and timing doesn't take very long, and once you do, there's plenty of fun to be had.

Main character, Emi, with a background of rivals (Image credit: Undercoders / Fireshine Games)

Jet Set Radio is another Sega classic, and a simialrly big inspiration. The art style in Denshattack! is very similar, with its cartoonish and colorful nature, even down to the very font across the game's UI in-game and within menus.

The soundtrack is phenomenal, and also much like Jet Set Radio's, which shouldn't come as a huge surprise, since some of Jet Set Radio's composers, like Richard Jacques, have collaborated on Denshattack!'s funky, disco-like, bass-centric, and synthwave-infused OST.

Those inspirations are combined to make an intense adventure come to life, but what gives Denshattack! its own identity is the vast amount of unique maneuvers, tricks, and even attacks (during boss battles), giving players a push for higher scores.

Many of the tricks reminded me of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, like grinding across rails at high speeds and air spins, but not on a skateboard. Instead, you're quite literally using a train to provide a great spectacle, in what I originally thought was an odd move, but perfectly highlights the chaotic nature of riding in Denshattack!.

There's also a fair amount of customization available for the train car itself, and plenty of levels and collectable items to look out for throughout the game's runtime — and seeing a significant portion of what you can do in Denshattack!, I have no doubts this will be a 2026 sleeper hit.

• Lomography has released a new version of its ‘Simple Use’ disposable-style film camera
• It’s half-frame, meaning it exposes half a frame of 35mm film at a time to effectively double the shot count
• It comes pre-loaded with a roll of film, in a choice of color or black & white

Many people are put off trying out film photography because they perceive it to be too complicated. Lomography tries to take some of that mystique out with its disposable-style ‘Simple Use’ cameras — and today, the analog specialists have announced the new Half-frame Simple Use Reloadable Film Camera, which doubles your shot count from a standard roll of 35mm film.

The name ‘half-frame’ refers to the fact that the camera only exposes half a frame of 35mm film at a time, cutting the standard horizontal 36mm x 24mm frame into two shots with rough dimensions of 18 x 24mm. This means that while your shots are smaller, you get a heck of lot more of them — a standard 36-shot roll of film could produce around 72 discrete images when run through the Half-frame Simple Use Reloadable Film Camera.

Half-frame cameras aren’t new. In fact, they’ve been around since the 1960s, with Japanese manufacturers first offering them as a cost-saving alternative to standard 35mm film cameras. We’ve also seen more recent entries in the genre, such as the Kodak Ektar H35N. They tend to be small, cheap and straightforward.

Unlike a standard disposable, once the first roll is done, you can reload as you please. (Image credit: Lomography)

However, the Lomography Half-frame Simple Use Reloadable Film Camera sets itself apart by taking all steps possible to be incredibly, mind-bogglingly easy to use. This is the definition of an idiot-proof camera, one that basically anyone could pick up and use, and for this reason it might just be the ideal gateway drug for anyone who’s been tempted to try film photography.

It's so beginner-friendly it literally has instructions printed on it. (Image credit: Lomography)Couldn’t be simpler

The Simple Use cameras are often described as ‘disposable-style’. This means they operate just like the kinds of disposable cameras that everybody used to bring on trips and then drop off to get developed. There’s no means of setting shutter speed or aperture — both are fixed — and the lens is completely fixed focus. The only control other than the shutter release is the flash, which is activated via the unmistakable lightning-bolt button on the front.

The Half-frame Simple Use camera also comes pre-loaded, meaning it’s completely ready to go out of the box. You have a choice of two options — getting one pre-loaded with LomoChrome Classicolor, or with Lomography Lady Grey monochrome film. Both of these stocks have an ISO rating of 400, meaning they’re good all-rounders for most lighting situations. They do only come in rolls of 20 however, which is quite small for a roll of 35mm. But remember, on half-frame, that works out to about 40 shots.

Half-frame images can be separated or left as diptychs if they feel complementary.LomographyColored gels can be placed over the flash for special effectsLomographyThe lens is a fairly wide 21mm.Lomography

Once you’ve rattled through your shots, you can rewind using the dial on top to extract your film. In another quite sweet bit of idiot-proofing, the camera body is covered in stickers and labels to remind you to rewind before opening the rear door — indeed, you have to physically remove two of these stickers before opening the door is even possible.

Cheap cameras like this will likely find use for quick grab-shots. (Image credit: Lomography)

With a plastic lens and fixed settings, this isn’t a camera that’s going to create images of stunning quality — even before you factor in that your shots will be half the size of normal 35mm frames. However, I think its simplicity means it could be a fantastic choice for anyone who has always wanted to shoot film but has found the process intimidating. And with a low asking price of $29.90 / £21.90 for the B&W version, or $34.90 / £24.90 for the color, you don’t have a lot to lose by giving it a try.

You might also like

• Why is a Kodak point-and-shoot with worse picture quality than your phone the best-selling camera year after year?
• Godox's $29 camera also works as a light meter — as a film photographer, I'm buying
• Polaroid vs Instax: I’m an instant camera addict and I’m team Polaroid all the way — here’s why

As Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey arrives in theaters worldwide on July 17, the demand for screenings in IMAX 70mm has never been higher.

According to Variety, demand is so high that "fans are taking cross-country trips, buying tickets in bulk and more to see the film, with one fan even delaying her pregnancy."

The new movie is the first feature film ever shot entirely on 1570 IMAX cameras, and you only have to look at the TikTok below to see how much of each shot standard cinemagoers will be missing out on.

@sethsfilmreviews

♬ original sound - Dush

Globally, there are only 30-40 theaters that can play Nolan's original 70mm film, with around 26 in the US and just three in the UK.

We know what cultural and economic impact The Odyssey is set to have in the industry this summer, with estimates predicting that the movie will gross $200 million at the international box office in its opening weekend alone.

So does this mean that we could see an increase in new IMAX theaters being built? IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond confirms that it's a definite company goal... but the reality isn't quite so straightforward.

'We haven't made new IMAX projectors in about 50 years'

"There's certainly more demand; the problem is they haven't made new IMAX film projectors in about 50 years," Gelfond told Variety.

"So we retrofit them, rebuild them, and part of our strategy is to see how far we can take it. But certainly, demand-driven, I'd like to see more."

Obviously, this would be a huge investment for the company. Commercial IMAX projectors range from $300,000 to over $1.2 million USD, depending on whether it is digital, laser, or traditional 70mm film. The latter is going to be at the top end of this range, given its complexity.

Then there's the risk involved with investing. Just because The Odyssey has such high demand doesn't mean that other movies that opt to film in the same format in the future will have the same retention level.

Cinemas are struggling enough as it is, which isn't helped by the fact that streaming services like Netflix are frequently pushing back on giving original movies a theatrical release.

“There is a group of filmmakers who still want theatrical,” Dan Lin, chairman of Netflix Film, told The Hollywood Reporter. “Those are filmmakers that we’ve accepted; we just won’t work with.”

In short, it's a leap of faith back to a new cinema, despite how much fans are desperate for them. However, if any film can set a new precedent — and bring back the forgotten ways of making projectors — it's The Odyssey.

I'm quietly keeping my fingers crossed that such passionate interest in returning to cinema in its biggest and best form will mark a turning point. Perhaps just because I can't get tickets for Nolan's latest at the BFI IMAX... but while I'm jealous, the fact that screenings are sold out until mid-August is nothing short of astonishing.

• AI PCs are emerging as a viable option to run local AI without unpredictable costs
• One-time PC cost alleviates the need to fork out for cloud token fees
• Broader research reaffirms rising popularity of smaller models

New Gartner data has claimed now could actually be a good time to buy AI PCs, as cloud computing faces numerous challenges in a rapidly-changing business world.

Data center construction is slipping behind demand as supple chains strain and local communities oppose new projects, meaning that metered compute could end up costing some companies more than they'd bargained for.

By shifting some of their AI processing locally, companies could be able to avoid some of those extra monthly costs with a one-time purchase of a more powerful PC as part of their regular refresh cycles.

AI PCs present an ideal hybrid compute model

While AI PC adoption started pretty slow with companies struggling to understand the benefits, they're now being seen as a cloud fallback option rather than a primary benefit in their own right.

With AI usage increasingly sharply and unpredictable token consumption hitting companies hard, forecasting monthly costs is a new major challenge that many face.

Small language and reasoning models, including specially trained models for individual business use cases, ultimately need fewer resources than leading frontier models, allowing them to be run locally as part of a broader hybrid approach.

Gartner predicts that speech and chat, text generation, image and audio generation and more could soon shift to workers' PCs, with only the most intensive tasks routed via hyperscaler data centers.

By as soon as 2029, the company's researchers anticipate that around one-third (30%) of enterprises could use AI PCs to reduce cloud AI token costs. By 2030, 70% of corporate PCs could be able to run some GenAI tasks locally.

Omdia researchers also noticed a shift in AI model usage, with smaller and medium models proving popular, with domain-specific tasks not needing the full breadth of compute.

"Older GPUs are retaining value and remaining in service, as they continue to offer a cost-effective option for small and midsized model inference and disaggregation," Senior Principal Analyst for Advanced Computing Alexander Harrowell said.

Via The Register

One of the biggest talking points around this year's World Cup has been the heat. Players from countries with very temperate, cool climates, like Norway and England, have had to play back-to-back games in hot and humid conditions, placing enormous stress on their bodies as they struggle to keep their core temperature down.

When core temperatures rise, fatigue isn't far behind. Research has shown that elevated internal body temperatures cause fatigue during prolonged exercise in hot environments, even for trained athletes. Staving off exhaustion by staying cool is therefore crucial.

Enter Therabody, maker of some of the best massage guns, which has supplied Thomas Tuchel's England squad with a novel new device: the Therabody CryoTherm Palm. It looks a little like a dumbbell, but it's not for lifting; instead, you simply place your hands on the nodes, and the CryoTherm Palm, Therabody says, uses these contact points to cool down your whole body using the company's 'Cryothermal technology'.

It sounds too good to be true — but the England players are reportedly making the most of it. We asked Therabody's Chief Science Officer, Tim Roberts, exactly how the technology works.

England captain Harry Kane (Image credit: Getty Images)

"Your palms are natural radiators — hairless skin packed with special vessels that bring a lot of blood right to the surface," says Roberts. "It’s why gloves keep your whole body warm in winter.

"CryoTherm Palm cools that surface, pulls heat out of the blood passing through, and that cooled blood circulates back to lower your core temperature faster than cooling almost anywhere else."

So, in theory, the cold blood passing through your hands works to regulate the rest of your body's internal temperature. Clever. According to Roberts, there's a psychological effect too, as "it also dampens the thermal signals your brain uses to judge effort", so exercising feels easier.

(Image credit: Therabody)

Roberts points to a study conducted at the IMG Academy in Florida, in which footballers using the device between sprints saw positive results.

"In our IMG Academy soccer study, players using CryoTherm Palm between sprints felt 60% cooler, held 2.45% higher top speed and preserved sprint velocity 4.7% better across repeated efforts," says Roberts. While he does concede that "none of this replaces basic heat sense — hydrate, respect genuinely dangerous conditions, and back off when you need to," those numbers suggest it can make a difference.

I wouldn't be doing my due diligence if I didn't point out that in a Therabody press release, the IMG Academy was referred to as a Therabody partner. However, the science seems sound, and the CryoTherm Palm might just be your secret weapon to keep cool during your next workout, especially in very hot weather.

The device is available now, priced at $399.99 / £349 / around AU$600. I'm looking forward to testing, especially if the heatwaves we're experiencing here in the UK continue.

• TCL CSOT is reportedly now mass producing the first inkjet-printed OLEDs for consumers
• MSI just revealed a new 27-inch monitor which seemingly uses this 4K panel
• Inkjet printing is a more affordable way of making OLEDs and it will usher in cheaper monitors and laptops, and eventually TVs further down the line

TCL CSOT has seemingly taken a big step towards putting inkjet-printed OLED panels in the homes of consumers, and mass production of these screens is now reportedly underway.

OLED-Info reports that the Chinese manufacturer has kicked off production with an initial 27-inch 4K panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz. It offers a brightness of up to 300 nits and 99% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut (meaning lifelike and accurate color representation).

This inkjet-printed screen is destined for monitors, but bigger panels for the likes of TVs are expected to be in the cards for the future. For starters, though, we're looking at production for monitors and also laptop OLEDs.

This is still the very early stages for TCL, and OLED-Info clarifies that we are only talking about 'low volume' production on the firm's Gen 5.5 inkjet line for now. Still, it's an important step to take, but producing the panels is one thing, and it'll take some time for these to be incorporated into monitors which are then shipped to retailers where consumers can buy them.

Note that the Gen 5.5 inkjet line has produced OLED panels before, just not displays destined for consumer products (they were screens for commercial use in the medical field).

It seems that the freshly announced MSI Pro Max OLED 271UPJW12 uses this TCL 4K panel, although that isn't explicitly stated in the press release for the new model published by TechPowerup. All the specs match up, though, and it couldn't really be any other screen anyway – and this revelation is another sign to back up OLED-Info's contention that mass production is now up and running.

MSI boasts of the monitor: "With a 164 PPI density and an optimized RGB Stripe sub-pixel layout that closely resembles the uniform RGB structure of traditional LCDs, this advanced design effectively eliminates color fringing, optimizing text and image clarity."

We don't get a price from MSI, but that's not surprising at this stage, because as noted, the release is likely still some way off yet.

Analysis: what's the big deal with inkjet-printed OLEDs anyway?

(Image credit: TechPowerUp / MSI)

As we've covered in the past, there are some distinct advantages with using an OLED printed by an inkjet compared to traditional (Fine Metal Mask) OLED panels. They are more power-efficient, and the inkjet-printed (IJP) OLEDs will also have a longer lifespan, but most crucially, they're cheaper.

TCL has previously told us that these IJP panels are 20% cheaper than existing OLEDs (and they can be made 30% faster, too). Analyst firms believe that these printed panels could be up to 35% cheaper in the future, when production is higher volume and more refined (with less waste).

The upshot should be OLED monitors which are a good deal more affordable, not to mention laptops with OLED screens that hit cheaper price points – and as noted, TVs eventually, too. The lower power usage will also be a major benefit for notebooks in terms of extending battery life, given that the display is one of the biggest drains on the battery.

The overall affordability of OLED will also be helped by TCL's inkjet-based creations, because the dominant panel makers – LG Display and Samsung – will be forced to be more competitive with their pricing. Add to that the emergence of BOE's Generation 8.6 panels, which went into mass production last month – again offering a more economical way to produce OLEDs thanks to much larger substrates – and this poses yet more competition, meaning there'll be some distinct downward pressures on OLED pricing.

The catch is that it will take some time for this to happen, especially in the world of bigger screens for the likes of OLED TVs – but make no mistake, it is happening.

Lagging consumer spending and business investment offset the boost from strong exports thanks partly to the boom in artificial intelligence.

(Image credit: AP)

As the common phrase goes – ‘patience is a virtue’. The ability to endure, wait and yield to time without complaint is widely seen as a positive personality trait. Yet patience is situational, and everyone has a limit.

In a customer service context, people will wait longer when the stakes are high, or when they trust that delays will lead to better security, accuracy or care. If they’re dealing with another human, they also tend to be far more forgiving.

Alongside that limited patience, customers are also increasingly distracted. The average Brit now sits on over 1,000 unread emails in their inbox, according to recent research, alongside juggling around 25 non-work notifications a day.

People are not short of communication, but saturated. Attention is at a premium, and anything irrelevant is quickly deprioritized or disappears entirely.

This is particularly acute for the 36-55-year-old cohort, which boast the highest unread email counts, and the greatest pressure to stay online for work. Two-fifths of 36-50-year-olds say they feel more disconnected than ever, despite increased digital interactions.

Balancing careers, caregiving, mortgages and performance metrics, the attention and mental load on this group is significant. If brands are adding irrelevant noise and difficulty into these environments, tolerance is low.

This simultaneous feeling of burnout and impatience is heightened by the fact that the instant nature of the attention economy, and the incentives of digital platforms, has rewired expectations.

If there is no sense of progress or urgency conveyed with a digital service, then reassurance falls away and the chances someone will give up on the process rapidly increases. Clear, proactive explanations, combined with customer experience design that maintains continuity across every channel and interaction are vital.

Setting clear expectations

Digital saturation and the attention economy have also meant that first impressions are decisive. If in those initial moments of engagement there is any sense of delay or stalling, people will reconsider if they need the product or service in the first place.

These early moments are therefore a critical opportunity to build seamless customer journeys, closing these ‘patience deficits’ by finding and fixing areas that cause frustration. When there are unavoidable moments where waiting is required, brands must turn these into opportunities to strengthen loyalty and trust.

Customers want assurance that every click, confirmation or verification step serves a purpose. Uncertainty is the true enemy of patience, so give customers better visibility and control to help build trust.

Other industry research found that 25% of consumers there think ‘transparency about what’s happening and why’ is one of the most important things to them in a digital customer experience, with 45% valuing clear instructions and easy-to-follow steps. If there’s an action they don’t need to take or unnecessary duplication, remove it.

Poor design can lead to digital impatience, and exacerbate the overload of digital admin. Ensure that digital and automated channels are fast, reliable and transparent when it comes to waiting times. Competitive advantage will come from being the most considered, not the loudest.

Turning impatience into opportunity

At the same time, when customers know brands are protecting their data, there is an opportunity to earn patience through careful application of friction. Digital speed bumps like two-factor authentication, framed in the right way, can become symbols of care, not inconvenience – so in designing the customer journey, brands should take advantage.

The reality of digital patience is made more complex by the fact that more people are interacting with machines for customer service than ever before. AI agents, designed and used effectively, have raised expectations – but when AI gets stuck, misunderstands intent or is otherwise poorly designed, it backfires and becomes counterproductive. In those moments, many of us prefer to just talk to a human.

The purpose and context of interactions matter, so organizations must take care to match automation to the complexity and stakes of each task. Examine which tasks are best for AI agents to take on, and be clear about when AI is in use, explaining its role in plain language.

For those tasks which require more reassurance, empathy and accountability, human alternatives may be preferable. In these situations, we tend to be slightly more patient – 84% will stay patient on the phone with a real person, perhaps because we know we’re more likely to be able to connect on a human level, and get some understanding and reassurance in response to our enquiry.

If a service is too slow, however, then more than half of consumers say that delays lead them to think less of a brand, leave negative reviews, or warn others to steer clear.

Brands should provide the choice of human support and digital self-service tools in a way that reflects these dynamics. When switching between the two, brands should also carry context over, so that customers never need to repeat themselves.

Digital patience is a precious resource. Poor design which frustrates and builds impatience can see it easily lost, but with care, it is equally easy to earn. When brands anticipate frustration and design for reassurance, they convert fleeting attention into enduring trust, and find opportunities to strengthen relationships and loyalty.

We've featured the best ecommerce platform.

This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

Old rivals. New stakes. A World Cup final spot on the line. Argentina vs. England.

(Image credit: Stu Forster)

For the longest time, I thought that, despite their annoyances, iPhones had something big over the best Android phones: PC connectivity. I'd always seen iPhone and Mac-owning friends quickly send files between the two, and assumed it was an Apple-exclusive feature.

As it turns out, this isn't true. Android users can use a Windows app that brings loads of really useful features — and it's really underutilized, which is why a tech journalist like me hadn't heard of it.

This software is called Phone Link, and we've got a guide on how to connect your Android phone to a Windows PC using Phone Link elsewhere on TechRadar. I downloaded it about a year ago, largely out of duty to test every tool, appliance, and gadget I could get my hands on. I was expecting it to last a weekend.

A year on, though, and Phone Link has become such a useful part of my workflow that I'd forgotten it's something not everyone's heard about. It's such a natural part of the way I use my phone and computer that I'd totally forgotten it was something I initially downloaded to test!

Well, no longer: TechRadar has let me wax lyrical about Phone Link, and I'm going to give the tool its time in the sun.

Sending photos from phone to PC

(Image credit: Future)

For the most part, whenever I want to connect my phone to my PC, it's to move pictures between the two devices.

As a smartphone journalist, you can understand that I'm sending snaps from my phone to my computer a lot. Sometimes it's camera samples from a mobile I'm testing that I want to upload for a review. Occasionally, I want to back up pictures I really like before I wipe a phone and send it back to the company.

The most frequent use case, though, is to transfer to my PC pictures I've taken on one phone, of another. I use smartphones to do review photography, and it's a great way to test out a phone I'm reviewing.

Before Phone Link, I'd have to use a USB cable to connect my phone to my computer — approving the connection on my Android's end, because they're always annoyingly suspicious — and drag and drop all the relevant pictures into a folder on my computer. It's not an especially onerous process — it's a lot quicker than when I used to use Google Drive to transfer pictures, for instance — but it takes a little while of fiddling with my phone and digging out a cable to work.

Not so with Phone Link. Its Photos tab shows a big old list of all the pictures you've taken recently, giving you options to save them to your PC, open them in an editing app, and share them with others.

These pictures appear as soon as you take them, as long as your phone is on the same Wi-Fi as your computer. I've become used to taking photos in one room of my home, and entering my office, to see them linked up on Phone Link, ready for an edit. When I've got PC notifications turned on, I can even hear the 'bong' of my computer telling me they've arrived.

Phone Link also lets you browse the contents of your mobile in the Files tab, where it appears in the Devices and drives list alongside any cloud or local drives you have. I don't use my phone to handle non-photo files, but it's a nice touch that'd be really useful if I were in another line of work.

Apps on my PC

(Image credit: Future)

Ostensibly, one of the main uses for Phone Link is that it lets you open your smartphone apps on your computer. Its Apps page shows you a massive list of every one you have installed on your mobile, and clicking on it opens it in a window.

This doesn't override anything you have going on on your phone; if you're using it as a second screen to watch a YouTube video or act as a music player (one of many ways you can repurpose an old Android phone), the app will open in your PC window alone.

When I first started Phone Link, I tried using it for everything, but often bounced straight off. In many circumstances, using a smartphone is simply more intuitive than using a mouse and keyboard, given that phone apps are designed for thumbs. But over time, I've found a few uses of Phone Link's app windows that are genuinely handy.

As mentioned, one of those uses is as a music player. I can let Spotify hang around as a spare window, ready to skip tracks or change playlists when I want. It's also useful as a way to check apps that don't have PC equivalents, like Too Good To Go or Mubi Go, or ones that do have web functions but are easier on the phone, like my national health service's app.

There's one way that Phone Link saved me hours, though. When I used to work for a company that didn't let you use your work Gmail account on personal computers, Phone Link was my workaround to still see emails on my PC. This saved me ages each day; time that'd otherwise be taken up checking and replying to emails on my phone, or trying to get my decrepit work laptop to turn on.

Naturally, you can manage your calls and texts via Phone Link too. Personally, I don't think I've sent an SMS or made a non-WhatsApp voice call since the 2010s, but I'm sure there are some people who'd find this handy.

I also appreciate a notification list down the left side of Phone Link. This transforms it from being software solely for controlling your mobile to a veritable hub of information from your handset. I'll often keep it up on my second monitor; it makes good use of its space.

Controlling my phone from my computer

(Image credit: Future)

As mentioned, you can use your computer to control your mobile's apps via Phone Link, but you can also use it to change the actual settings of the device itself, which proves itself useful in an entirely different way.

Phone Link lets you monitor your phone status; I can see how it's connected to other devices, what battery it's on, and whether it's currently paired with Phone Link or not. I can even see a little representation of what my wallpaper currently is. All useful to a small degree, but the charge is the only one of those that's seriously useful.

What's more important are the status controls. You can toggle between vibrate, sound, and silent, turn Do Not Disturb on and off, and turn on the media player.

From a cursory mention of the tools, these might not sound that important, but I've found them really useful in a pinch. I'm constantly forgetting to mute my phone before I go on a video meeting, and a quick click of the Do Not Disturb button means I'm not going to have unexpected calls.

As a lazy person, I also love the fact that you can use Phone Link to play a sound from your phone; I'm always doing this instead of spending five seconds actually looking.

My one gripe with Phone Link is that I still need my phone with me to use it. When you start using it each session, you're required to unlock your device and approve the connection. But this is a small price to pay for the transformational effect it's had on my workflow — and I hope that you, too, consider giving it a try.