News

Shocker. The Trump Mobile T1 phone will not be 'Made in the USA.' We know this because the Trump Mobile website quietly altered the T1 language and now claims the phone will be "American Proud Design".It's an interesting turn of phrase, and one that's reminiscent of how Apple describes the creation of its popular iPhone. On the packaging (it used to be on the devices), it says 'Designed by Apple in California.' Everyone knows that the products are largely assembled elsewhere, often in China, but increasingly in India and Vietnam.For months, US President Donald Trump has been pressuring Apple CEO Tim Cook to build his iPhone in America. Cook has offered some plans to help shift the balance so that some of the work, perhaps some chip development, possibly some Apple Intelligence hosting, might happen in the US, but that's never been enough for Trump.But now, maybe, just maybe, Trump will change his tune. Even though the President is not directly involved with Trump Mobile or the T1 phone (it's a Trump family business), it has all the earmarks of a Donald Trump creation, including the gaudy gold finish and that somewhat oddball design (why is it so tall?). The 'Made in the US' claim was no accident; that's Trump's entire brand.The new wordsmithing on the Trump Mobile site is nothing if not entertaining:"The T1 Phone isn’t just powerful—it’s brought to life right here in the USA. With American hands behind every device, we bring care, precision, and trusted quality to every detail."Is that "American hands" collecting the money on pre-orders? I doubt it means that anyone is assembling the phone in the US. Maybe there's a US designer who's looked at all the existing Android 15 smartphones and selected his favorite bits (I give them credit for including the 3.5mm headphone jack).'Made for America', more like itImage 1 of 2How Trump Mobile described the T1 before (via WayBack Machine). (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2How they describe it now. (Image credit: Future)Trump Mobile, though, is facing the hard truth of 21st-century consumer electronics: almost nothing is built in the US, and almost all the components needed to make the phone are fabricated outside the contiguous United States.As we reported a few weeks ago, living up to the 'Made in the US' claim was challenging, at best:"Firstly, "made in the USA" has a high bar. Professor Tinglong Dai, who teaches at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School, told us: "The FTC [Federal Trade Commission] has a strict standard for “Made in USA”: all or almost all parts and processing must be domestic. Judging by that standard, the claim is unrealistic."Will Trump finally concede to Cook that, "Yes, perhaps, it's not reasonable to demand that you build your iPhone here in America when I can't even build my own name-branded phone here in the US."The $499 phone has been on preorder for less than two weeks, but I do wonder if anyone who was sold on the idea of a modern 'Made in the USA' handset has been requesting the return of their $100 down payment.Will more people now wait until the phone ships "later this year" and for the first reviews to appear before they buy? That's assuming Trump Mobile offers the phone for review. For American tech media, that means Trump Mobile will need to figure out how to get the phone to the US first.You might also likeThe Trump Mobile T1 Phone is official – here are 10 reasons why it might be the strangest phone ever madeTrump still wants Apple to build your iPhone in the US, not ...Can the Trump Mobile T1 Phone really be 'made in the USA'? Here's what experts say

The Social Network, the Facebook biographical drama that Mark Zuckerberg said was "hurtful", is getting a sequel. And if the first one made Zuck do a frowning face, then he ain't seen nothing yet.Reports say that the script for the new movie will focus on The Facebook Files, the devastating Wall Street Journal report that showed Facebook and Zuckerberg were well aware of the toxic effects the platform was having on young users and on political elections.According to Deadline, Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is taking original director David Fincher's place to direct The Social Network Part II for Sony Pictures. And where the first movie followed the origins of the world-straddling social media platform, the second intends to look at the damage it's been accused of doing.What will The Social Network Part II be about?It's currently unclear whether Jesse Eisenberg or any other original cast members will return. (Image credit: Columbia Pictures/Relativity Media)According to Esquire, the new movie will adapt the series of Wall Street Journal reports from 2021 called The Facebook Files. As the WSJ said at the time: "Facebook Inc. knows, in acute detail, that its platforms are riddled with flaws that cause harm, often in ways only the company fully understands."The Facebook Files made – and provided evidence for – multiple allegations, including that Facebook was well aware of how toxic Instagram was for many teen girls; that Facebook has a "secret elite" list of people for whom Facebook's rules don't apply; that Facebook knew its revised algorithm was fueling rage; and that Facebook didn't do enough to stop anti-vax propaganda during Covid-19. Most damningly of all, The Facebook Files reported that all of these things were well known to senior executives, including Mark Zuckerberg.It's clear which side Sorkin is taking. "I blame Facebook for January 6," he said last year. "Facebook has been, among other things, tuning its algorithm to promote the most divisive material possible. Because that is what will increase engagement ... There’s supposed to be a constant tension at Facebook between growth and integrity. There isn’t. It’s just growth."According to Deadline, the new movie won't be about the storming of the Capitol. But it will focus on "Facebook’s effect on teens, preteens, violence and countries outside the US."The Social Network Part II is currently in development with filming and release schedules to be confirmed. The first movie is not currently available to stream on any of the best streaming services in the US at the moment but you can rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV. Or you can read the script (legally) for free. Alternatively, those in the UK can stream it on Prime Video, while Australians can catch it on Binge.You may also likeRanked: Every David Fincher movie rated from worst to bestHow to opt out of Meta AIHow to delete all your Facebook posts

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe claimed their agencies had new intelligence regarding the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Ratcliffe said Iran's nuclear program was "severely damaged" and would "have to be rebuilt over the course of years" while Gabbard claimed "Iran's nuclear facilities have been destroyed." It disputes a preliminary assessment by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency that said Iran's nuclear program was set back by a few months.

Accessory maker Dbrand has once again responded to the controversy surrounding its Nintendo Switch 2 Killswitch Joy-Con controllersThe company intially suggested that players were holding the console wrong, making the Joy-Con controllers easily detachIt has now apologized for its "spectacularly terrible response" and is "100% committed to is getting everyone replacement Joy-Cons ASAP"Nintendo Switch 2 accessory company Dbrand has issued an apology amid its botched Killswitch Joy-Con 2 grip controversy, promising replacements.Last week, Dbrand released a lengthy Reddit post, responding to Switch 2 fans who have been experiencing disconnection issues with the company's Killswitch Joy-Con 2 grips.Initially, it claimed that users were simply holding the Switch 2 wrong if gripping it by the Joy-Con itself. Dbrand also said that the Killswitch had been tested by its own development team, "hundreds of content creators (both paid and unpaid), and dozens of journalists."Not one of them, ourselves included, precariously held the entire console by only one Joy-Con, horizontally, with zero instinctive finger support on the back, loading 87% of the console weight directly onto the Joy-Con hinge," Dbrand said.It also listed some reasons why the controllers were detaching so easily for users among a series of demonstration clips:You’re holding the NS2 by only one Joy-Con, stressing 87% of the weight on the hinge.You’re touching only the Joy-Con itself, without naturally supporting any part of the main console.Your console has lowered to an angle that’s more parallel to the ground than it is not.I love my killswitch 2.. buttttttt from r/dbrandHowever, Dbrand did acknowledge the viral videos of the Killswitch disconnecting too, saying that it believes "it's due to these Joy-Con Grips featuring an inner attachment lip that’s a hair thicker than desired", and that it had "adjusted our tolerance guidelines for mass production to filter out any Joy-Cons that cross that 'lip is 0.12mm too thick' threshold."Fans weren't too happy with Dbrand's initial response, with one user saying: "As an engineer, what I have to say is this: the design is imperfect and needs improvement.""They went radio silence only to come back and exhaustively blame the customer again," another said.Now, in a follow-up post, Dbrand has apologized for its original response, saying it's going to "try out a new communication strategy where we both say fewer words and devote less of them to blaming you.""After reading through your feedback, it’s quite clear that our post was a spectacularly terrible response to the issue at hand," the company said. "Some of you have expressed that opinion in a perfectly reasonable way. Others have expressed it with literal death threats."As easy as it is to boil our original post down to 'you’re holding it wrong', what we're sober to now is the point that you should be allowed to hold it however the f**k you want, without detachment occurring. We get it. Please continue dunking on us for the next six to eight months for reincarnating Steve Jobs."Dbrand explained that it is now working on developing a new version of the Killswitch, and that it is "100% committed to is getting everyone replacement Joy-Cons ASAP regardless of whether they’re severely affected, haven’t experienced the issue, have emailed us a dozen times, or have no clue about any of this."You might also like...The Nintendo Switch 2 is the company’s least ambitious console to date, but its improvements are astronomicalI’ve spent 150 hours with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the Switch 2 Edition is an incredible upgradePlayStation Plus members can net a free Monster Hunter Wilds and WWE 2K25 game trial, exclusive savings, and more this summer as Sony celebrates 15 years of the service

UK office workers waste 11.3 billion hours on administrative tasks every yearDropbox employees report saving 7.9 hours/week by using AIBetter tech and flexible work could unlock creativityNew data from Dropbox has quantified just how much time we're wasting and precisely where AI can help – UK office workers alone are said to waste 11.3 billion hours annually on administrative tasks like emailing and scheduling.In fact, only two in five (42%) UK workers have enough time for creative work, placing the country behind the likes of Germany and the US.Due to being bogged down in meaningless tasks, nearly half (45%) are only able to spend 0-5 hours per week on developing new ideas or solutions, making progress especially slow.UK office workers waste billions of hours annually on administrative workOne in four (24%) were found to be spending between six and 10 hours per week on administrative tasks – roughly the equivalent of a whole working day. Coincidentally, time constraints were found to be the biggest limiter on innovation and long-term thinking.Half (51%) of UK workers feel they have the necessary tools and time to do their jobs efficiently, but this still places them ahead of France and the US where workers appear to be less satisfied.Nevertheless, it seems like most office workers spend too much time chasing their tail. Given an extra hour in the day, 27% would catch up on tasks and 18% would aim to reduce workload.Speaking about its own solutions, Dropbox said that its AI-using employees save an average of 7.9 hours per week on tasks like research, coding and writing – more or less a full working day. An overwhelming number of Dropbox's employees (96%) now use AI weekly for tasks like information retrieval, brainstorming, coding, documentation and drafting.Looking ahead, the company states that "systemic transformation" is vital, be that access to new tools or embracing flexible working models to enable greater autonomy.You might also likeCheck out the best AI tools and best AI writersWe've rounded up a list of the best productivity toolsAI coding assistants are getting ever more popular - especially in this country