News

One Piece season 2: key information- Announced in September 2023- New showrunner revealed- Filming wrapped in February- Release date potentially leaked by one of the show's stars- No trailer or official plot synopsis revealed- Principal photography began in July- Key cast members expected to return- Multiple new cast reveals were made in last June, August, September 2024, and January- Fan-favorite characters set to be introduced- Plot details teased by lead star- Co-showrunner Matt Owens stepping down after season 2 - Season 3 filming potentially revealed by Zoro actor, Mackenyu

While One Piece season 2 isn't ready to set sail just yet, it's expected to arrive sometime in 2025. The live-action Netflix series adapts Eiichiro Oda's best-selling manga into a high seas adventure full of high-octane fun. And it's up to one of the best streaming services to give viewers their next devil fruit fill.With Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hats crew's return on the horizon, there's plenty to talk about from a growing cast list, to release date prediction, to story rumours, news, and more. It's one of the best Netflix shows for good reason and while we're eager for its return, we have lots to share.

One Piece season 2 release date prediction

Straw Hats, our course is set! Season 2 production has officially wrapped, and the Grand Line is fast approaching! 🌊 Destiny awaits, are you ready to answer the call? 🏴‍☠️ pic.twitter.com/wxebRjswejFebruary 4, 2025

While One Piece season 2 doesn't have an official launch date just yet, principal photography was confirmed to have finished on February 4 — meaning we're one step closer to high seas adventure.Netflix officially announced One Piece season 2 in September 2023, but one week before its renewal, producer Marty Adelstein suggested One Piece season 2 was ready to go, but two big Netflix hurdles blocked its path.Clearly, those issues haven't proven to be detrimental to its second season's cause. Considering One Piece season 1 was king of the TV show high seas weeks after its launch, it was only a matter of time before Netflix commissioned a second season.And, Netflix teased One Piece season 2's next high-seas adventure by confirming on July 1 that filming had begun with a teaser trailer with some behind-the-scenes footage of the main cast heading to Cape Town. It's happening, Nakama!

Jeff Ward is pulling back the curtain to this circus! 🤡🎪 The clown prince himself is here to give you a sneak peek behind the scenes of One Piece Season 2. #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/EnW5PF0srZSeptember 18, 2024

Mix all of the above together with what Buggy the Clown actor Jeff Ward seems to imply in the X/Twitter post above, a 2025 date is looking more likely than 2026. So, it seems likely that season 2 will embark on its Netflix voyage before the year ends.

One Piece season 2 trailer: is there one?

These ONE PIECE bloopers with all your favorite Straw Hats will have you laughing your heart out. #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/OZ0HvTc9OKNovember 11, 2023

There’s no One Piece season 2 trailer yet. As soon as that changes, we’ll let you know.

One Piece season 2 cast: confirmed and rumored

Expect Monkey D. Luffy (center) and his merry crew to return in season 2 (Image credit: Netflix)

Full spoilers follow for One Piece season 1.

It’s fair to assume we’ll see all of the Straw Hats Crew back for One Piece season 2:

Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. LuffyEmily Rudd as NamiMackenyu as Roronoa ZoroJacob Romero Gibson as UsoppTaz Skylar as Sanji

Monkey D. Garp (Vincent Regan), who was revealed to be Luffy’s grandad and was testing Luffy to see if he was dedicated to his dream, is likely to return as well, as are Buggy the Clown (Jeff Ward) – who vowed to kill Luffy – and rival Captain Alvida (Isorelýs Paulino).As for potential newcomers, beloved actor Jamie Lee Curtis – a massive fan of One Piece – took to Instagram in late 2023 to throw her hat in the ring to play the part of Doctor Kureha, who joins the pirate gang as their official medic (a necessity, given the wild amount of violent skirmishes they find themselves in). Although, as of a cast reveal in August (discussed below), we know that role is no longer up for grabs.

ONE PIECE NEWS. Joe Manganiello and Lera Abova will make up Baroque Works' most dangerous duo -- Mr. 0 and Miss All-Sunday! #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/EhoHwy8M5KSeptember 20, 2024

But, there's still plenty of other roles to play in One Piece. Responding to Curtis's post, co-showrunner Matthew Owens wrote: "Hope to speak to you soon" before later telling Deadline: "At this point we’re writing for her – we really, really want her to come and play with us". The season 2 announcement video appeared to tease this potential star casting, too, with Oda adding: "From here on, it seems to me that the Straw Hats will need a great doctor…we will see."Though while there's plenty of new cast to speak about, it's also important to note that after One Piece season 2, Owens will be stepping down for his mental health.In an official Instagram post on March 21, he wrote: "The last 6 years working on the live action One Piece have been a life changing journey. A dream come true. It's also been A LOT. So I'm stepping off the Going Merry to take a break and focus on myself and my mental health."He goes on to thank the cast and crew before adding: "For now I'm gonna take a breath, do some therapy, try and rank up in Marvel Rivals, and come back refreshed for the new adventures that await." So, while he's taking a break, it seems he may well return.When it comes to new cast members joining One Piece season 2, Netflix has been drip-feeding us new cast announcements over the past few months. Here's a brief rundown of who's joining the crew for season 2:

David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss ValentineCamrus Johnson as Mr. 5Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9Clive Russell as CrocusWerner Coetser as DorryBrendan Murray as BrogyCallum Kerr as SmokerJulia Rehwald as TashigiRob Colletti as WapolTy Keogh as DaltonKatey Sagal as Dr. KurehaSendhil Ramamurthy as Nefertari CobraCharithra Chandran as Miss WednesdayJoe Manganiello as Mr. O/CrocodileLera Abova as Miss All-SundaySophia Anne Caruso as Miss GoldenweekAnton David Jeftha as K.M.Mark Penwill as ChessRigo Sanchez as DragonYonda Thomas as IgaramJames Hiroyuki Liao as Ipponmatsu

Those cast reveals began last June, with the first four newcomers announced (via X/Twitter) on June 25. That were followed by another X/Twitter post revealing three more cast members a day later, before a final drop on X/Twitter announced four other cast additions on June 27.Three more cast reveals for One Piece season 2 were made in August 2024 with this X/Twitter post confirming Katey Sagal (Futurama, Disenchantment) as Dr. Kureha, another X/Twitter post for Sendhil Ramamurthy (Never Have I Ever) as Nefertari Cobra, and this final X/Twitter post for Charithra Chandran (Bridgerton) as Miss Wednesday.Then, during Geeked Week Live 2024, One Piece got some serious season 2 cast upgrades adding Joe Manganiello as Mr. O/Crocodile and Lera Abova as Miss All Sunday to the impressive list.Plus, even though we expected him to appear, based on season 2's plot being based on the Arabasta Saga (read more below), Tony Tony Chopper's debut was teased in a behind-the-scenes/table read during Geeked Week Live, too, but no voice actor has been announced yet. You can see his trademark red hat and reindeer antlers in this X/Twitter post.Finally, in January, this X/Twitter post revealed Sophia Anne Caruso as Miss Goldenweek, Anton David Jeftha as K.M., and Mark Penwill as Chess. And another X/Twitter post confirmed Rigo Sanchez as Dragon, Yonda Thomas as Igaram, and James Hiroyuki Liao as Ipponmatsu not long after.

One Piece season 2 story speculation

Look what we found, Straw Hats 👀 pic.twitter.com/ElcvF9vWcpJuly 2, 2024

Major spoilers follow for One Piece season 1. Potential season 2 spoilers are also discussed.

One Piece season 2's plot synopsis hasn't been revealed yet, but we do have a clearer picture of what it'll entail, thanks to the new cast additions, the manga series, and the One Piece anime adaptation.We've also been teased with a post on X (seen above) revealing the first episode's title, "The Beginning and the End", which hints at a potential story arc from episode 48 of the original manga, "The Town of the Beginning and the End - Arrival at Loguetown."New cast addition, Smoker (Callum Kerr) is considered the main antagonist of the Loguetown arc, so this could potentially hint at where the One Piece story sails to next.Season 1 wrapped up with the stretchy-limbed Luffy turning his back on the marines before having an almighty face-off with Arlong (freeing Nami's people in the process) and his grandfather.However, when Garp relents and reveals he had been testing Luffy this whole time, it seems all is well in Straw Hat land. With Nami officially joining the Straw Hats crew, the group bands together to head to The Grand Line to find the titular One Piece, which Luffy hopes will fulfill his dream of becoming King of the Pirates.As it happens, all isn't well. Following his humiliation at Luffy's hands, Captain Nezumi placed a bounty of 30 million berries on our protagonist's head, and several of the nightmarish characters who seem intent on capturing him – dead or alive – aren't going to turn down a prize of that magnitude. Expect this manhunt to be a main story thread in One Piece season 2.

A post shared by One Piece (ワンピース) (@onepiecenetflix)A photo posted by on

Considering season 1 covered around 90 chapters in Oda's sweeping (and seemingly never-ending) manga series, there’s likely to be a similar breadth in the follow up.This means we could see the crew land on an island of giants, as well as the fight against a gang of bounty hunters who want to dominate the nation of Arabasta. The arrival of Smoker, too, will see him also popping up in the Little Garden and Arabasta arcs, as well as the Loguetown arc we previously mentioned.Speaking of the Arabasta arc, as hinted at by IGN, season 2 is expected to follow it closely, in-keeping with the One Piece original manga. The Arabasta arc is known for featuring the Baroque Works, a criminal syndicate hell bent on conquering the Arabasta Kingdom, and who’s an officer of Baroque Works? None other than Mr. 3 himself.It’s not the first we’ve heard of Baroque Works either, with Zoro almost getting recruited to the dodgy gang in season 1’s pilot episode. Plus, during Regan's interview at Vienna's Comic-Con in November 2024, he seemingly confirmed the Arabasta arc's presence, in more than one season: "And I guess they’ll start filming season 3 pretty soon, and I think they are doing- I think it’s called the Arabasta story arc. I think it’s going to take two seasons. What I’ve seen of the designs, drawings, and when I was there there was some really fun stuff being shot there at the moment."From the new cast additions, there's some other story threads that could potentially occur in One Piece season 2. While we have speculated over Smoker's place in season 2, he'll also be joined by his crewmate Tashigi, who, despite rivalry with Luffy, ally with him during the Arabasta arc.There's also Crocus from the Reverse Mountain arc, Dorry and Brogy, the two captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, who ally with the Straw Hats during the Little Garden and Egghead arcs. And finally, Dalton and Wapol from the Drum Island arc - Dalton an ally, Wapol very much not. Either way, there's potential for lots of team ups and rivalries on the cards.Plus, when it comes to the casting of Dr. Kureha (Katey Sagal), co-showrunner Matt Owens told Tudum: "When the Season 2 writers' room got together, we knew how far we were going to get and that this character Dr. Kureha was going to be a big part of the season."

The future of One Piece on Netflix

Straw Hats, are you ready for your next adventure? 🏴‍☠️ Coming soon. #LEGOOnePiece pic.twitter.com/kBbGTTWDlTJanuary 23, 2025

Let's start with the obvious: given the level of success season 1 enjoyed, it's highly unlikely One Piece season 2 will be the end of the line for the live-action adaptation. In fact, there's already talk of filming for season 3. As reported by What's On Netflix, Mackenyu (Zoro) revealed in an interview with Crunchyroll that it may well be happening later this year: "We do have projects lined up for this year before we shoot season 3 of One Piece, but I can't tell you anything about that, so it's not going to be fun for y'all." Though it appears that comment has since been removed.Whether that means filming will happen this year, we're not sure. But it certainly suggests that season 3 is on the cards at least, despite their being no official confirmation from Netflix, yet. And the Writer's Guild of America has listed One Piece season 3 and its staff on their site, which only adds to the speculation.Indeed, with over 1,000 chapters (and counting) in Oda's legendary manga series, there's plenty more source material to mine.Plus, in conversation with What's On Netflix Vincent Regan, aka Vice-Admiral Garp, said: "I guess they’ll start filming season 3 pretty soon." So, it seems Regan and Mackenyu have jumped the gun somewhat when it comes to One Piece season 3. If what they say is true, that is.And it's not the first we've heard of One Piece season 3. In June 2024, the rumor mill was set ablaze with speculation around the show's renewal, which came from a ComicBook.com interview with Brashaad Mayweather, who plays Patty in the show.Asked about a third season, Mayweather said: "They [Netflix] are filming two seasons – season two and three – back to back starting soon". Since the interview circulated online, though Mayweather has said he was just speculating on that possibility. Netflix has confirmed reports of season 3 were "not accurate at this time," with What's On Netflix, too. In short: One Piece season 3 hasn't secretly been greenlit, but it feels inevitable at this point.The good news is we could see One Piece stretch out for over a decade. Speaking to Deadline, Adelstein and Clements revealed their hopes for the future, with Adelstein saying: "We have hopes for 12 seasons, there’s so much material".Speaking before Owens' departure, Clements added: "We’re over 1,080 chapters at this point in the manga. We have plans with Matt for how we would break multiple seasons, and I think even if we did six seasons, we would probably only use up half of the chapters of the manga. It really could go on and on and on."

For more Netflix TV-based coverage, read everything we know about Stranger Things season 5, Squid Game season 3, and Wednesday season 2. Or, if you're searching for shows like One Piece, watch one or more of these five great pirate-based shows.

Campfire Audio Axion wired earbuds with USB-C just unveiledNew silicon dynamic driver and a built-in 32bit/384 kHz DACAvailable for £249 / $249 / about AU$413

Campfire Audio make exquisite earphones that can rank among the best wired earbuds, but they're priced beyond many people's budgets: for example, their Clara earphones are fantastic but launched with a price tag of $1,999 / £1,999 (around AU$3,900). So we're intrigued by the new Campfire Audio Axion earphones, which have an official price of just £249 / $249 / about AU$413.The price may be a fraction of what you'd pay for Campfire's best headphones. But the specification is impressive, with a high-quality DAC and a newly designed driver.

(Image credit: Campfire Audio)

Campfire Audio Axion: key features

The new Axion earphones have an integrated USB-C cable featuring a built-in 32-bit/384kHz DAC chip, an in-line microphone and a three-button control panel. That's likely to be a big upgrade to the DAC in your phone… and being USB-C means you can actually connect them to your phone.The star here is the new full-range silicon driver, which Campfire Audio says "blends a unique, compact form factor like that of a balanced armature alongside the rich sonic properties of a dynamic driver."Sound-wise the Axion earbuds promise "just the right amount" of warmth, smooth highs and "impactful" lows.You'll be able to get your hands on a pair from Amazon and other well-known retailers from later in April 2025, and given the company's history, we're very interested in these.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to become the most transformative technology of our time. With 89% of Harvard Business Review survey respondents acknowledging AI’s potential, businesses are under increasing pressure to integrate AI into their operations.However, decision-makers face a significant challenge: How do they separate AI hype from AI that delivers tangible business value? Many AI solutions promise efficiency, automation and intelligence but fail to provide tangible operational benefits. Businesses of all sizes, particularly small and mid-sized organizations, must ensure that AI investments don’t just lead to cosmetic enhancements to existing features. Instead, the technology should deliver innovations that are genuinely integrated into workflows to enhance decision-making and deliver measurable results.The following provides a helpful framework for business leaders to evaluate AI capabilities focusing on operational impact. Instead of getting lost in the hype, decision-makers can identify AI tools that work for them and drive meaningful results.

Tip 1: Align AI with Business Objectives

AI can deliver significant benefits across departments and business functions and is most valuable when it serves a clear, measurable business goal. While AI has broad applications, organizations should prioritize solutions that directly address specific business challenges rather than adopting AI just for the sake of “innovation.”To understand what types of AI technology can drive the most business value, decision-makers should:

Define business challenges. Start by identifying the organization’s biggest pain points. Some examples include operational inefficiencies, gaps in data analysis and a lack of automation.Identify where AI can enhance operations and decision-making. AI should enhance workflows, helping teams work smarter by reducing manual processes, minimizing errors and providing real-time insights for better decision-making.Focus on AI’s ability to reduce costs, increase productivity and improve customer experiences. Quantify AI’s potential by identifying specific areas where it can drive measurable impact. For productivity gains, prioritize AI solutions that personalize interactions, reduce response times and anticipate customer needs before they arise.

Once leaders determine business objectives, they should identify how to integrate AI technology into established processes.

Tip 2: Prioritize Data and Workflow Integration

One of the biggest pitfalls of AI adoption is investing in technology that doesn’t integrate smoothly into existing workflows. Thirty-eight percent of businesses say their biggest challenge in implementing AI is insufficient IT infrastructure. AI should complement Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and other operational systems, not create additional work or fragmented processes that lead to data siloes.For AI to deliver accurate insights, it must be powered by comprehensive, real-time and accurate data across the organization. When AI pulls from disconnected data sources, it can generate misleading outputs that produce inaccurate results, thus hindering business growth. Business and tech leaders should confirm that the AI tool embeds easily into everyday workflows rather than requiring employees to use entirely new platforms.A best practice is prioritizing cloud-based AI solutions that integrate natively with IT management software to ensure smooth data flow across departments. Unlike siloed on-premises systems that require manual data transfers, cloud-based AI tools can continuously sync information across ERP, CRM and other critical platforms, providing a single source of truth for decision-making.Finally, AI-driven automation should reduce manual tasks and accelerate productivity without creating inefficiencies. For example, AI-powered demand forecasting can help supply chain managers accurately anticipate inventory needs by analyzing historical sales data, seasonal trends and market fluctuations. Instead of relying on manual calculations or gut instinct, businesses can optimize inventory, reduce waste and avoid running out of products.

Tip 3: Focus on Privacy, Security and Compliance

As AI adoption accelerates, concerns around data privacy, security and regulatory compliance grow. Businesses must ensure their AI investments follow strict security protocols to mitigate risks such as unauthorized data access, compliance violations and AI model bias. Without proper safeguards, AI can expose sensitive information or generate unreliable outcomes that could impact business operations.To avoid these risks, leaders should ensure the following:

AI models follow strict data governance policies and privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).AI-driven decision-making is auditable and transparent, ensuring explainability in high-stakes environments like finance and healthcare.Use cloud ERP platforms with built-in AI capabilities to provide more secure, centralized control over business data.The AI system protects private data through isolation from public LLM training.

Organizations can leverage AI’s power confidently by embedding AI within a secure framework. As they prioritize security, they will drive innovation without sacrificing trust and integrity.

Tip 4: Use AI to Enhance, Not Replace, Human Decision-Making

Studies show AI improves a worker’s performance by nearly 40% compared with workers who don’t use it, and the best AI solutions empower employees rather than replace them. AI should augment human expertise by surfacing predictive insights, automating repetitive tasks and minimizing errors, but final decision-making should remain with employees.To maximize the technology’s value, AI must help employees make informed decisions rather than fully automating critical functions. Insights derived from AI-powered solutions should be clear and explainable, avoiding “black box” decision-making where employees can’t understand or validate AI-generated recommendations. Additionally, businesses should invest in upskilling employees to work alongside AI, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to learn to leverage AI-driven tools effectively.

In summary

AI’s potential is undeniable, but businesses must cut through the hype and invest in strategic, value-driven AI solutions. Successful implementation requires aligning AI with clear business objectives, ensuring seamless data and workflow integration, and maintaining rigorous security standards.When evaluating vendors, it would be prudent to seek technology providers that develop AI to solve real business challenges, delivering practical, responsible and results-driven capabilities. The companies that will thrive are those that thoughtfully integrate AI into their operations to enhance decision-making, streamline operations, and drive measurable growth.

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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

Peacemaker season 2's official release date has been announcedThe hit DC Comics TV show was already confirmed to arrive this August10 seconds of new footage have been unveiled as part of a new HBO sizzle reel trailer

It's official: Peacemaker season 2 will finally make its Max debut on August 21, 2025.The incredibly popular comic book TV series, whose first season set records on HBO Max in mid-2022 before its rebranding to Max almost one year later, will arrive just over a month after James Gunn's Superman movie has flown into theaters.

Counting the days until Peace on Earth. I just finished the DI & Mix on the Season Premiere yesterday and wow it’s one of my favorite things ever. DC Studios’ #Peacemaker Season 2 coming soon only on @StreamOnMax August 21. pic.twitter.com/df3yOcCsdnApril 7, 2025

We already knew Peacemaker season 2 was due to arrive this August. And, taking to X/Twitter yesterday (April 6), Gunn, who co-runs DC Studios alongside Peter Safran confirmed the DC Universe (DCU) show's sophomore season would arrive in the latter part of that month.A new round of footage, which you can watch in the above tweet or via the Max sizzle reel trailer below, accompanied the season 2 launch date, too.While the latest shots from the DCU Chapter One project don't give away about its plot, they indicate we're in for another laugh-out-loud, action-packed entry in season 2 of The Suicide Squad TV spin-off.

Indeed, whether it's John Cena's titular character doing his best Frank Drebin impression by giving someone a thumbs up as carnage erupts behind him, what appears to be Frank Grillo's Rick Flag Sr leaping off a rooftop and crashing through a window, or Peacemaker finally being labeled a superhero (by one of his besties, to be fair), it seems we're in for another wild ride in one of the best Max shows' next chapter.Want to learn more about the hit HBO TV Original ahead of its return? Read our dedicated hub on Peacemaker season 2 or find out why Grillo's Flag Sr will be "on a mission" for justice in Peacemaker's second season.

A super summer for DC Comics fans

Don't forget to look up this July (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

After a slow start to life as the reboot of the polarizing DC Extended Universe, Gunn and Safran's DCU will finally kick into gear in a span of just six short weeks in mid-2025.Until now, only one DCU project – the first season of adult animated show Creature Commandos – has actually been released. Even then, it's only seen the light of day in specific countries where Max is available. For instance, while it launched in the US in December 2024, UK and Australian viewers are still waiting for it to land on their shores.Thankfully, DC Comics' global fanbase will be spoiled this summer (or winter, for southern hemisphere dwellers) with two projects that are part of DCU Chapter One, otherwise known as 'Gods and Monsters'.As I mentioned, Superman's latest big-screen revival will take flight first, with one of 2025's most anticipated new movies launching globally on July 11. Just over a month later, Peacemaker's sophomore outing will be released on Max (US and Australia) and Sky/Now TV (UK). I, for one, am hoping the long wait for new projects set in the DCU will be worth it.

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I’m a longtime lover of pen and paper, so E Ink tablets have been intriguing to me ever since they started becoming more widely available. After having hundreds of half-filled notebooks over the years, I, at some point, turned to digital tools instead because it was just easier to store everything on my phone or laptop so I always had my most important information at my fingertips.E Ink tablets seem to provide the best of both worlds: the tactile satisfaction of regular notebooks with many of the conveniences found in digital tools, plus easy-on-the-eyes E Ink screens. These devices have come a long way in recent years — now you can find them in multiple sizes, some have color E Ink screens and others double as full-blow ereaders with access to ebook stores and your local library’s offerings. I’ve tested out close to a dozen E Ink tablets over the past year or two to see how well they work, how convenient they really are and which are the best tablets using E Ink screens available today.

Table of contents

Best E Ink tablets for 2025

Are E Ink tablets worth it?

What to look for in an E Ink tablet

Other E Ink tablets we've tested

Best E Ink tablets for 2025

Are E Ink tablets worth it?

An E Ink tablet will be a worthwhile purchase to a very select group of people. If you prefer the look and feel of an e paper display to LCD panels found on traditional tablets, it makes a lot of sense. They’re also good options for those who want a more paper-like writing experience (although you can get that kind of functionality on a regular tablet with the right screen protector) or a more distraction-free device overall.

The final note is key here. Most E Ink tablets don’t run on the same operating systems as regular tablets, so you’re automatically going to be limited in what you can do. And even with those that do allow you to download traditional apps like Chrome, Instagram and Facebook, E Ink tablets are not designed to give you the best casual-browsing experience. This is mostly due to the nature of E Ink displays, which have noticeable refreshes, a lack of color and lower quality than the panels you’ll find on even the cheapest iPad.

Arguably the biggest reason why you wouldn’t want to go with an iPad (all models of which support stylus input, a plethora of reading apps, etc) is because it’s much easier to get distracted by email, social media and other Internet-related temptations. An e-reader is also worth considering if this is the case for you, but just know that most standard e-readers do not accept stylus input. If you like to make notes in the margins of books, underline and mark up PDFs and the like, an e-reader won’t cut it.

What to look for in an E Ink tablet

Latency

I discovered four main things that can really make or break your experience with an E Ink tablet during my testing; first is the writing experience. How good it is will depend a lot on the display’s refresh rate (does it refresh after every time you put pen to “paper,” so to speak?) and the stylus’ latency. Most had little to no latency, but there were some that were worse than others. Finally, you should double check before buying that your preferred E Ink tablet comes with a stylus.

Reading

The second thing to consider is the reading experience. How much will you be reading books, documents and other things on this tablet? While you can find E Ink tablets in all different sizes, most of them tend to be larger than your standard e-reader because it makes writing much easier. Having a larger display isn’t a bad thing, but it might make holding it for long periods slightly more uncomfortable. (Most e-readers are roughly the size of a paperback book, giving you a similar feeling to analog reading).

The supported file types will also make a big difference. It’s hard to make a blanket statement here because this varies so much among E Ink tablets. The TL;DR is that you’ll have a much better reading experience if you go with one made by a company that already has a history in e-book sales (i.e. Amazon or Kobo). All of the titles you bought via the Kindle or Kobo store should automatically be available to you on your Kindle or Kobo E Ink tablet. And with Kindle titles, specifically, since they are protected by DRM, it’s not necessarily the best idea to try to bring those titles over to a third-party device. Unless the tablet supports reading apps like Amazon’s Kindle or the Kobo app, you’ll be limited to supported file types, like ePUB, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, PNG and others.

Search functionality

Third, most E Ink tablets have some search features, but they can vary widely between models. You’ll want to consider how important it is to you to be able to search through all your handwritten notes and markups. I noticed that Amazon’s and Kobo’s E Ink tablets made it easy to refer back to notes made in books and files because they automatically save on which pages you took notes, made highlights and more. Searching is less standardized on E Ink tablets that have different supported file types, but their features can be quite powerful in their own right. For example, a few devices I tested supported text search in handwritten notes along with handwriting recognition, the latter of which allows you to translate your scribbles into typed text.

Sharing and connectivity

The final factor to consider is sharing and connectivity. Yes, we established that E Ink tablets can be great distraction-free devices, but most manufacturers understand that your notes and doodles aren’t created in a vacuum. You’ll likely want to access them elsewhere, and that requires some form of connectivity. All of the E Ink tablets I tried were Wi-Fi devices, and some supported cloud syncing, companion mobile apps and the ability to export notes via email so you can access them elsewhere. None of them, however, integrate directly with a digital note taking system like Evernote or OneNote, so these devices will always be somewhat supplementary if you use apps like that, too. Ultimately, you should think about what you will want to do with the documents you’ll interact with on your E Ink tablet after the tablet portion is done.

Other E Ink tablets we've tested

Lenovo Smart Paper

Lenovo made a solid E Ink tablet in the Smart Paper, but it's too pricey and too married to the company's companion cloud service to warrant a spot on our top picks list. The hardware is great, but the software isn't as flexible as those of competitors like the reMarkable 2. It has good Google Drive integration, but you must pair it with Lenovo's cloud service to really get the most use out of it — and in the UK, the service costs £9 per month for three months, which is quite expensive.

Onyx Boox Tab Ultra

The Boox Tab Ultra has a lot of the same features we like in the Note Air 2 Plus, but it’s designed to be a true, all-purpose tablet with an E Ink screen. Running Android 11 and compatible with a magnetic keyboard case, you can use it like a standard 2-in-1 laptop, albeit a low-powered one. You can browse the web, check email and even watch YouTube videos on this thing — but that doesn’t mean you should. A standard 2-in-1 laptop with a more responsive screen and better overall performance would be a better fit for most people who even have the slightest desire to have an all-in-one device. Like the rest of Onyx’s devices, the Tab Ultra is specifically for those who put reading and eye comfort above all else.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/best-e-ink-tablet-130037939.html?src=rss

PagerDuty study claims 73% of UK businesses have “fully” integrated GenAI already55% plan to adopt agentic AI at an “accelerated pace”, report saysEarly adopters are more likely to continue

Three in four (73%) UK businesses have “fully” integrated generative AI tools into their companies as they move from experimentation to implementation, putting the nation ahead of the global average of 63%.New research from PagerDuty claims Australia also leads the way with 69% full integration, while Japan and its infamously aging population lags at just 44%.Real-world use cases are also evolving, with 94% of companies now expecting to adopt agentic AI faster than generative AI as they seek the productivity-enhancing benefits of autonomy.

UK businesses are leading on the AI front

Although the figures suggest that interest in agentic AI could be higher, it’s also plausible that companies have learned from their slow and cautious approach to AI in its early stages.In 2023, a year after ChatGPT had launched in public preview, only 33% of businesses reported at least one business function for GenAI. A year later, in July 2024, this had risen to 71%.More than half (55%) of the 1,000 IT and business executives surveyed by PagerDuty confirmed they will integrate AI agents “at an accelerated pace.”Half (51%) have already deployed AI agents, with 35% planning to do so within the next two years. Only 3% have no definitive timelines for agentic AI deployment.Interestingly, the study reveals that 44% were concerned about their rushed GenAI adoption – a mistake leaders hope not to make again.Leaders have also learned to assess cost control (40%), improve employee training (37%) and strengthen data infrastructure (37%) as they deepen their relationships with artificial intelligence.“Companies that successfully integrate agentic AI into their operations can expect increased efficiency gains by automating complexity and accelerating decision-making,” PagerDuty CIO Eric Johnson summarized.Looking ahead, the report suggests that 71% of companies that have fully implemented generative AI are “far more likely” to have already deployed agentic AI, demonstrating the power of making that first move.

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JMGO N1S 4K is a new portable 4K laser projector1,100 lumens, and up to 200 inches at a 1.2:1 throw ratio$1,299 / about £1,005 / AU$2,155

If you're in the market for one of the best portable projectors, one of the most tempting models is the LG Cinebeam Q with its 120-inch, 4K projection and $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,499 price tag at launch (now largely available under £1,000/$1,000). But it's just got some serious competition in the form of the similarly priced JMGO N1S 4K.Like the LG, it produces big images from a small footprint. But it's capable of projecting 4K at up to 200 inches compared to the LG's 120 inches. Okay, that's not quite the double we mentioned in the headline, but it's close enough – it's a lot of inches for a compact beamer.

(Image credit: JMGO)

JMGO N1S 4K: key features and price

This is a portable player measuring just 7.3 x 6.5 x 7.5 inches (18.5 x 16.5 x 19.1 cm), but there's no battery so you'll need to find somewhere to plug it in. Because it doesn't need to worry about battery life, it's impressively bright, putting out a claimed 1,100 ISO lumens – the LG Cinebeam Q, for comparison, is 500 ANSI lumens.You might notice there's a difference there – ISO lumens versus ANSI lumens. But a rating in ISO lumens is generally brighter than ANSI lumens, so actually the difference appears (on paper) to be even wider than it first looks.The sound system is decent given the small size of the devices, cramming in 10W speakers and a small bass unit, and the N1S is compatible with both Dolby Audio and DTS-HD.You can adjust the projection angle up to 127 degrees using the stand that doubles as a handle, and there's promised 110% coverage of BT.2020 color, a 1,600:1 full on/full off contrast ratio, and HDR10.There's MEMC motion smoothing, an HDMI 2.1 port with eARC, and it runs Google TV with support for both Google Assistant and Google Cast. For gamers there's 1080p 60Hz support with a reasonable 17ms input lag.Officially the N1S 4K will retail at $1,299 in the US and €1,399 in the EU (roughly £1,006 / AU$2,155). But at the moment it's being discounted heavily for US users with a price of just $999. It's unclear whether that's a permanent price adjustment or just a limited-time offer.

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The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max apparently won't have a two-tone designBut the camera block will supposedly be changedOverall, these phones apparently won’t have a “particularly bold new look”

We’ve been hearing for a while now that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max may look substantially different to their predecessors, with completely changed camera designs, two-tone appearances, and possibly even a smaller Dynamic Island cut-out. Now though, a reputable source has suggested some of that won’t be happening.Apple watcher Mark Gurman has said in his latest newsletter for Bloomberg (via 9to5Mac) that the iPhone 17 Pro series won’t have a “particularly bold new look”, with the front said to appear “quite similar” to the iPhone 16 Pro.That might mean talk of a smaller Dynamic Island cut-out is wrong, though Gurman doesn’t specify exactly what if anything will change on the front.

A leaked image of the iPhone 17 Pro (Image credit: Front Page Tech / @asherdipps‬)

Meaningful changes to the camera design

He does say that the camera on the back will look “meaningfully different”, so that suggests the images we’ve seen showing a large, Pixel-like camera block could be accurate.However, some of these also show a two-tone design, with a black camera block on an otherwise silver or gray iPhone, and this apparently won’t be happening, with Gurman saying the camera block will be the same color as the rest of the phone.As with any unofficial information we’d take all of this with a pinch of salt, especially as some of it is at odds with earlier rumors, but Gurman is about as good a source of Apple gossip as you’re going to get, so he may well be right.We’ll probably find out in September, as that’s when we’re expecting the iPhone 17 series to launch, but stay tuned to TechRadar in the meantime for all the leaks and rumors.

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Cybercriminal advertises stolen archive on an underground forumIt was confirmed to have come from car rental giant EuropcarThe company is now investigating and notifying the customers

Europcar has reportedly suffered a data breach in which it lost sensitive data on hundreds of thousands of customers.A threat actor with the alias 'Europcar' posted a new thread in an underground forum, claiming to have “successfully breached Europcar’s systems and obtained all their GitLab repositories”.As a result, the attacker took more than 9,000 SQL files from the repository, containing sensitive personal data, as well as at least 269 .ENV files, which are used to store configuration settings for apps, and more.

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Names and emails stolen

The company later confirmed the breach to BleepingComputer, saying it is assessing the damage and notifying affected individuals. It also said that it is not true that its entire repository was compromised - a small part of the source code was not stolen, apparently.We don’t know exactly what kind of information the hacker stole, but initial reports mention names and email addresses of Goldcar and Ubeeqo users, generated between 2017 and 2020. Payment information was not exposed, however.The publication also reported that the threat actor wanted to extort the company, but did not clarify if Europcar paid the ransom demand or not. It seems it didn’t.The information is currently ongoing and it's not known exactly how the hackers compromised Europcar’s GitHub account. They could have stolen the credentials via phishing, infostealer malware, or with brute force. The first two options are more viable.GitHub, being one of the world’s most popular open source code repositories, is a major target for cybercriminals.Oftentimes, they would spoof popular repositories and infect them with infostealers, tricking developers into downloading the wrong package and compromising their infrastructure. Developers are urged to be careful, to always double-check repository names, to read through the reviews and the comments.Via BleepingComputer

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Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games may be a combination of Switch 1 cartridges and a download codeThis comes from a Nintendo UK support representativeNothing on this front has been outright confirmed by Nintendo yet

Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom may have a bit of a nasty catch as the physical versions could potentially just be original Switch cartridges with a download code attached.Reportedly, a Nintendo UK representative had sent out an email stating that: "Yes, we can confirm that the upgrades will be download codes." The response was shared to X / Twitter by the 'Does it play?' account (via Eurogamer).Another popular X / Twitter user, Wario64, chimed in with their take, pointing out that customer support reps aren't always the pinnacle of accuracy. Wario64 adds that there is no indication on Nintendo Switch 2 Edition boxes that a download is required at all.

But that's not the full story

In any case, there seems to be some mixed messaging going on. Physical Nintendo Switch 2 Edition boxes state: "This Nintendo Switch 2 Edition comprises the Nintendo Switch game and the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack."'Comprises' is the keyword there, implying that the upgrade might come on the cartridge itself as opposed to a separate code, which doesn't quite line up with what the above Nintendo UK rep had implied.Nintendo's support website provides more details, describing Switch 2's cartridges as 'Game-Key cards': "Game-key cards are different from regular game cards, because they don’t contain the full game data," it reads. "Instead, the game-key card is your 'key' to downloading the full game to your system via the internet."It adds that an internet connection will be required when launching the game for the first time, but can be played offline any time after that on your console. It does remain to be seen, though, if Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games specifically will follow this logic.In any case, you can read our Nintendo Switch 2 hands-on - as well as our Mario Kart World impressions - to see if the console is right for you. Unfortunately, Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders in the US have been delayed amidst tariff uncertainty.

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Trying to get a hold of a Fujifilm X100VI? You're not alone. This much-hyped compact fixed-lens camera is easily one of the most successful camera launches we've seen for a long time, with demand massively outstripping supply.It's been almost one full year since release, and unsurprisingly - most retailers still have this camera on backorder. We've seen brief glimmers of hope over the past few weeks, however, with actual in-stock cameras cropping up at major retailers in the UK. Over in the US, all signs are pointing to reduced wait times, too.I've outlined the best retailers to check out just below - which includes both regions that I've just mentioned. It's worth checking each retailer as this page is I sometimes don't have this page updated in time for the new stock drops - and you never know, right? I've also included what I think is the best route for securing a camera in the US just below - as well as a few alternative models that we've personally reviewed here at TechRadar if you don't want to wait it out.From our ongoing research, it seems that most of the people who were lucky enough to preorder a camera back in February 2024 have now received a camera. There may be a few exceptions where this isn't the case, however, which proves just how popular this camera is right now.The Fujifilm X100VI retails for $1,599 / £1,599 at all retailers right now, which we don't expect will change for a long, long time due to this camera's popularity. If you're interested in a full run-down of the camera, check out our recently published Fujifilm X100VI review for our detailed thoughts.

Where to buy the Fujifilm X100VI

Current Fujifilm X100VI retailersUS retailersAmazon: check stockAdorama: $1,599B&H Photo: $1,599Best Buy: check stockMoment: $1,599UK retailersJessops: £1,599Wex Video Photo: £1,599Park Cameras: £1,599Wilkinson Cameras: £1,599Camarthen Cameras: £1,599

Current delivery estimates

The Fujifiln X100VI is over one year old now, but unfortunately, the stock situation in the US has only improved slightly. No retailers are officially posting delivery dates or stock updates on their sites, and it's likely you'll still face a multi-month waitlist if you decide to place an order now. There is one retailer you can try, however, which is Best Buy - which I've covered in its own section just down below.If you're in the UK, then you'll likely have much more luck trying to track a camera down. Nearly every major UK retailer is accepting preorders right now and Jessops is even listing delivery estimates on its site. Right now, it looks like the earliest delivery dates are set for late April, which isn't long to wait considering stock levels in the last year.

Pro tip: people have had luck at Best Buy

Head on over to Best Buy if you're in the USOpen a live chat with a sales representativeAsk a sales rep to search for local stockTry both Silver and Black colorsAlternatively, ask the rep to sign you up for notificationsHas this tip worked? Feel free to comment on this page!

If you're stuck in the US, there is one trick you can try, however. This is one thing that I've been keeping an eye on over at the official Fujifilm sub-Reddit and it seems that an increasing number of people are having luck with this method.The steps here involve using Best Buy's 'Shop with an Expert' feature to directly contact a sales representative. While you'll have to jump through a few hoops here, a sales rep can help you track down stock at the various Best Buy branches and potentially set you up with an invoice.Note that you may have to keep trying this method over several days to secure a camera but it's worth trying in my opinion. Unless you're dead-set on a particular color, I'd also recommend inquiring about both Silver and Black as several Redditors have reported that widening your search can help you get your hands on an X100VI.

Be aware: X100VI scalpers are active

(Image credit: Ebay)

The Fujifilm X100VI has been surfacing on eBay as well as other auction sites recently for well over the launch price - up to $5,000 if you can believe. Take note, several well-known (and usually reputable) camera trading sites also have stock for marked-up prices, which is kind of a bummer to be honest. While not quite as bad as the prices on eBay, I'd definitely recommend holding off buying from one of these sites - even if you're desperate.For example, if you happen to have $5,000 lying around to spend on a camera then there are amazing options from other brands, including some of the best compact cameras money can buy (hint: Leica Q3). We're also huge fans of Fujifilm's other cameras here at TechRadar - several of which offer specs that are just as good as the Fujifilm X100VI if you don't mind opting for something less compact.

Fujifilm X100VI: buying advice

What else can you do? Here's our advice

1. Call around at local retailersThis is a tried-and-true tip that we've used previously to snag stock on in-demand tech like the PlayStation 5 and graphics cards in recent years. Often, local retailers have smaller wait lists for recent releases and sometimes, just sometimes, you'll even find in-stock items hiding in the backrooms. Conversely, these retailers also tend to receive less stock when products are shipped so it's often a fine line to tread when actually placing an order. It doesn't hurt to call around, however, and this tip also applies to larger stores that have local brands like Best Buy.2. Keep an eye on AmazonAmazon and to a lesser extent, Best Buy, tend to release stock for in-demand products on a semi-regular basis. Unlike most photo specialist stores - which are still operating on a first-come-first-serve preorder basis - these stock drops are for items that are fully in stock and ready to ship immediately. The issue is that there's usually no prior warning for these stock drops and they also tend to be available in extremely limited numbers. It's well worth adding an item to your wishlist and checking in regularly at Amazon if you're willing to wait it out, however.

(Image credit: Fujifilm)

Great alternative cameras1. Fujifilm X-T52. Fujifilm X-E43. Fujifilm X-T30 II4. Ricoh GR III6. Leica Q37. Nikon ZF

3. Check out other camerasThe X100VI is undoubtedly the camera of the moment (and for good reason) but there are fantastic alternative cameras to consider if you don't want to wait. I recently wrote a piece on seven excellent alternatives to the Fujifilm X100VI that's well worth reading if you want a detailed run-down of a few other options, but I'll also summarize here.If you want a high-performance alternative to the X100VI, you could opt for the Fujifilm X-T5. This flagship interchangeable lens body features many of the same bones as the X100VI under the hood - like the 40.2MP APS-C sensor, image stabilization, and the latest subject-tracking autofocus. The downside? It's a little pricey at $1,699 / £1,449 - and you'll obviously have to buy your desired lens separately. It also doesn't have the fancy hybrid optical viewfinder that's unique to the X100 series, so you'll arguably not get that same old-school feel. Image-wise, however, the cameras are identical, and we're big fans of the X-T5 at TechRadar (see our Fujifilm X-T5 review for more details).

For a cheaper Fuji alternative, you could consider either the Fujifilm X-E4 or Fujifilm X-T30 II - both of which are smaller-styled interchangeable lens bodies. They're last-gen models now, and subsequently only feature 26MP sensors, but they can be found for under $1,000 if you shop around on the used market and they both feature most of the brand's film simulation presets. Unfortunately, due to popularity, Fuji cameras are really, really over-priced on the second-hand market right now.

Outside of Fuji, there are compelling options in the form of the Ricoh GR III and Leica Q3. The Ricoh in particular offers fantastic tac-sharp images in a superbly pocket-friendly and affordable package. The Leica Q3 in comparison runs at an eye-watering premium but does offer the epitome of outright image quality thanks to its lavish 60MP full-frame sensor and Summilux 28mm f/1.7 lens. Another fantastic full-frame option to consider is the retro-styled Nikon Zf - a recent addition to the brand's line-up and one that's been extremely well-received. If you're interested, check out our Ricoh GR III review, our Leica Q3 review, and Nikon Zf review for more details.

Android 16 preps a new cloud compilation featureIt offloads some app install tasks to the cloudSlower phones could see the biggest speed improvements

It feels like there are never enough hours in the day, but you might be able to claim back a few minutes of your time when Android 16 rolls out later this year – if a newly-discovered feature makes it into the final version of the mobile operating system.The team over at Android Authority has been digging into the latest code updates for Android 16, which is currently in beta, and there are signs of a feature called cloud compilation that could potentially speed up app installs.Cloud compilation is a little technical, but it essentially offloads some of the app install work to the cloud – as its name suggests. On the fastest flagship phones, there's virtually no speed benefit, but there can be on older phones or budget handsets.If you want the finer details, cloud compilation bypasses a local tool called dex2oat, which handles pieces of app code known as application artifacts. On phones with slower storage or processors, this can take some time, especially for larger apps and games.

Here's what's coming

The Pixel 9 will be one of the first phones in line for Android 16 (Image credit: Peter Hoffmann)

As noted by Android Authority, the feature isn't actually in use yet, though it should be soon for beta testers. It also seems likely that it'll be included in the final release of Android 16, though it may be an opt-in feature for users.We know that Google wants to get Android 16 out earlier in the year than Android 15, so that it's ready to go when the Pixel 10 phones make an appearance. According to rumors, Android 16 will make its official debut on Tuesday June 3, 2025.And thanks to the months of beta testing that Android 16 has already been through, we know some of the changes that are on the way – including improvements to notification alerts, health data upgrades, and built-in device security.We should see better privacy controls and a new Audio Sharing feature too (powered by Bluetooth Auracast). We also like the sound of the tweaks that are apparently on the way to help you unlock your phone more quickly.

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US GSA has decommissioned 14,000 tapes and an unknown amount of tape drivesThe data was moved to a new, unknown media platform that appears to have WORM capabilitiesUS GSA claims to save $1M per year (or about $70 per year per tape).

The US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) boasting the IT team of the US Gerneral Services Administration (GSA) “just saved $1M per year by converting 14,000 magnetic tapes (70 yr old technology for information storage) to permanent modern digital records.”The comment doesn’t include any context as to what tape technology was used (reel-to-reel or cartridge), how long it took to transfer the data from the tapes and what the new storage technology replacing the tape is.The word “permanent” leads us to believe that it is a “Write Once, Read Many” solution (WORM) where once written, the data cannot be modified.In addition, the allusion to how old the technology (70 years old) leaves us to guess whether the actual platform being replaced is 70 years old (very unlikely) or whether the technology it is based on, is 70 years old.(ed: As a reminder, the first hard drive launched in 1956 and the first NAND (the basic component of the SSD) appeared in 1987).Using old technology in itself makes perfect sense in many mission critical situations: after all, why change something that’s not broken?The US Strategic Automated Command and Control System or SACCS, which is the US nuclear force’s internal communication system only got rid of 8-inch floppy disk drives in 2019, because it worked very well till then.And 65-year old programming language COBOL is still used by thousands of major organizations worldwide and at the last count, was handling $3 trillion dollars worth of transactions every single day (or more than $1 quadrillion dollars per year).

So does tape have a future in 2025?

You bet! Tape is still very much relevant to this day to large organizations and hyperscalers. It may have all but disappeared from the consumer market but it is the only media that has proven longevity at scale.Linear Tape-Open (LTO) is the main format on the market and is backed by tech giants such as Fuji, Sony, HPE and IBM, so hardly a platform that will vanish overnight.The LTO organisation, which oversees LTO, has published a roadmap for the next 15 years with the expectation that tape capacity will rise from a native capacity of 18TB to up to 576TB, a 32x increase.Pipedream? Well, IBM and Fujifilm demoed a tape prototype with a capacity of 580TB back in … December 2020. So chances that a 576TB tape will launch when market conditions dictate it, are very high.Other than its reliability, tape is also far cheaper than any other media, doesn’t consume power and can be airgapped for enhanced protection against ransomware attacks.You can also physically make it WORM), which makes it read only and magnetic tapes are impervious to natural and man-made EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse).Forget about SSD (too expensive) and optical disks (limited shelf life), right now, there’s only one winner when it comes to data archiving, cold storage (or planning to store 25,000 movies) and that’s good ol’ tape.There are competitors on the horizon for tape though. Cerabyte, a startup backed by a CIA proxy and Pure Storage, is planning a 10PB cartridge that last for 5000 years. Microsoft has been working on Project Silica for almost 10 years now while DNA storage has the potential to upend the entire data storage market. Other candidates include 5D memory crystal, rare-earth crystal, fluo-ray discs,They are all unproven though and will take years before reaching go to market status. So despite tape being 70-year old, it is a septuagenerian that is alive and kicking ass, powering 30PB libraries and very much looking forward to turning 100.TechRadar Pro has contacted five organizations that have major interest in digital tape technologies for comment.

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Industry analysts have reacted to the decision to delay Nintendo Switch 2 pre-ordersSome predict an increased Nintendo Switch 2 price in the US as a result of tariffsOthers believe that Nintendo will try to stick to that announced $449.99 / £395.99 price

We now know that Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders will not begin on April 9 as planned, with the company citing "the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions" in a statement provided to TechRadar Gaming.This unprecedented move follows a tough week for Nintendo gamers, with many still reeling from the announcement of a $449.99 / £395.99 retail price for the Nintendo Switch 2. Paired with a slate of launch games that cost up to $79.99 / £74.99 each, it's clear that the next Nintendo console will buck the trend of more affordable systems from the manufacturer.The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the US video game industry trade association, and numerous industry analysts have already predicted that the introduction of these sweeping tariffs could impact hardware and software prices, but Nintendo's response is currently up in the air."It is very difficult to predict, but Nintendo will likely take a few days to run simulations and then announce [price] hikes," explained Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of video game consultancy firm Kantan Games, speaking to IGN."I hope I am wrong, but if sustained these sky-high tariffs leave them no choice," he added. He went on to say that he wouldn't be surprised if the base model of Nintendo Switch 2 hit the $500 mark and questioned why Nintendo chose to announce a price given such uncertain market conditions.Mat Piscatella, executive director of games at market research firm Circana, provided a potential explanation for this. He argued that "the breadth and depth of the tariffs surprised everyone, not just consumers" and that the announce tariffs were likely substantially higher than Nintendo was anticipating.“Some territories and regions globally have historically been subject to higher pricing than other parts of the world when it comes to video games," he said. "The US could certainly be joining that group because of these tariffs."Not everyone shares the same view that price rises on the cards, however. Games industry researcher Joost van Dreunen believed that the Nintendo Switch 2 price would have already been calculated with volatile tariffs in mind."Historically, Nintendo has aimed for a launch price around the $400 mark, adjusted for inflation, suggesting that the current price already reflects an anticipation of potential economic challenges," he continued.Although he acknowledged that the situation is "unpredictable" he expects that "Nintendo will strive to maintain the $449.99 price point" until economic pressures make it impossible to do so.This sentiment was echoed by Piers Harding-Rolls, head of games research at market research firm Ampere Analysis, who highlighted the risk of consumer backlash in the face of potential price rises."I have already suggested that the pricing would stay as announced until 2026 at the earliest but then might be adjusted if the tariffs stay in place," he explained. "This delay in pre-orders is to give the company more time and it will be hoping some sort of solution will be found over the next few weeks.""If the pricing does change, it will impact the brand and the US consumer’s view of the product at launch. I don’t think that will put off loyal fans, but it might put off broader consumers who will take a 'wait and see' approach. That’s particularly important during its first holiday season."

Should you brace for a $500+ Nintendo Switch 2?

(Image credit: Nintendo / Future)

Personally, I'm shocked that Nintendo committed to a retail price this early on in the US.In the build up to the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, I was convinced that there would be no mention of a price at all on the US version of the stream, with more information to follow a lot closer to the release date.While there was no mention of the price on the stream itself, it was subsequently confirmed on the Nintendo website - which suggests to me that it was being tweaked and adjusted up until the very last minute.We know that Nintendo already moved its manufacturing chain from China to Vietnam and Cambodia in an attempt to avoid tariffs, though the two regions will apparently be subject to 46% and 49% tariffs respectively.That latter figure is the highest among all countries, which is undoubtedly a nightmare situation for Nintendo. I'm sure that some level of tariffs was factored into the US recommended retail price, likely 10-15% as many economists were predicting, so I don't see how it will be possible to maintain that price point in the face of this.The decision to delay pre-orders indicates to me that Nintendo is taking the Nintendo Switch 2 price back to the drawing board. While the company is likely hoping for a resolution before the June 5 launch, if the tariffs are kept in place I would not be surprised in the slightest if the Nintendo Switch 2 hits shelves at somewhere between $500-600.

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An AI-generated version of Quake II is available to tryCreated by Microsoft's Muse AI, the tech demo is playable in browserQuake II is one of the best video game shooters of all time

Have you ever played an AI-generated video game? If not, now's your chance, as Microsoft has created a playable AI version of Quake II using Copilot.Quake II, one of the best shooters of all time, was released in 1997 and was developed by id Software, creators of Doom.The AI-generated version of Quake is running on Microsoft's Muse AI model which can generate gameplay from prompts and is fully playable in a web browser.While the gameplay is pretty laggy and not going to be anywhere near as good as playing Quake II on original hardware, it's insanely impressive to see AI's game development capabilities.The game runs at 640 x 360 and I'd estimate the frame rate is at around 15fps. I did find that the frame rate fluctuated depending on each playthrough, and while one attempt was very laggy, another was almost passable.I did notice, however, that enemies were incredibly blurry, causing the horror element of the game to largely lose its intended effect.Microsoft is limiting the amount of time you can play Quake II via Muse AI, so don't expect to finish the whole game with this tech demo.

Play AI-generated Quake II in your web browser

(Image credit: Future)

To play Quake II in your web browser, simply head to the Copilot Gaming Experience website.From there, you'll need to confirm you're over the age of 18, and then Quake II will load. I've tested the game in Firefox and Chrome and found the results to be of a similar nature.Controller input is shown to the left of the game, and when you reach your allotted time limit for gameplay, you can simply start a new game.While I don't think anyone is going to get a great gaming experience out of this tech demo, it's so cool and nostalgic that it's worth testing out.This isn't the first time we've seen AI recreate iconic video games. Last year, Google's AI gaming engine, GameNGen, recreated DOOM in real time.I wonder what's next for AI game development. Maybe we'll see the recreation of Pokemon Red or Blue next, although I doubt Nintendo would be happy about that...

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The White House has blamed an iPhone feature for the Signalgate fiascoThis saw a journalist mistakenly added to a military planning group chatThe "contact suggestion update" feature in question can be disabled

By now, you’ve probably heard of 'Signalgate', where President Trump’s national security advisor accidentally included a journalist in a confidential wartime planning group chat on the Signal messaging app. Well, now it seems a key iPhone feature may have figured prominently in the whole mess, according to the White House at least.According to The Guardian, the White House now says the iPhone's "contact suggestion update" feature contributed to the wrong number (The Atlantic journalist) being added to an existing contact card for a different person (Trump spokesperson Brian Hughes).To explain how this happened, we have to go into the weeds of their correspondence. It started when the journalist in question – Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic – emailed the Trump campaign in late 2024 to get its response to a story the outlet was due to run. Goldberg’s email was forwarded to then-Trump spokesperson Brian Hughes, who copied and pasted the message – including its signature, which contained Goldberg’s phone number – and emailed it to Trump's national security advisor, Mike Waltz.At some point after that, Waltz’s iPhone automatically found the phone number in Hughes’s email to Waltz and suggested it as a new number for Hughes – not for Goldberg, the person with whom it was actually associated. This presumably happened because the number was included in an email from Hughes, which the iPhone took to mean the number belonged to him.When the military planning group was created in the Signal app, Waltz intended to invite Hughes, but accidentally invited Goldberg instead, whose number was now saved under Hughes’s name in Waltz’s iPhone. And thus, the Trump campaign managed to brief a member of the press on highly confidential military operations before they had even begun.

How to avoid this mistake yourself

(Image credit: Apple)

The iPhone feature in question can be useful. For instance, if a friend gets a new number and includes this in an email they send to you, your iPhone can suggest the new number to you without you needing to look out for it in the first place. That can help keep your contacts book up to date.But evidently, the feature can sometimes get things wrong. If you want to disable it, open the Settings app on your iPhone and go to Apps > Contacts > Apple Intelligence & Siri.From here, disable the toggle next to Show Contact Suggestions. This will prevent your iPhone from automatically suggesting new phone numbers, emails and addresses for your contacts.For particularly sensitive contacts (say, such as people you want to add to a secret military planning group), you should manually check that their details are correct and up-to-date because, as we’ve seen, technology can sometimes get it wrong.

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The Apple Watch Series 11 is set to be unveiled in September alongside the iPhone 17, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and new Apple Watch SE 3.According to the best information we have, Apple will stick to its annual Series release cycle, meaning the Series 11 is just a few months away. With a new Ultra also expected, the Series 11 might not take the crown for best smartwatch this year, but with rumors of a new blood pressure monitoring feature, it's sure to be a big upgrade regardless.In the meantime, Apple should debut watchOS 12 at WWDC 2025 in June, replete with some features we might be able to enjoy on the new device later this year.Here's everything we know so far.

Cut to the chase

What is it? The 2025 Apple WatchWhen is it out? Almost definitely September 2025How much will it cost? Probably around $399 / £399 / AU$649

Apple Watch Series 11: Release date predictions and pricing

The Apple Watch Series 10 launched in September 2024 (Image credit: Apple)

A September 2025 launch is almost certainIt's likely to cost $399 / £399 / AU$649 and up

We haven't heard much about a potential release date or price for the Apple Watch Series 11 as yet, but do get some clues from the current model: check out our Apple Watch Series 10 review for details. In fact, Apple Watches are usually quite predictable in terms of release date and pricing.Every single Apple Watch except for the very first one has been unveiled in September, so you don't need to apply too much detective work to figure out that the Apple Watch Series 11 is going to break cover in September 2025 – it would be a big surprise if it didn't. Look out for the iPhone 17 appearing at the same time as well.That's backed up by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a reliable tipster, who says we can expect the Apple Watch Series 11 in the second half of 2025. It looks like it's going to be a big year for Apple Watches, with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and the Apple Watch SE 3 also expected.Pricing for the Apple Watch Series 11 is less easy to predict. The Apple Watch Series 10 launched in 2024 matched the starting prices of the Apple Watch Series 9 launched in 2023, which in turn was very similar to what we had to pay for the Apple Watch Series 8 launched in 2022 (depending on where in the world it was sold).Apple is clearly keen to keep the pricing steady, so something around $399 / £399 / AU$649 for the 42 mm size and $429 / £429 / AU$699 for the 46 mm size seems likely. As usual, LTE connectivity will cost you extra, and different casings and different straps will change the price you pay too.

Apple Watch Series 11: Leaks and rumors

Improved sensors are always a possibility (Image credit: Future)

A faster processor is likelywatchOS 12 will be on board

We're still waiting for the Apple Watch Series 11 leaks and rumors to start in earnest, and perhaps that says something in itself: the annual Apple Watch upgrades aren't usually huge, and so it might be a case of another iterative update this time around (in which case we'd certainly hope the price doesn't go up).That said, the long-rumored blood pressure monitoring feature could well make an appearance on the Apple Watch Series 11, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. This is likely to work like the existing sleep apnea detection, where you get alerts about elevated readings rather than round-the-clock measurements.More advanced health sensors – for glucose monitoring, for example – are also in the works but are still years away, according to the latest reports. Meanwhile, Apple remains deeply entangled in a legal case relating to blood oxygen readings, so it doesn't look as though that particular feature is going to make a comeback anytime soon.Bear in mind that the Apple Watch 10 got a bigger screen and slightly larger and thinner cases in 2024, making it even less likely that the design is going to be changed for 2025. What's more likely are a handful of new color, casing, and strap options, just to distinguish the new model from the old one.We've actually heard that the Apple Watch SE 3 will be getting a redesign this year, while the Apple Watch Series 11 and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 won't.An upgrade on the inside of the Apple Watch Series 11 seems probable at this stage: Apple always bumps up the processor with each new smartwatch model, so we could well get a new Apple S11 chipset to go alongside the new Apple Watch Series 11. Let's hope that means improved performance and more efficient power use at the same time.However, while the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is rumored to be getting satellite connectivity and 5G support, we don't think these features are going to appear on the Apple Watch Series 11.Something else that's almost definite but not quite confirmed is that the new Apple Watch Series 11 is going to come running watchOS 12, following on from the watchOS 11 software that launched with the Apple Watch 10. Apple has now confirmed that WWDC 2025 will take place on June 9.Also on the software side, we've heard that an AI health coach app is on the way, which would presumably leverage some AI smarts to give you personalized insights into your fitness data, as well as advice on which workouts to try next.

Apple Watch Series 11: What we want to see

The Apple Watch 10 can be improved upon (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

While we were big fans of the Apple Watch 10, that doesn't mean there's no room for improvement with a new model for 2025. While it's probably too late in the development stage for us to have any sway over Apple's engineers at this stage, nevertheless we'd like to put forward the improvements we want to see with the new wearable.

1. Smart uses of AI

AI is everywhere these days, in case you hadn't noticed, and when it comes to Apple devices that means Apple Intelligence. So far, Apple Intelligence hasn't expanded its reach to the Apple Watch, so we're hoping that changes with the 11th-gen model – assuming Apple puts some thought into the features that would actually be useful on a wrist.

2. More customization options

Each new Apple Watch always comes with a selection of new watch faces of course, but we think Apple can do more in terms of the customization options on watchOS – it's an area where other watches have the edge. With iOS 18 there are now more customization tweaks available on the iPhone than ever before, so let's hope the Apple Watch follows that trend.

3. Improved health sensors

Rumors have been swirling for years about health sensors and functions that Apple could potentially add to its smartwatch range, from sensors in the straps to glucose monitoring. While major upgrades still seem to be several years off, based on reports, we're still hopeful that we might see one or two new health tracking features on the Apple Watch Series 11.

4. Better battery life

Now stop us if you've heard this one before, but we'd like to see better battery life on the Apple Watch Series 11 – because of course we would. During our testing of the Apple Watch 10, we were getting about a day between charges, which isn't great compared to a lot of Apple Watch competitors (especially if you want to use the smartwatch to track your sleep).

5. Better band attachments

It's not the most noticeable of features, but we've often found the Apple Watch band attachment mechanism to be a bit too fiddly. Samsung has worked out how to make a smooth and stress-free attachment system, so it can be done – and it would definitely make life easier for those who like to swap out their bands on a regular basis.

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The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra might have the same 200MP sensor as its predecessor, but with a new lensThe phone will also apparently once again lack a magnetic ring for Qi2The S Pen and its slot will supposedly remain, but a subsequent model might lack an S Pen slot

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is still a long way off yet, but we’re starting to hear quite a few things about it, with the latest information shedding light on the possible camera, charging capabilities, and S Pen.All of this comes from tipster @PandaFlashPro (via NotebookCheck), who – in a series of posts on X – shared various details about the phone. According to them then, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will once again have a 200-megapixel main camera. In fact, it will apparently have exactly the same sensor, but with “updated pixels” and a new lens.So that should make for a small upgrade to the main camera, but probably no substantial changes.

Just received Second Prototype information, and that device also has the same Sensor size as HP2, meaning Samsung is trying to reuse HP2 again with just Updated Pixels and a New Lens. https://t.co/LKYpunmBRNApril 6, 2025

Yes to the S Pen, no to magnets

A lack of substantial changes is something of a theme for this series of leaks, as the same source also says that the S Pen and its dedicated slot will remain, which is perhaps unsurprising, but they note that future models may not have a slot for the stylus.And they also say that the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra won’t have a magnetic ring to use with Qi2 charging and magnetic accessories. This is the same situation as with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which allows you to use those features but only if you put the phone in a compatible case, with the magnets being built into the case rather than the phone.With the possible exception of ditching the S Pen slot in a future model, none of this sounds surprising. But we’d still take it with a pinch of salt, especially as the source doesn’t yet have much of a track record.And while the leaks above suggest not much is changing on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, some other aspects of it could be, with previous leaks pointing to a variable aperture camera, a bigger battery, and a massive performance jump.

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Slow Horses season 5: key information- Wrapped production last October- No official release date yet- Teaser revealed after season 4 finale- Main cast set to return- Plot to follow Mick Herron’s ‘London Rules’ novel- Filming already commenced for season 6- Potential Slough House spin-off in the works

Slow Horses season 5 is most certainly on the way. With filming wrapped on Apple TV+’s gritty spy thriller back in October, we're nearing ever closer — despite not having an actual release date, yet. But, while we wait for more action-packed scenes, gripping drama, and incredible acting, there's plenty to talk about when it comes to Jackson Lamb and his Slough House team's return.The fact that Slow Horses has so far managed to release a new season every year is a wildly impressive feat in today’s streaming landscape and they’re clearly not stopping anytime soon. Season 5 is on the way, and there's already talk of season 6 filming. Here’s everything we know about it so far, including release date prediction, trailer, possible plot, news, rumors and more. Potential spoilers follow for Slow Horses seasons 1 to 4.

Slow Horses season 5 release date prediction

‘SLOW HORSES’ season 5 has wrapped production.Season 4 aired its final episode last week. pic.twitter.com/pSao2Sx89uOctober 13, 2024

Apple TV+ renewed Slow Horses for a fifth season back in January 2024. And, in October, a X/Twitter post from FilmUpdates (see above) revealed season 5 had already wrapped production, just ten months after renewal.To back this up, during an interview with Collider in October 2024, showrunner Will Smith said: “We've nearly done Season 5. We've got a couple of days to finish off on it, but we're already into the edit, so it's coming. Don't worry, it's coming. Not as quick as you want, but it's coming.”When asked when it would be out, Smith replied: “I genuinely don't know the answer as to when it's gonna be out, but I can't imagine that Apple would want to leave it longer than a year since Season 4. So, the latest it would be out, I would say, would be the same slot next year.” And Apple certainly haven't left it longer than a year so far.One of the best Apple TV+ shows has demonstrated an impressive release schedule, dropping a season every year since 2022 – and season 1 and 2 even came out in the same year. So, given that season 5 has wrapped production and was reportedly in edit in October, we’d make a release date prediction of mid- to late 2025.

Slow Horses season 5 trailer: is there one?

The teaser trailer for Slow Horses season 5 isn't available on YouTube (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

In what appears to be establishing itself as a Slow Horses tradition, there was a season 5 teaser trailer shared at the end of the season 4 finale.In less than a minute, someone tries to kill Roddy, a terrorist plot threatens London, and once again, the police turn to Lamb to help them predict the next move.Plus, an unknown killing, although if Slow Horses’ history is anything to go by, it could be anyone – no cast member is safe. We’ll get into more about what the teaser trailer alludes to when it comes to plot below, and we'll update here as soon as we have a full trailer to share.

Slow Horses season 5 confirmed cast

Kristin Scott Thomas will reprise her role as Diana Taverner (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Full spoilers follow for Slow Horses season 4.

Given who we saw in the season 5 teaser, here’s the confirmed cast for Slow Horses season 5:

Gary Oldman as Jackson LambJack Lowden as River CartwrightKristin Scott Thomas as Diana TavernerSaskia Reeves as Catherine StandishChristopher Chung as Roddy HoAimee-Ffion Edwards as Shirley DanderRosaline Eleazar as Louisa GuyRuth Bradley as Emma FlyteJames Callis as Claude WhelanTom Brooke as J.K. CoeHugo Weaving as Frank HarknessJoanna Scanlan as Moira Tergorian

Though Hugo Weaving's character, Frank Harkness, was not seen in the trailer, Digital Spy confirmed his return back in November 2024, while also suggesting Joanna Scanlan (Moira Tregorian) is expected to reprise her role, too.With no sign of Jonathan Pryce (David Cartwright), Naomi Wirthner (Molly Doran), or Samuel West (Peter Judd) in the season 4 finale teaser and no mention elsewhere yet, we’re not sure if the'yll be reprising their roles.

Slow Horses season 5 potential plot synopsis and rumors

How much more complicated can things get for River? (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Major spoilers follow for Slow Horses seasons 1 through 4.

Slow Horses season 5 is confirmed to be an adaptation of Mick Herron’s ‘London Rules’ novel, the sequel to ‘Spook Street’ which acted as the basis for season 4.To get a strong look at the possible plot for season 5 then, here’s the book’s official synopsis: “Regent's Park's First Desk, Claude Whelan, is learning this the hard way."Tasked with protecting a beleaguered prime minister, he's facing attack from all directions himself: from the showboating MP who orchestrated the Brexit vote, and now has his sights set on Number Ten; from the showboat's wife, a tabloid columnist, who's crucifying Whelan in print; and especially from his own deputy, Lady Di Taverner, who's alert for Claude's every stumble. Meanwhile, the country's being rocked by an apparently random string of terror attacks, and someone's trying to kill Roddy Ho."Over at Slough House, the crew are struggling with personal problems: repressed grief, various addictions, retail paralysis, and the nagging suspicion that their newest colleague is a psychopath.But collectively, they're about to rediscover their greatest strength - that of making a bad situation much, much worse. It's a good job Jackson Lamb knows the rules. Because those things aren't going to break themselves.”

The Slough House team get another chance at redemption (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

From the season 5 trailer, we know that much of the show will stay true to the book. We also catch a glimpse of most of the main cast to confirm their return to Slough House, and there's an awkward kiss between River and Louisa that we're keen to unpack.Following suit with the previous seasons, Slow Horses always runs for six episodes with the plot spanning the events of two or three days. It appears with season 5, they’ll be sticking to this tried-and-tested method, as Smith spoke to Collider: “You feel if you stretch it beyond that — I mean, you can invent — I worry it would feel like padding, and it would take you away from what is great about the books. So, six, I think, is the magic number.”

Hugo returns as Frank in Slow Horses season 5 (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

In season 4, River met his biological father, Jack (Hugo Weaving), which only looked to strengthen his relationship with Lamb. But what about more from Frank? Well, the man himself spoke to Forbes, further confirming a reappearance: "You probably know that Frank is in one of the other books, and so the assumption is at the end of this season, and certainly to anyone who had read the books, is that Frank will be coming back.”He adds: "Frank gets to play his Get Out of Jail Free card, which he has had all along because he knows that MI5 and David Cartwright tried to set him up. He knows he's got that, so he can say that fabulous line, 'I'll get the next train.' He can be that sort of a character because he actually is a survivor and excellently slippery."With the book synopsis and teaser trailer as a starting point, it's fair to say the core plot is etched out. But, for those who haven't read the books, and with the unique additions of the cast & crew, Slow Horses will undoubtedly bring twists and turns that we didn't see coming.

Will Slow Horses get more seasons on Apple TV+?

Who's that calling? It's Slow Horses season 6 (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Slow Horses has already been renewed for season 6, so yes there’s most definitely more to come.As reported by Deadline, season 6 will be based on Mick Herron’s ‘Joe Country’ and ‘Slough House’ which are the sixth and seventh books in the series. Revealing: “In season 6, the spies head out on the run as Diana Taverner embroils them all in a fatally high-stakes game of retaliation and revenge.”And it appears Gary Oldman has already finished filming his parts in season 6. During an interview with Deadline in February, when asked about the next, next season, he said: "I wrapped about two weeks ago." Though he said some of the other cast were still working.While season 6 will take its plot from two novels, that leaves only one behind in the series. Well, that is until September, when Herron's ninth book 'Clown Town' is released.Furthermore, Smith adds that there’s interest from his perspective in a spin-off, “I do think, though, there’s a great book he wrote, the last book that came out, which is in the Slough House universe, and Slow Horses do come into it, which is called The Secret Hours. That could be a movie or a more limited number just because of the nature of that story.”

For more Apple TV+ coverage, read our guides on Ted Lasso season 4 , Foundation season 3, Presumed Innocent season 2, and Silo season 3.

Microsoft admitted to publishing the wrong price increases on April 1They were rectified on April 4 and documentation is now up-to-dateThe 5% price hike only affects monthly subscriptions

Microsoft has acknowledged and apologized after publishing the wrong prices for a number of its most popular software products.Taking to an online support page, the correction for the prices previous published on April 1 was made on April 4, when Microsoft admitted, “all Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Partners” had been misled.Microsoft’s error affected annual commitment monthly billing plans for Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales and Microsoft 3465 Copilot for Service, and did not correctly reflect the changes announced in November 2024.

Microsoft software price errors

“The April license-based price lists that was released on April 1, 2025, included incorrect pricing for annual commitment monthly billing plans for Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales, and Microsoft 365 Copilot for Service,” the note reads.“As per the announcement in December 2024 regarding Flexible billing for Microsoft 365 Copilot, the prices should have been 5% higher for monthly billing,” the correction continues.Back in November 2024, Microsoft announced it would be raising the prices of these three Copilot variants by around 5%, with some small fluctuations depending on local currencies.Microsoft 365, Office 365, Enterprise Mobility + Security, Windows 365, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Services, Microsoft Power Platform and Other Online Services also got the same 5% treatment, while Teams Phone got a hefy $10/month price rise – its first since launching in 2017 – but they appear not to have been midpublished this month.We noted at the time any customers wanting to avoid the price hikes could pay annually, because the 5% increases were to affect the monthly subscriptions only. The convenience of more flexible pricing, then, comes at a cost.The support page confirms the price errors have now been corrected in the Partner Center catalog, and revised price lists are also available for download.

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Meta has released three new Llama 4 LLMsDownload Llama 4 Scout and Maverick from llama.com or Hugging Face todayYou can try Llama 4 right now in WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram Direct

Meta has released what it’s calling a new “herd” of Llama 4 models. There are three flavors of the new Llama 4, called Scout, Maverick and Behemoth, and two are available right now for you to try in your Meta apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp.Llama 4 is the latest flagship version of Meta’s open source Llama AI, and the new release comes almost exactly a year after the release of Llama 3 in 2024.Inspired by the training advancements made by DeepSeek, the new Llama 4 has been trained using the more efficient ‘mixture of experts’ methodology.As the names suggest, Scout is the most lightweight model, with 109 billion parameters, while Maverick has 400 billion parameters. Both of these models are available right now for developers to download, and are also used in the popular Meta consumer apps.

Education-heavy

Llama 4 Behemoth is a teacher-focused model, which Meta claims out performs GPT-4.5, Claude, Sonnet 3.7 and Gemini 2.0 Pro on STEM-focused benchmarks such as MATH-500 and GPQA Diamond. Currently there is no access to Llama 4 Behemoth, as Meta says it is still "in training".Meta's new models keep it at the forefront of competitive open source LLMs. While the benchmarks are impressive, the current consumer experience of using Meta AI still lags far behind using ChatGPT or Gemini.For example, while both the two available Llama 4 AIs are multimodal, there is still no way to upload an image via meta.ai, or in one of the many Meta apps. You can ask Meta AI to look at the URL of an image and analyze what is sees, but direct upload isn’t supported.Equally, Meta AI lacks other chatbot extras we’ve come to think of as standard these days, like AI search and deep reasoning, and its image generation capabilities lag behind the most recent ChatGPT update.

(Image credit: Meta/Apple)

Copyright issues remain

The new Llama 4 models are accessible to developers, who can download the open source models to use at competitive token rates at llama.com and Hugging Face.Alternatively the new Llama 4 LLMs are available right now to use at Meta.ai or in the Meta apps like Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram Direct.It's worth noting that the new Llama 4 LLMs remain part of an ongoing copyright dispute between Meta and several famous authors after court documents alleged that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had approved the use of the LibGen data set, amongst other shadow libraries, in training its Llama LLM.The Atlantic recently published a searchable database of titles contained in LibGen, enabling many authors to see if Meta could have been training its AI on their work without permission.

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The OnePlus Watch 3 is finally launching this monthIt was delayed two months because of a typo on the back that said 'Meda in China'Earliest pre-orders are now expected to ship April 15

After a two-month delay to its launch owing to a rather embarrassing typo on the back of the device, the OnePlus Watch 3 finally looks set to launch in the coming days, according to the company's website.As we reported a few weeks ago, the OnePlus Watch 3 looks set to be one of the best Android smartwatches of 2025, thanks to its impressive battery life. However, its original February release date had to be scrapped because the earliest models said 'Meda in China' rather than 'Made in China' on the back.As we mentioned at the time, there is some good news: customers will get a small discount and possibly even a free set of earbuds, depending on location. Now, OnePlus' website indicates that the earliest pre-orders will start arriving on April 15.OnePlus in the US appears to have the earliest times, with priority orders arriving on April 15 and standard delivery coming on April 17. In the UK, those dates are April 16 and April 22, respectively. Sadly, there's still no update on a release window for Australia, although the device is listed on the website.EU orders have estimated delivery times of April 23 and 28 for the aforementioned priority and standard options, too.

OnePlus Watch 3 is finally here

The typo in question... whoops! (Image credit: Future)

Just shy of two months is a long time to wait for a smartwatch that gets updated annually, but as per our review, the OnePlus Watch 3 is definitely worth the wait. It's not perfect – the size is rather large, and there are some sleep tracking quirks – but it has the best Wear OS battery life on the market, all of Google's third-party apps, and some great new features.OnePlus has also confirmed that there will be a smaller version and LTE support for territories other than China coming later this year, and some OnePlus pages (Germany for example) already have size and connectivity option fields in anticipation of the new models.If you want to wait, it looks like you'll be able to buy a OnePlus Watch 3 from April 15. However, I'd strongly recommend pre-ordering one if you're interested in getting your hands on that discount and some freebies, too. Most customers can expect at least 10% off, a new strap, and possibly even a pair of OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro.

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