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While on the ground at the recent Adobe Summit 2025 conference, which was filled with announcements of how AI can revolutionize the creative industry and customer service, I spoke to Anjul Bhambhri, SVP for Adobe Experience Cloud, about the real impacts AI can have on both customers and CX workers which weren’t covered in the main keynote sessions.Throughout the whole event, the candidness exhibited by the speakers was already more evident than I’d expected, given the intention to show off new products, but Bhambhri made this more evident in opening up to me about how Adobe really goes about driving AI innovations.The key themes of our discussion were customer centricity and transparency, which Bhambhri covered from all angles – both Adobe’s commitment to protecting workers and how Adobe’s clients can pass this value on to their customers.

How transparency should guide your AI strategy

I probed Bhambhri to offer SMBs advice on how they can keep up with evolving trends, and that sense of transparency rang true.She noted that all businesses must remain agile by actively listening to customers to pinpoint their unique pain points, which would lead them to create more impactful products.With the industry still taking shape, I criticized governments, companies and regulatory organizations for not offering enough guidance, which makes it challenging for anybody adopting AI to know that they’re doing it right – a sentiment felt even more so by SMBs and startups with limited resources.Bhambhri added that ensuring data governance with clearly defined roles and responsibilities is just as important as being ‘on the ground’ with customers.Regulations like GDPR, HIPAA and FERPA all set out how data should be managed, and it’s the responsibility of any company, AI-enhanced or not, to manage customer data responsibly.However, all of this requires huge amounts of capital, human resources and computational power, which can come at the expense of sustainability. I asked Bhambhri how smaller companies can handle these huge expenses when resources can be so limited, particularly in the current climate.

The SVP explained to me how Adobe categorizes data into hot, warm and cold storage to manage resources more effectively in order to minimize environmental impacts.Setting a strong foundation for data management today is vital, because the amount of data we produce is rising exponentially both as businesses and as consumers – think about it, when was the last time you cleared through your iCloud photo library?Companies can also consider splitting storage across SSDs and HDDs, finding the most optimal balance for storage acquisition and energy consumption.Whatever the advice was that Bhambhri had given to me, she was keen to stress one thing – businesses should keep their clients in the loop at all points of the transaction, whether that means simply telling them that their data might be moved from different storage categories or given them the choice to get more involved.Although Summit 2025 focused on Adobe’s own innovations, my brief discussion with Anjul Bhambhri highlighted two key takeaways that small businesses can adopt so that they’re not left behind on the AI wave: transparency both with customers and about services is paramount, and the proper management of data both from a regulatory and an environmental standpoint is vital.

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In many ways, I’m an odd guy – I do odd things, think odd thoughts, and find odd solutions to odd problems. But then I also use and love the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which probably makes me seem supremely basic as a tech journalist.Yet putting aside that imagined juxtaposition, I have found an odd use for Apple’s new Camera Control feature that I really wasn’t expecting to catch my attention.Now, I’ve written before about how I’m interested in the haptics-centric extra button Apple has added to its best iPhones with the explicit idea of doing more with the cameras with greater control. But Camera Control isn’t a feature that I’ve fully embraced; more often than not, I’ll forget about it if I’m shooting quick snaps. I appreciated its potential, but Camera Control still feels a little half-baked…That was until I needed to photograph and record the back of my head.

Thinking with my head

(Image credit: Future)

No, no, before you rush to the comments section, I haven’t gone mad. Rather, I needed to do so for a pseudo-medical reason. Specifically, I was concerned about the health of my hair at the back, and potential skin irritation (look, I’m 38, and at the age where parts of my body start to malfunction bit by bit).If you’ve ever tried snapping a photo of the back of your noggin, then you’ll know it’s a nightmare.Trying to guess the angle of the cameras – whether you’re using rear or selfie snappers – is an exercise in frustration and borderline madness. Then, when you think you’ve nailed the angle after a deluge of attempts, you fail to hit the digital shutter button or tap it in such a way that the shot goes askew.Such moments can make you want to fling your phone across a room or at an inviting wall. But I can’t alleviate my irritation like that, as the phones I use are review samples and I’d get into more trouble than a moment's angry respite is worth.However, for me, having a physical shutter button changed the weird photography game.Through the use of Camera Control and my iPhone’s selfie camera, I was able to get some semi-useful shots and videos of the back head, ready to be pored over with increasing paranoia.

It's growing on me

The simple ability to smoothly tap a physical dedicated button was mildly transformative, letting me keep what I thought was the right framing and snap shots at speed, two things I would and have struggled to do before Camera Control.Taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture, as I’ve gone about my travels and odd wanderings, I’m slowly finding myself using the Camera Control button a lot more. It’s a weird mental leap, not automatically tapping the digital shutter button, but when I need to keep a nicely lined-up shot in place, Camera Control proves its usefulness.I’m not fully won over by it, and I’ve yet to really get to grips with the Apple Intelligence features it facilitates. Yet there’s scope for Apple to build out the functionality and intuitiveness of Camera Control, which I hope to see realized on the rumored iPhone 17.What do you reckon? Do you use Camera Control, or do you think it’s still a bit of a dud now that the iPhone 16 line has had time to settle in? Let me know in the comments.

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Outer Banks 5: Key information - The fifth and final season was confirmed in November 2024- Production is expected to start in early 2025 through until the end of the year- Confirmed cast include Madison Bailey (Kiara), Carlacia Grant (Cleo), Drew Starkey (Rafe) and Carlacia Grant (Sofia)- The plot is likely to be about the friends avenging JJ’s death – he was stabbed by his dad, Chandler Groff – and trying to get back the Blue Crown- The focus of season five is going to be on Kiara and Cleo- The creators also teased that it will be an incredible season: “We think it will be our best yet”

Outer Banks season 5 is one of the most highly-anticipated Netflix teen dramas.The show is based around two rival groups, the Kooks and the Pogues – no, not affiliated to the bands of the same names – who live on the fictional island of Kildare in North Carolina.The previous series of the show, which premiered in April 2020, has mainly followed the Pogues through all types of high drama, but the fourth series rolled to an end in November 2024. Alongside the show’s first feature-film length episode, the creators announced that a fifth – but final – season had been confirmed.Writing an open letter to OBX fans on social media, creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke said: “From this beginning, we imagined a mystery that would lead to a five-season journey of adventure, treasure hunting, and friendship. At the time, seven years ago, it seemed impossible that we would really get to tell the whole five-season story, but here we are at the end of our fourth season, still chopping away.""Now, with a little sadness, but also excitement, we're putting season 4 behind us, and are turning to season 5, in which we hope to bring our beloved Pogues home in the way we imagined and planned years ago.”With production planned in for 2025, it’s going to be a while before it hits our screens, but in the meantime, here’s everything we know so far, including OBX 5’s release date, confirmed cast, trailer news and potential plots:

Outer Banks 5: does it have a release date?

(Image credit: Netflix)

As the fifth season hasn’t gone into production yet – it’s been pencilled in from early 2025 to the end of the year – there’s no release date on the horizon.We might expect to see it on screens in late 2026, but it could even end up being more like 2027 before we join the gangs again.

Outer Banks 5: is there a trailer yet?

(Image credit: Netflix)

No, not yet, but a warning, be wary when Googling for it, as there’s quite a few fan-generated trailers claiming to be genuine, however they are not the official trailer. We’ll let you know when that drops.

Outer Banks 5: has there been a cast confirmed?

The shock death of JJ will have repercussions and revenge in season 5 (Image credit: Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix © 2024)

The shock death of JJ Maybank – stabbed by Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane), who he had just discovered was his biological father – obviously means there will be no Rudy Pankow in season 5, unless he appears as flashbacks.As a result, speaking with Deadline, the creators confirmed some key characters who the fifth season would focus on. “Kiara [Madison Bailey] is going to be a big focus, but we definitely want to give more time to Cleo [Carlacia Grant] too,” Josh Pate said. “It’s a question of bandwidth in the show that we have with all these stories, so it’s hard to say, but we definitely want to develop Cleo and honor her character as well.”Pace also confirmed a return from Rafe (Drew Starkey) and his ex-fiancée, Sofia (Fiona Palomo): “We have plans for both of them. We love Drew and we think he can do anything, so he's heavily involved in our seconds for next year.”We’ll keep you posted as to when other cast members are confirmed as making a comeback.

Outer Banks 5: what do we know about the plot?

The friend's search for the Blue Crown continues, now it's in Chandler Groff's murderous hands (Image credit: Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix © 2024)

Well, the feature-length ep of season 4, The Blue Crown, definitely gave us lots to chew on, and a lot of storylines that could be picked up in the final season. Namely, the murder of JJ by Chandler in Morocco. The rotter even stole the Blue Crown from his Pogue son, and planned to sell it in Portugal. So it’s likely that season 5 will see us all travel to the Mediterranean country, as his gang mates were forced to bury JJ in the desert, but vowed to get revenge on Groff.Speaking with Tudum, Josh Pate said: “We’re planning a story of redemption, and a season that embodies the friendship that JJ had come to represent. JJ’s death was a hard but necessary piece of the architecture for the story, and we plan on honoring that as much as we can because we love the character as much as the fans do.”Meanwhile, John B (Chase Stokes) and Sarah (Madelyn Cline) announced that Sarah is pregnant with their baby, so a new Poguelet arrival is likely on the cards for the follow-up season. The storyline might also follow Pope (Jonathan Daviss) having his imminent Marine enlistment, as well as dealing with PTSD from killing Lightner.Whatever the plot for the season will be, the creators have promised: “Season 5 will be our last season, and we think it will be our best yet. We hope you'll join us for one more paddle out to the surf break.”

Outer Banks: what’s the future?

(Image credit: Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix © 2024)

While Outer Banks is coming to an end with this next season, there are plans already in place for a prequel, called Kildare.According to Port City Daily: “It will have a whole new set of younger actors, as it will take place at the founding of each group and explore the class divide present on the show’s fictitious Figure 8 (named after Wilmington’s own private island of wealthy residents) in Kildare County.” It will be reportedly shot in Wilmington.

For more Netflix TV series coverage, read our guides on Bridgerton season 4, One Piece season 2 and Emily in Paris season 5.

AI is going to take over our lives. At least that’s what we keep being told. So, in a world where thousands of jobs could be replaced by AI, it’s easy to scoff that AI can make our lives better.But it can. As we’ve seen from our use of scores of artificial intelligence platforms, artificial intelligence can equip all of us to do many things that were once beyond the scope of the majority.And, as controversial as some of those things may be, they can also make a big difference to our overall well-being, freeing up time, making us skilled in new areas and helping to keep us calm.Having played around with Gemini, I’ve certainly seen its transformative powers and it’s helping me to become more productive, informed and chilled.Whereas once I was getting severe FOMO, having missed a heap of events I would have loved to attend, I’m even very much on top of my social life. Here are five things you can ask Gemini to help improve your life, too.

1. How can I save time doing something?

(Image credit: Pixabay)

Many of us perform monotonous, repetitive tasks each day, whether that’s trying to extract information from documents to organize into spreadsheets, checking text for grammar errors, writing code and more.Gemini can help with most of this and all you need to do is ask “how can I save time doing XXX” where XXX is the thing that you need assistance with.You should see a rundown of the steps you need to take to complete that particular task. So, for example, when we’re asking to save time with data entry, it’ll tell you to indicate the columns you need, the data types for each column and more.This saves you having to browse the web looking for instructions but this time-saving tip also extends beyond what Gemini itself can do for you. You can ask it to shave hours off practically any task whether it’s laying a patio, assembling IKEA furniture or tips on how to make journeys quicker.

2. Is there a mindfulness or de-stress routine I can try?

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, Gemini can come to the rescue by helping you to relax or focus on the tasks you need to complete. It can give you a full mindfulness routine lasting up to 15 minutes or tailor it for a specific set of time.Gemini can also act as a therapist and it’s interesting to note that a study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders observed “noteworthy improvements in depression and anxiety” among 3,477 participants who used AI-based chatbots to treat these conditions.Taking cues from that, there is a Mental Health Companion AI app, which has leveraged the power of Gemini, that was an entry in a Gemini API Developer Competition. It’s certainly worth trying, although always seek professional guidance if necessary.

3. What solutions can you offer me for a problem?

(Image credit: Shutterstock / fizkes)

If you’re stuck on a task and just can’t think of a way around it, Gemini can usually offer you a fresh solution and help to move you forward.For example, if you’ve spotted some damp on your wall and you can’t work out what could be causing it, you could ask Gemini to offer some different perspectives.You could ask it to help with an afternoon slump, perhaps detailing the food you’ve eaten today and the things you’ve done in order to discover a potential cause. If you get in the swing of asking for assistance, it’ll become second nature and that can make life better in the long run.

4. What is the weather today and what can I do?

(Image credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rainforest Fund)

Gemini is able to make use of your location to not only tell you what the weather is going to be but also what you may be able to do with your time.You can specify exactly the kind of thing you’re after – tell it if you want low-cost or free activities and whether you’re looking to relax, for example – and it will give you a list of suggestions, the length of which will be dependable on your area.The AI platform can access the web and discover any events that may be on with direct links to the source so you can read more or obtain tickets if required.In that sense, it can revolutionize your free time by ensuring you don’t miss out. What’s more, with Gemini Live on your phone, you can also get suggestions based on what’s on your screen – for example destination ideas based on a video or article.

5. Learn a new skill

(Image credit: Pixabay)

According to scientists at the Zuckerman Institute in Columbia, you should seek to learn something new each day. A study published in the journal Nature suggested discovering new skills can prime the brain to adapt to changing circumstances and it keeps our gray matter ready to learn.There’s a simple way to do this in Gemini. Just write: “I want to start learning” and detail what it is you want to skill up in. Then add: “Can you outline the first steps I should take and suggest some good free online resources or tutorials”. This can break down those daunting tasks and it makes use of Gemini’s ability to find and structure information.

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We can expect the Nothing Phone 3 in Q3July seems a good bet based on previous launchesWe already have the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro

We've been waiting a while for the Nothing Phone 3 – you may remember its launch was pushed back last year because Nothing wanted more time to work on its software and AI – but we now know it will definitely be arriving this year.After opening up an 'ask me anything' session on X, Nothing CEO Carl Pei said that the Nothing Phone 3 would be launching in "Q3", the third quarter of this year. That puts the launch window as July, August, or September.We didn't get any more details than that, unfortunately, so it remains to be seen exactly when the next flagship phone from Nothing will make an appearance. The Nothing Phone 2 was launched in July of 2023, which may give us a clue.Back in November of last year we heard a tip that Nothing would launch three phones by the middle of this year, which means around June and July time – and the Nothing Phone 3a and the Nothing Phone 3a Pro were both unveiled in March 2025.

The story so far

Q3April 18, 2025

If Nothing had stuck to a regular schedule, we would've seen the Nothing Phone 3 in July 2024. However, in June 2024, Pei announced that the handset's launched would be pushed back to this year, stressing the need to "get the product right".Pei went on to say that "integrating hardware and AI in a way that is both useful and brings a smile to people's faces" was the aim with the next Nothing flagship phone, so we can expect to see a bundle of artificial intelligence features included.As our Nothing Phone 3a Pro review will tell you, there's already plenty of AI on board the current Nothing handsets – but these features, including the Essential Space 'second memory', could still use some work. Improvements may arrive with the Nothing Phone 3.From the leaks we've come across so far, it sounds as though the Nothing Phone 3 is going to be a significant upgrade on its predecessor, and quite possibly one of the phones of the year. In a few months time, we should know for sure.

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“My experience with people who ever doubt themselves is that they will prepare, they will read everything, they will reach out to the experts, they'll do their job with humility because they won't believe they have all the answers,” former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on stage at the recent Zendesk Relate 2025 conference.After sharing stories from her time as Prime Minister, including her approach to empathetic leadership, the nation’s struggles with social media and her own battles with confidence when stepping into the global spotlight, Ardern’s discussion quickly turned to artificial intelligence.“You can either have excitement or enthusiasm for the opportunity that lays ahead,” she said as she likened the emergence of artificial intelligence to an endless list of technological advancements over the course of decades.

A human-centric AI landscape

One of the biggest concerns we’ve been writing about regarding AI since the public preview of ChatGPT, which opened up a new chapter in public artificial intelligence, is its impact on the workforce.The growing apprehension that AI will replace human workers, particularly in roles involving repetitive and administrative tasks, continues to play out today.According to Ardern, these fears don’t just stem from the technology itself, but from workers’ past experiences of changes that have maybe failed them – changes that didn’t fully consider human impact.In her discussion with the audience at Zendesk Relate 2025, it was clear that the former New Zealand Prime Minister advocates for proactively addressing such concerns through more clarity, guidance and transparency.Ardern’s approach involves shifting the dialogue from one of fear to one of opportunity – understanding that jobs will be redefined rather than wiped out completely.Although their roles will change, potentially considerably, the leader said that workers need to understand that the value they bring to organizations will remain constant.

Sure, artificial intelligence can significantly boost the productivity of workers who operate within certain fields, but even AI agents can’t operate entirely autonomously – they still require plenty of human input, be it on development, guidance or correction.Moreover, she highlighted how governments can protect workers on a macro level. Ardern cited New Zealand’s initiatives, including state-level income insurance and lifelong learning programs designed to ease the transition into this new era of employment.Citizens are more likely to feel comfortable about such major changes when there’s the guarantee and backing of their own government.This aligns with the need for a cultural evolution, where citizens and employees must adopt the values of continuous learning, innovation and increased agility. Companies and government agencies hold most of the responsibility for this, however workers must be just as proactive in their approach to adapting.To summarize, it appeared that Ardern is not concerned about AI’s impact in the long term. Though she acknowledges short-term displacement can be worrying for some, deeper support and commitment from all parties involved, including governments, companies and staff will ultimately secure our continued role on this planet.

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Money no objectWe love to give practical buying advice on the latest gadgets here at TechRadar. But sometimes what we love even more is to indulge in the most outrageously high-end, cutting-edge, luxurious tech on the planet. That's what we bring you in these Money No Object columns – you can read the whole series here.

Only recently, we discovered a pair of luxury speakers that look like something from Elton "Rocket Man" John's house. And today we've got two pairs of luxury speakers that look like actual space rockets, or maybe robots that'd chase Doctor Who around a quarry, or maybe something Jony Ive would've designed in 2003.These are the new Rhea and Theia Passive speakers from Swiss luxury audio brand Goldmund, and they're yours for around $108,000 (£82,000 / AU$171,000) and $215,000 (£162,000 / AU$338,000).If you're a fan of mythology you'll recognize the names: Theia and Rhea are Titan goddesses, and Goldmund also has an even more premium set of speakers named after their mythical mother, Gaia.The Gaia speakers currently retail in the UK for £650,000 (about $860,000 / AU$1,354,338), so by comparison these are super-cheap budget buys.

If you told me this tormented James Caan in a ’70s space movie, I'd believe you. (Image credit: Goldmund)

Goldmund Theia and Rhea: key features

Goldmund already makes speakers called Theia and Rhea, but these are new, passive models that support mono, bi- and tri-wired setups. The firm warns that you'll need very high-quality amplification to drive them, as lesser amps won't be able to deliver the speed the speaker drivers need to perform at their best.The speakers are three-way in the case of the Rhea and four-way with the Theia. The Rhea has a soft dome tweeter, a seven-inch mid-range driver and a 12-inch woofer, and the Theia has a soft dome tweeter, a four-inch high-mid driver, a six-inch low-medium driver and again, a 12-inch woofer.Frequency response is 27Hz to 25kHz for the Rhea, and 20Hz to 25kHz for the Theia.As you might expect, when you order a pair of these speakers Goldmund doesn't just chuck some bubble wrap around them: each set comes packaged in a custom flight case. That adds to the already considerable weight: the Rhea is 123kg and the Thea is 197kg. Oh, and that's per speaker.Both sets of speakers are available today. If you'd like something a little more affordable, we have a list of the best stereo speakers.

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