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Putin wants Western software "throttled" within RussiaMicrosoft and Zoom are still widely used by Russian businessesDomestic alternatives exist, but aren't being adopted as fast as Putin would likeUS tech companies including Microsoft and Zoom should be “throttled” and “strangled” from operating in Russia, President Vladimir Putin has said.The statements, reported by Reuters, were reportedly made in response to complaints from Russian business leaders that US companies who previously announced their exit from Russian markets in response to the invasion of Ukraine still continue to operate in the country.Microsoft announced the suspension of new sales of its software in the Russian market in 2022, but many Russian companies still use Western products and software, likely due to the lack of domestic alternatives.Putin wants domestic office softwareSanctions put in place by Western countries following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 have led to widespread calls for locally sourced and domestically produced products, ranging from aircraft parts to office software.Many companies that pulled out of Russia left their locations and assets in place, such as McDonalds which was replaced by a new company called “Vkusno i Tochka,” who quickly introduced analogues of classic menu items such as the ‘Big Hit’ (a non-copyright infringing alternative to the Big Mac).Now it seems that Putin wants to further distance Russia from the West by pushing for Russian businesses to begin using or producing software that could replace solutions offered by Microsoft and Zoom.Alternatives to Western software already exist, with Kaspersky Lab becoming a majority shareholder of the МойОфис (MyOffice) software to improve collaboration between the office suite and Kaspersky’s own KasperskyOS secure operating system.Western products and software previously dominated Russian markets before the invasion of Ukraine, with Russia taking steps to move away from Western software in the decade before the ‘special military operation’. How well domestic alternatives will perform on Russia’s range of Linux-based operating systems remains to be seen.You might also like"A clear escalation in Russia’s crackdown on digital privacy tools" – experts warn against recent VPN disappearances in RussiaGlobal Russian hacking campaign steals data from government agenciesThese are the best Microsoft Office alternatives

When I got an early look at Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge, the first of a new supposed wave of thinner smartphones, it was easy to spot what I’d take issue with. But you know what? Those issues may not matter as much as I thought.

Engadget’s Sam Rutherford has put the device through its paces, and thankfully, the impressive battery life of the S25 series continues. Our rundown test lasted a minute shy of 26 hours. That’s less than other S25 phones with bigger batteries but roughly equal to Google’s Pixel 9 Pro.

Engadget

And while there’s no optical zoom, the substantial 200-megapixel main camera sensor can crop in a lot, offering some kind of zoom, even if image quality doesn’t match true telephoto cameras.

I’ve got the S25 Edge with me, and these compromises are fine. I also like it thinner. And lighter. I’ve suffered enough with Ultras and Pro Max phones. If anything, I wish the S25 Edge had a smaller screen, closer to the base S25, Pixel 9 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro.

The biggest weakness I didn’t note with the S25 Edge? The perennial curse of measuring devices in millimeters and fractions of an inch means your protective case will almost certainly add those millimeters back on.

— Mat Smith

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Summer Game Fest 2025 is almost here

What to expect and how to watch game reveals live.

SGF 2025

Sure, the Nintendo Switch 2 is almost here, but early June also means a whole host of gaming showcases as part of Summer Game Fest. Along with the two big events — Summer Game Fest Live and the Xbox Games Showcase — there are many others in store, including the always-delightful Day of the Devs. We’ll be there in person, and I’ll be flying out on Switch 2 launch day. So I won’t get to touch my Switch 2 until a week later. Bah.

We’ve pulled together all the livestream details revealed so far.

Continue reading.

Texas is getting ready to ban social media for anyone under 18

The bill still needs to pass a Senate vote.

Engadget

A bill banning social media for anyone under 18 recently moved past the Senate committee and is due for a vote in the Texas State Senate. If made into law, the bill would force social media platforms to verify the age of anyone setting up an account, like how Texas passed legislation requiring porn websites to implement an age verification system.

Texas’ social media ban also proposes letting parents delete their child’s social media account, which definitely won’t start blazing arguments in households across the state.

Continue reading.

What to expect at WWDC 2025

A new look, Apple Intelligence and more.

Apple

On June 9, the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote will showcase the changes coming with its 2025 software. What can we expect besides new numbers after every flavor of Apple software? Apparently, a platform-wide visual overhaul. The revamp is said to be a dramatic change, drawing inspiration from Apple’s mixed reality headset. The aim is to integrate all the OSes to a singular design, so jumping from iPhone to iPad to Mac feels like different screens showing the same thing.

We could also see the iPad get even more Mac-like (thanks to those powerful M-series chips), Apple Intelligence delivering on those promises (Siri?) and more health coaching.

Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111525140.html?src=rss

Nintendo Switch 2 consoles have been spotted in US stores ahead of release next monthAn alleged Target employee shared a Reddit post showing 40 Switch 2 consoles in-store, but locked in a cageThe Switch 2 launches on June 5, 2025The Nintendo Switch 2 has been spotted at US retailers days before its official release.As reported by VGC, an alleged employee of Target shared a now-deleted Reddit post (via X/Twitter) showcasing numerous Switch 2 consoles in their packaging available in-store, albeit locked inside a cage so no one can get their hands on one.The user claimed the store had received 40 consoles, 20 regular and 20 Mario Kart World bundles, confirming that the highly anticipated device is now being distributed to retailers across the US.The Nintendo Switch 2 launches globally on June 5, 2025, for $449.99 / £395.99, and $499.99 / £429.99 for the official Mario Kart World bundle, which comes with a digital copy of the game.Multiple first-party games like Mario Kart World, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch 2 Edition), and Tears of the Kingdom (Switch 2 Edition) will also launch the same day, alongside a collection of third-party titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Split Fiction, Fortnite, and more.Target stores are receiving their Switch 2 stock and apparently as long as it’s locked in a cage they don’t mind leaving it in the middle of the floor! 🤣 pic.twitter.com/73Wl7trbUGMay 26, 2025UK pre-orders and US pre-orders are now live, but if you missed out on securing a pre-order and are struggling to find stock, GameStop and Best Buy have announced they will be restocking Switch 2 units in-store and online during the console's launch.GameStop confirmed it will also be hosting a launch event, which begins in-store at 3 PM local time on June 4, allowing buyers to pick up a Switch 2 starting at 12 AM EST / 9 PM PST.You might also like...Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders live: latest UK stock updates as My Nintendo Store's pre-order date arrives, while US pre-orders remain delayedHere are the Nintendo Switch 2 launch games that you'll be able to pick up and play on June 5Nintendo has partnered with Samsung to increase Switch 2 chip production, which could see the console selling 20 million units by March 2026

The iPhone 18 could have under-display Face IDWith the iPhone 19, Apple might move the selfie camera under the display tooThe company is also apparently testing a 200MP cameraApple doesn’t usually change up the design of its phones every year, but the next three years could be different, as a leaker has shared a roadmap pointing to significant visual changes with each upcoming generation.Digital Chat Station (via NotebookCheck) has shared a claimed roadmap detailing how Apple might alter the design of each iPhone from the iPhone 17 through to the iPhone 19. First up, with this year’s models we’ll apparently see the long-rumored horizontal, rectangular camera block. No surprises there.But then in 2026 with the iPhone 18, Apple will apparently hide Face ID under the screen, so there’s just a punch-hole camera cut-out, and then with the iPhone 19 in 2027, the camera will also apparently be hidden under the screen, allowing for an all-screen design with no cut-out.Numerous sources have suggested that this is something Apple is working on, and some agree with this timeline – in fact as far back as 2023 we heard that the iPhone 19 might get an under-display camera. Still, that’s a long way off so we’d take this with a pinch of salt.A Samsung-rivaling snapperWow, Apple is testing a 200MP image sensor! pic.twitter.com/jDeVnzXqK6May 27, 2025What we also might see sometime in the next few years is an iPhone with a 200MP camera – which would be a match in terms of megapixels for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and far more than the 48-megapixels found in current iPhones.According to the same source (this time via @Jukanlosreve) Apple is testing a 200MP sensor, but if it’s only being tested there’s no guarantee it will ever be used. We also wouldn’t expect to see it on the iPhone 17 series, since this is the first we’re hearing of it, and we’d think such a big spec change would have typically been leaked long before now.Digital Chat Station doesn’t say which model might get this, but we’d assume then that we won’t see it before the iPhone 18 at the earliest. And with all these leaks it’s entirely possible that only the Pro and Pro Max models will actually see these changes, at least initially, though the source doesn’t specify.You might also likeThis iPhone 17 Air dummy unit looks incredibly slim next to an iPhone 16 Plus, it’s just a shame about the big cameraiPhone 17 Pro: latest rumors, tips and everything we’ve heard so fariPhone 17 Pro Max: latest news, rumors, and everything we’ve heard so far

OpenAI's Operator agent will use its logic-heavy o3 model to complete tasks onlineThe o3 model will make Operator better at filling out forms and completing purchases as well as less likely to give up when stymied The enhanced model may encourage more people to sign up for ChatGPT ProOpenAI boasted at the beginning of the year that its Operator was a brilliant AI agent capable of handling everything for you online. If you're paying $200 for ChatGPT Pro, it could fill out forms, order products, and otherwise use its virtual mouse and keyboard on your behalf.Now, it's given the AI agent a brain upgrade by embedding the powerful o3 model in the system, replacing the previous customized GPT-4o model running the service.OpenAI o3 Operator continues the mission of Operator to interact with the web on your behalf. It can still book a hotel room, order groceries, and even theoretically pay off that parking ticket. But GPT-4o didn't bring the reasoning power to the service that OpenAI wanted, so the company turned to its o3 “reasoning model.”The o3 model is supposed to be smarter in a more intellectual way than GPT-4o. It can be more focused and is better at step-by-step thinking. According to OpenAI, employing the o3 model makes Operator “more persistent and accurate when interacting with the browser.” The persistence will help it work through the unexpected obstacles of web browsing, like login requests, pop-ups, and CAPTCHA requests. OpenAI also said that the responses and how the model follows through on long, complex tasks will be noticeably improved.Operator in action. (Image credit: OpenAI)Operator AIFor most ChatGPT users, this may not matter. Unless you're ponying up for ChatGPT Pro, Operator is not available. Until then, running a business or managing someone else’s life might make it worthwhile. Otherwise, you might as well stick to the old-fashioned manual approach for menial web tasks.Delegating them to an AI assistant is an appealing idea, but hardly worth the cost if you're not going to be using it heavily most days. It would be like hiring a personal chef to butter your toast.Still, the move to o3 is undeniably a big step forward for OpenAI’s vision of useful AI agents. Of course, OpenAI's Operator isn't unique in providing an AI agent at this point. You can find a lot of examples of varying quality, including Browser Use, Proxy 1.0, Hugging Face's HuggingAgent, and Opera's Browser Operator.OpenAI has hinted that it might change the price point for access to Operator, but for now, you have to want to pay ten times as much as ChatGPT Plus costs to get to Operator.Opening it up to Plus subscribers would be huge in terms of giving access to millions more ChatGPT users, but again, you run into the necessity versus convenience question. Filling in my own forms isn't worth $200 but if it's built into the rest of ChatGPT's features, I might just start letting the AI handle it for me.You might also likeOpenAI's first AI Agent is here, and Operator can make a dinner reservation and complete other tasks on the web for youThere’s a new AI agent ready to browse the web and fill in forms without the need to touch your mouseI tried this new AI agent that takes control of your mouse and keyboard to help get tasks done, and I can’t believe how good it is

Microsoft is adding an AI-powered Write feature to Notepad as part of Copilot PlusWrite uses prompts to generate and refine textThe update also enhances Paint with a sticker generator and the Snipping Tool with smart croppingMicrosoft Notepad is about as basic a tool as you'll find on Windows. Just a basic blank slate for writing. But, like everything else these days, Microsoft has decided to infuse Notepad with some AI.The new Notepad feature is called “Write” and is part of a Windows 11 update currently being tested by Windows Insiders.As the name implies, Write gets Notepad to write (and edit). You can submit a prompt, and it will draft text on your behalf, or rewrite something you've already put together into something more polished or of a different length or tone. You just have to right-click in a document, then click Write, and Windows Copilot will produce a prompt box.You can submit the prompt and see what the AI comes up with. Then you can choose to accept it, refine it, or start over.The feature builds on other AI tools that Notepad added in the last year or so. There's the Summarize tool and the Rewrite tool to let you tweak your text’s tone or structure.Really, “Write” is the big one. It turns Notepad from a passive canvas into something a bit more active and encourages people to collaborate with one of Microsoft's many AI interfaces.Snipping and painting AINotepad isn’t the only AI improvement added to classic Microsoft apps. Paint is getting an AI sticker generator that turns text into images and an object select tool that uses AI to figure out what’s foreground and what’s background. Meanwhile, Microsoft's Snipping tool can now automatically crop and resize your screenshots based on what it thinks you’re trying to highlight.Now, all this AI magic doesn’t come entirely free. To use the new Notepad and Paint features, you’ll need to sign in with a Microsoft account and be running Windows 11 on one of Microsoft’s new Copilot Plus PCs. There’s also a credit system in place, meaning the AI tools will be metered, though Microsoft hasn’t announced how much this will cost yet.You might also likeI tested OpenAI's o1 model in Microsoft Copilot and it's a little overwhelmingYou can now talk to Microsoft Copilot Voice in 40 more languagesMicrosoft Paint brushes up on AI