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The Philips Hue AI assistant is now rolling out for iOS users in BeneluxIf you live somewhere else, you can use VPN to try it earlyThe assistant lets you make custom lighting scenes with voice commandsThe new Philips Hue AI assistant is starting to roll out now, letting you create custom lighting scenes to set a mood using natural language.Signify (the company behind Philips Hue) revealed that it was working on an AI tool for its smart lights at CES 2025 in January, and promised that the new assistant would make it easy to create "personalized lighting scenes based on mood, occasion, or style".The company has now got the ball rolling with an initial launch in the Benelux countries, but if you live elsewhere, then you can get around the geographic restriction by using one of the best VPNs to relocate yourself virtually in Belgium, Luxembourg, or the Netherlands.Signify teased the Philips Hue AI assistant at CES 2025 in January (Image credit: Signify)Make it personalFabian over at Hueblog.com, who is based in Germany, managed to get the assistant working by using a VPN to switch his IP address to one of the supported countries and changing his language setting to English.With that done, he was able to use simple voice commands to look for existing lighting scenes or create whole new ones. That'll be music to the ears of anyone who's struggled to track down seasonal lighting schemes for their best smart lights at Christmas or Halloween, or doesn't want to spend time flicking through the presets to find something suitable for the moment.The only drawback is that, for the time being, the AI assistant appears to be exclusive to iOS. Despite attempting the same for all three Benelux countries, I was unable to access the tool on Android, and a Hueblog reader based in Belgium reported the same problem.The Hue AI assistant has only just started to launch, though, and I expect Android owners won't be left in the dark for long. I'll bring you more news about its availability over the coming weeks.You might also likeNanoleaf's new indoor and outdoor smart lights are its funkiest designs to dateGot Philips Hue lights? This new customizable button could make them even smarterYour LG TV can now synchronize with Philips Hue lights without a pricey HDMI Sync Box

Ricoh GR IV prototype now on display to the public in the company's GR Space showroom in TokyoRicoh has already confirmed GR IV is on course for an 'autumn 2025' launchA variation with highlight diffusion filter will follow in 'winter 2025'I’ve been keenly waiting for a first look at the upcoming Ricoh GR IV – but now that it’s happened, I can’t help but feel a little underwhelmed. Disappointed, even.The long awaited replacement for the excellent Ricoh GR III (which will be discontinued), the GR IV is set to be the next flagship model in Ricoh’s iconic range of premium digital point-and-shoots.The GR series has gained something of a cult classic status among photographers, prized for their pocketable size, unassuming design and use of large sensors. They're ideal for street photography and holiday snapshots alike, so the release of a new model is always something of an event for photo enthusiasts.And now a prototype of the Ricoh GR IV is on display at GR Space, the company’s Tokyo camera and photography showroom, allowing curious members of the public to come and take a look (but not have a hands-on experience – this is just an exterior prototype, so not functional).A tilting LCD and integrated flash would vastly improve the GR series – but it doesn't look like either are coming to the GR IV. (Image credit: Future)It should be an exciting time for a Ricoh fan like me, but I’m finding the lack of changes over the GR III a bit concerning. The design, for instance, is nigh-on identical to the GR III. I would have loved to have a seen a built-in flash and a tilting LCD screen, but the prototype doesn’t have either.I also want improvements to autofocus, and to the ruggedness of the camera – and these things are looking doubtful too. Although I will caution that, with this being a prototype, things could change between now and the autumn 2025 release date.GRIV pic.twitter.com/YF0HsV8HW0May 31, 2025Reasons to be cheerful?On the plus side, it will come with a higher resolution sensor, new lens, better image stabilization, some control tweaks and refinements such as a plus / minus switch and a D-pad in place of a control wheel, 53GB of built-in memory (as well as a microSD card slot - not SD) and improvements to the way in which images are shared, all of which are nice – if not as transformational as I was hoping for.Instead, it appears that the GR IV is going to be a small upgrade. There’s nothing wrong with that per se, and users upgrading from older GR models or buying their first ever GR camera are probably going to be in for a treat. People who own a GR III or GR IIIx, on the other hand, might find few compelling reasons to make the upgrade.All that being said, I can’t wait to give the camera a real-world test to find out the most important thing: how it performs in the field. Rest assured TechRadar will be getting hold of a review sample as soon as Ricoh is able to loan one to us.You might also likeCamera rumors for 2025: new gear we're expecting soon from DJI, Sony, Canon and moreRicoh GR IV: 5 things I want to seeThe best compact camera for 2025: top pocket choices to take anywhere

The next version of Apple’s desktop operating system for its Macs, to take the baton from macOS 15 Sequioa next year, will apparently be macOS Tahoe.According to Mark Gurman’s newsletter for Bloomberg – a leaker who’s already flagged an apparent change in numbering, predicting this will be macOS 26, not 16 – Lake Tahoe is seemingly the next place that Apple will name its product after.Cue a bunch of jokes drawing similarities between the next macOS and the hulking Chevrolet Tahoe, and tongue-in-cheek comments about how the operating system is bound to be bloated and slow.As ever, this is still a rumor, so we shouldn’t get carried away with the idea – though Gurman is one of the more prolific and reliable Apple leakers, for sure.At any rate, whatever the next incarnation of macOS is actually called, when is it out, and what can you expect from it?Let’s dive into those details and touch on a few of the rumored key features to watch out for in macOS 16, or indeed macOS 26 – Tahoe – ahead of Apple’s big revelations about the operating system at WWDC 25 soon.macOS 16: release date(Image credit: Apple)macOS Tahoe hasn’t been officially revealed or talked about yet, but we're expecting to see it announced at WWDC 2025, which kicks off on June 9.A potential release date also hasn't been aired. However, Apple typically deploys its new version of macOS in September or October, so we can likely expect the refreshed desktop OS to roll out to Macs around that time.macOS 16: Rumored new features(Image credit: Shutterstock)1. An all-new lookIf you’ve been getting a bit bored with the look of macOS, which hasn’t changed much as this decade has rolled onwards, here’s some potentially good news – one of the major changes rumored for Tahoe is a revamped look.While not much in the way of detail has been provided, the rumor that the interface is due for a big overhaul again comes from Mark Gurman. In theory, this is part of a plan to align the design language and appearance of Apple’s software across iOS, macOS, and iPadOS (as well as other platforms).So, it’ll be of even greater benefit to those with multiple Apple devices to have similar-looking icons or menus (and more besides, no doubt).(Image credit: Apple)2. Accessibility features in spadesApple recently announced a raft of new accessibility functionality across its various devices including Macs, and some of these will surely debut in macOS Tahoe.That includes Personal Voice, which can capture the voice of someone who is losing their ability to talk, and Magnifier for Mac. The latter leverages your iPhone (or a USB camera) to be able to zoom in to, say, a distant whiteboard, and present the writing on the board to the user on their Mac’s screen – seriously nifty stuff for those who are vision-impaired.In a similar vein, Accessibility Reader can take images of book pages and show them on the Mac display, allowing for zooming, or changing fonts or colors to make things clearer.(Image credit: Future)3. Wi-Fi timesaverThis is a feature that’s coming with iOS 19, according to Gurman, but logically it must also apply to macOS Tahoe (and other Apple platforms besides), because it’s all about unifying public Wi-Fi logins across multiple Apple devices for convenience.As it stands, when you’re in a hotel, gym, or other place with public Wi-Fi, you may have to fill out a form before you can connect to the network and go online. Doing this on multiple devices is even more of a pain, but with this new feature, you’ll only have to complete said form once, and all your other Apple devices will automatically use those details.So, for example, tackle the form on your MacBook, and you’ll also be good to go on your iPhone and iPad – neat.You might also like...What to expect from Apple Macs in 2025Can’t upgrade to Windows 11? This Linux project wants to save your old PC from the scrapheap when Windows 10 support endsiOS 19: new features, a new design, and everything you need to know