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German state Schleswig-Holstein wants to remove all traces of Microsoft, including WindowsTransition started in 2023, and should be complete by the end of 2025Digitalization minister says, "We're done with Teams"Schleswig-Holstein, Germany's northernmost state, has confirmed it will be phasing out Microsoft office software tools (including Teams, Word, Excel and Outlook) in its public offices in a bid to reduce its reliance on US tech giants.The region is now seeking open source alternatives, with the likes of LibreOffice, Open-Xchange and Linux being broadly adopted.To date, an estimated 30,000 public employees have already turned their backs on Microsoft's products, with a further 30,000 teachers set to follow suit.German state pulls the plug on Microsoft softwareThe move means Schleswig-Holstein has become the first German state, and one of the first in Europe, to fully phase out Microsoft products in public administration, however it marks a growing trend across the continent as administrations seek to support local and sovereign options, gain digital independence and tackle the dominance of US tech giants – a topic that has been central to numerous EU antitrust investigations in recent years.Set to affect almost all government departments in the state, the transition started in 2023. A full switch for civil servants, police and judges is expected by the end of this year.Possibly one of the biggest changeovers to have happened, the transition extends far beyond switching Microsoft Office for LibreOffice.Outlook is to be replaced by Open-Xchange, Microsoft Teams will be phased out for an open source German platform, and even the entire operating system – Windows – will be switched out for Linux-based OSs.Besides seeking geographical independence, Schleswig-Holstein's approach can also be seen as a reaction to geopolitical instability, such as President Trump's return to office and subsequent EU-US tensions.By betting on open source software (OSS), the German state could avoid expensive licensing fees tied to Microsoft's products (one of the pertinent antitrust cases to have been led by the European Commission), potentially saving tens of millions of euros in the long term.Neighbouring Danish cities, like Copenhagen and Aarhus, are also reportedly exploring Microsoft alternatives, however such a change could come at a cost.For example, the state risks running into potential interoperability issues by adopting solutions from a range of providers, while workers could need full retraining and support during the transition.However, desires to cut ties are evident. Speaking with AFP (via France24), digitalization minister Dirk Schroedter concluded: "We're done with Teams!""The geopolitical developments of the past few months have strengthened interest in the path that we've taken," Schroedter added.You might also likeEU tech companies push for digital sovereignty, reducing reliance on US and othersWant to make the switch? These are the best Teams alternativesWe've also rounded up the best online collaboration tools around

In these pessimistic times where dystopian angst is often seen as a supreme virtue, it's remarkably refreshing to discover a new Netflix movie that can properly deliver a good old-fashioned love story… and especially one revolving around space exploration.Debuting on Netflix back on May 30, Lost in Starlight is peppered with a soothing and emotional selection of original K-pop tunes courtesy of artists like CIFIKA, Meego, John Park and Wave to Earth's Kim Daniel.The sci-fi anime film, which is one of the best Netflix movies with its 88% and 91% Rotten Tomatoes scores from the critics and audiences respectively, confidently carries a distinctive air of romanticism in a star-crossed lovers tale of scientist astronaut Nan-young and a struggling musician named Jay.The pair become estranged when one of them ventures into the cosmos on a mission to Mars, but the connection they've forged on Earth carries across million of miles as she endeavors to perform her astronaut duties to the best of her abilities and return to Seoul safely.This is Netflix's first feature-length Korean animated movie and it's a fantastic beginning to that relationship of working on the best anime with the film’s heartbreaking core of emotionality, immediate resonance, and irresistible charm.Directed by South Korean filmmaker Han Ji-Won and produced by Climax Studios, Lost in Starlight offers something different with its beautifully rendered backgrounds, crisp and appealing character designs, and a color palette reminiscent of vivid spring bouquets.The futuristic love story begins in 2026 when a devastating Mars quake causes the collapse of an underground research base, Nan-young's mother was one of the casualties. Now 25 years later in the year 2051 she’s an astronaut candidate in Seoul, South Korea hoping to be chosen for a fourth expedition to Mars to investigate an immense impact crater.Nan-young en route to Mars in "Lost in Starlight" (Image credit: Netflix)As she's waiting to be evaluated and cleared for flight she bumps into Jay, an electronics expert and songwriter who's capable of fixing her broken record player. The two bond over one of his songs and the transportive power of music just as her Life Form Detector is going to be employed by the Korean Aerospace Administration on the next NASA mission to the Red Planet, and she'll be accompanying the equipment."Usually in animated films, the characters just exist to drive the plot," Han told Forbes in a recent interview. "I didn't want that. I really wanted to have characters that you would see in everyday life, who you could really relate to. With animation, you can control all the details of expression and movement, so you can actually get more personal, more character-specific, and really dive into the feeling of it."A touching scene from Netflix's "Lost in Starlight" (Image credit: Netflix)Still dealing with psychological after-effects of her mother's death on Mars two decades earlier, Nan-young accepts the mission assignment and lifts off on a 6-month journey to Earth's mysterious neighbor. Once on planet, she explores a subterranean lava cave created by the meteorite crash where life forms have been detected. While on this perilous hunt, Nan-young becomes cut off from her colleagues as a dust storm descends. Will she get rescued and make it out alive from the Red Planet and return to her beloved Jay waiting back on Earth?Currently streaming exclusively on Netflix, Lost in Starlight is only Han Ji-Won’s second feature film, but it's a stunning followup for this rising cinematic star and we can’t wait to see what project she becomes attached to next. Until then, let's relish the romance of her sci-fi gem.You might also likeI’ve finally found a good Uzumaki adaptation of my favorite mangaI’m a huge anime fan – here’s why you should ditch Netflix for CrunchyrollStar Wars anime anthology series producer delves into lightsaber mythology

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 could be the next two major smartphone launches (all signs point to a July announcement), and at this point, we have a good idea of what to expect from both new devices.Leaks and rumors have detailed many of their possible specs and upgrades, and now, leaker @PandaFlashPro has even gone so far as to detail the specific features Samsung will supposedly highlight at the phones' July launch.So, below, you’ll find the five things Samsung might focus on during its upcoming Galaxy Unpacked showcase – from camera tech to screen sizes.1. Gemini LiveGemini Live on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge (Image credit: Google)While Gemini and Gemini Live are Google features rather than Samsung ones, the latter company will apparently talk a lot about these tools during the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7.Gemini is Google’s AI chatbot, and Gemini Live is a feature that lets you engage in spoken conversations with said chatbot. You can also show Gemini what your camera can see, or other images or files, and ask it questions about them.None of this is new, but perhaps we’ll see new Gemini features baked into the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Fold 7, or perhaps Samsung will simply highlight how well Gemini Live works with a foldable form factor.According to this leak, Samsung will also highlight other existing AI features like Generative Edits for photos and Now Brief (a tool that delivers personalized briefings throughout the day).2. A new camera with a new visual engineThe Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)Samsung will also apparently highlight the camera capabilities of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in particular, including its widely rumored new 200MP primary snapper, which will reportedly replace the 50MP one on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.As well as new camera hardware, the company will apparently highlight new software, too, in the form of an improved version of its ProVisual Engine, which runs behind the scenes to optimize photo quality.3. A thin and durable designThe Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)Samsung will supposedly highlight the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7’s thin and durable design at Galaxy Unpacked, including the “all-new” ultra-thin glass on its screen. The aforementioned leaker doesn't say exactly how this glass will be improved over the Z Fold 6’s, but presumably it will either be thinner or more durable, or both.And we’ve previously heard from various sources that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be much slimmer than its predecessor, with one source suggesting the Z Fold 7 will be just 3.9mm thick when unfolded and 8.9mm thick when folded. That’s down from 5.6mm and 12.1mm on the Galaxy Z Fold 6.As for durability, we’ve previously heard that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 might have improved water and dust resistance, and that it could have a tough titanium backplate.In fact, Samsung itself has even said the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will be slimmer and more durable than the Z Fold 6.It’s worth noting that some leaks suggest the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 could also be more durable than the previous model, but seemingly, Samsung won’t focus on that if this latest claim is accurate.4. Improved photo qualityThe Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Samsung reportedly won’t focus as much on the Galaxy Z Flip 7, which makes sense, since leaks suggest this device won’t be getting as many upgrades as the Z Fold 7. But according to this latest rumor, one thing Samsung will highlight is the phone’s improved photo quality.They don’t specify here what the cause of that improved photo quality will be, but this is likely a reference to a new version of Samsung’s ProVisual Engine, which is reportedly coming to both upcoming foldables and works behind the scenes to improve images using AI.From what we’ve heard so far, though, the actual camera hardware on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 might be unchanged from the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, so there might not be too much for the company to talk about here.5. A better cover screenThe Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)The other Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 feature that Samsung will apparently focus on is its cover screen. The source here doesn’t detail what this specific display upgrade might be, but we’ve previously heard that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 may have a larger cover screen of around 4 inches (up from 3.4 inches on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6), so it’s likely to be the size that’s the focus.That increase should make the Galaxy Z Flip 7's display a lot more usable, and according to previous reports, the main display might also be larger this year, at around 6.85 inches (up from 6.7), but that’s not mentioned here.You might also likeThe Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 will be the thinnest and lightest model yetThe Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 could have a huge screen with tiny bezelsThe Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 will launch with Android 16

Studio-quality audio recording and camera remote will be in public betaThe public beta will be available in July 2025Apple doesn’t recommend installing betas on devices you rely uponSince the early days of iOS, there's been a frustrating delay between the big reveal at WWDC and the final version arriving in September (usually): we get to see fun new things and then have to wait for what feels like forever to actually get them – including on upgrades promised to AirPods.Good news! Apple has promised to let you play with the new AirPods features in July 2025 for the first time. There is a catch, though: it'll be part of the iOS/iPadOS/macOS public beta, so you shouldn't expect the fully polished final versions, and it's not a wise idea to install the beta software on your devices you rely on every day. So while you can get early access, you probably shouldn't.The new features are studio-quality audio recording and camera remote. Apple says the former is for singers, podcasters, interviewers and other content creators and will deliver much better sound quality in recordings, in phone calls, in FaceTime and in third-party apps that use Apple's CallKit framework. It should also improve dictation accuracy, especially in noisier environments.Camera remote is exactly what it sounds like: it enables you to trigger the Camera app's (or compatible third-party app's) shutter by squeezing the AirPods stem to take a photo or start a video recording.(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)Public betas are betterThe new features are for AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC and AirPods Pro 2, and require an iPhone capable of running iOS 26 – which is most of the relatively recent ones, as iOS 26 will be available for phones going back to the iPhone 11.If you're really keen to experiment with the new features, you can get the developer beta of iOS 26 right now at developer.apple.com; all you need is a developer account. The public beta will follow in July, which doesn't require a developer account.But both options aren't a good idea for most of us, I think. From the feedback I'm seeing online from early adopters, iOS 26 is still quite far from being finished, and Apple very specifically urges people not to install developer betas on their main devices.The public beta is a safer option, but there are still the usual caveats about beta software being unfinished – so there may be app incompatibilities, weird bugs, display glitches and other frustrations.In a worse-case scenario, they can even brick your devices, making them completely unusable – but these are risks you'll agree to take when you sign the agreement to try the beta software. It's probably not worth the risk to get clearer calls a few months early.You might also likeThe best AirPods 2025 tested by TechradarOur Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation reviewApple may not get around to launching the AirPods Pro 3 until 2026

Security researchers find threat actor advertising a major databaseThe archive allegedly belongs to VirtualMacOSX.comIt contains passwords, bank data, and other sensitive informationThousands of records belonging to VirtualMacOSX users, including banking information, have been leaked on a popular hacking forum recently, experts have claimed.Cybersecurity researchers Safety Detectives say they found a new thread on a popular clearweb hacking forum (a forum hosted on the mainstream internet), in which the poster offered a database to anyone who would comment, or otherwise interact with the thread, for free.Allegedly, the database belongs to the customers of VirtualMacOSX.com, a cloud-based service that provides virtual Mac OS X servers and desktops, and contains 176,000 lines, split across three separate .txt files. In these files were contained people’s user IDs, full names, company names, email addresses, postal addresses, phone numbers, passwords, password reset keys, bank names, bank types, bank codes, bank accounts, and various support tickets.Reader offer: Get 60% off RoboForm password managerNew users can take advantage of RoboForm’s exclusive deal and get 60% off the Premium Plan. With this deal, you can get unlimited password storage, one-click login & autofill, password sharing, two-factor authentication for added protection, cloud backup, and emergency access for trusted contacts. To claim this deal, visit this link and sign up for the Premium Plan to lock in this huge discount.View DealOperations stableThe threat also contained a 34-line sample of the database, Safety Detectives said, adding that their superficial analysis confirmed the data’s authenticity.“Although the data appeared genuine and we saw indicatives in invoices sent to VirtualMacOSX, we could not definitively confirm that the data belonged to VirtualMacOSX’s customers as, due to ethical considerations, we refrained from testing the exposed credentials,” the researchers said.We would argue that it is unusual for cybercriminals to give away a brand new database containing both banking data and passwords for free, so it could also be that the database is either fake, or recycled from a previous breach. A quick Google search showed no previously reported breaches at VirtualMacOSX.com.In any case, users should definitely reset their passwords, including on any other platforms where they might have used the same set of credentials.Furthermore, they should closely monitor their bank accounts for any suspicious transactions. Finally, they should be on the lookout for well-crafted phishing emails impersonating VirtualMacOSX.com.You might also likeOver a billion credentials stolen were stolen in malware attacks in 2024Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator appWe've rounded up the best password managers

Fifteen years ago, I was no stranger to a moshpit. I was 18, and without the responsibilities nor the creeping aches of a mostly desk-bound 33-year-old journalist, I could throw myself into these mock-brawls at rock concerts with reckless abandon.Clad in my best (or tattiest) black, baggy Iron Maiden T-shirt, I moshed at any gig I could, from obscure hardcore garage bands in tiny metal-music pubs, all the way to huge festival concerts for the likes of Metallica, entering moshes with hundreds of participants.They might look scary on the outside, but even if you've never been in one before, most moshpits are friendly affairs: no-one's out to (seriously) hurt anyone else, and if anyone falls down, they get hauled up straight away. On many occasions, I'd see a hand holding a shoe, phone, or hoodie stick straight into the air in the middle of the pit, signaling to the owner that they've lost something. Moshpits everywhere, no matter the size of the crowd, share an unwritten code of conduct.Unfortunately, your technology can't understand that this is all fun and games. All the best Apple watches, and most of the best Android smartwatches, offer features designed to detect falls and collisions, notifying either a designated contact or placing a call to emergency services, but these features can be accidentally triggered too. The Guardian reports that during the annual Download Festival, a three-day event in the UK that's considered by many to be a Mecca for metal fans, around 700 accidental emergency calls get made on average as a result of moshing.The festival took place last weekend, from 13-15 June, and the wasted time for emergency services is presumably still being assessed.Posted by leicspolice on Before Download began in earnest last weekend, the local Leicestershire Police force took to social media to remind rock fans to either take off their smartwatches or turn off the feature. On Facebook, the police force wrote:"The tech assumed that people in mosh pits had been in a collision, causing 999 contacts and abandoned 999 calls."All those calls had to be assessed, with three outbound call attempts completed to ensure there is no threat, risk or harm, taking our contact handlers away from answering true emergency calls."#HelpUsHelpYou by answering our callbacks from hidden numbers to let us know you are safe. We also recommend switching on ‘airplane mode’ or disabling emergency alerts on your wearable tech."When Crash Detection features were first introduced by Apple in 2022, headlines abounded about accidental callouts to theme parks: one BBC article highlighted Apple Watches as responsible for six different emergency callouts to a single theme park in Cincinatti, Ohio.However, it's not all bad; for every headline about accidental triggers or false callouts, there's also been one about how someone's benefited from a smartwatch's emergency features. We'd call that a net positive overall.If you're about to rock, we don't just salute you: we also encourage you to turn off Crash Detection or similar features on your devices. For Wear OS, you'll find these features under the Personal Safety tab, while Apple Watch users will need to go to Settings > SOS > Crash Detection.You might also like...How one simple Apple Watch feature actually saved my partner’s lifeTwo months on, OnePlus has fixed my biggest problem with the OnePlus Watch 3Your Wear OS smartwatch can now warn you about imminent earthquakes