Beelink ME Pro Creator Edition NAS review

Beelink ME Pro Creator Edition: 30-second review

This review covers the four-bay ‘Creator NAS’ as Beelink calls it, which is available in two SKUs and uses the Intel Core i5-13500H mobile processor. But Beelink has five ‘Home NAS’ options below that one, using the Intel J5005, N95, N150 and Core 304 processors. And another two higher-end options with AMD Ryzen AI 350 and AI 470 class processors.

The four-bay enclosure is a compact all-metal unibody, measuring 165 x 121 x 185mm and weighing 2.4kg without drives. Beelink says it is 50 per cent smaller in volume than a conventional design, and compared to anything by Synology or QNAP, it’s certainly much smaller.

Inside, an internal blower on the motherboard module pulls cool air in and pushes it out to keep everything cool, and the milled aluminium construction also helps radiate heat. Silicone mounts sit either side of each drive and between the case and the motherboard tray, reducing vibration and noise

The review unit, with its Intel Core i5 13500H, has 12 cores, 16 threads and a 45W TDP. It comes with 32GB of DDR4, a 500GB system SSD and four M.2 slots. Beelink pitches it at creative professionals, and this is a great spec for those who need large amounts of fast storage for video editing or maintaining photo collections.

Earlier Beelink NAS used the FygoOS operating system, and it’s also in this NAS. It is flexible and well-featured, and it makes the ME Pro feel like a platform rather than an appliance. The evolution of this aspect is impressive, and FygoOS delivers many of the higher-end features that some NAS products lack.

However, there is one caveat. This is a Kickstarter launch product; therefore, a pledge is not a purchase, and delivery dates can slip. Buyers need to weigh that, but so far I’m impressed with this NAS on several critical levels. And if the Kickstarter goes well and this hardware ends up in the retail channel, it might be included in our best NAS devices.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Beelink ME Pro Creator Edition: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From $819
• When is it out? On Kickstarter soon
• Where can you get it? Only on Kickstarter initially

The ME Pro range is listed as coming soon on Kickstarter. Beelink is offering a Super Early Bird discount of 30 per cent. Prices are in US dollars, and drives are not included.

The 13500H four-bay costs $819 at Super Early Bird and $1,169 at list. All four-bay prices are below, Super Early Bird first, then list.

Beelink ME Pro Kickstarter pricing

Model	Super Early Bird	List price
J5005	$369	$529
N95	$489	$699
N150	$539	$769
Core 3 304	$769	$1,099
Core i5 13500H	$819	$1,169
Ryzen AI 7 H 350	$1,049	$1,499
Ryzen AI 9 HX 470	$1,379	$1,969

A $10 VIP deposit before launch unlocks a free four-bay upgrade. And if you back the two-bay tier machine, you will receive the four-bay model at the same price.

Given what some of these designs include in processing power and memory, these are mostly excellent deals. Specifically, $819 for the Creator NAS seems like exceptional value.

• Value: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Beelink ME Pro Creator Edition: Specs

ME Pro Creator Edition Specifications

Item	Spec
CPU:	Intel Core i5 13500H (12 cores, 16 threads)
GPU:	Intel Iris Xe (80 EU)
RAM:	32GB DDR4 expandable to 96GB
System Storage:	512GB internal SSD
SATA Storage:	4x 2.5 or 3.5 inch drives (HDD or SSD)
M.2 Storage:	2x M.2 NVMe Gen4 x4, 2x M.2 NVMe Gen3 x2 (one used for OS)
RAID:	Basic, Linear, RAID 0, 1, 5, 6 and 10
Ports:	3x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x 3.5mm Audio jack
Networking:	1x 10GbE LAN, 1x 2.5GbE
Outputs:	1x HDMI port, up to 4K resolution
OS:	FygoOS
Internal File Systems:	BTRFS, EXT4, ZFS
External File Systems:	EXT4, NTFS, FAT32, HFS+, ExFAT
Maximum Capacity:	4x 30TB HDD + 4x 4TB M.2 NVMe, plus external storage on USB or Thunderbolt
Max TDP:	45W
Dimensions:	165 x 121 x 185 (mm)

Beelink ME Pro Series overview

Model	Cores and threads	Max TDP	AI TOPS	Memory	M.2 slots	System drive	Max storage
Pentium Silver J5005	4C / 4T	10W	NO NPU	8GB DDR4	2	128GB SSD	128TB
Intel N95	4C / 4T	25W	NO NPU	12GB LPDDR5	3	128GB SSD	132TB
Intel N150	4C / 4T	25W	NO NPU	16GB LPDDR5	3	128GB SSD	132TB
Intel Core 3 304	5C / 5T	35W	24 TOPS	16GB DDR5	1	512GB UFS 3.1	124TB
Intel Core i5 13500H	12C / 16T	45W	NO NPU	32GB DDR4	4	500GB SSD	136TB
AMD Ryzen AI 7 H 350	8C / 16T	45W	50 TOPS	32GB DDR5	3	500GB SSD	132TB
AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470	12C / 24T	45W	86 TOPS	32GB DDR5	3	500GB SSD	132TB

Beelink ME Pro Creator Edition: Design

• Drawer concept
• Easy access to some upgrades
• Lots of screws

The drawer-style design is a neat idea: it uses almost the same mechanism as the drives, but replicated on the motherboard, which slides out for maintenance and upgrades.

That should make a processor upgrade a far simpler job than in a normal NAS. Beelink has also hinted at AMD and ARM boards in the same chassis. If you own a four-bay, you could buy a different two-bay and swap the platforms, in theory.

The unibody metal case is milled from solid aluminium and makes for a small footprint for a four-bay NAS. It’s also quiet enough that this could sit on a desktop.

Cooling relies on one internal blower rather than a bank of case fans, and when the motherboard module is removed, the dual-sided design is clearly influenced by Beelink’s mini PC designs.

Access to the two M.2 2280 Gen4 slots is super-simple, and they come with their own chunky heatsinks to help remove heat with the help of the fan assembly. There are two other M.2 slots (Gen 3 x2), one of these being occupied by the FygoOS installation, but getting those requires removing the fan.

Since the unused third slot doesn’t run at the same speed as the two easily accessible ones, it probably wouldn’t be a good plan to try to make a RAID array of the three, but that slot might be useful for a caching SSD.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

What I’m less impressed with is that the trays aren't tool-less for either 3.5- or 2.5-inch mechanisms. Each drive needs four screws, and once installed, two more hold it in place from the back of the tray.

The designers' issue here was that if they used a tool-less tray and a more elegant lock, then the NAS would be bigger, and the designers didn’t care for that. They also used four of these tiny screws to hold the motherboard tray in place, and these screws are easy to misplace.

One annoyance is that, to hold the thin steel air filter on the rear of the NAS, ten small magnets are glued into the chassis. They are placed within 4mm of where the screws hold the trays in, which inevitably means that when you go to screw them in, the magnets pull the screw off the screwdriver before you can thread it.

In short, the filter didn’t need that many magnets, and they didn’t need to be where the tray screws are.

The fine irony of all these screws is that the enclosure tolerances are so good that the screws holding the trays in and the motherboard are mostly pointless, certainly with the numbers used.

These points aside, the ME Pro is better built than most NAS enclosures, even if some compromises have been made to keep it so small.

• Design: 4 / 5

Beelink ME Pro Creator Edition: Features

• Intel Core 5 13500H CPU
• Up to 96GB of memory
• AI capabilities are limited

As a laptop processor, the Core 5 13500H was a strong platform sporting 12 cores total (4 Performance-cores with Hyper-Threading and 8 Efficient-cores) and 16 threads. As is the way with Intel 13th Gen technology, the performance-cores boost at a higher level, up to 4.7 GHz; and the efficient-cores boost at lower levels, up to 3.5 GHz.

All cores share an 18 MB Intel Smart Cache, and the chip has a base power TDP of 45W.

Some laptop designs using this chip scaled power up to 115W, but from what I understand, the ME Pro has more than enough performance at its base wattage.

The review hardware came with two 16GB DDR4-3200 modules providing 32GB, but if you can find them, this system could take dual 48GB modules for 96GB in total. It’s a shame Beelink didn’t use LPDDR5 for faster performance and lower power consumption, but the cost was probably prohibitive when these decisions were made.

The GPU is an Intel Iris Xe Graphics with 80 execution units running up to 1.45 GHz, and it shares memory with the rest of the platform.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The best aspect of this processor, aside from its high core count, is its PCIe lanes: 28 total. In this design, not all 28 lanes are created equal.

Eight primary lanes are Gen5, eight secondary lanes are Gen4, and all sixteen lanes are CPU-attached. The final twelve lanes route through the Platform Controller Hub (PCH) to handle slower or secondary peripherals (like Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, audio controllers, USB extensions, or secondary M.2 storage slots), and these are all Gen3.

That’s a terrific amount of bandwidth, and it enables dual M.2 Gen 4 x4, two more M.2 Gen3, a 10GbE LAN port and a 2.5GbE LAN port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, and three USB 3.2 Gen2 ports. That’s plenty for most people, as you can use the Thunderbolt port as a 40Gbps network connection if needed.

Overall, the architecture choices in this NAS are right for demanding workloads like video editing, photo manipulation, and software development, thanks to its hybrid core layout.

However, only the Ryzen AI models are sold specifically for local language models. The 13500H review unit is not one of them, and Beelink lists no AI performance figure for it. The AI 470 is quoted at up to 86 TOPS, with that number assembled from an NPU with 55 TOPS and a CPU and GPU combined for 32 TOPS.

Therefore, if you intend to run AI models on the NAS, one of the AMD machines would be preferable to this system.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Features: 4 / 5

Beelink ME Pro Creator Edition: Software

• FygoOS
• Docker and virtual machines
• Ollama options

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

FygoOS is the international face of a Chinese NAS solution that has surfaced in the past year. Its parent is fnOS, also called Feiniu Private Cloud. I believe a small team of NAS enthusiasts built it around Debian Linux, and it is closed source. During its public beta, it was offered as a free option for Chinese home users.

Reviews for this platform only began in early July 2026. Early adopters found a new NAS OS in version 1.2 and the FygoTV app in 0.9. The name hints at open source, but it is a proprietary system built partly on open source parts, with GPL source releases still in progress. It runs on x86 and ARM hardware and offers ZFS, Btrfs and ext4 storage. The changelog shows active development.

During my time with the ME Pro 4, it had several releases; I used version 1.2.0800, and FygoTV was 0.9.7-3.

FygoOS is the beating heart of the ME Pro, and it aims at beginners while leaving room for experts. Beelink says apps install with one click and update the same way. It lists official and community apps for media, backup, productivity and virtualisation.

For what appears to be a relatively new NAS OS, this all seems much more advanced than I’d normally expect, both in application selection and feature set.

As far as I’m aware, FygoOS is the only other hardware-included NAS OS with ZFS file system support other than QNAP QuTS hero. You can get this feature via Unraid, TrueNAS or OpenMediaVault, among other places, but you would be installing them onto this hardware to replace FygoOS.

Included in the selection of apps is a powerful photo and media search tool. It can use AI to rapidly find images using facial recognition and smart categorisation. The private cinema feature matches metadata automatically, and Beelink claims up to 99 per cent accuracy in identifying the content. It also syncs playback between devices and supports real-time hardware transcoding.

However, I was disappointed that, as nice as some of these tools are, Beelink missed a few tricks. One is the HDMI port, which is promoted as supporting up to 4K output. That might be true, but it can’t be driven by the Fygo TV app to play files directly onto a TV. That’s something you can do with a Ugreen or Asustor NAS, but not this.

But there are a few things it can do that are more exclusive. One of the more surprising features of this platform is the collaborative media workspace.

Teams can preview video, photos, audio, documents, fonts and 3D files without downloading them. AI search finds content by meaning, not just file names. You can send a review link, and reviewers add comments, annotations and timestamped notes. Sharing supports access controls, expiry dates, watermarks and branding.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The only caveat is that the features are tiered, with the best ones requiring a subscription.

The personal tier is included in all ME Pro. The business tier comes with a 30-day free trial on the J5005, N95, N150 and 304 models. The 13500H and both Ryzen AI models get six months free. But, and this is a concern, Beelink has not said what the business tier costs afterwards. I’d hate to use this for six months, find it incredibly useful and then discover that the monthly cost is too high to make it practical.

Being an Intel-based platform, and not ARM, this NAS supports virtualisation and with 32GB of RAM it is relatively easy to have several VT instances running. And, it has Docker, expanding the amount of software that can run on this platform dramatically.

It was interesting to note that while the hardware used here, specifically the Core i5 13500H, doesn’t have an NPU, it is a reasonably powerful processor and it has Iris Xe graphics, which can be used to process AI LLMs.

The standard application set includes Ollama, and I was able to install it and use it to run a local model like Gemma. While it wasn’t the fastest response, it did work quite well, so using this machine for AI isn’t impossible.

Obviously, if you want to use the NAS as an AI assistant, the two models with AMD Ryzen AI processors are a better choice, but even without a dedicated NPU, this hardware can run some AI and support interactive chats without relying on the Cloud.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Software: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Beelink ME Pro Creator Edition: Performance

• Overkill for file serving
• 10GbE and 2.5GbE
• Lacks channel bonding

When I started testing this NAS, I soon realised the platform was largely twiddling its thumbs during large file transfers. Using the 2.5GbE LAN port, no SSD cache and four 4TB drives in a RAID 5 pack, the CPU barely hit 9% usage. And that was shipping a file from my desktop PC at around 290MB/s.

Using the 10GbE port increased transfer speeds to nearly 700MB/s, but only added a few percentage points of CPU overhead. With an SSD, this machine can get closer to 1000MB/s, either directly or by allocating the SSD for reading and writing cache.

Four 3.5-inch drives don’t have enough performance to fully saturate the 10GbE link without cache support, so adding an SSD is more of a necessity if you're involved in file serving.

Gen4 x4 M.2 slots are great for internal SSD performance, but there aren’t many practical ways to use that bandwidth from the outside other than the Thunderbolt 4 port.

But unfortunately, the Thunderbolt port on this NAS doesn’t yet support Host mode, even though it is listed as a feature that’s ‘under development’ on the official FygoOS roadmap.

Also, while the networking functions enable Multi-gateway mode, where the LAN ports route according to the shortest path to the target system, there is currently no link aggregation/channel bonding. I don’t think channel bonding a 10GbE and a 2.5GbE line together is a good idea anyway, but FygoOS currently doesn’t have the necessary interfaces for this.

Because FygoOS is built on a Linux base, users looking to combine multiple network interfaces typically have to configure network bonding manually via SSH or underlying Linux networking tools rather than a native settings panel.

On a more positive note, I used a cheap Ugreen USB-A to 2.5GbE LAN port (CM648), and that worked perfectly for what is an incredibly inexpensive option. I know that Ugreen makes a 5GbE version of this adapter, and I suspect that would also be useful in this context.

Ideally, this system would have dual 10GbE and SMB multi-channel mode, but in most other respects, this NAS is overpowered for most roles.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Beelink ME Pro Creator Edition: Final verdict

Buy it if you want a compact NAS that you can upgrade later and you like the idea of a modern, flexible OS. Beelink pitches the 13500H model to creative professionals, and it has the core count to back it up.

That said, the four-bay market is crowded. Alternatives include the Ugreen NASync DXP4800 Plus and Pro, the Synology DS925+ and the UniFi UNAS Pro 4. Breaking down the ups and downs of each design would take another article, but to cover the basics, none of them matches the ME Pro 4-Bay Creator Edition.

The Ugreen NAS units are cheaper, use DDR5 and include special features like SMB Multichannel and HDMI video playback, which makes them useful.

Synology’s DS925+ uses a much weaker AMD Ryzen V1500B quad-core CPU, only has dual 2.5GbE LAN ports, comes with 4GB of RAM expandable to 32GB, and has two M.2 slots that can only use Synology-branded storage. That machine supports ECC memory, but that and the DSM OS are the only real positives.

The UniFi UNAS Pro 4 is meant for racks, not shelves, and is an ARM SoC system that supports four HDDs, two M.2 NVMe SSDs, and 2x 10Gb SFP+ LAN ports.

It’s cheap, around $600, but the 8GB memory can’t be upgraded, and the ARM architecture doesn’t support Virtual Machines.

What I haven't considered are the Asustor Lockerstor 4 models, QNAP, and TerraMaster options, to name a few. But to generalise, most 4-bay NAS don’t compete on processing power, memory capacity, and build quality.

The fly in this ointment is that until this product exits the Kickstarter campaign and people have them longer term, will they be able to establish a reputation, good or bad.

I haven't had any issues with the machine Beelink sent, and with a few more updates to FygoOS, it could become a useful NAS to own.

But for those who have had bad Kickstarter experiences, wait if you need proven reliability. This is a new product on a crowdfunding platform, and the modular upgrade path is so far a promise. But as a first-generation device, the Beelink ME Pro Creator Edition is certainly heading in the right direction.

Should you buy a Beelink ME Pro Creator Edition?

Value	The Kickstarter deals are excellent for NAS of this spec	4 / 5
Design	Innovative drawer design that allows for system swaps	4/ 5
Features	Powerful Intel CPU, up to 96GB of DDR4, Thunderbolt and three M.2 slots	4 / 5
Software	FygoOS is more sophisticated than expected	4 / 5
Performance	Two drives limits throughput without SSDs	4 / 5
Overall	A tiny powerful NAS that’s ideal for creatives, but it lacks the silicon for AI use	4 / 5

Buy it if...

You have a 10GbE network
With one 10GbE LAN and the 2.5GbE Port as a failover backup, you can distribute 1000MB/s of data over a network easily. And, using the USB or Thunderbolt port, you can get even more network bandwidth.

You need lots of RAM for VT
Being able to scale to 96GB of memory enables this NAS to handle jobs that would overrun other devices. It’s also DDR4, which might be cheaper to find than DDR5 at this time.

Don't buy it if...

You need AI LLMs
While this machine can run an LLM, the lack of an NPU in the processor holds it back, and you can’t add a powerful GPU, as it doesn’t have OCuLink. If you want AI on a NAS, other machines in this range are better suited.

You want Thunderbolt Host Mode
With this system having a Thunderbolt port, I was hoping it would have host mode, enabling a suitable laptop to link directly to the NAS with a 40Gbps link. However, that feature is still to be added to FygoOS, and until it is, that remains a pipe dream.

For more NAS solutions we've collated the best NAS hard drives around

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Always late for meetings or failing at life goals? This affordable planning app was made for you

How long has it been since you used a paper diary? 10 years, 15, maybe even 20. Can you remember the year it was or the brand of diary? Was it when you were in school, and you had to write down your homework? Long gone for me. Or was it your first job, and you used a Filofax to keep track of your meetings and action points? Or maybe you still use one to keep a note of everyone’s birthdays.

For me, there’s something strangely nostalgic and surprisingly grounding about flicking through a paper planner. I remember buying a new one each year, around Christmastime or January, if I’d completely failed at staying organized. Being able to discard an older diary and embrace a fresh one felt like a new start, a moment to turn my back on the difficulties of the previous year and embrace the opportunities ahead.

But it’s no surprise that digital diaries and online planning tools have made paper alternatives all but obsolete. Digital apps are available 24/7 on any device and have more features than you can shake a stick at. I think that’s a little bit of a shame, but one app trying to bring together paper and digital planning is Ultimate Planner.

Homescreen heroes

This is part of a regular series of articles exploring the apps that we couldn't live without. Read them all here.

Okay, Ultimate Planner is still a digital tool (sorry), but it replicates the paper diary experience in ways that I’ve never seen before. With paper diary-inspired layouts, Filofax-esque tabs, and stylus compatibility, it’s as close to a paper diary as you’re ever going to get without actually going to the shops and buying one.

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)

The complete planning package

Ultimate Planner, according to its creators, is “the most customizable digital planner app" available. And after just five minutes of use, you’ll probably be inclined to agree. With it, you can plan your day, organize tasks and actions, manage goals, and even track habits.

The journey begins by picking a planner type. Your choice customizes the features, tabs, and tools you access. If you choose ‘Ultimate Planner,' as I did, then you’ll be able to use everything the app has to offer without restriction. Just a word of warning: things can get pretty complex and overwhelming if you choose to show every single feature.

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)

If you have a specific type of planner in mind related to teaching, gratitude, or business, for example, then you can choose one of those instead. Just note that these additional options require a Pro account, which costs $39.99 / £39.99 per year or a $69.99 / £69.99 one-off charge for lifetime access. Unfortunately, there’s no free trial, although you can access the core features with a free account.

Unlimited customization is a core part of the app’s raison d'être. Being able to customize layouts with bespoke sections means you can create a planner that matches your specific workflow. You can even choose from numerous templates to get an aesthetic that feels personal and inspiring. The reality is that with all the feature permutations, Ultimate Planner is far from a one-size-fits-all app.

Unlimited Planner also just keeps going. When one year is done, another year seamlessly rolls around. That means you have access to unlimited pages, notebooks, and planning layouts. With the Pro version, there’s no limit on the number of planners you can create, so why not use it for both work and personal reasons? That’ll certainly make the very most of the subscription cost.

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)

One place for everything

The Ultimate Planner might look, for all intents and purposes, like a paper planner, but it’s also able to sync seamlessly with one or more of your digital calendars. This is an ideal solution for tracking events and managing tasks right alongside all your other planning notes and tables. Within each synced calendar account, you can choose which specific calendars you wish to display. This is ideal for work accounts, which might contain multiple people’s calendars.

You can also rest assured that your data will be perfectly synced across a range of platforms and devices, including iPad, iPhone, Android, and web. I’ve loved being able to access the planner on my phone on the go and then pick up where I left off when I’m sat at my desk. Having everything in one place, connected to all my devices, keeps me on track and organized.

Download Ultimate Planner on iOS and Android.

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says a forgotten 1950s European alliance secretly secured Taiwan’s chip empire — decades later, an island hardly bigger than Maryland dominates 90% of the advanced chip market

• Philips helped Taiwan begin its decades-long technology transformation
• Li Kwoh-ting pursued foreign expertise to build Taiwan's domestic electronics industry
• TSMC manufactures advanced chips, while ASML builds equipment used in production

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has recently discussed how Taiwan’s semiconductor leadership emerged through decades of industrial partnerships, government planning and manufacturing expertise.

During a recent conversation with Lex Fridman, Huang discussed how European technology relationships helped establish capabilities that later supported Taiwan’s electronics industry.

The island now manufactures more than 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors, giving its relatively small territory enormous importance to global technology supply chains.

Philips helped establish Taiwan’s electronics foundations

The story dates back to the 1950s, when Taiwanese economic planner Li Kwoh-ting pursued foreign partnerships to develop domestic manufacturing technology.

His efforts included attracting Dutch electronics manufacturer Philips, whose involvement helped introduce industrial knowledge and production capabilities into Taiwan’s developing electronics sector.

Philips subsequently became part of the historical background behind companies that helped shape semiconductor manufacturing and equipment development.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) eventually became central to advanced chip production, while Dutch equipment supplier ASML emerged as a leading manufacturer of lithography systems.

These businesses occupy different positions within semiconductor supply chains, with TSMC fabricating integrated circuits and ASML supplying machinery used during chip production.

Their historical connections to Philips help explain how international industrial relationships contributed to Taiwan’s technological development.

However, their subsequent success involved different corporate histories, investments and technological advances rather than one partnership determining the industry’s eventual direction.

Taiwan’s manufacturing capabilities developed through sustained industrial expansion, foreign relationships and growing demand for increasingly sophisticated electronic components.

Computer manufacturing created another opportunity for Taiwan

Taiwan’s electronics industry continued expanding as international demand for personal computers created new opportunities for component suppliers.

IBM helped accelerate this development when it published specifications for its personal computer architecture, enabling other manufacturers to build compatible machines and supporting components.

Taiwanese businesses capitalised on the growing market by designing chipsets and supplying computer components to manufacturers.

TSMC and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) subsequently became important semiconductor manufacturers, although their expansion involved distinct strategies and developments across the industry.

The growth of compatible personal computers also created opportunities for motherboard suppliers serving companies assembling and selling complete systems.

Michael Dell, who founded his computer business during this period, initially built machines using commercially available components, including parts sourced through international supply chains.

Taiwanese suppliers formed part of that developing network, although Dell’s eventual success also depended on his direct sales approach and business operations.

IBM’s influence therefore represents a separate stage in Taiwan’s industrial development, rather than a direct consequence of Philips’ earlier involvement.

Huang’s account connects foreign investment, manufacturing expertise and changing market opportunities to explain Taiwan’s rise within the semiconductor industry.

Its current leadership, however, rests on decades of further investment, engineering advances and specialised production capabilities.

The island’s concentration of advanced chip manufacturing has become particularly significant as AI increases demand for sophisticated processors.

Governments and technology companies are consequently seeking reliable supplies, while Taiwan’s manufacturing expertise remains difficult to reproduce quickly elsewhere.

Via Charles Xiong on X

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After parting ways with Xbox, I pray that Double Fine is working on more games like Psychonauts 2 — one of the best platformers since Super Mario Odyssey

There are few studios I respect more in the gaming world than Double Fine. Founded by industry legend Tim Schafer way back in July 2000, the mastermind behind adventure game classics like Grim Fandango and Full Throttle has spent the past 26 years making a range of games that have you doing everything from jumping into people’s brains to becoming a rock legend to using Russian dolls to solve puzzles.

Every single thing this developer creates is so unique, and none more so than Psychonauts 2.

From the Backlog

Every gamer has a backlog — and that’s no different for us at TechRadar Gaming. From the Backlog is a series about overdue first plays, revisiting classics, returning to online experiences, or rediscovering and appreciating established favorites in new ways. Read the full series here.

And I love this delightfully unorthodox platformer not just because of its excellent characters and imaginative level design, but also because of the hard journey it went on to see the light of day after six long years of development. Now I consider most video games a miracle, but not all video games have a 23+ hour documentary showing exactly how they were made and all the things people sacrificed to make them so special.

You owe it to yourself to watch it, more so now that Double Fine has parted ways with Microsoft and is yet again stepping into the world as an independent studio with so much left to give. Enough about that for now, though; let us touch on everything that makes Psychonauts 2 such a masterpiece now that I’ve hit the credits for the first time.

Insane in the membrane

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios/Double Fine)

The concept of being able to read the minds of those around you and even jump into their brains to root around sounds thrilling at first, but I bet it doesn’t take long before you stumble across mountains of trauma and terrible opinions.

But what if you could change people by delving deep into their subconscious and pulling on a few strings? That’s exactly what our hero Razputin "Raz" Aquato must do as a newly minted member of the Psychonauts, who also happens to come from a family of eccentric circus performers who are horrendously allergic to water. That explains the gaudy green skin and penchant for 3D platforming.

Psychonauts 2 starts incredibly strong as you’re yeeted into the head of a paranoid dentist harbouring the location of a long-lost psychic supervillain. If you’re afraid of rotting teeth or the idea of someone rooting around in your chompers with sharp objects, this level totally isn’t for you, but goodness me, is it gorgeous.

I’m filled with a feeling of proud disgust as I grasp onto a zipper of teeth using my telekinesis, only to pull it down to reveal a new area, while bouncing across a squishy yet jagged mixture of gums and teeth resembles a video game equivalent of a SpongeBob SquarePants close-up gag.

(Image credit: Double Fine)

It’s gross, needlessly detailed, yet instantly endearing. Thankfully, the remaining levels in Psychonauts 2 are equally as impressive but don’t make you want to lose your lunch. I’ll never forget helping a brain in a jar regain his physical form by reuniting his senses, who almost happen to play in a rock band pulled straight from the psychedelic 1960s, or the Casino Hospital, where sentient syringes are rolling the dice to try and have a baby.

Every level is a platforming masterclass that begins with a central premise before using that foundation to offer up stellar obstacles and puzzles which are always challenging enough to feel rewarding. During my first playthrough, I became obsessed with collectibles, leaving the beaten path behind in favour of hard-to-reach areas or consistently backtracking to make sure nothing was left behind. That’s the sign of a great platformer — each level is an utter joy to traverse the first time round before evolving into a familiar playground awash with secrets.

What color is the sky in your world?

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Beyond how good Psychonauts 2 can feel to play, it’s the writing and characters that occupy this platformer that help it rise to another echelon of greatness. Raz may be a psychic hero, but he’s also a naive little kid with so much left to learn about the world, which makes having to constantly fix the mistakes made by adults around him a smidge awkward.

This acts as an effective springboard for Schafer and his team to tell nuanced stories surrounding issues like alcoholism, depression, grief, and what it means to be human. The game world is held up by eccentric psychic realism, but the way it narratively expresses itself couldn’t be more real if it tried.

Throughout its seven-year tenure with Xbox, Double Fine never managed to release another game of this magnitude as it opted for smaller, more experimental titles like Kiln and Keeper. But I’ve no doubt that Schafer is currently hard at work on a new project as creative director or project lead, whether this ends up being a new IP or a sequel to something fans love.

It’s the sort of experience it will need to produce in order to succeed as an independent studio in today’s climate, where even a single failed project can usher in a studio’s sudden demise. Its enduring history and legions of hardcore fans sadly don’t make it immune to this fate.

Platformers of this depth and caliber are hard to come by these days

I’m not saying I want Psychonauts 3 — although that would be lovely — but the medium would be far darker if Double Fine stopped creating games like the idiosyncratic platformer.

It offers so much heart, so much purpose, and showcases what video games are capable of outside of chasing trends and retreading nostalgic old ground. We simply don’t have nearly enough experiences like it in the modern era, so hopefully Double Fine’s current Amnesia Fortnight campaign will produce something just as spectacular.

Platformers of this depth and caliber are hard to come by these days unless you’re being made by Nintendo, so if you’re after an emotionally satisfying adventure that will stay with you for years to come, I can’t recommend Psychonauts 2 enough. Oh, and be sure to give the documentary a watch as well. If we make enough noise, maybe we’ll be crowdfunding the third game sooner than we think.

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It's official — new scientific report says your boss should talk less and listen more in meetings

• New research claims meetings are considered successful when all participants experience a balance of speaking and listening
• Meetings are defined in the research as a gathering with a goal or structure
• Over three decades of meeting science has been reveiwed for the 2026 Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior

A new in-depth review of the science of meetings shows that listening trumps talking when getting together to discuss matters at work – and perhaps that bosses should talk less.

The 2026 Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior comprises over three decades of meeting science, a growing field among social psychologists. With a growing archive of meeting data available thanks to better written recording and online meeting calls, the review also found that meetings that are going nowhere should be abandoned.

Assembled by a team of researchers who all contributed, the review has uncovered some home truths for meeting leaders and bosses: that just because they think it went well doesn’t mean it actually did.

The meeting doom

Everyone has their experiences of meetings that seem to go nowhere, or endless meander around a point that has already been decided or discarded.

Perhaps the worst type of meeting (aside from redundancy announcements) is the one where employees are subjected to a life-story from the team leader or supervisor, who explains at length how they’re great friends with the owner, and can embellish any answer with an irrelevant, self-congratulatory anecdote.

Whatever the challenges presented by meetings that seem to go nowhere, technology could finally he here to help. Thanks to improved minuting and recording of team huddles and the storage of video conference calls, meeting science has an opportunity to show us how to conduct constructive, productive meetings that are memorable for the right reasons, rather than forgettable.

Ending meeting domination

Among the report's contributors was industrial and organizational psychologist Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock, who states, “Often, leaders talk the most, which is also why they often think their meetings are pretty good.”

The director of the Center for Better Work at the University of Hamburg, Germany, adds that meetings need structure so that all attending feel they can contribute. This can be facilitated with a warmup phase. “For more introverted participants and more quiet participants, this warmup phase is really helpful because it helps them make more active contributions inside the meeting.”

Embracing recommendations from this review could improve the image of the team or departmental meeting. Structure, and aims, can help, as cognitive scientist Ava Scott of the University of Copenhagen notes. Lacking structure, she says, “makes a lot of meetings feel very purposeless.”

While that doesn’t necessarily mean the boss will stop talking, they might manage to make it less about them...

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Apple Watch Ultra 4 review: Another triumph

Apple Watch Ultra 4: One minute review

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 isn't a radical aesthetic redesign, but it doesn't need to be. Apple's rugged smartwatch keeps the familiar 49mm titanium build, bright display, and customizable Action Button, while upgrades to its rear health sensors and internals make it a more capable companion for everyday wear and endurance workouts.

The biggest upgrade is arguably its battery life. Apple promises up to 50 hours of normal use, but I've easily managed two days with the Always-On display enabled and sleep tracking running overnight. That's seriously impressive for a fully featured smartwatch, even if some lower-power rivals like the best Garmin watches can last longer.

The new S11 chip keeps everything feeling responsive, with apps opening quickly and watchOS 27 running smoothly. Faster charging is another welcome addition, letting me replenish around 30% of the battery in just 15 to 20 minutes.

Health and fitness tracking also gets a meaningful boost. The new Health Sensing System improves measurements, and Readiness Score is one of my favorite additions to watchOS 27. It gives you a useful snapshot of how prepared you might be for the day, without requiring another subscription.

It also adds plenty of smaller quality-of-life improvements, including real-time step-count complications. Siri AI also brings more intelligence to the wrist, with features like Shazam and Sound Recognition. Siri Rewind and Live Recap have yet to arrive and prove themselves.

The downside is that the Ultra 4 looks and feels much like its predecessor, so Ultra 3 owners may not find enough here to justify an immediate upgrade. And while the battery life is excellent, the Ultra 4 still can't match every rival in sheer endurance.

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 costs $799 / £749 / AU$1,349 and is available now in Natural Titanium or Black Titanium. Both finishes come with Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, so there's no need to choose between separate Bluetooth-only and cellular models, as you can with the Apple Watch Series 12.

Ultimately, the Apple Watch Ultra 4 is a refined, reliable smartwatch that builds on an already excellent foundation. Its multi-day battery life, capable fitness tracking, and smoother watchOS experience make it a compelling choice for endurance athletes and Apple fans who want a rugged watch that does it all.

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Video review

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Specs Table

Component	Apple Watch Ultra 4
Price	$799 / £749 / AU$1,349
Dimension	49 x 44 x 12mm
Weight	63g (without band)
Case/bezel	Grad 5 Titanium
Display	49mm Always-On Retina LTPO3 OLED display (up to 3,000 nits)
Processor	Apple-made S11 chip
GPS	Dual‑Frequency GPS (GPS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou)
Battery life	Up to 50 hours with normal use
Connections	4G LTE, Satellite SOS, Wi‑Fi 4 (802.11n), Bluetooth 5.3
Water resistant	Water resistance 100m

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Price and availability

• $799 / £749 / AU$1,349
• No increase from last year
• You’re paying for an LTE model as usual

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 costs $799 / £749 / AU$1,349, and comes in Natural Titanium or Black Titanium, with both finishes including Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity as standard. This means you’re paying for your phone’s ability to add to a data plan whether you want to or not.

The watch is more expensive than other Apple Watches, which is standard for the Ultra series, but crucially, it’s the same price as the Apple Watch Ultra 3, with no annual price increase. In an era of an electronics components crisis, this is great news. It’s also absolutely stuffed with features as usual, with a premium build quality that, together, justifies the high price.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Design

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• Redesigned sensor array
• Identical display and case
• Useful programmable Action button

Like the Apple Watch Ultra 1, 2, and 3 before it, the Ultra 4 stands on its own in Apple's smartwatch lineup, offering one option: a squircle 49mm screen in a thicker, much more rugged design that's ready for the road — and truly any road. It still comes in Black or Natural Titanium and looks pretty much the same as previous iterations on your wrist. Still, the one-size-fits-all device is an issue for smaller wrists.

I've been testing the silver Natural Titanium version, and it's been a welcome change after rocking the Black Ultra 3 for well over a year. I like the contrast of the silver rim around the 49mm Retina display, and especially how the ‘Ultra Orange’ Action Button on the left side pops against the silver case.

The Action Button remains a nice addition for easily running a customized Siri Shortcut or quickly starting a workout, and the 49mm Always-On Retina OLED LTPO3 display still looks great in pretty much any condition, whether that's under fluorescent lights, in the gym, or outside on a very sunny day.

The Action Button sits alongside the speaker and microphone on the left side, while the rugged Digital Crown (with its orange ring) and the main side button live on the right. The top and bottom of the Apple Watch are still where the bands connect, and there's no change to the connector — fingers crossed Apple never changes that, as it’s exemplary.

The main design changes, aside from the new bands, are on the rear. Apple is rolling out a new Health Sensing System to the Ultra 4 and Series 12, which looks a little like a complex sundial on the back of the case. It features a new wider layout for electrodes and diodes to cover a larger surface area on the wrist, which lets the Apple Watch take more accurate health measurements — particularly when tracking heart rate.

This is also where the magnetic Apple Watch charger attaches, and the box includes an updated charging puck. It still connects to a wall adapter or another power source via USB-C, with improvements to charging speed. And while the Series 12 is still a stunner and the Ultra 3 could run laps around plenty of other watches, there's a larger battery inside the Ultra 4. I'll share more on this in the Performance section, but battery life is seriously impressive, surpassing its 50 listed hours.

Aside from the Health Sensing System on the back, though, much of the design here is Apple sticking with what has made the Ultra successful since its launch. It's an ultra-rugged, road-ready Apple Watch that's likely a necessity for endurance athletes, but its distinctive build also appeals to those who simply want something different from the standard Apple Watch.

• Design score: 5/5

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Features

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• Readiness score is excellent
• Siri AI features to come
• Improved vitals app

With the design mostly unchanged, much of what's new with the Apple Watch Ultra 4 comes from watchOS 27 and its health and activity features. I'm starting with the latter, as it's truly been the highlight of my testing.

I've worn an Apple Watch since it first launched in the spring of 2015. My original aluminum model arrived on launch day, and I was admittedly hooked on closing my rings. Now, after more than a month with the Ultra 4 — alongside the Apple Watch Series 12 — my new favorite feature is Readiness Score. It received a big round of applause at the launch event, and for good reason: it fills a gap in Apple's health feature set compared with the competition.

Many other wearables, including smartwatches and smart rings, offer ways to contextualize your data and help you understand what it means. Most notably, the Oura Ring provides a daily score that gives you an idea of what you're ready to take on. It's not medical advice, of course, but it can help you make sense of the data it collects. However, that feature sits behind a paywall, as do comparable offerings from Whoop, although Google Health, Garmin, and others provide it for free after you purchase a tracker.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

Apple's take on a Readiness score is sometimes less elaborate, but it's free if you have a compatible new Apple Watch and enough data for it to work. Based on your sleep score and previous day's activity, you'll get a score from 0 to 10 tailored to you, alongside a matching phrase. It's presented as a curved line or half-moon graphic. Sometimes, I was greeted with a blue 7, marked "Ready," with the explanation: "You had a good night's sleep last night, and all your other metrics are typical. It looks like you're rested and ready for today."

Jacob Krol/Future

Jacob Krol/Future

Below is a smaller breakdown of Fitness, Vitals, and Sleep Score. These can change throughout the day depending on your activity rings and whether you log workouts. When you open the Health or Fitness app on your connected iPhone, there's more data to explore, too.

It's become my favorite feature of watchOS 27 because of how it integrates with the Activity Rings experience, while building on Vitals. Rather than opening another app each morning and scrolling through a series of statistics, you're presented with a single score that feels actionable. Compared with other health wearables, it's also nice that Apple isn't locking it behind a monthly subscription. You do need a compatible recent Apple Watch, so there's an upfront cost, but you won't have to keep paying to use the feature.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

watchOS 27 also brings Siri AI to the wrist, provided your Apple Watch is paired with a compatible iPhone. While some more extensive requests can take an extra beat, the experience has been smooth, whether I raise my wrist to talk or simply say "Hey Siri." You can also ask for relevant information about your activity directly from your wrist.

The new Siri Modular watch face certainly spotlights this feature, placing Siri Suggestions below the time and above other complications. At times, it might suggest identifying a song with Shazam, remind you of your upcoming bedtime, provide the weather forecast, or offer other contextually relevant information.

Thanks to the new Health Sensing System, which supports activity and heart-rate tracking, blood oxygen measurements, hypertension notifications, and sleep tracking, Apple says heart-rate measurements are more accurate than ever. The Ultra 4 also introduces heart-rate variability (HRV) to the experience. You can add a complication that updates your heart rate in real time, as well as one for your step count.

• Features score: 4.5/5

Apple Watch Ultra 4: Performance

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

• Battery life performs as described
• Accurate against HRMs and competitor wearables
• Not yet able to test Audio Intelligence features

Apple's new S11 chip is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the Apple Watch Ultra 4, and it's a noticeable part of the experience. Apps open quickly, navigating watchOS 27 feels incredibly responsive, and everything runs smoothly. Suffice to say, it’s what you expect from a $799 smartwatch in 2026, and while it doesn’t run laps around the Ultra 3, it has its moments where it has a bit more pep in its step.

The S11 also features a Secure Enclave and a separate always-on processor, helping balance performance with efficiency. That last part matters even more with the Ultra 4's physically larger battery.

Apple promises up to 50 hours of battery life with normal use, up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode, and up to 45 hours in Max Extended Workout Mode. In my testing, I've easily managed two and a half days on a charge with the Always-On display enabled and sleep tracking running overnight. That's seriously impressive for a fully featured smartwatch, even if some competing watches can last longer. The Ultra 4 won't win every battery-life comparison, but getting multiple days of use without sacrificing those everyday features is a big deal.

When you do eventually run low, faster charging makes it easier to top up. I've been able to get about 30% battery back in 15 to 20 minutes, which is handy if you forgot to charge overnight or want to give the watch extra juice before heading out. It doesn't eliminate the need to charge, of course, but combined with that extended runtime, it makes battery anxiety much less of a concern.

The S11 chip and new Health Sensing System also help power features like Readiness Score, which has quickly become one of my favorite additions to watchOS 27. But the chip is also laying the groundwork for Apple's forthcoming Siri Rewind and Live Recap features.

I haven't been able to test either just yet, and while I still expect them to arrive in the coming months, Apple hasn't confirmed exactly when they'll ship. If those features are the main reason you're considering the Ultra 4 — or the Apple Watch Series 12, for that matter — I'd wait until Apple provides a firm release date and we've had the chance to put them through their paces.

There are other smaller improvements that make the Ultra 4 nicer to use, too. Shazam and Sound Recognition are handy additions to have on your wrist, letting you identify music or recognize certain sounds without needing to reach for your iPhone. Shazam still struggles with some live music, though, so don't expect it to identify every song you hear at a concert.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

Then there's the pedometer. It's a little wild that it's taken this long, but you can finally add a complication that updates your step count in real time right on your watch face. It's a simple quality-of-life improvement, but one that makes the Ultra 4 more useful at a glance.

In my testing across indoor cycling, outdoor walks, yoga, and indoor walks, the overall workout statistics and heart-rate readings have been in line with those from other devices, including the Oura Ring 5, Pixel Watch 5, Fitbit Air, and Apple Watch Series 12. Against an electrical heart rate monitor during a 5km run, the Apple Watch Ultra 4’s average heart rate reading was just 2 bpm away from the monitor’s. That’s well within the margin for error and just 1 bpm away from the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro’s readings during the same run.

Taken together, these aren't necessarily the sorts of changes that will make an Ultra 3 owner immediately rush out to upgrade. Instead, the S11 chip delivers a smoother, more efficient experience, while the larger battery makes it easier to take advantage of everything the watch has to offer. And with two and a half days of real-world battery life, that's a combination that's hard to beat.

• Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the Apple Watch Ultra 4?

Buy it if..

You need long battery life

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 can last for days, performing for up to two and a half days of real-world use in my testing.

You want Apple’s latest health features

The Readiness Score and Health Sensing System are only available on the current gen watches.

Don’t buy it if..

You don’t need Apple’s AI features

If you don't want the Audio Intelligence features or the Readiness Score, the experience is pretty close to Ultra 3.

Also consider

Apple Watch Series 12

Apple's cheaper, less powerful wearable.

Garmin Fenix 9 Pro

The Apple Watch Ultra 4's biggest competitor in the premium adventure watch space.

Read our full Garmin Fenix 9 Pro review

How we tested

We tested the Apple Watch Ultra 4 by sleeping, working out, and living with the watch during a testing period comprising multiple weeks, staff members, and a review unit. We compared the watch's readings against competitor wearables, including an electrical heart rate monitor, drained the battery, and used as many available features as possible.

First reviewed October 2026.

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How to watch World Series 2026: Live streams and TV channels

Watch World Series 2026 live streams as the Brewers and the Rays face off in a bid to claim the ultimate prize: being crowned champions for the first time. It should make for a fascinating contest, with up to seven games taking place across nine days to decide the Fall Classic.

The Brewers will have home-field advantage in the World Series after recording a franchise-record 103 wins during the regular season, the most in the Majors. They will host the first two games at American Family Field, as well as Games 6 and 7, if required.

The National League champions are making their second World Series appearance, and their first since 1982, when they lost to the St Louis Cardinals in seven games. They reached the Fall Classic by beating the San Diego Padres in the NL Division Series before sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series, denying the defending champions the chance to win a third consecutive title. Key players include starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski, whose fastball averages around 100.6 mph, and second baseman Brice Turang.

The Tampa Bay Rays are also returning to the World Series, having previously reached the Fall Classic in 2008 and 2020. They lost to the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively, on those occasions. In 2026, they will host Games 3 and 4, and Game 5 if necessary, at Tropicana Field in St Petersburg, Florida.

Among the Rays' key players are starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta, who was named American League Championship Series MVP after helping Tampa Bay secure its place in the World Series. Peralta previously spent several seasons with Milwaukee before being traded away in January 2026, setting up a meeting with his former team on baseball's biggest stage.

Read on for our guide on where to watch MLB World Series 2026 live streams online, on TV and potentially for free wherever you are.

Can I stream World Series 2026 for free?

Yes, the MLB World Series is being streamed for free on TCS in El Salvador, RPC TV in Panama and Canal 4 in Nicaragua.

Not in any of these countries? If you're traveling and want to watch World Series 2026 for free, you can use a VPN. We’ll show you how below.

Use a VPN to watch any World Series 2026 stream

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How to watch World Series 2026 live streams in the US

As mentioned above, baseball fans in the US can watch World Series 2026 on FOX and FOX One, while FOX Deportes will carry Spanish-language coverage.

After the 3-day free trial for new users, FOX One costs $19.99/month or $199.99/year.

You can also access FOX through YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and DirecTV Stream, all of which come with free trials.

Traveling during World Series 2026? Use a VPN to unlock your stream Brewers vs Rays.

How to watch World Series 2026 live streams in the UK

TNT Sports and streaming partner HBO Max will show every game of World Series 2026 live in the UK.

You can get TNT for £25.99/month (minimum 12-month term), or for £30.99/month on a rolling monthly plan.

Outside the UK right now? Use NordVPN to access your preferred coverage of World Series 2026.

How to watch World Series 2026 live streams in Australia

(Image credit: free)

The World Series 2026 is being televised on ESPN via Foxtel, with live streaming available via Kayo Sports.

Kayo Sports starts at AU$30 per month after a 7-day free trial. Or you can get your first month for AU$1.

You can also tune into NBA, NHL, NFL, cricket, AFL, rugby, F1 and more.

If you're currently out of Australia but want to watch a World Series 2026 live stream, you'll need to get yourself a VPN, as per the instructions above.

How to watch World Series 2026 live streams in Canada

(Image credit: Other)

Sportsnet will have live coverage of World Series 2026 in Canada.

You can stream all games live on Sportsnet Plus, which costs from CA$34.99 a month or CA$269.99 for the year and provides access to a whole host of other sports. Both Standard and Premium plans let you watch MLB games.

If you're currently out of Canada but want to watch a World Series 2026 live stream, you'll need to get yourself a VPN, as per the instructions above.

World Series 2026 FAQs

What is the World Series 2026 schedule?

• Game 1: Friday, Oct 23 (Rays at Brewers), 8pm ET / 1am (Sat) BST
• Game 2: Saturday, Oct 24 (Rays at Brewers), 8pm ET / 1am (Sun) BST
• Game 3: Monday, Oct 26 (Brewers at Rays), 7pm ET / 11pm GMT
• Game 4: Tuesday, Oct 27 (Brewers at Rays), 7pm ET / 11pm GMT
• Game 5: Wednesday, Oct 28* (Brewers at Rays), time TBD
• Game 6: Friday, Oct 30* (Rays at Brewers), start time TBD
• Game 7: Saturday, Oct 31* (Rays at Brewers), start time TBD

*If necessary

Can I follow World Series 2026 on my mobile?

Of course! Each of the major broadcasters has streaming services that you can access through mobile apps or via your phone's browser.

You can also stay up-to-date with all of the key World Series 2026 moments on the MLB's official social media channels on YouTube (@MLB), Instagram (@MLB), TikTok (@MLB) and Facebook (@MLB).

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

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Microsoft helped shut down an “App Store” for criminals linked to over a billion malicious messages

• Microsoft collaborated with the Japanese National Police Agency to tackle Chinese-language cybercrime “app stores”
• The YAM Store, CoGUI, and Iron Man have targeted people in more than 150 countries
• Microsoft is working with law enforcement agencies worldwide to take down illegal operations that target businesses and individuals

Microsoft has announced a successful operation with the Japanese National Police Agency in which a collection of cybercrime app stores were disrupted. Investigating fraudulent, scam messages targeting Japanese businesses and citizens, the operation uncovered a multi-faceted criminal marketplace, with three key elements.

The YAM Store, CoGUI, and Iron Man had targeted 75,000 organizations across more than 150 countries worldwide, sent over one billion malicious communications promoting scams, and generated millions of dollars for the criminals behind them. Furthermore, 750 million messages were aimed at Microsoft’s own customers.

Alongside the Japanese authorities, Cloudflare, Oracle, Proofpoint, Resecurity, and TRM Labs were also involved in the operation.

Impersonation templates

Exploring the cybercrime ecosystem targeting Japanese businesses, investigators found the trio of the YAM Store, CoGUI, and Iron Man. Investigators found these provided a route into a cybercrime ecosystem for cybercriminals.

The environment was providing criminals with pre-fabricated fake websites and messages, designed to be used to fool targets into thinking they were interacting with the genuine article. Amazon was among the faked sites, on sale so scammers could simply host convincing pages to steal login and payment credentials, without any need to hire their own coder. Other spoofs on sale included government agencies, financial institutions, and other well-known companies.

Security filtering software was initially unable to handle the CoGUI phishing-as-a-service (Phaas) framework as it employed some sophisticated methods to avoid detection, including browser fingerprinting and geofencing.

What is interesting to note is the role these facilities played for the distribution of cybercrime assets. CoGUI was apparently targeting Japan and US victims, but during the course of the investigation, was replaced by a new service, Iron Man.

The YAM Store

While all three components were already known to Microsoft and the authorities, it took a concerted effort to infiltrate the network of cybercriminals using the services. They were hosted in a wholly Chinese-language environment, requiring native-speakers to be added to the investigating team, and gain access to the underground cybercrime marketplace known as the YAM Store.

Microsoft assigned a tracking number Storm-3119 to the marketplace, which it describes as an “Initial Access Broker.” It was set up to provide its customers with “compromised or fraudulently obtained environments in providers like Microsoft and Google.”

While it may be expected for compromised software to be on the radar of its publishers, the creator(s) of the YAM Store had a workaround. It was able to keep its inventory fresh by using automation. This identified “expired environment or organization names and leverages legitimate customer information associated with them to help circumvent existing detections.”

Microsoft has seized domains associated with the YAM/CoGUI/Iron Man infrastructure, and either blocked or redirected them.

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