Google will roll out a version of Gemini AI for kids under 13
The app will include parental controls and safety features via Family Link
Google is pitching Gemini to parents as a way for kids to learn, be creative, and get help with homework
Google is keen to widen the usage of its Gemini AI assistant and is creating a version of the Gemini app for children, including parental controls on content. The company sent an email to parents about its plans for a Gemini designed for children under 13, first spotted by 9to5Google.
Google's email cites comments encouraging managed access to AI from parents, teachers, and experts on kids as the reason for the new app. The child-friendly AI assistant will supposedly help kids with homework, answer idle questions, and help them with creative writing. Parents will be able to set Gemini as the child’s default assistant on Android devices.
Of course, as Google is often quick to point out, Gemini can make mistakes. Any kid using Gemini should check with their parents about any facts (and frankly, adults should confirm anything Gemini tells them as well). So if Gemini tells your child that Abe Lincoln invented peanut butter, hopefully they will ask you before they turn in their essay on how the Gettysburg Address was so short because Lincoln had a mouthful of peanut butter and nothing to wash it down.
The idea is that if AI tools are going to shape the future of learning, kids should be introduced to them under controlled circumstances. Those digital training wheels will help kids learn how to use AI safely before the parental limits are removed when they're older.
The Gemini for Kids app will come with many extra safety and parental control features, powered by Google's Family Link, which provides tools for parents to limit their children's activities online. Parents will be able to monitor their child's Gemini activity and be alerted if their kid starts using it for less-than-pure purposes, asking questions like, “Can you do my science fair project?” or “How can I start betting on football games?"
Schools will also have protections in place. If kids access Gemini through school-issued accounts, administrators can set usage policies and supervise interactions using the Google Admin Console.
Gemini kids
This is arguably much more than just another checkmark in Google's plans for Gemini. It marks a real push by Google to normalize AI for the whole family, specifically Gemini. Google is planting a flag with the app. If Gemini is a child's first AI app, the one they grow up with, they're more likely to trust it and keep using it in their adult lives too.
There are serious questions about deploying AI to kids. Making sure Gemini doesn't mislead kids or mess with their critical thinking development is critical. And Gemini is not where kids should find answers to their deepest emotional questions, but it's hard to imagine a child not at least trying to ask Gemini about drama with their friends.
To assuage some of those concerns, Google told parents there will be no ads or data harvested from the kids version of Gemini. Instead, the focus will be on learning and creative expression. That it might conveniently train a generation to be comfortable using Google's AI tools is not brought up by the company, but it feels a lot like a very elaborate and high-tech version of a college giving out branded pens to second graders to get them thinking about applying in a decade every time they reach for a pen.
Last week, news broke that the Amazon-backed Slate Auto project would begin production of its cut-price electric pick-up next year, but the company isn’t alone.
While pricing is still to be determined, Isuzu – arguably one of the most iconic names in commercial vehicles – has said that it will release an electric version of its D-Max pick-up truck in 2026.
Although its range is startlingly sparse in some markets (only the D-Max is now sold in the UK, for example), the company enjoys success in Asia, including its domestic market of Japan, Thailand and others, where solid, reliable trucks are essential to daily life.
The D-Max EV joins the likes of KGM’s (formerly SsangYong) electrified Musso, the Maxus eTerron 9, the upcoming BYD Shark and a raft of cheap electrified pick-up trucks that could soon make their way from China.
While the likes of Ford and Chevrolet experienced relatively slow sales of electric pick-ups, the market could soon become the next hotly-contested EV battleground for global manufacturers.
Towing, hauling and off-road performance have typically proven barriers to entry for this body style, but Isuzu claims its EV is on a par with the diesel option it also offers: it can carry more than 1,000kg in the bed, tow 3,500kg and accelerate from 0-62mph in 10.1 seconds.
The 66.9kWh battery pack is located under the floor and the EV version uses the same ladder chassis as the existing truck. Although here, Isuzu adds permanent four-wheel drive with a motor at the front and rear axles.
According to the marque, off-road performance isn’t affected by the electrified powertrain, with a hefty 210mm of ground clearance and a wading depth of up to 600mm. There are also steep approach and departure angles for when the terrain gets tough.
Pick up a bargain
(Image credit: Slate Auto)
Isuzu hasn’t revealed an official price for the D-Max EV, but we would expect it to be substantially more than the circa $53,000 / £40,000 / AU$84,000 it currently charges for a diesel-powered version.
This puts it in the firing line of the Ford F-150 Lightning, which offers an EV range of 230 miles in the most basic variants. Isuzu, on the other hand, says its truck manages around 163 miles on a single charge.
As we have seen with various electric pick-ups, including the Tesla Cybertruck, hauling or towing loads has a big impact on electric range which, for many, is already too tight for daily use cases.
Slate Auto has been honest about battery range and the very basic nature of its upcoming model, but the upshot is that it looks set to be truly affordable. Those trucks offered by Ford, Chevrolet, Rivian, Tesla and now Isuzu are still likely too expensive for many, given the compromises.
But electric commercial vehicles are rapidly growing in popularity, as the technology is improving and many governments continue to incentivize their use for environmental reasons.
According to one report, the global electric truck market is set to reach a valuation of $78 billion by the end of 2033, up from a $19.5 billion valuation in 2023.
With a host of cheaper, electric models due to arrive from China in the coming years, as well as those from more established Western brands, the electric pick-up market could well be the next hotly-contested battleground for sales.
They boast Bluetooth 5.4, a seven-hour battery life, and solid audio
Panasonic has just announced a new pair of cheap wireless earbuds with its open ear Panasonic RB-F10 earphones.
Like other open ear designs, rather than sitting inside your ear, these earbuds sit over your ear canal. This allows you to hear your music clearly, but also, because your ear isn’t blocked, you can hear what’s going on around you.
The Panasonic RB-F10s specifically come with a few handy features.
They boast Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint, so you can easily switch their connection between two different devices. They also feature built-in microphones for voice calls with automatic background noise removal, allowing you to be heard more clearly.
Additionally, they have a seven-hour battery life, which can be extended by a further 18 hours using their charging case.
(Image credit: Panasonic )
Lastly, because open ear headphones are usually a little bigger than earbuds, they can boast bigger drivers, which should lead to a richer sound than you might be used to. At least, that’s what Panasonic is promising from its new RB-F10s.
Best of all, they come in at just £79.99 (around $110 / AU$165) which makes them one of the more affordable options in the open ear space – and if they can stick the landing could help them secure the best budget option spot in our pick of the best open ear headphones guide.
Open ear headphones are the best
(Image credit: Panasonic )
I adore open ear headphones, and recently converted my fiancée to the lifestyle as well.
We love to watch videos or listen to music on our phones, but it’s easy for it to become a competition as we each try to drown the other’s audio out by turning up our speakers louder and louder. We’ve tried using over-ear noise-cancelling headphones, but then it’s impossible for us to talk to one another, especially if one of us is trying to shout for the other from another room.
Open ear headphones strike the perfect balance because we can enjoy our own private audio, but still call out to each other or easily come in and start chatting without having to compete with noise cancelling tech.
They’re also ideal for working out (especially running, as you can enjoy your motivational audio and still hear what’s going on around you), or while traveling, as you can keep an ear out for any public transport announcements that you might miss if ANC is turned on.
I love the Shokz OpenFit Airs(Image credit: Shokz)
I’ve also found that they’re hooked design is generally comfortable yet secure. I’ve tested several open ear headphones designs, and I frequently forget to take them off even when I’m not playing any music because I just forget I have them on.
Lastly, as is true for other earbuds, their small case makes them so easy to carry with you. Unlike a pair of headphones, you can get away with your pockets rather than needing to bring a bag as you can transport your cans when you aren’t wearing them.
Now we haven’t yet tested the Panasonic RB-F10 earphones, but they look like they tick a lot of essential boxes on paper, which could make them a solid choice if you’re after the convenience of open ear headphones that I and others are already enjoying.
FAVM unveils its FA-EX9 mini PC with AMD Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 chip
96GB GPU memory and 128GB total RAM makes it ideal for creative professionals
Compact AI-focused mini PC is a challenger for Nvidia DGX Spark
Chinese hardware manufacturer FAVM has announced the FA-EX9, a compact AI-focused mini PC powered by AMD’s latest Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 processor. Based on the Strix Halo platform, the chip features 16 Zen 5 CPU cores and 40 RDNA 3.5 Compute Units (Radeon 8060S).
The diminutive device measures just 192 x 190 x 55mm and with a total chassis volume of just 2 liters, FAVM claims the system is among the smallest of its kind.
The FA-EX9 is squarely aimed at AI professionals and is positioned as a challenger to platforms like Nvidia’s DGX Spark. It supports the MAX+ 395 processor at a sustained 120W power draw, which the company says offers performance comparable to a Ryzen 9 9955HX paired with a GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU.
OCuLink connector
The system uses LPDDR5 memory across a 256-bit bus, offering 128GB of total memory. Up to 96GB can be allocated as GPU memory, so it can handle large language model workloads without requiring discrete GPUs.
FAVM claims that the integrated GPU and NPU architecture in the FA-EX9 delivers 2.2 times the AI performance of an RTX 4090 in LM Studio when running locally. The system uses dual turbine fans and phase-change thermal materials to manage heat while keeping noise levels low during high-load tasks.
FA-EX9’s connectivity includes HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1, and two USB4 ports, with support for up to four 8K displays. It also features an OCuLink connector with a bundled adapter for high-performance external GPU expansion.
Although no release date or pricing has been confirmed, VideoCardz reports teaser campaigns are currently underway in China.
Perplexity has added AI image generation to its platform
The images are produced using the OpenAI model, which was recently released for ChatGPT
Perplexity also made OpenAI's o3-mini and xAI's Grok-3 models available
AI conversational search engine Perplexity can now add some AI visuals to your answer. And if those images look a lot like what ChatGPT would make, well, that's because they use the same model.
If you're unconvinced, the left image was generated using Perplexity, while the one on the right was created by ChatGPT, both with the same prompt. It's like an AI ghostwriter, but for fantasy landscapes with dragons instead of a legal thriller sold in an airport.
Perplexity quietly added the feature to its web platform this week, offering three image generations per day for free users and unlimited generations for Perplexity Pro users. It's pretty straightforward to use it.
Like with ChatGPT, you just have to ask the AI to "generate an image of" something, or use similar language to set up the prompt.
Don't worry if you don't have the model (officially GPT-4.1) chosen from the list of model options, either; Perplexity will automatically use it to produce the visual. That's likely because none of the other models will make a picture on Perplexity at the moment.
you can generate images on perplexity now. the UI is cute and fun. we have also added support for grok 3 and o4-mini for model selection options (which already supports gemini 2.5 pro, claude 3.7, perplexity sonar, gpt-4.1, deepseek r1 1776), and looking into supporting o3 as… pic.twitter.com/RX6L98pf2gApril 25, 2025
Perplexity Pictures
That wasn't the only addition to Perplexity's abilities announced by the company, though. The AI assistant added a couple of other models to its stable.
xAI's Grok 3 model is now one of the choices for Perplexity to use in answering questions, while OpenAI's o4-mini model is now one of the "reasoning" model options.
This all fits with Perplexity's approach to its AI platform. Rather than trying to build everything from scratch, the company is curating models and weaving them into its platform to streamline access.
It’s a smart play, especially considering how many people may want to try an AI tool, but aren't willing to commit to just one among the many. Most people just want to ask a smart machine a question, get a clear answer, maybe see a cool picture of a flying whale while they’re at it, and move on with their lives.
The addition of ChatGPT's image generator is a nice splash of color to the AI search engine. It will likely become especially popular once it joins the voice assistant on the Perplexity mobile app.
Browsers are the new frontline, but today’s DLP can’t see the real threats
Data Splicing Attacks break through enterprise browser security
Angry Magpie reveals how fragile the current DLP architecture is in a browser-first world
A newly uncovered data exfiltration technique known as Data Splicing Attacks could place thousands of businesses worldwide at significant risk, bypassing all leading data loss prevention (DLP) tools.
Attackers can split, encrypt, or encode data within the browser, transforming files into fragments that evade the detection logic used by both endpoint protection platforms (EPP) and network-based tools - before these pieces are then reassembled outside the protected environment.
By using alternative communication channels such as gRPC and WebRTC, or secure messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram, threat actors can further obscure their tracks and avoid SSL-based inspections.
Threat actors now splice, encrypt, and vanish
The growing reliance on browsers as primary work tools has increased exposure. With more than 60% of enterprise data stored on cloud platforms accessed via browsers, the importance of a secure browser has never been greater.
Researchers demonstrated that proxy solutions used in many secure enterprise browsers simply cannot access the necessary context to recognize these attacks because they lack visibility into user interactions, DOM changes, and browser context.
Additionally, endpoint DLP systems struggle because they rely on APIs exposed by the browser, which do not offer identity context, extension awareness, or control over encrypted content.
These limitations create a blind spot that attackers can exploit without detection, undermining many enterprises’ ability to defend against insider threat scenarios.
What makes this discovery even more urgent is the ease with which these techniques can be adapted or modified. With new code, attackers can easily create variants, further widening the gap between evolving threats and outdated protections.
In response, the team introduced Angry Magpie, an open source toolkit designed to replicate these attacks. Security teams, red teams, and vendors can use the tool to evaluate their defenses.
Angry Magpie allows defenders to assess their systems’ exposure in realistic scenarios, helping identify blind spots in current implementations of even the best DLP solutions.
“We hope our research will serve as a call to action to acknowledge the significant risks browsers pose for data loss,” the team said.
Google DeepMind has enhanced and expanded access to its Music AI Sandbox
The Sandbox now includes the Lyria 2 model and RealTime features to generate, extend, and edit music
The music is watermarked with SynthID
Google DeepMind has brought some new and improved sounds to its Music AI Sandbox, which, despite sand being notoriously bad for musical instruments, is where Google hosts experimental tools for laying down tracks with the aid of AI models. The Sandbox now offers the new Lyria 2 AI model and the Lyria RealTime AI musical production tools.
Google has pitched the Music AI Sandbox as a way to spark ideas, generate soundscapes, and maybe help you finally finish that half-written verse you’ve been avoiding looking at all year. The Sandbox is aimed mainly at professional musical artists and producers, and access has been pretty restricted since its 2023 debut. But, Google is now opening up the platform to many more people in music production, including those looking to create soundtracks for films and games.
The new Lyria 2 AI music model is the rhythm section underlying the new Sandbox. The model is trained to produce high-fidelity audio outputs, with detailed and intricate compositions across any genre, from shoegaze to synthpop to whatever weird lo-fi banjo-core hybrid you’re cooking up in your bedroom studio.
The Lyria RealTime feature puts the AI's creation in a virtual studio that you can jam with. You can sit at your keyboard, and Lyria RealTime will help you mix ambient house beats with classic funk, performing and tweaking its sound on the fly.
Virtual music studio
The Sandbox offers three main tools for producing the tunes. Create, seen above, lets you describe the kind of sound you're aiming for in words. Then the AI whips up music samples you can use as jumping-off points. If you've already got a rough idea down but can’t figure out what happens after the second chorus, you can upload what you have and let the Extend feature come up with ways to continue the piece in the same style.
The third feature is called Edit, which, as the name suggests, remakes the music in a new style. You can ask for your tune to be reimagined in a different mood or genre, either by messing with the digital control board or through text prompts. For instance, you could ask for something as basic as "Turn this into a ballad," or something more complex like, "Make this sadder but still danceable," or see how weird you can get by asking the AI to "Score this EDM drop like it's all just an oboe section." You can hear an example below created by Isabella Kensington.
AI singalong
Everything generated by Lyria 2 and RealTime is watermarked using Google's SynthID technology. That means the AI-generated tracks can be identified even if someone tries to pass them off as the next lost Frank Ocean demo. It’s a smart move in an industry that’s already gearing up for heated debates about what counts as "real" music and what doesn’t.
These philosophical questions also decide the destination of a lot of money, so it's more than just abstract discussions about how to define creativity at stake. But, as with AI tools for producing text, images, and video, this isn't the death knell of traditional songwriting. Nor is it a magic source of the next chart-topping hit. AI could make a half-baked hum fall flat if poorly used. Happily, plenty of musical talents understand what AI can do, and what it can't, as Sidecar Tommy demonstrates below.
Beats is launching its Pill speaker in Blush Pink and Navy Blue
It's also announced that the Pill is Beats best-selling speaker ever
You'll still get bold sound and all-day battery life from the Pill
Last summer, Beats brought back its Pill speaker, and after testing it, we found it to be an impressive offering with robust sound and excellent bass. Further, in typical Beats fashion, it launched in a few different shades: Champagne Gold, Matte Black, and Statement Red.
Now, ahead of summer travel in 2025, Beats is expanding the selection of colors for the Pill, and both are stunners. Introducing the Beats Pill in ‘Blush Pink’ and ‘Navy Blue.’ Better yet, these don’t come with a price increase either.
You will need to track down each shade at a specific retailer, though. In the United States, fans of pink will need to visit Target, while those looking for blue will need to head to Walmart. Easier than heading out the door, though, is locking in an order online – both are priced at $149.95 and are shipping now.
(Image credit: Beats)
If you’re in the United Kingdom, you can get ‘Blush Pink’ from John Lewis for £149.99. Those in Canada can head to Walmart, with pricing to be confirmed at a later date.
Now, both of these shades look great, though the Blush Pink is a bit more fun in our opinion, offering a more summer-y shade in a very light shade of the color. Depending on how the light hits it, the speaker might pop even a bit more.
It’s also a full-color job on the rear and front, as well as the attached lanyard and buttons. The Navy Blue is a proper representation of the name, offering a deeper shade of the color.
Either route, ‘Navy Blue’ and ‘Blush Pink’ expand the color options, offering two fun shades alongside the original trio of Champagne Gold, Matte Black, and Statement Red.
Regardless of the color you get the Beats Pill in, you’re scoring what Beats is now confirming is “its bestselling speaker" ever, in that it's sold more of the new Beats Pill in the nine months it’s been out for compared to all past Pill launches.
The excellent audio from the Pill is produced by a new racecourse drive that sits front and center, angled upward. You can also pair two of these speakers together for a stereo and more room-filling experience. You’ll also get up to 24 hours of battery life, and the Pill is quite durable, thanks to its IP67 rating.
Lastly, while you’ll recharge it using the USB-C port on the back, the Pill supports passthrough, allowing you to recharge another device by simply plugging it in.
I’ve come around on Nothing. Since its first device in 2022, the smartphone startup has provided an interesting but limited range of phones, mimicking the Google Pixel catalog in its small but mighty lineup. Nothing’s handsets are led by a strong commitment to aesthetics, both inside and out – and for a long time I thought it was extra and a bit cringe. That’s all changed with the brand’s latest release. I’ve come to love the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro – and consider it a proper Pixel A rival.
Let me set the scene for why the (3a) Pro impresses me so much. For the past four years, Google has dominated the affordable-premium segment of the phone market. The company’s Pixel A range of devices, released typically around five to six months after its Pixel flagships, have long been considered so good that they've been worth placing alongside the top end Pixel Pro device. In 2024, with the Pixel 8a, the phone entered the premium segment after a price rise in some territories, though in others it’s still considered a mid-ranger.
This price increase diminished the Pixel A series’ value, and helped the Samsung Galaxy A55 (and this year's Galaxy A56) take the crown for best mid-ranger. Today in the affordable-premium segment, where handsets like the iPhone 16e and Samsung Galaxy S24 FE reside, the Google Pixel 9a is one of the less expensive picks – though it’s now seeing serious competition from smaller phone makers, with Nothing a great example.
Compared to the Google Pixel 9a, Nothing has two aces up its sleeve. The first is its focus on customization, and even though its phones lean more on blacks, whites and dot-based designs in widgets and menus, you’re able to unleash a fair amount of creativity when it comes to the lock and home screens.
(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)
Nothing’s cooked up the first phone to successfully pull me away from the Google Pixel A – and for the exact same reasons that I loved Google’s affordable-premium phones to begin with. Both manufacturers provide a comfortable off-ramp for Apple users looking to try something familiar (but ultimately not an iPhone) without an eye-watering price tag. Nothing’s real edge is its unique aesthetic and, despite offering lower performance than other affordable-premium phones when put through raw benchmarks, adequate day-to-day power that never left me wanting.
The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro feels like a pleasantly deviated interpretation of the ‘Apple but on an Android’ aspiration. The operating system is sleek, with a monotone-focused aesthetic that’s both recognizable and pleasant, while cutting down on bloatware.
On top of this, Nothing has an ace up its sleeve – the (3a) Pro isn’t your only option, and if you don’t mind trimming down on some camera capabilities and processing power, the standard 3a is also a worthwhile pick. We’ve previously compared the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro to the standard Phone (3a), and found them far more similar than different.
The Google Pixel 9a remains a great phone and I’ve enjoyed using it so far (and I’ll be writing an article on my experiences soon), but I’m left just so impressed with what Nothing has done here.
(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)
Beating Google at its own game
Customization has been a bit of a focus for phone companies as of late. Samsung and Apple both introduced sweeping aesthetic overhauls with their recent operating system versions, which I reflected on in my iPhone 16e and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra articles, and there’s more to it than just throwing on a fresh coat of paint – it’s about empowering the user to put their own spin on their device. Google understood this well when it introduced Material You back in 2021 as part of the Android 12 platform, and for this focus the Pixel range became the aesthetic heartthrob of the industry.
Nothing has obviously built upon Material You as it offers Android phones, but it’s done so with an uncompromising aesthetic. Apple and Google offer fairly neutral colours that could be appreciated by a wide audience, but Nothing wants you to commit to the monotone bit. You don’t have to – you can color the OS anyway you want – but this phone looks so damn gorgeous when you’re sticking to the blacks and whites.
(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)
The startup also offers some decent levels of customization that put it well ahead of many contemporaries, including a focus on icon packs (or Material You coloring), lock screen editing (with tons of room for widgets) and even the ability to toggle Google’s search bar on or off.
Nothing’s widgets are the most impressive part of this; they’re broadly interactive and there are many shipped with the base OS, including a compass, a step tracker and a ‘News Reporter’ that uses a choppy, AI-generated voice of Nothing’s CFO Tim Holbrow to read the latest news stories to you. (I personally think this is a crass implementation of AI that degrades the value of narrators and reporters alike, but maybe that’s just me.) My personal favorite is the in-built media player widget, which feels leaps ahead of any similar widget offered on a Samsung or Google device.
Moreover, similar to Google’s own handsets, there’s a pleasant lack of bloatware, with only Google apps and a small slew of Nothing’s own apps preinstalled.
Adding to this, Nothing’s assuming you’ll start to treat your phone a little differently than usual: there’s an extra button on the side of the phone that’s used for taking voice memos.
Hold the button and you’ll start recording – good for putting down reminders on the fly, which you can then access by double pressing the button, which launches the dedicated Essential Space app. To make navigation to your reminder easier, a screenshot is taken at the moment you begin recording, which is then used as the icon for your memo.
(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)
It’s a handy feature that I love the idea of, but I’d honestly prefer the ability to change that button to trigger another app – similar to the Action Button found on newer iPhones. Technically you can do this with a third party app like Key Remapper, but it’s such an obvious feature that it’s perplexing it’s not officially supported.
Nevertheless, it’s here, and whether or not you use it is down to your personal preferences.
Hardware where it matters (and some where it doesn’t)
The Nothing (3a) Pro has a great hardware offering that puts it in decent competition with other phones in its segment. Though its screen is lower resolution than many rivals, and it scores lower on benchmark tests, its display is noticeably bigger than most rivals and it has a brilliant camera array that I’ve come to love.
Originally I went into this article expecting the Phone (3a) Pro to blow the Pixel 9a out of the water in terms of processing power, but no, the Pixel 9a remains competitively robust at the lower-end of the affordable-premium price range. Google’s been improving its Tensor chip year-on-year, though it’s still a long way before it stands shoulder to shoulder with Samsung and Apple.
The Phone (3a) Pro really isn’t a phone for any intensive use – such as gaming, as indicated by the GPU-intensive 3D Mark test results. Despite this, Nothing has made meaningful strides in physical areas. The large screen speaks for itself – I barely notice the resolution difference, but I sure appreciate having more screen space. The UI is, as already discussed, very flexible, and despite lower benchmark scores and less impressive specs, this never translated to hangups in day-to-day use or unimpressive battery life.
I also appreciate the photos the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is able to capture. Close-up shots lack much of the macro detail that Google has gotten extremely good at snapping, but apart from that, these photos look brilliant, though with a bit more color injected into them than with a Pixel phone.
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Here are some comparison photos from the Google Pixel 9a:
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I’m very impressed that Nothing has offered such a powerful array of cameras at this price point. This is normally Google’s bread and butter and while the Pixel range continues to lead on close-up detail, it’s cool to see Nothing pull off some great results.
It’s not all rosey, though. Those impressive cameras are in large part thanks to a gigantic camera housing, which protrudes far and wide out of the back of the phone. I recommend purchasing a case to help minimize the bulge.
Additionally, and how could I forget, the Phone (3a) Pro comes with Nothing’s signature Glyph system – a set of lights across the back that flash to note a text coming through, an alarm going off, or flash when music plays. It’s a cool but limited feature, and although it’s one of Nothing’s drawcards (and the lights can be useful when holding the phone up to dimly lit spaces, like when I’m looking at the insides of my computer), I just can’t get too excited about it. I honestly find it a little pointless. Sorry!
So should I buy the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro?
(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)
Nothing’s cooking here – the Phone (3a) Pro is now my preferred affordable-premium smartphone, a category I denote as a cut below flagship handsets and sporting the same name with an affordability indicator (e, a, FE, etc). I recommend it to anybody considering the Pixel 9a, the iPhone 16e or the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE.
That being said, these are all really good phones and each device has advantages in areas where others are lacking. I personally think that the unique styling of the Nothing (3a) Pro should be enough to draw you in, but it lacks the comfortable neutrality of Apple’s iOS or Google’s own version of Android.
It’s certainly worth considering if you want to detox from the big three, and if you can nab it on sale, it’s all the better. (I’ve already spotted it on sale in Australia but I can’t speak for other markets).
iQOO Neo 10 Pro+ is rumoured to be in development as the latest addition to the iQOO Neo 10 Pro series in China. Ahead of its anticipated debut, a tipster has leaked specifications of the purported smartphone. It is tipped to be powered by the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and may come with a 2K resolution display. Meanwhile, the purported iQOO Neo 10 is reporte...
Realme GT 7 debuted in China last week and is now said to make its way to the Indian market too. The company has teased its arrival in the country via a microsite while also boasting its gaming prowess. The Realme GT 7 is confirmed to support up to six hours of BGMI gameplay at 120 frames per second (fps).
A massive DDoS attack was recently detected during a major NHL event
Attack grew from 67Gbps to nearly 1Tbps in twenty minutes
Multivector strike used UDP, SYN, IP, and TCP flood techniques
Cybersecurity firm Qrator Labs has claimed it successfully mitigated the largest DDoS attack so far recorded in 2025.
The April 3 attack targeted an unnamed online betting organization, lasting around 90 minutes, starting at 11:15 with a surge of 67Gbps, before escalating sharply to 217Gbps by 11:23, and peaked just short of 1Tbps at 965Gbps by 11:36.
Activity then slowly decreased to 549Gbps by 12:41, with the attack ending shortly afterwards. The DDoS attack was multivector in nature, featuring a peak of 965Gbps in UDP flood, 229Gbps in SYN flood, 214Gbps in IP flood, and 169Gbps in TCP flood.
Sporting events are major targets
Qrator notes that the attack happened on the same day that NHL star Alexander Ovechkin scored his 892nd goal, tying Wayne Gretzky's long-standing record. Ovechkin’s achievement was likely the trigger for the attack as the online betting sector is especially vulnerable during major sporting events.
A similar attack pattern was spotted during the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, held in Germany, where spikes in DDoS activity also targeted online betting sites.
“This new incident is a clear reminder that major industry-specific events can be exploited by malicious actors. Companies that work with them, such as online betting platforms, must prepare in advance to defend their digital infrastructure when attention is at its peak,” said Andrey Leskin, Chief Technology Officer at Qrator Labs.
With major sporting moments drawing massive audiences online, betting platforms continue to be a prime target for coordinated attacks such as this one.
Other noteworthy sporting events set to take place this year, which could prove to be a target for similar DDoS strikes, include the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States and the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The Steam Deck is pretty cool, isn’t it? You may be wondering where I’ve been all this time, if I’m only just finding out about the brilliance of Valve’s handheld gaming PC. The truth is that I was waiting to see what the Nintendo Switch 2 had to offer before deciding if I’d get aboard the hype train. Now, after seeing exactly what’s coming on June 5, I think I’m happy to skip Nintendo’s upcoming console.
Very briefly, a word on prices. Because while I feel the backlash is entirely valid (especially when it comes to the cost of Switch 2 games), it’s been said more than enough times already. And it’s not the main reason my interest in the new console has plummeted.
It’s more the fact that the Steam Deck is just too damn good. It also helped that I paid £249 (about $370) for it through the Certified Refurbished Steam Deck program.
There’s always a concern with buying secondhand that you'll end up with an inferior product. But, as I found with my experience of the eBay Certified Refurbished program, steps have been taken to make these products as close to as good as new as possible for buyers.
My refurbished Steam Deck arrived in a plain but functional box and included a surprisingly sturdy carry case. The handheld itself looked in top condition, free of any marks, scratches, nicks, or dents that might indicate it had been used or returned. Performance has been excellent, too, well in line with what you’d expect from a new system.
My refurbished Steam Deck arrived with this useful carry case included(Image credit: Future / James Pickard)
So, if you have any doubts about the quality of a Valve Certified Refurbished Steam Deck, then take my word for it – I was very impressed by the quality and condition of the handheld. I would have guessed it was a completely brand-new Steam Deck if I hadn’t known otherwise.
Decked out
Now, onto what it’s actually like to use. I’m sure fellow Deck owners will agree that it’s glorious, right? SteamOS is beautifully presented and easy to navigate, and a considerable number of games are verified and well-optimised to work on the system. Sure, you may have to make to graphical concessions here or there, but with the games I’m playing, that’s rarely an issue.
Given I now do most of my gaming on the PS5 – and my PC is still rocking an ancient GTX 1060 – I’ve been out of the loop with PC gaming for a good five years. I did miss the variety and inventiveness of many smaller games or indie darlings that never make their way to the major consoles, or don’t do so for many years down the line.
That was a huge draw of getting the Steam Deck: to play these unique, interesting and often fascinating games in reasonably good quality without needing to sit at the same desk I’d just worked at for the last eight hours.
It’s been a blast uncovering all the surprise gems of UFO 50, enjoying the explosive chaos of Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, and reminding myself of the mystifying nature of the original Tomb Raider trilogy.
I've tried a whole array of games on the Steam Deck I might've otherwise missed(Image credit: Future / James Pickard)
Adding my GOG and Epic Game Store library (mostly freebies I’ve claimed over the years just because I can) has also been a breeze, but an even bigger win has been setting up PS5 Remote Play so I can stream from the console to the Deck, much like the PS Portal. That’s been a huge bonus to chip away at monumental 100+ hour RPGs that Metaphor: Refanzaio without hogging the TV from my partner every evening.
While that would’ve been possible with the PS Portal, instead of spending £200 on that dedicated piece of hardware, I can also access my entire PC games library for just £50 more.
I’ve experienced all of that in the few dozen hours I’ve had with the Steam Deck so far. I know there’s even more to look forward to when I dig even further into my back catalog to finally play some of those Steam sale impulse buys from years ago, or rediscover a classic I thought I wouldn’t return to without a gaming PC.
Switched off
I weighed all of that up with what was shown in the Nintendo Switch 2 showcase.
There’s a new version of Mario Kart that looks perfectly fine, an unexpected but welcome outing for DK in Donkey Kong Bananza, a surprising From Software exclusive in The Duskbloods, and the long-awaited release of Metroid Prime 4.
Alongside that is a lot of excitement about an online chat feature (that also works best with an extra camera accessory), a paid-for tech demo in the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, and various upgrade fees to play last-gen games at a better performance level.
Will I miss not playing the latest Mario, Metroid, or Zelda? For sure. But it seems many of these games will still be playable on the old console too, even if I have to fight with my OG Switch’s pathetic battery life. And, ultimately, there’s already so much awaiting on the Steam Deck that I don’t think I’ll be missing out on too much.
from Latest from TechRadar US in News,opinion https://ift.tt/hArjO7v
Adata Premier Extreme SD 8.0 Express memory card needs a special reader for full performance
1,600MB/s speeds push this SD card beyond UHS and Express 7.0
ECC error correction and durability features protect data in harsh conditions
Adata has introduced the world’s first SD 8.0 Express memory card, alongside a high-speed USB flash drive and a tool-free M.2 SSD enclosure, targeting mobile professionals and content creators who demand top-tier portable performance.
The Premier Extreme SD 8.0 Express memory card features a PCIe Gen3 x2 interface and adopts the NVMe protocol. It offers 512GB of storage and delivers read speeds of up to 1,600MB/s and write speeds of up to 1,200MB/s.
Adata says the card doubles the speed of the SD Express 7.0 standard and leaves UHS-I and UHS-II cards far behind.
The Premier Extreme SD 8.0 Express card is designed for durability, offering resistance to shock, water, static, and extreme temperatures. It also features LDPC ECC error correction to safeguard data integrity.
With support for the U3 and V30 video speed classes and a 512GB capacity, the card is aimed at creators who need speed and reliability in a compact form - particularly for 4K video, RAW photography, and mobile editing workflows.
One key limitation is that the SD 8.0 Express format requires a compatible reader to unlock its full performance. Standard SD card readers won’t support its maximum throughput.
In addition to the SD card, Adata also unveiled the UE720, a USB 3.2 Gen2 flash drive delivering read and write speeds of 550MB/s and 450MB/s, respectively. It is available in capacities up to 256GB and features a compact, mobile-friendly design.
Rounding out the trio is the EC680 M.2 SSD enclosure, which offers tool-free installation and transfer rates of up to 1,050MB/s via a Type-C interface. It is compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, and modern gaming consoles.
Chinese researchers have developed super-fast non volatile flash memory
Graphene channel enables 400 picosecond write speed and persistent storage
"PoX" device targets AI bottlenecks with low power, high speed performance
A research team in China has developed what claims is the fastest reported non-volatile semiconductor memory device to date, with a write speed of one bit every 400 picoseconds.
The unfortunately named “PoX” (Phase-change Oxide), is a two-dimensional graphene-channel flash device developed at Fudan University in Shanghai.
The team built the device using a Dirac graphene channel combined with a charge-trapping stack. It operates faster than the system-level access times typically associated with volatile memory types like SRAM and DRAM, which usually fall between 1 and 10 nanoseconds. A picosecond is one-thousandth of a nanosecond.
Paving the way for its future applications
Volatile memory like SRAM and DRAM offers high speed but loses data when power is removed. Non-volatile flash retains data without power but tends to operate at higher latencies, often in the tens of microseconds at the NAND level. This makes it less suited for low-latency workloads such as AI inference. The PoX device aims to bridge that gap by combining speed and persistent storage.
The graphene-based device uses a two-dimensional hot-carrier injection mechanism. Its thin-body structure enhances horizontal electric fields, improving carrier acceleration and injection efficiency. At 5V, it achieved write speeds of 400ps and maintained performance over 5.5 million cycles. Long-term retention tests showed data stability over a simulated 10-year period.
“By using AI algorithms to optimize process testing conditions, we have significantly advanced this innovation and paved the way for its future applications,” said Zhou Peng, lead researcher of the study.
"Our technology breakthrough is expected to not only reshape the global storage technology landscape, drive industrial upgrades, and foster new application scenarios, but also provide robust support for China to lead in relevant fields."
Liu Chunsen, also involved in the research, said the team has created a fully functional chip and now aims to integrate it into existing devices.
“The next step involves integrating it into existing smartphones and computers,” he said.
“This way, when deploying local models, we will no longer encounter bottlenecks such as lagging and heating caused by existing storage technology.”
AI voices usually aim to be realistic in a friendly way, mimicking relaxed, happy, helpful people. But a new open-source model named Dia is leaning into the more emotional spectrum of voices, including some really intense screaming.
Dia’s creators at Nari Labs are a tiny group, but have given AI voices the option to sound like a somewhat melodramatic performer, capable of making realistic laughing, coughing, throat-clearing, sniffing, and yes, yelling.
You might not think that yelling is a big deal for AI at this point, but screaming is hard to fake. It can't just be talking loudly; it's an entirely different speech mode.
Emotionally expressive speech is a gap in most AI voices. It’s easy for a voice model to read a bedtime story. However, it’s much harder for it to sound like it’s trying to calm a friend down, or like it just saw something shocking. Most commercial models avoid sounding robotic by smoothing the tone of the voice, which doesn't leave room for the kind of audio asymmetry of speaking emotionally.
Dia treats nonverbal communication as part of the performance. It knows that "(coughs)" isn’t something to be ignored or read literally. It knows that a scream isn’t just a louder line. And it performs these things with a level of timing, pitch modulation, and breath control that makes them feel more real.
One enterprising user even used it to recreate a bit of the famous Leroy Jenkins sketch carried out on World of Warcraft.
That's not to say that OpenAI, ElevenLabs, Google, Sesame, and others haven't produced amazing AI voice models. You can customize OpenAI's Advanced Voice Mode to speak with different emotions, and ElevenLabs is good at interpreting capitalization and punctuation to adjust speech, but that's not the same as yelping in surprise or wheezing with laughter.
Sesame is particularly good at sounding and reacting like a real person, but even its models err towards cheerful and generally positive demeanors.
Of course, realism is subjective, and you might work out pretty quickly that Dia is an AI voice. Then again, fake screams and laughs are also pretty human sounds to make in the right context.
Two undergrads. One still in the military. Zero funding.One ridiculous goal: build a TTS model that rivals NotebookLM Podcast, ElevenLabs Studio, and Sesame CSM.Somehow… we pulled it off. Here’s how 👇 pic.twitter.com/8cfJSegciXApril 21, 2025
Scream for AI
What makes this a bigger story than just “AI voice learns a party trick” is what it signals for the broader race in AI for emotional intelligence.
We’re rapidly entering an era where it won’t be enough for your assistant to say the right thing; it’ll need to say it in the right way. Think customer support bots that sound genuinely sorry, teachers that sound encouraging instead of instructional, and in-game characters that convey sincerity.
Of course, giving AI the power to emote convincingly makes it more persuasive and thus potentially more manipulative. If emotional speech can be just another AI tool, then more than a few people may feel like screaming themselves.
Still, I can imagine some fun writing a ghost story for Dia to not just read, but perform, screams and all.
North Korean hackers are using GenAI to hold jobs in western firms
New research from Okta reveals AI written CVs and messages
This is an escalation from an existing fake interview campaign
New research from Okta has revealed that hackers from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), are using generative AI in its malicious interview campaign - a series of tactics that involve gaining employment in remote technical roles in western firms, usually in industries with sensitive security data like defense, aerospace, or engineering.
The AI models are used to “create compelling personas at numerous stages of the job application and interview process” and then, once hired, GenAI is again used to assist in maintaining multiple roles, all earning revenue for the state.
AI was used by these hackers in a number of ways, including generating CVs and cover letters, conducting mock interviews via chat and webcam, translating, translating, and summarising messages, as well as managing communications for multiple jobs from different accounts and services.
To assist, the hackers have a sophisticated network of ‘facilitators’ that provide in-country support, technical infrastructure, and “legitimate business cover” - helping the North Koreans with domestic addresses, legitimate documents, and support during the recruitment process.
The campaign is growing ever more sophisticated, especially given that hackers are now using both sides of the job seeking process, targeting job seekers with fake interviews, in which they deliver malware and infostealers.
These elaborate schemes often start on legitimate platforms like LinkedIn or Upwork - with the attackers reaching out to victims to discuss potential opportunities. Anyone on the job hunt or in the hiring process should be extra vigilant about who they are speaking to, and should be careful not to download any unfamiliar software.
WhatsApp has commented on its controversial new Meta AI assistant
The messaging app says it's a "good thing" despite a mixed reception
WhatsApp has separately rolled out a new 'Advanced Chat Privacy' tool
WhatsApp has defended the wider rollout of its Meta AI assistant inside the popular messaging app, despite some significant pushback from users.
Earlier this month, Meta rolled out the AI assistant – represented by a blue ring in the bottom-right corner of your WhatsApp chats – across several new countries in the EU, the UK, and Australia.
Because WhatsApp is very popular in those regions – more so than the likes of Apple's iMessage – there was a vocal backlash to its arrival on platforms like Reddit, particularly as it isn't possible to turn the feature off. But WhatsApp has now commented on those concerns for the first time.
In a statement to the BBC, WhatsApp said: "We think giving people these options is a good thing and we're always listening to feedback from our users". It added that it considers the feature to be similar to other permanent features in the app, like 'channels'.
Although the Meta AI circle hovers permanently in your chats section, it doesn't actually have access to your chats. Meta's Help pages state that "your personal messages with friends and family are off limits", while the Meta AI chat window states that "it can only read messages people share with it".
Still, some privacy concerns remain, so this week WhatsApp introduced a new feature called "Advanced Chat Privacy" to help soothe any remaining concerns.
A privacy peace offering
(Image credit: WhatsApp)
While it isn't possible to turn off Meta AI in WhatsApp (it's also now integrated into the app's search bar), you will soon be able to use "Advanced Chat Privacy" to prevent others from using your chats in other AI apps.
The new setting, which is "rolling out to everyone on the latest version of WhatsApp", is designed to stop people from taking anything you share in WhatsApp outside of chats and groups. When it's turned on, your friends and contacts are blocked from "exporting chats, auto-downloading media to their phone, and using messages for AI features".
We haven't yet seen the feature in action, but you'll be able to turn it on by tapping on a chat name, then tapping the new "Advanced Chat Privacy" option. WhatsApp says this is also just the first version of the feature, with more protections en route to help you avoid a personal Signalgate fiasco.
That's likely to be a more popular move than baking Meta AI in WhatsApp, although a recent poll on the TechRadar WhatsApp channel shows the latter hasn't been universally condemned.
While the biggest chunk of our poll respondents (42%) said they would "never" use the Meta AI assistant in WhatsApp, a significant number (41%) said they would "maybe, sometimes" tap the blue ring, while 17% said they planned to use Meta's ChatGPT equivalent "regularly". Perhaps, like the prison walls in The Shawshank Redemption, we'll one day grow to depend on it.
