News
- T-Mobile’s Starlink-powered satellite service has just fully launched
- You can connect to satellites without needing apps or settings changes
- It’s available for a monthly fee, even to non-T-Mobile customers
T-Mobile has just launched its Starlink satellite service, dubbed T-Satellite, after testing it for many months. It brings connectivity to remote areas not currently served by any of the major mobile networks – but what do you get from T-Mobile, and how does it compare to the free alternative offered by Apple?
With T-Satellite, T-Mobile says you’ll get coverage provided by over 650 satellites orbiting the Earth. Your phone will connect automatically, with no apps to download or settings to change. That said, you may get a small amount of downtime as your phone disconnects from one satellite and connects to another – the satellites are moving in orbit, after all, so you won’t always be hooked up to the same one.
According to T-Mobile, the service works with over 60 mobile devices. That includes every iPhone from the iPhone 13 onwards, the Samsung Galaxy S21 and later, Google Pixel phones going back to the Google Pixel 9, and more.
Other supported devices include the latest Motorola Razr 2025 series and the latest Samsung Galaxy A56. You can read the full list on T-Mobile's eligibility guide. The latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 are listed as "coming soon".
If you’re on T-Mobile’s Go5G Next or Experience Beyond plans, you get T-Satellite included for free. Other T-Mobile customers can access it for $10 a month per line, although the company says the price will rise to $15 per month after a “limited time.” Customers of other networks can also sign up for $10 a month (later $15 a month) by contacting T-Mobile.
How does Apple compare?(Image credit: Apple)Apple has offered its own satellite service for a few years now, so you might be wondering what its advantages and disadvantages are compared to T-Satellite.
For one thing, Apple’s offering is a lot broader than what you get with T-Mobile. With Apple, you can send and receive messages, contact emergency services, share your whereabouts with Find My, organize roadside assistance for your vehicle, and get weather reports. T-Satellite, meanwhile, only supports sending and receiving text messages. It doesn’t offer data or any of the other services that Apple supports.
As well as that, Apple’s satellite functionality is entirely free (for the time being, at least), whereas T-Mobile’s requires a monthly subscription. On the other hand, you can only access Apple’s satellite service if you have an Apple device, while T-Mobile’s works with a range of iOS and Android products.
You’ll need to consider which option suits you best based on your circumstances. But with T-Satellite emerging from its beta-testing period, you’ve got another choice for staying connected when you’re off the grid.
You might also like- Broadcom was given European approval to acquire VMware in July 2023
- CISPE's European Cloud Competition Observatory has issued Broadcom two red warnings
- CISPE is now asking the European Commission to annul its decision amid ongoing concerns
The Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe (CISPE) has filed a formal appeal to challenge the European Commission's decision to approve Broadcom's 2023 acquisition of VMware.
CISPE – a group representing Europe's sovereign cloud infrastructure providers, and recently in the news for bringing complaints about Microsoft's unfair cloud licensing fees – is now seeking annulment of the Commission's decision.
The news comes around two years after the European Commission approved the takeover, at which point Broadcom promised to deliver continued interoperability.
CISPE isn't happy about Broadcom's VMware acquisitionIn November 2024, CISPE announced it would be launching the European Cloud Competition Observatory (ECCO) to monitor competition. Later in February 2025, the organization wrote: "In the case of Broadcom, CISPE members and customers report little or no engagement from the company on their issues."
As such, ECCO assigned a Red/Critical status to Broadcom, which was reconfirmed in May 2025 when ECCO wrote: "This second report finds that Broadcom’s wide ranging and brutal imposition of unfair contract terms for cloud infrastructure service provides continue unabated."
At that time, ECCO called for "urgent official investigations," while CISPE Secretary General Francisco Mingorance noted that "Broadcom shows no interest in finding solutions, or even of working with European cloud infrastructure providers."
"Urgent action is needed," Mingorance added.
On July 24, 2025, CISPE claimed there had been errors in law and a flawed competitive assessment by the Commission in the first place – although the Commission had acknowledged competitive risks, it had not imposted conditions on Broadcom.
Since the VMware takeover, Broadcom has terminated contracts with short notice periods and introduced new licensing terms with drastic price hikes (up to 10X) and mandatory multi-year commitments.
In this most recent development, Mingorance noted that hospitals, universities and municipal authorities have also been affected – not just cloud service providers.
"The Commission was warned this would happen, yet it stood by. It must now reconsider its decision," the Secretary General concluded.
TechRadar Pro has asked Broadcom for a response to CISPE's complaint, but we did not receive an immediate response.
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Epic Games just launched the collab for The Fantastic Four: The First Steps, with movie-inspired skins available as rewards as part of a new Tournament. In terms of the OG mode, there's set to be a live event on Saturday (July 26) centered around a rocket launch. Until then, there's the new Thermal Rifle to try out, as well as a whole new OG Battle Pass to work through.
Fortnite OG wowed players when it first returned, offering up retooled versions of various classic seasons, which changed each week. It proved to be a massive hit, with player counts absolutely skyrocketing in the month or so Fortnite OG was live.
It's no surprise then, that it's now come back as a permanent fixture, continuing into 2025, and Epic has confirmed that the next season of Fortnite OG will begin in August.
Thankfully, the ongoing battle royale title receives regular updates from its developers teasing what's coming, and we do now know that Fortnite OG is going to cycle through seasons. Now that the new season of Fortnite battle royale has launched, the runway is clear for OG to take the spotlight.
Here's everything you need to know about when Fortnite OG Season 5 launches. We'll cover everything officially revealed by Epic Games, some info on what to expect, as well as a round-up of how things played out last time. As news comes out, this page will be updated.
Fortnite OG Season 5 release date(Image credit: Epic Games)Fortnite OG Season 5 will launch on August 8, 2025. This is according to the in-game Battle Pass screen. Recently, Epic Games has started to detail a live event that'll arrive on July 26. We'll have to wait and see where it lands this time around.
Fortnite OG is now a dedicated mode moving forward, cycling through Chapter 1 seasons in a similar way to how things worked at the end of 2023, though slightly elongated. Chapter 1 Season 2 ended on March 25, 2025, with Season 3 came to a close on June 8, 2025. This recreates the pattern of the original run, adding loot pool changes and feature introductions. You can read more in the full Fortnite OG Chapter 1 Season 4 blog post.
The best place to keep up on specific updates closer to the launch of the new season of Fortnite OG is the Fortnite Status X / Twitter account. We'll be sure to keep this page up to date as well.
What is Fortnite OG?(Image credit: Epic Games)Fortnite OG launched in November 2023 and switched the game all the way back to the 2018 map. Specifically, it started in Season 5, with the return of Tilted Towers, a throwback weapon loot pool, and several OG skins to buy in the store. Each week, Epic Games moved the clock forward to the next season, rotating through Season 6, Season 7/8, and then Season 9/10.
The map went back to a more classic style, visually and in terms of level design. Iconic locations like Frosty Flights came back, as did old-school vehicles like the X-4 Stormwing. This lasted until December 2, 2023, when the game switched over to a new season. Fortnite OG returned on December 6, 2024 and is now a permanent mode, with its own seasons cycle.
Fortnite OG map(Image credit: Epic Games)Above, you can see the current Fortnite OG map. It's been meticulously recreated, with every tree, car, chest and object is right where you remember it. Ziplines and ascenders have been added in Zero Build to aid movement. As the seasons change, we'll likely see the map change with it, as well. With Season 4, you'll be able to jump into Dusty Divot, and Risky Reels.
Fortnite OG weapons loot pool(Image credit: Epic Games)Here's the weapons added as part of Fortnite OG season 3:
- Shopping Carts (live now)
- Thermal Scoped Assault Rifle (live now!) - Spot your enemies easier. It’ll also highlight Chests and Supply Drops for you!
- Apples (live now!) - As tasty as they are useful, these foraged items provide a nice lil’ 5 Health once eaten.
- Hop Rocks (live now!) - Prepare for lift-off! These meteor fragments grant you the power to perform gravity-defying leaps. It won’t last forever though, so use those hops carefully!
- Mushrooms - There’s no funny business here, these fungi’s provide 5 Shield and can be the difference between a slim victory or swift elimination…
- Bouncer - Spring into action! Whether you’re looking for a bouncy escape or setting up an aerial ambush, the Bouncer Trap is a friend.
- Drum Gun - Rapid fire your way to dominance like someone’s supporting you with a drum roll
- Dual Pistols - This pair of pistols packs a punch if you’re willing to get up close and personal.
- Jetpack - Take to the sky and get an aerial advantage over your opponents. Be warned though — it’s a long way to the ground when you’re all out of fuel
- Stink Bomb - Clear the way with a gaseous grenade that creates a lingering cloud of noxious fumes. Who said winning had to smell good?
Note that while these weapons and items are planned on being added this season, they're not all available at launch. Items like the Drum Gun will be added as the season progresses. The following weapons carry over from the previous season:
- Assault Rifle
- Burst Assault Rifle (Epic and Legendary rarities have arrived!)
- Scoped Assault Rifle
- Light Machine Gun
- Minigun
- Revolver
- Pistol
- Suppressed Pistol
- Suppressed Submachine Gun
- Tactical Submachine Gun
- Pump Shotgun
- Tactical Shotgun
- Heavy Shotgun
- Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle
- Semi-Auto Sniper Rifle
- Hunting Rifle
- Grenade Launcher
- Rocket Launcher
- Guided Missile
- Boogie Bomb
- Bushes
- Cozy Campfire
- Clingers
- Grenade
- Impulse Grenade
- Remote Explosives
- Port-A-Bunker
- Damage Trap
- Launch Pad (non-throwable version)
- Bandages
- Med Kits
- Shield Potions
- Small Shield Potions
- Slurp Juice
- Chug Jugs
In excellent news for fans, Fortnite OG is a permanent game mode for the online battle royale game. It'll stay live in perpetuity, and follow its own seasonal cycle, which means it'll evolve regularly like other Fortnite modes.
Will Fortnite OG rotate seasons?As well as Fortnite OG being a permanent game mode, it will absolutely have its own seasonal content that will help keep things fresh. Expect the seasonal cycle to change things up regularly.
How much does the Fortnite OG Pass cost?The Fortnite OG Pass costs 1,000 V-Bucks. This gives you the chance to earn three skins, as well as a host of other items. It's worth pointing out that unlike the main Battle Pass, the Fortnite OG pass does not feature any V-Bucks, so you won't earn any back while working through it.
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- Microsoft is claiming Windows 11 24H2 is the most reliable version ever
- The company says it has 24% fewer crashes than version 22H2
- In a blog post about resiliency, Microsoft also clarifies the benefits of the latest Windows update for 24H2
Microsoft has put forward a case for Windows 11 24H2 being the "most reliable version" of its desktop operating system ever made.
The long and short of this is that the software giant claims there are a good deal fewer crashes with version 24H2 compared to version 22H2 of Windows 11.
XDA Developers spotted that Microsoft made this assertion in a post on the Windows IT Pro Blog, stating that: "We're also proud to share that Windows 11 24H2 is our most reliable version of Windows yet. Compared to Windows 10 22H2, failure rates for unexpected restarts have dropped by 24%."
This is based on telemetry data gathered this month (July 2025) by Microsoft, we're told. Unexpected restarts refers to complete lock-ups of the system, and as noted earlier in the post, these Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) experiences have been changed to a more streamlined black screen. That happened in the latest update for Windows 11 24H2, which just arrived in preview (but will be a full release next month).
Microsoft underlines the benefits of the new BSoD (which handily enough uses the same acronym) and notes that: "In Windows 11 24H2, we made significant improvements to crash dump collection that reduced the time users spend on the [BSoD] screen from 40 seconds to just 2 seconds for most consumer devices." (I should note that the bolding for emphasis is Microsoft's).
Furthermore, Microsoft reminds us of recent progress in terms of recovery from nasty crashes, namely boot failures, observing that the most recent Windows 11 update also represents the rollout and general availability of quick machine recovery. QMR is a new spin on attempting to fix a PC that will no longer boot to the desktop.
Analysis: crash tests, dummy(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan)There's no doubting that Microsoft has made some useful strides forward here in terms of making Windows 11 devices more resilient, which is the theme of the blog post. But does the latest version of Windows 11, 24H2, really have a quarter fewer crashes than 22H2?
Well, we obviously need to be cautious about stats produced by internal testing - not that I'm accusing Microsoft of anything underhand, but we're all aware that in these kind of scenarios, multiple tests can be carried out and results cherry-picked. (This practice is common across all marketing, of course).
There are doubtless those who would argue vehemently that 24H2 very much isn't the most reliable take on Microsoft's desktop OS that's ever been seen - mainly based on all the bugs that came with this release. I won't bang on about those glitches again, save to say that there were indeed a lot of them initially, and some were very odd affairs indeed.
I've always been of the opinion that the shift to a new underlying platform for Windows 11 (called Germanium) threw a number of unexpected spanners in the works for the OS.
Microsoft has made a lot of headway in fixing those bugs, mind - although not all of them - and I've got to accept the stats the company presents here at face value. (I can hardly disprove them with my own crash testing, after all).
However, what I can say is that this is all relative, anyway. By which I mean I've not seen a BSoD in ages, on my Windows 11 PCs, or indeed my Windows 10 machines.
So, fewer crashes means those BSoD instances are even closer to next-to-nothing - and how meaningful is the difference, then? I'm not sure. There's no disputing that in contemporary times, full-on lock-ups are a lot rarer in Windows than they used to be. Rewind time by 15 years or so, and crashes like this were more of a problem (and go back further, to the turn of the millennium, and that was doubly true).
Whatever the case, Microsoft deserves some credit here, and I'm also hoping that the new quick machine recovery feature will be a useful string to the troubleshooting bow when a PC hits a boot failure (that most dreaded of problems).
I have my reservations about the redesigned BSoD, mind - as I've said before - and you can bet that Microsoft's assertion that Windows 11 24H2 is the most reliable version ever is going to cause the grinding of some gears out there - particularly with those who adopted 24H2 early, and were unfortunate to run into some of the many bugs that plagued the release (gamers were especially in the firing line).
However, there are anecdotal reports on Reddit that Microsoft is finally getting it right with version 24H2, even if it was wonky to begin with - though note that in the same thread, others are still reporting negative experiences (again, particularly those who are keen PC gamers).
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We know all too well that Avengers: Doomsday will put Robery Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU as Doctor Doom front and center, but if rumors are to be believed (first discussed by entertainment journalist Matthew Belloni on The Town podcast), Chris Hemsworth’s Thor will be the new Marvel movie’s secondary lead character.
Chris Hemsworth’s potential casting update in Avengers: Doomsday makes sense, given that he’s the most prominent Avenger of the bunch out of the movie’s confirmed cast, meaning it’s only natural he’ll step up to lead our heroes as the newbies find their feet and the X-Men make their full transition into their new cinematic universe.
I should stress “confirmed” here. After the studio’s five-hour Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement that convinced millions of people to watch a bunch of empty chairs, it’s still suspected that a hefty percentage of actors involved in the movie have been kept under wraps. If any of the original Avengers who survived the post-Thanos chaos happen to pop up, it could be endgame (pun intended) for Thor’s leading man reputation. Even so, how much attention anyone can successfully draw away from Doom himself remains to be seen.
Regardless, I’ve been keeping an eye on Hemsworth’s moves in the build-up to Doomsday filming (in a non-stalkery, appreciative way), and one of his biggest new projects likely explains how he’s prepared for Marvel’s most momentous moment of the decade. And if I’m right, everyone else he’s squaring up to better be wary.
Chris Hemsworth’s new series Limitless was ideal training for Thor’s return in Avengers: DoomsdayI’m talking about the second season of Limitless: Live Better Now, Hemsworth’s documentary series made in conjunction with Darren Aronofsky, Disney+ and National Geographic. We’re veering off course from how he was pushed to his limits the first time around, instead exploring how to live a better life through three high-stakes challenges focused on pain, fear, and cognitive decline. Translated, that means scaling the highest man-made rock climbing wall in Switzerland, being put through South Korea’s rigorous SAS training program and learning the drums to play with Ed Sheeran on his most recent sold-out stadium tour.
Not only does this mean Thor can now serenade Doctor Doom with ‘Thinking Out Loud’ if it all goes belly up, but the physical and mental demands of Hemsworth’s tasks should mean he’s in the best shape possible to give the action-packed performance of his life. From the trailer alone, we see him push through feats that even his stunt double hasn’t had to endure, going far beyond the typical fitness regimes we know the actor has always kept up with. He’s not so successful when he’s hooked up to a cramp simulator while trying to play Jenga with his mates, but hey, even the best of us are wiped out by a bad tummyache.
Taking on two huge physical feats within the last year likely means Hemsworth’s resilience is built up to brand-new levels, with the Swiss climbing wall and South Korean training regime being among the hardest in the world to get through. It’s also likely he’s built up a new kind of tolerance for managing pain (episode 3 will look at this more directly), meaning he can push himself ever further on Marvel’s set. Does this mean Doctor Doom can do less fictional damage on our alleged lead Avenger? I’d like to think so.
Thankfully, we’re going to get Limitless episodes a lot sooner than we have to wait to find out if Thor is indeed our second lead in Doomsday. Limitless arrives on Disney+ (internationally) and Hulu (US) on August 15, 2025, with all three episodes released in one go. Doomsday arrives in cinemas on December 18, 2026, delayed from its original release date of May 1, 2026.
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