News
- China has tested an airborne blimp called the S4000
- It generates electricity from wind power at an altitude of 4,000 meters
- The airship can move to wherever it is needed most
If you thought the age of blimps was over, think again. China has just launched a successful test of a helium-filled airship that is used to generate electricity from the sky, and it could mean a return to the air of the skyfaring vehicles that went out of fashion almost 100 years ago.
According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV (via South China Morning Post), the apparent world-first feat involved the airship ascending to 4,000 meters, generating power and returning to the ground. Measuring roughly the length of a Boeing 747 airplane, the craft is reportedly not far from being deployed on a wider scale.
The goal of the vehicle — named the S4000 after the height it climbs to — is to harness the strong winds that can be found high above the earth, which it does using turbines strapped to each side of its body. The winds at altitude are stronger and steadier than those closer to ground level, and any electricity generated is sent back to base using a long tether.
Returning to the skies(Image credit: CCTV)By operating in the sky, the S4000 has a few advantages over traditional static wind turbines. For one thing, it can move to windier areas as required, allowing it to adapt to changing conditions or transfer to where it is needed most. For another, it means less real estate is taken up on the ground, freeing up space for other uses and potentially reducing the complaints that are often directed at wind farms.
The S4000 was developed by Chinese firm Sawes Energy Technology alongside Tsinghua University and the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Previous models included the S1500 and the S2000, which drew a combined total of 500 million yuan (US$74.3 million) in orders, according to the SCMP.
The S4000 is far from the only recent effort to harness wind power. As we reported earlier this week, the Ventyra R1 portable wind turbine can be folded up into a backpack yet provides 50W of power output, taking around 35 minutes to fully charge a connected smartphone.
Combined with the S4000 — and the many other developments in the wind power industry — it’s clear that a lot is being done in the world of renewable energy. So don’t be surprised to one day see blimps make a return to the skies, this time in the service of generating electricity.
- Desktop CPU shipments dropped over 20% amid rising memory and GPU costs
- AMD now holds nearly 35% of the entire desktop processor market
- Mobile CPU shipments jumped as Intel finally closed its capacity gap
Global processor shipments fell in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, new figures have claimed.
Mercury Research found, the decline stemmed mainly from weaker system-on-chip and embedded volumes tied to AMD's shrinking games console business, along with a steep drop in desktop CPU volumes.
Even as the overall market contracted, AMD continued to take share away from Intel across nearly every product category tracked by the research firm.
Desktop demand buckles under higher pricesDesktop CPU shipments fell by more than 20% year on year, a decline Mercury links to weaker demand for high-end gaming PCs rather than typical seasonal softness.
Rising memory prices, driven by chipmakers prioritizing more profitable high-bandwidth memory for AI servers, have pushed up the cost of finished PCs.
A shortage of consumer GPUs appears to stem from similar supply pressures within the broader chip industry.
"Higher PC prices and limited GPU supplies are having a significant impact," Mercury Research said in its report.
AMD's decline in desktop shipments was smaller than Intel's, allowing it to grow its desktop share to nearly 35%, up from about 32% a year earlier.
AMD extends its lead in mobile and server chipsMobile processor shipments told a different story, climbing strongly compared with the previous quarter after Intel expanded output during two heavily supply-constrained quarters.
Intel added millions of units of mobile CPU capacity in the second quarter, narrowing the earlier gap between supply and available demand.
Despite that expansion, AMD's share of the mobile segment rose to nearly 29%, up from 20.6% during the same quarter last year.
Server processor shipments increased by 20% year on year, with Mercury citing stronger demand for both datacenter—class chips and processors built for networking and storage.
AMD's share of server processors climbed to 34.5%, compared with 27.3% a year earlier, and would reach 46.4% if the comparison were limited only to Intel's Xeon SP and AMD's EPYC lines.
Mercury also tracks the smaller Arm-based CPU market for PCs and servers, cautioning that its estimates carry more uncertainty due to the absence of centralized revenue reporting for Arm chips.
The firm recorded strong growth in Apple's Mac lineup, including its newer lower-cost Neo models, alongside solid gains for Arm-based Chromebooks.
Arm-based systems reached 15.3% of the client market during the quarter, a record high and an increase of 0.9 percentage points.
In servers, Arm's share also hit a record of 13.6%, up 0.5 percentage points from the prior period.
Taken together, the figures suggest a processor market driven less by shifting consumer taste than by supply-chain pressure from the AI boom.
Memory and GPU scarcity appear to be squeezing traditional desktop buyers even as data-center and mobile demand hold up, leaving AMD well placed to keep benefiting from Intel's uneven recovery.
Via The Register
- United’s new Airbus A321XLR begins service soon, and it’s packed with tech
- It’ll mostly serve international, transatlantic routes with free Starlink-powered Wi-Fi
- The big surprise? Two Economy Plus rows with no middle seats
Just a few months back, I got to go inside United’s next-generation Boeing 787 Dreamliner, complete with a high-tech new interior, spacious seats, and some notable upgrades for Economy.
The 787 is a wide-body aircraft built for United’s biggest and longest routes, and now, the airline is bringing that same design philosophy to a much smaller plane and experimenting with something I’ve never seen on a United aircraft before: an Economy Plus row with no middle seat.
I’ve been inside United’s brand-new Airbus A321XLR, a single-aisle aircraft that’s designed to bridge the gap between narrowbody efficiency and widebody distance capabilities, and it’s a pretty fascinating look at where the airline’s cabins are headed.
There’s a new Polaris business-class seat with closing doors, a spacious Premium Plus cabin, 4K OLED screens at every seat, Starlink Wi-Fi from day one, and, yes, those two-seat Economy Plus rows, designed to give you a little more space without the dreaded middle seat.
And after spending time in all four cabins, I think United might be onto something.
Let’s start with the new Polaris business-class product. The A321XLR is a single-body aircraft with 20 Polaris seats, complete with closing doors on either the left or right side of the aircraft. They are pretty spacious, though a bit smaller than the Polaris seats on the 787 Dreamliner. Still, you get an ample seat with an electronic touchscreen control to let it lay flat, kick out the leg rest, or adjust many facets of the experience.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)There are plenty of power ports, including two USB-C ports that top out at 60 watts, a standard wall plug, and a wireless charger. At the center of the experience is a 19-inch 4K OLED screen that’s touch-enabled and, with a button press, slightly pushes out from its base and lets you pull it forward for the perfect view. You’ll also find plenty of storage and a sizable tray table that I wish was a bit larger — still, it should fit a 14-inch laptop very comfortably.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)That’s the most premium experience on board the A321XLR. The middle option of United’s three class offerings is Premium Plus, which features a very spacious recliner that rivals those in domestic first class on smaller single-body aircraft.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)It boasts a 16-inch 4K OLED screen that can tilt and matches the size of the screen on the original Polaris product still in use on some aircraft. You’ll even find a wireless charger tucked under the armrest — a unique spot, but helpful. There’s also a standard wall plug for each seat — remember, Premium Plus is a 2x2 configuration — and a USB-C port tucked at the bottom of the OLED screen.
The tray table is pretty close to the size of what’s in Polaris and can be a good mini-desk for working in the sky, or, let’s be honest, enjoying whatever meal United is serving.
Finally, we move into Economy, which has a total of 118 seats split into 84 standard Economy and 34 Economy Plus extra-legroom options, including two with the middle seat removed.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)With any of these seats, you get a punchy, vibrant 13-inch 4K OLED that’s touch-enabled; across the board, United is knocking it out of the park with the displays here. An intuitive interface offers plenty to watch, including Apple TV in the sky, plus access to music and podcasts from Spotify. A crisp, vibrant screen in each seatback will certainly elevate the experience everywhere.
United began the process of reintroducing screens on aircraft without them, and making them a key part of the ‘United Next’ cabin, back in 2021, and now the airline has close to 800 aircraft with screens in every seat, and should have a quarter of a million seat-back screens across its fleet by the end of next year.
Peter Wolkowski, United’s Head of Product Marketing, told me, “In our post-flight survey data, we just see kind of huge increases in satisfaction across the board when customers fly on an aircraft with screens versus one without.”
There’s a standard headphone jack and USB-C port built into every Economy and Economy Plus seat, meaning that every seat, even in Economy, gets at least one power source — that’s excellent. You also get two standard wall plugs per row, but those are shared.
Economy Plus with open middle seats is where the experimentation comes into play — it was my first time seeing these, and especially for a transatlantic flight, which are the routes the A321XLR will primarily be flying, if the price is right, it could really be worth the upgrade.
The main appeal is no one next to you in the middle, and for couples flying, this is pretty nice. You get plenty of elbow room, and the middle seat essentially has a metal table bolted across it, with two indents for cupholders and a padded rear.
I’m very curious to see pricing for these, and how much of a premium they command over standard Economy Plus.
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadarUnited is starting with only two of these rows on the aircraft, but if they prove popular, I wouldn’t be surprised if the airline expands this offering. Peter Wolkowski, United’s Head of Product Marketing, told me, “There’s a lot to love about this aircraft, but just having the ability to kind of test new concepts is really exciting.”
“We’re really eager to see how customers respond to [the open middle seat option], and if it is something that kind of performs well and customers love it, we’re going to look at more ways of doing that type of thing on other aircraft.”
I hope we continue to see this kind of experimentation with new seat types, and at affordable price points, rather than airlines just prioritizing the top end.
Rounding out the United A321XLR offering is 'Starlink from the start', meaning the plane is equipped with the right antennas and routers, as well as the proper certification, to offer Starlink Wi-Fi from its very first flights.
This means that any MileagePlus members can get free, fast Wi-Fi for as many devices as they bring, and in my testing, both on media flights and regular ones, it really improves the overall flying experience. No longer is there a concern about not being able to connect, whether that’s when you’re sending a text to a loved one or friend, or something else that requires a connection.
The A321XLR also features mood lighting, which United can split up by cabin — i.e., Polaris, Premium Plus, or Economy — to help set the mood for different parts of the flight, but also to potentially help combat jet lag.
So when does the A321XLR begin flying, and where is it headed?
Alongside the launch event at a hangar at Newark Liberty International Airport, United also announced new routes, and the A321XLR is a key part of them.
Starting September 1, 2026, the A321XLR begins with domestic flights, but later this year, the aircraft formally kicks off its international routes. In total, United announced 10 entirely new international destinations and 13 new routes for 2027.
The new routes are San Francisco to Okinawa, Japan; Washington Dulles to Toulouse, France; and several for Newark. The latter includes Newark to Luxembourg City; Marseille, France; Ibiza, Spain; Valencia, Spain; Terceira, Portugal; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Olbia (Sardinia), Italy; and Catania (Sicily), Italy.
If you like the idea of a flight on the Airbus A321XLR, it’ll be headed to Luxembourg from Newark, Washington, DC; to Toulouse from Newark; to Ibiza from Newark; to Valencia from Newark; and to Marseille from Newark.
I’ve been reviewing ereaders and epaper writing tablets for nearly a decade now and, in that time, I don’t think I’ve been more excited about an E Ink device as much as Amazon’s Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.
When it was announced in October 2025, I was keen to see how well Amazon had implemented the E Ink Kaleido 3 screen technology on the 11-inch note taker, especially since I found the 7-inch Kindle Colorsoft ereader to be one of the better-optimized displays in this category of tablets.
I had to wait over six months after it was initially available to buy in the US — living in Australia meant I could finally lay my hands on it in June this year — but I happened to try the 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe with frontlight first. Following that up with the Colorsoft version was probably a bad idea because I think the 2025 Kindle Scribe is arguably the best Kindle Amazon has made to date: it’s fast, the implementation of the monochrome E Ink Carta 1300 screen is fantastic and the battery life remains just as impressive as on any other Kindle.
The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, in comparison, lacks luster. For the most part, it’s not really Amazon’s fault that its monochrome sibling outshines it — it’s the limitations of color E Ink display tech after all — but the one thing that really stands out to me is very much under Amazon's control.
Why so blue, Amazon?I love the new wallpaper artwork on the 2025 release of the Scribes. They're beautiful, different and, after seeing them first on the 3rd-generation Kindle Scribe in black and white, I was keen to appreciate them in color.
All the lockscreen artwork looks blue on the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)Strangely, the dominant color you see on the lockscreen artwork on the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is blue. From the start screen, showing the silhouette of the boy reading under the tree, to the red-and-white balloon hovering over a lake and forest, every default artwork just looks… blue.
Now, I know some of this is due to the screen itself — the color filter array (CFA) layered over the screen tends to shift hues towards a grey-blue. But if Boox can ensure the other colors pop in the default wallpapers on its large-screen color devices, so can Amazon.
The wallpaper on the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft (left) looks duller compared to the Boox Note Air5 C (right) (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar)I thought I’d get used to it but, two months on, and I’m left feeling… well, blue every time I wake up the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. I don’t typically like displaying book covers on the lockscreen, but that’s what I’ve reverted to recently just to avoid the dominance of that one color.
It’s there in black and whiteOK, I’ll admit that I sound like I’m nitpicking with the wallpapers, but it highlights one big issue with color E Ink displays — they’re darker than the monochrome E Ink Carta screens and, unless you bump up frontlight brightness, the colors don’t really pop. You can see that with not just the wallpapers, but with book covers and comics too on the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.
This is because of the RGB layer integrated into the display and it affects every single color ereader and digital notebook, not just the Colorsofts. That means the ‘white’ background isn’t as white as it would be on a similar device using the E Ink Carta 1300 screen (like the 2nd and 3rd generation Kindle Scribes) which, in turn, makes colors look dull.
With excellent contrast and fast performance, the 3rd generation Kindle Scribe is the better Amazon digital notebook (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)But increasing frontlight brightness to enjoy those colors means you’re draining battery life quicker. In the two months I’ve been using the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, I’ve had to charge it every 2 to 3 days with an average use of 5 hours a day — mostly reading, but some writing too, and browsing the Kindle Store — with auto-brightness settings and Wi-Fi on. In comparison, the 2025 Kindle Scribe lasted me about 5 days on a single charge with the same settings and similar use case.
Annoyingly, the Colorsoft edition takes much longer than the standard Scribe to recharge as well.
Color isn’t always necessaryIf color reading really is important to you, you’re better off with an iPad or a Samsung tablet to be honest — color E Ink just isn’t there yet. Moreover, most of us who use an ereader don’t necessarily even need color; we tend to mostly read text-heavy books and note-taking also, similarly, is mostly black ink.
On the Kindle Colorsoft Scribe, the color ink isn’t even as dark as I’ve seen on the Boox Note Air 5C, so it really doesn’t offer as much value for your hard-earned cash compared to some of its competition.
In comparison, its monochrome sibling is the overall better performer — as I’ve said in my Kindle Scribe (2025) review, it’s arguably the best digital notebook Amazon has made to date and, if it wasn’t so expensive, it would have scored full marks.
You'll be better served opting for a monochrome digital writing tablet, or even the Boox Note Air 5C if you want color (Image credit: TechRadar)If you want a note-taking Kindle, I would still recommend the 2024 release of the Kindle Scribe — you might as well pick it up as long as it's still available. I suspect Amazon will discontinue it soon, but it’s a heck of a lot cheaper even at full price, is often discounted even outside of major sales and, according to Good Ereader, it will get the new software features that released with the current Scribe models, including Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive connectivity, AI search and the refreshed homescreen layout.
If you’re willing to explore other E Ink writing tablets, I’d suggest looking into the reMarkable Paper Pure or even the Boox Go 10.3 series if you prefer an Android device that will also double as an ereader. A word of caution on the Boox devices, though: you'll need to deal with some ghosting.
- Whoop launches Meridian, its jewelry-inspired fitness tracker
- It's essentially a Whoop 5.0 with Milanese metal mesh and premium metallic finishes
- It 'keeps the same sensor array and tracking accuracy as the standard band'
If there's one thing Whoop hates, it's people taking their fitness trackers off. After all, you're losing valuable data.
That's why the Whoop MG comes with a charging puck that clips directly onto the wearable as you wear it, and it's why you get push notifications from the Whoop app whenever you remove the tracker, telling you it's 'off body'. But there are occasions when a fabric Whoop band would be inappropriate to wear — a wedding, perhaps, or a fancy dinner.
Enter Whoop Meridian: a sleek metallic fitness tracker with a Milanese mesh band and tapered silhouette, designed to look more like jewelry than gym.
According to Whoop, 'Meridian is designed to solve one of the biggest gaps in health wearables: the fact that most people take theirs off exactly when continuous tracking matters (sleep quality outside routine, recovery on off days, stress during social events).'
(Image credit: Whoop)It offers the same sensors and tracking accuracy as a standard Whoop 5.0, and can be purchased as an additional accessory rather than a complete Whoop, if you so choose. In theory, Whoop members can swap their standard tracker for their Meridian band when needed and continue seamlessly tracking from day to night.
It's available in four colors: Gold, Rose Gold, Alloy (a generic metallic finish), and Black. It's priced at $149 / £119 / AU$219, and is available from today (Thursday 27 August).
Wearables have tried to capture the jewelry aesthetic before, to varying degrees of success: notably the Fitbit Luxe and Apple with the Hermes editions of its best Apple Watches.
However, I quite like the look of these Whoop bands: some shades like Rose Gold and Gold simply look like bracelets, while the darker, more robust colors almost feel like watch straps. If you can't stand to lose hours of valuable data, this could be a stylish solution.
After proving popular across Europe, plug-in solar is now legally allowed in the UK. That means you can buy a solar panel for your balcony or shed roof, and plug it straight into the mains — no roof mounting or professional installation necessary, in theory at least.
It makes it simpler and quicker to start saving on your electricity bills, and of course it's a boon for renters who don't own their own home (or the roof on top of it). Plug-in solar packs are now going to start popping up in stores, and you're free to go and get one.
If you've got questions about the tech — what's legal and what isn't, where you can put these panels, or how much you can save, for example — we're here to answer them. Here's everything you need to know about plug-in solar tech in the UK from August 27, 2026.
1. The new regulations only cover complete plug-in solar kits(Image credit: Getty Images / imageBROKER / Robert Poorten)If you're heading out or going online to look for some new plug-in solar panels, note that you need to buy complete kits to stay on the right side of the law: panels, an inverter, a cable, a plug, and any relevant mounting hardware.
Look for kits that meet the Plug-in Solar Device Interim Product Specification published by the government. These kits have to stick to limits of 800 volt-amps of output and 3.5 amps of current, while you're limited to up to 2,000 watts of overall solar energy capture.
These limits are all designed to protect your mains electricity and your home against damage and accidents. With that in mind, you're only allowed to connect one plug-in solar panel kit per property. You can also check to see which approved kits are available at the likes of the Plug-In Solar Register.
2. They could save you up to £110 a yearA solar panel setup on a balcony (Image credit: Getty Images / Astrid860)With so many variables at play — how big your fridge is, how sunny your back garden gets — it's difficult to be definitive about how much you're going to save with plug-in solar. Early estimates suggest you could get back about £110 a year, so with kits costing in the region of £700, it'll take you a few years to break even.
Some experts have estimated that around three-to-five years is a reasonable window to expect a return for your money. That's quicker than you might expect from a typical rooftop solar panel installation.
As more solar kits hit the market and we've got more data to work with, these estimates should get more precise. Based on average usage across the country, an 800W plug-in solar kit could take care of around a quarter of your electricity use.
3. You can buy them now — but there aren’t yet many to choose from(Image credit: UKSOL)Plug-in solar is now legal in the UK, with the restrictions mentioned above, but the technology is going to take a while to get properly established. There aren't a host of kits available right now that you can go out and buy.
These ground mount kits from UKSOL are the first approved ones we've seen arrive on the market, and they're going to set you back from £699. More money gets you more overall wattage, and more flexible setup options.
Major chains including Lidl, Asda, and B&Q have certainly given indications that they're willing to start stocking plug-in solar kits once they become legal — so now we just need more supply.
They should also be available from Amazon in the near future. John Boumphrey, UK & Ireland Country Manager at, Amazon told us last month: "The Government's announcement on plug-in solar panels is a practical step that gives households a simple way to generate their own power, reduce bills, and contribute to the UK's net zero goals. We're looking forward to helping customers access this technology."
4. You can’t plug one into a battery (yet)Plug-in batteries are out of bounds for now (Image credit: Windfall Energy)There is still a caveat when it comes to this type of solar technology becoming legal in the UK: while you're now allowed to plug certified kits into the mains, you can't attach them to a battery, or plug a battery into the mains without getting them professionally installed.
Any energy that your plug-in solar panels are using has to be used by your home appliances as it's being generated and fed in. There's no option to store up the energy for future use and deploy it on demand — power banks and solar panel accessories do exist of course, as do home batteries that link to your home's electricity system, but they're separate from plug-in solar.
The UK government is being somewhat vague when it comes to approving plug-in batteries as well as plug-in solar — it probably just wants to see how the solar part goes first — but there's lots more potential here when batteries are added too.
5. There are some restrictions on where you can put them(Image credit: Generated by Google Gemini)As well as sticking to the rules when it comes to the kind of kits you can buy, you also need to know what is and isn't allowed when it comes to placing these panels around your property — as there are restrictions here too.
Your panels need to steer clear of wood for example, because of the fire risk. They can't go on wooden balconies, fences, walls, or gates. They can't go more than 20cm (7.9 inches) above a sloped roof, or more than 60 m (23.6 inches) above a flat roof. What's more, they can't extend more than 40cm (15.7 inches) from a wall, which goes down to 20cm (7.9 inches) if you live next to any kind of thoroughfare.
Some of these restrictions can be got around, but only with planning permission from the local council. Those limitations are what you can get away with without permission — though if you're renting, it's always wise to check with your landlord anyway.