News
- Claude can now draft and send messages on your behalf in Gmail
- However it can do so without asking for permission, potentially leading to awkward responses
- Claude also gets stronger Google Drive access, but says it won't train its AI on your files
Anthropic has revealed that Claude's integration with Gmail has taken a major step forward - with the AI now able to draft and send emails on a user's behalf.
"Ask Claude to reply to a thread, and it drafts and sends the response. You control when it needs your approval," the company wrote in an update on X.
However the news immediately prompted a flood of replies and comments from users worried about the potential implications of having an AI send emails unseen by them.
Ask for forgiveness, not permission?Although a Claude connector has been available in Google Workspace for a while, actually sending an email on the user's behalf is a significant step forward, and a potentially troubling one at that.
Ultimately, the user will still have to ask Claude to perform the action first, but how it drafts the message, and the content within, has the potential to lead to some serious embarrassment for some users.
(Image credit: Anthropic)The tool, which is live now, will only be available to users on paid Claude plans, , and Anthropic later clarified the process in a support page, noting that asking for approval is the default setting, and on Team and Enterprise plans, admins will be able to decide "whether members can allow these actions to run without asking each time".
The update will also mean Claude can forward emails, and manage files in Google Drive, helping users track down the information they need with a single command, as well as uploading files, creating folders and add Google Docs directly to chats and projects.
"Claude mirrors your existing permissions—you cannot access information you don't already have access to in Google Workspace," the support page noted, adding that Anthropic would not, "train our models on your Gmail, Drive, or Calendar connector data, ensuring your private information remains private."
Users appeared divided on the new tool, with some supporting the launch, and others seemingly very opposed.
"sending the email was never the hard part, the hard part is the apology email it sends next," one X user wrote.
"I would rather use my own head than to let Claude reply especially responding to my clients," another said, "Don't want Claude hallucinating me into exposing my cost or another client's IP. Claude can apologize but not get your client back. Need to keep our brains working and not letting it totally rot."
sending the email was never the hard part, the hard part is the apology email it sends nextAugust 18, 2026
- The Fairphone Gen 6 Plus has landed, and it's available in the US too
- However, at $649.99 / £569, some tech fans are questioning its price
- The specs aren't special, but it's modular and sustainably produced
The Fairphone Gen 6 Plus has just launched, and the big news with this model is that, for the first time, a Fairphone is available in the US with Android fully intact (previously, Fairphones sold outside of Europe were only available in de-Googled configurations). But with this wider availability comes some increased scrutiny about the phone's price.
You see, Fairphones cost a lot for what you’re getting on paper, with the Fairphone Gen 6 Plus retailing for $649.99 / £569 (that's around AU$920, though it's not currently available in Australia). For that price, you get a 6.31-inch 120Hz OLED display, a mid-range Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a microSD card slot, and a 4,415mAh battery with 30W wired charging, and no wireless charging.
The phone also has a 50MP main camera, a 13MP ultra-wide, and a 32MP selfie camera on the front. All of these specs are... fine, but mid-range at best, and rather worse than what you'll find on most other comparably priced phones.
But this isn’t most phones. The Fairphone Gen 6 Plus stands out in two main ways. First, it’s built to last, with a modular design that lets you swap out 12 parts yourself; it’s easy to repair or replace a worn-out battery, for instance. That, coupled with software updates until 2033, means, in theory, you won’t need to buy another phone for a long time.
The other notable element of Fairphone’s products is that they’re designed to be fair to the environment and the people making them, meaning things like higher wages, safer factories, and net-zero emissions targets.
Of course, these sustainable practices come at a cost.
A fairer world isn't cheap(Image credit: Future)As for whether this cost is worth it, smartphone fans are divided on the matter.
On our recent TikTok about the Fairphone 6 Gen Plus, one user argued that “comparing this phone to others by price is like comparing a $5 Walmart steak to a steak from a local ranch,” clarifying that, in this analogy, the other phones are the Walmart steak, as they’re “only this cheap because of the blood and the exploitation of the workers.”
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadarThis individual, then, is clearly in favor of paying what they see as a price that’s fair for the workers. But another commenter argued that “a similarly priced phone with way better specs will last you longer if you just take care of it,” so in their view, the longevity of this phone is a questionable selling point.
Other comments are similarly mixed, but more seem opposed to the price than in favor of it, with one going so far as to call it “dead on arrival,” adding that “this must be a joke at this price.”
But Fairphone has never been a mainstream brand — its products are not and never will be for everybody. If you believe the world should be fairer, and that workers should make a fair wage, then it’s a company worth supporting.
That’s my view, anyway — but then again, I say this while using an iPhone as my main device, so maybe I’m a hypocrite.
Personally, as a fan of the latest tech, I’d be more inclined to pay a premium for a Fairphone if it could offer specs to match the very best phones, but for a small brand with limited resources, I can understand why Fairphone is limiting itself to the mid-range market for now.
We're currently putting the Fairphone 6 Gen Plus through its paces, so stay tuned for our full review verdict in the coming weeks.
The Ninja Crispi Pro arrived in Australia only in June this year, and I immediately wanted it. You see, I'd been eyeing the standard Ninja Crispi for a while because the nonstick coating of the trays in my two-drawer air fryer was coming off. My research told me that it wasn't toxic, but I was still concerned.
So it was serendipitous that the larger Crispi Pro came along just when I was ready to ditch my old air fryer — and at a price that wasn't all that much more over the standard Crispi. For AU$399 RRP, it may not be 'cheap' but it sure is good value considering how well it's performed in the last couple of months I've had mine. So much so that I don't regret ditching my previous air fryer that was more versatile thanks to a steam functionality as well.
Right now, the Crispi Pro is going slightly cheaper as well, down to AU$322 on Amazon and at JB Hi-Fi, and available in four colour options.
Don't be fooled by Amazon's list price — Ninja released the Crispi Pro for AU$499 initially, but it's been available for AU$399 RRP since its June launch. Even though it's a small saving, it's absolutely worthwhile even at full price, not just because of the non-toxic glass containers, but also its overall performance.View Deal
I may not have done TechRadar's Ninja Crispi Pro review, but I wholeheartedly agree with its high star rating and, for me, it comes down to the glass containers more than the performance — all the best air fryers in Australia offer excellent cooking results, but few are as safe as glass.
Glass is also remarkably easy to clean — just chuck it in the dishwasher without even having to think about it or soak it in the sink if you have caked-in food on the sides and a light scrubbing will have it sparkling again.
I also appreciate the bigger container's massive 5.7L capacity, something that most two-drawer air fryers don't offer (for context, you get about 4L to 4.5L at most in the average dual-basket models). You don't have to worry about picking the smallest chicken to roast, for example, and can make fries or wedges for up to 10 people.
(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)The smaller 2.3L container is fine for making dishes for a single person, but I would be careful with what I put in there. Chicken drumsticks, for example, have a little height to them and when I tried cooking two in the smaller container, the raw and cooked results scraped against the rubber gasket around the top heating element of the appliance every time I took the container out or replaced it on the modular stand.
Sitting higher within the machine also means that the food is close to the heating element on the top of the appliance, so if the food you're cooking splutters, you'll need to ensure you clean the heating element after each use to prevent burns and subsequent deterioration in performance.
However, 'flatter' foods like a fillet of fish, fries or some vegetables for roasting is fine in the smaller basket.
Ninja also has a 3.2L container as well, but you'll need to buy that separately. Personally, I'd have preferred the 3.2L and 5.7L dishes to be the default options, with the 2.3L being the additional purchase, but that's not a complaint in any way; it's a reflection of my own needs.
Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureThe fact that all the containers come with airtight lids is also a tick in my books. Got leftovers? Leave them in the container, cover and pop in the fridge, then just reheat in the air fryer itself. That's less cleaning up!
Despite the two containers, the Crispi Pro doesn't take up too much space on the kitchen counter. In fact, its footprint is about half that of my previous dual-basket air fryer, and most of us would be able to stow away a small glass container in a drawer or cabinet. And I now no longer worry about black bits contaminating my food.
If you're keen on an air fryer upgrade, I'd highly recommend the Ninja Crispi Pro but, if you don't need to feed an army, even the standard Ninja Crispi is a good option (it just has smaller containers).
- NATO is planning to fortify the border with Russia and its allies with a network of sensors and drones, with AI assistance
- The Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative will track threats along the NATO borders with Russia and Belarus
- The strategy mirrors the steps taken by Ukraine to bolster its defenses against Russian aggression
NATO’s concerns about its border with Russia and Belarus have grown into plans to deploy sensors and drones along 3,500 kilometers, with an AI element to assist in threat detection and tracking.
Known as the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative, the AI will be used to control fleets of drones, but the AI’s role in the kill chain will not involve decision-making.
Instead, human operators will be given the final say on whether a drone can strike a target.
Millions of dronesThe plans follow a similar approach in Ukraine, where the borders with Russia and Belarus are closely observed by AI-managed drones. But the move towards AI looks set to evolve the procedural kill chain into a kill web, where information provided by drones and sensors with AI oversight is provided to a human operator for a decision.
The Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative (EFDI) is a fully fledged operation, complete with a data backbone, for which US Army Maj. Ben Schiff is the product manager. The EFDI Data Backbone is described as a “digital ‘nervous system’” for the project, which connects not just the sensors and drones but also satellites and the information systems of NATO members.
Automation of the drones is mainly concerned with the “boring” jobs, like hovering over target areas to detect incursions. But the drones don’t attack unprompted. Instead, this is brought to the human operative for the final decision.
“So the humans are deciding what the drone does, but they don't necessarily need to take the action of flying it because we don't have a million pilots,” said Schiff. “We can't fly a million drones at the same time.”
The kill webTraditionally, drone strikes have been overseen by a procedural kill chain, whereby information is assessed by a remote operator ahead of a decision being made to attack a target. The EFDI program is unifying data to progress NATO’s approach from a kill chain to “kill web.” This means the information accumulated on the target – from drones but also sensors and satellites, as well as member country information – can be quickly passed to operators. But the devices assembling the data need to be able to work together.
Maj. Matt Blubaugh, a spokesperson for US Army Europe and Africa, says "The value of a drone, sensor, or other capability is not determined solely by its individual performance [but] its effectiveness depends on how well it integrates into the broader operational ecosystem."
The model has already been proved in combat, such as taking out an Iranian Shahed drone in Kuwait.