News
- Ubisoft confirms players can't complete Rainbow Six Tactics without killing any enemies
- Game director Martial Potron says, "No, you cannot do the game 100% without killing"
- Some missions require players to kill enemies; however, they're incentivized to do non-lethal takedowns in others for valuable intel
Rainbow Six Tactics game director Martial Potron has confirmed players won't be able to achieve a 100% non-lethal playthrough.
Ubisoft has recently revealed its new Rainbow Six Siege spin-off, Rainbow Six Tactics, a single-player turn-based tactics experience that puts players in the shoes of Six, the leader of the elite Rainbow squad.
Players can choose high-stakes assignments to strategize on the tactical battlefield with 15 Operators, all with unique abilities, specialized gadgets, and distinct skill trees.
The game will also offer distinct mission types, including Hostage Rescue, Bomb Disposal, and Target Elimination, offering a variety of ways to complete each one.
Some missions require players to take down targets non-lethally to collect important intel bonuses that will help the squad in future missions. But can players do a complete non-lethal playthrough?
According to Potron, who discussed the game at length in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, you can't, explaining that some missions will require players to kill enemies who are out of range for non-lethal takedowns.
"Can you?" the game director said. "I'm thinking about it. There is no incentive to kill, but can you? I think you can't."
He continued, "We don't have missions where we force you to kill anyone. Most of the time, in fact, it's valued to arrest people to subdue enemies. But we have a few missions when sometimes you cannot reach enemies."
Porton said the game features a Venice map bisected by a river, with enemies on one side, and so there is no way to take them out non-lethally, as you simply won't be able to reach them.
"No, you cannot do the game 100% without killing," he added, "but you are strongly incentivized, as much as possible, to arrest people without killing because you will be able to really get intel from them, and it's very valuable."
Rainbow Six Tactics launches in 2027 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.
The Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look is finally live! Those tuning in for the Netflix premiere were treated to 26 minutes' worth of new content about the game ahead of its November 19 launch, including huge amounts of gameplay footage, cinematics, and a deeper look into the lives of Jason and Lucia.
If you don't have Netflix, you'll be able to watch on Rockstar's YouTube channel at 9PM ET / 6PM PDT / 2AM BST / 3AM CEST.
There is so much to unpack, from a revamped combat system, interactive gameplay mechanics, story hints, and more — but to make things easier, we've gone ahead and created a breakdown of the top things we learned in case you missed it.
Cinematics and gameplay blend right into each other(Image credit: Rockstar Games)The extended look began with Lucia and Jason walking into an apartment block looking to pick up a package for someone named "Boobie." For this mission, it looks like Jason is the playable character as he guides Lucia through the building and encounters some incredibly detailed NPCs.
Here, and in several other instances, the gameplay appears to instantly shift into a cutscene before the action kicks back in again. Another instance happens later on; Jason and Lucia are fleeing from the police with a client, and Jason must shoot at them out the window while Lucia evades — the scene quickly transitions into something cinematic before going back into gameplay.
At the end of the extended look, Lucia and Jason get separated on a mission; as soon as he finishes shooting some guys under player control, it suddenly cuts to a cinematic scene showing him texting with Lucia, which then transitions to her point of view, and the end of the cutscene leads to you controlling her.
There will be quick time events(Image credit: Rockstar Games)During a fight scene between Lucia and an enemy at the end of the extended look, the player is prompted with a quick time event, which is surprisingly old-school for this game. But there seems to be a choice in the matter — there are two options on-screen, and in the video she picks up her heel and nails the guy in the face, making a quip based on your choice of button to mash. We get the sense this will appear throughout the game.
There will be slow-mo with enemy weak zones(Image credit: Rockstar Games)Jason can be seen firing his weapon at some enemies and the gameplay suddenly slows down after he uses his his focus meter seen in the top left corner. During this same encounter, an enemy's body becomes highlighted showing red and yellow weak zones for the player — we're assuming red is a killshot and yellow will disarm or disable.
There will be disguises… lots of disguises(Image credit: Rockstar Games)There were quite a few moments were we see Jason and Lucia on story missions wearing disguises with new identities when taking on certain clients, such as personal security for a party. The footage showed changing outfits being a mechanic, and we see lots of different hairstyles on Lucia — it seems like it'll be necessary, not just fun.
There's a six-star Wanted system(Image credit: Rockstar Games)Unlike GTA 5, which has a five-star Wanted system, GTA 6 will have six stars. What does this mean? Well, it's one higher, isn't it?
The gun handling is better than GTA 5(Image credit: Rockstar Games)Picking up and swapping out weapons looks incredibly slick; Jason and Lucia have their own weapons they can pull out on their respective weapon wheels, but they can quickly swipe up downed-enemies' weapons mid combat, too.
You can race cars in an actual track(Image credit: Rockstar Games)Driving around Leonida looks amazing, but players will also be able to take part in races on an actual race track, with cars and bikes, if you want a high-speed challenge.
Lots of water activities(Image credit: Rockstar Games)Players will be able to drive fanboats, jetskis and canoes, and explore bodies of water across Leonida. Admittedly, the fanboat looks a little less high-octane than some sections of the video…
You can base jump(Image credit: Rockstar Games)As shot near the end of the extended look shows the player guiding Lucia to run and jump off a skyscaper before pulling out her parachute and getting an incredible view of Vice City.
Environmental destruction(Image credit: Rockstar Games)During police chases, Jason and Lucia can shoot out the tires of their pursuers, which will lead to police cars flipping and crashing, causing dynamic environmental destruction that looks incredibly cinematic.
A wide range of people will hire you for jobs(Image credit: Rockstar Games)While we don't know specific story details yet, it seems that Jason and Lucia have their own business going on where they'll work for an assortment of clients. They'll rob banks and stores, protect clients, deliver goods, and more. Standard GTA stuff, but it's the first time we've seen what this will look like.
You can pet the dog(Image credit: Rockstar Games)It's the main thing some of us care about.
An improved HUD(Image credit: Rockstar Games)The game's HUD looks way cleaner than GTA 5's, and quicker to access; switching between Lucia and Jason is as quick as pressing one button, and the weapon wheel is minimal and fast to use.
Switching between Lucia and Jason is really fast(Image credit: Rockstar Games)As I just mentioned, switching between both co-protagonsits is unbelieavably fast. In one moment, you see Lucia base jumping and when the player switches to Jason, it takes just a couple of seconds — there's flash, the camera zooms into the sky, pans across the city, then zooms down into a building and we're with Jason again. And that's running on the base PS5!
You can scuba dive (and regular dive)(Image credit: Rockstar Games)Players will be able to dive into bodies of water to swim, but also scuba dive to see all the pretty fish below the surface!
The weapon icon from GTA 4 returns(Image credit: Rockstar Games)During combat, the equipped weapon icon from GTA 4, can be seen in the top right corner, under the Wanted stars and ammo. It was missing in 5, but 4 stans will feel a warm, familiar feeling.
- Asobo Studio played A Plague Tale: Requiem's soundtrack while motion-capturing Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
- The cast would listen to the game's music to get into the right headspace for emotional scenes
- SPEAKER 3 says it helped "get into the sadder moments, the darker moments"
Asobo Studio has revealed that it used A Plague Tale: Requiem's music while motion-capturing Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, so the cast could get in the mood for the darker scenes.
Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming during Gamescom, developers Valérian Robert (lead level designer) and Carol Ann Bañuls (lead writer), and the actor for the game's protagonist, Sophia, Anna Demetriou, discussed the design process for the game's atmosphere and the music that goes with it.
When asked how the team implemented audio and the game's score for the upcoming sequel, Anna Demetriou explained that Asobo played music tracks from A Plague Tale: Requiem to allow the actors to get into the right headspace for emotional scenes.
"A lot of the time, for emotional scenes, we would be playing the Requiem soundtrack to help us get into the sadder moments, the darker moments," Anna Demetriou said. "So it felt really like the beating [heart] of the [Plague Tale DNA] was still in the mocap room because we were using them and using this reference for some of the hard bits and stuff."
Resonance's score was composed by Olivier Derivière and sounds quite different from any of the prior games, with an emphasis on Greek culture, as the game's setting has moved from Middle Ages France to the Greek island of Crete.
"The incredible Greek soundtrack that has been done by Olivier, I had none of that at all," Demetriou continued, "So hearing it coming out, and the whole thing's on YouTube right now, I was sat on my laptop for the day, just listening to it all, just being like, 'I can't wait to play it because I I haven't connected what we've done with this with the music yet.'"
Bañuls added that Olivier also used choir vocals to give the soundtrack a more "authentic" feel for the time period, withRobert explaining that the music is also woven into the new gameplay systems and combat.
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is available today on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.
- Some Rassvet satellites remain dangerously low after failing to raise their orbits
- One Rassvet spacecraft has already fallen from orbit and reentered Earth's atmosphere
- Two newer satellites have shown no observed orbital-raising maneuvers since July 2026
Moscow's push to field its own broadband satellite network is running into some technical and industrial issues, new reports have revealed.
Bureau 1440, the company developing the Rassvet-3 system, has sent up two batches of spacecraft in 2026, one in March and another in July.
According to reports, some of these systems did not climb smoothly toward their intended altitude; instead, they stalled, drifted, or fell back toward Earth.
A satellite already lost, others trending downwardOne craft from the first group, known as Rassvet-3 No. 4, never managed to raise its orbit after separating from its rocket.
That satellite, catalogued as NORAD 68363, eventually reentered the atmosphere on June 6, marking an outright loss for the young constellation.
Two more spacecraft from the second launch group, numbers 17 and 23, appear to be following a similar pattern of inactivity.
Tracking data shows neither satellite has performed any observed maneuver to climb higher since it separated from its carrier rocket on July 19.
Both currently sit at an average altitude near 290 kilometers, with their lowest points measured at roughly 277 kilometers above the surface.
Without engine activity to counter this decline, the pair could eventually drop low enough that reentry becomes essentially unavoidable.
However, there are some positives, as some of the satellites have successfully begun climbing, though none has reached the network's target altitude of about 800 kilometers.
Spacecraft from the earliest operational batch launched just over five months ago, and at the moment, they hover between 500 and 550 kilometers.
A few more units from the group are not yet at that intermediate range, which means that the company is yet to hit its long-term altitude plan.
The Bureau 1440 has now paused raising some Rassvet satellites higher toward their planned 800-kilometer orbit, and the company hasn't revealed the reason for the pause.
Ground infrastructure adds to the program's troublesRussia intends for the Rassvet network to rival SpaceX's Starlink by offering fast internet through hundreds of orbiting satellites.
Officials have said commercial service should begin in 2027, with plans calling for 292 satellites to be functioning in orbit by year's end.
Meeting that timeline would require Bureau 1440 to conduct a rapid sequence of additional launches over the coming months.
A separate complication has now emerged on the ground, far from the satellites already circling the planet.
Ukrainian forces allegedly used FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles to strike Samara's Progress Rocket and Space Center.
That facility builds the Soyuz-2.1b rockets responsible for carrying every Rassvet-3 satellite launched so far this year.
The plant also supports numerous other Russian launches, including several military, reconnaissance, and communications missions unrelated to broadband service.
The rocket production capacity is one of the central bottlenecks limiting the constellation's overall deployment pace.
Should the damage at Progress persist, sustaining the launch tempo needed to reach nearly 300 satellites may prove genuinely difficult.
Via United24media
- Meta is again updating its smart glasses software to stop people from circumventing the privacy controls
- The camera won't film if you start filming and then block the LED
- There's also a marketing campaign designed to educate consumers
Sentiment around smart glasses that can capture photos and video is quickly turning, and not in the direction chief smart glasses purveyor Meta would prefer. Now, to stop the — admittedly small — percentage of users who are trying to circumvent the glasses' built-in protections for nefarious filming, Meta is introducing a new slipstream technology update. And it's coming to Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses as we speak.
In a post on Threads, Meta's VP of Wearables Alex Himel announced a software update that will make it impossible for wearers to film or capture pictures if the glasses detect that you're covering the LED.
That LED is designed to signal to others that you were filming them, but hackers soon figured out how to disable it. Meta quickly made it so the system could detect that. Now, it seems they've noticed another workaround, which this update will quickly squelch. If you, say, start filming and then somehow cover the LED to hide the signal that you're doing so, the system will stop recording.
Here's how Himel explained it in his post:
"The camera won’t start recording if the LED is blocked, but some people try to bypass this by starting a recording and then covering it up. A fix for this is starting to roll out — the camera will now stop working if the light is covered during a recording."
Perhaps more importantly, Himel is aware that hackers probably won't give up trying to jailbreak the wearable cameras and promises. "We’re going to keep rolling out updates like this to make sure the capture LED can reliably alert bystanders when photos or videos are being captured for someone’s gallery."
The second update is perhaps less impactful in that it's mostly a marketing campaign designed to "educate' or convince people that these glasses have a place in our world.
Meta is already putting up billboards claiming the glasses are "Designed for everyone, not just the people wearing them". Smaller text below that announces: "The camera lets you capture the moment. The light lets everyone around you know when you do."
There's also some social media reminding folks that "The glasses announce themselves," which is another reference to the integrated LED light.
(Image credit: Meta)It's an admirable effort, though it seems that people are not just concerned with creepers who are surreptitiously recording: they are growing increasingly uncomfortable with people potentially walking into any space and filming. The glasses are being outright banned in all sorts of venues and face potential bans in theaters and even countries.
Of course, people filming everything everywhere has long been the case with smartphones, and we have countless hand-held, on-the-scene videos and social media to prove it. It seems to be the unexpected nature of these smartglasses. Even with the light, people don't realize at first that they are being filmed, which can lead to some uncomfortable conversations.
For Meta, convincing consumers that they have this situation under control — even if it is relatively few bad actors — is critical. The company is deeply committed to the wearable intelligence space. They have been rolling out new smart glasses models, including the recent Essilor Luxottica models that feature a frame designed by Kylie Jenner, and the company is a month away from its big Connect conference, where it's expected to announce more updates across all its smart eyewear, including the Ray-Ban Displays, which include cameras and an in-lens display.
Is this update enough to make you comfortable around Meta Ray-Ban smart glass wearers? Let us know in the comments below.
- Ukraine's HUR says Russia developed a drone with an explosive charge in its wings
- It is designed to cut through metal and bring down existing power infrastructure
- The damage needs days to repair, and while it is unlikely to make the grid collapse, it can cause blackouts in many regions close to the front line
Ukraine's military intelligence service says Russia has developed a drone designed specifically to bring down the former's electricity pylons in the coming winter, as the asymmetrical aspect of the conflict between the two continues to take center stage, with the latter copying many of the battlefield tactics used against it.
In an interview with RBC-Ukraine, Major General Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence, was asked what Ukraine should brace for in the fall and winter, and his response included Russian-developed drones that had wings that "contain an explosive element capable of cutting through metal."
Gen. Skibitskyi did not elaborate on the specifics, and reports do not currently list a warhead weight, describe a range, or provide a launch profile.
A conflict that has changed shape multiple times during its courseThe conflict has had many twists and turns since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, with a frontline that has moved both ways multiple times, even as both sides hunker down for what seems to be a never-ending war.
With the former's hopes of a quick victory dashed and the latter fielding a much larger fighting force, both sides have had to adapt, relying on cost-effective weaponry in large numbers, such as Iran-designed Shahed drones on Russia's end.
One-way Kamikaze drones like the Shahed's primary deployment are hardly new in the war, but the change in pattern that is being suggested here indicates what reports are already hinting at: both sides are increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure to maximize economic damage.
Russia reportedly targeting Ukraine's power infrastructure with drones is simply yet another example of how both sides are trying to one-up the other in attacks that have targeted a mix of military bases, refineries, and even retail stores of late.
The one technical detail worth dwelling on is the placement of the explosives on the wings of the purported drones that Ukraine's deputy intelligence chief is hinting at: drones targeting a high-voltage tower could do maximum damage by embedding explosive material in their wings.
Even a single hit could, in theory, take out a large swath of the grid in a region with extremely cold winters, and heat and power are crucial for civilians and the military to survive. This is why Russia, which has historically targeted substations and power generation, is changing tactics: most such pylons are poorly defended, if at all, and taking out one would require at least a few days of repairs, especially for more remote locations.
Linear shaped charges, which focus a detonation into a narrow cutting jet, are mature and unglamorous engineering already used in building demolition, aircraft canopy severance systems, and rocket stage separation. The same approach can be integrated into drones, at least on paper, even if Ukraine does not have a specific example to talk about just yet.
Ukraine's intelligence service has, in a nutshell, described a weapon that makes strategic sense, uses no exotic technology, but whether it appears over transmission corridors this winter as a prominent threat remains to be seen.
Via DroneFront
- Google Cloud launches Gemini Enterprise editions for legal and financial services
- Both releases are its first packaged industry versions, both in preview, with no pricing disclosed
- The key upgrade here versus vanilla model use is AI-centric 'plumbing': domain skills, data connectors, and a permissions model that inherits firms' existing ethical walls and access controls
Google Cloud has launched two industry-specific versions of its Gemini Enterprise platform - one for law firms and corporate legal departments and one for capital markets and corporate banking.
The company has not revealed pricing for either product, both of which currently remain in preview and mark the first packaged industry editions of Gemini Enterprise, which Google launched in October 2025 to target business customers.
Google's contention is that general-purpose enterprise AI cannot meet regulated industries' needs for confidentiality, auditability, and grounding, and it aims to address that with a package that includes the required domain plumbing rather than having each buyer build it from scratch.
Tailor-made enterprise AI offerings for legal and finance professionalsThe financial services edition is built around a Google-managed Financial Research agent with more than 50 skills, which are reusable instruction packages for repetitive tasks, and 13 connectors to licensed data sources.
Deutsche Bank is the named design partner for the research agent, which has workflows including KYC research, credit opportunity identification, bond issuance pitching, and portfolio risk analysis.
The legal edition, by contrast, ships skills for brief drafting, citation verification, contract lifecycle management, regulatory horizon scanning, and data subject access request fulfillment.
Its connectors run into NetDocuments, DocuSign, Everlaw, Courtroom5, the Free Law Project's CourtListener, Harvey, iManage, Legora, RelativityOne, Solve Intelligence, and Thomson Reuters. Preview customers include Cleary, Freshfields, Weil, and Williams and Connolly.
Google says the permissions model overhaul allows connectors to inherit the access controls of underlying systems, essentially carrying a firm's legal 'walls' automatically without using its client data, strategies, or output to train the base models in play. This is particularly important for legal customers, given how crucial such limits are before any usable output is obtained.
Google isn't the only player, or even the first, in either place; Anthropic beat it considerably when it launched Claude for Legal in 2026.
Microsoft's Legal agent for Word went to worldwide public preview for Frontier users in mid-June, with general availability from mid-August 2026. OpenAI is pushing in the same direction with ChatGPT Work and an industry solutions page for financial services, though it has not packaged a legal edition the way its competition currently has.
All major AI players, however, are rushing to capture what is an exceptionally lucrative market; whether Google's offerings hold up against the competition remains to be seen in what is shaping up to be extremely competitive landscape.
Bluetooth trackers have been life-changing for keeping tabs on my valuables — even for mundane items that I always seem to lose, like umbrellas — and I now can’t imagine a world without them. Options such as the Apple AirTag (first and second generations) and Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 2 dominate the sector, but thankfully there are more affordable alternatives that work just as well.
So, when my housemate kept losing their keys, I felt compelled to reveal the benefits of owning a Bluetooth tracker. That's when I stumbled upon a deal on the Ugreen FineTrack Duo 4-pack on Amazon for 39% off and immediately bought it so I could pair one of them with the newly cut house key before handing it over.
And my housemate hasn’t lost their keys since! Indeed, I’ve found the Ugreen FineTrack to be excellent value compared to Apple AirTag (which I also use), and I particularly appreciate the built-in notch that lets you directly attach it to a keyring without needing a separate split ring or any other accessory.
I was surprised to learn how loud they are as well — I can certainly vouch for Ugreen’s 80dB-100dB claim, which is louder than the AirTag’s 60dB (or 40dB inside a bag, which is barely louder than a refrigerator hum). When you’re at the other end of a house and need to find a mislaid item, that extra loudness is priceless.
FineTrack Duo (4-pack): was $67.99 now $41.32
At just over AU$10 a pop, the FineTrack Duo supports both iOS and Android, making it more versatile than the AirTags and Android-only trackers from Samsung, Google and more. It also charges via USB-C instead of using a replaceable one-use button cell battery. There are other versions available, including iOS-only and Android-only models, but the FineTrack Duo is a great gift option if you’re not sure what phone the recipient owns. Note that there's an extra discount available, and the final price will appear at checkout.View Deal
The Ugreen FineTrack Duo lets you instantly locate your valuables via Apple Find My or Google Find Hub, and you can make the tracker play a sound when you are within Bluetooth range. You also get a notification when the tag moves out of range, and there’s even a ‘Lost Mode’ that can be activated, whereby you supply your contact information, which someone else can view if they recover it.
The battery is rated for one year and charges via USB-C, so you won’t need a wireless magnetic charger, though the protective dust plug over the charging port isn’t attached to the FineTrack Duo and could easily be lost.
Amazon sells iOS-only and Android-only models that are slimmer, but there are bundles too, including this one with the card-shaped wallet finder that’s also available for AU$82.12.
- Researchers just encoded data into a beam of high-speed light
- The data arrived intact, despite significant heat and wind
- It could transform the internet, communications and more
Transmitting data through the air often comes with a key problem: under a barrage of turbulent atmospheric conditions like wind and heat, the data can become distorted and corrupted, requiring great effort to piece it back together. It’s a big obstacle for long-distance internet and communications providers, yet a team of researchers think they’ve just solved this puzzle — and it could have massive implications for how you send data to and from your devices.
Researchers from Wits University in South Africa and the University of Bordeaux in France conducted an experiment that involved shooting a beam of light through the air. The light was encoded with optical data, and when they recovered it at the destination site, they found it had arrived with over 98% fidelity, only dropping to 86% fidelity in “the most severe conditions tested.”
How did they do it? According to a paper the team published in the journal Science Advances, the data was encoded into magnetic structures within light called skyrmions. These acted as a form of protective shielding that enabled the data to travel with the light, all without being altered by the surrounding environment.
It worked because the data was encoded into the light’s topological profile. Professor Andrew Forbes, Head of the Structured Light Lab in the Wits School of Physics, likened it to the comparison between a donut and a coffee mug: they both contain a round hole, and this factor remains constant if you reshape one into the other. In the same way, the light could be warped by heat and noise without garbling the data it was carrying.
Massive potentialThe technology could be used to help improve satellite communications. (Image credit: Shutterstock)This test wasn’t limited to short distances — the beam of light involved was transmitted over hundreds of meters, with plenty of heat, noise and wind present at the time. That means it therefore has a degree of applicability to real-world conditions.
Open air data transmissions have previously had to include constant real-time monitoring and correction of distortion, but if this latest research becomes usable on a wider basis, that might not be necessary for much longer. This technique could drastically reduce both the difficulty and cost involved in this kind of communication and has particular utility for space missions, where infrastructure like fiber-optic cabling is clearly not feasible.
High-speed satellite communications and quantum computing could also benefit from this technical advancement. And on a more prosaic level, it could improve communications without needing to build out costly fiber-optic networks. Think high-speed internet being beamed from the sky Starlink-style to rural communities that have long been underserved by traditional carrier systems.
“We envision that our results will pave the way towards seeing and transporting information through distortion by harnessing light’s innate, invariant properties for fast, reliable, and efficient communication,” the researchers concluded.
- Arcitecta's new Mediaflux Connect 365 allows universities using OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams to migrate to cheaper storage before Microsoft's pooled education limits hit their finances
- Microsoft's current list price for storage capacity is $360,000 per petabyte yearly after its recent update eliminated its no-limit offering, and universities that tend to have large amounts of data could see themselves paying a lot more as a result
- Moving a petabyte of data to a third party, however, can take up to 105 days thanks to Microsoft's enforced throughput cap
Arcitecta, the Melbourne-based data management firm behind the Mediaflux platform, has launched a tool aimed at universities staring down the end of free, effectively unlimited Microsoft 365 storage.
Mediaflux Connect 365 is available immediately; it scans an institution's OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams estate, categorizes what is there, and manages moving it to cheaper on-premises solutions or alternative cloud storage before Microsoft starts billing universities overage costs.
Overage or excess storage costs kick in from December 2026 for universities using Microsoft's plans, and universities that cut their data usage to the prescribed sizes could see nearly a 90% reduction in storage costs, according to Gartner.
Paying a premium for previously unlimited, free storage?In this brave new world where AI data center demand essentially dictates rising storage prices, the move by Microsoft is hardly surprising as it shifts to prioritize AI infrastructure to capitalize on a growing market.
It's not a sudden move either; the decision was rolled out in phases, with the first warnings coming when it announced the end of unlimited education storage in 2023, and it began enforcing the change in August 2024.
Currently, every education tenant gets 100 TB of free pooled storage shared across OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange, plus 50 GB for each paid A3 user and 100 GB for each paid A5 user. Free A1 users have been capped at 100 GB of OneDrive each since February 2024. Additional capacity is sold in 10 TB packs at an estimated retail price of $300 per month, which effectively becomes $360,000 per petabyte of storage consumed or reserved yearly.
This might seem like a lot, but many universities have a multiple of that amount in shared data across their organization, making for a potential multi-million-dollar payout for storage to Microsoft alone, a previously unforeseen expense for many.
Microsoft does a fairly decent job of warning users: an institution that blows through its pool doesn't just get a bill upfront. Instead, admins get warnings at 80 and 90% of capacity, then a 30-day grace window at 100%.
The problem is that the 30-day window is woefully inadequate for moving data off Microsoft's servers without incurring overage charges, thanks to a 400GB/hour cap Microsoft enforces on data throughput, something that will affect universities with particularly large stores of data disproportionately.
Microsoft, on its part, insists this affects almost nobody, saying "most schools (99.96%) are well below their storage allotment."
This might be a bit of cherry-picking at best, since it covers every education tenant on Earth, most of them primary and secondary schools, which do not have such large data requirements.
Those affected would presumably be research universities, and Gartner, quoted by Blocks & Files, is blunter: "Some will be hundreds of terabytes over when the quota is enforced."
The larger story is that the free lunch is over across the industry; Google Workspace for Education abandoned unlimited storage in 2022 and now pools 100 TB per institution; Dropbox killed unlimited business storage in 2023. Universities spent a decade treating productivity clouds as infinite archives because the price was zero, and now it isn't. Microsoft frames the fix as deleting redundant data; Arcitecta frames it as keeping everything, just somewhere else, under management.
Irrespective of what argument one subscribes to, one can conclude that research institutes and universities alike have decisions to make, whether it be local storage, another cloud, or paying significantly higher rates to maintain the status quo and preserve their data in a world where storage is an increasingly expensive commodity.
- Multiple US agencies and departments were breached by Chinese state-sponsored hackers
- The hackers use a massive botnet of compromised IoT devices to obscure the origin of their traffic
- The hackers breached computers belonging to NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Senate, the Department of Justice, and more
As part of a disclosure into the Justice Department and FBI operations to prevent Chinese threat actors from accessing a malicious botnet and hacking platforms, the US Office of Public Affairs has revealed that the hackers managed to breach computers belonging to multiple US government departments.
The disclosure said the victims of “computer intrusion” included the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Federal Reserve, Department of Energy, Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, and the US Senate.
The Chinese hackers created a platform that provides paid-for hacking services on behalf of its customers. The two services, QScan and QTRouter, detect and infect internet-connected devices to use as part of a proxy network that obscures the origins of internet traffic, allowing Chinese hackers to slip into networks without detection.
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US seizes hacking domains to prevent accessThe Chinese state-sponsored hacking group the Justice Department and FBI have disrupted is named in court documents - unsealed by the Southern District of California - as “QTFY”.
QTFY was apparently hired by the Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, to create and operate the QScan and QTRouter operations, while using both systems to infiltrate US critical infrastructure.
“Today we announced the disruption of a global botnet and hacking platform used by Chinese state-sponsored hackers to target U.S. critical infrastructure,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
“These tools were used by PRC cyber actors to hide the origin of their attacks. Thanks to the work of FBI San Diego, FBI Cyber Division, and DOJ partners, we seized adversary infrastructure and shut these platforms down. Today’s action is just the latest technical operation against PRC-sponsored hacking - and in support of President Trump’s Cyber Strategy for America, the FBI is surging efforts to shape adversary behavior and defend the homeland in cyberspace.”
The authorization to disrupt the operation of QTFY comes as part of a range of technical operations designed to disrupt the ability of the People’s Republic of China to launch hacking activities on US government systems and critical infrastructure
Previous operations include the removal of the PlugX malware from thousands of US computers, alongside operations to disrupt Chinese botnets leveraging millions of unsecured IoT devices.
Finding gifts for a dad who wants nothing can be surprisingly difficult. If he already buys the things he needs, says he doesn't want any more stuff or is simply hard to shop for, another novelty mug or gadget destined for a drawer probably isn't the answer.
For Father's Day, I've focused on useful tech that earns its place: things that solve an everyday annoyance, upgrade something Dad already uses or make one of his hobbies a little better. That could be anything from a compact charger or tracker to better headphones, coffee gear or fitness tech.
I've also kept the list practical rather than filling it with products just because they look giftable. As much as possible, the recommendations are gear TechRadar has tested or recommended, along with options that are on sale, so offer particularly good value right now.
The picks cover a mix of budgets and interests, including a few easy last-minute options, so there should be something here whether Dad needs a small upgrade or you want to buy him a more substantial gift.
If you want some extra inspiration, Amazon's bestsellers are an easy place to see what other shoppers are buying, while its electronics bestsellers are particularly handy for inexpensive USB cables, chargers, power banks and other tech essentials.
If you've left it too late for delivery, our last-minute Father's Day gift ideas cover gift cards and other no-delivery options you can buy right away.
Quick gift ideas for the dad who wants nothing- Best everyday gift: Iniu P50 45W 10,000mAh power bank – AU$29.99
- Best affordable gift: Iniu 2m USB-C cable – AU$11.39
- Best practical upgrade: 70mai A510 dash cam – AU$179.98
- Best last-minute gift: Anker Nano Charger 70W – AU$49.98
- Best for coffee lovers: De'Longhi Dedica Arte Espresso Machine – AU$196.95
- Best splurge: Ninja Swirl by Creami – AU$354.99
The safest gifts for a dad who says he wants nothing are often the ones that make everyday life a little easier. I've focused on practical tech he'll reach for every day rather than something that's only useful once or twice a year.
P50 45W 10,000 mAh power bank: was $44.99 now $29.99
A power bank is one of those practical gifts dad might not think to buy for himself, but can quickly become something he uses all the time. This compact 10,000mAh Iniu model can fast charge a phone on the go, and our review explains why it earned a place in our everyday carry. Want something slimmer? Iniu also has a screen-free version that's just 1.8cm thick.View Deal
Galaxy SmartTag 2 (1 pack): was $55 now $26
If dad is forever misplacing his keys, bag or another everyday essential, a Bluetooth tracker is an easy problem-solving gift. Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 2 can help him keep tabs on whatever it's attached to using a compatible Samsung Galaxy phone, and its small size makes it easy to add to a keyring or bag.View Deal
Idea Tab 11-inch 2.5K Tablet: was $379 now $269
A tablet is an easy gift to get plenty of use out of, whether dad wants something for streaming, reading or browsing away from his phone or laptop. This Lenovo Idea Tab has an 11-inch 2.5K display, 128GB of storage and an included pen, and at the current discount, it's a much more affordable option than many premium tablets.View Deal
Dad might already have earbuds, a desk setup, some basic car tech and home-security gear, but that doesn't mean he's using a particularly good version of any of it.
These ideas are worthwhile upgrades to things he already uses, with the current discounts making the jump to higher quality a little more affordable.
If Dad uses an iPhone but is still hanging onto an older pair of earbuds, the AirPods 4 are an easy everyday upgrade. Our AirPods 4 review found they sounded good and offered a secure, comfortable fit despite the lack of in-ear tips, while the open design will appeal to anyone who doesn't like silicone eartips.View Deal
This is a particularly practical gift for a dad who has been meaning to add a security camera around the house. In our TP-Link Tapo C660 Kit review, we liked its crisp 4K video, local microSD storage and solar panel, which can keep the camera topped up without regular charging. The main compromise is limited smart-home compatibility, although Alexa is fully supported.View Deal
A510 dash cam: was $269.99 now $179.97
A dash cam is a particularly useful gift if dad spends plenty of time on the road. We called the A510 an "all-round surveillance solution" in our 70mai Dash Cam A510 review, thanks to front and rear cameras in the box, 2.7K front footage, 1080p rear recording, built-in GPS and straightforward installation.View Deal
An office chair is a bigger Father's Day gift, but it can be a useful upgrade for a dad who spends plenty of time working or gaming at a desk. We haven't reviewed this exact M102C-M101, but we've been consistently impressed with Sihoo chairs for their adjustability, breathable materials and straightforward assembly. This model adds a mesh design, lumbar pillow and headrest.View Deal
Z313 25W Multimedia Speakers: was $119.95 now $66.49
If dad still relies on the speakers built into his monitor or laptop, this is a simple desk upgrade that doesn't cost much. The Logitech Z313 combines two compact satellite speakers with a subwoofer for 25W of total power, while a wired control pod keeps the volume and headphone connection within easy reach.View Deal
A keyboard might not be the most obvious Father's Day present, but it makes a useful desk upgrade for a dad who spends plenty of time working from a laptop or tablet. We loved this compact model in our Logitech POP ICON Keys Wireless Keyboard review, praising its typing experience and multi-device support, although we would have liked the option to change the typing angle.View Deal
Useful tech for his hobbies and downtimeIf dad already has a hobby he loves, buying around that interest is often easier than trying to invent a new one for him. These gifts cover coffee, fitness, music, gaming and frozen desserts, so each has a clear recipient rather than simply being another gadget for the sake of it.
For a dad who enjoys making coffee rather than just pressing a pod-machine button, the compact De'Longhi Dedica Arte is a more hands-on gift. It can pull up to two espresso shots at once and has a steam wand for milk drinks. There's no built-in grinder, but he can use pre-ground coffee or put some of the saving towards a separate grinder.View Deal
The Amazfit Active 2 is a strong option for a fitness-minded dad who doesn't need to spend Apple Watch or premium Garmin money. Our Amazfit Active 2 review gave it a full five stars for its classic design, excellent health tracking and 10-day battery life, and we also rate it as the best overall cheap smartwatch.View Deal
If dad likes taking music outside, the JBL Flip 6 is an easy portable upgrade. We loved it in our JBL Flip 6 review, praising its fun, engaging sound, rugged design and up to 12 hours of battery life. It's also one of the best Bluetooth speakers we've recommended.View Deal
Cloud Alpha wireless: was $299 now $169.45
This is a nice discount on a great gaming headset. With these you're getting 300 hours of battery life, DTS Headphone:X Spatial Audio, and the Cloud series' now iconic tough-as-guts aluminium frame.View Deal
Neo Fly More bundle: was $539 now $325
If dad has ever wanted to try a drone, the DJI Neo is one of the easiest ways to get started. In our DJI Neo review, we praised its simple one-tap takeoff, subject tracking and automatic return. This Fly More bundle adds a controller, three batteries and a charging hub, so he gets a much more complete setup straight out of the box.View Deal
For a dad who likes experimenting in the kitchen, the Ninja Swirl is a much more fun upgrade than another ordinary appliance. Read our Ninja Swirl by Creami review for the full verdict, but you can think of it as the Creami's upgraded sibling: it handles the original model's frozen-dessert tricks and adds a built-in soft-serve system with six dedicated programs.View Deal
Last-minute Father's Day gifts that don't feel last minuteLeaving Father's Day shopping late doesn't mean settling for something forgettable. These final three gift options are inexpensive, broadly useful and easy to order without overthinking the purchase.
Amazon Prime can also be useful here, with next-day and, in some metro areas, same-day delivery available on eligible products, though the exact delivery date will depend on your location and the item you're buying.
USB-C cable 100W 2m: was $14.49 now $11.39
USB-C cables aren't the most exciting Father's Day gift, but they're one of those things dad can almost always use more of. This 2m Iniu cable is long enough to reach from the wall to the couch or bedside table, supports up to 100W charging and is currently down to AU$11.39. Iniu also has plenty of other USB-C cables to choose from, including different lengths and charging speeds.View Deal
Mini 30W USB-C charger: was $29.99 now $19.97
A tiny charger is an easy last-minute gift because it's inexpensive, useful and small enough to keep permanently in a work or travel bag. This Ugreen model is extremely compact, can fast charge most phones and has a 20V output that can even top up a compatible USB-C laptop when needed.View Deal
Nano Charger 70W: was $79.99 now $49.98
If dad is forever carrying separate chargers for his phone, tablet and laptop, this compact 70W Anker model is a useful way to simplify his bag. Anker says it can charge a 14-inch MacBook Pro from 0-50% in 35 minutes when used on its own, while its 53.1 x 42.7 x 31.5 mm dimensions make it a great travel companion.View Deal
If dad insists he doesn't need anything, start with what he already uses. A better version of his charger, headphones, shaver or coffee gear is often a safer bet than introducing an entirely new gadget, especially if you already know what works with the devices he owns.
Practical gifts for dad don't have to be boring — they just need to earn their place.
Another good approach is to solve a small annoyance. Think about the things he regularly complains about or works around, such as losing his keys, running out of phone battery, dealing with poor computer sound or using an old accessory that's well past its best.
A gift that fixes a real problem can feel more thoughtful than something chosen simply because it looks impressive in a gift guide.
Hobbies are another useful starting point, but it's usually best to buy around an interest rather than trying to choose highly personal specialist gear. A coffee upgrade, a fitness tracker, something useful for music or photography, or a gadget for the kitchen can be easier to get right than equipment where size, fit or personal preference matters.
Finally, be wary of novelty tech. If a gadget sounds clever but is likely to spend most of its life in a drawer, it's probably not the right choice for a dad who already says he wants nothing.
The best gifts for a dad who has everything are often straightforward upgrades he'll keep using long after Father's Day, Christmas or his birthday has passed. If you're hunting for last-minute gifts for dad, check the estimated delivery date as well as the price so a good gift doesn't arrive after you need it.
More gift ideas from TechRadarStill not found the right present? These TechRadar guides are a good place to find more inspiration, whether you're shopping for a particular type of tech or just want to see more deals and recommendations.
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Do you ever feel that some smartwatches have just too much smartwatch in them? That’s what struck me when Garmin announced the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro today. Sure, they look like great devices — but at over $1,000 / £850 / AU$1,500 a pop, I’ve been wondering how many people actually need everything they have to offer.
I know I don’t. While I love working out, I’m not a pro athlete and don’t need anything like the suite of features you get with Garmin’s new watches — but Garmin's first live event launch seemed aimed at people like me, the Apple Watch crowd. It's telling Garmin didn’t actually mention how much they cost during the show itself.
If you feel like me and baulk at the expense required to slap one of these devices on your wrist, it’s not all bad news. There are plenty of other options out there, and none of them will break the bank in quite the same way.
Or you could just wait for the features to trickle down to more affordable devices. Either way, there’s no need to open your wallet just yet unless you’re 100% sure you need one of these watches.
Top devices, high prices(Image credit: Garmin)Let’s get one thing out of the way first: the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro look like great smartwatches — possibly even some of the best smartwatches money can buy. They’re full of top-of-the-range features that are perfect for people who push their exercise regimes to the fullest, who regularly stride off into the wilderness in search of adventure, and who demand some of the most specialized features you can get in a consumer smartwatch.
The brighter AMOLED display in particular looks fantastic, especially if you previously struggled to read your watch’s screen in certain weather conditions. I was also heartened to see the rumors of solar charging were bang on the money — while it might be limited to the 47mm models and up of the Fenix 9 Pro, its ability to extend the life of your watch exponentially is tailor-made for off-grid escapades.
But there’s a big difference between interesting features and interesting features that cost a minimum of $1,099.99 / £949.99 / $1,749 AUD. I’m an Apple Watch Series 10 owner, and while the Apple Watch Ultra 3 has been on my radar, its $799 / £749 / $1,399 AUD price has moved it out of “must-buy” territory for me. It’s therefore unsurprising that Garmin’s latest launches haven’t ratcheted up my temptation meter.
There might be some wider context here. Garmin doesn’t normally do big, flashy events like it did for the Fenix 9 series, so the fact that it did this time suggests to me that it wants to introduce its smartwatches to a wider audience. Instead of its core crowd of sports buffs and fitness fanatics, it might be looking to broaden its horizons a bit and crack the more casual market.
The problem is that the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro have done exactly the opposite of that with their pricing. They’re not exactly entry-level options for people who have never heard of Garmin before. The flashy show puts it in the same company as Apple and Samsung — who also do glitzy product launches — but by limiting its announcements to some of its most premium devices, Garmin hasn’t quite hit the nail on the head.
Patience is a virtue(Image credit: Garmin)If Garmin’s Fenix 9 show has whetted your appetite for a smartwatch but you just can’t justify spending almost a thousand smackers on one, what can you do? Well, luckily you’re spoiled for choice.
You don’t even have to look outside the Garmin ecosystem to find some excellent options. How about the Garmin Venu 4, which is our pick for the best Garmin smartwatch? We summed it up as being “perfect for people who wouldn’t describe themselves as hardcore adventurers or triathletes, but still lead an active lifestyle, and might take on a big challenge once a year such as a marathon.” It’s full of top features that you need without breaking the bank thanks to its $549.99 / £469.99 / AU$949 price.
For an even more affordable option, there’s Garmin’s Vivoactive 6, which will set you back a mere $299.99 / £279.99 / AU$549. But this isn’t some undercooked offering that you’ll regret buying. You get 11 days of battery life, a beautiful AMOLED display, and plenty of premium features that once lived exclusively on Garmin’s more expensive products.
And that highlights a key point about the latest Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro releases. While they’re incredibly high-end options right now with price tags to match, I’m willing to bet that it won’t be long before many of their features are rolled out to much more affordable devices in Garmin’s smartwatch line-up. That kind of move has happened plenty of times in the past, and there’s no reason to think that Garmin is going to change its tune.
So, while I won’t be buying the Fenix 9 or Fenix 9 Pro right now, who’s to say I won’t pull the trigger further down the line? As these products’ prices drop and their features migrate to other wearables, chances are I’ll no longer be obstructed by an eye-watering price tag. A little patience is all it takes.
- New research shows 64% of people feel confident challenging professional advice after checking it with AI
- Over 45s are less likely to question professional advice
- An “expertise recession” has been identified by the survey, conducted by Use.AI
AI is helping many of us call time on taking professional advice without further research, concerning new reports have found.
Research by Use.AI has claimed professional advice from doctors and teachers is now researched further, with nearly two-thirds (64%) of people are now more confident challenging what they have been told.
In addition, an “expertise recession” has been identified, a scenario in which expertise is less sought after in a world where AI can assimilate all information and present a contextual and nuanced response.
Gen X less likely to askThe survey of 15,428 adults has also revealed other professionals that people are more likely to challenge. Managers, journalists, and economists are included in the list.
Use.AI’s findings also highlighted a key split in age groups, as while 70% of 18 to 34-year-olds are “more comfortable” asking questions that challenge professional advice after checking an AI chatbot response, that figure shrinks to 49% among over-45s.
Also, while 64% are “more confident challenging advice” from professionals, 53% of people are using AI to check answers and information from experts ahead of deciding if they can agree with it. Furthermore, nearly half (46%) of respondents stated that professional credentials don’t hold the same reputation as they once did, thanks to AI making it much easier to check an expert’s response.
This reveals an interesting change in how expert information is received. No longer is it something accepted at face value. Credentials might indicate a professional’s experience and knowledge, but don’t necessarily mean that everything they say should be accepted without further confirmation – typically by AI.
The “expertise recession”In summarizing the report, Use.AI has referred to something it calls the “expertise recession.” This is, it says, evidence of a “decline in automatic deference” to professionals with years of education, expertise, and experience.
“AI has democratized confidence faster than it has democratised knowledge,” said Ihor Herasymov, Co-Founder & CEO of Use.AI. “Someone can use AI to arrive at better questions without becoming qualified to judge the answers.”
Use.AI tell us that the “gap between confidence and competence” will continue to grow in importance as more people use AI for information searches and fact checks.