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Imagine a digital version of yourself that moves faster than your fingers ever could - an AI-powered agent that knows your preferences, anticipates your needs, and acts on your behalf. This isn't just an assistant responding to prompts; it makes decisions. It scans options, compares prices, filters noise, and completes purchases in the digital world, all while you go about your day in the real world. This is the future so many AI companies are building toward: agentic AI.
Brands, platforms, and intermediaries will deploy their own AI tools and agents to prioritize products, target offers, and close deals, creating a new universe-sized digital ecosystem where machines talk to machines, and humans hover just outside the loop. Recent reports that OpenAI will integrate a checkout system into ChatGPT offer a glimpse into this future – purchases could soon be completed seamlessly within the platform with no need for consumers to visit a separate site.
AI agents becoming autonomousAs AI agents become more capable and autonomous, they will redefine how consumers discover products, make decisions and interact with brands daily.
This raises a critical question: when your AI agent is buying for you, who’s responsible for the decision? Who do we hold accountable when something goes wrong? And how do we ensure that human needs, preferences, and feedback from the real world still carry weight in the digital world?
Right now, the operations of most AI agents are opaque. They don’t disclose how a decision was made or whether commercial incentives were involved. If your agent never surfaces a certain product, you may never even know it was an option. If a decision is biased, flawed, or misleading, there’s often no clear path for recourse. Surveys already show that a lack of transparency is eroding trust; a YouGov survey found 54% of Americans don't trust AI to make unbiased decisions.
The issue of reliabilityAnother consideration is hallucination - an instance when AI systems produce incorrect or entirely fabricated information. In the context of AI-powered customer assistants, these hallucinations can have serious consequences. An agent might give a confidently incorrect answer, recommend a non-existent business, or suggest an option that is inappropriate or misleading.
If an AI assistant makes a critical mistake, such as booking a user into the wrong airport or misrepresenting key features of a product, that user's trust in the system is likely to collapse. Trust once broken is difficult to rebuild. Unfortunately, this risk is very real without ongoing monitoring and access to the latest data. As one analyst put it, the adage still holds: “garbage in, garbage out.” If an AI system is not properly maintained, regularly updated, and carefully guided, hallucinations and inaccuracies will inevitably creep in.
In higher-stakes applications, for example, financial services, healthcare, or travel, additional safeguards are often necessary. These could include human-in-the-loop verification steps, limitations on autonomous actions, or tiered levels of trust depending on task sensitivity. Ultimately, sustaining user trust in AI requires transparency. The system must prove itself to be reliable across repeated interactions. One high-profile or critical failure can set adoption back significantly and damage confidence not just in the tool, but in the brand behind it.
We've seen this beforeWe’ve seen this pattern before with algorithmic systems like search engines or social media feeds that drifted away from transparency in pursuit of efficiency. Now, we’re repeating that cycle, but the stakes are higher. We’re not just shaping what people see, we’re shaping what they do, what they buy, and what they trust.
There's another layer of complexity: AI systems are increasingly generating the very content that other agents rely on to make decisions. Reviews, summaries, product descriptions - all rewritten, condensed, or created by large language models trained on scraped data. How do we distinguish actual human sentiment from synthetic copycats? If your agent writes a review on your behalf, is that really your voice? Should it be weighted the same as the one you wrote yourself?
These aren’t edge cases; they're fast becoming the new digital reality bleeding into the real world. And they go to the heart of how trust is built and measured online. For years, verified human feedback has helped us understand what's credible. But when AI begins to intermediate that feedback, intentionally or not, the ground starts to shift.
Trust as infrastructureIn a world where agents speak for us, we have to look at trust as infrastructure, not just as a feature. It’s the foundation everything else relies on. The challenge is not just about preventing misinformation or bias, but about aligning AI systems with the messy, nuanced reality of human values and experiences.
Agentic AI, done right, can make ecommerce more efficient, more personalized, even more trustworthy. But that outcome isn’t guaranteed. It depends on the integrity of the data, the transparency of the system, and the willingness of developers, platforms, and regulators to hold these new intermediaries to a higher standard.
Rigorous testingIt’s important for companies to rigorously test their agents, validate outputs, and apply techniques like human feedback loops to reduce hallucinations and improve reliability over time, especially because most consumers won’t scrutinize every AI-generated response.
In many cases, users will take what the agent says at face value, particularly when the interaction feels seamless or authoritative. That makes it even more critical for businesses to anticipate potential errors and build safeguards into the system, ensuring trust is preserved not just by design, but by default.
Review platforms have a vital role to play in supporting this broader trust ecosystem. We have a collective responsibility to ensure that reviews reflect real customer sentiment and are clear, current and credible. Data like this has clear value for AI agents. When systems can draw from verified reviews or know which businesses have established reputations for transparency and responsiveness, they’re better equipped to deliver trustworthy outcomes to users.
In the end, the question isn’t just who we trust, but how we maintain that trust when decisions are increasingly automated. The answer lies in thoughtful design, relentless transparency, and a deep respect for the human experiences that power the algorithms. Because in a world where AI buys from AI, it’s still humans who are accountable.
We list the best IT Automation software.
This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro
There’s a silent strain on security in today’s enterprises, and it’s coming from an unexpected source: the technology stack.
Technical debt is a $2.41 trillion problem in the United States. No wonder, then, that 87% of IT leaders rank tech debt reduction as a top five initiative for their organization, according to a new Enterprise Strategy Group survey. Respondents cited security concerns, escalating operating costs, and more.
How did organizations get this deep into application tech debt? What are the implications for security? And, most importantly: How can organizations begin to dig their way out?
A vicious cycle of short-term fixesTech debt is, at its core, the pain of applying yesterday's technology decisions to today's business needs.
Organizations frequently face trade-offs when it comes to technology. Most often, they find the best solutions for their complex problems, balancing network, security, and end-user priorities. Other times, they’re under pressure to move fast and constrained by limited resources, leading to quick fixes that complicate their tech stack.
This is how tech debt accrues, one well-intentioned decision at a time. As business demands intensify – whether due to growth, digital transformation, or external disruptions – IT and security teams make pragmatic choices and adopt point solutions to keep up.
But these bolt-on software purchases quietly snowball and mutate into an unmanageable web – eventually emerging loudly in the form of fractured IT infrastructure, inconsistent user experiences, ballooning operational costs, and unpredictable IT environments.
Not to mention, they make for a vastly increased attack surface. In this Swiss cheese effect of overlapping systems, the organization can spend more time patching holes and maintaining legacy scaffolding than innovating.
According to a Gartner survey of 162 large enterprises, conducted between August and October 2024, organizations use an average of 45 cybersecurity tools. It’s a vicious cycle of patch upon patch.
Time isn’t the only cost. Enterprise Strategy Group found that 47% of IT leaders point to escalating operational costs as a direct result of legacy infrastructure support. And 36% flagged increased security vulnerabilities as a growing concern tied to outdated systems.
Regardless of the justification for yesterday’s technology decisions, they all impact today’s enterprise systems—increasing complexity, maintenance burdens, and security vulnerabilities.
Tech debt has a SaaS problemMost modern applications in use across the enterprise today are delivered in a SaaS model. For more than half of survey respondents, SaaS and legacy web-based applications represented a combined 61% of all application usage – the majority of those being classified as “business critical” apps.
In the enterprise, these critical apps require secure, modern access methods. However, to date, secure access has often come at the cost of convenience. Legacy access solutions like VDI and VPN weren’t designed with the SaaS-first enterprise in mind, creating friction for users, increasing overhead for IT teams, and offering limited visibility, control, or threat detection once users are inside the app.
Monitoring these apps requires bolted-on solutions, further increasing tech debt. Unsurprisingly, the number of respondents that indicated the desire to move off VDI solutions was a staggering 72%.
As SaaS adoption has accelerated, this mismatch between access architecture and application delivery has accelerated along with it—slowing agility, increasing risk, and complicating user experience across the board. Tech debt isn’t just a nuisance; it's an anchor dragging down enterprise security and efficiency.
Addressing tech debt at the point of accessAs knowledge workers’ primary interface, the browser is central to accessing SaaS, internal apps, and digital workflows. Therefore, the most direct way to address the application tech debt challenge is to reimagine the browser itself.
Browsers like Chrome and Edge, while highly effective tools for consumers, were never designed for enterprise needs. It presents a huge security gap: 62% of sensitive corporate data is accessed via consumer browsers, and 35% of data leaks stem from those same browsers.
These browsers require a complex ecosystem of tools – data loss prevention (DLP), web gateways, remote browser isolation (RBI), endpoint agents, VPNs, and more – to try to secure browsing activity and protect sensitive data. Over time, these layers have compounded, contributing to tech debt in both security and application access by requiring ongoing management, troubleshooting, and upgrades.
Further complicating the tech debt challenge is the proliferation of AI tools. In these early days of AI adoption, end users and the enterprises in which they operate will undoubtedly choose multiple tools to address niche use cases without understanding the impact on data protection and user experience. And fresh competition will replace many of these tools almost as fast as they arise. Future technology decisions will need to address managing the sprawl of shadow AI and the new tech debt it creates.
The emergence of enterprise browsersHowever, a new type of browser has emerged: enterprise browsers, which are designed exclusively for use in the workplace. Gartner recognized this new category of browsers in 2023. In April, Evgeny Mirolyubov, Sr Director Analyst at Gartner, said, “SEBs embed enterprise security controls into the native web browsing experience using a customized browser or extension for existing browsers, instead of adding bolt-on controls at the endpoint or network layer.”
Enterprise browsers are redefining how organizations approach application access. An enterprise browser streamlines the tech stack needed to secure, manage, understand, and enable access to critical apps and data.
With growing regulatory scrutiny and the rising sophistication of threats like phishing, browser-based malware, and insider threats, organizations must rethink access with security at the forefront. Enterprise browsers provide visibility and control down to the session level, enabling proactive enforcement and rapid incident response.
These browsers have the power to reduce reliance on legacy tools like VDI, VPNs, DLP, proxies, and various endpoint agents—eliminating layer upon layer of tech debt and enabling secure, efficient, and scalable access.
Secure access without the debtFor too long, organizations have been trapped in a loop where old decisions constrain new possibilities. Years of layering legacy access tools, fragmented security controls, outdated application architectures, and siloed observability and authentication systems have created a complex web of technical debt—one that undermines performance, cybersecurity, and scalability at a time when seamless, secure, and cloud-optimized access is more critical than ever.
Finally, there’s an off-ramp from this loop. By reconsidering the browser, forward-thinking enterprises are not just reducing debt—they’re building resilience for the next generation of digital transformation.
We list the best IT management tools.
This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro
- New Performance version sees the 0-60mph sprint dispatched in 3.3 seconds
- Fresh alloy wheels and sporty design touches feature throughout
- Model Y Performance also boasts an all-new infotainment display
After a not-so subtle spoiler on social media earlier this week, Tesla has revealed a new Model Y Performance trim that will be available in the UK and select European markets, with first deliveries expected in September and October.
Priced at £61,990 UK or €61,990 in Ireland (around $83,500 / AU$128,000), the Model Y Performance delivers potent straight-line, erm, performance, with an official 0-60mph sprint time of just 3.3 seconds.
But rather than simply excelling in the traffic light Olympics, Tesla says the latest addition to the line-up has undergone rigorous validation and tuning, confirming that those spy shots from the Nurburgring were correct.
Thanks to a revised suspension system, including new springs, stabilizer bars, bushings and adaptive dampers, Tesla has been able to introduce a new selection of drive modes, with a dedicated Sport setting stiffening the ride to give the vehicle a more dynamic feel through corners.
Owners will also have more control over stability and traction control settings too, with the option to reduce traction control interventions when hitting the race circuit after the weekly shop.
Alongside the dramatic increase in performance (the powertrain now delivers 460bhp, compared to the 375bhp of the previous dual motor Model Y), Tesla has also introduced 21-inch ‘Arachnid’ forged alloy wheels, performance red brake calipers, a carbon fibre spoiler at the rear and aluminum pedals inside.
This is in addition to the new front and rear fascias that give it a more purposeful overall look — a massive improvement over the Model Y of old, we think you'll agree.
Getting Europe back on track(Image credit: Tesla)Seeing as the new Model Y Performance will be assembled at the company’s Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, the UK and Europe will be among the first markets to receive the quickest accelerating Model Y.
It comes at a time when Tesla sales in those regions have started to slide at a rapid rate, with Chinese rivals making a huge and lightning fast impact on the overall market.
The likes of BYD, Zeekr, XPeng, Jaecoo, Omoda, Leapmotor and more have gained the attention of European buyers with excellent value propositions.
Although Tesla’s asking price isn’t exactly on the budget side of the spectrum, it’s still easier on the wallet than, say, a Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron or BMW i5 M60 xDrive, all of which offer similarly brutal acceleration figures.
What’s more, Tesla still offers the everyday practicality that made the Model Y the best selling car on the planet in the first place.
The front seats might have been replaced by more bolstered sports offerings, but they will still be fantastically comfortable over big distances. The official WLTP range is pegged at an impressive 360-miles, with Tesla’s renowned efficiencies remaining baked into the package.
Finally, Tesla says an all-new 16-inch touchscreen with thinner bezels and higher resolution have been added to the Performance model, packing nearly 80% more pixels and a “smoother more immersive” experience than the one found on the 15.4-inch display on other Model Y variants.
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Retail in the UK has embraced digital innovation – from websites and mobile apps to smart kiosks and even augmented‑reality mirrors reshaping the high street. But behind these advances lies a surprising weak spot: payments.
While stores innovate non-stop in customer experience, I’ve seen many continue to rely on outdated, disconnected payment setups – systems that only work via app, terminal, or wallet, and don’t communicate with each other. This fragmentation creates real friction for customers and chaos for finance and operations functions at these businesses.
To understand how far behind this puts retailers, consider this: in 2023, UK consumers made 18.3 billion contactless payments, up from 6.6 billion in 2018. That’s nearly 40% of all payments. And about a third of adults now tap their phone or card monthly.
The way people pay has changed – but many retail systems haven’t caught up.
Where it breaks down: click-and-collectOne of the clearest signs of this disconnect is the click-and-collect phenomenon. Anyone in retail will know it’s a hugely popular service – eMarketer reports that 64% of UK retailers offer it, and 15% of online orders are now picked up in-store, nearly double the pre-pandemic levels.
Buy Online, Pick Up In Store (BOPIS) is known to boost both footfall and basket size. But here’s the thing: when payments aren’t integrated across channels, this convenience starts to crumble. Staff often can’t verify transactions at pickup. Queues build. Trust erodes. The promise of frictionless shopping disappears.
It’s not just customers – back-office teams feel it tooFragmented payments don’t only hurt the customer experience. They create severe operational strain behind the scenes.
Finance teams scramble to reconcile online and in-store revenue, often manually; risk teams lack a complete view of fraud across channels; marketing teams struggle to connect the dots between campaigns and conversions; and executives are forced to make strategic decisions based on partial, siloed data.
This isn’t just a technical challenge – it’s a barrier to business clarity, performance, and agility.
There’s momentum for changeFortunately, momentum is building for smarter, more unified payment systems.
The UK’s financial infrastructure is modernizing. The Bank of England, in collaboration with HM Treasury and the FCA, has established the Retail Payments Infrastructure Board to overhaul the Faster Payments system. Their goal is to enable instant account-to-account (A2A) payments at checkout, reducing reliance on card networks like Visa and Mastercard, and lowering transaction fees.
At the same time, Soft-POS system technology is redefining how payments are accepted. Smartphones and tablets can now function as secure NFC terminals. Analysts project that the global value of Soft-POS transactions will rise from $23.9 billion in 2025 to $540 billion by 2030. Meanwhile, digital wallets are gaining ground fast. According to eMarketer, over 50% of UK adults use PayPal, and nearly 30% use Apple Pay, both online and in stores.
That’s not just preference – it’s an imperative. These options must be integrated seamlessly, not embedded as afterthoughts.
Unified payments drive trust and growthA unified payment system is more than efficient – it’s powerful. In 2022, UK retailers lost approximately £1.2 billion to payment fraud. Global losses are projected to exceed $107 billion by 2029. Fragmented systems make it easier for bad actors to exploit weaknesses – testing stolen cards online, picking them up in-store, and vanishing before systems catch up.
But when payment channels are connected, fraud detection becomes faster, more accurate, and more actionable. Real-time insights enable teams to flag suspicious behavior and prevent fraud before it occurs. That kind of visibility can protect revenue, safeguard customers, and strengthen brand trust.
Tangible results for retailersThe impact of unified payments is already visible among retailers who’ve taken action. Failed pickups are dropping. Dispute volumes are shrinking. Financial close processes are becoming faster and more accurate. In-store teams are reporting smoother workflows, and marketing teams can finally track the ROI of campaigns with clarity.
For example, before we started working with retailer Nemesis Now, they were facing serious challenges. Getaway attacks had become a regular threat – fake orders and fraudulent refunds were causing a real disruption, with teams working overtime to fend off thousands of malicious requests.
With little urgency from their previous payment gateway provider, they had no choice but to work with their web development agency to identify vulnerabilities and block the attacks. It was a costly and stressful ordeal that highlighted just how critical a secure, unified payments setup really is.
In short, this isn’t just a backend win. When systems are connected, store associates can complete transactions without friction. Finance teams can report with confidence. Fraud analysts can respond to threats in real time. Executives gain a clear view of performance, and customers enjoy the kind of seamless, personalized experience that drives loyalty.
The stakes are high – and the moment is nowWith contactless transactions now accounting for 38% of UK payments and cash still representing around 12%, retailers need to support a range of preferences securely and responsibly. The regulatory environment is also evolving, with PSD3, APP reimbursement requirements, and emerging technologies such as dark stores and real-time loyalty systems prompting retailers to reassess their payment infrastructure.
According to Gartner, those who treat payments as a strategic capability – rather than just a technical one – gain significant advantages in fraud resilience, agility, and customer retention. In today’s environment, those differences can define who leads and who lags.
From fragmentation to strategyFor retailers ready to move, there’s no need to start from scratch. Playbooks, integration frameworks, and benchmarks already exist – rooted in real-world examples, not vendor hype.
Fragmented payments don’t just slow things down—they erode trust. Unified systems restore confidence, sharpen decision-making, and unlock growth, from the first click to the final till. Giving payments a strategic seat at the table is no longer optional. It’s essential.
We list the best mobile payment apps.
This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro
- More details of the Galaxy tri-fold have leaked
- Expect NFC payments, wireless charging, and reverse charging
- It's likely to use an infolding form factor
Samsung gave us a brief glimpse of its tri-fold smartphone all the way back in January at the Galaxy S25 launch, but we're still waiting for it to see the light of day – and in the meantime, a fresh leak has given us some idea of what's coming.
Tipster @TechHighest (via SamMobile) has uncovered three animations relating to the tri-fold, which we're assuming are buried somewhere in the One UI software, though there's no clear indication of where these are sourced from.
The animations seem to confirm that – as previously rumored – this will use the infolding form factor, which means the main display is going to fold in from the sides, with a separate display on the other side that can be used when the phone is closed.
We also get a look at three features: NFC payments, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging (so you can charge small gadgets like earbuds on the back of the phone). All very much expected, and on all of Samsung's recent flagship phones, but worth noting.
What we think we knowMorning pic.twitter.com/0BIxZG1c0xAugust 28, 2025
Besides that brief glimpse in January, Samsung hasn't said too much about what's coming with this tri-fold. It has, however, gone on record to say that the device is still on the way, and will be available to buy before the end of the year.
According to one tipster, the phone is going to break cover soon, and will be called the Galaxy Z Trifold – which of course would be a nod to the other foldables Samsung makes, most recently the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7.
Other leaks that have emerged from Samsung's One UI software ahead of the tri-fold's launch include one showing an upgraded multitasking interface to make use of the bigger screen, and one showing how the three panels will fit together.
It looks as though the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset is going to be on board, unsurprisingly, although charging speeds might be rather unspectacular. And if you're thinking of making a purchase, it's likely that you'll need deep pockets.
You might also like- Salesloft suffered a third-party attack earlier this week
- New information suggests all authentication tokens were compromised
- Google disabled integrations and warned victims, in response
The Salesloft cyberattack that happened earlier this week may have also compromised certain Google Workspace accounts, as well as Salesforce instances. This is according to Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG), who published an updated report to warn about the worrying discovery.
On Wednesday, news broke that revenue platform Salesloft fell victim to a third-party cyberattack in which sensitive information was stolen. The company is using Drift, a conversational marketing and sales platform that uses live chat, chatbots, and AI, to engage visitors in real time.
Alongside it is SalesDrift, a third-party platform which links Drift’s AI chat functionality to Salesforce, syncing conversations, leads, and cases, into the CRM via the Salesloft ecosystem.
Salesloft under attackStarting around August 8, and lasting for about ten days, adversaries managed to steal OAuth and refresh tokens from SalesDrift, pivoting to customer environments, and successfully exfiltrating sensitive data.
Now, Google’s update says the scope of the compromise impacted more than the Salesforce integration: “We now advise all Salesloft Drift customers to treat any and all authentication tokens stored in or connected to the Drift platform as potentially compromised,” the update reads.
TGIG said that the attackers compromised OAuth tokens for the “Drift Email” integration, and used them to access a “very small number” of Google Workspace accounts. Apparently, only the accounts that were configured to integrate with Salesloft were compromised.
In response, Google revoked the tokens, disabled the integration functionality, and notified potentially impacted users. “We are notifying all impacted Google Workspace administrators. To be clear, there has been no compromise of Google Workspace or Alphabet itself.”
Google also recommended organizations immediately review all third-party integrations connected to their Drift instance, revoke and rotate all credentials, and monitor all connected systems for signs of unauthorized access.
The researchers believe the attack was done by a group tracked as UNC6395, although ShinyHunters claimed it was their doing.
Via BleepingComputer
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- Leaked images appear to show a Crossbody Strap product
- The lanyard-like device is rumored to release alongside the iPhone 17
- It may contradict earlier iPhone 17 leaks, raising some awkward questions
Last week, an iPhone 17 packaging leak dropped a hint about an unreleased “Crossbody Strap,” which sparked questions over what exactly this mysterious product could be. Now, a leaker has revealed images depicting what they claim is the Crossbody Strap, but the fresh pictures have raised a whole new set of questions in their wake.
The images have been included in a new blog post by prolific leaker Majin Bu. They depict a lanyard-type strap that is designed to clip onto an iPhone and hold it across your body. They suggest that the strap will be made from a nylon-type material that looks similar to that found on the Sport Loop band of the Apple Watch, and Bu says a silicone version might also become available.
The Crossbody Strap is apparently magnetic along its entire length, and these magnets are used to securely close the ends of the strap, which Bu says “[eliminates] the need for traditional hooks or loops.” It should be compatible with iPhone 17 cases, according to Bu, and potentially also the AirPods Pro 3.
However, it’s the ends of the strap that are causing a little confusion. The images posted on Bu’s website show a strap that has a uniform thickness all the way along its length. Yet that thickness looks to be significantly wider than the lanyard cutouts shown in leaked iPhone 17 case photos provided by – you guessed it – Majin Bu. It therefore appears that Bu’s latest Crossbody Strap post actually contradicts their previous leaks, which is never a good look.
More questions than answersImage 1 of 4(Image credit: Majin Bu)Image 2 of 4(Image credit: Majin Bu)Image 3 of 4(Image credit: Majin Bu)Image 4 of 4(Image credit: Majin Bu)So, what could be going on here? Well, there are a few possibilities. The most straightforward is that one or more of Bu’s leaks are inaccurate, as it’s hard to square the different images at the moment.
Alternatively, the Crossbody Strap images might be missing a key component. The pictures show two holes at the end of each strap – perhaps this is where a thinner thread can be attached, which then loops through the iPhone case’s lanyard holes. Yet that itself raises questions: if this thread exists, why did Bu not show it? And will such a thin thread be strong enough to support an iPhone’s weight, particularly if it is tugged?
Those unanswered questions, combined with Bu’s hit-and-miss record when it comes to Apple leaks, mean we should take the claims with a dose of skepticism. Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 17 at an event on September 9, and we're expecting an answer to this mystery then. That could finally reveal how – or if – Bu’s seemingly conflicting leaks can be reconciled.
You might also like- The MSI MAG 272QP and Gigabyte Aorus FO27Q5P monitors have arrived
- Both use the same Samsung 27-inch QD-OLED 500Hz panel
- Newegg has priced the MSI model, and it's a fair bit more affordable than the existing Samsung Odyssey OLED that also uses this panel
A pair of new OLED gaming monitors with an extremely fast 500Hz refresh rate are now available, according to the manufacturers.
Tom's Hardware spotted the announcements for the Gigabyte Aorus FO27Q5P (pictured above) and MSI MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50 (pictured below) monitors. I should note that they aren't on sale just yet, but should be available imminently.
Both monitors, which were initially unveiled earlier this year, are built around the same Samsung 27-inch QD-OLED panel, so the core specs for the display are identical. It's a Gen 3 panel which offers more readable text and finer detail (thanks to an updated subpixel layout), plus it's brighter compared to its predecessor OLED screen from Samsung (offering 1,000 nits peak brightness).
With both monitors you get a 1440p resolution panel with HDR1000 certification (plus HDR TrueBlack 500 and ClearMR 21000) and a super-fast 0.03 ms response time (near-instant). They also benefit from FreeSync Premium Pro support and are G-Sync Compatible, with highly accurate colors (99% DCI-P3 coverage). As mentioned, the refresh rate is 500Hz.
There are some important differences on the connectivity front, though, notably that the Gigabyte Aorus FO27Q5P offers DisplayPort 2.1a UHBR20, whereas the MSI MAG 272QP is only DisplayPort 1.4a – though both offer a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports. (Some tech sites seem to have got this round their necks, so to clarify, the MSI monitor definitely doesn't have DisplayPort 2.1a based on the official specs page).
Another noteworthy point is that the Gigabyte monitor has a pair of built-in 5W speakers, and there aren't speakers with the MSI model – not that this is likely to matter to the kind of competitive gamers who'll be looking at these screens.
(Image credit: MSI)Analysis: more (hopefully) affordable 500Hz OLEDs are welcomeThere are monitors with faster refresh rates that have been shown off, but remember, these are OLED panels, and 500Hz is blazing fast for this tech – and indeed the fastest you can get (for now, at least, though that may change before too long). It's also arguable how high you need to go with refresh rates, anyway (but let's not go off on that tangent).
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G60SF carries the same 1440p and 500Hz panel, and is already out on the market priced at $1,000 (at the time of writing) in the US. There's no official pricing on either the MSI MAG 272QP or Gigabyte Aorus FO27Q5P from the makers, but Newegg US does have the MSI model listed and priced at $750. Ordering isn't live yet, but assuming that's not a placeholder – and we must be a bit careful around that – this looks like good value for the spec on offer. That's not to say it's exactly cheap – but you didn't really expect that a 500Hz OLED monitor would be, did you?
Of course, these kinds of screens are for the most competitive gamers out there who are into their esports. You'll need a very powerful PC and one of the fastest graphics cards to drive 500Hz – which is 500 frames per second – at 1440p resolution even with less demanding games (which esports titles generally are, as they place a premium on fluid frame rates over visual bells and whistles).
Aside from the still rather wallet-worrying price, another concern that might remain for those considering an OLED gaming monitor is the possibility of burn-in (permanent image retention caused by a static element, like a game HUD or desktop OS interface, being present on the screen for too long).
Both MSI and Gigabyte offer a three-year warranty which includes protection against burn-in, and the manufacturers also have their own tech to protect against image retention. That includes MSI's OLED Care 2.0 and Gigabyte's OLED Care, along with heat dissipation measures to lower screen temperatures (and therefore reduce burn-in risk).
You might also like...Star Wars: Starfighter, the installment in the franchise due to be released on May 28, 2027 – that's a year after The Mandalorian & Grogu, if you're keeping up – has finally got its first look straight from the set (you can catch up with it below).
Ryan Gosling will be our next leading man and eponymous Starfighter, with Flynn Gray, Matt Smith and Mia Goth among those previously announced in the cast.
Annoyingly, we've got absolutely no idea what the new Star Wars movie is going to be about aside from some other-world fighting in the starry atmosphere, probably with new creatures and droids.
Day 1: A whole new adventure begins #Starfighterhttps://t.co/eI5xaROQAj pic.twitter.com/8AXiBN4x4BAugust 28, 2025
However, we do have some updates. Amy Adams and Aaron Pierre have also been announced as joining the cast, with Adams set to play Gray's mother (Pierre's role has not been rumored). But as much as I love seeing these two act, it's not the announcement that's got me, a Star Wars dunce, incredibly excited for its release.
It's not Jamael Westman or Daniel Ings, who are also in the ensemble. Oh no. It's Simon Bird, whose name might not mean anything to you if you're based in the US, or anywhere other than the UK. He's best known in Britain for playing Will MacKenzie in sitcom The Inbetweeners, and it's this role that makes his casting incredibly ironic.
Simon Bird's casting in Star Wars: Starfighter is hilarious, actuallyI have four words for you: feisty one, you are. If you've ever seen The Inbetweeners, which ran from 2008 to 2010 (not including the movies), you might remember the season 2 episode where Will and the gang head to Swanage for a school field trip, with Will's eye immediately swayed by new girl Lauren (Jayne Wisener).
While Simon (Joe Thomas) tries to take her for himself, Will dusts off his best flirting techniques over lunch, which just happens to be a Yoda impression. Lauren has no idea what's going on, claiming she was worried he had "a problem," and unsurprisingly, she chooses Simon over Will.
This is also the episode where the boys punch a fish in a dingy and set off a distress flare while they're still in the harbor, so Inbetweeners gold, in short. Will's Yoda line is something that's still regularly quoted almost 20 years later, and it took all of 0.5 seconds for fans to pick up on the link.
"From briefcase w**ker to Star Wars pilot, what a glow up," one fan replied to the announcement on X, with another attaching the Yoda clip and adding "This is clearly the reason why they cast him."
Another weighed in, "Star Wars casting weirdly perfect here, he’s gonna own it," with another fan agreeing, "Nah, he’s just gonna crash-land with a 'bumder!' and a Yoda impression!"
While fans are speculating that Bird will play a pilot, no official announcement of his exact role has been made.
With director Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine) steering the Star Wars: Starfighter ship, I hope that he at least subtly pays homage to a moment so famous, it's certainly made the UK sitcom Hall of Fame (well, it would if I were in charge).
In the meantime, you can watch the Star Wars back catalog on Disney+ in the US, UK and Australia.
You might also like- Anthropic's Threat Intelligence Report outlines the acceleration of AI attacks
- AI is now fueling all parts of the cyberattack process
- One such attack has been identified at 'vibe hacking'
One of the world’s largest AI companies, Anthropic, has warned that its chatbot has been ‘weaponised’ by threat actors to “to commit large-scale theft and extortion of personal data". Anthropic’s Threat Intelligence Report details ways in which the technology is being used to carry out sophisticated cyberattacks.
Weaponized AI is making hackers faster, more aggressive, and more successful - and the threat report outlines that ransomware attacks which previously would have required years of training can now be crafted with very few technical skills.
These cyberattacks are lucrative for hackers, with AI now being used for fraudulent activity like stealing credit card information and identity theft, with attackers even using AI to analyze stolen data.
“Vibe hacking”Defenders have long warned that AI is lowering the barriers to cybercrime, allowing low-skilled hackers to carry out complex attacks, but LLMs are now assisting criminals at every point along the attack process.
The report describes a particular threat it dubs ‘vibe-hacking’, which refers to a campaign in which Claude was used to scale and build a data extortion scheme. The name is a reference to the ‘vibe coding’ method of software development which heavily relies on AI to generate code and build applications.
Cluade’s code execution environment was used to; ‘automate reconnaissance, credential harvesting, and network penetration at scale, potentially affecting at least 17 distinct organizations in just the last month across government, healthcare, emergency services, and religious institutions.’
Anthropic’s investigations found cybercriminals targeted a range of sectors, focusing on data theft and extortion. These attacks resulted in ‘the compromise of personal records, including healthcare data, financial information, government credentials, and other sensitive information, with direct ransom demands occasionally exceeding $500,000.’
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