News
- Sales of Cybertruck have consistently underperformed original forecasts
- Media outlets have placed it among the biggest automotive flops in decades
- Tesla could be planning a smaller electric pick-up to soften the blow
Tesla originally predicted it would sell around 250,000 Cybertrucks every year, with Elon Musk going on to state that the number could increase to 500,000. The reality has been much harsher, with just 20,000 angular, electric trucks sold each year.
There are so many reasons why the vehicle has proven to be a commercial misfire, ranging from Musk’s involvement in politics to the myriad build quality and recall issues Cybertruck has suffered. Not to mention the fact that it looks the way it does.
However, Business Insider reports that Tesla’s VP of vehicle engineering, Lars Moravy, discussed the possibility of developing a smaller pick-up during a recent interview. "We've definitely been churning in the design studio about what we might do to serve that need for sure,” he revealed.
It is not 100 per cent clear whether Moravy is talking about a smaller version of the Cybertruck, or a more practical, entirely new small pick-up that is likely in response to the recent launch of Slate Auto — the Amazon-backed business founded by Jeff Bezos.
After all, completely ripping up the design of the original Cybertruck and changing most of its defining features would, effectively, be admission that Musk was wrong all along – something that is very unlikely to happen.
Secondly, Moravy also mentions the smaller pick-up in the same breath as the Robotaxi, suggesting that goods and items need to be autonomously hauled around as much as people.
A pick-up for the people(Image credit: Slate Auto)Tesla has been resting on its laurels of late, stalling a number of potential new vehicle lunches that could add further revenue streams and dig the company out of a hole.
A more affordable, $25,000 Tesla was hyped as being the next great hope, while the long overdue Roadster has been kicked around for so long, many of the original investors have lost all trust and interest in the project.
If a smaller Tesla pick-up is to be successful it needs to do all of the things that the Cybertruck can’t – namely, be more affordable and practical to use for everyday tasks, rather than a flashy lifestyle extension.
The pick-up truck market is enormous in North America, but it is also growing rapidly in Asia-Pacific and the BRICS countries. Research by IMARC Group suggests that the market with reach $260 billion by 2033.
The simple fact is, many individuals, families and business use the utilitarian vehicle for both business and pleasure. So, firstly, Tesla’s smaller pick-up will have to be able to perform, haul larger loads and prove reliable over rough ground. The almost invincible Toyota Hilux is testament to this philosophy.
Secondly, it will also have to be efficient, offering the sort of practical range that can handle daily journeys and charge rapidly when the larger road trips are required. Forget monstrous battery packs, 800V electrical architecture and rapid charging should take care of the bigger trips.
While technology has always been part of Tesla’s DNA, it’s not anywhere near as important here.
Harnessing the company’s excellent infotainment system and seamless charging experience will prove a huge selling point, but the company won’t really have to worry about passenger screens, flashy light displays and other such trivial trickery. At the end of the day, a pick-up is a workhorse. Leave the lifestyle stuff to Rivian and keep the costs down.
Finally, Tesla needs to bury the ego and start making cars for the people again. It needs to convince the general public that an electric pick-up truck is a solid investment, dispelling range and EV anxiety in the same way it almost single-handedly converted a large chunk of the car-buying community to electric with the Model S back in 2012.
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- Veo 3 Fast will allow users to create short clips like ads even more quickly
- Image-to-video is coming in public preview from August 2025
- Google wants you to use it for ads and product demos
Google has given its Veo 3 video generation model a major upgrade which should improve its speed considerably.
The new Veo 3 Fast, which has been optimised for speed and rapid iteration, now enables users to create short clips like ads, demos and short films much more quickly.
The model will also support image-to-video in public preview from August 2025 for creating eight-second clips, further reducing the time it takes to generate a video by speeding up the prompt process.
Veo 3 Fast is... fasterWith Veo 3 Fast, users can generate 1080p HD video with native audio generation, including lip-synced speed and fitting sound effects.
In a blog post, Vertex AI Director of Product Management Jason Gelman explained Veo-generated videos are great for creating localized video where companies may need to create the same clip in multiple languages quickly.
With Vertex AI, businesses also benefit from SynthID watermarks and indemnity coverage for full enterprise readiness.
Although the technology is new, Google is already paying close attention to how businesses are using Veo 3 to generate videos in order to further tailor its tools to real-world use cases. The latest upgrade, Veo 3 Fast, is perfect for quickly iterating ad concept variations, turning still product images into demo videos and developing animated explainers or training content efficiently.
With more than 70 million videos created with Google's Veo 3 since May 2025 and more than six million videos created by enterprise customers since its launch on Vertex AI in June, the new model is sure to attract users fast.
Canva has already integrated the Veo 3 model into its app, too. CPO Cameron Adams explained that Canva AI has democratized access to powerful models, and users can access Veo 3's capabilities from within the app's familiar and easy-to-use interface.
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- Blink has launched a new version of its budget-priced video doorbell
- It runs for up to two years without replacing or recharging its batteries
- It's available to pre-order from Amazon now for delivery in August
Blink makes some of the best video doorbells and home security cameras we've tested here at TechRadar, and now it's launched a new version of its budget-friendly doorbell that can run for up to two years without you needing to recharge or replace the batteries.
The new Blink Video Doorbell runs from three AA lithium batteries, plus the Blink Sync Module Core, which also acts as a central hub that connects your Blink devices to one another, and to your home Wi-Fi network.
The new doorbell also has an improved 150-degree field of vision (upgraded from 135 degrees horizontal and 80 degrees vertical), 1:1 video aspect ratio, and HD infrared night vision.
Like the previous model (which we reviewed back in March), the new doorbell also offers person detection if you have a Blink subscription, and can be configured to only send notifications to your phone if a person is identified (and not an animal or object).
The new Blink Video Doorbell is available to pre-order now from Amazon for £59.99 (about $80 / AU$120) for delivery in August. International prices and release dates are yet to be confirmed.
Blink camerasThe new Blink Video Doorbell sits alongside the Blink Outdoor 4 and Blink Mini 2, both of which have earned a place in our roundup of the best home security cameras thanks to their impressive battery lives and affordable price tags.
Image 1 of 3(Image credit: Blink)Image 2 of 3(Image credit: Blink)Image 3 of 3(Image credit: Blink)If you want advanced features like person detection, cloud storage, and photo capture, Blink subscription plans start at $3 / £2.50 / AU$4.95 per month for one device, or $10 / £8 / AU$15 per month for unlimited devices.
For more details, take a look at our full Blink Mini 2 review and Blink Outdoor 4 review.
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- Scattered Spider is evolving, CISA, FBI and others have warned
- Hackers are employing additional malware, including DragonForce
- Companies should use phishing-resistant MFA to defend
Scattered Spider is only getting warmed up with its cyberattacks, and businesses should be on their guard for possible attacks, law enforcement forces have said.
A warning given by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and a handful of other security agencies in Canada, the UK, and Australia, says the group has evolved to use more advanced social engineering - mostly impersonating employees to trick IT help desks into resetting passwords and transferring MFA tokens to attacker-controlled devices.
The hackers have also added new malware such as RattyRAT for stealthy access and DragonForce ransomware to encrypt systems and demand payment - especially targeting VMware ESXi servers.
More to comeAlso known as Okto Tempest (and a handful of other names), Scattered Spider is described as a highly aggressive and sophisticated cybercriminal group known for targeting major companies through social engineering, phishing, and identity-focused attacks.
The group is infamous for its use of SIM swapping, MFA fatigue attacks, and help desk impersonation to gain initial access, and it’s the latter that CISA is now further stressing.
Scattered Spider is generally engaged in double-extortion attacks, exfiltrating sensitive files to third-party servers before encrypting the target infrastructure. To store the stolen files, they’re using MEGA.nz and Amazon S3, and in some cases, they’ve run thousands of queries against Snowflake environments to steal large volumes of data quickly.
To stay hidden, they create fake identities backed by social media profiles, monitor internal communications like Slack and Microsoft Teams, and even join incident response calls to learn how defenders are reacting.
CISA says more Scattered Spider attacks are to be expected in the coming weeks and months, and urges organizations to use phishing-resistant MFA (like FIDO/WebAuthn), audit and restrict remote access tools, monitor risky logins and unusual account behavior, maintain offline, encrypted backups, segment networks, and patch known vulnerabilities.
Via Cybernews
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- A Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase has just been announced
- You can tune in on July 31
- The showcase will be 25 minutes long and feature third-party Switch 2 releases
Nintendo has officially announced the next Nintendo Direct showcase. And in typical fashion, there's not long to wait until we can watch it live. The company usually announces Nintendo Directs just a day or two before they go live, and that's no different here.
Announced via Nintendo's social channels, the next Nintendo Direct is taking place on July 31, 2025 at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST. You'll be able to watch the presentation live as it happens over at Nintendo's regional YouTube channels.
The presentation is due to last around 25 minutes, which is to be expected for a more focused partner showcase. There are still plenty of Nintendo Switch 2 games we're waiting for more details on throughout the rest of this year and next, though these will likely be reserved for a larger first-party Direct.
Join us for a #NintendoDirect Partner Showcase tomorrow, July 31, at 6am PT! Tune in for roughly 25 minutes of information on upcoming #NintendoSwitch2 and #NintendoSwitch games from our publishing partners. Watch here: https://t.co/PvBBmmxGTI pic.twitter.com/8hJBngwXHwJuly 30, 2025
Games we're looking forward to hearing more about include Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Drag x Drive, Kirby Air Riders, and FromSoftware's The Duskbloods. All except The Duskbloods are slated to release this year, with the multiplayer Bloodborne-like arriving in 2026. Also keep in mind that this is a Partner Direct, meaning Nintendo's first-party titles are less likely to be featured here.
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