Maybe you’ve camped out all night, or you’ve refreshed furiously at the risk of breaking your F5 key, but tomorrow you are finally getting your hands on the Nintendo Switch 2. After tearing it open and booting it up, you might quickly realize that the console’s functionality out of the box is basically non-existent. You have just purchased a very expensive paperweight.
This is all by design, as Nintendo wanted the console as locked down as possible in order to prevent leaks ahead of time. They didn’t even send review units to press ahead of launch this time around (it’s fine, I’m not bitter). Now that the Switch 2 is out in parts of the world where it’s already June 5, we’re getting our first look at the patch notes for the console’s day one update.
The Version 20.1.1 update for the Switch 2 basically turns the console on. The day one update enables support for Switch 1 games, virtual game cards, the Nintendo eShop and those Game-Key cards where the physical card you bought doesn’t actually contain the game, but allows you to download it. The patch notes themselves include some fairly important features like “use of Nintendo Switch Software” and “Nintendo Switch Online.” You can read the full patch notes at nintendolife.
Users will be prompted to update their consoles during initial setup, so it should be a seamless experience. I won’t give them the clicks by linking here, but suffice to say seeing leakers and hackers get their hands on the console early only to realize they can’t do much of anything was strangely satisfying.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendos-day-one-update-for-the-switch-2-is-just-a-big-on-switch-175136898.html?src=rss
Scammers are targeting travelers planning their vacations in a new campaign that spoofs popular online travel agency (OTA) Booking.com. The scheme, identified by Malwarebytes Labs, uses malicious CAPTCHA forms to gain remote access to victims’ devices, allowing threat actors to harvest personal and financial information.
How the Booking.com scam works
The campaign begins with links posted on social media and gaming sites, including sponsored ads, that redirect to websites posing as Booking.com—an OTA through which users can search and book flights, hotels, rental cars, and other travel experiences.
When users click the link, they’ll see a fake CAPTCHA pop-up with a checkbox, which gives permission to copy data to the clipboard. The next verification prompt will tell you to execute a Run command on your device with a combination of keystrokes. (FYI: This is never a legitimate CAPTCHA request.)
In the background, the malicious CAPTCHA has copied a powershell command to your clipboard. And if you follow the instructions, the command will download and execute a series of files that install a backdoor Remote Access Tool (RAT)—identified as Backdoor.AsyncRAT—giving threat actors the ability to remotely monitor and control your machine.
How to spot and avoid the Booking.com RAT attack
Check the URL
As Malwarebytes Labs notes, the domains and subdomains scammers are using to carry out this attack change frequently, and some look more more legitimate than others: (booking.)guestsalerts[.]com versus kvhandelregis[.]com, for example. To avoid falling victim to this campaign and those like it, don’t click links from ads or posts on social media, and go directly to the website you want to visit instead.
Head to the site directly
Know that using a general Google search for travel planning may make you more susceptible to malvertising, as cybercriminals can spoof websites to look like popular services—such as booking.com—and have them appear near the top of sponsored results. You should type URLs directly into the address bar or book with the airline or hotel itself.
Be wary of CAPTCHA forms from untrusted sources
You should also be wary of following instructions, such as executing commands, from websites, CAPTCHA forms, or social media videos, which can easily trick you into installing malware.
Finally, you can disable JavaScript in your browser, which will remove clipboard access, though this is likely to break other websites you visit.
Now that most of Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards have been released, it’s clear that they give AMD and Intel their best opportunity this decade to claw back some market share and make the dedicated graphics card business a little less lopsided.
It’s not that the 50-series GPUs have been bad cards, but a focus on sometimes-useful, sometimes-not AI-generated frames and a lack of major manufacturing advancements relative to the 40-series have eroded Nvidia’s usual lead in performance and power efficiency.
That’s the advantage AMD is trying to press with the new Radeon RX 9060 XT graphics cards, which at $299 and $349 for 8GB and 16GB are both priced and configured to comprehensively undercut Nvidia’s RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti. As with the RX 9070 series earlier this year, the RDNA 4 architecture goes a long way toward addressing the RX 6000 and RX 7000-series’ lackluster ray-tracing performance and mediocre power efficiency, and a relatively affordable 16GB version will help insulate buyers from the RAM limitations that are slowly but surely becoming more of a problem for 8GB cards.
The Switch 2 versions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom may require a purchase. They’ll set you back $70 or $80 new, but if you already own the games, it’s only $10 each. (And Switch Online Expansion Pack members get the enhanced updates for free.) Regardless, at least you have a sharper-looking open world to explore for paying a second time.
Here’s the complete list of (free) updated games, which also includes Pokémon and Captain Toad.
ARMS – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates and HDR)
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain – GameShare (up to four players, local / online GameChat sharing)
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – visual upgrades (resolution and HDR) and GameShare (two players in all courses, local / online GameChat sharing)
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics – GameShare (up to four players can play 34 games, local / online GameChat sharing)
Game Builder Garage – visual upgrades (resolution), Joy-Con 2 mouse control
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – visual upgrades (resolution)
Pokémon Scarlet – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates)
Pokémon Violet – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates)
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates and HDR), GameShare (up to four players in Super Mario 3D World, two players in Bowser’s Fury and local / online GameChat sharing)
Super Mario Odyssey – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates), GameShare (two players, local / online GameChat sharing)
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom – visual upgrades (resolution, HDR)
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening – visual upgrades (resolution, HDR)
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-rolls-out-switch-2-updates-for-super-mario-odyssey-and-other-switch-games-174202849.html?src=rss
Peer-to-peer DMA (P2PDMA) has been part of
the kernel since the 4.20 release in 2018;
it provides a framework that allows devices to transfer data between themselves
directly, without using system RAM for the transfer. At the 2025 Linux
Storage, Filesystem, Memory Management, and BPF Summit (LSFMM+BPF), Stephen
Bates led a combined storage, filesystems, and memory-management session on
device-initiated I/O, which is perhaps what P2PDMA is evolving toward. Two
years ago, he led a session on P2PDMA at the
summit; this year’s session was a brief update on P2PDMA with a look
at where it may be heading.
The Health Connect app is expanding its “sharing data” function, allowing Android users to sync up their health information across multiple apps. The announcement came during Google’s developer livestream at I/O 2025. Starting in June, Google says Health Connect will pick up Runna, Mi Fitness, and Garmin. Here’s what you need to know.
Wait, you couldn’t sync your health data to Garmin before?
Apparently not! My colleague Beth Skwarecki shared with me this screenshot of her Connected Apps screen in her Garmin settings on her iPhone, versus her husband’s Android. As you can see, Apple Health is connected to Garmin on the iPhone, but there’s no Health Connect for Garmin on the Android.
Apple Health is connected to Garmin on iPhones. Credit: Beth Skwarecki
There’s no Health Connect for Garmin on Androids. Credit: Beth Skwarecki
Until now, dual Garmin/Android users have been limited in their ability to consolidate fitness data across multiple services. In other words, this Health Connect update will address long-standing complaints about the ability to sync data.
As you can see in the screenshots above, connecting your device’s health app to your Garmin is fully optional. The Health Connect platform operates as a secure intermediary, storing all data locally on users’ devices rather than in the cloud. Users maintain complete control over their data sharing preferences, with all integrations disabled by default and requiring explicit approval before any information is synchronized between applications. You can easily manage permissions if you’d prefer to keep your data separate.
Garmin support should come later this month
The June rollout of Garmin support, alongside Runna and Mi Fitness integration, is long overdue for dual Android/Garmin users. The company’s historically closed ecosystem has meant that users wanting to share their Garmin-collected data with other health and fitness applications faced frustrating barriers or required workaround solutions. Now, the doors should be opened to get your workouts and other data in and out of your Garmin app much easier.
Beyond basic fitness metrics, Google emphasized that the integration will enable users to “read and write” more comprehensive health information, including allergies and immunizations data. The integration update is expected to go live sometime in June, though Google has not yet provided a specific launch date.
Researchers in Japan have developed a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours, offering up a potential solution for a modern-day scourge polluting oceans and harming wildlife. From a report: While scientists have long experimented with biodegradable plastics, researchers from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo say their new material breaks down much more quickly and leaves no residual trace.
At a lab in Wako city near Tokyo, the team demonstrated a small piece of plastic vanishing in a container of salt water after it was stirred up for about an hour. While the team has not yet detailed any plans for commercialisation, project lead Takuzo Aida said their research has attracted significant interest, including from those in the packaging sector.
The internet is changing rapidly, and the (rather large) chunk of it devoted to adult entertainment is no exception. Porn sites in an increasing number of U.S. states must now verify that their users are adults by requiring them to submit a government-issued ID or some other suitable method of proving their identity. Understandably, this is not necessarily something everyone wants to do every time they visit an adult site.
In response, Pornhub, as well as other sites under its parent company Aylo, have gone dark in a lot of these states in protest. As such, many users across these states are now searching for the best VPNs (virtual private networks) to install on their devices so they can still access the site.
As of the start of June 2025, 19 states have put these age verification requirements in place: Louisiana, Utah, Mississippi, Virginia, Arkansas, Texas, Montana, North Carolina, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Indiana, Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Missouri.
Another five states will join the club in the coming weeks and months, including Georgia, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Arizona. Bills are also pending in an additional 16 states: Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Hawaii, and Maryland. State-level legislation aside, the federal SCREEN Act (2025) could bring in country-wide measures if it passes into law.
It’s a shifting landscape, as laws are proposed and appealed in each state, and the best resources for keeping up to date that I’ve found are from the Age Verification Providers Association (which is pro-age verification measures) and the Free Speech Coalition (which is against them).
On the one side is the argument that kids need to be protected from adult content online, and on the other is the argument that kids will find porn anyway—perhaps through sites that have fewer safeguards and rules around adult content than Pornhub.
The Louisiana exception
Pornhub can use LA Wallet in Louisiana. Credit: Lifehacker
Pornhub owner Aylo’s issues with all of this legislation are that age verification systems are ineffective, and an invasion of privacy for those aged 18 or over. Instead, the company is calling for user ages to be verified at the device level, perhaps through the app stores managed by Apple and Google, for example. Lawmakers in Texas have already passed legislation requiring app stores to verify ages before users can download any apps, not just ones with age-restricted content.
Louisiana stands out as the one state where Aylo sites, including Pornhub, are cooperating with an age verification system to keep adult content available to users. That system is known as LA Wallet, the digital driver license app that’s already active in Louisiana, and which provides robust ID verification. One of the reasons Aylo has kept Pornhub open for business in Louisiana is that LA Wallet can work anonymously: It’s a bit like using a two-factor authentication code. Through this mechanism, Pornhub doesn’t know who you are, but does know you’ve been verified as an adult through LA Wallet.
For now, other states are lagging in introducing similar tech. They either don’t have digital ID systems like LA Wallet, or have systems that aren’t as simple to use for the purpose, or as respectful towards user privacy. And so the stand-off continues: Both state governments and Aylo want users to have to verify their age to access Pornhub, they just want to go about it in different ways.
How to watch Pornhub if it’s blocked in your state
Whatever your position on age verification laws, remember that the best VPNs can connect your computer to a server in a different part of the world—making it look like you’re located somewhere other than where you actually are. So wherever you are, if you want to access porn sites that are blocked, a VPN is your new best friend.
That’s just the start, though, when it comes to the benefits of installing a VPN. These software tools hide your browsing activity from governments, law enforcement agencies, and whoever is providing your internet connection. Generally, VPNs make it harder for companies to track you, and give you more security and privacy (though not total anonymity) online.
With that in mind, Lifehacker has covered the best free VPNs, the best paid VPNs, and the best free VPNs for Android in the past, but I’d like to highlight a couple of recommendations here—if you want more suggestions for your internet browsing needs (adult site-related or not), follow those links above.
The best free VPN: Proton VPN
Proton VPN doesn’t put any bandwidth restrictions on free accounts. Credit: Proton
We’ve written in glowing terms before about how good the free Proton VPN is, and it’s a great pick if you don’t want to spend anything. Its appeal starts with Proton itself: It’s committed to privacy, was started by scientists in Switzerland, and is siloed from the big tech names (like Google, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft). It’s a name you can trust.
There are also surprisingly few restrictions for a free VPN. The two main limitations are you can only connect from one device, and you don’t get to choose which country’s servers you connect to. That’s it—it’s not painfully slow, like a lot of free VPNs. If you do need more flexibility in your VPN connections and features, there are paid upgrades available too.
Add in the ease of use you get with Proton VPN, the support for a broad range of devices, and the reliability you get from servers around the world, and it’s difficult to beat in terms of a free VPN. Sign up here for a Proton account, if you don’t already have one.
The best paid VPN: NordVPN
You can connect to more than 100 different countries with NordVPN Credit: NordVPN
You’ve got a lot of excellent options to pick from when it comes to paid VPNs, and there’s no app that’s far and away above the others—but we’re going to highlight NordVPN here, which we recently compared to ExpressVPN. It’s fast, it’s flexible, and the software it offers across multiple platforms is more polished and intuitive than with a lot of its rivals.
You get lots of features with NordVPN, from split tunneling to DNS customizations to support for the super-private Onion network. While you can easily use the software with just a couple of clicks (or taps), there are numerous advanced features available if you want to dig a bit deeper—you can even have a dedicated IP address (though it costs extra).
Pricing for NordVPN starts at $12.99 a month, but you can get some pretty significant discounts if you pay for a year (or two years) up front. That’s enough to get you up to six simultaneous connections, and you can sign up here to register and download the apps.
Meta has responded to allegations that it violated Android users’ rights to privacy by secretly using its apps to track browsing histories.
In case you’re unfamiliar with this allegations, a group of security researchers reported that Meta is secretly monitoring the browsing activities of billions of Android users. The allegations claim
Snapchat has been experimenting with generative AI-powered augmented reality lenses in its app for the last couple years. Now, the company is allowing users to make their own with a new standalone app for making AR effects.
Snap is introducing a new version of its Lens Studio software that allows anyone to create AR lenses through text prompts and other simple editing tools, and publish them directly to Snapchat. Up to now, Lens Studio has only been available as a desktop app meant for developers and AR professionals. And while the new iOS app and web version aren’t nearly as powerful, it offers a wide range of face-altering and body-morphing effects thanks to generative AI.
“These are experimental new tools that make it easier than ever to create, publish, and play with Snapchat Lenses made by you,” the company explains in a blog post. “Now, you can generate your own AI effects, add your dancing Bitmoji to the fun, and express yourself with Lenses that reflect your mood or an inside joke–whether you’re on the go or near your computer. “
Snap gave me an early look at the Lens Studio iOS app, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much flexibility it offered. There are AI-powered tools for transforming your face, body and background via detailed text prompts (the app also offers suggestions of the kinds of prompts that work well, like “detailed zombie head with big eyes and nose, lots of details.”)
There’s a bit of a learning curve to figuring out what works well for each type of effect, and some of the generative AI prompts can take up to 20 minutes to render. But the app also offers dozens of templates that you can use as a starting point and remix with your own ideas. You can also make simpler face-altering filters that don’t rely as heavily AI but take advantage of popular Snapchat effects like face cutouts or Bitmoji animations. (A few examples of my creations are below, both used AI to create a background I overlaid other effects onto.)
Screenshots via Snap
Snap already has hundreds of thousands of lens creators, some of whom have been making effects for the app for years. But I can easily see this new, simpler version of Lens Studio opening the door for many more. There could also be some upside for creators hoping to take advantage of Snapchat’s monetization programs: the company confirmed that users who publish lenses from the new app will be eligible to participate in its Lens Creator Rewards program, which pays creators who make popular AR effects.
A more accessible version of Lens Studio could also help Snap compete with Meta for AR talent. (Meta shut down Spark AR, its platform that allowed creators to make AR for Instagram last year.) In addition to Snapchat’s in-app effects, the company is now on its second generation of standalone AR glasses. More recently, Snap has focused on big-name developers to make glasses-ready effects, but the company has previously leaned on Lens Creators to come up with interesting use cases for AR glasses. Those types of integrations will likely require much more than what’s currently available in the new pared-down version of Lens Studio, but making AR creation more accessible (with the help of AI) raises some interesting possibilities for what might one day be possible for the company.
Jim Lanzone, the CEO of Engadget’s parent company Yahoo, joined the board of directors at Snap on September 12, 2024. No one outside of Engadget’s editorial team has any say in our coverage of the company.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/snapchat-now-has-a-standalone-app-for-making-gen-ai-augmented-reality-effects-170036214.html?src=rss
If you’ve been online for longer than you care to admit, you undoubtedly have an account or two you don’t use anymore. My password manager is full of logins that I haven’t accessed in years, and I know I have accounts that I haven’t even thought about, let alone logged into, that never even made it to that password manager.
We all like to think that the internet is forever, and that these accounts will always be waiting for us should we ever wish to return. Unfortunately, the internet doesn’t work that way. Those accounts are hosted by companies that have financial and security interests that don’t align with holding onto inactive accounts forever. Sooner or later, companies start purging their inactive accounts. While active account holders will never know the difference, you might be upset to find that an account you’ve held for a decade is no more.
Samsung is deleting inactive accounts starting July 31
Such is the case with Samsung and its current crop of inactive accounts. As reported by SamMobile, Samsung is planning on deleting inactive accounts starting July 31. The company is targeting accounts that haven’t been accessed in 24 months, which means the first round of accounts will have been inactive since at least July 31, 2023.
If you’ve only ever had one Samsung account, and it’s the one you currently use on your devices, you have nothing to worry about. But if you’ve had multiple Samsung accounts in the past, or you ditched your Galaxy for a Pixel or iPhone and left your account behind in the process, you’ll want to make sure you log into it at your earliest convenience. Otherwise, Samsung will help you throw it away.
You don’t have to log into it this second, if you’re reading this post when it publishes: Just make sure you log into any Samsung accounts you haven’t accessed for two years (or more) before that July 31 deadline. Do that, and you’re set for another 24 months—or until Samsung changes the policy.
In addition to the memory management “MM” changes merged last week that included features like Kernel HandOver “KHO” support, a second batch of MM changes were submitted and merged this week for Linux 6.16…
A group of financially motivated cyberscammers who specialize in Scattered-Spider-like fake IT support phone calls managed to trick employees at about 20 organizations into installing a modified version of Salesforce’s Data Loader that allows the criminals to steal sensitive data. From a report: Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) tracks this crew as UNC6040, and in research published today said they specialize in voice-phishing campaigns targeting Salesforce instances for large-scale data theft and extortion.
These attacks began around the beginning of the year, GTIG principal threat analyst Austin Larsen told The Register. “Our current assessment indicates that a limited number of organizations were affected as part of this campaign, approximately 20,” he said. “We’ve seen UNC6040 targeting hospitality, retail, education and various other sectors in the Americas and Europe.” The criminals are really good at impersonating IT support personnel and convincing employees at English-speaking branches of multinational corporations into downloading a modified version of Data Loader, a Salesforce app that allows users to export and update large amounts of data.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s big government adventure appears to be at an end. As promised in April, Musk has returned his attention to his car company, which is facing serious headwinds. In the first quarter of the year, Tesla sold tens of thousands fewer electric vehicles than it did the year before, despite a rise in worldwide EV sales. Data from April looked even worse, with substantial sales declines in Europe and China. May’s numbers don’t look much better.
Although Tesla only publishes its global production and sales numbers—and only at the end of each quarter—some countries provide monthly new car registration information, making it possible to track sales on a national level. And according to Germany’s KBA, in May, Tesla sales fell by just over 36 percent year over year, even as overall EV registrations increased by 45 percent. At least that’s a few hundred more cars than it managed in April.
Similar trends were seen in the UK and Italy. In the UK, Tesla sales decreased by 45 percent, even as overall EV sales increased by 28 percent. In Italy, EV sales increased by almost 41 percent, but Tesla’s deliveries dropped by 20 percent.
Samsung is teasing its next-gen Galaxy Z Fold smartphone and all signs indicate a new ‘Ultra’ variant coming too. This sneak peek suggests that the Ultra will be a more premium edition of the popular book-style foldable, promising consumers “an Ultra-experience that goes beyond” larger screens, enhanced camera systems, and superior connectivity.
AI video generation is a rapidly developing field, with the likes of Google’s Veo and OpenAI’s Sora constantly out-doing each other. We are approaching the time when it might be difficult to discern some AI generated video content from reality. But all those gains are limited to the top-tier paid services. To get access to Google’s flagship Veo 3 model (which can now generate dialogue), you need to fork over $250 a month. Until now, no one has really tried to make free AI video generation a thing, given just how resource intensive it is. But now, Microsoft’s stepping up to the plate.
Of all things, the Bing app is integrating a free video creator, that while limited, generates short videos for free using OpenAI’s Sora model. But is it worth your time? And how does it compare to Gemini’s Veo 2, which requires Google’s $20/month AI Pro subscription?
How Bing’s free AI videos work
Microsoft is rolling out its Video Creator feature first on the Bing iPhone and Android apps, with web and desktop versions to follow soon. It’s completely free to use, but is quite limited.
The feature is built on OpenAI’s Sora text-to-video platform that’s still in public beta, and is normally part of the $20/month ChatGPT Plus subscription. In Sora, you are able to edit and adjust videos after creation, but there’s no such option in Bing Video Creator.
Bing Video Creator also limits you to 5 second videos at 480p resolution, and only in a portrait 9:16 aspect ratio (landscape aspect ratios are coming soon).
Because the platform is free, it revolves around Fast Generation credits. When you first start using Video Creator, you’re handed 10 such credits, which you can spend to generate videos in just a couple of seconds. After you run out, you’ll have to wait a couple of hours for each video you generate (the app will send you a notification when a video is ready). Unfortunately, there’s no direct way to buy more credits, but you can redeem 100 Microsoft Rewards Points for future quick generations.
How to generate free short AI videos using Bing Video Creator
To get started with Bing Video Creator, first download the Bing app on your smartphone, then tap the Menu button from the right edge of the toolbar. Here, choose the Video Creator feature.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
You’ll see a text box where you can enter your prompt, alongside a Settings icon for changing your aspect ratio, the duration of the video, and generation speed. Microsoft will flesh out those first two options in the future, but for now, you can set your generation speed to Standard to avoid spending a fast generation credit. When you’re ready, click create to start generating your video.
Once it’s done, your video will be saved in a gallery, and you’ll have 90 days to share or download it.
How does Bing’s free AI video generator compare to the paid options?
As I mentioned above, completely free AI video tools are mostly unheard of, or are supremely limited. Canva offers 5 video generations for free, but then requires an upgrade to Canva Pro. Runway does have a free plan that offers 125 credits, but in my testing, I found that I couldn’t use it to generate videos—only images.
I generated three videos using Bing’s free video generator and was happy with the output of one of them. My prompt of a bride in a wedding dress resulted in a video of a bride twirling her body in front of a mirror, but not her head. Eerie.
Next, I asked it to generate a video of someone removing a carrot cake from an oven (not at all related to my sugar fast), and it just couldn’t nail the motion of the person moving a physical object with their hand.
It did well in one task though: a video of a freshly brewed cup of coffee, with people in the background.
Canva’s output was equally jarring. There’s a nice moment with a camera flash, but the hands are like putty, and the facial expressions are really far off.
Google’s Veo 2 did much better. It showed a bride smiling away in her new white dress. The view was too cropped in for my liking, but at least there’s no dislocated elbows or necks.
As it stands, the video quality of paid AI video generators is still quite a bit better, and free options are akin to the early days of DALL-E, where AI couldn’t really nail down fingers and hands.
If you want to generate a short video to share on your company’s page, or just as a gag, sure, go ahead, try it out. For anything else, it might be best to try Google’s Veo, which is currently the best AI video generator out there, at least based on the testing conducted by my colleague, David Nield.
On an average day, you might unlock or look at your phone dozens of times, which makes the lock screen a hot property for advertising. Ad tech company Glance has been taking advantage of that for years with its ad-laden lock screen experiences, but it’s going further in the age of AI. Samsung and Glance have teamed up to deliver a new “AI shopping” experience that uses a selfie to create custom fashion ads. This feature is rolling out to numerous Samsung phones in the next month.
Glance has been around for a while—its non-AI lock screen experience has been bundled on various phones from Samsung, Motorola, and others. Before the AI era, Glance lured people in with promises of pretty pictures and news alerts, which came with a side of ads and tracking. The new Glance AI feature has all that, but it adds an unsettling face-stealing layer to the experience.
The AI-infused Glance will arrive on Samsung phones as both a standalone app and a fully integrated lock screen. Thankfully, this is a fully opt-in experience. If you never open or set up Glance, you can keep using the normal lock screen on your phone.
It has taken seven years, but Shimano has finally launched the long-awaited, wireless version of its top-flight XTR groupset, M9200.
It’ll come as no surprise that the drivetrain is wireless – cables no longer pull the derailleur across the cassette, instead Shimano’s own wireless protocol connects the shifter and derailleur, while a battery and motor push and pull the unit’s parallelogram over the cassette.
Shimano says market demands and performance benefits drove the removal of the gear cable.
It has taken time to get to this point, although the brand points to its other Di2 drivetrains that are prevalent in the eMTB market, as well as its durable Di2 LinkGlide 11-speed drivetrain releases over the past few years as proof that its engineers have been far from idle.
The new Shimano groupset in all its glory. Dan Milner / Shimano
Lessons have been learnt from these drivetrains, while they’ve also taken up development resources.
In addition to the new gears, which come in a duo of flavours for XC and trail or enduro riders, there are new brakes and wheels, too.
The lighter-weight XC brakes are on the surface almost identical to the previous XC brakes, but the new trail or enduro brakes have completely revised levers and calipers.
Both contain a new mineral oil, said to boost performance across a range of temperatures, killing off the wandering bite point issue that has dogged Shimano brakes in recent years.
Carbon rims, as well as a quick pick-up rear hub, feature on the new wheelsets. Again, XC, trail and enduro riders are catered for.
The business end of the new groupset – the derailleur, cassette and chain. Dan Milner / Shimano
Both pairs of rims are wide, with the enduro version just a little wider and sporting a broad rim wall to ward off punctures.
It is worth noting that there are no updates to either chains or rotors.
Fortunately, there are options for backward compatibility in the groupset – cranksets and chainrings, chains and cassettes of old will still work with the new groupset.
The new XTR derailleur connects to the frame traditionally, via a derailleur hanger, and features low and high adjustments and a b-tension screw to set the distance between the top jockey wheel and the cassette.
The unit is designed to be as low-profile as possible, with skid plates and forms designed to slide past impacts, rather than hang up on them. This ‘Shadow ES’ form is intended to minimise the number of impacts the derailleur encounters.
Should an impact occur, the Automatic Impact Recovery mechanism brings the derailleur back to its required position, without the rider being required to shift up or down to reset the system.
The main knuckle, from which the cage hangs, is built around a dual spring, rather than the spring and clutch of old. This means there’s no adjustability there, nor a clutch on-off switch to make wheel removal easier.
Shimano claims this system gives more consistent tension on the cage, so chain retention is better, it’s less likely to suffer from chain slap and should encourage improved chain wrap on the cassette teeth.
Shimano XTR derailleur details
Shimano’s new derailleurs rely on high/low adjustments and the b-tension screw. Dan Milner / Shimano
The battery has a capacity that’s said to give a range of 340km. This is reportedly 40% more than competitors, thanks to a mechanically more efficient system, and a communication protocol with the shifter that needs fewer messages to be relaid back and forth.
Lights indicate the battery level on the derailleur.
The carbon cage features 13t jockey wheels. They’re solid, which the Shimano engineers explained reduces their flex.
This, in turn, means better shifting performance, which also improves efficiency, according to Shimano.
A carbon cage and solid jockey wheels sit in the lower portion of the derailleur. Dan Milner / Shimano
While larger jockey wheels are increasingly popular, because they’re mechanically more efficient, Shimano wasn’t able to measure any notable improvements in efficiency, and so believes the stiffer jockey wheels offer the best performance.
Shimano XTR derailleur options
The two derailleurs – one for eMTBs (left) and one for non-assisted bikes (right). Dan Milner / Shimano
Shimano is offering two families – one for mountain bikes and one for electric mountain bikes, with the former utilising an onboard battery, while the latter is built to draw power from the eMTB’s main battery.
Each family will have two options – long and mid cages for the standard derailleur, and 11- and 12-speed options for the eMTB version.
The long, SGS derailleur is built for the 10-51t cassette. The mid, SG derailleur is built for the new 9-45t cassette.
In an update to the current Di2 MTB and eMTB-specific derailleurs, both Free Shift and Auto Shift will be available on the 12-speed setup – features previously reserved for 11-speed drivetrains.
Free Shift enables gears to be changed while you’re not pedalling, by independently rotating the chainring, via the Shimano EP8 motor. This enables you to pre-select a gear for an upcoming trail feature.
Auto Shift uses speed and torque sensors to shift gears automatically, without rider inputs at the shifter, to keep the pedal cadence within an optimal range.
Shimano XTR shifter
Shimano’s new XTR shifter. Dan Milner / Shimano
SW-M9250R: £184.99 / $205
Since Shimano released its Di2 drivetrains, its shifters have always mimicked ‘traditional’ cable shifters, with shift buttons in similar positions and offering a similar ‘click’ feel.
This is no different with the latest-generation shifter.
However, it is now a sleeker design, with a body that sits closely under the bar and now features a pair of four-way adjustable shift buttons.
The paddles are mounted on a ball joint, so their angle can be fully adjusted, and the larger and smaller paddles can be swapped front to back, too.
Four-way adjustability for the paddles is achieved through hex-key bolts. Dan Milner / Shimano
There’s the option for a single or push-through double click – a screw on the base of the shifter body enables or prevents this second click, depending on your preference.
As you’d now expect, the shifter can provide multi-shifts. Hold down the shift paddle and the derailleur will shift multiple sprockets at a time, with an in-app definition of how many shifts are provided.
A third button is provided on the shifter.
A long hold will enable you to trim the derailleur while riding and a short press can be used to control a variety of options.
These include those from third-party brands – Garmin and Magicshine are the two that stood out to us.
While Shimano says the function of that button is up to third parties, and wouldn’t comment on what that might be, road cyclists have been able to control their data screens on Garmin computers for years, and we would imagine a light-power toggle function might be offered by Magicshine.
Shimano XTR cassettes
The two cassette options: 10-51t and 9-45t. Dan Milner / Shimano
CS-M9200-12; $465 / £399.99
The Japanese drivetrain giant is releasing the groupset with two cassette options.
There’s Shimano’s long-standing 10-51t ratio cassette and a new 9-45t option.
They both get a new coating that’s said to reduce wear.
The 9-45t option is 70g lighter in weight. While this might offer up advantages for XC riders, we feel this, in conjunction with the short-cage rear derailleur, could be a good option for enduro riders looking to boost ground clearance – it does so by 23mm.
This 9-45t cassette still fits on Shimano’s Microspline freehub body, but requires a new tool in order to fit it, because the existing lockring has a diameter that is too large to work.
The new 9-45t cassette requires a new tool, but still sits on a Microspline freehub. Dan Milner / Shimano
Shimano acknowledges that the 9t sprocket is less efficient in terms of drivetrain efficiency, but it’s good to see this option for all riders, in our opinion.
Shifting performance should be similar to existing cassettes, thanks to the use of Hyperglide+ tooth profiling found on current-generation cassettes.
The existing LinkGlide cassette will be used for 11-speed builds.
Shimano XTR cranks
The brand new XTR crank is a real looker. Dan Milner / Shimano
FC-M9220 (trail and enduro): £379.98 / $415 (inc ring)
FC-M9200 (XC): £379.98 / $415 (inc ring)
FC-M9220 (trail and enduro): £249.99 / $280 (exc ring)
FC-M9200 (XC): £249.99 / $280 (exc ring)
SM-CRM96 chainring: £129.99 / $135
The jewels in the crown, in our eyes, are the new crank and chainring options.
Shimano has stuck with its tried-and-tested HollowTech II alloy construction.
Although it’s identical in appearance, there will be a thicker, more durable trail and enduro option, and a lighter-weight XC crank, with the XC crank offering a slightly narrower Q-factor.
The cranks will be available in a broad range of lengths, from 160mm to 175mm.
Solid blocks in the chainring add strength and stiffness. Dan Milner / Shimano
The trail and enduro crank will have a Q-factor of 176mm, while the XC crank will be 168mm, both built around a 55mm chainline.
Sadly, there’s no power meter option with XTR, so if you need to know how many watts you’re pushing, you’ll need to rely on third-party hardware.
The chainrings have a new look, too.
The closed portion of the rings’ splines is there to offer increased impact protection at the 3 and 9 o’clock crank position that is more likely to experience chaining impacts.
28-36t options will be offered, in two-tooth increments.
Shimano XTR brakes
The new trail and enduro lever sits closer to parallel to the bar and contains new internal architecture. Dan Milner / Shimano
BR-M9220 (trail and enduro): £229.99 / $295
BR-M9200 (XC): £249.99 / $260
As we’ve seen in previous iterations of Shimano’s groupsets, there will be two versions of the XTR brakes – trail and XC.
Shimano acknowledges the issues it has faced with wandering bite points and says it has fixed the problems with this generation.
The main issue, it says, was the mineral fluids, and so there’s a new type in use here.
Shimano XTR XC brakes
XC riders receive refreshed brakes, although on the outside, they’re pretty similar to the outgoing version. Dan Milner / Shimano
The XC brakes look nigh-on identical to the previous-generation XC brakes, with a svelte lever and a two-piston caliper.
Inside, though, new seals are designed to work with Shimano’s new low-viscosity mineral fluid, which is said to be much more stable at a range of temperatures.
Sadly, the new mineral oil is not backward-compatible, nor can you use your current bottle of mineral fluid to top up the brakes, because this would damage the new seals.
A magnesium master cylinder and carbon lever blade help keep weight low.
Shimano XTR trail and enduro brakes
The new four-piston calipers have redesigned pads to reduce rattling. Dan Milner / Shimano
The lever end of the trail brakes is much more obviously new, with a completely revised architecture.
The hose exits the lever body much closer to the bar, enabling cleaner-looking through-headset routed hosing.
The lever holds a larger reservoir of fluid, adding consistency, and the fluid is now pulled through the system, rather than pushed, by the master piston.
Shimano has subtly changed the brake lever blade to improve ergonomics.
The pivot has been moved closer to the bar to give a more natural-feeling lever travel through its stroke, while the lever is tilted 5 degrees upwards from the pivot, to better match your finger’s position over it when in use.
At the caliper end, the brake pad has grown in size, offering increased surface contact with the rotor.
The pads still feature their wings, to help dissipate heat, but the additional size is also said to reduce pad rattle.
This is further aided by an ovalised hole for the retaining pin to go through.
Shimano XTR wheels
The carbon rims are wide and designed to be puncture-resistant. Dan Milner / Shimano
WH-M9220 (trail and enduro): £1,249.98 / $1,550
WH-M9200 (XC): £1,699.98 / $2,170
Two sets of wheels will be offered – an XC pair and a set for enduro and trail riding. Both will feature carbon rims.
The enduro and trail wheels feature a hookless rim with a 30mm internal width, and a broad rim wall to ward off punctures. It’s held onto the hubs by 28 spokes – relatively few for a wheel of this type.
The hub has been built to reduce drag, while there’s a 3.5-degree engagement angle.
The new rear hub has a very low engagement angle. Dan Milner / Shimano
The XC wheels have a marginally narrower rim, at 29.6mm internally, and are built with 24 titanium spokes onto a low-drag, high-engagement hub.
Hubs will also be available to purchase.
Shimano XTR finishing touches
Shimano is also offering new pedals. Most noteworthy are the trail pedals, with an improved platform to offer more support to your shoes.
The XC-focused pedals will have two axle options – one offering a 3mm narrower stance.
An upgrade kit, consisting of a derailleur, shifter, and associated chargers and battery, will also be offered.
PD-M9200 (XC pedals): £159.99 / $TBC
PD-M9220 (trail and enduro pedals): £179.99 / $TBC
Shimano Q’Auto is a new automatic-shifting system powered by a dynamo incorporated into a new rear hub that integrates with the brand’s Cues derailleurs.
Crucially, compared to existing Shimano Di2 drivetrains, the system does away with a central battery, running from a self-charging Li-ion capacitor that can store power for over a year.
As well as powering the system, the hub can control gear shifts automatically, using “over 6,500” pre-set algorithms in response to your pedalling input, speed and gradient.
The system is accompanied by a wireless shifting switch, which offers the ability to override gear selections. In turn, the Q’Auto system learns these choices, effectively customising the drivetrain to your riding.
Shimano says Q’Auto is designed for “urban, trekking and gravel” bikes, but that the system is also compatible with the brand’s complete range of Di2 shifters.
This opens the enticing possibility that Q’Auto could be rolled out to other disciplines in the future.
Machine-learning gears
The Q’Auto hub is the big news here, but it’s focused currently around Shimano’s Cues offering. Shimano
Q’Auto’s centrepiece is undoubtedly the FH-U6060 rear freehub. This pairs speed, cadence and gradient sensors with an internally housed dynamo.
The dynamo removes the need for a separate battery to be housed in the frame to power the Shimano Cues RD-U8050 rear derailleur. Instead, the small onboard lithium-ion capacitor is connected directly to the derailleur.
Shimano claims this can hold charge for up to a year, removing the need to manually recharge the derailleur.
On top of the hub and Cues Di2 derailleur (exploded above), the system includes a satellite shifter for the handlebar. Shimano
A dedicated wireless shift switch (SW-EN605-R), which is powered by two CR1632 coin batteries, can also be used to control the system. This enables you to override the default automatic gear selection to a preferred gear.
You can also use the switch to toggle between manual and automatic shifting modes, and can customise its functions through Shimano’s E-TUBE Project app.
Shimano claims the brains of the system, which are housed inside the hub, learn from these manual inputs, producing an automatic drivetrain better matched to your riding style.
Shimano Q’Auto compatibility
The system is pitched towards urban bikes… Shimano
While intended primarily for trekking, urban and electric bikes, the use of a standard 142x12mm thru axle and standard HG freehub body offers the tantalising prospect of combining the system with Shimano’s more performance-oriented road electronic groupsets.
There’s no word on the possibility of swapping to a Microspline freehub body for use with the brand’s other electronic gravel or MTB drivetrains.
That said, Shimano says the hub and rear derailleur are compatible with the brand’s pre-existing wireless Di2 switches and shifters – a further indication that we could see the system rolled out to 105, Ultegra and Dura-Ace Di2 levels on the road, GRX Di2 on gravel, or XTR Di2 for MTB in the future.
It’s worth remembering that the brand’s road groupsets are all currently 2x, and Shimano hasn’t confirmed yet whether the system could be adapted to accommodate a front derailleur.
…and gravel bikes. Shimano
At launch, the system is designed with long and short cage versions of the Cues RD-U8050 rear derailleur, which are compatible with the brand’s LinkGlide cassettes (used commonly on ebikes and some non-assisted bikes).
The 11-speed 11-50t and 11-45t cassettes, plus the 10-speed 11-48t cassette, require the use of the RD-U8050-SGS long cage derailleur, while the 10-speed 11-43t cassette uses the RD-U8050-GS short cage version.
As a result, the system is set to be seen on new urban and entry-level gravel bikes, while it will also be possible to upgrade an existing bike with the drivetrain.
Prices for the new system, as well as expected price ranges for fully built bikes, are still to be confirmed.
Haven’t we seen this before?
In 2017, we spotted this patent that describes much of what has been launched today. Shimano
Shimano’s self-powered Q’Auto system might feel like a bold leap forward, but the idea has been brewing for more than a decade.
Although the original design never made it to production, it clearly laid the groundwork for what we’re seeing today.
The patent described how the lower pulley would contain the dynamo, with rectifying and power-limiting circuits living on the pulley cage. Shimano
That patent described not only the dynamo-equipped pulley, but an entire ecosystem where derailleurs, computers and accessories could be powered from a shared energy source. At the time, it was a tantalising vision of a self-sufficient electronic bike.
Fast-forward to 2025 and Q’Auto realises much of that ambition – albeit in a more practical form.
The core principle, however, remains the same: eliminate reliance on a central battery, reduce rider maintenance and open the door to smarter, more integrated bike tech.
Being a fan of Apple TV+’s Severance requires patience. Hopefully the wait until season three is released won’t be as interminable as the three-year drought between seasons one and two, but you never know, so we gotta just hang in there.
There’s nothing quite like Severance. The seriesuses thehead-spinning sci-fi premise of people having brain surgery to deal with their damn jobs to explore identity, corporate control, and the nature of humanity itself, while maintaining an unsettling vibe and managing to be darkly hilarious. That said, these five shows blend mind-bending concepts, workplace satire, and existential dread, and may just help you scratch that Severance itch while you wait for season 3 to drop.
Mr. Robot (2015-2019)
Mr. Robot follows the story of Elliot Alderson, a young cyber security expert with mental health problems who goes rogue to try to take down the mega corporation he works for. Like the re-integrated characters in Severance, Elliot isn’t always sure where reality ends and his delusions begin. Viewers aren’t, either. The two shows share thematic ground—a bleak view of late capitalism, the last embers of humanity being ground out by forces beyond anyone’s control—but Mr. Robot lacks the coldly removed vibe of Severance. It’s all told from the point-of-view of the main character, so it’s more intense and personal. You can stream Mr. Robot onTubi.
Dark (2017 to 2020)
On the surface, German sci-fi drama Dark resembles Netflix’s Stranger Things more than Apple TV’s Severance—it’s partly about a group of teenagers who discover a weird lab on the outskirts of their town where something supernatural seems to be going on. But Dark is smart and interesting throughout its three seasons instead of falling off after season one. Like Severance, Dark features complex characters and an intricate plot where the fantastic element at its center is really a way to explore themes of loss, time, memory, and identity. And I really appreciate any show that doesn’t insult its viewers’ intelligence by over-explaining everything. You can stream Dark on Netflix.
The Prisoner (1967-1968)
If you’re the type who likes to explore the source of the thing you love, you have to watch The Prisoner. The title character is a British secret agent being held in a surreal prison for reasons he doesn’t understand. It’s hard to overstate how innovative and ahead of its time this show was when it aired in the late 1960s: It’s basically the blueprint for every mind-fuck TV show that followed, from Lost to the X-Files to Severance. While The Prisoner is obviously dated, there’s a charm to the old-school cheesiness. It’s a low-budget James Bond with sci-fi elements and serious ambitions—how could you not love it? You can stream The Prisoner onPrime, Tubi, Sling, and Plex.
Silo (2023-present)
Apple TV+’s other ambitious, original science fiction show tells the story of a civilization that has lived in a huge underground silo for so many generations, they’re not even sure why they’re down there anymore; they only know that returning to the surface means death. Or does it? The way Silo’s corrupt government tightly controls information has definite similarities to Lumon Industries’ petty authoritarianism. While Silo is, overall, a less nuanced show than Severance (it’s closer to exciting, YA fiction storytelling than Severance’s carefully plotted puzzle of a plot), if you need a sci-fi series fix, check out Silo.You can find Silo on Apple TV.
The Kingdom (1994)
Filmmaker/provocateur Lars Von Trier’s The Kingdom is the only TV series I know of that balances comedy and surrealism as well as Severance. While The Kingdom‘s characters work in a Danish hospital built on a cursed burial ground instead of an evil cult’s corporate office, both shows feature a powerful institution corrupting its employees, and both are, on some level, absurdist, darkly hilarious workplace comedies. Severance has a weird cult, a brain operation, and a goat room; The Kingdom has patient-led seances, a ghostly ambulance, and a monster baby. You can stream The Kingdom on Mubi.
