Google Search Live is now available globally in 200 countries and 98 languages
Search Live uses the new Gemini 3.1 Flash Live audio and voice model to enable a “more natural” conversational search
Audio responses have links to the information source
Google has rolled out its AI-powered conversational search tool, Search Live, globally to more than 200 countries and territories, and is available in 98 languages. First launched in the US in September 2025, Search Live lets you point your phone or tablet’s camera at something and ask the AI tool about it out loud, such as what model washing machine you have and how to use it.
The AI then responds with an audio answer that’s also, handily, captioned, and will continue listening for any clarifications and follow-up questions to emulate a natural conversation.
You can access Search Live through the Google app on Android or iOS by tapping the “Live” button under the search bar, placed between the AI Mode and Nano Banana buttons. It can also be accessed through Google Lens and the dedicated Gemini app.
Google has said the expansion has been made possible thanks to the launch of a new audio and voice model called Gemini 3.1 Flash Live, which it says is “inherently multilingual”. The company also claims the model also responds to queries faster, and aims to deliver “more natural and intuitive conversations”.
Analysis: Good but not perfect
Search Live uses query fan-out — an information retrieval technique that broadens the search by looking at related answers beyond a specific question — to provide a more comprehensive response and double down on the conversational aspect.
We tried Search Live in June last year, and noted how the tool continues to work in the background to use query fan-out, and my colleague Eric Hal Schwartz said the answers “didn’t feel boxed into a single form of response, even on relatively straightforward queries”.
I took it for a spin myself, testing it on my bike. While Search Live was good at identifying the specific model, year of release and why it had a specific paint job, it failed to recognize that I had swapped out the stock wheelset for a third-party set and thought that it still had the integrated handlebars that it originally came with. It also failed to correctly identify the accessories on the bike, like my rear light, water bottle and the bottle cages.
(Image credit: Future | Nico Arboleda)
In a similar test, it failed to identify the Nothing Phone 4a Pro that was on my desk, calling it the Nothing Phone 2a instead. I compared the results with the same question on Gemini Live, and I received identical answers.
It’s understandable why some of the results were incorrect as the AI assistant was drawing from existing sources online and new products won’t necessarily have information for the model to learn from but, as it stands, it can handle a fair few general queries.
According to Google, over 1.5 billion people were using Google Lens to identify objects around them as of June 2025 and there are about 750 million Gemini Live users, so it would be interesting to see what the uptake of Search Live will be globally and if this becomes the default way to search for information online.
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On Wednesday, a Los Angeles jury found that Meta and Google are liable for designing products that are deliberately addictive and failing to warn users about the nature of their products.
This is huge news, a landmark verdict that will inform hundreds of cases to come. While the plaintiff, a 20-year-old identified only as KGM, has been awarded $6m in damages, it's the verdict itself that's most damaging, as it opens the door to many more lawsuits against tech companies.
According to a report in The Guardian, KGM testified that "she became addicted to YouTube at age six and Instagram at nine, which she said had deleterious effects on her wellbeing". She began self-harming at age 10 and was diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder and social phobia in her early teens.
KGM's lawyers, in their closing remarks, said: “How do you make a child never put down the phone? That’s called the engineering of addiction. They engineered it, they put these features on the phones. These are Trojan horses: they look wonderful and great … but you invite them in and they take over.”
Outside the courtroom, families who had lost young people to suicide celebrated the verdict as the beginning of justice. Meta and Google both plan to appeal, stating they "respectfully disagree" with the verdict.
Why is it so hard to put down our phones? Is social media and scrolling really as addictive as substances like nicotine and tobacco? Should we be safeguarding our kids from technology, or is it a content issue to be monitored by parents, rather than an app design problem? I'll break down the scientific research behind the verdict below.
Children and social media addiction: the effects
While I think it's pretty obvious to any phone user that social media apps have addictive qualities, there are extra concerns about the effects of heavy digital device use on children's developing brains.
One literature review by Italian pediatrists linked digital addiction in children with depression, diet, and psychological issues, as well as 'sleep, addiction, anxiety, sex related issues, behavioral problems, body image, physical activity, online grooming, sight, headache, and dental care'. KGM was six years old when she first got addicted to social media, according to her testimony.
Researchers in Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands have also linked 'high social media usage' among adolescents to 'a statistically significant change in the developmental trajectory of cerebellum volumes', a part of the brain associated with emotional control. It could literally influence the brain's physical development.
Another report says: "frequent social media use may be associated with distinct changes in the developing brain in the amygdala (important for emotional learning and behavior) and the prefrontal cortex (important for impulse control, emotional regulation, and moderating social behavior), and could increase sensitivity to social rewards and punishments".
However, it's worth noting that none of these findings are yet conclusive.
How social media apps are designed to foster engagement
Below are three ways Meta and Google could have designed their platforms to encourage addictive behaviors, supported by science and quotes from the trial.
1. The dopamine cycle
(Image credit: Getty Images)
In a report by The Guardian, Meta employees in 2020 are quoted as saying “oh my gosh y'all, IG is a drug” in an email exchange, while a colleague responds, “Lol, I mean, all social media. We’re basically pushers.”
They're not entirely wrong. The basis of addiction is all about hijacking the 'mesolimbic system', the part of the brain responsible for associating certain behaviors with rewards, both natural (food, sex, play) and artificial (drugs such as alcohol and nicotine, and notifications). Once a reward is achieved, dopamine is released.
One study on teen addiction linked activation of the mesolimbic pathway to social media use, stating children are "often victims of an unrelenting 'dopamine cycle' created in a loop of 'desire' induced by endless social media feeds, 'seeking and anticipating rewards' in the way of photo tagging, likes, and comments," the latter being the triggers that continue to reinstate the 'desire' behavior.
"The overactivation of the dopamine system in such individuals can further increase the risk of addictive behaviors or pathological changes that lead to a decline in pleasure from natural rewards." Essentially, all you want to do is keep scrolling, just like an addict looking for an endless fix because natural rewards no longer provide the same pleasure as scrolling.
According to CNN, KGM's lawyer Mark Lanier said in his opening statement: “This case is about two of the richest corporations who have engineered addiction in children’s brains,” Lanier said in his opening statement. “The swipe, for a child, like Kaley, this motion is a handle of a slot machine. But every time she swipes, it’s not for money, but for mental stimulation.”
2. The infinite scroll
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Now that a swipe is a pleasure creation tool, the next crucial tool in social media's arsenal of addiction creation is the infinite scroll: the ability to swipe forever, to continue to activate and hijack the mesolimbic pathway for as long as the user desires. Likewise, video autoplay on platforms such as YouTube and Netflix helps remove barriers and pauses, encouraging viewers to continue watching.
KGM's lawyers mention the infinitely scrollable feeds and video autoplay as features designed to keep people on the apps, maintain attention, and encourage addictive behaviors. But it's ok, because the inventor of the scrollable feed, Aza Raskin, apologized when he unleashed this horror upon the world.
3. Algorithmically encouraged negative content
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Ever heard of 'happy scrolling'? Of course not. 'Doomscrolling,' on the other hand, is named so for a reason. Negativity is more addictive than positive content: one 2024 report by Cambridge University said that "it’s long been recognized that news-related social media posts that use negative language are re-posted more, so that in turn rewards users who create negative content through greater exposure".
Combine this with the infinitely scrollable feed and addictive, casino-esque nature of social media platforms, and you get doomscrolling, a constant stream of bad news, enraging user-created content, and messaging that you're never going to be enough unless you do this, or buy that, or look like this.
KGM used Instagram filters on 'almost all' her pictures and 'had not experienced the negative feelings associated with her body dysmorphia diagnosis before she began using social media and filters,' according to court reporting by Al Jazeera.
The same scientific report quoted above on brain development also said that "in early adolescence, when identities and sense of self-worth are forming, brain development is especially susceptible to social pressures, peer opinions, and peer comparison".
The bottom line? Children are easily impressionable, and if online negativity is more rewarding than positivity, unfettered access to an endless stream of content designed to make users feel worse to increase engagement is going to warp their worldview. According to the jury, in this case, the buck stops at the algorithm's designers.
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Microsoft is going to cut back on promotional activity in Windows 11
An exec said on X that "a calmer and more chill OS with fewer upsells is a goal" with Windows 11
Microsoft has mentioned other notable improvements on social media, including making the taskbar better beyond giving us the ability to move it
Windows 11 without adverts? Okay, maybe that's a pipe dream, but the amount of promotional activity Microsoft visits on its desktop OS is apparently going to be cut back.
As OC3D spotted, this is the latest word from Scott Hanselman, who is a VP, member of technical staff at Microsoft, and one of the major players in the whole 'fix Windows 11' campaign now underway with the software giant.
Hanselman posted on X that "a calmer and more chill OS with fewer upsells is a goal" with Windows 11.
This was in reply to someone who observed that while Microsoft has just made many laudable promises about what is going to be improved in Windows 11, one thing not mentioned was a "commitment to cut out the borderline malware tactics we've seen in recent years to push things like Edge, Bing, ads into the Start menu".
'Borderline malware' is strong phrasing, granted, but I'd agree that some of Microsoft's pop-ups or insertions into menus cross a line in terms of getting overly pushy.
On top of that, Windows Latest reports that as well as the ability to move the taskbar in Windows 11 (which is inbound), users might get the option to have a more compact taskbar, as seen in Windows 10.
Again, a denizen of X noted that they hate the "jumbo" taskbar in Windows 11 – the height of which can't be adjusted – and that "Windows 10 and Windows 8 have a compact/slim taskbar option" which should be in the newest OS.
Pavan Davuluri, head of Windows at Microsoft, replied in this case to say: "This is something we're looking at implementing."
This would be a particularly useful change for those with smaller displays (such as compact laptops), where the Windows 11 taskbar can feel unnecessarily large, eating up valuable desktop real estate.
Analysis: calmer chameleon — let's hope all these changes come to fruition
It's one thing to want to be seen to be listening, though, and another to actually carry through on this work. I must admit, I found it odd that Microsoft didn't mention tackling instances of self-promotion in Windows 11 in its big announcement last week — but perhaps this was too close to the bone to state in an official blog post.
If Microsoft genuinely wants to make Windows 11 better, though, it's certainly a point that needs addressing. The various crowbarred-in bits of promotion for Edge, Bing, OneDrive and so forth definitely need to be canned, as they're irritating to see, and clutter up the interface to boot. And if some people do want reminders about features they could be missing out on, create a dedicated area of Settings that they can visit to take in the upselling candy on offer.
One way or another, 2026 is going to be a huge year for Windows 11. A massive amount of change is on the way, that much is clear, but how much of these extra promises on social media will be realized is going to be truly interesting to see.
How serious is Microsoft about making Windows 11 the best operating system it can possibly be? Let's hope we see all these things come to fruition, and more. We'll get a flavor of how the delivery of all this work will pan out soon enough, as the various changes are going to come pretty swiftly to Windows 11 on a monthly basis, we've been told.
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The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro features ofDirective 8020have been revealed
The PS5 edition uses PSSR for "sharper visuals" and enhanced ray tracing
Supermassive Games says the title was also designed with the DualSense controller in mind
Supermassive Games has revealed the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro features of its next major entry in its Dark Pictures Anthology, Directive 8020.
The interactive survival horror title launches in May, and ahead of its launch, the developer has outlined the tech that will "deepen the tension, clarity, and emotional impact at the heart of the game" on PlayStation.
According to Will Burdon, studio technical director at Supermassive, PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) is the most significant enhancement for the PS5 Pro version by offering "sharper visuals".
"PSSR intelligently enhances image detail and clarity frame by frame, allowing environments, character models, and subtle environmental storytelling to appear crisp and well-defined," Burdon wrote in a new PlayStation Blog post.
"The metallic corridors of the Cassiopeia, the frost forming across a freezing medical lab, the distortion in a reflective visor, all of these details benefit from the added sharpness."
The enhancements on PS5 Pro also boast advanced ray tracing, meaning lighting will behave more realistically in corridors and dark corners, heightening the horror of Directive 8020.
Dynamic shadows also "add depth and movement to scenes, making environments feel less static and more unpredictable", while also enhancing the game's tense atmosphere.
"The added richness in shadow rendering enhances atmosphere in subtle but powerful ways, reinforcing the unease that runs through the entire experience," Burdon said.
A PS5 Pro enhanced version also means improved frame rate for "smooth, consistent performance" that will ensure players hit those split-second decisions that permanently shape the story on time, as well as fluid camera movements and cinematic transitions.
Supermassive also said that the game was "designed with the PlayStation 5 in mind", particularly the DualSense Wireless Controller, and wants interactions to feel "instinctive", whether that be reaching for the flashlight button, scanning a room before entering a hatch, or grabbing the wedge tool at the last second.
Haptic feedback "puts the fear in your hands during choices and while using tools," and the controller's audio output will alert players to distant characters to communicate with through the game's messenger tool.
"Our goal was simple: make the controller your tool for survival and fully immerse you in the world, to keep you on the edge of your seat," Burdon said.
The game will also feature a couch co-op mode called Movie Night, which allows up to five players to play through the entire story together in local couch co-op, where each player takes control of a crew member.
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Rumor has it that Intel and AMD are increasing CPU prices due to a supply shortage, and this could end up as serious as the situation with RAM
Storage prices are also heading up sharply, and device makers are having to rethink plans — with a handheld even getting canned this week due to pricing difficulties
If you've not heard enough about supply woes and price hikes for various PC components, here's another bit of bad news: CPUs are now apparently in the firing line.
PC Gamer flagged a report from Nikkei Asia, which observes that the market for processors is suffering "an average price hike of between 10% to 15%", which has hit both server and PC CPUs. This information has been provided by multiple sources, we're told, all singing the same unwelcome tune.
Nikkei Asia also claims that according to these sources: "Intel and AMD have recently told clients they will increase prices for all series of CPUs from March and April, respectively."
The lead time taken to ship processors that have been ordered is increasing, too, and by a large margin. Wait times have increased from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, or indeed more.
One of the sources is an executive at a gaming PC manufacturer who says that the supply of CPUs is expected to become thinner on the ground in the second quarter of 2026. That exec said: "Intel and AMD have prioritized capacity for server CPUs, and the supply for PCs has become less ... What PC players can get in Q2 is much less than the volume we got in Q1."
They added, "What we worry about is that even if we pay more, we still cannot get more. The CPU shortage is getting more serious day by day, no less than the memory chip situation."
Analysis: AI crushes the hopes of consumers once again
(Image credit: Shutterstock/Sashkin)
If you wanted a worrying statement about the situation with CPUs, I don't think you could get a more ominous utterance than the last sentence above. If we're going to start thinking about comparing processor supply levels to what's happened with memory chips, then that's the start of a very dark path that CPUs could be about to head down. Indeed, seemingly this is already happening, and the article is citing multiple sources to this effect.
As you might guess, this is all about the AI boom. It's driving a huge need for computing power, and that isn't just about memory and storage for servers, but also processors. Meaning the drive for profits is leading to CPU makers prioritizing data center sales over consumers, just as with memory, because these are business decisions after all, and you go where you can make the most money.
Unfortunately, the storage crisis is getting worse, too. This week, we've had news of the price of a 1TB external SSD from SanDisk tripling on the Apple store (via Gizmodo). And a high-end handheld has been effectively cancelled, with Ayaneo shutting down pre-orders of its Next 2 portable gaming device, as Kotaku reports. Thanks to the spiralling costs of storage and RAM, the Next 2 would've ended up costing some $4,000, which clearly isn't tenable. (Maybe the top-end Strix Halo Ryzen CPU was a factor here, too).
Meanwhile, Asus has just treated us to a forecast of 25% to 30% price rises for its PCs in Taiwan over the next quarter, and that reality will surely be reflected globally to a large extent.
It's a bleak picture that appears to be worsening. And it's also very odd that Intel has just revealed a couple of very wallet-friendly consumer CPUs with its refresh of Arrow Lake. How those low prices will work in this climate remains to be seen, although of course, so do the stock levels of said processors – they may only be produced in small quantities.
The advice for those thinking of buying a new CPU for their PC would be to do so now, or in the near future, much as is the case for those mulling a laptop purchase.
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Players have reported that Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness is crashing on Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo confirms that it’s looking into the issue and planning a fix via its Japanese support account on social media platform, X
“Please wait a little longer” says Nintendo, with no specified date given for the upcoming patch
The Nintendo Classics version of Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness launched on Nintendo Switch 2 just one week ago, but players have already reported issues with the release.
Nintendo’s Japanese support account on X released a statement, saying in a translated post that it had “received inquiries regarding errors occurring and the game crashing”.
It followed this up by assuring fans that “we [Nintendo] are currently investigating the matter to find a solution”. Indeed, a fix is in the works for this classic GameCube title, but it is yet to be rolled out, with Nintendo adding “we will inform you as soon as we have further information, so please wait a little longer”.
Between my overlong Pokopia play sessions, I’ve been making my way through Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. And although I’m yet to encounter any technical issues, this news did have me slightly worried.
Luckily, though, Nintendo has offered a suggestion for players who want to keep their save data protected against random crashes. For the moment, it urged players to “please use the ‘Save Anywhere’ function in the ‘Suspend Menu’ within the game”.
In light of these issues, Nintendo concluded by saying “”we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or trouble this may have caused”.
For the uninitiated, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness was originally released on the GameCube in 2005, and serves as a follow-up to Pokémon Colosseum. After an evil syndicate creates twisted shadow Pokémon, it’s up to the player and their partner, Eevee, to stop the malevolent plot and purify the hearts of the afflicted pocket monsters.
I’ve been seriously enjoying this stylish and engaging adventure so far, so hopefully a patch will release quickly to set players’ minds at ease.
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An Asus exec has warned of big price hikes for PCs
Prices could rise by 25% to 30% in the second quarter in Taiwan, we're told
This is likely to be reflected globally, and with other increasingly gloomy predictions hanging over the PC industry, it would seem the time to buy is now
Asus has warned that its laptops are going to get a lot more expensive in Taiwan, and while this doesn't necessarily apply globally, you can bet it's reflective of the situation worldwide — and the scale of the increase is seriously worrying.
As reported by UDN in Taiwan (flagged by VideoCardz), Asus said that PC prices in the country are going to rise by 25% to 30% in the second quarter of this year on average (with varying increases depending on the exact model, of course).
This prediction came direct from Liao Yi-hsiang, who is General Manager of Asus United Technology Systems Business, during an interview conducted after a press conference for a new Zenbook laptop.
The Asus exec made it clear that double-digit price increases would apply to all PC makers, as they're obviously all suffering from the same RAM and storage pricing headwinds (and the rising costs of other components besides, such as GPUs).
The report further notes that price increases of components "may continue in the second half of the year", and therefore Liao "suggests that consumers who need to upgrade their PCs should buy them as soon as possible". (Note that this is a translation of the article from Chinese, but the gist is pretty clear).
Analysis: don't hang around at this point
(Image credit: Future)
Granted, the report specifically notes that Asus didn't say whether this price increase would apply globally, but it also didn't say it wouldn't — and I think you can safely draw your own conclusions there. Yes, there will likely be some regional variability, but Taiwan isn't in a bubble, and warnings of price hikes of nearly a third over the course of the next quarter is a hugely worrying signal of what's to come with the whole of the PC market.
Meanwhile, we're hearing gloomier forecasts around PC pricing and the latest twists on the RAM crisis on a weekly — if not daily — basis. Here's another doom nugget from this week, for example, with memory chip maker Micron letting us know how bad things have got with supply in no uncertain terms. It's getting dire out there, to the point where hardware is being cancelled — witness Kotaku's report about the Ayaneo Next 2 getting canned because the price of the handheld would be around four grand at this point.
I'd fully agree with the Asus exec that if you think you'll need a new desktop PC or laptop in the near future, it makes sense to buy now. These devices will surely only get pricier as 2026 rumbles onwards, with supply difficulties around memory not expected to get any better for a long time. (Indeed, some believe the RAM market won't be back to normal until 2030, and they include another major memory chip maker).
I think you'll regret waiting, frankly, especially if you can get a good deal on a laptop now, and there are some tempting bargains floating around still. These offers may not be nearly as compelling a few months down the line, because if Asus is right, serious price jumps could be here before we know it.
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I don’t think there’s any way around it — the internet in the sky has never been a perfect experience. However, many airlines are starting to buck that trend, and in the United States, United Airlines has been punching above the rest.
In October 2025, I had the chance to fly aboard United’s first mainline jet — a Boeing 737-900 — with fast, free Wi-Fi powered by Starlink. After the flight, I wrote, “It feels like the internet finally reached the sky.” That’s still accurate and sums up my main feelings, but I got to fly again — this time on a slightly different Boeing 737-900 — and United has been hard at work speeding up these installations.
Now, every United Express regional jet boasts Starlink — a big upgrade, as those aircraft previously had some of the least reliable satellite internet — and United has Starlink on 18 mainline jets. This was a more packed flight, with a lot more media, creators, and influencers really taxing the network. That’s expected for a Starlink demonstration flight, but even with slower speed tests, I didn’t experience latency or much lag with any task that would normally struggle on current in-flight internet systems.
(Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)
At its best, via an iPhone 17 Pro Max, I scored 291 Mbps download and 35.1 Mbps upload. Toward the end of the flight, before beginning descent, I got around 41.7 Mbps download via an iPhone Air.
Even with those variations, I could livestream a show or movie, or even select a “live channel” via Disney+ on an iPad, watch any video on YouTube, and scroll through TikTok or Instagram Reels without the slowdowns or loading issues typical of non-Starlink-equipped United flights.
But maybe the best part is simply being able to stay connected. I never had an issue sending a message via iMessage, WhatsApp, or even Facebook Messenger. I could send and receive texts, photos, and videos — thanks to my brother for sending pictures of my pup Rosie. I didn’t feel disconnected, even while flying over Los Angeles at 35,000 feet.
It all felt very instant, with speeds similar to using my iPhone on 5G cellular or home and office Wi-Fi networks. United has also made the process really simple to get connected — and it’s entirely free.
Right now, for standard in-flight Wi-Fi, you could pay anywhere from $8 if you’re a MileagePlus member — or $10 without — to upwards of $17.99 for international routes, where the network can be especially spotty.
(Image credit: United Airlines)
You’ll start by connecting to United Wi-Fi, which you can do as soon as you board. From there, follow the on-screen steps, starting with a screen that says, “Break the Barrier.”
That’s United’s slogan for its Starlink-powered Wi-Fi. You’ll swipe through about three screens, including three rules you’ll need to abide by:
Voice and video calls are prohibited by federal law
Enjoy audio, video, online gaming, and live event content while using headphones
If others could find what you're viewing offensive, please choose something else to stream
You’ll sign in with your United MileagePlus account — it’s free to join and unlocks the free Wi-Fi — or, if you’re signing in on your phone with the United app installed, it should auto-fill. From there, you’ll watch two quick ads — I saw a 30-second Starlink one and a 17-second United credit card one — and then you’re connected and off to the races.
Throughout the flight — which felt like a better representation of a true commercial Starlink experience, something United is now running daily — the in-flight Wi-Fi was consistent, smooth, and, most importantly, didn’t cause any roadblocks.
While not allowed on a typical commercial flight, we were permitted to try video calls to really push Starlink’s capabilities to the max. I was able to FaceTime with TechRadar’s Editor-at-Large, Lance Ulanoff, and it was clear, with no noticeable latency or voice or video garbling. He reported that I looked great on the other end. Same with my family, who I wanted to show a live, 35,000-foot view of the California coast.
It was seamless — I could easily browse the web, scroll through cloud storage like Google Drive or iCloud, stream videos, download songs to a Spotify playlist while streaming, hop into a live newscast, respond to emails, and use pretty much any device I had.
Back in October 2025, I also tried connecting the Nintendo Switch 2. United has been looking into it, and while I still couldn’t get it to connect on this second Starlink demonstration flight, the airline tells me a patch is coming, and the console should begin working in the coming weeks.
Similarly, while I could upload videos to TikTok and Instagram — and even go live on both platforms — uploads aren’t lightning-fast. A sub-one-minute video took about five minutes to upload, but it’s passable. I likely wouldn’t use a flight to upload long-form video, but for collaboration, tools like Google Docs or Pages worked well.
Just like the Boeing 737-800 I first flew with Starlink in October 2025, there are two Starlink antennas mounted on top of the aircraft near the front, along with four onboard routers distributing the connection. It’s also multi-device — I connected two iPhones, an iPad, and a MacBook Pro without issue.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
United is still on track to have its entire fleet fitted with Starlink by the end of 2027. That’s still a long way off, but progress is steady — with 16 more mainline aircraft added since October 2025 and the full United Express regional fleet now equipped. Next up are larger jets — like the 787, 777, 757, and 767 — as well as other variants of the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A321.
We can only hope the timeline continues to accelerate as United refines the installation process. It’s also clear the airline is onto something, as others — both domestic and international — are making similar moves.
Zach Griff, travel expert and author of travel newsletter From the Tray Table, shared with TechRadar, "Starlink really is a game changer for in-flight Wi-Fi. The low latency and blazing-fast download speeds make streaming a breeze. On United, Starlink is an even bigger deal because the existing satellite-based Wi-Fi providers can be lackluster at best."
"That’s why I believe the next 18 months are going to be painful for United flyers. They’ve now seen the future with what fleetwide Starlink WiFi is going to be like, but they’ll need to wait until the end of 2027 to experience it on every jet."
And I agree, United’s vision of “enabling the living room in the sky” experience feels genuinely distinct — something Grant Milstead, United’s Vice President of Digital Technology, reinforced on this test flight and even earlier, when Starlink was just an announcement.
As of now, 344 aircraft feature Starlink, and United has operated more than 167,000 flights with the faster, free Wi-Fi — but for those who are waiting, that rollout can't come soon enough.
LG Display is now mass-producing its world-first LCD panel
The unique feature is VRR, which can adjust itself to as low as 1Hz in order to save power with static on-screen content
The OLED version of this tech is currently a 20Hz implementation, but a 1Hz spin will be coming in 2027
LG Display has announced that mass production of its world-first LCD panel has just started, with the unique twist being that it has a variable refresh rate (VRR) that can dip to just 1Hz — and an OLED take on this formula will follow in 2027.
Tom's Hardware highlighted LG's press release that explains: "In order to achieve this world first, the company developed its own circuit algorithms and panel design technology, discovering new materials and applying the oxide with the lowest power leakage during low-refresh-rate mode to the display's thin-film transistor."
The screen intelligently adjusts the refresh rate depending on the content being displayed, running at up to 120Hz, or as low as 1Hz as noted.
It's with static images — like when reading a document, or web page, where you don't need the screen to be refreshed many times per second — that the tech will drop to 1Hz (once per second). The benefit of this is to save power, and therefore battery life, with no impact on the quality of what you're viewing on the screen.
This so-called 'Oxide 1Hz technology' is actually already available in the Dell XPS 14 and 16 for 2026, though with volume production now underway, it'll presumably be coming to more notebooks soon enough.
Note that the OLED version of this tech — again as seen on the Dell XPS 14 and 16 — can't drop to 1Hz, but rather its lowest limit is 20Hz. However, LG says it has an OLED version that can get down to 1Hz, coming into mass production in 2027.
Analysis: a considerable benefit — with others set to join the 1Hz party
(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)
LG claims that this tech makes a big difference, noting, "The result is dramatically improved battery efficiency, including 48% more use on a single charge compared to existing solutions."
We don't have to take LG's word for it, as it's clear enough that the mentioned Dell laptops have excellent battery life. The LCD model of the new XPS 14 offers a longevity of up to 31 hours (based on Dell's own testing with streaming Netflix playback), and while that's not all down to VRR (by any means), it seems the tech definitely helps keep power usage frugal.
According to Notebookcheck.net, the Dell XPS 16 (LCD version) sips just 1.5W of power when idling at the desktop (with VRR on, and with nothing happening on-screen, the tech will be dropping the refresh rate down to its lowest 1Hz level).
LG isn't the only player in this battery extending game, either, with BOE in conjunction with Intel also having developed 'Winning Display 1 Hz tech', which is the same idea.
The end result is that by next year, we should be seeing a lot more of these power-saving screens beefing up battery life, including a widespread deployment of an OLED variant from LG that can hit 1Hz, as noted. And with mobile silicon continuing to take big strides with power efficiency, there should be some seriously long-lasting notebooks coming down the line.
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PlayStation console architect Mark Cerny says new PSSR tech is much faster than the original
Cerny says the new PSSR "is something like 100 microseconds faster"
He adds that the update allowed Sony to implement "Enhance PSSR Image Quality" option and "force-upgrade all PSSR-supported games"
PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro console architect Mark Cerny has revealed that Sony’s updated PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) AI upscaling technology is faster than its original incarnation.
Speaking in a recent interview with Digital Foundry, Cerny shared that the new tech is around "100 microseconds faster" than the original and allowed Sony to introduce an improved image quality option to "force-upgrade all PSSR-supported games."
"I was a bit uncertain about whether there could be a user option to upgrade all PSSR-supported titles to the new PSSR the key issue being that for that option to make sense, the new PSSR would have to be faster than the original one," Cerny said.
"We made that our target, and ultimately managed to achieve it – the new PSSR is something like 100 microseconds faster than the original. Which in turn allowed us to implement the ‘Enhance PSSR Image Quality’ option to force-upgrade all PSSR-supported games. If you use it, frame drops should become oh-so-slightly rarer."
"The upgraded PSSR represents another step in our commitment to evolving the PS5 Pro experience," Sony said at the time. "Moving forward, most new PS5 Pro titles will launch with support for this enhanced PSSR, ensuring players continue to see improvements in image quality and performance."
Microsoft's planned big changes for Windows 11 are coming soon
Testing will start "this month and throughout April"
Updates packing the new features will arrive "this month and every month this year" we're told, so this work won't all be dumped on us at once in the 26H2 update
The big incoming changes to Windows 11 that Microsoft announced at the weekend are going to start happening faster than I thought — right off the bat, in fact.
Windows Latest reports that the work to fix many of the major pain points in Windows 11 — including moving the taskbar, RAM consumption, update-related issues, and much more — is starting right now.
Pavan Davuluri, head of Windows at Microsoft, said on X that: "We will begin to preview initial changes detailed in our blog in builds with Windows Insiders this month and throughout April."
We should see some of this honing work going into the next preview build of Windows 11, then.
Windows Latest also spotted Scott Hanselman, who is a VP, member of technical staff at Microsoft — and has been drafted across to be a part of this project — noted on X that updates packing these features will arrive "this month and every month this year".
Windows Latest further highlights that one of the improvements Microsoft is going to make that's flown rather under the radar pertains to wireless connections. Specifically, we're told that: "One of the priorities is to build a new experience that allows you to pair and use Bluetooth more easily and in a faster way."
Analysis: fast fixing — hopefully with no breakages
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Alex Photo Stock)
It was inevitable that there would be a good deal of cynicism around Microsoft's recent revelation of a whole lot of exciting changes coming to Windows 11. Part of the sentiment on social media is a strong current to the effect of 'talk is all well and good, but I'll believe it when I see it' — and I can sympathize with that point of view.
Even Hanselman acknowledges that this is a fair enough comment, and the good news is that the exec seems confident that Microsoft is going to deliver on its promises here.
If we're getting this work via updates every month, we'll soon be able to see the reality of this. It's also interesting that Microsoft's plan appears to be getting these improvements out on a month-by-month basis, and not saving everything up for deployment all at once in the yearly update (which will be version 26H2, for most PCs, anyway).
Remember, though, that the new stuff coming into preview is one thing, and the full rollout is another. I'd imagine that testing some of these changes is going to be a prolonged activity, shall we say, and Microsoft is piling a lot on its development plate here. We know that bugs can creep into Windows 11 even with simple updates, and there's going to be a lot of potential breakage as this project forges onwards, which may slow progress.
In short, temper your expectations, but it's undeniable that Microsoft is on the right track here (and as I discussed yesterday, you can probably thank the MacBook Neo for the urgency Microsoft seems to have about this work now).
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Apple has officially announced its all-important WWDC 2026 keynote for June 8, setting the stage for a slew of platform updates that will impact the near future of iPhone, iPad, Macs, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and, yes, even Vision Pro.
No category may be more closely watched during this keynote and the sessions that follow at Apple's World Wide Developers Conference than AI or, more specifically, Siri.
If you don't think AI is top-of-mind for the Cupertino tech giant, just take a look at this line from the press release announcing the event: "WWDC26 will spotlight incredible updates for Apple platforms, including AI advancements and exciting new software and developer tools."
It's no accident that AI is called out in a sentence that doesn't even mention iOS by name. Little is known about the event right now, except that the keynote and "State of the Union" will be on June 8. Much of the conference will be held online via 100 video sessions. However, there will be an in-person component for developers on the 8th, which will let them participate in "special labs and activities."
Still, the focus will be on the possibly two-hour keynote that should finally clarify how Siri will ingest Gemini, or at least the Gemini foundation models will be used to enhance Apple Intelligence and Siri.
(Image credit: Apple)
Since Apple Intelligence and Siri are available across iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and Vision Pro, this update should have wide-ranging and significant implications.
WWDC is generally not a moment where Apple officially releases any new hardware platform. Instead, they'll show us what each platform update can do and then set a schedule for developer and public betas. The keynote will, though, give us a timeline for when we can finally try out the smartest and most AI-ready Siri ever, assuming that's what we get.
As in previous years, we expect Apple CEO Tim Cook to briefly take the stage at Apple Park Campus to introduce the video presentation. He might take a moment or two to recognize the company's 50th birthday, but then it will be a whistle-stop tour through all the platforms:
iOS 27
iPadOS 27
macOS 27 (Redwood?)
watchOS 27
tvOS 27
visionOS 27
Each platform should get its moment in the sun. We may hear more about some new development kits (like HomeKit, StoreKit, AppKit, etc.). But the lion's share of the day might be devoted to Apple Intelligence and Siri.
Surely Apple knows it has to not only wow us with Siri's new intelligence, but convince us that what we're seeing on stage and in the videos is real. After all, it's been almost two years since Apple promised us a Siri that could, with your permission, know everything about you based on the data in your phone and could see what you were doing on your phone, all to be a more proactive and helpful assistant.
That promise was never fulfilled, and Apple's AI offerings generally pale in comparison to those of Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Now Apple has a blockbuster deal with Google that will let it use Gemini Foundation models to power part of Siri's intelligence.
Many thought we'd see these changes sooner rather than later, but with WWDC fast approaching, it just makes more sense for Apple to wait a little more than two months to really wow us.
Tim Cook at WWDC 2025(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
As for what else we might see on the day, expect lots of details on iOS 27 that help us form a mental vision of what the iPhone 18 might look like.
There might be some adjustment of Liquid Glass, which seems to have split consumers. iPad and macOS will grow even closer, with the former adopting more of the latter's desktop capabilities.
Some have predicted a touch-screen MacBook, which would mean a major touch-enhancement to macOS, but I wouldn't hold your breath.
There's always a chance we see a hardware tease. Remember, Vision Pro was the surprise reveal at WWDC 2023. Maybe this is the moment for a big visionOS update that rides on the back of a much more affordable, lightweight Vision Pro Lite.
If we do see any hardware, the more likely reveal is a glimpse of the iPhone Fold. That would make sense, especially if iOS 27 has any special, flexible display-centric features.
There's also a good chance that we won't see any hardware, just more software updates than we can count.
Whatever happens, TechRadar will be on the ground, covering every single bit (and byte) of it.
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Apple is experiencing shipping delays for the MacBook Neo
Orders from Apple's online store aren't expected to ship until mid-April
This demand is attributed to first-time Mac owners, making it the biggest Mac launch for Apple
Haven’t ordered your new MacBook Neo yet? Well, I’d advise you to score Apple’s budget laptop sooner rather than later, as it’s experiencing shipping delays everywhere.
Following its launch on March 11, the MacBook Neo has proved to be one of Apple’s most popular products in recent years, but it appears that the tech giant hasn’t been able to keep up with the skyrocketing demand that’s come with it. As a result, shipping delays are increasing, and now you may not be able to get your hands on a MacBook Neo until mid-April at the very earliest.
According to 9to5Mac, every configuration of the MacBook Neo has sold out in the US and won’t be shipped until between April 6 and April 13 when you order from Apple’s online store, pushing shipping dates back a good two to three weeks.
Apple’s online store in the UK is showing similar dates, and most models are due to be shipped between April 9 and April 16. Based on which iteration of the Neo you opt for, you could be looking between April 16 and April 23 for your device to be shipped — this is mainly for the MacBook Neo with the Blush finish, and applies to both the 256GB and 512GB models. Ordering from your local Apple store may not be the best idea either, as in-store collection dates are also being pushed back.
Waiting until next month to snag what will undoubtedly become one of the best budget laptops isn’t ideal, but a few weeks back, we predicted that Apple would sell these by the boatload, and voilà. But despite the frustrating delays, it reveals something monumental for Apple as a company, and it’s all thanks to first-time Mac customers.
For the first time, a MacBook launch has ushered in a demand that you only really see with the release of a new iPhone. Apple CEO Tim Cook has deemed it the ‘best launch week ever’ for Macs, which has been fuelled by first-time MacBook owners. This can be attributed to the MacBook Neo’s affordability, giving users who've wanted to convert to Mac a better entry point, but could never justify the hefty price tag. But the Neo has also done a stellar job at luring casual users and students.
Just like us, users on Reddit also expected the demand, with one describing the MacBook Neo as ‘such a neat notebook’, garnering a shedload of responses agreeing that it'll be a big hit with scholars, especially when September comes around. Not only that, but Apple’s budget laptop has given users more reason to not opt for an iPad, which costs around the same as the MacBook Neo, but requires purchasing a separate keyboard and other accessories, which aren’t budget-friendly.
With this in mind, picking a MacBook Neo up at your nearest Apple store may be your best option if you don’t want to wait nearly three weeks for one to arrive. Alternatively, you can try other retailers such as Amazon, which offers same-week shipping. Unfortunately, the MacBook Neo is out of stock on Amazon UK, so heading to the Apple store is your best shot right now.
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