Flutter UKI has announced plans to close 57 Paddy Power shops across the UK and Ireland, after a review of… Continue reading Paddy Power set to close 57 high-street shops across the UK and Ireland The post Paddy Power set to close 57 high-street shops across the UK and Ireland appeared first on ReadWrite .
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince is making sweeping changes to force Google's hand.
Spotify revealed new AI DJ updates rolling out to Premium users this week on Android.
With dedicated features for immersive media, such as panoramas.
Timmy Shen / The Block : Better Payment Network, a BNB Chain-based cross-border stablecoin payments network, raised a $50M seed led by YZi Labs, formerly known as Binance Labs — - Better Payment Network, a stablecoin payment company, said it has secured a $50 million seed round led by YZi Labs, formerly known as Binance Labs.
Penetration testing helps organizations ensure IT systems are secure, but it should never be treated in a one-size-fits-all approach. Traditional approaches can be rigid and cost your organization time and money – while producing inferior results. The benefits of pen testing are clear. By empowering “white hat” hackers to attempt to breach your system using similar tools and techniques to
Bloomberg : Sources: a ransomware attack is disrupting US state and local borrowers' ability to post debt documents on the $4.3T municipal bond market's MuniOS platform — A ransomware attack is disrupting state and local borrowers' ability to post debt documents on the $4.3 trillion municipal-bond market's main distribution platform.
The ModRetro M64 will be on display and fully playable for the public this weekend.
Martin Coulter / Sifted : London-based Jack & Jill, which develops conversational AI agents to streamline hiring, raised a $20M seed led by Creandum to expand into Europe and the US — The London-based AI agents startup was founded just six months ago — London-based AI startup Jack & Jill …
Startup Leo Cancer Care is transforming proton radiation treatment with a simple idea: having patients sit up instead of lying down. Now hospitals that include Stanford and McLaren are lining up to buy dozens of machines.
So there it is–my new mini PC, the A9 Max from Geekom . A smart little powerhouse, barely bigger than a sandwich tin, whisper-quiet and amazingly powerful. I unpacked it, plugged it in, and completed the initial setup. Everything works perfectly, as my test shows . And yet I realize after just a few minutes: it won’t stay this way for long. As soon as the software is installed, my fingers start itching for a screwdriver. Why? Because an off-the-shelf PC is always a compromise–a very good one, but not my personal ideal. Christoph Hoffmann As a technology journalist and IT expert, I look at ready-made PCs from a different perspective. Manufacturers have to appeal to a wide audience and, above all, put an attractive price on it. This inevitably means that costs are cut in certain areas. Not in the CPU, since that’s the showpiece, but in components whose true performance is only revealed in demanding everyday use. For me, the purchase of such a mini PC is therefore not the end, but the beginning of an optimization project. I’m buying an excellent foundation on which to build my customized system. More RAM brings a performance boost The first and easiest upgrade is almost always the RAM. The Geekom A9 Max comes with 32GB of RAM, which is more than enough for most users and everyday tasks such as browsing, office work, and streaming. But my everyday use is different. I often run a virtual machine for testing software, dozens of browser tabs with CPU-intensive web applications, image editing programs, and communication tools at the same time. This is where 32GB quickly becomes a bottleneck. The system starts to feel sluggish, switching between programs takes longer, and productivity suffers. The solution is simple and inexpensive: an upgrade to 64GB, for example with the Kingston FURY Impact SO-DIMM 64GB DDR5-5600 CL40 kit . Replacing the RAM modules usually takes just a few minutes, and the results are immediately noticeable. Everything runs more smoothly, the system has more headroom, and it’s better prepared for tomorrow’s software. For me, this small investment offers the best bang for your buck. SSD upgrades: more speed and storage The second candidate for an immediate improvement is the mass storage device, i.e. the SSD. Here, manufacturers save on two fronts: capacity and speed. Models with 512GB or 1TB are often installed. The NVMe SSD with 2TB of capacity in our A9 Max comes from Lexar and is labeled LNQ7A1X002T. Christoph Hoffmann That sounds like a lot at first, but I traditionally separate the Windows installation on the C: drive from my data, which I sync with Dropbox. That’s why I’m putting a second SSD in the mini PC–an external hard drive would be an option, but internal storage is unbeatable for quick access. However, speed is even more important to me. Not every NVMe SSD is the same. Manufacturers often install cheap models that are faster than old SATA hard drives, but are nowhere near the potential of modern interfaces. The NVMe SSD from Lexar installed in the Geekom delivers a read performance of 6,242 MB/s and a write rate of 5,423 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark. That’s an above-average result for a PCIe 4.0 SSD, so there’s no reason to replace it for performance reasons. The system includes a short M.2 slot (M.2-2230) for an additional SSD. The selection of compatible drives is somewhat limited. For our upgrade, we chose the Crucial P310 SSD 2TB . The alternative is the Corsair MP600 Mini , which comes in 1 and 2TB versions. If the standard SSD installed in the mini PC delivers below-average values, it makes sense to replace it with a high-end SSD. It transforms the mini PC into a real powerhouse. Programs start without delay, large files are copied in seconds, and the entire system feels more direct and responsive. It’s a level of comfort I wouldn’t want to miss in my daily work. Upgrading is easy Before you start ordering or visiting a local dealer, you should check the exact specifications of the mini PC. The Geekom A9 Max has a short M.2 interface (M.2-2230) for an additional SSD, suitable for the Crucial P310 SSD 2 TB M.2 . The RAM configuration is interesting. The A9 Max (and many other models) comes with 32GB of RAM with two 16GB modules. To upgrade to 64GB, both sticks must be replaced. There’s a good selection of compatible 64 GB kits (2 × 32 GB) dual-channel DDR5 with 5600 MHz. Popular options include the Crucial CT2K32G56C46S5 and the Crucial Pro CP2K32G56C46U5 . Alternatively, you can choose a single (though more expensive) memory stick to keep the option of upgrading to 128GB open. Before you begin the upgrade or installation, make sure the mini PC is completely switched off and disconnected from the power supply. To discharge any residual power from the system, press and hold the power button for about five seconds. Opening the case can be a bit tricky (see section: Troubleshooting: No more Wi-Fi and Bluetooth). The screws on the underside are hidden behind the rubber feet, which can be pried out with a pointed object. Once the screws are loosened, handle everything with care. Christoph Hoffmann Once the inner workings of the mini PC are exposed, you can access the slots for the two SSDs (1 × M.2 2280 and 1 × M.2 2230) and the two memory slots. Some mini PCs also include a mounting bracket for a 2.5-inch SATA SSD, such as the Samsung 870 EVO . With the Geekom A9 Max (and most other models), insert the M.2 SSD at a slight angle into the slot provided. Then carefully press it down and secure the end with the small screw provided. That’s it! The RAM modules are held in place by small metal or plastic retaining clips on each side. Gently push these clips outwards to release the RAM module, which will lift up slightly and can be removed. Take the new RAM module and pay attention to the notch. This must match the corresponding guide in the slot to prevent incorrect installation. Insert the module into the slot and press it down firmly and evenly until you hear the retaining clips on the side click into place. Done! After installation, close the case and reconnect all cables. Start the mini PC and enter the BIOS (usually by pressing F2 or Del) to confirm that the new RAM is recognized. Once installed, the new SSD won’t automatically appear as a drive in Windows. It must first be initialized in Disk Management. That’s it! The mini PC now has more storage space and, thanks to the RAM upgrade, extra performance headroom. Troubleshooting Wi-Fi and Bluetooth issues Please note: When opening the case and removing the inner metal cover, the black and gray cables may become disconnected. These are soldered to the metal cover and connected to the Wi-Fi card. If the connection is lost, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth functionality will no longer be available. The cables are fixed to the metal cover with adhesive strips, which limits their length. To ensure that the cables stay firmly attached when the cover is lifted, it’s best to remove the strips and reposition the cables so they remain plugged in. Christoph Hoffmann If the cables have already been disconnected, the ends must be reconnected to the Wi-Fi card. This is located underneath the M.2-2280 connector, which is why the SSD must first be carefully removed. After exposing the Wi-Fi card, carefully lift the self-adhesive, transparent plastic cover with tweezers or fold it back. Then carefully reconnect the black cable to the connection labeled “Main” and the grey cable to the “AUX” connection. This process requires patience and may take several attempts. Make sure the cover is properly closed before reinserting the SSD.
If you want to try a new web browser and have at least a modicum of tech savviness, Vivaldi is what I usually recommend. Vivaldi launched just over a decade ago with a focus squarely on power users. It offers an abundance of tab management tools, endlessly customizable keyboard shortcuts, and a seemingly endless list of settings to make the browser behave the way you want it to. Just as importantly, Vivaldi is the rare tech tool that feels like it’s entirely on your side. It doesn’t collect your browsing data , it has an easy-to-read privacy policy , and it never tries to push you into weird cryptocurrency schemes or VPN subscriptions . The company is employee-owned and doesn’t have to jump on new fads just to satisfy investors. But as someone who’s been using Vivaldi since the beginning , I’ve also grown frustrated with the browser. In some ways, it’s less powerful than other browsers that don’t explicitly cater to power users, and it’s missing some features that would be well within its mission to offer. While I always find myself back with Vivaldi, the following improvements would discourage me from considering jumping ship. Commit to supporting uBlock Origin Michael Crider / Foundry uBlock Origin is a great ad blocker and one that’s wildly popular among tech enthusiasts, but Chromium-based browsers like Vivaldi won’t support it forever without intervention. That’s because Google is moving to a new extension platform called Manifest V3 and gradually hindering users from installing uBlock Origin (and other Manifest V2 extensions) from its Chrome Web Store, which Vivaldi relies on. Vivaldi has made it clear that it has no plans to keep supporting uBlock Origin. In a June 2024 blog post , the company supported Google’s move to Manifest V3 and pointed to its built-in ad-and-tracking-blocker as a viable alternative to third-party options. “Here at Vivaldi, it’s always been our policy to build the most important functionality into the browser, so you don’t have to trust an unknown third party and worry that it’s in danger of going away,” the company wrote. Sorry, but that’s a cop-out. Vivaldi’s built-in blocking tools are less effective for privacy than other browsers and they’re less customizable than uBlock Origin. Besides, other browsers such as Brave and Opera have found ways to keep making uBlock Origin available. (Ironically, Vivaldi founder Jon von Tetzchner was one of Opera’s co-founders, and started Vivaldi in 2015 because he was fed up with how his old company had watered down the product .) A browser that prides itself on letting users craft their own experiences shouldn’t be deciding which ad-blocking tools those people can use. It should be helping them use whichever ones they want. Sync the entire experience across devices Vivaldi Workspaces (left) and Web Panels (right) Jared Newman / Foundry Like most other browsers, Vivaldi offers a Sync feature for accessing your bookmarks, history, and open tabs across all devices. What’s missing, though, is a way to sync your full Vivaldi setup so you get the same exact experience on any and every machine. For example, Vivaldi has a useful tab management feature called “Workspaces,” which lets you toggle between different groups of pages in your tab bar. This is helpful if you’re juggling a few projects and want separate lists of tabs for each. As it stands, there’s no way to access the same Workspaces across devices. You can use Vivaldi’s synced tabs view to see what’s in your Workspaces and open each page manually, but you can’t set up a group of tabs that’s instantly available everywhere. Vivaldi’s Web Panels don’t sync across devices either. Web Panels are a great Vivaldi feature, letting you quickly glance at favorite sites through a slide-out sidebar view, but setting them up takes a lot of time and effort. When you move to another device, you have to do it all over again. Vivaldi doesn’t even sync themes across devices, so the browser may look entirely different when you move from one device to another. Surely I’m not the only one who uses Vivaldi on more than one PC? Having my entire setup and all my tab collections synced across devices would be immensely valuable—possibly enough to warrant paying for—but Vivaldi doesn’t offer anything close to that right now. Bring extensions to the mobile app Extensions (including a custom new tab page) in Orion for iPad. Jared Newman / Foundry Extensions are an essential browser tool for power users, allowing you to add new features, alter website behavior, and get quicker access to important info. On the desktop, I use extensions to replace the standard new tab page , check Amazon price histories , generate private email aliases , and more. But none of those customizations are available in Vivaldi’s mobile app, which doesn’t support extensions at all. To make things worse, a bunch of Vivaldi’s rivals already offer extensions on mobile: Orion for iOS lets users install extensions from either the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-ons. Firefox offers thousands of extensions for its Android app. Microsoft Edge offers extensions for its Android app as well. Mobile extension support should be a slam dunk for Vivaldi. Instead, it’s another area where other browsers that aren’t as focused on power users are somehow doing a better job. Build a best-in-class tablet app Vivaldi’s iPad app is a pale immitation of the desktop version. Jared Newman / Foundry I’ve been replacing some of my laptop use with an iPad Pro lately, and one thing I miss is having access to the full Vivaldi experience. Vivaldi’s tablet app is nothing like the desktop version. There’s no vertical tab support, no Web Panels, no Workspaces, no recently closed tabs view, no user-made themes, no custom keyboard shortcuts, no active tab search… I could go on and on. Most of these omissions apply to Vivaldi’s phone app as well, but I’d charitably expect a more lightweight browser on a smaller screen like that. On a larger tablet, the user experience should come a lot closer to what Vivaldi is like on desktop, otherwise there’s not much point in using it. For now, I’ve just been using Orion’s iPad app instead, because at least it supports extensions (which, again, Vivaldi’s app doesn’t). Do more and do it better, Vivaldi Vivaldi recently made a big to-do about how it’s not building AI into its browser , arguing that AI features sap the web of joy and users of curiosity. I don’t have a problem with Vivaldi taking that stance, but it doesn’t inherently help the browser get any better. Instead of defining itself by what it’s not , Vivaldi should take a stand on what it is and what it’s actually trying to be . To me, that means building more ways to customize and control the browser experience for people who deeply care about such things. Further reading: I got sick of Chrome’s BS and switched to Vivaldi
The launch of The Outer Worlds 2 is right around the corner – it hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on October 29 (or on October 24 if you buy the more expensive Premium Edition). Ahead of that launch, and as part of Game Informer's cover story coverage for the game , we spoke to Obsidian Entertainment about the lessons it learned from the first Outer Worlds that it applied to developing this sequel. The biggest takeaway is that even before the release of The Outer Worlds, Obsidian knew that if it were to create a sequel, it wanted to go bigger in every way. Director Brandon Adler tells us, "The cool part about the reaction [to the first game] was people were really kind of enthusiastic about the world and the IP itself [and] that naturally lends itself to people wanting a sequel. "When they're talking about it, they want more. When we did user research, when we talked to people, what came back was the biggest – I wouldn't call it a complaint – but the biggest things they wanted from future products were to make bigger areas, 'make more stuff for us. We want to experience more of this, we want a little more gameplay length.' And so those were easy things for us to target as we were kind of going through it all." Adler continues, explaining that even before The Outer Worlds launched in 2019, Obsidian had a large list of things it wanted to do in a sequel. He says, "We wanted to allow for more reactivity towards either the player builds or things that were going on, in terms of role-playing things. And so for me personally, it was very important that we have very detailed, not only character creation, but character progression, as you're going through the game. That goes for our perks, our flaws, everything else you can build around your characters, and that's really important to find those cool and fun combinations and ways to role-play your character." Adler says it's not enough to have a few gameplay effects in combat and dialogue based on your build – Obsidian wants the whole world reacting to you. He says The Outer Worlds 2 will constantly be checking your RPG stats, whether that's skills, perks, your background, items held, equipment you have, and information you've discovered. "We started from the beginning, making sure we hit really, really hard on those things, and I think we've done a really good job of making that work throughout the entire process." Creative director Leonard Boyarsky responded by explaining that the lack of restrictions in The Outer Worlds 2, compared to the first game, is a big highlight. "I keep going back to, unfortunately, on the base game, we were very restricted in what we could do," he says. "We can't have a decision you make cut off 10% of the game when the game's 20 to 30 hours long. That's just not going to happen, but we couldn't make a much bigger game because of where we're at. We were like, 'If we do a sequel, we know it needs to be bigger. We know we need to go back to our roots in terms of deeper RPG reactivity.' So we had all these things we couldn't do in the base game that we were just waiting to tackle in this next one." Boyarsky remembers discussing what the team wants to do next when diving into The Outer Worlds 2 development and how easy the conversation went because Obsidian already had a laundry list of things it couldn't do in the first game it wanted to do. Adler chimes in to say that's why working on a sequel is easier in a lot of ways. "We have a base, we know what the tone of the game should be, we know basic stuff, like how to build out a level and what the player's going to be doing in them," he says. "We don't have to spend a lot of time prototyping, [so] we can instead spend a lot of our time looking at where we were, where we want to be, and figuring out how to bridge that gap." Boyarsky agrees with Adler, noting that the first game was harder because he and co-creator Tim Cain had to create the vision and tone of the universe. With that established, it no longer has to point to other properties or references to help people understand what this series is – it can point right to the first game. As Obsidian prepares for The Outer Worlds 2 to be in people's hands this month, Game Informer asked Boyarsky and Adler about their thoughts on the reception to the first game. Boyarsky says he was really hopeful that people would like The Outer Worlds, but also concerned because of its size compared to other Obsidian games. "I knew one of our goals was to ship a really polished game, which, when making a hardcore RPG, can be very difficult at times; to get that polish when you have so many paths through. "Some people were a little bit disappointed in the length or some of the lack of complexity that they associate with Obsidian games in the past, but there was a huge outpouring of love and appreciation for the game, just for what it was, and that was really heartening. I really was thinking it was going to live or die on our writing and our characters and a lot that Obsidian is known for, and people seemed to respond to that stuff really well, so it was a great reaction for us." Though Adler didn't work on The Outer Worlds, he says he's always naturally pessimistic about any game's release because it's impossible to ignore the things he couldn't do or fix in time. "We always think, 'Oh my gosh, it's the worst game in the world, how could anybody ever love this thing?' and then it comes out and you get this huge outpouring of love, and then you think, 'Oh that's right, we know how to make good [games]." Game Informer's cover story for The Outer Worlds 2 is available to read right now if you're a subscriber (and this issue is shipping to mailboxes as we speak). For more, check out this list of 8 fun facts about The Outer Worlds 2's first biome, Paradise Island , and then check out this exclusive gameplay segment showcasing Paradise Island. After that, read about how there are pets (that you can pet) in The Outer Worlds 2 , and then check out this story about how third-person gameplay made its way into The Outer Worlds 2 . Before heading into The Outer Worlds 2, read up on Game Informer's story about whether or not the first game's endings matter in the sequel . What's the biggest lesson you hoped Obsidian learned from The Outer Worlds? Let us know in the comments below!
Sankalp Phartiyal / Bloomberg : Bengaluru-based quick grocery delivery startup Zepto raised $450M from Goodwater, General Catalyst, and others at a $7B valuation, as it prepares for an IPO — Zepto has secured $450 million in funding ahead of a public listing set to take place next year, underscoring growing investor interest …
Financial Times : HR software startup Deel raised $300M led by Ribbit Capital at a $17B valuation, up from $12.6B earlier in 2025, and says revenue crossed $100M in September — HR start-up raises $300mn from Ribbit, Coatue and Andreessen amid espionage allegations from rival Rippling
CNBC : The EU's aim to triple AI data center capacity over the next five to seven years sparks water scarcity concerns, especially in water-stressed Southern Europe — Europe's ambitious artificial intelligence strategy is at risk of colliding with an often overlooked but critically important environmental issue: water scarcity.
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