Author: Trendici
Right now, it’s easy to feel bored with smartphones. After all, at the high-end, they’re all very powerful, have great cameras, generally decent battery life, and largely similar features to their predecessors and rivals, so there can be little to truly set them apart. But trust us: there are still exciting phones being made. And when we say ‘exciting phones’, we’re talking about handsets that do something genuinely new or unusual, or push well beyond typical flagship specs. Phones that aren’t afraid to experiment and see what sticks. We arguably saw some such handsets in 2025 (the Huawei Mate XT,…
The EU has scrapped its 2035 sales ban on new combustion cars, a senior lawmaker has said. While yet to be officially announced, Manfred Weber – president of the EPP, the European Parliament’s largest party – told German newspaper Bild that the plans were “off the table”. In its place, flexible emission reduction rules will be implemented, he said: “For new registrations from 2035 onwards, a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions will now be mandatory for car manufacturers’ fleet targets, instead of 100%.” He added that “there will also be no 100% target from 2040 onwards”, which means that “the technology ban on combustion engines…
Companies that pay ransom demands to cyber criminals in the hope of restoring their IT systems may be at risk of greater negative publicity than those that refuse. An initial analysis of data seized by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the takedown of the LockBit ransomware group suggests that the best way to avoid bad publicity may be to refuse to pay up. Max Smeets, author of the book Ransom War, was given supervised access to data on LockBit 3.0 seized by the NCA during Operation Chronos, which took down the LockBit ransomware operation, and examined leaked data…
Image: Envato India’s telecoms ministry has directed major smartphone makers to pre-install a government cybersecurity application on all new devices and prevent users from deleting it, according to a confidential order reviewed by Reuters. The move, intended to curb rising cybercrime and phone-related fraud, is likely to inflame long-running tensions with Apple and raise fresh alarms among privacy advocates. The measure places India among a growing set of governments taking assertive steps to regulate mobile devices by embedding state-backed digital tools. Russia most recently mandated similar requirements, including the August directive that all smartphones come preloaded with MAX, a government-supported…
Disney is no ‘Dumbo’. Image: Unsplash Two big names have deliberately become ‘tangled’ as they set their sights on an AI ‘wonderland’. Disney has made a $1 billion investment in OpenAI that rewrites how fans will interact with Mickey Mouse, Marvel heroes, and every beloved character in Disney’s universe. This massive equity commitment represents the most significant partnership between traditional Hollywood and AI to date. The three-year licensing agreement grants OpenAI’s Sora video generator unprecedented access to more than 200 characters from Disney’s vast catalog, including Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars properties. Picture yourself directing Iron Man Disney+ subscribers will…
US president Donald Trump has directed his administration to begin work on establishing a national artificial intelligence (AI) regulation framework across the country in an attempt to override what he described as cumbersome state-level legal frameworks. The latest executive order (EO) to emerge from the Oval Office, Ensuring a national policy framework for artificial intelligence, builds on a January 2025 order titled, Removing barriers to American leadership in artificial intelligence, in which Trump lambasted his predecessor, Joe Biden, for allegedly trying to paralyse the industry with regulation. Trump claimed that since then, his administration has delivered “tremendous benefits” which…
Publisher Kepler Interactive and newcomer developer Shapefarm have revealed Orbitals, a co-op puzzle adventure inspired by classic anime. The gorgeous reveal trailer also reveals that Orbitals will launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 sometime in 2026. Shapefarm is based in Tokyo, Japan, so it’s no wonder Orbitals is a clear love letter to 1990s anime, like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, and others. In the game, players will team up as Maki and Omura, two inseparable explorers who must brave the perils of space to save the crumbling space station they call home from a supernatural cosmic storm. Check it out in…
Seeking holiday inspiration from films, soaps or sitcoms is the new global travel trend, with the UK remaining an evergreen choice /news/big-story/setjetting-uk-travel-trend-expedia-111714111224778.html 111714111224778 story On a family trip to Wales last summer, I made time for the usual suspects: Pembrokeshire, Aberystwyth, Anglesey and the national parks. I also made a day trip to Devil’s Bridge, a place I had only seen in a couple of episodes of Hinterland, a noir crime drama set in Wales. The dark and atmospheric Devil’s Bridge comprises three bridges that span the Afon Mynach, a tributary of the Rheidol. Each one, built upon the previous…
Source: Google Google has released the Data Commons MCP Server, allowing AI agents to access public datasets and mitigate hallucinations by anchoring answers in real-world statistics. The company says the release is designed to accelerate the development of data-rich, agent-based applications. Keyur Shah, a software engineer at Google, said the MCP Server makes public datasets instantly accessible and actionable. This would provide agents with a standardized way to consume the data and return trustworthy, sourced information without requiring heavy onboarding. What is MCP? MCP, short for Model Context Protocol, is an open framework that lets AI applications connect to external…
TL;DR: Get the beginner-friendly Aero Volt V9 Pro+ Drone for just $69.99, 46% off the regular price of $129.99. Drones aren’t just for hobbyists: Drone technology has revolutionized photography, video recording, and inspection and surveying. Whether your business could benefit from smooth, professional-looking videos and photos or needs a way to monitor infrastructure or property, a drone could be an important tool. If you’ve been considering adding a drone into your arsenal, finding an easy-to-use, beginner-friendly model is a smart move — and right now, you can get one for a great price. The Aero Volt V9 Pro+ drone is…