OLED is a much sought-after display technology in consumer products ranging from phones to TVs. OLED TVs are consistently ranked as the best TVs, thanks to their unparalleled contrast, steadily improving brightness with each new generation of sets, dynamic color and refined detail. However, there is one area where OLED TVs suffer: reflections.
The pixels in an OLED display individually dim as required, making them capable of greater light control than LED and mini-LED TVs, which use a separate backlight. But OLED TVs have also lacked brightness compared to mini-LED TVs, and their dimmer screens mean reflections can become a real issue. In recent years, brightness-boosting micro-lens-array (MLA) tech has been introduced into some of the best OLED TVs such as the LG G3 and Panasonic MZ2000 to limit reflections. And while MLA has helped OLED TVs to become brighter, reflections remain a problem.
Beating TV reflections typically involves rearranging lighting and blacking out windows. But another glare-fighting option recently became available when Samsung introduced OLED Glare Free screen technology in its new Samsung S95D OLED TV .
OLED Glare Free is an anti-reflection tech that uses a matte screen. Combined with the S95D’s QD-OLED display, which is brighter than a conventional OLED TV and on par with MLA OLED brightness, the result is an OLED TV capable of dramatically reducing reflections.
I recently tested the S95D alongside the Panasonic MZ1500, an upper mid-range model that uses a conventional W-OLED (White OLED) panel. Below, you’ll see the results when I pitted the two OLED screen types against one another.
Samsung – the reflection beater
The Samsung S95D’s (right) OLED Glare Free screen dramatically reduces reflections compared to the Panasonic MZ1500 (left) (Image credit: Future)
Since the TechRadar testing lab has overhead lights and spotlights that can be set to various brightness levels, the natural place to start was at the highest brightness to create the worst possible conditions for reflections.
Placing the S95D and MZ1500 side-by-side, I used demo footage from the Spears & Munsil UHD Benchmark Blu-ray to test both sets with images of varying brightness. Viewing footage with predominantly black backgrounds, such as the fountain pen above, the S95D’s anti-reflection tech was clearly shown to advantage.
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As can be seen, the lab’s sofa and door are reflected on the MZ1500 (on the left) and there are no objects at all visible on the S95D’s screen. Due to the size difference between the two sets (the S95D is 65 inches and the MZ1500 is 55 inches), it wasn’t easy at first to see how the reflections of the overhead lights fared. After changing the angle, however, the reflections – or lack thereof – became apparent.
Even when dimmed slightly, the overhead light was more clearly visible on the Panasonic MZ1500 (left) compared to the Samsung S95D (right) (Image credit: Future)
On the S95D, reflections were reduced to a ‘haze’ – there was still a reflection from the light source present, but the object itself had diminished. On the MZ1500, however, the light source was obvious, creating a distracting ‘mirror-like’ reflection.
This was even the case with brighter footage, as seen below in a close-up image of a butterfly. Although obscured and not as distracting, the light is still obvious on the MZ1500 (left) and obscured on the S95D (right).
Even with brighter images, light reflections are still visible on the Panasonic MZ1500 (left) but not on the Samsung S95D (right) (Image credit: Future)
The same held true for movies such as The Batman, which features many scenes with dark tones. With the overhead lights set in turn to the brightest and dimmest levels, the Samsung S95D continued to limit reflections.
Sacrifices are made
The Samsung S95D’s (right) matte screen shows raised black levels compared to the Panasonic MZ1500 (left), which has a glossier screen (Image credit: Future)
One thing that became apparent when I placed the two TVs side-by-side was the effect of the S95D’s matte screen on black levels. Reflections were reduced, but so too was the depth and richness of the S95D’s blacks compared to the MZ1500. Below is an image from the same Spears & Munsil disc of a bright white Ferris wheel against a black night sky.
Interestingly, the dark tones and contrast were still very good on the S95D, but the picture lacked the MZ1500’s punch. Some shadow detail was missing and it even took on a slightly gray-ish tone. Viewing a scene from The Batman, the overall color palette was different as well, and although that may be down to the TVs themselves (both were in the Movie/Cinema picture mode), I can’t help but wonder if the Samsung TV’s matte screen was at fault.
The Batman looks different on the S95D (right) than on the MZ1500 (left). Could the Samsung TV’s matte screen be responsible? (Image credit: Future)
Viewing both these TVs in pitch-black conditions, eliminating the possibility of reflections altogether, the S95D did have more dynamic color and detail, and its contrast gave the picture incredible depth.
But It’s interesting to note that, in brighter conditions, the MZ1500’s strong contrast gave it the more polished sheen expected from an OLED TV, even if screen reflections were far worse.
(Image credit: Future)
Final thoughts
Although the Panasonic MZ1500 put up a good fight during my comparison with its deep black levels and strong contrast in most lighting conditions in the lab, the Samsung S95D ably demonstrated the effectiveness of its OLED Glare Free screen technology, which converted mirror-like reflections to less distracting haze-type reflections.
For some, screen reflections aren’t an issue, and conventional OLED TVs, generally available for a cheaper price, will continue to be a fine option. But Samsung’s new anti-reflection tech has now made OLED TVs viable for those who view in brighter environments. As a bonus, the Samsung S95D has superb all-around picture quality, which takes OLED TV performance to the next level.
My iPhone beeps. I slide the screen and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s face stares back at me. But this isn’t my dream interview; the fake phone call is part of the intro sequence for his new fitness app.
“The Pump” is the bodybuilder-turned-movie-star, turned-politician’s next big project; a new contender for the best fitness app, designed to share his considerable training expertise with the masses. And as both a strength training fan and long-time Arnie-admirer, I’m excited to give it a go.
I’m not usually the type for classic fitness apps like Peloton—quick HIIT workouts and the like seldom serve my goals of building muscle, growing stronger and developing an enviable engine. I’m more likely to use my Notes app as a training log, instead of a dedicated app focused around tracking strength training. But can Schwarzenegger change my mind?
The Pump app: at a glance
What is it? The Pump is a fitness app from Arnold Schwarzenegger and his team. On it, you’ll find a series of workout plans to follow, as well as blog posts, Q&A opportunities with Arnold, and even a goal-setting section for life both in and out of the gym.
Who is it for? In Arnold’s (marketing team’s) words, this app is for “anyone with access to a phone”. In mine, it’s for anyone interested in strength training, with plans to suit beginner, intermediate and advanced lifters. There are also bodyweight, dumbbell-only and gym-based plans available.
How much does it cost? The Pump app is available via a monthly $9.99 subscription, or you can pay $99.99 for a full year. There is also a seven-day free trial for newcomers.
The Pump app: why try it?
I’ve tried a lot of workout apps in my time as a fitness writer. The first thing I noticed about The Pump is that it’s not trying to go toe-to-toe with big hitters like Peloton, Apple Fitness+ and Chris Hemsworth’s Centr app.
These rivals boast a plethora of plans and workouts to choose from. But when I signed up to The Pump, I was asked to provide my training goal (get shredded or get big), available equipment (bodyweight or gym) and experience level (beginner, intermediate or advanced). Then I was served a solitary 90-day, three days per week program to follow: ”The Foundation: Advanced Muscle Gain”.
You need to complete the workouts in order to unlock the next one, and there’s a one workout a day limit to keep you from overtraining. In every session, you’re asked to input the amount of weight you lift and the number of reps you complete for each exercise, then certain moves are repeated later down the line so you can build on your performance from previous weeks.
This is progressive overload in action—the principle behind any successful muscle-building training plan, and something that’s missing if you’re just selecting random workouts from the thousands on offer from another fitness app’s stable of videos.
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(Image credit: The Pump app)
A few other workout plans are unlocked once you complete the initial 90-day program—among them, Schwarzenegger’s current training schedule and “The Classic Arnold Throwback”, which is a six-day split reminiscent of his Mr Olympia-winning routines. However, by limiting your choice, The Pump aims to keep you consistent for continued results.
That’s why I personally prefer this app to others like Peloton, and it’s also why I feel The Pump would better-serve the strength and muscle-based goals of intermediate-to-advanced lifters.
Another element of this app I like is the focus on community. Peloton users will tell you this isn’t unique, with the platform’s live classes curating impressively authentic camaraderie through shoutouts, leaderboards and strategy to serve you up content it knows will keep you coming back. Arnold’s team again does things differently.
There are educational yet colloquial blog posts, comments sections for members and the opportunity to participate in Q&As—submit questions via the comments section, and roughly once a fortnight Schwarzenegger will answer a selection in a blog post. And if there’s one thing that’s going to keep a lifting fan motivated, it’s personalized advice or a pat on the back from the Austrian Oak.
What happened when I tried Arnold Schwarzenegger’s workout from The Pump
The (very enjoyable) Arnold Netflix documentary claims that, as a beginner lifter, Schwarzenegger gained a staggering 15.2kg (33.5lb) in just 12 months. The Austrian village of Thal where he grew up didn’t have high-tech fitness equipment; simple barbells, dumbbells and bodyweight moves dominated.
This reinforces my view that bodybuilding staples are staples for a reason: they’re effective. And when I tackled my first workout on The Pump app, I found a routine that was chock-full of them.
I started proceedings with pyramid sets—a favorite training technique in bodybuilding’s golden age—of the barbell bench press, T-bar row and barbell back squat.
Pyramid sets involve lowering the number of reps and raising the weight you use with each set of an exercise. In the case of the bench press here, I tackled sets of 15, 12, eight and six reps, while adding plates to the bar after each round. This approach encouraged me to lift heavier loads than I might have otherwise, providing the challenging stimulus needed for strength gains and muscle growth.
(Image credit: The Pump app)
By the time this first phase of the session was finished, I had already completed a full-body workout of sorts, hitting every major muscle group with a compound push, pull and leg exercise. Next came three rounds of a superset containing dumbbell flys and chin-ups, followed by a few straight sets of cable crunches and leg extensions to finish. All in all, it took me about 60 minutes.
I’ve found an hour is the sweet spot for a strength training session; long enough to deliver a comprehensive full-body workout without being such a slog that I’d need to wake up super early to fit it in before work. This isn’t something I can say for Arnold’s twice-a-day, two-hour routines of old; I tried it once and barely lived to tell the tale.
As you might expect from a Schwarzenegger routine, there was an enjoyable “pump” in the aftermath, inflating my muscles, ego and spirit simultaneously. But because the session was kept to roughly 60 minutes, I didn’t feel ruined for the rest of the day. Lightly aching? Yes, but ready to go again for my next workout in two days’ time.
Would I use Arnold Schwarzenegger’s The Pump app again?
Arnold’s team says this app is for “anyone with a phone”, but I can’t help but feel the target market is a little more niche than that. I’d instead say it’s aimed at existing fans of Arnie with an interest (old, new, or burgeoning) in lifting weights. Fortunately for him and his vast appeal, that still casts a very wide net.
What I saw of the app was old-school bodybuilding at its best, so if you’re in the market to build muscle and become stronger, I would definitely recommend it. I was buoyed by the community aspect, and the blog posts were genuinely interesting, providing training and nutritional resources to help users hit their fitness goals.
As someone who likes to keep their gym sessions a largely tech-free oasis (I’ve been known to take a pen and paper into the gym to record my results), the app was a fairly innocuous addition to my training arsenal. It only took a couple of seconds to type in my weights and reps for each set, and the rest timer was a handy addition for helping me stick to the task at hand. That’s why, if I was to use any of the mainstream fitness apps, it would be this one.
The only reason I won’t be subscribing to The Pump long-term is because I have wider training goals. My regular training is tailored to preparing me for CrossFit and functional fitness competitions, where I need to develop my athleticism, cardiovascular capacity, gymnastic skill and Olympic lifting technique alongside my ever-stubborn muscles.
For this, I’ve found the best platforms for training are apps like Fitr and Beyond The Whiteboard, which offer third-party programming companies the option to share specific training plans to fit your needs. A little like TrainingPeaks for functional fitness.
But rest assured, The Pump, next time I’m on the hunt for some pure bodybuilding fun, I’ll be back.
Dell has begun sending breach notification emails to some 49 million people whose data was apparently stolen in a recent cyberattack.
The type of information involved includes people’s names, postal addresses, and Dell hardware and order information, such as service tags, item description, order dates, and different warranty information.
“We are currently investigating an incident involving a Dell portal, which contains a database with limited types of customer information related to purchases from Dell,” the company said in the notification letter. “We believe there is not a significant risk to our customers given the type of information involved.”
Tangible risk
Dell has notified relevant authorities and brought in third-party cybersecurity experts to assess the damage. So far we don’t know if this was a simple data smash-and-grab, or a ransomware attempt.
The company believes the risk to its customers is not significant since financial and payment information, email addresses, and phone numbers were not stolen in this attack.
However, the risk of phishing or even major malware and ransomware attacks still exists, since threat actors can send out personalized letters with removable drives and deploy malicious code that way. It has happened in the past.
At the same time, there is always a risk someone most likely already bought the database on the dark web.
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A cybercriminal with the alias Menelik posted a new thread on a dark web forum, advertising a Dell database fitting the company’s description: “49 million customer and other information systems purchased from Dell between 2017-2024.” The thread was quickly deleted, which usually happens if someone buys the database.
Since the information was most likely already acquired, if you are a Dell customer who purchased hardware between 2017 and 2024, it would be wise to be extra wary of any communication claiming to be from the company, especially if you get it in the mailbox.
Almost a million people around the world have fallen victim to a highly organized fraud campaign, which scammed them out of some $50 million in the past couple of years.
According to a report from SRLabs, a group of cyber-criminals, supported by a wider network of affiliates, were organized into a crime ring dubbed BogusBazaar. This ring automated the creation and rotation of thousands of fake shopping websites – 22,500 domains, to be exact.
Through these shopping sites, the criminals did two things – steal credit card and other payment data, and steal money.
Well-organized group
Stealing credit card information is as straightforward as one can imagine with fake shopping sites – a person would try to purchase something off the site, they would submit their payment information, and never get the item they ordered. PayPal and Stripe data was stolen from the victims in the same manner.
Stealing money worked in a somewhat different way. Some of the victims actually received an item, albeit not the one they ordered, but rather a cheap copy, or a knock-off.
“The operation of fraudulent webshops is a seemingly small but well-organized crime,” Matthias Marx, a security consultant at SRLabs, told The Register. “As each fraud case has a relatively low volume, the fraudsters seem to have managed to evade the attention of the law enforcement authorities despite earning millions.”
The majority of the victims were located in Western Europe, Australia, and America.
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The worst part is that the campaign is still ongoing, and is decentralized and automated in a way that makes it difficult for law enforcement to fully eliminate. As soon as one website gets taken down, another one takes its place. The attackers often use expired domains with good standing, making spotting fraud even harder at start.
The majority of the fraudsters seem to be operating out of China.
The internet is filled with scammers and fraudsters, looking to steal people’s money and sensitive information. The best way to stay safe is to always make sure you’re buying from trusted sources and official websites. If you know the shop’s website, type the address in the bar instead of searching for it on Google or other search engines.
If you are being redirected to a website, double check the address and make sure it doesn’t have any weird typos or strange-looking characters.
And finally, always use common sense. If something is too good to be true, it most likely is.
Earlier this year, Apple retested the batteries of its iPhone 15 models and updated its battery life claims for the entire series, suggesting that they offer better longevity than previously thought. Curious about the battery health of your iPhone 15? Here’s how to check it.
Apple in February 2024 updated the technical specifications for the batteries in the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. According to its latest tests, Apple says that the devices’ batteries are designed to retain 80% of their original capacity at 1,000 complete charge cycles under ideal conditions.
It’s a significant improvement over the 500 charge cycles that the company advertises for all older iPhone models over the same cycle count.
iPhone 15 models also include a Battery Charging Optimization feature, so if you regularly charge your iPhone up at night while you’re asleep, the device can limit its charging to 80%, and then wait for an hour or so before you wake up to charge the remaining 20%. This keeps the iPhone at an optimal capacity for battery health by reducing the amount of time that it’s sat on your charger at 100% charged, which can reduce its life over time.
If you have an iPhone 15 with iOS 17.4 or later installed, you can get more specific information on the battery health of your device in the following way:
Open the Settings app.
Scroll down and tap Battery.
Check the readout next to “Battery Health.” For more details including your device’s battery cycle count, manufacture date, and first use date, simply tap the readout. (In earlier versions of iOS 17, this information was hidden in the General ➝ About section of the Settings app).
Apple says that the battery lifespan of any iPhone model ultimately depends on how the device is regularly used and charged. While the “Maximum Capacity” readout will give you a good indication of your iPhone’s battery health, it’s worth tapping on the blue text that says “About Battery & Warranty,” which will give you more information on the likely battery lifespan of your device based on how it’s used.
Battery life depends on a number of variables, but if you think you have an issue, it’s worth remembering that the standard one-year AppleCare+ warranty on an iPhone includes service for defective batteries. Depending on where you are, local consumer laws might even give you cover beyond the standard 12 months, so don’t be shy to ask at an Apple Store if you think there’s a problem.
Apple unveiled a slew of new iPads on Tuesday, and the updates have brought a bit more clarity to the company’s tablet selection. Yes, there are still six different models in total, but the lines separating those slates are more firmly drawn: You have a good option (the base iPad), a better option (the iPad Air) and a best option (the iPad Pro). Both the Air and Pro are available in 11- or 13-inch frames, but those SKUs are more or less identical outside of their size. The iPad mini, meanwhile, is still off to the side for the relatively small niche that prefers a compact tablet.
Within those announcements, however, the Apple Pencil became even more of a mess. Apple introduced a new top-end stylus, the Pencil Pro, but didn’t discontinue any older model. As a result, prospective shoppers now have four (4!) different styluses to choose from. Each has different features, two are the same price, and only the lowest-end model works with every iPad in Apple’s now-current lineup. And the highest-end version prior to yesterday is no longer compatible with the latest iPad Air or iPad Pro.
This is pretty bad! Exactly how Apple got here may stem from what the company calls a “new magnetic interface.” This is what the Pencil Pro uses to connect and charge with compatible iPads, which in this case only includes the new iPad Airs and iPad Pros. Those tablets have been redesigned to place their front-facing cameras on the long edge, which is a welcome change in a vacuum, but could have resulted in the devices no longer supporting the charging system used by the second-generation Pencil. Apple hasn’t formally confirmed any of this, however. When reached for comment, the company did not provide additional information aside from noting that the new Pencil charging and pairing interface was created to work with the latest tablets’ designs and accommodate their landscape front cameras.
It’s more than possible that we’re in an awkward transitional period, with the first- and second-gen Pencils on the way out whenever the entry-level iPad and iPad mini are refreshed. As it is today, though, it’d be hard for digital artists and note-takers to look at the Pencil lineup as anything but chaotic. That there’s a “lineup” at all, and not one product that just works with every iPad, feels like a condemnation in itself. But if you’re in the market for a new Pencil and not sure which one to get, we’ve broken down the current offerings below.
Apple
Who should get it?: Those who plan on buying the iPad Air (M2) or iPad Pro (M4) at any point in the near future (most likely).
Pros
Latest and most advanced Pencil, with squeeze gesture, gyroscope and Find My support
The Apple Pencil Pro is the newest and most technically advanced Pencil. It costs $129 and is up for pre-order now, with full availability starting on May 15. As noted above, it’s only compatible with Apple’s latest tablets: the 11- and 13-inch iPad Air (M2), and the 11- and 13-inch iPad Pro (M4).
To keep things simple, if you’re going to buy one of those iPads, this is almost certainly the stylus you should get. We still need to review it, but it’s essentially an upgraded version of the second-gen Pencil, which we previously recommended in our guide to the best iPad accessories. It has virtually the same comfortable shape and matte finish, though it’s technically 0.05 ounces lighter. It still supports pressure sensitivity, so your marks will be darker if you press down with more force, and tilt detection, so you can hold it at an angle for light shading and similar effects. It still pairs and charges magnetically, and it can still utilize a “double-tap” feature that lets you quickly swap between tools in certain apps. With certain iPads, a “hover” feature allows you to interact with elements on screen by holding the stylus just over the display.
The Pencil Pro has a few exclusive perks on top of that. You can squeeze it to open a contextual menu for changing colors, line weights and similar tools. A built-in gyroscope can detect when you roll the stylus, which should make it simpler to change the orientation of shaped pen and brush tools. There’s a haptic engine to deliver more tangible feedback as you use the pen. And, maybe most conveniently, it works with Apple’s Find My network, so it should be easier to locate if you ever misplace it.
Apple
Who should get it?: Those who own an older iPad Pro or iPad Air, or the current iPad mini, and will not upgrade to a new iPad anytime soon.
The second-generation Pencil was released in 2018 and remained Apple’s best stylus until this week. It, too, costs $129, though recent sales have dropped it as low as $79. It’s compatible with the following iPads: 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th gen), 11-inch iPad Pro (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th gen), iPad Air (4th and 5th gen) and iPad mini (6th gen).
To reiterate, Apple says it is not compatible with any of the iPad Airs or iPad Pros announced on Tuesday. Yes, paying $129 for a stylusonly to be forced into replacing it a generation or two later is obnoxious.
The second-gen Pencil lacks the squeeze and “barrel roll” gestures, increased haptic feedback and Find My support of the Pencil Pro. Otherwise, it includes all of the same core features. If you own one of the compatible iPads listed above and do not plan on upgrading anytime soon, it’s the Pencil to buy, as it remains a significant upgrade over Apple’s lower-cost models. But if you plan to buy a new iPad Air or iPad Pro in the near future and don’t desperately need a stylus today, it’s worth holding off and buying the Pencil Pro alongside your new tablet, as much as that sucks.
Apple
Who should get it?: Those who must have an Apple stylus but can’t afford the Pencil Pro/second-gen Pencil and only care about casual writing. Also, iPad (10th gen) owners who don’t care about pressure sensitivity. Some third-party options may be a better value, however, depending on sale prices.
Pros
Less expensive than Pencil Pro and second-gen Pencil
The USB-C Apple Pencil was released late last year and effectively serves as Apple’s “budget” stylus. With a list price of $79, it’s still not outright cheap, though we’ve seen it go for $10 less with recent discounts.
This is the only Pencil that’s compatible with every iPad in Apple’s current lineup: the iPad Air (M2), iPad Pro (M4), iPad (10th gen) and iPad mini (6th gen). Besides those, it works with the the older 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd-6th gen), 11-inch iPad Pro (1st-4th gen) and iPad Air (4th and 5th gen).
However, it’s also a clear downgrade from the Pencil Pro and second-gen Pencil, as it lacks pressure sensitivity and magnetic charging support. The former means it’s less precise for illustrations, while the latter means you’ll need a USB-C cable handy when it comes time to recharge the device. You can still attach the USB-C Pencil to the side of iPads with magnetic holders, which is convenient, but it won’t power up. It doesn’t work with Apple’s double-tap feature, either, though it does support “hover” and basics like tilt sensitivity. It’s also slightly shorter than the higher-end models.
For most people who care about drawing or note-taking enough to buy an Apple Pencil in the first place, I’d recommend just paying up for the Pencil Pro or second-gen Pencil, depending on your iPad. But for those who really want to save cash and may only want a stylus for casual writing or generally navigating their device, the USB-C Pencil could make sense. This is especially the case for the iPad (10th gen), which doesn’t work with either of Apple’s superior models.
Apple
Who should get it?: Just about nobody, unless you plan to use the iPad (10th gen) or an older Lightning-based iPad for the foreseeable future and need pressure sensitivity for drawing.
The original Apple Pencil was introduced way back in 2015. Apple still sells it for $99, though these days it’s frequently available for $20 to $30 less at other retailers. Most people can safely ignore it: The only modern iPad it works with is the entry-level iPad (10th gen), but even then it requires a Lighting to USB-C adapter to charge, which looks ridiculous and gives you more things to potentially lose. It can’t attach magnetically, and it has a glossier, more rounded design that can more easily roll away on a flat table. It also lacks most of the more advanced features found in newer Pencils.
The one thing the first-gen Pencil does have over the USB-C model, though, is pressure sensitivity. Yes, even though it’s eight years older, it’s technically better in at least one meaningful way. So, if you own the iPad (10th gen) and are willing to deal with the dongle-ridden charging situation in exchange for a more precise drawing experience, there’s a world in which the first-gen Pencil is still justifiable. But most people in that situation should just step up to an iPad Air and the Pencil Pro.
Just for posterity, here’s the list of iPads that support the first-gen Pencil: 12.9-inch iPad Pro (1st and 2nd gen), 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, iPad Air (3rd gen), iPad mini (5th gen) and iPad (6th-10th gen).
The latest idea to cross our desks comes from Gabriel Ferraz, a computer engineer and TechPowerUp’s SSD database maintainer, who turned a 512GB QLC SATA III SSD into a 120GB SLC one.
You probably know this, but just as refresher, SLC NAND holds one bit of data per cell, resulting in faster data writing, lower power consumption, and higher cell endurance than QLC NAND which stores four bits per cell. QLC NAND is denser and cheaper, but with the downside of compromised longevity and speed.
3000% endurance increase
Ferraz’s idea was to trade capacity for massively improved performance and endurance. He took 512GB a Crucial BX500 SSD which has a Silicon Motion SM2259XT2 controller and NAND flash dies from Micron. Using an app called MPtools for the Silicon Motion SM2259XT2 controller, he identified the precise die used in the SSD and inputted in new die reference numbers.
Was it worth it? Well, while Ferraz lost a lot of drive space, he says “the SSD endurance jumps to 4000 TBW (write cycles), which is about a 3000% increase. Additionally, performance increased as well.”
Ferraz explains his process here, and you can also watch him perform his clever trick in the video below, which includes benchmarking results.
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With the launch of the refreshed iPad Air and iPad Pro models, Apple introduced a new “Apple Pencil Pro.” No Apple Pencil options have been discontinued, which means there are now four total Apple Pencils to choose from.
While the updated iPad Pro and iPad Air are compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro and the USB-C Apple Pencil, they do not work with the Apple Pencil 2. Older iPads are also not able to work with the Apple Pencil Pro.
The Apple Pencil Pro and the Apple Pencil 2 are both priced at $129, while the Apple Pencil 1 is priced at $99 and the Apple Pencil USB-C is $79.
Compared to older Apple Pencil models, the Apple Pencil Pro supports squeeze gestures, roll gestures, haptic feedback, and Find My.
Apple’s “Let Loose” event kicks off today at the unusual time of 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time, and we’re expecting to see an iPad-focused event with new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, updated Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard accessories, and perhaps some other announcements. Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company’s TV app across various platforms. We…
Apple today unveiled redesigned iPad Pro models featuring the M4 chip, Ultra Retina XDR OLED displays, a nano-texture display option, and more. The new iPad Pro offers a considerably thinner design and slightly larger 11- and 13-inch display size options. The 11-inch model is 5.3mm thick and weighs less than a pound, while the 13-inch model is just 5.1mm thick and weighs a quarter pound less …
Apple today announced that iOS 17.5 will be released to the public “soon,” following over a month of beta testing. While the software update is relatively minor, it does have a few new features and changes, as outlined in the list below. “The new Pride Radiance watch face and iPhone and iPad wallpapers will be available soon with watchOS 10.5, iOS 17.5, and iPadOS 17.5,” said Apple, in its…
Apple at its “Let Loose” event today announced a new Magic Keyboard for the latest iPad Pro models, with a thinner, lighter design. Apple says the Magic Keyboard has been redesigned to be thinner and lighter, while maintaing the same floating design. Two colors are available that match the new iPad Pro. New features include a function row with screen brightness controls, an aluminum…
Apple will be holding its first event of the year this Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube. How long will the event be? In his newsletter today, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said the video will have a runtime of “around 35 minutes.” Apple is expected to announce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, along with updated Apple Pencil…
While the iPhone 16 series is still months away from launching, an early rumor about an all-new iPhone 17 model has now surfaced. In a research note with investment firm Haitong this week, analyst Jeff Pu said Apple is planning a so-called “iPhone 17 Slim” model that would replace the Plus model in the lineup. Pu said this model will feature around a 6.6-inch display, a slimmer design, an…
Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, and new features have already been rumored for many apps, including Apple Music, Apple Maps, Calculator, Messages, Notes, Safari, and others. Below, we recap iOS 18 rumors on a per-app basis, based on reports from MacRumors, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, and others: Apple Maps: At least two new Apple Maps features are…
Google announced the Pixel 8a smartphone today, one week ahead of the company’s I/O conference on May 14. We no longer have to rely on leaked info, as Google has confirmed the Pixel 8a will start at $499, the same price as the Pixel 7a at launch, and will ship the same day as the event. You can pre-order it now from Google’s storefront or from Amazon. The sub-$500 price tag maintains the A-series position as the most affordable handset in Google’s lineup. We were able to spend a little time with the phone to get some initial thoughts, and our full review will be coming soon. In the meantime, here’s what’s new about the newest Pixel phone.
Google
You can pre-order the new Pixel 8a smartphone now and it will ship on May 14. It’s $499 for the model with 128GB and $559 for the 256GB model. It’s available from Amazon or directly from Google.
The Pixel 8a upgrades to the Tensor G3 chip, giving it the same processor as the standard Google Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro. The new phone carries the same 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage as the previous generation, along with the option of 256GB of storage, that model is going for $559. The 6.1-inch OLED display is the same size and resolution as its predecessor, but the refresh rate is a smoother 120Hz. The screen’s got a little more dazzle too, with a peak brightness of up to 2,000 nits, an increase from the Pixel 7a that now matches the Pixel 8.
The battery is very slightly (about 100mAh) bigger, leading Google to claim a 24-plus-hour battery life, instead of the 7a’s flat 24-hour promise. Speaking of promises, the new budget Pixel comes with seven years of promised security and features updates, putting it on par with the 8-series phones. That’s two years longer than the support offered with the 7a.
As we expected, the camera array remains largely the same as the prior generation, with a 64MP wide and a 13MP ultrawide lens in back and a 13MP selfie cam up front. Magic Editor and Best Take, two of Google’s AI-assisted photography features that impressed us on the Pixel 8, have come to the Pixel 8a, as well as the new Audio Magic Eraser, which automatically cuts out distracting sounds from video recordings.
The Pixel 8a comes in three of the same colors as the Pixel 8 Pro: Obsidian, Porcelain and Bay but the 8a swaps in an Aloe option instead of Mint. Pre-orders for Google’s new Pixel 8a are now open and orders will ship on May 14.
Stem-cell researcher Carolina Florian didn’t trust what she was seeing. Her elderly laboratory mice were starting to look younger. They were more sprightly and their coats were sleeker. Yet all she had done was to briefly treat them — many weeks earlier — with a drug that corrected the organization of proteins inside a type of stem cell.
When technicians who were replicating her experiment in two other labs found the same thing, she started to feel more confident that the treatment was somehow rejuvenating the animals. In two papers, in 2020 and 2022, her team described how the approach extends the lifespan of mice and keeps them fit into old age1,2.
The target of Florian’s elixir is the immune system. The stem cells she treated are called haematopoietic, or blood, stem cells (HS cells), which give rise to all immune cells. As blood circulates, the mix of cells pervades every organ, affecting all bodily functions.
But the molecular composition of the HS cells changes with age, and this distorts the balance of immune cells that they produce. “Fixing the drift in them that occurs with time seems to fix a lot of the problems of ageing — not only in the immune system but also in the rest of the body,” says Florian, who is now at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain.
In March3, another team showed that restoring the balance between two key types of immune cell gives old mice more youthful immune systems, improving the animals’ ability to respond to vaccines and to stave off viral infections.
How to make an old immune system young again
Other scientists have used different experimental approaches to draw the same conclusion: rejuvenating the immune system rejuvenates many organs in an animal’s body, at least in mice. And, most intriguingly, evidence suggests that immune-system ageing might actually drive the ageing of those organs.
The potential — helping people to remain healthy in their later years — is seductive. But translating this knowledge into the clinic will be challenging. Interfering with the highly complex immune system can be perilous, researchers warn. So, at first, pioneers are setting their sights on important yet low-risk goals such as improving older people’s responses to vaccinations and improving the efficiency of cancer immunotherapies.
“The prospect that reversing immune ageing may control age-related diseases is enticing,” says stem-cell scientist Vittorio Sebastiano at Stanford Medical School in California. “But we are moving forward cautiously.”
Fading immunity
The human immune system is a complex beast whose multitudinous cellular and molecular components work together to shape development, protect against infections, help wounds to heal and eliminate cells that threaten to become cancerous. But it becomes less effective as people age and the system’s composition starts to change. In older age, people become susceptible to a range of infectious and non-infectious diseases — and more resistant to the protective power of vaccines.
The immune system has two main components: a fast-acting innate system, which destroys invading pathogens indiscriminately, and a more-precise adaptive immune system, whose components learn to recognize specific foreign bacteria and viruses and generate antibodies against them.
The HS cells in the bone marrow spawn the immune cells of both arms of the system. They differentiate into two main classes — lymphoid and myeloid — which go on to differentiate further. Lymphoid cells are mostly responsible for adaptive immunity, and include: B cells, which produce antibodies; T cells, which help to attack invaders and orchestrate complex immune responses; and natural killer cells, which destroy infected cells. Myeloid cells include a raft of cell types involved mostly in innate immunity.
Proteins inside immune-cell-generating stem cells become more symmetrical with age (right).Credit: Eva Mejia-Ramirez
One of the earliest changes in the immune system as people age is the shrinking of the thymus, which begins after puberty. This organ is the crucible for T cells, but a lot of the tissue has turned to fat by the time people hit their 30s, slashing the production of new T cells and diminishing the power of the immune system. What’s more, the function of T cells alters as they age and become less specialized in their ability to recognize infectious agents.
The proportions of different types of immune cell circulating in the blood also changes. The ratio of myeloid to lymphoid cells skews markedly towards myeloid cells, which can drive inflammation. Moreover, increasing numbers of immune cells become senescent, meaning that they stop replicating but don’t die.
Any cell in the body can become senescent, typically when damaged by a mutation. Once in this state, cells start to secrete inflammatory signals, flagging themselves for destruction. This is an important anticancer and wound-healing mechanism that works well in youth. But when too much damage accumulates with ageing — and immune cells themselves also become senescent — the mechanism breaks down. Senescent immune cells, attracted by the inflammatory signals from senescent tissue, secrete their own inflammatory molecules. So not only do they fail to clean up properly, but they also add to the inflammation that damages surrounding healthy tissue. The phenomenon is known as ‘inflammaging’.
“It becomes a terrible positive feedback — a never-ending dance of destruction,” says immunologist Arne Akbar at University College London.
And evidence suggests that this feedback loop is kicked off by the immune system. In a series of experiments in mice4, Laura Niedernhofer at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis has shown that immune-cell senescence actually drives senescence in other tissues. “These cells are extremely dangerous,” she says.
Her team used genetic methods to eliminate an important DNA-repair enzyme in the immune system of the mice. The animals remained healthy until adulthood but then, unable to correct accumulating mutations, various types of immune cell started to become senescent.
A few months later, increasing numbers of cells in organs such as the liver and kidney also fell into senescence, and the organs showed signs of damage. These effects were all reversed when the scientists gave the mice immune cells from the spleens of young, healthy mice.
All of this suggests that fixing the characteristics of immune-system ageing could help to prevent or mitigate diseases of ageing, says Niedernhofer.
Battling senescence
Many scientists are trying to do just that, from very different angles. Lots of the approaches hint that very short treatments of the immune system might have long-term effects, keeping side effects to a more manageable minimum.
One approach is to tackle senescent immune cells head on, using drugs to either remove them or block the inflammatory factors they secrete. “Senescent immune cells have long been known to be very modifiable in humans,” says Niedernhofer. “They go up if you smoke and down if you exercise.”
Are your organs ageing well? The blood holds clues
Some drugs — such as dasatinib, which is approved for the treatment of some cancers, and quercetin, which is marketed as an antioxidant dietary supplement but not approved as a drug — are known to reduce the age-related acceleration of senescence, and dozens of clinical trials are testing their impact on various age-related diseases. Niedernhofer herself is involved in a small clinical trial on older people with sepsis, a condition that becomes more deadly with age.
Her team is also doing experiments to assess which of the many types of immune cell is the most important in driving senescence in the body, which should help in the design of more precise therapies. Two types — T cells and natural killer cells — are emerging as key contenders, she says. She plans to screen natural products and drugs already approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration for their ability to interact with those types of immune cell in senescence.
Akbar thinks that targeting inflammation itself might be as effective as targeting the senescent cells. He and his colleagues did a study in healthy volunteers using the investigational compound losmapimod, which blocks an enzyme involved in the production of inflammatory molecules called cytokines. They treated the volunteers with the drug for four days, and then, over the course of a week, measured their skin responses to an injection of the virus that causes chickenpox. Most people are exposed to this virus during their lives and it frequently lingers in the body. But with age, people tend to lose their immunity to it, and it can then manifest as shingles. The drug restored the immune response in the skin in older volunteers to a level similar to that seen in the younger volunteers5. In unpublished work, Akbar has found the same robust skin results up to three months later.
“Temporarily blocking inflammation in this way to allow the immune system to function might similarly boost the response of older patients to flu vaccinations,” says Akbar.
Immune boost
The value of priming the aged immune system before administering a vaccine has been demonstrated in a series of clinical trials led by researcher Joan Mannick, chief executive of Tornado Therapeutics, which is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Those trials tested analogues of the drug rapamycin and other drugs with similar mechanisms, which target the immune system and are approved for prevention of organ transplant rejection and for the treatment of some cancers. The drugs block an enzyme, called mTOR, that is crucial for many physiological functions and which becomes dysregulated in old age.
For several weeks before receiving their influenza vaccinations, trial participants were treated with doses of the drugs that were low enough to avoid side effects. This treatment regimen improved their responses to the vaccine, and boosted the ability of their immune systems to resist viral infections in general.
Vaccines tend to work less efficiently in older adults, but new approaches could boost their power.Credit: Hector Vivas/Getty
But rapamycin can raise susceptibility to infection and affect metabolism, so Mannick is planning trials with similar drugs that might have a safer profile. “But there are all sorts of different ways to try to improve the immune system,” she notes.
One other way is to try to restore the function of the thymus to maintain the production of new T cells. Immunologist Jarrod Dudakov at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington, is researching the basic biology of thymus cells to try to work out how they regenerate themselves after stressful assaults. “It’s all a bit early to see how this understanding will translate into the clinic,” he says. But he thinks that maintaining the ability of the thymus to generate a broad repertoire of T cells will be “foundational”.
Others are trying to combat ageing by generating thymic tissue from pluripotent stem cells for eventual transplantation. But Greg Fahy, chief scientific officer at Intervene Immune in Torrance, California, says he sees no need to wait for these long-term prospects to come to fruition, because an available drug — synthetic growth hormone — is already known to regenerate thymus tissue. He is doing a series of small studies on healthy volunteers using growth hormone as part of a cocktail of compounds. Early results indicate that the participants show increased levels of functional thymic tissue, and that their epigenetic clock — a biomarker of ageing — reverses by a couple of years6. Fahy is now extending the trial to look at whether the drug cocktail also improves physical fitness in a larger group of volunteers.
Turn back time
Another approach, not yet in the clinic, is to partially reprogram immune cells, to try to turn back the clock in cells that have become senescent. This involves transiently exposing the cells in a dish to a cocktail of transcription factors known to induce a pluripotent state in adult cells.
Reversal of biological clock restores vision in old mice
Sebastiano and his colleagues have shown in human cells that this process corrects the epigenetic changes that occur with ageing7. He has co-founded a start-up company to use the technique to try to counteract a problem in a cancer therapy known as CAR T, in which T cells are engineered outside the body to target and destroy a person’s cancer. But the T cells can turn senescent before they can be returned to the person. Rejuvenating them during the generation process would make production quicker and more robust, says Sebastiano.
Florian’s approach, too, aims to produce healthier immune cells — inside the body1,2. HS cells in the blood rack up epigenetic changes, and their environment also changes as they age. This causes proteins in the cells to arrange themselves more symmetrically — a process known as polarization — which shifts the balance of stem-cell differentiation in favour of myeloid cells over lymphoid cells. Florian’s studies used a four-day treatment with a compound, called CASIN, that inhibits one part of this process to correct the polarization, and helped the mice to live longer.
The team saw the same life-extending effects when HS cells from old mice given CASIN were transplanted into old mice that hadn’t received the treatment. “This very small step had a large impact,” says Florian.
Florian next hopes to bring her work to the clinic. As a first case study, she thinks her drug might support regeneration of the immune system after people receive chemotherapy for cancer.
How old?
Research on immune ageing faces some fundamental challenges. One is shared with ageing studies in all organs — the inability to measure ageing precisely.
“We don’t know in a quantitative, measurable, predictive way what ageing means at the molecular level in different cell types,” says Sebastiano. “Without those benchmarks, it is very hard to show rejuvenation.” Last year, a consortium of academics got together to begin developing a consensus on biomarkers of ageing — which will be essential when scientists come to seek approval from regulatory agencies for anti-ageing therapies.
Another challenge is the difficulty in pinning down what makes one immune cell unique. Until recently, it has been hard to demonstrate which subtypes of immune cells live where, and how they change with time.
But technologies such as single-cell RNA sequencing, which quantitatively measures the genes being expressed in individual cells, have tightened up analysis. A large study of immune cells in the blood of mice and humans across a range of ages published last November, for example, revealed 55 subpopulations. Just twelve of those changed with age8.
With so many strands of research coming together, scientists are cautiously hopeful that the immune system will indeed prove to be a key lever in healthy ageing. Don’t expect an elixir of youth any time soon, says Florian — by definition, ageing research takes a long time. “But there is such great potential for translation.”