Category: 4. Technology

Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9 that the next version of the iPhone’s operating system will be called iOS 26. The tech giant said that update will bring a transparent glass design to icons and menus, a new Games app and much more to your iPhone this fall. But when Apple released iOS 18.4 in March, the update brought a handful of new controls to the iPhone Control Center, including one that brings Visual Intelligence to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

When Apple released iOS 18 in September, that update remodeled the Control Center to give you more control over how the feature functions. With iOS 18, you can resize controls, assign some controls to their own dedicated page and adjust the placement of controls to your liking. Apple also introduced more controls to the feature, making it a central hub for all your most-used iPhone features.

Read more: iOS 26 Lets Us Kill the 9-Minute Snooze Once and For All

With iOS 18.4, Apple continues to expand the number of controls you can add to the Control Center. If you have the update on your iPhone, you can add ambient music controls, and Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhones get a few AI controls in the menu, too. Here’s what you need to know about the new controls and how to add them to your Control Center.

Ambient Music controls

Apple gave everyone four new controls in the Control Center library under the Ambient Music category. These controls are Sleep, Chill, Productivity and Wellbeing. Each of these controls can activate a playlist filled with music that corresponds to the specific control. Sleep, for instance, plays ambient music to help lull you to bed.

Some studies suggest white noise could help adults learn words and improve learning in environments full of distractions. According to the mental health company Calm, certain kinds of music can help you fall asleep faster and improve the quality of your sleep. So these new controls can help you learn, fall asleep and more.

Here’s how to find these controls.

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your Home Screen to open your Control Center. 
2. Tap the plus (+) sign in the top-left corner of your screen.
3. Tap Add a Control.

You’ll see a section of controls called Ambient Music. You can also search for “Ambient Music” in the search bar at the top of the control library. Under Ambient Music, you’ll see all four controls. Tap one (or all) of them to add them to your Control Center. Once you’ve added one or all the controls to your Control Center, go back to your Control Center and tap one to start playing music.

Here’s how to change the playlist for each control.

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your Home Screen to open your Control Center.
2. Tap the plus (+) sign in the top-left corner of your screen.
3. Tap the Ambient Music control you want to edit.
4. Tap the playlist to the right of Playlist.

A dropdown menu will appear with additional playlists for each control. If you’re in the Sleep control, you’ll see playlists like Restful Notes and Lo-Fi Snooze. If you have playlists in your Music app, then you’ll also see an option From Library, which pulls music from your library. Tap whichever playlist you want and it will be assigned to that control.

Apple already lets you transform your iPhone into a white noise machine with Background Sounds, like ocean and rain. But Ambient Music is actual music as opposed to more static sounds like in that feature.

Both of these features feel like a way for Apple to present itself as the first option for whenever you want some background music to help you fall asleep or be productive. Other services, like Spotify and YouTube, already have ambient music playlists like these, so this could be Apple’s way of taking some of those service’s audience.

Apple Intelligence controls

Only people with an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or the iPhone 16 lineup can access Apple Intelligence features for now, and those people got three new dedicated Apple Intelligence controls with iOS 18.4. Those controls are Talk to Siri, Type to Siri and Visual Intelligence.

Here’s how to find these controls.

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your Home Screen to open your Control Center.
2. Tap the plus (+) sign in the top-left corner of your screen.
3. Tap Add a Control.

Then you can use the search bar near the top of the screen to search for “Apple Intelligence” or you can scroll through the menu to find the Apple Intelligence & Siri section. Tap any (or all) of these controls to add them to your Control Center. While Talk to Siri and Type to Siri controls can be helpful if you have trouble accessing the digital assistant, the Visual Intelligence control is important because it brings the Apple Intelligence feature to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

Visual Intelligence was originally only accessible on the iPhone 16 lineup because those devices have the Camera Control button. With iOS 18.4, Visual Intelligence is now accessible on more devices and people thanks to the titular control in Control Center. But remember, Visual Intelligence is like any other AI tool so it won’t always be accurate. You should double check results and important information it shows you.

For more on iOS 18, here’s what you need to know about iOS 18.5 and iOS 18.4, as well as our iOS 18 cheat sheet. You can also check out what you should know about iOS 26.

SAVE $400: As of July 3, the iRobot Roomba Plus 405 is on sale for $399.99 at Amazon. That’s a 50% saving on the list price.

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If a robot vacuum has been on your wishlist for a while, chances are you’ve come across the name Roomba. And with Prime Day around the corner, we’re already seeing discounts on almost every single new Roomba.

As of July 3, the iRobot Roomba Plus 405 is on sale for $399.99. This deal saves you $400 on list price, and is the lowest-ever price according to camelcamelcamel. Our robot vacuum expert has hand-picked this deal as one of the best ahead of Prime Day.

And for under $400, you’re getting a lot. It has seriously powerful suction, as well as intense cleaning with its dual mop pads and SmartScrub tech. It even has a rubber brush that works across surfaces alongside an edge-sweeping brush to get right into corners. The dual mop pads also spin and create a downward pressure scrub, so even the hardest of messes are no problem.

And it can map out your home quickly and efficiently with ClearView LiDAR, avoiding stairs and navigating around any obstacles.

Mashable Deals

You can control everything in the Roomba app; just open it up to schedule routines, check filter health, or tell it to focus on certain rooms. You can choose between vacuuming, mopping, combo cleaning, or vacuuming before mopping, and the mop pads lift automatically when your carpet is detected. All from the push of a (smartphone) button.

You can find this incredible deal at Amazon now.

Italian cabling giant Prysmian Group will soon kick off the second phase of cabling works in UK waters for NeuConnect, a high-voltage submarine cable that will create the first direct energy transmission link between the UK and Germany.

The 725-kilometer land and subsea cable system is said to create an “invisible energy highway” capable of transferring 1.4 GW of electricity, enough to power 1.5 million homes, in either direction, with converter stations on the Isle of Grain in Kent and Wilhelmshaven in northern Germany.

Construction work at the UK site on the Isle of Grain began in the summer of 2023, with construction in Germany following in May 2024.

Prysmian completed the first phase of cabling works in UK waters in November 2024, installing 56 kilometers of onshore and subsea cables.

The Italian company will on July 7 recommence cable installation operations using its cable laying vessel (CLV) Leonardo da Vinci. This second campaign is expected to be completed in September.

The third phase of cabling works is planned to begin mid-November, with completion slated for January 2026.

NeuConnect is expected to be operational by 2028.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐛 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞?

𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝟓𝟎% 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬!

It took time, but Apple has now joined Meta’s social media platform, Threads, nearly two years post-launch. Threads. Over 4.8 million people followed the verified @apple account right away. This resulted from Meta’s Instagram auto-follow function. All of the company’s Instagram followers were instantly added to the Threads account. The same strategy boosted Threads at its launch.

Threads is still considered a growing alternative to X, formerly Twitter. However, its long-term engagement remains to be seen. Apple’s new account has not yet shared any posts. Its function and potential applications are currently unknown. However, as was done on X in the past, the business may employ Threads for promotional content.

There, the company has over 9.8 million followers, though it does not engage in regular posting on that platform. However, Apple actively posts to its 34 million+ Instagram followers as part of its “Shot on iPhone” campaign. Now, threads could be used as a placeholder or as a new home for upcoming announcements or campaigns.

In a digital culture addicted to scrolling, Heineken is flipping the script with a move that feels both genius and slightly ironic: a mobile phone plan that helps people disconnect – by sending them reminder texts.

Launching in Finland in partnership with telco Moi Mobiili, ‘HeiMobile’ is being billed as the world’s first “social mobile plan.”

Rather than endless data and dopamine hits, the plan pings users with real-world perks—tickets to events, leisure experiences, and nudges to get out and meet people.

It’s screen time with an off switch.

It’s also smart timing. According to DNA’s annual Digital Life survey, 40% of Finns admit they struggle to disconnect from the internet, rising to 57% among 25–34-year-olds.

The idea that a mobile plan could counteract this feels counterintuitive – until you consider how much of the anxiety starts with the phone itself.

“We want to bring genuine presence and joyful moments back,” says Pekko Koski, Product Manager for Heineken who sees the initiative as a kind of digital detox that doesn’t require deleting apps or going off-grid.

The brand is kicking things off by enlisting hyper-online influencers to trial the plan this summer. It’s a self-aware twist: using people who live online to promote logging off.

“They too realise it’s about balance,” says Nabil Nasser, Heineken’s Global Head.

This isn’t Heineken’s first IRL-first idea – its part of a masterbrand campaign. This year Heineken took aim at digital burnout with its global campaign “Social off socials”, created by LePub, and fronted by Joe Jonas.

The beer brand launched an invention designed to nudge you off your phone the next time you’re at the pub and a campaign to tackle mobile phone use at concerts.

Heineken’s move into mobile networks signals a culture shift. Not a rejection of tech, but a reimagining of how we use it.

Because as Koski puts it, “People long for a time when being together didn’t require a phone.”

The campaign was delivered by United Imaginations.

Google is bringing its Ad Solutions to life in a fresh new way for marketers and entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia, launching its first ever YouTube creator series featuring Singaporean YouTube personality Annette Lee, as alter ego Aunty M.

For the first time, Google has collaborated with handpicked YouTube creators to strengthen perceptions about the effectiveness and efficiency of Google and YouTube Ads Solutions, with the series created by The Carrot Collective and VIRTUE Asia supporting on creator strategy and selection.

The first episode features Annette, known for her short video series such as #ChatsWithChantelle, #AsianParentTings, and YouTube shows like Glowing Up and News Plannette, as Aunty M – the fast-talking, straight-shooting host with a flair for turning marketing jargon into plain speak, as she learns how to market her fiery sambal belacan business.

Designed to demystify the platforms advertising products through fun, entertaining and relatable content, the episodic series shows Aunty M travelling across the region chatting to marketing professionals on how to make the most of Google and YouTube Ads Solutions.

While marketers are increasingly turning to digital ad solutions, content about ad products has remained largely static, often technical, occasionally dry, and rarely delivered in a format optimised for how audiences consume content.

Find more of the series here.

Samit Malkani, group marketing creative manager at Google Southeast Asia and South Asia frontier, said, “The world doesn’t need more boring b2b content about how to launch a new ad campaign. Our products are constantly evolving, so it was time our storytelling did too. This series lets us speak to marketers and entrepreneurs on their terms, in ways that feel accessible, local, and culturally relevant.”

The content format and distribution strategy for the ‘Marketing Unfiltered’ series is similar to that used by US talk shows, with full episodes to drive engagement, mid-form segments to build audience relevance and short-form highlights to drive frequency.

The Carrot Collective’s CEO and co-founder, David Webster, said, “Our aim with Aunty M was to reframe how b2b marketing shows up – less as a product explainer, and more as a narrative universe designed to resonate with the real frustrations and ambitions of entrepreneurs across the region. By anchoring the series in character, humour and cultural insight, we’ve created a platform that doesn’t just inform, it builds affinity, earns attention, and drives deeper engagement at scale.”

​Zoe Chen, strategy director at VIRTUE Asia, added, “Many YouTube creators are already creating content about Google Ads Solutions so this was an opportunity to claim that narrative by collaborating with them to produce engaging content. Our strategy was rooted in authenticity, humour and regional relevance. The brilliant Annette Lee, who brings Aunty M to life, was a natural choice. She’s already beloved across Southeast Asia for her relatable comedic characters that capture the essence and cultural diversity of Southeast Asia, and an entrepreneur herself, Annette was the perfect bridge between complex ad solutions and entertainment. Creating the character of Aunty M with her meant that this isn’t just creator-led content, it’s creator-shaped strategy.”

The content series will roll out across Google’s regional YouTube channels in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, supported by a paid media campaign across social platforms. Episode one is live now, with more to follow throughout the year.

Fabio Pavanello and co-authors discuss the importance of security layers in computer systems, particularly in the context of the Horizon Europe NEUROPULS project, which focuses on innovative security solutions based on novel neuromorphic architectures and PUF-based security layers

Security layers are critical to protecting computer systems from threats. They often rely on cryptographic protocols that use secret keys, which are typically stored in memory. However, storing such sensitive data in non-volatile digital memory can pose risks, especially if exploited through hardware vulnerabilities. To address this, the Horizon Europe NEUROPULS project is exploring novel solutions based on integrated photonics

Security layers are critical to protecting computer systems from threats. They often rely on cryptographic protocols that use secret keys, which are typically stored in memory. However, storing such sensitive data in non-volatile digital memory can pose risks, especially if exploited through hardware vulnerabilities. To address this, the Horizon Europe NEUROPULS project is exploring novel solutions based on integrated photonics.

Physical unclonable functions are robust hardware primitives One promising approach is the use of Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) – hardware elements that generate secure responses only when needed, removing the need for memory storage. Unlike software-based generators, PUFs derive their strength from physical randomness introduced during the manufacturing process. This makes them hard to duplicate or predict – ideal traits for building secure systems.

Integrated photonics, a key technology for next-generation low-power accelerators, also offers new possibilities for PUFs. Light signals, sensitive to tiny variations in manufacturing, can be harnessed for high-entropy, CMOS-compatible security features. Photonic PUFs could also resist Machine Learning and side-channel attacks more effectively than current solutions.

Simulating security with gem5

The integration of photonic PUFs into the gem5 simulator represents an important opportunity for advancing hardware security research. Given gem5’s modular architecture and its capability to simulate complex system architectures, it provides an ideal platform for modeling the unique characteristics of photonic PUFs, including their challenge-response mechanisms. By leveraging gem5’s flexible framework, researchers can model the interaction between photonic components and conventional computing elements in terms of timing and power consumption, particularly important for simulating the integration of these PUFs with CMOS-compatible platforms, such as RISC-V.

Looking forward, integrating photonic PUF models into gem5 could be aligned with TPM standards, providing a comprehensive security simulation environment. The TPM’s standardized approach to hardware-based security features could serve as a blueprint for implementing photonic PUF functionality within the simulator. This integration would be particularly valuable as it would allow researchers to simulate how photonic PUFs could enhance existing TPM capabilities.

Security protocols and services leveraging PUFs

In NEUROPULS, PUFs are used to deliver a series of services to the photonic accelerator under development. They encompass low-level services, such as key generation and data encryption, as well as high-level protocols, including authentication and software attestation. These security services and protocols leverage PUFs as the root of trust to secure the photonic accelerator, including not only the hardware components (e.g., with authentication) but also the software running on it, for instance, with the possibility to attest that the accelerator only runs firmware and apps that are authentic and not tampered with.

Current challenges

Despite their promise, widespread adoption of photonic PUFs faces hurdles:

1. Co-integration with photonic accelerators –
   • Photonic PUFs should seamlessly co-integrate with photonic accelerators to ensure their security without compromising computing flows in terms of energy consumption, latency, or adding excessive hardware constraints that affect overall footprint and costs.
2. ML modeling –
   • Photonic circuits often operate in a linear regime. However, to achieve complex behavior in photonic PUFs, optical non-linearities shall be exploited. To trigger such non-linearities, large optical powers, fast time scales, etc., shall be accessed, which imposes tight hardware constraints to address.
3. Photonic PUFs system integration –
   • Photonic PUFs shall not only provide a series of properties but also be suitable for integration in real-world computing systems where noise, ambient fluctuations, etc., are present. Besides, their access should be straightforward from a high-level operating system point where security protocols can easily access PUF responses.

Ongoing research

NEUROPULS tackles these challenges by:

• Investigating techniques to co-integrate the photonic accelerator under development with photonic PUFs, leveraging the required hardware for the photonic accelerator operation.
• Developing PUF designs that can be more resilient to ML attacks, e.g., investigating the introduction of non-linearities at different stages of the interrogation flow, but also by coupling photonic and electronic PUFs together.
• Developing security protocols supported by accurate simulation frameworks fully considering photonic PUFs operation flow within a computing system, as well as their performance in terms of, e.g., higher response rate generation (Gbit/s) and reduced latency (~ ns) compared to purely electronic approaches.

By leveraging the novel technologies developed in NEUROPULS, photonic PUFs can become an attractive alternative, enabling real-scenario security layers with higher strength against common attack vectors while offering seamless integration with photonic accelerators.

The winter 2025 edition of Tomorrowland, held in the French ski resort of Alpe d’Huez, also featured indoor stages and was a preview for the kind of immersive, climate-controlled environment that will be replicated in Shanghai.

With The Magic of Tomorrowland in Shanghai, organisers are looking to introduce this evolving format to a new audience, adapting the brand’s large-scale appeal for an urban, indoor setting in Asia.

Thailand has also recently announced that the country will host a Tomorrowland festival in 2026, to be held in Chon Buri province.

In the meantime, this year’s flagship edition of Tomorrowland in its home country is set to open in a couple of weeks, kicking off on July 18 to 20, and then again on its second weekend on July 25 to 27 in Boom, Belgium. Featuring the theme “Orbyz”, the festival expects about 400,000 people from all over the world to attend.

What’s changed with the new Switch dock?

Nintendo has locked down the new Switch 2’s USB-C port with proprietary protocols and firmware-level encryption. That means all previously working third-party docks, that were popular for being compact or affordable, will now be obsolete. Even the official dock from the first-gen Switch doesn’t make the cut. The new dock runs on a different 20V power profile and uses updated HDMI output standards, breaking plug-and-play convenience for gamers used to setting up in multiple rooms or on the go.

A few accessory makers have rushed out “Switch 2-compatible” docks, but these options have proven hit-or-miss and often stop working after firmware updates.

Why third-party docks no longer work

Nintendo’s new system checks for dock authentication at both the software and hardware level. It uses firmware handshakes and encryption to verify that a dock is official before enabling TV output. Power delivery has also changed. Switch 2 needs a consistent 20V input that most third-party docks can’t guarantee.

Using a non-certified dock might not just fail, it could brick your console, overheat components, or lead to connectivity issues that show up days or weeks later. There’s also the looming risk of account bans if the system flags unsupported accessories during online play. While Nintendo says this is a safety move (to avoid repeats of bricked consoles from cheap docks), it also means you’re locked into buying only official gear.

Official guidance and user warnings

Nintendo’s support pages now clearly state: Only the new Switch 2 dock is compatible. Older docks and third-party options, even if marketed for the Switch, aren’t supported.

Users on Reddit and Discord forums report flaky video output, charging glitches, and even complete failures with early third-party Switch 2 docks. Some have turned to workarounds, but these involve firmware downgrades and cable swaps that come with their own risks. One common thread across all user experiences: If it’s not official, it’s unstable.

What this means for gamers

If you’ve been relying on a third-party dock or charger for travel or second-room setups, it’s time to budget for the official Switch 2 dock. At around ₹8,000– ₹10,000, it’s a significant cost, but it’s the only safe and fully supported option right now.

It also creates an e-waste problem. Many third-party docks now lie useless, adding to the pile of gadgets rendered obsolete by a single protocol change. Nintendo hasn’t offered a trade-in or recycle program yet, which only makes the situation worse.

Nintendo’s move to restrict docking options with the new Switch signals a stricter, more closed-off hardware ecosystem. If you’re buying into the new generation, play it safe and stick to official docks and chargers, even if it costs more.

And if you’re waiting for third-party solutions to catch up, keep an eye on firmware updates and certified releases, but steer clear of shortcuts in the meantime.