Its a tale of two phones. The Google Pixel 9a (seen on the left in the image above) is set to release soon, with pre-order deals ready to launch at any moment. Unfortunately, the anticipated budget phone has run into delays. The good news is that we can now get the Google Pixel 8a (seen on the right in the image above) for a much cheaper price, down $100 to $399 for an unlocked phone and $200 to $299 for a locked phone from Best Buy. Those are both from the base price of $499, which is what the 9a will retail at as well, so it is incredibly easy to do a cost comparison. Here, were going to make the case for getting a Google Pixel 8a on a discount instead of waiting for the delayed, full-price Google Pixel 9a. If you dont need any reassurance, however, you can tap the button below to start shopping.First and foremost, one of the big appeals of Googles -a series Pixel phones is that they are quality, affordable smartphones. So, getting a slightly older one at a huge discount makes a lot of sense. The 8a has scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on its display and the Google Pixel 8as IP67 weather resistant case thats nearly as good as the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pros IP68. Likewise it has a nice OLED screen and a 120Hz refresh rate that puts many similarly priced tablets to shame. The 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (theres a 256GB storage version, too, but the deal is for 128) make this a decently powerful machine, too.When some of the best phones can cost close to $1,000 or more, getting a Google Pixel 8a at $399 or even $299 is not a bad deal at all. And, as mentioned in our Google Pixel 8a review, the phone has a long update commitment window and an AI photo-editing suite youll certainly have fun with.RelatedBut at times like these, the question isnt what the Pixel 8a is, it is what itis not. Are you going to be missing out on greatness getting an 8a ahead of the 9a launch? Our exploration of the Google Pixel 9a vs 8a certainly shines a bright light on the 9a, as it should. The Google Pixel 9a is the better phone. If it wasnt, it wouldnt exist. But, with the 8a down $100 or even $200 (thats $399 or $299 from $499) and available now, it is hard to overlook the 8as charms. If youre a budget lover, this is a glorious moment to buy the Google Pixel 8a, and you can do so by tapping the button below.Editors Recommendations

Bad forecast Europe is looking for alternatives to US cloud providers Some European cloud companies have seen an increase in business. Matt Burgess, wired.com Mar 25, 2025 9:12 am | 27 Credit: Getty Images Credit: Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreThe global backlash against the second Donald Trump administration keeps on growing. Canadians have boycotted US-made products, antiElon Musk posters have appeared across London amid widespread Tesla protests, and European officials have drastically increased military spending as US support for Ukraine falters. Dominant US tech services may be the next focus.There are early signs that some European companies and governments are souring on their use of American cloud services provided by the three so-called hyperscalers. Between them, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) host vast swathes of the Internet and keep thousands of businesses running. However, some organizations appear to be reconsidering their use of these companies cloud servicesincluding servers, storage, and databasesciting uncertainties around privacy and data access fears under the Trump administration.Theres a huge appetite in Europe to de-risk or decouple the over-dependence on US tech companies, because there is a concern that they could be weaponized against European interests, says Marietje Schaake, a nonresident fellow at Stanfords Cyber Policy Center and a former decadelong member of the European Parliament.The moves may already be underway. On March 18, politicians in the Netherlands House of Representatives passed eight motions asking the government to reduce reliance on US tech companies and move to European alternatives. Days before, more than 100 organizations signed an open letter to European officials calling for the continent to become more technologically independent and saying the status quo creates security and reliability risks.Two European-based cloud service companies, Exoscale and Elastx, tell WIRED they have seen an uptick in potential customers looking to abandon US cloud providers over the last two weekswith some already starting to make the jump. Multiple technology advisers say they are having widespread discussions about what it would take to uproot services, data, and systems.We have more demand from across Europe, says Mathias Nbauer, the CEO of Swiss-based hosting provider Exoscale, adding there has been an increase in new customers seeking to move away from cloud giants. Some customers were very explicit, Nbauer says. Especially customers from Denmark being very explicit that they want to move away from US hyperscalers because of the US administration and what they said about Greenland.It's a big worry about the uncertainty around everything. And from the Europeans perspectivethat the US is maybe not on the same team as us any longer, says Joakim hman, the CEO of Swedish cloud provider Elastx. Those are the drivers that bring people or organizations to look at alternatives.Concerns have been raised about the current data-sharing agreement between the EU and US, which is designed to allow information to move between the two continents while protecting peoples rights. Multiple previous versions of the agreement have been struck down by European courts. At the end of January, Trump fired three Democrats from the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), which helps manage the current agreement. The move could undermine or increase uncertainty around the agreement. In addition, hman says, he has heard concerns from firms about the CLOUD Act, which can allow US law enforcement to subpoena user data from tech companies, potentially including data that is stored in systems outside of the US.Dave Cottlehuber, the founder of SkunkWerks, a small tech infrastructure firm in Austria, says he has been moving the companys few servers and databases away from US providers to European services since the start of the year. First and foremost, its about values, Cottlehuber says. For me, privacy is a right not a privilege. Cottlehuber says the decision to move is easier for a small business such as his, but he argues it removes some taxes that are paid to the Trump administration. The best thing I can do is to remove that small contribution of mine, and also at the same time, make sure that my customers privacy is respected and preserved, Cottlehuber says.Steffen Schmidt, the CEO of Medicusdata, a company that provides text-to-speech services to doctors and hospitals in Europe, says that having data in Europe has always been a must, but his customers have been asking for more in recent weeks. Since the beginning of 2025, in addition to data residency guarantees, customers have actively asked us to use cloud providers that are natively European companies, Schmidt says, adding that some of his services have been moved to Nbauers Exoscale.Harry Staight, a spokesperson for AWS, says it is not accurate that customers are moving from AWS to EU alternatives. Our customers have control over where they store their data and how it is encrypted, and we make the AWS Cloud sovereign-by-design, Staight says. AWS services support encryption with customer managed keys that are inaccessible to AWS, which means customers have complete control of who accesses their data. Staight says the membership of the PCLOB does not impact the agreements around EU-US data sharing and that the CLOUD Act has additional safeguards for cloud content. Google and Microsoft declined to comment.The potential shift away from US tech firms is not just linked to cloud providers. Since January 15, visitors to the European Alternatives website increased more than 1,200 percent. The site lists everything from music streaming services to DDoS protection tools, says Marko Saric, a cofounder of European cloud analytics service Plausible. We can certainly feel that something is going on, Saric says, claiming that during the first 18 days of March the company has beaten the net recurring revenue growth it saw in January and February. This is organic growth which cannot be explained by any seasonality or our activities, he says.While there are signs of movement, the impact is likely to be smallat least for now. Around the world, governments and businesses use multiple cloud servicessuch as authentication measures, hosting, data storage, and increasingly data centers providing AI processingfrom the big three cloud and tech service providers. Cottlehuber says that, for large businesses, it may take many months, if not longer, to consider what needs to be moved, the risks involved, plus actually changing systems. What happens if you have a hundred petabytes of storage, it's going to take years to move over the Internet, he says.For years, European companies have struggled to compete with the likes of Google, Microsoft, and Amazons cloud services and technical infrastructure, which make billions every year. It may also be difficult to find similar services on the scale of those provided by alternative European cloud firms.If you are deep into the hyperscaler cloud ecosystem, youll struggle to find equivalent services elsewhere, says Bert Hubert, an entrepreneur and former government regulator, who says he has heard of multiple new cloud migrations to US firms being put on hold or reconsidered. Hubert has argued that it is no longer safe for European governments to be moved to US clouds and that European alternatives cant properly compete. We sell a lot of fine wood here in Europe. But not that much furniture, he says. However, that too could change.Schaake, the former member of the European Parliament, says a combination of new investments, a different approach to buying public services, and a Europe-first approach or investing in a European technology stack could help to stimulate any wider moves on the continent. The dramatic shift of the Trump administration is very tangible, Schaake says. The idea that anything could happen and that Europe should fend for itself is clear. Now we need to see the same kind of pace and leadership that we see with defense to actually turn this into meaningful action.This story originally appeared on wired.com.Matt Burgess, wired.com Wired.com is your essential daily guide to what's next, delivering the most original and complete take you'll find anywhere on innovation's impact on technology, science, business and culture. 27 Comments

brrrrrr How Polestar engineers EVs that can handle brutal winters Heat pumps, throttle maps, and a whole lot of going sideways. Michael Teo Van Runkle Mar 25, 2025 8:44 am | 5 Credit: Polestar Credit: Polestar Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn morePolestar provided flights from Los Angeles to Lulea and accommodation so Ars could visit Polestar's winter testing site. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.LULEA, SwedenStaring out the window of a puddle jumper descending from Stockholm into Lulea, I spy frozen seawater for the first time in my life. Not nearly as much as I expected, though, for the middle of February at the northern end of Sweden. I've flown here to drift electric Polestars on an icy lake called Stor-Skabram, near the small outpost of Jokkmokk, fully above the Arctic Circle. Yet the balmy weather serves as a constant reminder of the climate change that inspires much of the narrative around the electric vehicle industry.EVs on iceAn opportunity to get somebody else's cars sideways as much as possible on ice and snow is a particularly enjoyable way to spend a day, if you like driving cars. More importantly, automotive manufacturers rely on this kind of winter testing to fine-tune traction and stability-control programming, ensuring their cars can work well in the depths of the deepest winter. For EVs in particular, winter testing presents a more complex range of equations.First of all, an EV can't ever turn the electronic nannies off entirely, because electric motors will rev to the moon with instantaneous torque the very instant their tires lose traction. So while software uses wheel speed sensors and regenerative braking, as well as accelerometers that detect yaw rates, each EV needs to then maintain progressive output responses to driver inputs that allow for confident performance and safety simultaneously. Credit: Polestar Then there's the issue of battery performance in cold weather, since chemical cells don't respond to frigid temps as well as simpler mechanical systems. For Polestar, these challenges seem extra important given the company's Scandinavian rootseven while nestled within the current Geely umbrella. (Then again, a bit of contrarianism springs up while considering Polestar's ubiquitous sustainability messaging, given the carbon footprint of flying journalists all the way to the top of the globe to enjoy some winter testing.)Screaming around the frozen lake, I quickly forget my moral qualms. Despite temperatures hovering around freezing at midday, the ice measures about a meter thick (39.3 inches). That measurement seems scant from behind the wheel of a heavy EV, even as the Swedes assure me that ice as thin as 25 cm (9.8 in) will suffice for driving cars and just 80 cm (31.5 in) will support train tracks and actual trains.And they should know, since Polestar Head of Driving Dynamics Joakim Rydholm told me he spends upwards of four months every winter testing here in Jokkmokk. Each year, Polestar sets up a trio of circuits, two smaller tracks within one larger loop, where I spend the day jumping between the minimalistically named 2, 3, and 4 EVs. Each wears winter tires with 2-millimeter studs to allow for plenty of slip and slide but also enough speed and predictability to be useful. Credit: Polestar I fall in love with the Polestar 4 most, despite preferring the 2 and 3 much more previously on more typical tarmac conditions. Maybe the 4's additional front bias helps for sustaining higher speed driftsand the lack of a rear window definitely presents less of a problem while looking out the side for 90 percent of each lap. But on the larger circuit where the 536 hp (400 kW) 4's sportier dynamics shine brightest, I typically draw down about half of the 100 kWh battery's charge in just about 25 minutes.Cold weather adaptationThe batteries must be warming up, I figure, as I press the pedal to the metal and drift as far and wide as the traction-control programming will allow. Or do the relatively cold ambient temps cut into range? Luckily, Head of Product Beatrice Simonsson awaits after each stint to explain how Polestar ensures that winter weather will not ruin EV performance.To start, Polestar uses NMC (lithium nickel manganese cobalt) batteries with prismatic cells, unlike the LFP (lithium iron phosphate) chemistry that many other manufacturers are increasingly turning to, largely for cost reasons. Each Polestar vehicle keeps its cells as close to optimum temperature as possible using a heat pump and radiators to circulate 20 liters (5.28 gallons) of coolant, about 5 liters (1.32 gallons) of which specifically regulate the battery temps. Credit: Polestar But the biggest surprise that Simonsson reveals involves battery pre-conditioning, which, instead of warming up the NMC batteries, actually focuses mostly on cabin and occupant comfort. She explains that even at 0 C (32 F), using the heat pump to reduce the internal resistance of the battery will only result in a few percent of total range gained. In other words, for short trips, the pre-conditioning process usually eats up more power than it might save. Simonsson also tells me that Polestars will usually run the batteries slightly cooler than the purely optimal temperature to save energy lost to the heat pump.The Jokkmokk testing regimen often sees temperatures as low as -30 to -35 C (or almost where Celsius and Fahrenheit meet at -40). Even at those temps, the motors themselves don't mind, since EV range depends more on cell chemistry than the mechanical engineering of radial or axial flux motors. NMC cells can charge faster at lower temperatures than LFP, though parking an EV here for an extended time and letting the batteries truly freeze over may result in temporary performance restrictions for output and charging. Even then, Polestar never sets a lower limit, or simply hasn't found a minimum temperature where charging and driving capabilities turn off entirely.The power ratings of the three different Polestars wound up mattering less than how their varying drivetrains managed steering and throttle inputs, sensor measurements, and the resulting power delivery. Credit: Polestar The 3 seems to struggle most, with perhaps too many variables for the computer to confidently handle at pacefront and rear motors, rear torque biasing, more weight, and a higher center of gravity. Rydholm explained from the passenger seat that the accelerometers in the center of the cars come into play all the more in low-traction scenarios, when the g-force calculations need to blend regen up to 0.3 g, for example, or allow for more output with the steering wheel held straight.Going sidewaysI learned quickly that starting drifts with momentum, rather than mashing the go pedal, worked far more effectively. The 2 in particular benefited from this method, since it weighs about 1,000 pounds (454 kg) less than a 3 or 4.Throughout the day, an experimental duo of vehicle-to-load Polestar 2 prototypes also powered the grouping of huts and tipis, saunas, lights, heaters, and even a kitchen on the ice. We also experienced a few ride-along laps in a trio of Arctic Circle editions. Finished in eye-catching livery plus racing seats, upgraded suspension, roof racks, and most importantly, tires with 4-millimeter studs, the Arctic Circles upped Polestar's Scandinavian rally racing heritage by a serious measure. Credit: Polestar As much as I hope for road-going versions of the Arctic Circle to hit the market, even the stock Polestars provided more evidence that EVs can workand be fun, engaging, and borderline rambunctious to driveall in some of the harshest conditions on the planet Earth. 5 Comments

Nathan Eddy, Freelance WriterMarch 25, 20255 Min ReadMohd Izzuan Roslan via Alamy StockFinance and IT leaders are shifting their approach to retaining top technology talent as traditional methods of salary increases and financial incentives alone are proving insufficient.This is prompting companies to focus on career development, workplace culture, and employee engagement.Meanwhile, demand for tech talent remains strong as companies across industries continue to prioritize hiring, according to CompTIAs latest analysis of US Bureau of Labor Statistics data.With demand outpacing supply in key areas like AI and cybersecurity, businesses are competing for top talent while also increasing job postings to meet future workforce needs and tech professionals are expecting meaningful growth opportunities.Chief financial officers and HR leaders must work together to implement strategies that prioritize professional development, mentorship, and internal mobility.Professional Growth Prioritized Over Pay One of the most effective ways to retain IT professionals is by offering clear career development pathways.According to TEKsystems State of Digital Transformation Report, 82% of digital leaders are poised to reskill or upskill their workforce.Cosmin Pitigoi, CFO at Flywire, emphasizes that employees are more engaged when they have continuous opportunities to strengthen their skills and expand their experiences. One of the best ways to keep top talent engaged is to have a clear professional development pathway and provide them opportunities to keep strengthening their skills and rounding out their career experiences, he says in an email interview.Related:Leslie Deutsch, vice president of people strategy at TEKsystems, says upskilling has become a major priority. Offering continuous learning and upskilling programs helps employees feel valued and invested in, she explains via email.Mentorship also plays a key role in this strategy, with Pitigoi stressing the importance of both formal and informal mentoring relationships to provide long-term career guidance.Ive benefited from a doors always open philosophy in my career and pay that forward in my current role, he says.He says when IT professionals feel they have support and guidance, they are more likely to stay engaged with their employer.Collaboration Between IT, Finance LeadersBalancing cost control with investments in professional development requires close collaboration between IT and finance teams.Both Deutsch and Pitigoi emphasize that talent retention should be viewed as a strategic investment rather than an expense.Related:Organizations should be leveraging data and analytics to understand how development is impacting productivity and have that inform any investment, Pitigoi says.Deutsch highlights the importance of forming cross-functional teams that include IT, finance, and HR stakeholders.These collaborations ensure that professional development investments align with both financial and operational goals, maximizing their impact on workforce retention.Another key aspect is fostering an owner mindset among employees, where individuals take responsibility for improving efficiency and identifying new ways to work smarter.Flexible Work, Internal Mobility, and Employee RetentionBeyond professional development, flexibility in work arrangements continues to be a crucial factor in IT retention.Remote work and hybrid models are now expected benefits rather than perks; IT professionals, in particular, value autonomy and flexibility in managing their workloads.Implementing hybrid work models that allow employees to balance in-office and remote work is essential, Deutsch says.Internal mobility also plays a significant role in keeping employees engaged.Deutsch and Pitigoi both stress that organizations must create clear pathways for employees to move into new roles and take on greater responsibilities.Related:As part of this, organizations should encourage leaders to allow their best talent to move on to other roles, which is hard to do, but best for allowing talent to develop through diverse opportunities, Pitigoi says.This approach not only keeps employees engaged but also reduces the need for costly external recruitment.Deutsch adds that companies should structure internal mobility programs with well-defined career pathways and transparent role expectations.Creating clear pathways for career advancement within the organization encourages employees to take on new roles and responsibilities, she says.CFOs, CIOs, and HR Leaders Shape Talent RetentionRetaining IT professionals requires collaboration across multiple leadership roles.According to Deutsch, CIOs, CFOs, and HR leaders each play a unique part in crafting effective retention strategies. CIOs drive technological advancements and provide necessary tools, CFOs align financial resources with retention strategies, and HR leaders create a positive workplace culture, she says.Pitigoi says he agrees, adding that product and data analytics leaders also contribute by identifying innovation opportunities and ensuring that investments align with business needs.A few key factors of success are having a clear collaboration framework between departments, making data-driven decisions together, and having clear role accountability with implementation, he says.Consistent communication among these stakeholders ensures that employee experience remains a top priority.Overcoming the Challenges of a Culture-Driven Retention ModelHowever, shifting from a pay-driven retention model to one focused on engagement and culture comes with challenges.Employees accustomed to salary increases as a primary motivator may take time to adjust to a new approach that prioritizes career development and well-being.Prioritizing engagement and well-being over financial incentives requires open communication and transparency, Deutsch says.Organizations must build trust by explaining why they are making these changes and how employees will benefit in the long run.Recognition and rewards programs are also effective in reinforcing engagement; while salary growth may be slowing, companies can still show appreciation through meaningful recognition initiatives.Implementing systems that recognize and reward employee contributions in meaningful ways fosters a sense of appreciation and belonging, Deutsch says.Pitigoi emphasizes the importance of enabling employees to focus on high-value work. Employees who feel they are making an impact are more likely to stay with their organization.Investing in systems, automation, and tools helps your best talent focus on doing work they enjoy rather than more mundane tasks, he says.Measuring the Success of New Retention StrategiesFor companies transitioning to culture-driven retention strategies, measuring success is critical.Deutsch suggests using employee engagement surveys, tracking professional development participation, and analyzing internal mobility rates. HR leaders can deploy surveys to measure how happy and productive employees feel at the office, she says.If employees are using professional development resources and moving into new roles, it indicates that the strategy is working.Pitigoi notes that financial metrics also play a role: Organizations should assess how investments in career development impact recruitment and retention costs. If done right, investments in flexible work, upskilling, and internal mobility can have a direct impact on lowering external recruitment costs, he says.About the AuthorNathan EddyFreelance WriterNathan Eddy is a freelance writer for InformationWeek. He has written for Popular Mechanics, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine, FierceMarkets, and CRN, among others. In 2012 he made his first documentary film, The Absent Column. He currently lives in Berlin.See more from Nathan EddyReportsMore ReportsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also Like

Apple has withdrawn one of its encryption services from UK customersslandstock / AlamyA former cyber security chief has called the UK government naive for demanding that Apple add a backdoor to its software allowing the UKs intelligence agencies to snoop on customers data and expecting the request to remain secret.Ciaran Martin was head of cyber security at the UKs Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and served as the first chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) before joining the University of Oxford in 2020. He spoke toNew Scientist about reports that the UK government has made an unprecedented demand for Apple to grant it access to data stored by any customer, anywhere in the world, even if it is encrypted. AdvertisementSuch orders, made under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, are intended to be made in secret, but Martin says it is no surprise that details seem to have leaked. I just think the idea that this type of order against a company like Apple would work in secret was probably naive, he says.Neither the Home Office nor Apple has confirmed the existence of the request, as doing so would be illegal, and neither responded to a request for comment. But in February, Apple announced that it would no longer offer its Advanced Data Protection service, which is designed to securely encrypt cloud data, to new users in the UK. As we have said many times before, we have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services and we never will, said Apple at the time. The firm is also reportedly challenging the UK order in a legal case that is likely to be heard in secret.Martin says it isnt unusual for governments and industry to clash over security issues, but that most major problems, however intractable, are susceptible to some form of compromise. He says that several times during his intelligence agency career, he requested technology firms remove features that were being used by malicious actors to harm national security or in criminal enterprise. He declined to give specificsThe latest science news delivered to your inbox, every day.Sign up to newsletterThey would have a new app or something, and it would become a favourite of criminals because of a particular feature, and you just say look, no, you cant do this, says Martin. Theyre little bits of technology that are a bit niche, and theyre used widely theyre misused more than theyre used and you just say like, come on, right?At the end of the day, he says, governments must accept that uncrackable encryption is here to stay. That ship has sailed, says Martin. I think, ultimately, governments are gonna have to come to terms with this. And I suspect in the long term that trying to compel the global titans of the [US] West Coast is not going to work.Topics:security

Smartphones can help children socialiseAYO Production/ShutterstockA survey of more than 1500 children suggests that smartphones can be beneficial to their mental and social well-being unless they start using social media.Justin Martin at the University of South Florida surveyed children between the ages of 11 and 13 in the state to open a 25-year nationwide study to explore the link between digital media and well-being. AdvertisementThe researchers found that 78 per cent of the 1510 children surveyed owned a smartphone, and that of these, 21 per cent reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, compared with 26 per cent of those without a device. The children with phones were also more likely to report spending more time in person with friends.We thought that smartphone ownership would be associated with negative outcomes or negative measures, says Martin. But that wasnt the case.The researchers found that children with parents on lower incomes were more likely to own a smartphone than those with richer parents. The highest prevalence of smartphone ownership, at 87 per cent, was found in children living in households earning between $50,000 and $90,000, while just 67 per cent of children in households earning $150,000 or more owned a smartphone.The latest science news delivered to your inbox, every day.Sign up to newsletterMartin suggests this could have been in response to richer parents being more aware of negative headlines around the supposed risk of social media affecting mental health, while also reflecting the policies of the schools their kids attended: 58 per cent of private schools had a total ban on phones, compared with 43 per cent of public schools.But such bans Florida was the first US state to introduce one, in 2023 may be on shaky scientific ground, says Martin. We were careful to highlight associations rather than causation, but kids who have smartphones probably use them for social purposes, and in the same way that many adults do, he says.However, not all smartphone use is an unvarnished good. The researchers also found that children who said they often posted on social media were twice as likely to report sleep issues and symptoms of depression or anxiety, compared with those who never use these platforms. That said, the survey was not able to identify whether increased social media use led to mental health and sleep issues, or whether the reverse is true, says Martin.We recommend that parents and adults consider trying to keep their kids from social platforms where they would post frequently or try to keep them from posting on social platforms, says Martin. But of course, its hard to tell a kid: You can use Instagram, you can use TikTok, but just dont post.The children surveyed were evenly divided themselves about the merits social media, with 34 per cent agreeing that social media causes more harm than good, 33 per cent disagreeing, and the rest undecided on the issue.This is a fascinating study that makes important distinctions, particularly between smartphones and social media, says Jess Maddox at the University of Alabama. While the two have become synonymous with one another, this research shows that they are not, in fact, the same.These are really nuanced findings that I hope encourage parents, educators, and politicians to think more of education for children on smartphones and social media, not bans, she says.David Ellis at the University of Bath, UK, says the work confirms similar findings from previous research, but that more work understanding what the data is telling us is needed before we can decide what to do about childrens smartphone use: Lack of analysis makes stronger conclusions to support policy change more difficult to justify.Topics:

This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. Ethically sourced spare human bodies could revolutionize medicine Many challenges in medicine stem, in large part, from a common root cause: a severe shortage of ethically-sourced human bodies. There might be a way to get out of this moral and scientific deadlock. Recent advances in biotechnology now provide a pathway to producing living human bodies without the neural components that allow us to think, be aware, or feel pain.Many will find this possibility disturbing, but if researchers and policymakers can find a way to pull these technologies together, we may one day be able to create spare bodies, both human and nonhuman. These could revolutionize medical research and drug development, greatly reducing the need for animal testing, rescuing many people from organ transplant lists, and allowing us to produce more effective drugs and treatments. All without crossing most peoples ethical lines. Read the full story.Why the world is looking to ditch US AI models Eileen Guo A few weeks ago, when I was at the digital rights conference RightsCon in Taiwan, I watched in real time as civil society organizations from around the world, including the US, grappled with the loss of one of the biggest funders of global digital rights work: the United States government. Some policymakers and business leadersin Europe, in particularare reconsidering their reliance on US-based tech and asking whether they can quickly spin up better, homegrown alternatives. This is particularly true for AI. Read the full story. This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. How to delete your 23andMe data Consumer DNA testing company 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy protection, following months of speculation around CEO Anne Wojcickis plans to take the firm private. The news means that 23andMeand the genetic data of millions of its customerscould soon be put up for sale. But although customers worried about the security of their DNA data can request its deletion, truly scrubbing your information from the companys archives is easier said than done. Read the full story.Rhiannon Williams The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 US security leaders accidentally added a journalist to a secret Signal chat The group used the unapproved platform to discuss classified military strikes in Yemen. (The Atlantic $)+ It raises questions over how the US government is handling sensitive information. (Vox)+ The Trump administration has embraced the encrypted messaging app. (WP $) 2 Donald Trumps H-1B visa crackdown could seriously harm US tech firmsAmazon is likely to be hit particularly hard. (Rest of World) + US visa and green-card holders are being detained and deported. (NY Mag $)+ Tariffs, DOGE and scams are weighing heavily on the tech industry. (Insider $)+ America relies heavily on skilled overseas workers. (The Conversation)3 DeepSeeks runaway success is shaking up Chinas AI startups Theyre overhauling their business models in an effort to keep up. (FT $)+ The AI development gap between China and the US is narrowing. (Reuters)+ How DeepSeek ripped up the AI playbookand why everyones going to follow its lead. (MIT Technology Review)4 AI companies dont want to be regulated anymore Emboldened by the Trump administration, the industrys biggest firms are lobbying for fewer rules. (NYT $)5 Colorado is experimenting with psychedelic mushroomsIt plans to administer them in healing centers across the state. (Undark) + Job titles of the future: Pharmaceutical-grade mushroom grower. (MIT Technology Review)6 Tesla sales are plummeting in EuropeAs customers turn to its Chinese rival BYD. (The Guardian) + Elon Musks companies are under increasing pressure from their rivals. (Economist $)+ BYD was one of our 2024 Climate Tech Companies to Watch. (MIT Technology Review)7 This Indian city relies on the wind to stay coolPalava City is a living testbed of technological innovation. (WP $) + No power, no fans, no AC: The villagers fighting to survive Indias deadly heatwaves. (MIT Technology Review)8 Filming your online routine is not for the faint of heart Absurd clips are doing the rounds on social media yet again. (NY Mag $)9 Floating wood could help to refreeze the Arctic By helping to seed the formation of new ice. (New Scientist $)+ Inside a new quest to save the doomsday glacier. (MIT Technology Review) 10 Silicon Valley workers are ditching dating apps Instead, theyre attending carefully vetted dating meetups IRL. (Wired $)Quote of the day The path to saving TikTok should run through Capitol Hill. Three Democratic senators urge Donald Trump to work with Congress to save TikTok from shutting down in the US, the Verge reports. The big story How AI is changing gymnastics judging January 2024 The 2023 World Championships last October marked the first time an AI judging system was used on every apparatus in a gymnastics competition. There are obvious upsides to using this kind of technology: AI could help take the guesswork out of the judging technicalities. It could even help to eliminate biases, making the sport both more fair and more transparent. At the same time, others fear AI judging will take away something that makes gymnastics special. Gymnastics is a subjective sport, like diving or dressage, and technology could eliminate the judges role in crafting a narrative. For better or worse, AI has officially infiltrated the world of gymnastics. The question now is whether it really makes it fairer. Read the full story. Jessica Taylor Price We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.) + These plants are quite possibly math geniuses.+ Inside the weird and wonderful world of animal art.+ Get me on a (sustainable) trip to the Cook Islands immediately.+ Its officially cherry blossom season around the world!

I've been to Las Vegas many times and always enjoy it even though I'm an introvert who doesn't party much. Eric Lo/Getty Images 2025-03-25T14:21:01Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? I love Las Vegas even though I don't really gamble or party and I have been there over 40 times.As an introvert, waking up early and finding good people-watching spots make the trips extra fun.I think it's wise to figure out which amenities matter most to you before booking a hotel.Many people don't believe me when I say just how much I love visiting Las Vegas.After all, Sin City is known for its epic nightlife, parties, and gambling opportunities and I'm an introvert who doesn't really partake in those things. Fortunately, there's so much to see and do in Las Vegas, which has some of the best spas, restaurants, and shows in the world. And whether I'm accompanying my partner to a conference or going on a girls' trip, I feel well-rested every time I come home from the city.After visiting more than 40 times, I've figured out how to plan a great trip to Vegas. Here are some of my best travel tips. Choose your resort based on the amenities that are most important to you I look into amenities, beds, and gyms when booking hotels. Ron Buskirk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Before booking a resort in Vegas, consider what matters most to you, whether it's having convenient gym and spa access or a really comfy bed. In my opinion, the Aria has the best, comfiest mattresses you can even buy them from the hotel. The property also has a juice shop and Starbucks, so it's easy to grab morning drinks there without having to step into the Vegas heat.If you want to learn and have some physical activity, try hotels like The Cosmopolitan and Westgate that have tennis courts where you can book lessons.If wellness is a priority, consider the Fontainebleau. It has a cold-plunge pool, infrared sauna, and snow room in the spa, plus an IV drip lounge and fully-kitted gym with weights. Bonus tip: Day passes are available at most resorts on the strip if you want to gym-hop instead of only using the amenities in one place.Hydrate as much as possibleRemember, you're in the desert, where dehydration is a serious risk. Incorporate hydration into your daily routine as much as possible throughout the trip, even just by ordering a cup of water at each casino you visit or adding electrolytes to your drinks. In some cases, you may event want to splurge on an IV treatment there are drip lounges for them throughout Vegas and some services will set them up right in your hotel room.I find these treatments are even better when you're not hungover.Reverse the schedule that many other tourists are on I try to explore Las Vegas and the area around it in the early mornings to beat crowds. simonkr/Getty Images The best way to enjoy Vegas at your own pace is to go out while a lot of the city is still sleeping. Las Vegas is the most alive at night, which can make for peaceful mornings. By getting out early, you'll avoid especially busy sidewalks and beat some of that Vegas heat. Plus, nothing is better than the crisp morning air during the fall and winter in Nevada. Remember to look around you, especially if you enjoy art If you appreciate art, don't forget to observe your surroundings as you go around Vegas. Many resorts here have fine-art collections in their restaurants, lobbies, bars, hallways, and galleries. For example, the Wynn has Jeff Koons' multimillion-dollar "Tulips" sculpture, the Aria displays Rashid Johnson paintings, and the Palms Casino Resort's Unknown bar features designs from English artist Damien Hirst.Find free entertainment just by people-watching in the right spots Las Vegas comes alive at night. aldo_dz/Getty Images Although Vegas is a good spot to buy tickets for epic shows, there are also free forms of entertainment by way of people watching. In my opinion, one of the best forms of entertainment in the city comes from sitting in the casino by the elevators when the party crowds are going out.I like to find a comfy spot with a good vantage point before the popular 7 p.m. dinner hour and prime 10:30 p.m. bar-entry time. From there, I enjoy my own "fashion shows" of dolled-up guests heading out on the town. If you're a beginner at table games, start somewhere cheap If you're newer to playing cards, start your trip at casinos with low table minimums, like $5.This is a good way to learn how to play games and which you enjoy without blowing through a lot of cash. From there, you can use the skills you've built up somewhere else.Just remember that each casino has its own rules and payouts, so talk to your dealer and ask questions before starting a game somewhere new.

Warren Buffett's annual March Madness bracket challenge finally has a $1 million prize winner. REUTERS/Rick Wilking 2025-03-25T14:08:36Z SaveSaved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Warren Buffett's March Madness bracket challenge finally has a winner of its $1 million prize.A Berkshire Hathaway employee called 31 out of 32 first-round games, including the first 29.The 11 runners-up would receive $100,000 each, Berkshire said.Warren Buffett has been running a March Madness bracket challenge for Berkshire Hathaway employees for nearly a decade, but nobody has ever won his $1 million prize until now.The famed investor's company revealed in a press release on Monday that an employee of its FlightSafety International subsidiary won its 2025 Bracket Contest after correctly picking the winners of 31 of the 32 first-round games in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, played last week.A total of 12 workers across Buffett's business empire accurately predicted that many games, but the winner called the first 29 games correctly before dropping the ball on game 30, in which the University of Illinois beat Xavier University 86-73.Berkshire said the 11 runners-up would receive $100,000 each. The conglomerate added that its big winner called 13 games in a row in the tournament's second round, for a total of 44 out of the first 45 games. The chances of doing that are roughly one in 780 billion if every game is treated as a coin flip."I feel good that we sort of hit the sweet spot on this one," Buffett told The Wall Street Journal, nodding to his decision to make the competition easier by no longer requiring a perfect first-round bracket."I'm getting older," the 94-year-old told the newspaper in an earlier interview. "I want to give away a million dollars to somebody while I'm still around as chairman."The billionaire said a reward of that size would spark excitement "all over the place."Berkshire originally insured a $1 billion public challenge in 2014 to correctly predict all 63 tournament games. It launched its own internal contest in 2016, offering up to $1 million a year for life to any Berkshire employee who could pick a perfect bracket for all 48 games prior to the Sweet 16. It has run the contest almost every year since without a grand prize winner.Buffett told the Journal he doesn't know the name of this year's winner, and had been informed the person doesn't want to be publicly identified.FlightSafety, which provides professional aviation training services and flight simulation products, employed fewer than 5,000 of Berkshire's 392,000 employees at the end of December, per the company's latest annual report.Berkshire and FlightSafety didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

If you're looking for a life-sim experience like The Sims, InZOI might be just what you're looking for and it's now the most-wishlisted game on Steam ahead of launchTech12:41, 25 Mar 2025InZOI could be a big rival for The Sims(Image: KRAFTON/Inzoi Studio)While The Sims has been running somewhat unopposed after Life By You was cancelled, a new rival has emerged from South Korea in the shape of InZOI.The title, published by Krafton of PUBG Battlegrounds fame, will launch into Early Access on Steam this Friday, and looks to swap EA's long-running cartoonish art style for something much more realistic.Article continues belowIn fact, we'd argue it's one of the most impressive 'life sims' you can play for visuals alone, but early reviews have suggested it's off to a promising start in the gameplay department, too.And, if the recent Sims re-release isn't quite getting you excited, then the fact InZOI is now the most-wishlisted game on Steam might catch your attention.InZOI has a much more realistic style than its rivals(Image: KRAFTON/Inzoi Studio)"Kraftons realistic life simulation game, inZOI, just hit a major milestone, officially becoming the most wishlisted game on Steam!" a spokesperson from Krafton explained."Following its Global Showcase and release of the inZOI: Creative Studio demo, inZOI amassed over 50,000 new followers on Steam in a single week and topped the Global Wishlist chart, above games including Elden Ring Nightreign, Borderlands 4, and Hollow Knight: Silksong."While it's worth noting that Elden Ring Nightreign doesn't launch until May, Borderlands 4 is slated for September and Hollow Knight: Silksong is infamously without a release date, that should take nothing away from the impressive climb of InZOI.You can add custom items and animations(Image: KRAFTON/Inzoi Studio)"With momentum like this, inZOI is shaping up to be one of 2025s most anticipated releases so far," Krafton said, and it's hard to disagree with the numbers.SteamDB notes that the game has been added to more than 50,000 additional wishlists in the last seven days, despite some media reviews suggesting InZOI needs more time.Even in Early Access, the game looks impressive(Image: KRAFTON/Inzoi Studio)GamesRadar said it "Currently feels like a soulless imitation of the worst parts of The Sims", while Game Rant said "Even in its early access state, the life simulation game is a blast and genuinely gives The Sims a run for its money."Players can even import real-world objects using AI tools in the game, as well as using AI to generate in-game animations.Article continues belowFor the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.