While its easy to wring our hands about soulless Amazon corporate stooges, these two dont really scan that way. Very savvy Hollywood game-players? Sure. But to presume that Pascal or Heyman misunderstand how to make massive films out of beloved franchises means you have to ignore the evidence.On top of all of this, its also possible that the received wisdom about the nature of the Bond movie franchise is a slightly flawed and revisionist narrative. Yes, its true that EON stands for Everything or Nothing and that the approach to making Bond movies since 1962 has been brave, brazen, and delightfully free of focus groups or outside influence. And yet, lets not pretend like there havent been shake-ups in the past. In between The Man With the Golden Gun (1974) and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Albert Broccoli and his former partner Saltzman were locked in a bitter financial feud. Saltzman had left the Bond franchise after Live and Let Die (1973), but the wounds of the split created problems for the series, which werent fully resolved until after 1977. And even though we tend to think of the Broccoli family as the visionaries behind the 007 film saga, its not like Saltzmans departure wasnt a huge deal nor his contributions to the series trivial.The Bond franchise also faced huge difficulties between the Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan eras. Due to legal troubles over United Artists rights to distribute the Bond films, there was a six-year gap between 007 movies between 1989 and 1995, which is eerily similar to what were experiencing now. And then, of course, theres the fact that Thunderball co-producer Kevin McClory attempted to launch a rival James Bond franchise in 1983 with Never Say Never Again, a movie that despite starring Sean Connery has always scanned as a fake 007 flick.But, the new Bond films wont be just a series of Never Say Never Agains. Under the new producers and yes, Amazon, these new films will represent the future of 007. And while we can point to several Amazon missteps that cost millions and millions of dollars (cough, cough Rings of Power), theres also really solid and successful adaptations like Reacher, who is, basically, the American Bond, anyway. Does anyone think the Tom Cruise Jack Reacher movies did better justice to the Lee Child books than the Amazon TV series? We all know the answer there. Reacher is one of the biggest shows in the world, and the Cruise movies are largely (and correctly) forgotten, the Never Say Never Agains of the Reacher franchise.This isnt to say that Bond should become a TV series like Reacher (thats a different debate). Its simply to say that Bond fans cannot say with a straight face that Amazon cant have fidelity to a beloved action franchise when Reacher exists. Its certainly not a perfect show, but then again, have you seen Octopussy lately?What the James Bond franchise needs now is the room to not just reinvent itself, but also the room to make mistakes without everything being on the line. In fact, I think its okay to say that the first movie that Amazon makes with Heyman and Pascal might not be the greatest. Batting averages on James Bond movies vary, and lets face it, the much-praised Daniel Craig era really only produced two great films: Casino Royale and Skyfall.

This post contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again episode 5.Its hard to think of two Marvel heroes more dissimilar than Daredevil and Ms. Marvel. The former is a blind man driven by guilt and anger to acts of vigilantism, no matter how much it punishes his mind, body, or soul. The latter is an excitable teen who gets to live her dream, going on adventures like her idol Carol Danvers. And yet, With Interest, the fifth episode of Daredevil: Born Again, manages to marry the R-rated world of Matt Murdock with the sunny tone of Kamala Khan.Not that Kamala, as played by Iman Vellani, appears in With Interest. Instead, its Kamalas father Yusuf (Mohan Kapur) who teams up with Matt when Mr. Murdock applies for a loan from Mr. Khans bank. The two end up working together to thwart some Irish robbers who break into the bank, making for another hour of Matt Murdock being the coolest dude on the face of this planet.Before things go sideways, however, Yusuf has a chance to brag about his daughter, both in her civilian and superheroic guises, including showing off her Funko pop. But for MCU fans, the most compelling bit is when Yusef reveals that Kamala isnt in New Jersey or even in New York, the usual stomping ground of MCU heroes. Rather, shes off on the West Coast.Not wanting to blow his daughters cover, Yusuf tells Matt that shes hanging around with friends. But those of us who saw The Marvels know what that really means. Shes gathering a team of young heroes, a team that will be called the Young Avengers or maybe the Challengers, if they go with the name of Kamalas team from the comics. However, when we left Kamala she was in New York recruiting Kate Bishop. Whats she doing on the West Coast?While recruiting Kate in The Marvels, Kamala mentions Ant-Mans daughter. Given that the Ant-Man movies take place in San Fransisco, Yusufs observation suggests that Kamala is visiting that daughter, Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) a.k.a. Stature. But thats not the only teen hero who Kamala might meet on her West Coast run.At the end of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Bruce Banner interrupts a cookout hosted by his cousin Jen Walters to add to the family tree and introduce his son Skaar. The Skaar reveal ties to the Marvel Comics major storyline World War Hulk, which really doesnt play into the MCU so far. Nor does Amadeus Cho, a teen super genius from the comics who has only recently appeared in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Given that Chos alter-ego Brawn a.k.a. the Totally Awesome Hulk is a constant team member with Ms. Marvel in the pages of Challengers comics, it might make sense that MCU Kamala would go to the Walters home in California to get Skaar to join her team as their teenage Hulk.Stature and Skaar are the only named teen heroes on the West Coast so far. Which is pretty surprising, given that the cornerstone of the MCU is Iron Man, whose home base is in Malibu instead of New York. And that Iron Man connection might point to another potential hero Ms. Marvels looking to find.Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced Riri Williams as a brilliant student at MIT in Boston, and solicits for the upcoming series Ironheart suggest that Williams will continue her superhero journey in Chicago. But, we know that shes carrying forward the work of Tony Stark, so its not hard to imagine that she wouldnt drop by Malibu at some point to get some of Starks tech, especially since Thunderbolts* reveals that Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine has set up shop in the old Stark/Avengers Tower.Of course, this is all speculation. Marvel is taking its sweet time putting together the Young Avengers/Challengers, and Yusufs observation in Daredevil: Born Again is just one more tease. But as we wait for Marvel to finally announce the official line-up, its fun to make guesses about what Kamalas West Coast trip will find.New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again stream every Tuesday night on Disney+.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!

Starting this week, were rolling out even more value to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members with in-game benefits for free-to-play games.Members will get items like cosmetics, characters, in-game currency, and more for additional games, including Heroes of the Storm, Naraka: Bladepoint, and The Finals. Plus, were adding even more benefits starting in April 2025, like Call of Duty: Warzone and Enlisted. With seasonal content drops, members always have new benefits to look forward to.These new additions expand upon existing in-game benefits, including unlocking the full roster of champions in League of Legends, six skins in Overwatch 2, all Agents in Valorant, and more. Whether its customization, personalization, or progression, players get even more from Game Pass.To access all these in-game benefits, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members just need to log in with their Xbox profile or link their Xbox profile with each games account. Then, simply launch the game with Xbox on PC or console and your extra benefits will be available in-game. For Game Pass Ultimate members, these benefits will be available when playing with Xbox across cloud, console and PC.New In-Game Benefits Coming to Game PassStarting this week, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members will have access to in-game benefits for the following games:Heroes of the Storm (PC) Link your Battle.net accountIn this realm between realms, anything is possible play and unlock 30 Heroes from across Blizzard Entertainments universes as we welcome you to the Nexus!Naraka: Bladepoint (Cloud, Console, and PC) Use your Xbox profile to log inUnlock all heroes, exclusive Xbox headgear, and the Phoenix Princess Pack (Justina Gu).Smite 2 (Console and PC) Link your accountUnlock the exclusive High Velocity Hecate Skin, 5 gods (Ares, Anhur, Hecate, Hercules and Nemesis), the OP Title, and GG Emote with the Smite 2 Welcome Pack.The Finals (Xbox Series X|S and PC) Link your Embark IDUnlock the Stryker Grid Set, sponsored by Ivada, featuring a full outfit, three weapon skins, a charm, and a 25% boost to Match XP. Players also unlock 500 Multibucks when they claim their prize!Well be bringing even more in-game benefits for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members regularly. Starting in April 2025, players will get access to in-game benefits for the following titles:Asphalt Legends UniteCall of Duty: WarzoneEnlistedWar ThunderPlus, Dont Miss These Existing In-Game BenefitsGame Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members can also take advantage of existing benefits for Overwatch 2, League of Legends, Valorant, and more when they link their Xbox account.Genshin Impact (Console) Link your HoYoverse accountTravelers who reach Adventure Rank 2 will unlock the Wings of Fates Course Intertwined as a gift in their in-game mailbox upon logging into Genshin Impact on Xbox. Plus, unlock Intertwined Fate 2, Northlander Billet Trove 1, Heros Wit 10, Mora 100,000, and Mystic Enhancement Ore 15.League of Legends (PC) Link your Riot accountUnlock all 160+ champions, get day one access to new champions, and enjoy a 20% XP Boost to account leveling.Legends of Runeterra (PC) Link your Riot accountUnlock all cards in the Foundations Set.Overwatch 2 (Console and PC) Link your Battle.net accountUnlock six skins, including Cardboard Reinhardt and Turtleship D.Va! Plus, youll get a one-time grant of 30 Mythic Prisms, and a 10% XP boost with access to Shop cosmetics from the past three seasons (excludes Battle Pass, Collab, Mythic, and other Promotional content).Teamfight Tactics (PC) Link your Riot accountUnlock 1-Star Rare Little Legend Tacticians and 1 skin on a monthly rotation.Valorant (Console and PC) Link your Riot accountUnlock all Agents, get day-one access to new Agents, and enjoy a 20% Match XP Boost to Battle Pass, Event Pass, and active Agent Contract progress.In-game Benefits Are Getting Easier to FindStarting this week, were making it even easier for players to discover the in-game benefits available with their Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass memberships.Launch Xbox on PC, navigate to the Game Pass tab and click More Benefits, or navigate to a participating games page to see available in-game benefits.Getting StartedStep 1: Become a Game Pass memberJoin Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass to get in-game benefits for some of the biggest free-to-play games.Step 2: Link your Xbox profileLaunch a participating game and sign in with your Xbox profile, or navigate to a participating games website and link your Xbox profile with your game account.Step 3: Claim your benefits with Xbox on PC or consoleLaunch the participating game with Xbox on PC or console and your benefits will be available in-game.We cant wait to see how you customize, personalize, and progress with Game Pass. Be the first to learn about future updates by looking for the Coming Soon to Game Pass announcements on Xbox Wire.To learn more about eligibility for these benefits, players can reference the table below:GameAccountHelp ArticleHeroes of the StormBattle.net accounthttps://us.battle.net/support/en/article/357105Overwatch 2Battle.net accounthttps://overwatch.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24107758/The FinalsEmbark IDhttps://id.embark.games/the-finals/support/faq/70-account-faqEnlistedGaijin accountLog in with your Xbox profileWar ThunderGaijin accountLog in with your Xbox profileAsphalt Legends UniteGameloft Club accounthttps://gameloft.helpshift.com/hc/en/15-asphalt-legends-unite/faq/640-how-do-i-link-my-account-to-save-or-transfer-my-progress/Genshin ImpactHoyoverse accounthttps://genshin.hoyoverse.com/en/news/detail/126848Naraka: BladepointNaraka: Bladepoint accountLog in with your Xbox profileLeague of LegendsRiot accounthttps://www.riotgames.com/en/riot-game-pass-benefitsLegends of RuneterraRiot accounthttps://www.riotgames.com/en/riot-game-pass-benefitsTeamfight TacticsRiot accounthttps://www.riotgames.com/en/riot-game-pass-benefitsValorantRiot accounthttps://www.riotgames.com/en/riot-game-pass-benefitsSmite 2Smite 2 accounthttps://support.hirezstudios.com/en/articles/10366500-smite-2-account-linking-instructions-faq

SummaryWildgate was unveiled earlier this week as part of the Dreamhaven Showcase. Engage in crew-based PvP combat with epic shootouts and spaceship battles.Wildgate arrives on Xbox Series X|S later this year, with a community preview playtest coming in April.A few years ago, our studio began work on a brand new project set in a distant galaxy. Yesterday, we revealed Wildgate a team-based shooter featuring out-of-this-world spaceship battles and only three rules: Outsmart. Outrun. Outgun.In Wildgate, players team up in crews of four to venture into a hostile, unpredictable, and mysterious corner of the universe in search of an ancient relic known as the Artifact. While in pursuit of the Artifact, players need to work together to pilot their spacecraft, plunder wreckage, and discover forgotten loot. To win, crews must successfully reach the exit point with the Artifact or go for a domination victory by destroying all rival ships by whatever means necessary.Now, thats just what Wildgate is on paper. But how does it actually play? Lets dive in.Your adventures in Wildgate begin in the Lucky Docks, an old mining base on the edge of the infamous Typhon Reach (aka the Reach).The Lucky Docks serves as the games lobby, and from there, you can put together a pre-made crew or queue up solo. Each match of Wildgate will host five crews of up to four players, or 20 players total; once a full session is formed, youll all drop into the launching bay for final pre-launch checks before heading into the Reach.Dive Into The ReachThe Reach is your game map; its where every match of Wildgate takes place. The vast interstellar cloud formations and hazards of the Reach are procedurally-generated, which means its size, shape, layout, encounters, and moreas well as the location of the Artifact itselfis unknown when you first enter. No two matches of Wildgate are ever the same, and danger lurks around every corner.What kind of danger? Asteroids. Storms. Mines. Rogue turrets. Reach Leeches. (So many leeches) Some you can avoid. Others, you can protect yourself and your crew from with a few lucky upgrades. For the rest, wellthose youll just need to destroy outright, before they damage your ship.All Hands on DeckIn Wildgate, players are known as Prospectors. What brings each Prospector to the Reach might vary (fame, fortune, scientific advancement, the thrill of adventure), but theres one goal they all shareand thats to retrieve the Artifact.Your mission is simple: get in, get the Artifact, and get out. But you and your crew arent alone in the Reach! Four other crews of Prospectors are also searching for the Artifact and theyll do anything to get to it before you do. So, youll need to work together if you want to make it out in one piece. And to do that, you need a ship.For each and every match of Wildgate, your ship is your lifelineand the right ship could give you an edge. Some ships, like the Hunter and Scout, are smaller and faster, but they have fewer turret emplacements and hardpoints and their shields may not last as long. While others, like the Bastion, are larger and more durable; but dont expect to sneak up on any rival crews (theyll see you coming from a mile away).Whatever ship youre on, just remember one thing: As long as your ship is intact, so is your crew. Youll need to work together to pilot your ship into and out of combat, use its weapons to attack rival crews, fight fires, repair broken equipment, activate devices, and defend against enemy boarders.Fly Around and Find OutTheres plenty to do once youre in the Reach!While one crew member pilots, others can go offboard to collect important resources, or stay inside to use one of your ships probe stations. Probes are great to discover whats nearbylike rival ships, points of interest (POIs), and maybe even your exit point (the eponymous Wildgate). POIs are filled with PvE encounters and are scattered across the Reach, and completing them will unlock critical upgrades for ship, like better weapons, shields, and security devices to keep you and your crew safe.You may also find some personal itemsbe sure to bring these back to your ship so you can use them in later phases of the game.But the best loot of all? The Artifact, of course.Outrun or OutgunHidden somewhere within the Reach is the coveted Arifact, and if your crew is lucky enough to discover its location firstcongratulations! Now its up to you how you wish to proceed: grab it and make a mad dash for the exit, or lay in wait and set a trap for other Prospectors looking for the big score.If your crew chooses to make a run for it, youll need to fly the Artifact through an active Wildgate. Fair warning though: Grabbing the Artifact will alert rival Prospectors in the Reach (as well as reveal your location on their maps), and in most cases: battle will soon begin. Get ready to be attacked and/or boarded as other crews may attempt to steal the Artifact from youor outright destroy your ship to eliminate you from combat.Whatever you decide, the goal is to escape with the Artifact or be the last crew standing. And while not everything in the Reach may go as you plannedyoull always leave with one heck of a story.Wildgate is coming is to Xbox Series X|S later this year, but our first community preview playtest begins in just a few weeks! Sign up today to join us in the Reach on April 11-14 at playwildgate.com.

As the Amazon Big Spring Sale rolls into day 2, we are now ready to kick off todays best Apple deals with an even lower price on the M4 Pro Mac mini it is now sitting at its best price ever with $200 in savings (the entry level model is still sitting at $529). Next we move over the M4 Pro MacBook Pro lineup as Amazon just knocked $300 off the 24GB 16-inch model to bring it back to the Black Friday all-time low. And finally its over to the AirPods 4 with ANC the base model set is still at the $100 low but the ANC model has now dropped to $149 while Eves HomeKit Secure Video smart home cam is now at one of its best prices ever.All of that and more awaits below in todays 9to5Toys Lunch Break.Now even lower: Apples 24GB M4 Pro Mac mini just dropped again to new all-time low at $200 off, more from $529Update: Hello! Amazon just knocked another $50 off the M4 Pro Mac mini to deliver a new all-time low at $1,199 shipped. Regularly $1,399, you can now score the upgraded machine with the M4 Pro chip, 24GB of RAM, and the 512GB SSD at $200 off this is the best Amazon price we have ever tracked and the lowest all-time.For many, the real selling point on Apples new M4 Mac mini lineup is the price. You can get in the current-generation M4-equipped Mac lineup with a starting price at $599 (or much less than thatwith the current deals that are now live on the most affordable models starting from $529 within $29 of the Amazon all-time low). However, the more powerful M4 Pro model also delivers notable value for folks that need the extra horsepower for content creation, Logic Pro, Final Cut sessions, and so forth, and it has just hit its best price ever on Amazon at $150 off. Details below.Amazon is now offering Apples M4 Pro Mac mini with 24GB of RAM and the 512GB SSD down at $1,199 shipped. Regularly $1,399 this is a straight up $200 price drop, $50 under our previous mention, and a new Amazon all-time low. This is the first time we have tracked this configuration at under $1,299 on Amazon.Again, for some folks its all about the more affordable M4 models of the new mini they are after all the least expensive Macs in the current generation lineup and wonderful machines for those that dont need the extra horsepower.Apples most affordable 24GB 16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro just fell back to the Black Friday all-time low at $300 offWe have been tracking some notable $200 price drops on the most affordable M4 MacBook Pro for a week or more now, but the Amazon Big Spring Sale is now bringing back the best price ever on the 16-inch M4 Pro. Youll now find the 16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro with 24GB of RAM and the 512GB SSD down at $2,199 shipped thats a giant $300 off the going $2,499 list price.Youre looking at the base model, or most affordable, 16-inch M4 Pro machine here, but we are talking about a 24GB laptop with the usual 512GB of storage nonetheless. We saw it fall to $2,129 earlier this month, but Amazon has now taken it up a notch to mark the return of all-time low pricing with a solid $200 price drop. Only once before today have we seen this model at a price this good and that was for a brief time during Black Friday last year.Needless to say at this point, we are looking at a very good deal on a very good machine, and theres no telling how long this price will stick around for we have only seen it once before and took 3 months to return.The same thing we highlighted on the more pricey 48GB deal we spotted a $308 off applies here as well the 16-inch configurations arent going to be for everyone. Most folks seem to rather the more compact machines, and more likely the lower prices they come along with, but if youre in the market for a proper workstation machine, something to get some video editing done on, and so forth, or just prefer the extra display real estate, todays deal is a very good one.Here are some additional deals on other configurations to consider if this one isnt working for you;14-inch M4 MacBook Pro 16GB/512GB $1,399 (Reg. $1,599)14-inch M4 MacBook Pro 16GB/1TB $1,589 (Reg. $1,799)14-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro 24GB/512GB $1,779 (Reg. $1,999)16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro 24GB/1GB $2,199 (Reg. $2,499)16-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro 48GB/1GB $2,591 (Reg. $2,899)Apples latest AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation drop back to Amazon 2025 low at $149 today, base set at $100The AirPods Pro 2 deal down at $170 is still live, and we still have the base model AirPods 4 sitting at the $100 low, but the elevated AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are getting in on the Amazon Big Spring Sale today too. Regularly $179, Amazon is now offering Apples latest AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation down back down at $148.99 shipped this is matching our previous mention and the lowest price we have tracked this year there.While we did catch a short-lived offer on the ANC AirPods 4 ahead of Christmas last year at the $139 Amazon all-time low, todays deal is otherwise on par with the best we have seen otherwise. There have also been some extremely fleeting, almost spammy, offers from less than desirable online retailers for less, but just about no one had a chance to scoop them up and Im not sure you would have even wanted too anyway I didnt.Apples AirPods Pro 2 remain the gold standard in Apple in-ear listening experiences if you ask me (and million of others) they were after all one of the most popular products among 9to5Toys readers last year despite the newer AirPods 4 hitting the market last fall, and were featured in our 9to5Toys Favorite Things of 2024 feature for this reason.That said, the AirPods 4 are a less pricey endeavor and one that we came away quite impressed with after getting hands-on last year Hands-on with AirPods 4: better in every way.Joining the active noise cancelation, Siri hands- and voice-free interactions, Voice Isolation, and Personalized Spatial Audio tech, they land with a redesigned earbud form-factor featuring a refined contour, shorter stem, and quick-press controls for music or calls alongside a case that is the smallest in the industry with wireless chargingAirPods Pro 2 back to one of the best prices this year at $170, AirPods 4 just returned to $100 Amazon low (Reg. up to $249)Apple Watch Series 10 now up to $120 off in Amazon Big Spring sale with deals from $399 shippedEves HomeKit Secure Video smart home cam hits one of its best prices at $115 (Nearly 25% off)As part of the now live Big Spring Sale, and the ongoing Eve smart home sale, we are touching down today to highlight a notable deal on one of our favorite HomeKit smart home cameras the Eve Cam. Regularly $150, and rarely on sale outside of holiday events, you can now score it at one of the best prices we have ever tracked with Amazons listing now sitting down at $114.95 shipped, or nearly 25% off.While the Eve Cam isnt the newest HomeKit camera on the market, or the most affordable, after our follow up review at around this time last year over at 9to5Mac, we can confidently say it remains one of our favorites:Last week, I looked at the state of HomeKit Secure Video. While I agree that it will take a lot of work to meet users needs in 2024, I also agree that its still the best way for privacy-focused people to use smart home cameras. The Eve Cam is one of the best cameras on the market for HomeKit Secure video.The Eve Cam, which is now undercutting last years Black Friday price, delivers HomeKit Secure Video support we said Eve is a vendor as close to Apple releasing first-party HomeKit products as will come.It delivers the obligatory 1080p fees to your smart devices from its sleek black frame alongside the suite of notifications and motion alerts one would expect from a camera in this now discounted price range it is capable of distinguishing between people and pets as well.Be sure to dive into the wider Eve Big Spring smart home sale where youll find the brands plugs, outlets, switches, and more starting from $30 right now.All of the best Amazon Big Spring Sale deals: Apple, Samsung, Google, EVs, apparel, and moreTodays accessories and charging deals:The new iPad (A16) is now out in the wild (and is now marked down at Amazon) alongside the upgraded M3 iPad Air (still seeing its first cash deals right here), but Amazon also just brought back the $100 price drops on Apples latest, greatest, and miniest iPad. Youll now find just about every iPad mini 7 configuration on sale via Amazon at $100 off the going rates with prices kicking off from $399 shipped. Head below for a closer look.Amazon has the 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB models down at $399, $499, and $699 shipped, respectively. Thats a straight up $100 off the regular listings, matching our previous mention, and on par with the lowest prices we have tracked to date.Apples latest iPad mini 7, or more officially the iPad mini (A17 Pro) is the most affordable model in the lineup that can run Apple Intelligence. The aforementioned iPad (A16) is, of course, the least pricey model in the lineup overall it currently starts down at $329 on Amazon but it is not compatible with Apple Intelligence.iPad mini A17 Pro 128GB $399 (Reg. $499)iPad mini A17 Pro 256GB $499 (Reg. $599) iPad mini A17 Pro 256GB $699 (Reg. $799) The iPad mini 7 landed on store shelves in late 2024 with the same compact 8.3-inch display as the previous model alongside a 30% jump in CPU power, 25% better graphics performance, and upgraded storage capacity Apple finally rid the 64GB models from the lineup. Our iPad mini 7 vs 6 comparison feature piece provides a detailed rundown of everything new this time around.Here are our favorite iPad mini 7 cases and sleeves from $8.50.New M3 iPad Air hits new all-time low, most affordable models now start from $549Samsungs Smart Monitors now up to $300 off for Big Spring Sale, deals start from $180Ankers new display-equipped 25K mAh power bank with dual USB-C cables and new wall charger hit all-time low pricingecobee HomeKit smart home spring sale now live from $60: Smart thermostat, doorbell, sensor add-ons, more (Up to 25% off)Beats Transparent ANC Studio Buds+ return to 2025 low down at $100 today (41% off)Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

High Yield SavingsLast night, Apple lowered the interest rate of the Apple Card Savings Account to a new 3.75% APY. While this is down from its highest point at 4.5% APY, Apples rate still holds quite strong to the rest of the banking industry.Apple begun offering the Apple Card Savings Account in April 2023, in partnership with Goldman Sachs. It offered an industry-leading 4.15% APY at the time, and has received a number of adjustments since.Heres how Apples savings account rate compares to the rest of the industry, as of March 26th, 2025:BankInterest RateAlly3.70% APYAmerican Express3.70% APYCapital One3.70% APYDiscover3.70% APYMarcus by Goldman Sachs3.75% APYApple Card Savings3.75% APYSoFi Savings3.80% APYWealthfront4.00% APYRobinhood4.00% APYBarclays Tiered Savings4.15%-4.40% APYOf course, any of these rates will be far higher than what big banks tend to offer. Banks such as Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo all offer interest rates below 0.03% APY.Apples savings account is exclusively available for Apple Card holders. You can learn more about Apple Card and its varying perks here.Are you an Apple Card user? What do you think about Apples savings account offering? Let us know in the comments.My favorite Apple accessories on Amazon:Follow Michael:X/Twitter,Bluesky,InstagramAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

"The vision is space superiority."Orbital CarrierSpace startup Gravitics has been awarded a $60 million contract by the US Space Force to develop an "orbital carrier" that can deploy satellites from orbit.As Ars Technica reports, such a spacecraft could give the military a much faster way to respond to threats to national security in orbit compared to sending a satellite on a rocket into space.While many questions remain about what exactly this carrier could be capable of unsurprising, considering the sensitive nature of the plans it's yet another sign that the US military is looking to beef up its presence in orbit, highlighting a brewing "space arms race."Space SuperiorityGravitics officials told Ars that the carrier will provide unpressurized space to house one or more satellites, which can be deployed at will in orbit. The goal is to isolate them from the hostile space environment, sparing their batteries and other sensitive electronics.The carrier could also help hide the satellites from adversaries."The Orbital Carrier is a game-changer, acting as a pre-positioned launch pad in space," said CEO Colin Doughan in a statement. "It bypasses traditional launch constraints, enabling space vehicle operators to rapidly select a deployment orbit on-demand."Other than developing an orbital carrier, Gravitics has already started working with space startup Axiom Space on a pressurized space module.Given the latest development, the company is now looking to expand into the national defense sector as well."The vision is space superiority," Doughan told Ars. "We think that vision is very compatible with both a Department of Defense product line as well as a commercial one."More on satellites: Astronauts Release Wooden Satellite From Space StationShare This Article

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth appears to have lied when he said that "nobody was texting war plans."In a stunning piece for The Atlantic on Monday, the magazine's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed that he had accidentally been added to a Signal group chat between key national security personnel including Hegseth,vice president JD Vance, and national security advisor Mark Waltz as they discussed an upcoming offensive in Yemen.Not only was the use of Signal a reckless departure from the norms designed to stop highly sensitive information from landing in the wrong hands,butnobody noticed that a prominent journalist had been added to the chat, itself a farcical error.In response, the White House attempted to argue that "no classified material" was shared in the chat but Goldberg has now called their bluff.Even Trump has said that "it wasn't classified information," but later argued that Waltz had "learned a lesson," seemingly contradicting himself.Regardless, in a follow-up piece published this morning, Goldberg revealed new details about what was shared in the chat, including astonishingly specific information about a mission involving an F-18 fighter jet in Yemen."1345: Trigger Based F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)," the text read, as quoted by Goldberg."Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch," Hegseth reportedly wrote."We are currently clean on OPSEC," he added later. "Godspeed to our Warriors.""The first target their top missile guy we had positive ID of him walking into his girlfriends building and its now collapsed," Waltz wrote in the chat."Excellent," Vance replied.As The Atlantic reports, the Yemeni health ministry later reported that 53 people were killed in the strikes, though that number has yet to be independently verified.In short, the consequences for American pilots "could have been catastrophic," Goldberg argued, if the information "had been received by someone hostile to American interests or someone merely indiscreet, and with access to social media."Besides, in what world would such information be considered "unclassified" and safe to share on insecure messaging channels?There's also a very good chance Hegseth lied to reporters after claiming that the chat titled "Houthi PC small group" didn't include explicit war plans an enormous breach in national security.The White House also seems confused about whether it's saying the information was classified or not classified. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Atlantic in a statement that the White House does "object to the release" of the conversation despite stating that "no classified information" was transmitted."As a general rule, we do not publish information about military operations if that information could possibly jeopardize the lives of US personnel," Goldberg wrote in his piece today. "That is why we chose to characterize the nature of the information being shared, not specific details about the attacks."However, "there is a clear public interest in disclosing the sort of information that Trump advisers included in nonsecure communications channels, especially because senior administration figures are attempting to downplay the significance of the messages that were shared," he added.National security officials have yet to respond to The Atlantic's request for comment.More on the incident: Pentagon Issued Warning About Signal Messaging One Week Before Its Head Was Caught Using ItShare This Article

Mar 26, 2025Ravie LakshmananSupply Chain Attack / Malware Cybersecurity researchers have discovered two malicious packages on the npm registry that are designed to infect another locally installed package, underscoring the continued evolution of software supply chain attacks targeting the open-source ecosystem.The packages in question are ethers-provider2 and ethers-providerz, with the former downloaded 73 times to date since it was published on March 15, 2025. The second package, likely removed by the malware author themselves, did not attract any downloads."They were simple downloaders whose malicious payload was cleverly hidden," ReversingLabs researcher Lucija Valenti said in a report shared with The Hacker News."The interesting part lay in their second stage, which would 'patch' the legitimate npm package ethers, installed locally, with a new file containing the malicious payload. That patched file would ultimately serve a reverse shell."The development marks a new escalation of threat actors' tactics, as uninstalling the rogue packages won't rid compromised machines of the malicious functionality, since the changes reside in the popular library. On top of that, if an unsuspecting user removes the ethers package when ethers-provider2 remains on the system, it risks reinfection when the package is installed again at a later time.ReversingLabs' analysis of ethers-provider2 has revealed that it's nothing but a trojanized version of the widely-used ssh2 npm package that includes a malicious payload within install.js to retrieve a second-stage malware from a remote server ("5.199.166[.]1:31337/install"), write it to a temporary file, and run it.Immediately after execution, the temporary file is deleted from the system in an attempt to avoid leaving any traces. The second-stage payload, for its part, starts an infinite loop to check if the npm package ethers is installed locally. In the event the package is already present or it gets freshly installed, it springs into action by replacing one of the files named "provider-jsonrpc.js" with a counterfeit version that packs in additional code to fetch and execute a third-stage from the same server. The newly downloaded payload functions as a reverse shell to connect to the threat actor's server over SSH."That means that the connection opened with this client turns into a reverse shell once it receives a custom message from the server," Valenti said. "Even if the package ethers-provider2 is removed from a compromised system, the client will still be used under certain circumstances, providing a degree of persistence for the attackers."It's worth noting at this stage that the official ethers package on the npm registry is not compromised, since the malicious modifications are made locally post installation.The second package, ethers-providerz, also behaves in a similar manner in that it attempts to alter files associated with a locally installed npm package called "@ethersproject/providers." The exact npm package targeted by the library is not known, although source code references indicate it could have been loader.js.The findings serve to highlight the novel ways threat actors are serving and persisting malware in developer systems, making it essential that packages from open-source repositories are carefully scrutinized before downloading and using them."Despite the low download numbers, these packages are powerful and malicious," Valenti said. "If their mission is successful, they will corrupt the locally installed package ethers and maintain persistence on compromised systems even if that package is removed."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

"A boxer derives the greatest advantage from his sparring partner" Epictetus, 50135 ADHands up. Chin tucked. Knees bent. The bell rings, and both boxers meet in the center and circle. Red throws out three jabs, feints a fourth, andBANGlands a right hand on Blue down the center.This wasn't Blue's first day and despite his solid defense in front of the mirror, he feels the pressure. But something changed in the ring; the variety of punches, the feints, the intensity it's nothing like his coach's simulations. Is my defense strong enough to withstand this? He wonders, do I even have a defense?His coach reassures him "If it weren't for all your practice, you wouldn't have defended those first jabs. You've got a defensenow you need to calibrate it. And that happens in the ring."Cybersecurity is no different. You can have your hands updeploying the right architecture, policies, and security measuresbut the smallest gap in your defense could let an attacker land a knockout punch. The only way to test your readiness is under pressure, sparring in the ring.The Difference Between Practice and the Real FightIn boxing, sparring partners are abundant. Every day, fighters step into the ring to hone their skills against real opponents. But in cybersecurity, sparring partners are more sparse. The equivalent is penetration testing, but a pentest happens at a typical organization only once a year, maybe twice, at best every quarter. It requires extensive preparation, contracting an expensive specialist agency, and cordoning off the environment to be tested. As a result, security teams often go months without facing true adversarial activity. They're compliant, their hands are up and their chins are tucked. But would they be resilient under attack?The Consequences of Infrequent Testing1. Drift: The Slow Erosion of DefenseWhen a boxer goes months without sparring, their intuition dulls. He falls victim to the concept known as "inches" where he has the right defensive move but he misses it by inches, getting caught by shots he knows how to defend. In cybersecurity, this is akin to configuration drift: incremental changes in the environment, whether that be new users, outdated assets, no longer attended ports, or a gradual loss in defensive calibration. Over time, gaps emerge, not because the defenses are gone, but because they've fallen out of alignment.2. Undetected Gaps: The Limits of Shadowboxing A boxer and their coach can only get so far in training. Shadowboxing and drills help, but the coach won't call out inconspicuous mistakes, that could leave the boxer vulnerable. Neither can they replicate the unpredictability of a real opponent. There are simply too many things that can go wrong. The only way for a coach to assess the state of his boxer is to see how he gets hit and then diagnose why. Similarly, in cybersecurity, the attack surface is vast and constantly evolving. No one pentesting assessment can anticipate every possible attack vector and detect every vulnerability. The only way to uncover gaps is to test repeatedly against real attack scenarios.3. Limited Testing Scope: The Danger of Partial TestingA coach needs to see their fighter tested against a variety of opponents. He may be fine against an opponent who throws primarily headshots, but what about body punchers or counterpunchers? These may be areas for improvement. If a security team only tests against a particular type of threat, and doesn't broaden their range to other exploits, be they exposed passwords or misconfigurations, they risk leaving themselves exposed to whatever weak access points an attacker finds. For example, a web application might be secure, but what about a leaked credential or a dubious API integration?Context Matters When it Comes to Prioritizing FixesNot every vulnerability is a knockout punch. Just as a boxer's unique style can compensate for technical flaws, compensating controls in cybersecurity can mitigate risks. Take Muhammad Ali, by textbook standards, his defense was flawed, but his athleticism and adaptability made him untouchable. Similarly, Floyd Mayweather's low front hand might seem like a weakness, but his shoulder roll turned it into a defensive strength.In cybersecurity, vulnerability scanners often highlight dozensif not hundredsof issues. But not all of them are critical. All IT environments are different and a high-severity CVE might be neutralized by a compensating control, such as network segmentation or strict access policies. Context is key because it provides the necessary understanding of what requires immediate attention versus what doesn't.The High Cost of Infrequent TestingThe value of testing against a real adversary is nothing new. Boxers spar to prepare for fights. Cybersecurity teams conduct penetration tests to harden their defenses. But what if boxers had to pay tens of thousands of dollars every time they sparred? Their learning would only happen in the ringduring the fightand the cost of failure would be devastating.This is the reality for many organizations. Traditional penetration testing is expensive, time-consuming, and often limited in scope. As a result, many teams only test once or twice a year, leaving their defenses unchecked for months. When an attack occurs, the gaps are exposedand the cost is high.Continuous, Proactive TestingTo truly harden their defenses, organizations must move beyond infrequent annual testing. Instead, they need continuous, automated testing that emulates real-world attacks. These tools emulate adversarial activity, uncovering gaps and providing actionable insights into where to tighten security controls, how to recalibrate defenses, and provide precise fixes for remediation. Doing it all with regular frequency and without the high cost of traditional testing.By combining automated security validation with human expertise, organizations can maintain a strong defensive posture and adapt to evolving threats.Learn more about automated pentesting by visiting Pentera.Note: This article is expertly written and contributed by William Schaffer, Senior Sales Development Representative at Pentera.Found this article interesting? This article is a contributed piece from one of our valued partners. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.