When is Amazon's Spring Sale 2025?Amazon's Big Spring Sale runs from now through Monday, March 31.Are deals really better during Amazon sales?Deals on flagship Amazon products are typically the best during Amazon's own sales. These sales are also a great opportunity to scoop up decent savings across dozens of categories. Keep in mind that you'll be able to shop at plenty of other retailers during the same period as Amazon's sale as retailers look to compete.Will other retailers offer spring savings?Yes, other major retailers will likely offer their discounts via competing sales. Often, retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and more directly match (or sometimes outdo) Amazon's pricing during sale events. It's not unusual to see the same products on sale for the same price across many retailers. I expect many competing sale events to precede, overlap, or follow Amazon's spring sale.How did we choose these anti-Amazon Spring Sale deals?ZDNET only writes about deals we want to buy -- devices and products we desire, need or would recommend. Our experts looked for deals that were at least 20% off (or are hardly ever on sale), using established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is on sale and how frequently it drops.We also reviewed customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals we recommend. Our recommendations may also be based on our testing -- in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter.What are the best Amazon Spring Sale 2025 deals?ZDNET's experts are searching through Amazon's Spring Sale deals to find the best discounts by category. These are the best deals so far:You can also find the best Amazon Spring Sale deals by price:And the best deals from other retailers this week:Best anti-Amazon Spring Sale dealsLooking for the next best product? Get expert reviews and editor favorites withZDNET Recommends.

iOS dating apps for BDSM and LGBTQ+ communities found to have exposed private photos.gettyOnline dating is already an emotional minefield without the addition of anxiety over who can see your photos and messages, including those of the most sensitive nature. Online dating within the BDSM, LGBTQ+ and Sugar Daddy communities, even more so with regard to the confidentiality and privacy of such communications. If you are a member of any of these groups and have used one of five popular iOS dating apps, it would appear your worst nightmares have just come true.BDSM, LGBTQ+, Sugar Daddy iPhone Dating Apps Exposed Private DataAlthough most of the data leaks that I cover tend to involve such things as stolen passwords or credit cards turning up on the dark web, some things are even more frightening. Although you might think that passwords and financial data are the worst, I would argue that your private information, including sexually sensitive photography and private messages revealing your innermost fantasies, move into a whole new level of danger. Not only is there the apparent anxiety and fear of someone seeing these without your permission or knowledge, but it should go without saying that the security implications, especially for blackmail, are enormous. Especially when iPhone users, rightly or wrongly, tend to have the greatest expectation of privacy among smartphone users in my experience. The apps involved in this latest leak report are exclusive to the iOS platform, which makes the whole thing even more problematic in this regard.According to Paulina Okunyt, Cybernews researchers have uncovered a number of popular iOS-specific dating apps that have leaked a massive amount of information. The apps, all from M.A.D Mobile Apps Developers Limited, had publicly accessible secrets published together with their code, the report said. These secrets can be things such as passwords, encryption keys or application programming interface keys. In this case, Okunyt said, the most dangerous of leaked secrets granted access to user photos located in Google Cloud Storage buckets, which had no passwords set up.Totaling 1.5 million photos uploaded by users of the apps, these included private images sent using direct messaging and photos that had been removed for rules violations, as well as profile pictures and profile verification images.Researchers Say These iPhone Dating Apps Were ImpactedAccording to the Cybernews research report, the following iOS apps were impacted by the data leak:BDSM People (which claims to be the number one kinky dating app)Brish (a gay dating app for men)Chica (a luxury dating app that the researchers said specializes in sugar daddy dating)Pink (a lesbian dating app)Translate (a transgender dating app)When it comes to BDSM People alone, the researchers said that the aforementioned secrets left in the app code enabled them to access a data storage bucket containing 1.6 million files, including 541,000 images users sent to each other or uploaded to the app. The breakdown of the photo categories reveals the extent of the breach:18,000 photos removed by moderators270,000 user profile photos70,000 photos from public posts90,000 photos from user chats65,000 blurred photos28,000 profile verification photosThe Chica app data storage bucket contained:2,200 Images sent via chats11,000 photos uploaded as posts4,700 images removed by the moderators94,000 profile photos23,000 photos uploaded for profile verificationThe LGBTQ+ community was also impacted by the data leak, the Cybernews researchers said, with three apps widely used within the community exposing sensitive user photos.I have reached out to both Apple and M.A.D Mobile Apps Developers Limited for a statement regarding the iPhone dating app leaks.

Original Russian Kometa-M from a downed Shahed. Note the four antenna elements with the logo the ... More the Irish makers TaoglasUkraine MoDAn electronic war of jamming and counter-jamming is being played out in Ukraine with civilian lives in the middle. Two Russian weapons have become crucial, both of which rely on satellite navigation: glide bombs, released at long range, and Shahed drones, both of which kill many civilians. According to President Zelensky, Russia launched some 1,050 attack drones and 1,300 aerial bombs in just one week last month.Both weapons use the Russian Kometa (Comet) satellite guidance system. Ukraine has deployed vast numbers of electronic jamming and spoofing devices to make the weapons to miss their targets. Russia has responded by successively upgrading Kometa, increasing the number of antenna elements from 4 to 8 to 12 and beyond to beat the jammers. What is the end game in this arms race, and can the Russian guided bombs and drones be stopped?The Legendary Kometa Smart AntennaThe first Shahed drones launched by Russia had a commercial Chinese navigation antennas. In September 2023 Ukrainian analysts found that crashed drones fitted with the Russian-made Kometa, showing the drones were assembled in Russian with an increasing proportion of locally made parts.Kometa is a military system from St. Petersburg-based maker VNIIR Progress, first unveiled in 2017, with different versions for aircraft, drones and ground vehicles. It is a smart antenna which can plug into any satnav receiver. The selling point is its ability to filter out jamming signals.A February 2024 piece in Russian news source Zen Novosti gushes over Kometa claiming There are legends about this development in the West, and for good reason, and that the Kometa plunged the NATO command into despair because no interference created by electronic warfare can deceive it.Different Kometa systems, including the Kometa-M, used on drones and glide bombs, in the middleVIIR Progress"Drones that are equipped with this system are not affected by electronic suppression systems," states an electronic warfare specialist quoted by Zen Novosti.The article even claims (without evidence) that Kometa are so effective that the Ukrainians are using units salvaged from crashed Shaheds to use in their own drones. This seems unlikely.Interestingly, the makers still provide technical details of Kometa online to prospective customers . These reveal that as well as handling signals from the Russian GLONASS satellite navigation system it can also use the U.S. GPS and European Galileo navigation systems, and that the broadband noise reduction is 40-50 decibels. This means it can potentially cope with 100,000 times as much radio interference as an unshielded antenna.But there is an important limitation to this ability.CRPA: Turning A Deaf Ear To NoiseKometa is a type known as a Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna or CRPA, pronounced serper, also called adaptive antenna, null-steering antenna or beamforming antenna.A CRPA uses multiple antenna elements and combines their signals in smart ways. The most obvious approach is amplification: adding two signals together to boost the amplification. But it can also be used for subtraction. By shifting the phase of a signal when it is combined, a CRPA can selectively remove one signal from the output, effectively tuning it out. (Noise-cancelling headphones use a similar principle with sound waves).Komet smart antenna on sale on the internetVIIR ProgressIn technical terms this is known as null-forming or null-steering. Old-fashioned antennas for TVs were highly directional and had to be set up pointing toward the transmitter; the direction in which the antenna was deaf to the signal was called a null. CRPA allows nulls to be created at will, so a low-power satellite signal can be picked up even though there is a more powerful jamming signal nearby.The limitation is that it requires an additional antenna element to generate each null. The original Kometa had four elements, meaning it could generate three nulls and so cancel out three jammers. It would have no protection against a fourth jammer.Ukrainian electronic warfare specialist Serhii Flash noted in September 2023 that overcoming Komet would require four jammers in one area, which was a challenge.However, Ukraine has been fielding more jammers lots of them. Unlike jamming drones, satellite navigation jamming only requires a simple, low-power device on a known wavelength. The output from a GPS satellite has been compared to a car headlight 12,000 miles away, making it easy to drown out, and there are lots of phone-sized $30 GPS jammers on the open market. Piling on enough jammers seemed to work.Element EscalationUkraine was eventually able to overcome the four-antenna CRPAs as they deployed more jammers, the OSINT analyst who goes by Roy told me.The eight-element version of KometaRoy via Twitter/XRoy has documented what happened next on his X/Twitter feed: in 2024 upgraded Kometa started turning up with 8 antenna elements instead of 4.When the Russians switched to the 8 antenna Kometa-M. the accuracy of their UMPK glide bomb kits and Shaheds was restored, says Roy.However, even the upgraded Komets were not effective for long.The Russians reported that accuracy of UMPK bombs was lost in certain areas. Apparently, Ukraine now has enough jammers to concentrate around areas where these bombing attacks are active, says Roy.The twelve-element KometRoy via Twitter/XAt the start of this year Roy noted another new version: a Komet with 12 antenna elements.And that is not the end of it. This month Serhii Flash released images of a captured Komet with no less than 16 antenna elements on his Telegram channel.Joker In The PackAdding progressively more elements adds complications, but 16 does not look like the limit.The amount of data and data processing increases with each additional antenna element, DanielR, an OSINT analyst and imaging physicist told me. The overall size of the array will become a limitation as well since the elements need to be separated by several centimeters. Sixteen antenna elements seems fairly large but that doesn't stop anyone from adding more if it can be done cheaply. Roy concurs, noting that the stakes are high, and the Russian are likely to keep escalating,The devices do get bigger and heavier each time, with increasing complexity of the signal processing electronics, notes Roy. Russia is likely to keep going to maintain accuracy of their devastating UMPK heavy bombs, as long as the increasingly bigger CRPA devices can still be fitted.The sixteen-element KometSerhii Flash via TelegramHowever, one interesting feature is the accelerating pace of change. The switch from four elements to eight took at least a year, then only a few months to go to twelve, and an even shorter gap to sixteen. This may suggest that more (or more effective) jammers are being deployed faster than the Russians can respond.There is also the question of spoofing, a joker in the pack.While the Komet may be effective again noise inference produced by jammers drowning out the signals from satellites, they may be vulnerable to spoofing signals which quietly mimics a satellite with false navigation data. Ukraines Pokrova spoofing system was revealed last year and is now likely to be widely deployed.The Russians may not know why their bombs are missing and simply adding more and more elements in the hope of getting through. If a spoofing signal is present, like a journalist stealthily lurking in a Signal chat, no amount of noise filtering will help.Beating The Bombs And DronesUkraine also has other ways to beat Kometa. Given that the location of VNIIR Progress is known and their production facilities are in St. Petersburg -- well within the range of Ukrainian drones and missiles the supply chain could be targeted.A street on Odessa, Ukraine, following a Russian Shahed attackAFP via Getty ImagesIn addition, as is obvious from VNIIRs own material, Kometa uses foreign components, most obviously the antenna elements still branded with the name of the Irish makers Taoglas. The Ukrainian group Molfar has traced these units and others to third parties based in Hong Kong .The enforcement of existing sanctions against Russia should prevent them from building weapons using Western components.The contest is still ongoing. Electronic warfare is obscure field and few are even aware of CRPA and null-forming, but the results are a matter of life and death for the people of Ukraine targeted by Russian bombs and drones. Success means a bomb lands in an empty field instead of hitting a building full of people.Developers on both sides will be working on new techniques, and the outcome is still far from certain.

In a nutshell: Google has confirmed that it will now develop Android privately as part of its efforts to streamline the development process. However, the company has assured users and developers that the operating system will remain open source, and it will continue to release the source code for new Android versions. Google told Android Authority that it will move all Android development to its internal branches next week, marking a significant shift from the system that has been in place for nearly 16 years. Currently, part of the development occurs on the public AOSP Gerrit, while the rest is done privately.While the AOSP branch remains accessible to everyone, Google's internal branch is available only to companies with a Google Mobile Services licensing agreement. AOSP is open source, whereas GMS is not. Instead, Google licenses GMS to device manufacturers for free, provided they adhere to specific terms and conditions. Some of the companies with a GMS agreement include Samsung, Xiaomi, and OnePlus.According to Google, its current two-pronged development approach creates challenges for both the company and its partners. Development on AOSP Gerrit often lags behind Google's internal branch, leading to delays in rolling out new features, fixing bugs, and addressing security vulnerabilities. Additionally, merging code between the two branches reportedly introduces errors a problem the new policy aims to resolve.Google asserts that the change is not intended to hinder third-party developers but rather to streamline the development process. The company maintains that it will continue accepting code contributions to AOSP from external developers while retaining full control over what is merged to ensure "the vitality of Android as a platform and as an open-source project."As Android Authority notes, components such as the build system, update engine, Bluetooth stack, virtualization framework, and SELinux configuration are currently developed as part of the AOSP stack. However, starting next week, these will move to Google's internal branches. As a result, the source code for these components will only be released when Google publishes a new branch containing the changes. // Related StoriesFor end users, the policy shift is unlikely to have any noticeable impact. However, developers may face some inconvenience due to fewer public source code releases for certain Android components. That said, Android updates should remain unaffected, as most manufacturers with a GMS agreement will continue to have uninterrupted access to Google's internal branch.

Reviewers LikedLower power draw than last-generation Ryzen 5 7600XReduced heat output, faster performance than 7600XGood thermals for running on air cooling or inside a compact desktopNative AVX-512 supportReviewers Didn't LikeMulti-threaded performance can't touch Intel equivalentsUncompetitive priceNo bundled coolerCompetitors and Related Products Our editors hand-pick related products using a variety of criteria: direct competitors targeting the same market segment, or devices that are similar in size, performance, or feature sets. Expert reviews and ratings 65 In a nutshell, what makes the Ryzen 5 9600X a bad product is the fact that it's often slower than its predecessor and yet somehow costs 40% more. There's no reason anyone should buy this CPU unless its price drops considerably. By TechSpot on August 09, 2024 60 AMD's Ryzen 5 9600X is faster than its Ryzen predecessor but far slower than its competition. It needs a chop of $40 to $50 off its list price to compete. By PCMag on August 07, 2024 90 The Zen 5-powered AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X deliver large generational gaming improvements that exceed price-comparable Intel models. The processors also deliver class-leading single-threaded performance but still trail Intel in heavily threaded applications. Overall, Ryzen 9000 delivers impressive generational performance gains, but consume 40% less power than their predecessors, ultimately yielding a cooler, quieter and faster system. By Tom's Hardware on August 07, 2024 80 The Ryzen 5 9600X, priced at a fair $279, is a more accessible entry into the Zen 5 architecture, offering modest performance improvements only. However, for those on a tighter budget, the older Zen 4 processors like the 7600X, currently priced at $229, might present a better value due to their adequate performance and significantly lower platform costs. Good to know is that the AM5 socket promises compatibility with future upgrades until at least 2027, providing a viable path for users planning to upgrade their systems later. By The Guru of 3D on August 07, 2024 90 At this time it doesn't look like a cheaper Ryzen 5 9600 non-X is plannedthere is not much flexibility left in TDP choices, or maybe they'll release it with 45 W TDP. An 8-core 45 W Ryzen 7 9700 non-X doesn't seem probable either, and it's probably going to be too expensive. While the upcoming Zen 5 X3D CPUs are expected to deliver exceptional gaming performance, I doubt that these will be anywhere close to $300, considering the 7800X3D sells for $370 right now. Maybe if AMD decided to release a 9600X3D, but that would go against their strategy to keep X3D at higher price points for better margins. By TechPowerUp on August 07, 2024 81 The first delivery in the current Zen 5 family is fast and cool, and a little cheaper than its predecessor. Nothing wrong with that but you might want to temper your expectations a little. By PCGamer on August 07, 2024 80 With much less power consumption and lower temperatures, the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X may be more conservative with its performance gain over its predecessor, but its worth it for the peace of mind especially for first-time PC builders. By IGN on August 07, 2024 85 The AMD Zen 5 9600X is impressive but we know there is more to come so the best advice is to wait a while. By KitGuru on August 07, 2024 90 We must also consider that these are only 65 watt processors, whereas their predecessors had 105 watt TDPs. With that in mind, were eager to see what next weeks launch of the dual-CCD, 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X and flagship 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X 120 watt and 170 watt processors will bring. With double the number of cores, and double or triple the TDPs, overall performance could be quite interesting. By HotHardware on August 07, 2024 85 It's difficult to believe we're still calling the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X an entry-level processor as the specifications and performance show it's everything but. This is an incredible CPU for less than $300. By XDA Developers on August 07, 2024Load More Reviews

Is the friendly web-slinger going to show up in Avengers: Doomsday?Yesterday, Marvel announced its principal cast for Avengers: Doomsday. MCU veterans like Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, and Sebastian Stan were all announced in the Doomsday cast. One name was noticeably missing: Tom Holland.Recommended VideosHolland plays Peter Parker/Spider-Man and remains one of the most popular characters in the MCU. Yet Holland was not one of the nearly 30 actors confirmed forDoomsday, begging the question about his involvement in the fifth Avengers film.Please enable Javascript to view this contentRumors have circulated about Hollands involvement since Doomsdaybecame official at 2024s Comic-Con. One report stated that Holland would be the lead in Doomsday, though thats unlikely to happen after the casting announcements.Could Marvel withhold Hollands appearance to keep his involvement as a surprise? Absolutely. Look at Hollands last Spidey movie,No Way Home, as a prime example of holding casting news close to the vest. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield had to lie about their involvement in No Way Home for nearly a year, but lo and behold, the two Spider-Man actors teamed up with Holland for the final act.FYI, Marvel has nearly 50 names to announce so expect this video to go on for several hours. Im going to let Marvel have its fun and not spoil the surprises. We can discuss once its all over Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) March 26, 2025Reporter Jeff Sneider wrote thatDoomsdaywill feature around 50 Marvel characters. Given that the studio only revealed 27 names, Marvel could announce the other 23 as the release date approaches or keep them as a surprise.The 28-year-old is currently filming Christopher Nolans The Odyssey. WithAvengers: Doomsday now in production, Holland cannot be in two places at once. Daniel Richtman reported that a stunt double will film some of Hollands scenes as he finishes work onThe Odyssey.Even if Holland does not appear in Doomsday, his Peter Parker will return in Spider-Man 4, coming to theaters on July 31, 2026. Avengers: Doomsdayarrives two months prior on May 1, 2026.Editors Recommendations

Do you find using awkward selfie sticks unbearable? Are you tired of rushing to beat the camera timer when setting up a group shot? If you own a Pixel, theres a surprisingly simple alternative tool available: your hand.With the built-in Pixel Timer, you can make group photos and selfies much more effortless. Instead of fumbling with a complicated setup or racing against the clock, signal the phone with your hand.Recommended VideosHeres how it works: raise your hand before the camera to let your Pixel know youre ready for a photo. This gesture helps you frame the shot perfectly and ensures that everyone, including those awkwardly positioned in the back, can get in place without the chaos of a countdown clock.Please enable Javascript to view this contentLower your hand after youve gathered everyone, and everyone will be ready to smile. This action will trigger the timer, allowing enough time for you to strike the perfect pose. This user-friendly feature means less stress and more fun during those memorable moments.So, next time you plan to capture a group photo, remember that your hand is an effortless tool in your Pixels photography arsenal. Yes, its that easy!The Pixel Timer is turned on by default. To confirm that its installed, go into the Camera app on your Pixel, then choose Settings. From there, youll notice a toggle for the Pixel Timer.The Pixel Timer was first introduced in August 2024 on the Pixel Fold and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Since then, Google has expanded it to all other Pixel phones, going back to the Pixel 6. With the March 2025 Feature Drop, the tool has been upgraded to work with both the rear and front cameras. Before this release, the Pixel Timer was only compatible with the selfie camera.The March 2025 Pixel Feature Drop enhances user experience with AI-driven features, improved connectivity, and safety upgrades. A standout is the new AI-powered scam detection, which identifies potential fraudulent calls and messages while protecting user privacy. The Connected Cameras feature allows Pixel 9 users to stream from multiple camera angles by connecting to other Pixel devices or GoPro cameras. Theres also expanded satellite support for staying connected in areas without cellular or Wi-Fi, beneficial for emergencies.Additionally, the Pixel Watch 3 introduces health updates, including loss-of-pulse detection and enhanced menstrual tracking. This drop underscores Googles focus on intelligent and safe technology.Editors Recommendations

The actress stars alongside Bill Murray and a Great Dane in this dramedy about a writer who inherits the pet of a mentor.

The ghostly figure at cryptocurrencys origin, the destructive air war on Japan, Cynthia Ozicks retrospective collection and more.

all for one and one for all Nintendos new system for sharing digital Switch games, explained "Virtual game cards" don't require an Internet check-in after the initial loan. Kyle Orland Mar 27, 2025 11:58 am | 13 "With virtual game cards, you can freely load and arrange which games you play on up to two systems." Credit: Nintendo / YouTube "With virtual game cards, you can freely load and arrange which games you play on up to two systems." Credit: Nintendo / YouTube Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreSwitch players who buy their games on physical cards are used to being able to share those games with other players simply by handing them the card. Now, Nintendo is planning a process to allow players to share their digital Switch purchases in a similar way.The new "virtual game card" systemwhich Nintendo announced today ahead of a planned late April rolloutwill allow players to "load" and "eject" digital games via a dedicated management screen. An ejected digital game can't be played on the original console, but it can be digitally loaded onto a new console and played there without restriction by any user logged into that system.While an Internet connection is required when loading and ejecting digital games in this way, the Internet will not be required to play the shared digital game after that initial process is complete. And while both Switch consoles will need to be synced up via a "local connection" the first time such sharing is done, subsequent shares won't require the consoles to be in physical proximity.Nintendo's announcement says this virtual game card system allows players to "freely load and arrange which games you play on up to two systems [emphasis added]," suggesting you won't be able to share different games across more than one secondary console. For households with more than two Switch units, though, Nintendo says virtual game card lending will also be available across your Nintendo Switch "family group" accounts. But these "family" loans are limited to one game at a time (per group member) and only last for two weeks (after which the loan can be manually renewed). You will be able to share one game at a time across each member of your Switch "family group." You will be able to share one game at a time across each member of your Switch "family group." The new game sharing system marks a significant change from the Switch's current digital game sharing process, which allows any number of "secondary" consoles to log in to access an eShop account's full digital library (as long as that library isn't in active use by another consoles at the same time). But that system requires a secondary console to be connected to the Internet for a check-in every time a game is loaded, limiting its usefulness when using the Switch on the go.The fine print in today's Nintendo Direct suggests that the current sharing system will continue to be available via an "Online-License Settings" menu that will let players "opt to connect to the internet to start-up software." For Switch players who aren't constantly tied to Wi-Fi, though, the new virtual game card system seems poised to simplify the process of sharing game downloads across more than one Switch console.Kyle OrlandSenior Gaming EditorKyle OrlandSenior Gaming Editor Kyle Orland has been the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica since 2012, writing primarily about the business, tech, and culture behind video games. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He once wrote a whole book about Minesweeper. 13 Comments