Skate is finally ready for playtesting - here's how to get involvedBetter Skate than never.Image credit: Full Circle News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Jan. 12, 2025 Four and a half years after it was announced, EA's free-to-play skate sim, Skate, is finally ready for playtesting on consoles.Early adopters who signed up to Skate's early access Insider programme are now receiving invitations to get involved in the playtest and "help shape the future of the game".To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Is Sony buying FromSoftware's parent company the next big games industry acquisition?Watch on YouTubeWorry not if you've yet to be selected - the team is "invit[ing] new players who are registered as we go" and still actively recruiting testers, so if you'd like to give it a go, head on over to the official website and express your interest. To see this content please enable targeting cookies.When developer Full Circle first began sharing details of its new Skate project - which is officially known as Skate, rather than Skate 4 - back in 2022, the studio explained it wasn't "a sequel", nor "a remake, a reboot, [or] a prequel". Instead, it was described as an "authentic evolution" of the series intended to reflect "where skateboarding and gaming is in the real world".Skate will be available on PlayStation, Xbox, PC (including Steam), and mobile devices when it releases in early access later this year - some 15 years after the launch of Skate 3. It will also boast cross-play and cross-progression support.

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Parkour!Minecraft's latest update does the very normal thing of fixing some bugs, but a petition is asking Mojang to undo the changes in the name of parkour and speedbridgingIt's a reasonable request, truth be told.Image credit: Mojang News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Jan. 12, 2025 A recent Minecraft update fixed some bugs that, as it turns out, are actually quite popular with parkour players, and they're asking to not implement them.You'd generally think that bug fixes for games are a good thing, and would be broadly welcome to players, but that isn't always the case. Sometimes certain bugs are used by players because they allow for cool or handy tricks, and Minecraft is one such game that makes use of such bugs. Except, in Snapshot 25w02a, a couple of bugs were fixed that are quite useful to parkour players and speedbridgers, and now (as spotted by PCGamesN), there's a petition on the Minecraft feedback page asking Mojang to revert those changes.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. "On behalf of the parkour and speedbridging communities, bug fixes MC-271065 and MC-241951 need to be reverted," the petition explains. "These are actually considered features to many high-level parkour players and speed-bridgers, and should be classified as such. Taking away the 40% speed increase along the diagonal will hurt a lot of mechanics, maps, and techniques that depend on this, both in parkour and speedbridging. "Such a major rework will hurt these communities in the long and short term. This 'bug' has established use in these communities, and will frankly affect more than just them. For example, as a user shared here, building in survival will be much more tedious, since placing blocks will be considerably slower on roofs, for example."The creator of the petition goes on to note that they think there is "no need to implement any of these changes" and that it affects the "casual experience by purposefully nerfing player movement, and it will affect high-level play significantly; that, in turn, will hurt Minecraft's longevity and force players to older versions."Considering this is just a snapshot update, meaning it's not in the full thing yet, these changes might not actually come to the main game. The petition has almost 1500 votes, which isn't a huge number in the greater scheme of things, but when you look at other feedback posts you'll see that it's quite high comparatively - there's even another post asking for similar changes that also has a good few votes. Good luck to you I say, speedbridgers!

Life Moves QuicklyIf you can believe it, The Sims turns 25 next month, and a "very special" Behind The Sims celebratory video that's coming next week should help clue us all in on what's nextProbably safer to not get your hopes up too much, though.Image credit: Maxis / Electronic Arts News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Jan. 12, 2025 Not to make you feel old or anything, but The Sims is turning 25 this year, and there's a livestream on the way to show you what's in store for the series.I'm very sorry to all the millennials out there reading this thinking "there's no way The Sims could be 25 years old, it was only yesterday I was removing swimming pools and drowning people in The Sims 2" because the truth is you're 35 and time is an unstoppable force. With the existential dread out the way, let the good times begin! Because earlier this week, the official Sims Twitter account announced that there's a new Behind the Sims livestream on the way, and it's an extra special 25th anniversary stream. "A very hoople Behind The Sims is coming!" reads the announcement post. "Tune in Jan 14, 9 AM PT as we kickoff the celebration of 25 years of The Sims!"Watch on YouTubeThat's literally it in terms of details, no teases for what specifics could be shown, nothing about any of what's coming to The Sims 4, so you'll just have to wait and see what the livestream shows off. There's a pretty broad range of things it could go into, like Project Rene, a still yet to be properly, formally revealed project that isn't actually The Sims 5 after all. It's also possible we'll hear more about that live-action Sims movie that Margot Robbie is producing, though considering that was technically only officially announced recently, it still might be early days, so if it does show up I wouldn't expect anything more than a director confirmation, or perhaps first bit of casting.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Sims livestreams are a bit notorious for disappointing fans, so with such a big anniversary you better cross your fingers that it's a bit more than just "look at this cool new chair coming to the game!"

Switching Things UpHave you had your copy of Metroid Prime 4 pre-ordered since it was announced? You might want to double check, as Amazon has apparently started cancelling ordersSay goodbye to that discount you might have held on to for the past eight years.Image credit: Nintendo News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Jan. 12, 2025 Metroid Prime 4 is due out sometime this year, and now it seems that Amazon has started cancelling people's orders.If you can believe it, it'll have been eight years since Metroid Prime 4 was initially announced later this year, and it's been six years since the game restarted development at Retro Studios. Nintendo finally re-revealed it back in June of last year, slapping on "Beyond" as a subtitle, even showing off some gameplay for the first time. Even with that long wait time, I imagine some of you have had your game on pre-order ever since it was first announced. But if you did so through Amazon, you might want to check if you still have your order in place, as a number of users online have been sharing that their pre-orders have been cancelled.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. In a post over on the Metroid subreddit, a bunch of commenters have shared that their Amazon pre-orders have been cancelled, with a number of them noting that they had pre-order discounts applied. Considering Amazon doesn't really do offers like that these days for video game pre-orders, it's no surprise that the company would want to revoke these offers. On top of that, it's always possible that Nintendo will be making Metroid Prime 4 another $70 release, like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was.One user over on Resetera shared the email notification they received about their cancelled order, with Amazon explaining that it is due to "a lack of availability." This obviously prompted some people to jokingly (and others not-so-jokingly) jump to the conclusion that it'll be a Switch 2 exclusive, but Breath of the Wild also released on the Wii U, so it'd be a pretty surprising move from Nintendo - not to mention it literally released a list of games coming to Nintendo Switch in 2025, which would be a bad look if it suddenly made the switch (pardon the pun). Either way, definitely annoying for those that had a discount, but what are you going to do! Probably not buy it from Amazon, at the very least, I imagine.

Tech Hydrogen-powered rescue truck just smashed a world record, and it only spits out water Breaking records with zero emissions Published January 12, 2025 6:00am EST close Hydrogen-powered rescue truck just smashed a world record, and it only spits out water The vehicle traveled 1,806 miles on a single tank of hydrogen. Hydrogen-powered trucks are making waves in the world of clean transportation, and the H2Rescue truck just set a new Guinness World Record to prove it.This impressive vehicle, developed by Cummins Accelera in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Defense, traveled an astounding 1,806 miles on a single tank of hydrogen. H2Rescue truck (Department of Homeland Security)The record-breaking journeyThe H2Rescue truck embarked on its record-setting trip in California, carrying 386 pounds of hydrogen fuel. Throughout the journey, it navigated rush hour traffic, maintained speeds between 50 and 55 mph and operated in temperatures ranging from 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.The truck's performance was closely monitored by a Guinness World Records adjudicator, who ensured the integrity of the test by sealing the hydrogen tank before departure. H2Rescue truck (Cummins Accelera)Impressive technologyThe H2Rescue truck is powered by a Cummins Accelera fuel cell engine and a 250-kilowatt traction motor. During its record-breaking run, it consumed 370 pounds of hydrogen, demonstrating the efficiency of hydrogen fuel cell technology. The most striking aspect of this journey? The truck emitted absolutely nothing but water vapor from its tailpipe. H2Rescue truck (Cummins Accelera)Environmental impactBy using hydrogen instead of gasoline, the H2Rescue truck saved a whopping 664 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions compared to a conventional truck of the same size covering the same distance. This showcases the potential of hydrogen-powered vehicles in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change. H2Rescue truck (Cummins Accelera)More than just a record breakerThe H2Rescue truck isn't just about setting records. It's designed for real-world emergency response scenarios. The vehicle can provide 25 kilowatts of power from its fuel cells for up to 72 hours without refueling, which is sufficient to power multiple FEMA trailers during critical emergency operations.Weighing 33,000 pounds, the truck is robustly built to carry essential supplies directly into disaster zones where infrastructure might be compromised. As an added innovative feature, the truck produces about a gallon of water per hour as a byproduct, which, while not a massive water source, represents a small but intriguing potential benefit in emergency situations where resources can be scarce.WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)? H2Rescue truck (Cummins Accelera)The bigger pictureThe DOE estimates that replacing traditional emergency response vehicles with H2Rescue trucks could save about 1,825 gallons of gasoline per year and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2.8 tons. This demonstrates the significant potential of hydrogen fuel cell technology in heavy-duty transportation and emergency response applications. H2Rescue truck (Cummins Accelera)Kurts key takeawaysAs we look to the future, hydrogen-powered trucks like the H2Rescue are paving the way for cleaner, more efficient transportation. With zero carbon emissions and impressive range capabilities, they're proving to be a viable alternative to traditional fossil fuel-powered vehicles, especially in sectors that are challenging to decarbonize.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPWhat are your thoughts on the potential of hydrogen-powered vehicles like the H2Rescue on disaster response and environmental sustainability? Let us know by writing us atCyberguy.com/ContactFor more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading toCyberguy.com/NewsletterAsk Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to coverFollow Kurt on his social channelsAnswers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurts free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com. Related Topics

Kerry Wan/ZDNETDuring the biggest week in tech, we saw CES announcements from giants like Samsung, Google, Nvidia, Asus, Lenovo, LG, and Dell, as well as new and innovative brands with cool concepts. Here's the stuff that impressed us the most, both in terms of products we think could be worth buying and technologies that will impact the future.Also: We have named the 12 winners for the official Best of CES 2025 awards1. Smart glasses with an invisible display Jada Jones/ZDNETMost smart glasses on the market today have the smart display built into the lens, but Halliday debutedsmart glasses at CES with an "invisible display,"that is, the display is integrated into the frame. What the company calls the world's smallest optical module provides wearers with a field of view similar to that of a 3.5-inch screen. You have to look up to see the display, which we actually found quite comfortable when we demoed these glasses in person.Also:CES 2025: The 8 most advanced smart glasses we tried on - and lovedAnd, of course, the glasses are suited with AI tech features, such as real-time translations in more than 40 languages, a teleprompter text, turn-by-turn navigations, and more.2. A premium entry-level TV you can pre-order Kerry Wan/ZDNETTCL unveiled its QM6K, which brings the company's Mini LED technology to its entry-level QLED TV at an aggressive price. This TV sports the kind of brightness, contrast, and color depth you'd typically find in a much more premium model from the big TV vendors.Also:TCL won the opening of CES 2025 with a great new TV you can actually pre-orderBut TCL is offering it starting at$999 for the 65-inch QM6Kand you can even pre-order it today, a first at CES. But when you pre-order, TCL will also send you aQ75H 5.1.2 soundbarfor free (an $899 retail value). TCL is also offering the 75-inch QM6K and the 85-inch models for sale this week.3. Sleep earbuds that block out loud noises Nina Raemont/ZDNETWhile you may not think about wearing headphones while you're sleeping, these Ozlo Sleepbuds could change your mind, and they happen to be the official pick for the Best of CES in Wellness. Not only are they super comfortable (even for side sleepers), but in our hands-on testing, they did a fantastic job at blocking out outdoor noises. In addition, the accompanying app provides 10 different sleep sounds (or masking sounds) you can sort through, an earbud alarm can wake you up from your slumber, and a sleep timer shuts the buds down after a certain amount of time to save battery.4. LG G5 TV brightens up OLED LG G5 OLED TV Kerry Wan/ZDNETLast year's LG G4 OLED TV had the most impressive picture quality of any TV tested. With its incredible contrast and outstanding color depth, it was simply a joy to watch any and all content on it -- especially because it included a big step up in picture processing that allowed it to compete with Sony in enhancing older, lower-quality content. The one drawback was that it simply didn't match the brightness of the various LED TVs and so it wasn't as good in really bright rooms -- even though LG's MLA technology has enhanced the brightness in recent years.Also: Two flagship LG OLED TVs released at CES 2025: Specs, best new features, and moreLG surprised everyone at CES with the new G5 OLED TV that it claims is 40% brighter than last year's TV and the early results look very impressive. LG says that it has moved away from MLA and used a completely new technology to deliver this higher level of brightness. We suspect that this could be similar to the "Tandem OLED" technology that Apple used in its impressive M4 iPad Pro. Hopefully, we be able to confirm that in the coming months.5. Hisense upgrades Mini LED to take on OLED Kerry Wan/ZDNETWhile LG was making it's OLED TVs brighter to compete with Mini LED TVs, Hisense unveiled its own new technology to make its Mini LED TVs have higher contrast and more vibrant colors to compete with OLED.The new Hisense 116-inch TriChroma LED TV claims to display the widest color gamut ever achieved in a Mini LED display by using mini red, green, and blue optical lenses in its backlight rather than just blasting more white light as most backlights do. Nevertheless, Hisense claims this TV can do 10,000 nits of brightness, so it is still among the industry leaders in that category. It's likely to be super expensive in this first iteration, but it will be interesting to see if this technology can bring advanced picture quality to less expensive TV models in the years ahead.6. A device that gives your phone a full charge in seconds Kerry Wan/ZDNETIn what might be one of the best mobile accessories we've seen at CES so far, the Swippitt charges your smartphone in just two seconds. You simply insert your phone (with the compatible battery phone case on it) into the Hub, and your case battery gets swapped out for another fully charged 3,500mAh battery that should last you a full charge.Also: CES 2025: These 9 best mobile accessories have impressed us the mostThere are a total of five batteries inside the machine, so multiple people can use it back-to-back, and it works with a companion app that allows you to check your battery's percentages and control what percentage you want it to be charged to. You can also make reservations so that not every spare battery is taking before you urgently need one.7. AI-integrated TVs Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETTVs are always big at CES, and this year, the common thread among new TV models seems to be AI integrations. For example,Samsung's new lineup of TVs takes advantage of AIupscaling to make older content look better through HDR Remastering, which enhances standard dynamic range content to high dynamic range levels.LG's AI-powered TV technologyincludes features like AI-powered recommendations with voice recognition, an AI chatbot and AI search, and an LG AI Concierge that tracks your preferences alongside search history to provide contextual insights based on what's playing on your screen.Plus, Google is improving its TV experience byincorporating its Gemini AI into Google Assistantto converse with your Google TV and ask more complex questions.8. A robot vacuum with an arm Maria Diaz/ZDNETYou know how you have to pick up clothes, toys, or other obstacles from your floor before running a robot vacuum? Well, Roborock has a solution: arobot vacuum with a mechanical armthat grabs small obstacles while it cleans.The Roborock Saros Z70's mechanical arm uses OmniGrip technology to remove obstacles under 8 oz while it mops and vacuums your floors. The flagship model is set to debut during the first half of 2025, and we can't wait to try it out in our homes.9. A rollable laptop from Lenovo Kerry Wan/ZDNETMove over foldable phones--now there is a rollable laptop. We were impressed byLenovo's 14-inch laptop with a "rollable" displaythat extends upwards over 16 inches. The expandable display is triggered by hitting a button on the keyboard, but it also responds by holding your palm out in front of the device, and then raising or lowering it will activate the display.Also:The best CES 2025 products you can buy right nowWhen we demoed this laptop in person, we were able to fit two browser windows of equal size on top of one another--making it comparable to working with an external monitor.10. A high-tech exoskeleton Ant Pruitt / ZDNETThis exoskeleton is meant to assist hikers who need that extra push to get to the top of a mountain. It has one horsepower of output to offer subtle assistance to make your gait a bit easier on quads and hips. In addition, an AI-based motor engine performs thousands of predictive calculations per second and builds spatial models to become attuned to your walking preferences over time.And 65W fast charging means it can go from 0% to 100% in just over an hour.11. Stretchable screens Kerry Wan/ZDNETWhile just a concept for now, we couldn't get enough of Samsung's Micro LED stretchable screen. The Las Vegas Sphere and a great white shark literally pushed out of the 7x5-inch screen, creating a 3D effect like never before.Also: The best TVs of CES 2025Aside from just being a really cool concept, we could see this type of technology aiding in accessibility features or applying to infotainment systems in cars.12. Smart glasses with built-in hearing aids Jada Jones/ZDNETThe Nuance Audio hearing glasseshave six microphones scattered across the frames to capture sound, with speakers sitting above the ear to directly amplify the audio. When we demoed these, we noticed the microphones have two modes to either help you focus on a person speaking or you can amplifyallthe noises around you -- depending on what you want to hear.Also:CES 2025: The 7 most advanced smart glasses we tried on - and lovedYou can adjust the volume levels and noise-tracking in a companion app, and they even have an eight-hour battery life.13. An AI supercomputer that runs Linux NVIDIANvidia's Project Digits PC promises to be a a Linux-powered desktop for AI developers. With the starting price of $3,000, it's not for the average user, but it has impressive specs like an ARM-based Grace CPU featuring 10 Cortex-X925 and 10 Cortex-A725 cores (20 cores total), 128GB of memory, and AI models of up to 200B parameters -- that's data center-level performance in one single desktop.14. An electric spoon that mimics the taste of salt Maria Diaz/ZDNETLooking to curb your sodium intake in 2025? The Kirin Electric Salt Spoon allows for the taste of salt without the extra calories. It essentially sends electricity from the spoon to your tongue to give you the sensation of saltiness instead of adding actual salt to your dish. We didn't get to try this one out ourselves (because hygiene), but when we talked to CES goers who had used the spoon, they said it did actually work in adding a salt flavor.15. World's first 500W charger Ugreen/ZDNETCES is the place where unprecedented innovations make their entrance, and this year we're seeing the world's first 500W charger. Ugreen's Nexode 500W charger has six USB ports -- five USB-C and one USB-A port. There's one USB-C port that supports up to 240W, while the other four each offer up to 100W, and the USB-A has a maximum output of 20W.Also: What's better than a power bank doubling as a hotspot? Its low priceUgreen says this charger is "powerful enough even for large, power-hungry devices like e-bikes."16. An AI-trained virtual wellness assistant Nina Raemont/ZDNETYou may know Movano Health for its Evie Ring, which launched last year, but today at CES, the company announced EvieAI, which is a wellness assistant located in the Evie app that users can consult for health information. What's unique about this AI tool is that it is trained on articles published in over 100,000 medical journals to improve the accuracy and complexity of responses.Movano says the wellness assistant can answer questions concerning symptoms, diseases, or procedures. Anyone with an Evie Ring can try out EvieAI in the app right now.17. Smart home collaborations Ring/KiddeSmart home devices are about to get even smarter thanks to a few key collaborations we've seen at CES. First off, Ring and Kidde are pairing up to launch a new collection of smart smoke and combination detectors featuring Ring technology. When the alarms detect harmful levels of smoke or carbon monoxide (CO), you'll receive a notification through the Ring app.Also: The best smart home tech of CES 2025In addition, Home Depot is throwing its hat in the ring of smart home tech with its new Hubspace devices, which will debut later this year. These new devices include a Remote Switch to control on/off functionality and brightness control for lights, as well as two Vissani AC units with smart climate control and customizable schedules and modes.18. A way to control things just by pointing at them Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETWhile smart rings are usually reserved for tracking health data, this innovative smart ring we stumbled upon at CES lets you control things by pointing at them. The Lotus system consists of a ring with a button and switch covers, and when the button is pressed, the switch is turned on as you point at the object (compatible devices include lights, fans, AC units, or TVs).19. Headphones that clean your ears Jada Jones/ZDNETWhile theBebird EarSight Flow might look like the average pair of over-ear headphones, but it's actually an advanced ear cleaner. It uses small pods and spouts of water to shoot water into your ears to clean them gently. The spout includes a camera, and users can download the companion app to watch the EarSight Flow clean their ears in real time. Using an intelligent warming system, the headphones can even dry your ears.20. TCL's new devices are easy on the eyes Kerry Wan/ZDNETTCL debuted two new devices that caught our eye and benefit your eyes. The TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G is a smartphone with Nxtpaper 3.0 display technology, which blocks blue light to promote visual comfort and reduce eye strain. And, of course, there's AI involved: the Smart Eye Comfort Mode and the Personalized Eye Comfort Mode adaptively configure the display's colors, brightness, and contrast levels based on the user's preference.The QM6K Mini LED TV is packed with features like precise dimming and brightness controls, a redesigned backlighting system to reduce the halo effect of images on screen, a new color optimization algorithm, and enough quantum crystals to render over one billion colors, which we are excited to test out.21. Lots of laptops Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETMonday seems to be the day dedicated to laptops, as we've so far seen announcements from HP, Dell, and Acer. HP's Elitebook series got an AI boost, and Dell nixed its XPS namesake to rebrand its entire portfolio into the Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max. These Dell models will, of course, feature AI capabilities alongside Wi-Fi 7 support and snappy performance.Also: These new Wi-Fi 7 adapters will keep your old laptop future-proof for years to comeMeanwhile,Acer's lineup of devices is super versatile, thanks to their lightweight form factors and OLED displays. And gamers will appreciateMSI's CES announcement, which includes more than ten 18-inch laptops with new AMD processors and special edition designs.22. A hands-free smart lock with ultra-wideband Maria Diaz/ZDNETThere have been a few smart lock announcements at CES this year, but we think the Ultraloq Bolt Mission smart lock is the most groundbreaking. Not only does it use ultra-bandwidth (UWB) technology to unlock your door hands-free as you approach it, but UWB also allows for precision tracking of approved devices that is highly accurate and more secure.Also:Do you need a smart doggy door? I wasn't convinced until I saw this at CESThe lock also supports NFC devices--right now, just Androids, but the company plans to support Apple Home Key as well.23. Circular's smart ring gets upgrades Circular/ZDNETIn what's arguably the fastest-growing wearables category, smart ring makerCircular made a huge announcementat CES. Alongside new heart health monitoring like Atrial Fibrillation detection included within the ECG capability and improved sensors, smart ring buyers can now figure out their ring size without the need for a physical kit -- something no other smart ring brand has done so far. You can try on the Circular 2 via Digital Ring Sizing, which uses a smartphone's camera to determine a user's ring size.24. Over-the-counter glucose monitors Kerry Wan/ZDNETNot one but twoover-the-counter glucose monitors debuted at CESon Tuesday to make glucose monitoring affordable and accessible for both diabetics and the general public. The one from Dexcom is targeted for those with Type 2 diabetes not using insulin (though people without diabetes can also use it) and attaches to your arm, tracking glucose levels 24/7. It also lasts up to 30 days and is connected to an app on your phone that delivers your readings. It's compatible with Android and iOS.Also:The best wearable tech we've seen at CESOn the other hand, the Lingo device from Abbott is for anyone looking for more insight into their general health and wellness by tracking glucose spikes. It uses personalized data to offer suggestions and coaching on eating habits, stressors, and exercise through a companion app. It's limited to the iPhone.25. An alternative to Dolby Atmos ZDNETEclipsa Audio isSamsung and Google's answer to Dolby Atmos. One big difference in this new 3D audio format compared to Dolby Atmos is that it doesn't have licensing fees; it will be a free and open-source audio format. So far, the format is available only onSamsung's 2025 lineupofCrystal UHDto Neo QLED 8K TVs and its 2025 lineup of soundbars, but we're excited to hear it in person nonetheless.CES 2025

I tried Halliday's AI smart glasses at CES 2025. With a display that's built into the frame - not the lens - they even beat my Ray-Ban Metas in several ways.

The rapid pace of change in business today requires professionals to keep developing new skills. These business leaders tell us how.

Security researchers have hacked the Apple USB-C controller.NurPhoto via Getty ImagesWith 100 million macOS users already reeling from news of a new credential-stealing attack, Safari users warned do not click twice, and even a report about iOS being targeted more by hackers than Android, its not been the most reassuring few weeks for Apple users. Now security researchers have disclosed details of a successful bypass of Apple security protections to hack the iPhone USB-C controller. So, what does this mean for smartphone security?Hacking The iPhone USB-C ControllerThe video of a talk bya security researcher, presented at the 38th Chaos Communication Congress, also known as 38C3, at the end of 2024 in Hamburg, Germany, has just been made available. The four-day conference that covers technology, society and utopia is organized by the legendary Chaos Computer Club and can usually be guaranteed to result in something shocking for the security community. 38C3 was no exception, and, at least as far as Im concerned, that shocker was the hacking of Apples highly customized ACE3 USB-C controller that first appeared in the iPhone 15 series. Thomas Roth, also known by the hacker handle of stacksmashing, describes themselves as a security researcher who creates videos on reverse-engineering, hardware security, and everything else I find interesting. And thank goodness they do. If you are of a technical mindset then please go and check out the full 38C3 presentation video. For everyone else, heres the TL;DR.The ACE3 custom USB-C controller was introduced with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro series, which brought the change to USB-C for Apples smartphone users. Roth explained how, as well as managing USB power delivery for the iPhone, the device is a full microcontroller running a full USB stack connected to some of the internal busses of the device. The researcher was able to exploit a multitude of different things, including reverse engineering, side-channel analysis and electromagnetic fault-injection in order to achieve code execution on the ACE3. What does that all mean? Roth could dump the ROM and analyze functionality as a result.MORE FOR YOUI have approached Apple for a statement.Stacksmashing Explains The iPhone USB-C Hack Vulnerability RiskI spoke to Roth to find out more. First the good news: when it comes to the broader smartphone ecosystem, Android users take note, Roth told me that the research does not have much impact beyond the iPhone/MacBook, so you can relax. But what about iOS users? I asked Roth about the potential impacts that his USB-C hack could have on iPhone security. When we look at the security of modern smartphones, Roth explained, there are many aspects that can be insecure: software running on the main processor, but also software running in the baseband (which handles the mobile connectivity), the secure element, or chips such as the ACE3. Roth went on to say that the most significant difficulty is how anyone can begin to research a chip in a device for which there is no available documentation or firmware. By showing how one can get code-execution (and dump the firmware) of the ACE3, it essentially lays the groundwork for further research, Roth said, and by having the firmware, one can now start looking for software vulnerabilities that might be there. Things could, therefore, start to get interesting from this point on if any new security vulnerabilities are uncovered. Really interesting, to be honest, depending on who finds them: not everyone exploring such hackery has good intentions like Roth, after all.Talking of which, I asked about the contact that Roth had with Apple regarding his research findings. Roth told me that he had reported both his earlier ACE2 attack and the ACE3 attack to Apple. For the ACE2 (software) attack they at first confirmed that they'd fix it in fall 2024, but then notified me that they won't fix it as it's a hardware issue, Roth said. When it came to the ACE3 attack, however, Roth said that while Apple saw the attack complexity and said that they don't see it as a threat - I agree with that sentiment but wanted to at least have reported it! The reasoning being, Roth told me, that as already explained this is essentially foundational research, the first steps that are needed to find other attacks on the chip.