Want more housing market stories from Lance Lamberts ResiClubin your inbox?Subscribeto theResiClubnewsletter.Speaking before the U.S. Senate this month, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that a decade or more down the road, homeowners in some parts of the country wont be able to find home insurance.Both banks and insurance companies are pulling out of coastal areas or areas where there are a lot of fires. So what that is going to mean is that if you fast-forward 10 or 15 years, there are going to be regions of the country where you cant get a mortgage, Powell told Congress. There wont be [mortgage] ATMs, there wont be banks [lending mortgages], so itll fall on homeowners and residents. But itll also fall on state and local governments. Which is what you see happening now, where theyre stepping in, in states where insurance is going away. Youre seeing states step in because they want those areas to remain prosperous.Hearing that comment made by a professor or analyst is one thing. But hearing it come from the Fed Chair is a bit unnerving for the housing sector. It raises the question: Is there any data out there to suggest which housing markets could be at the highest risk of bank and home insurer pullbacks?ResiClub did some digging and found a new proprietary analysis made by First Street, which forecastsbased on models estimating property-specific risk and expected climate riskhow much county-level home insurance premiums could shift between 2025 and 2055.To see where homeowners and investors could be impacted the most, ResiClub visualized First Streets county-level home insurance forecasts. (Please note that forecasting in general isnt ever guaranteedlet alone when a firm is trying to project three whole decades into the future. If you went back and found 30-year forecasts for anything finance-related made in 1995, theyd likely be pretty far off from how things transpired by 2025.)We asked First Street if their analysis accounted for future inflation as well. These [insurance] values are based on todays dollars with the only adjustment being related to the increase in climate exposure over time, but not to any expectations around inflation or market adjustments. . . . These values are not inflation adjusted in any way, First Street tells ResiClub.Among the 500 most populous counties, these are the 20 where First Street expects the highest 30-year growth in home insurance premiums:Orleans Parish, Louisiana: +634%Miami-Dade County, Florida: +590%Pinellas County, Florida: +451%St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana: +351%Duval County, Florida: +333%El Dorado County, California: +291%St. Johns County, Florida: +290%Placer County, California: +256%Galveston County, Texas: +251%Manatee County, Florida: +242%Volusia County, Florida: +242%Clay County, Florida: +240%Palm Beach County, Florida: +195%Brevard County, Florida: +189%Broward County, Florida: +182%Coconino County, Arizona: +173%Hillsborough County, Florida: +162%Nueces County, Texas: +158%Hernando County, Florida: +152%Lafayette Parish, Louisiana: +149%The heightened risk of flooding, hurricanes, and tropical storms is ultimately why the First Street model projects the greatest insurance hikes around the Gulf. In fact, 12 of the 20 major U.S. counties expected to see the biggest increase are in Florida.As ResiClub has previously reported, homeowners in these areas are already experiencing elevated insurance hikes. While the median annual U.S. home insurance premium increased by 33% between the end of 2020 and the end of 2023, it surged more than 80% in many Florida counties.

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The more storage, the better, and this locker looks as good as it performs.

Not much is new with Xiaomi's latest flagship phones, but I still love the quad-lens camera on the Ultra.

Apple Intelligence was supposed to finally deliver a more natural version of Siri, but now, people who work in Apples AI department believe the company wont release a truemodernized, conversational version of Siri until iOS 20 at best in 2027, writes Bloombergs Mark Gurman in todays Power On newsletter.Apple is expected to roll out an LLM-powered Siri upgrade in iOS 18.5, but Gurman says this will work as its own separate model from the old Siri, a system that doesnt work as smoothly as it could. According to Gurman, the modernized Siri would merge the two into a new architecture that can handle both simple requests, like setting timers, and the advanced AI-powered abilities Apple showed off last year, like carrying out tasks across apps using context like personal details and whats on your screen. Apple planned to introduce this combined Siri architecture in iOS 19.4, but its running behind and wont be unveiled in June, when the company usually holds WWDC, Gurman writes. Amazon reportedly struggled with its own AI assistant upgrade of Alexa; Amazon head of Devices and Services Panos Panay told my colleague Jennifer Tuohy that the new Alexa Plus system has involved a hundred percent re-architected system that blends the old Alexa with the new. Thats now coming in early access soon, though only to certain devices.Apple is on the same path but with extra challenges. Gurman reports that people in Apples AI department say its models are reaching their limits, but the company has had a hard time securing the AI training hardware it needs to improve things. At the same time, he writes that the department has been plagued by ineffective leadership and workers defecting to rivals, all while those rivals seem to be pushing farther and farther ahead.

HMD announced a new set of earbuds today with a case that doubles as a backup phone battery. The aptly named wireless Amped Buds come in a Qi2 charging case that uses reverse wireless charging to boost your phones charge. With a slim design and a 1,600mAh battery, its a portable case that offers just enough charge to get through the end of the day. Theyre priced at 199 (about $206) and will launch in April. We dont yet know if theyll come to the US.The Amped Buds include active noise cancellation and environmental noise cancellation. The case is rated IPX4 for some dust resistance, and the earbuds are IP54 splash-resistant. The case measures 14mm thick, and the buds are designed with a hinge to fit straight into the case for charging. Theyre spring loaded, so theres a satisfying pop when you put them in or take them out of the case. Remove the buds, and youll fold the stems forward to fit like standard earbuds.The Amped Buds case is portable enough.The cyan case, with wireless charging area shown.Theres a hinge so that the buds fit straight-on into the case.The buds pop in and out of the housing.The case and buds are color-matched and come in cyan, black, and pink. The cases Qi2 support means it will connect magnetically to Qi2 and MagSafe phones for a secure fit while charging. It can be used with magnetic phone cases, too, or with any plain wireless charging phone (it just wont stick securely), and theres a USB port to provide wired charging. Of course, you can just use the case to charge the earbuds themselves more than ten times over, according to HMD, which gets you up to 95 hours of music playback time before you have to charge the case again.Its a clever concept that makes immediate sense. Plenty of us are used to charging and carrying earpods already, so theres no new behavior to learn. You just carry your earbuds with you as usual, and if you happen to run low on battery, you have a back-up on hand, or you just have a huge battery to keep recharging your buds. Pretty slick.HMD announced the buds at MWC where it also unveiled an FC Barcelona-branded phone and a safety-focused phone for teens developed with kids smartwatch maker Xplora. But the earbuds stand out to me as the most interesting new offering.See More:

According to the latest edition of the Power On newsletter, Apple is facing multiple major hiccups in its AI rollout. While that isnt a surprise, it does mean that many of its roadmapped features are being delayed, and technical challenges are resulting in certain features, including the more conversational Siri update shipping later.Conversational Siri delaysLate last year, Gurman reported that Apple was working on an all new LLM Siri for iOS 19. This system would merge the two backends for Siri that we currently have today, into one new and unified architecture. Currently, Siri has two entirely separate backends: one for simpler requests and one for more complex requests.Luckily, LLM Siri and its new architecture is still on track to launch with iOS 19. However, it was supposed to be accompanied by a more conversational approach, something more like ChatGPT. Gurman says that is running behind schedule, and will no longer be unveiled in June. Furthermore, Gurman says that employees within Apples AI division now believe that a more conversational version of Siri wont reach consumers until iOS 20 at best.As for the three Siri features anticipated to debut in iOS 18, Gurman says Apple is still on track to release these features in May with iOS 18.5.Apple Intelligence in iOS 19Gurman reports that internal Apple data indicates that real world usage of Apple Intelligence is extremely low. This would suggest that the current feature set isnt necessarily resonating with consumers.Despite that, Gurman reports that Apple Intelligence might not necessarily include many improvements in iOS 19:Everything Ive heard suggests that iOS 19 will not include any significant consumer-facing changes to Apple Intelligence. A big reason for that is the amount of time Apple is still spending working to get the features announced last year out the door. Its challenging to move on to next years release before this years operating system updates haverolled out to customers.This is quite disappointing, but it makes sense given how far behind they are when it comes to releasing its promised Siri improvements. If this report holds up, this means we wont see meaningful new Apple Intelligence features until iOS 20 debuts in June of 2027.My favorite iPhone 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

Don't worry, he probably didn't feel it.The cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD has fascinated researchers and historians for centuries. Since the early 1700s, engineers have been excavating the remnants of the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, flash frozen in mounds of volcanic ash.And of all the narratives pulled from the rubble, one about a 20 year old man whose brain seemingly melted into glass might be the most mystifying.A hunk of glass in the Herculaneum man's preserved skull was first uncovered in 2020, coming off the back of research that estimated temperatures in the two doomed cities exceeded 900 degrees Fahrenheit at some points during the cataclysm.Researchers were puzzled, because at that temperature brain matter ought to melt into goo, not solidify into glass. Of the roughly 2,000 bodies exhumed from the Vesuvian ruins, only this one's brain had been preserved this way.Courtesy of a paper published earlier this year in the New England Journal of Medicine, we can even see what this glassified brain looks like.This made the question of how this unfortunate soul's head came to hold a hunk of glass something of a flashpoint for archaeologists and scientists studying the volcanic event. A number of hypotheses have come forward, like one that posited the man's brain was slowly braised like osso buco.Now, a fresh analysis by a team of researchers at Roma Tre University has found "compelling evidence that these are human brain remains, composed of organic glass formed at high temperatures, a process of preservation never previously documented for human or animal tissue, neither brain or any other kind."The study is shedding new light on the process which preserved the man's brain for thousands of years, whichArs Technicanotes is highly unusual.Researchers posit that the man was indeed flash-fried by a rush of superhot ash as he laid in his bed, which heated his brain to the temperature required to produce molten glass, fragmenting it into chunks. Though most of the brain fragments were badly damaged, some survived total devastation thanks to the unique position of the man's skull and spine at the time of his death which also explains why he was the only Herculaneumian to win the glass lottery.As the air returned to an ambient temperature, it cooled rapidly by hundreds of degrees, which is when one of the young man's remaining brain chunks became a solid mass.From there, what remained of his body was buried by layers of molten ash, rock, and gas that flowed across Herculaneum at lower temps than in Pompei, preserving the poor guy's glass brain for researchers to ogle thousands of years in the future.It's a fascinating find with huge implications for a variety of fields, from forensic biology to volcanology to Roman history and, let's face it, a ghoulish curiosity even by the standards of the horrors of Mt. Vesuvius.More on ancient geology: Rover Discovers Evidence of Giant Ocean on MarsShare This Article

Microsoft just modified a lawsuit to name four multinational developers who allegedly bypassed safety guardrails and abused Microsoft's AI tools to generate deepfaked celebrity porn and other harmful content.The tech giant announced the update in a blog post yesterday, saying that all four developers are members of Storm-2139, a cybercrime network. Being alleged cybercriminals, the named defendants go by nicknames that sound straight out of an early-2000s hacker flick: there's Arian Yadegarnia aka "Fiz" of Iran; Alan Krysiak aka "Drago" of the United Kingdom; Ricky Yuen aka "cg-dot" of Hong Kong; and Pht Phng Tn aka "Asakuri" of Vietnam.In the post, Microsoft breaks the individuals making up Storm-2139 into three tiers: "creators, providers, and users," who together comprise a dark marketplace hinging on the jailbreaking and modification of Microsoft's AI tools to create unlawful or destructive material."Creators developed the illicit tools that enabled the abuse of AI-generated services," reads the post, adding that the "providers then modified and supplied these tools to end users often with varying tiers of service and payment.""Finally," it continues, "users then used these tools to generate violating synthetic content, often centered around celebrities and sexual imagery."The civil suit was initially filed in December, albeit with all specific defendants listed simply as "John Doe." Now, though, in light of new evidence revealed in Microsoft's investigation into Storm-2139, it's choosing to unmask some of the alleged bad actors embroiled in litigation others are still unnamed per ongoing investigations, according to the tech giant, though it says that at least two are American citing future deterrence as motivation for doing so."We are pursuing this legal action now against identified defendants," Microsoft declared in the post, "to stop their conduct, to continue to dismantle their illicit operation, and to deter others intent on weaponizing our AI technology."It's a fascinating show of force by the behemoth that is Microsoft, which understandably doesn't want bad actors abusing its generative AI tools to create obviously terrible content, like nonconsensual fake porn of real people. After all, as far as deterrents go, finding yourself in the legal crosshairs of one of the world's wealthiest and most powerful organizations is pretty high up there.To that end, according to Microsoft, the legal pressure has already worked to divideStorm-2139. According to Microsoft, the "seizure" of the group's website and "subsequent unsealing of the legal filings in January generated an immediate reaction from actors, in some cases causing group members to turn on and point fingers at one another."That said, as Gizmodo notes, the decision by Microsoft to throw its heavy legal weight against alleged abusers of its tech also lands in a bit of a gray area in the ongoing debate over AI safety and how companies should seek to limit AI misuse.Some companies, like Meta, have chosen to make their frontier AI models open-source a more decentralized approach to AI development, though one that some experts argue could allow bad actors to quietly harness advanced AI technology out of view or oversight from the public (the AI industry currently pretty much regulates itself, so the concept of "oversight" in the AI industry should generally be taken with a grain of salt, though companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Google do still have to answer to the court of public opinion.)Microsoft, for its part, has embraced more of a mixed approach, building some models in public and keeping other models closed off from public view. Regardless of the tech giant's vast resources and stated commitments to safe and responsible AI, though, criminals have still allegedly found ways to crack through its guardrails and profit from ill use. And as Microsoft, like others, continues down its all-in-on-AI road, it can't exactly count on litigation alone to quell harmful exploitation of its AI tools especially in such a deregulated environment, where the law itself is still catching up to the complexities of AI harm and abuse."While Microsoft and others have established systems designed to prevent misuse of generative AI," writes Axios' Ina Fried, "those protections only work when the technological and legal systems can effectively enforce them."More on AI and harm: Man's Entire Life Destroyed After Downloading AI SoftwareShare This Article

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra was one of thebest phonesof 2024, thanks in no small part to an awesome camera system that took some of the best photos I've ever seen from a camera phone. At the heart of this was its 1-inch type image sensor ,which is physically larger than the sensors found in almost any other phone. The result? Great-looking images in a variety of conditions.But it's 2025 now and the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is here to try and tempt more photographers away from Apple's clutches.The phone has had a variety of updates, including the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite processorand a host of new AI skills -- because apparently all phones need to have AI built in whether you like it or not. And while the camera hasn't seen many updates, there are a few tweaks to keep photographers interested. Xiaomi's Photography-Focused Powerhouse 15 Ultra See all photos The Xiaomi 15 Ultra global version was announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It goes on sale in the UK and wider Europe later this month for 1,299 with 512GB of storage or 1,499 if you want 1TB. As with other Xiaomi phones, the 15 Ultra will not be available to buy in the US but for reference that base UK price converts to $1,630 or AU$2,630.Here are the most important things to know about the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra comes with four generations of OS updates along with six years of security support. Andrew Lanxon/CNETThe camera hasn't changed much, but it's still good Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. I was bowled over by the massive image sensor inside the 14 Ultra's main camera, so I suppose I should be pleased that the 15 Ultra has kept it. But I am a bit disappointed that it's literally the same model -- the Sony LYT-900. Sure, it's a great sensor and not that old, but I had hoped to see Xiaomi take its winning formula from last year and make it even better. I Took Hundreds of Photos With the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. These Are My Favorites See all photos Maybe the lens is better? On paper, I'd actually argue there's been a downgrade. The 14 Ultra had a rare variable aperture, which went from wide open at f/1.6 and could close down to f/4. It allowed for attractive star-burst effects when shooting points of light in the dark. The 15 Ultra has gotten rid of this and instead has a fixed f/1.6 aperture -- Xiaomi says it can achieve the same effects "through software optimization and algorithm updates." Sigh.Read more: Best Android Phone of 2025While you can adjust the depth of field strength (the amount of background blur behind your subject) in the portrait mode, I've found a couple of things wrong. First, the image with the blur doesn't save when you take it, so it looks the same no matter what fake aperture you set it as. This is probably just early software problems and I'm sure they'll be fixed. But the lack of real adjustable aperture also means you don't get the nice star bursts on street lights at night anymore. Here's the 15 Ultra's camera app. Andrew Lanxon/CNETThose starbursts are probably a niche thing to be excited about, but they truly transformed the look of night photos and the effect was one of my favorite things about shooting with the 14 Ultra. To see this kind of innovation chucked out in favor of a software-based "solution" is frustrating. It's also exactly what I complained so much about last year, with AI being the only area where companies are innovating now. Ironically, in that article, I applauded Xiaomi for the 14 Ultra, but I won't be able to with this new model.It's also odd to see that the ultrawide camera's aperture has been dropped from f/1.8 to f/2.2. The only actual upgrade to the cameras I can see is that the telephoto zoom resolution is higher for better-looking zoomed-in shots.It's still a powerful camera setup though and I've taken some shots in my testing that I like. As with the 14 Ultra, the camera is certified by Leica, and there are some Leica-approved color styles to choose from, my favorite of which remains the high contrast black and white mode. It's great for punchy monochrome street photography.You can see a selection of my test images here, but also check out my longer gallery of examples if you're keen to see more of this camera in action. Enlarge Image Vibrant colors and great exposure and detail from this outdoor shot taken on the main camera. Andrew Lanxon/CNET Enlarge Image I loved using the Leica high contrast black and white mode for punchy street photography in Edinburgh. Andrew Lanxon/CNET Enlarge Image Taken in raw and edited in Lightroom, the camera's ability to capture beautiful light and shadow has resulted in a great-looking pic of my stunning ball of delightful furry wonder. Andrew Lanxon/CNET Enlarge Image This night time shot from the main camera looks awesome, though I'd like it even more with a subtle star burst on the street light. Andrew Lanxon/CNET Enlarge Image Using the telephoto zoom lens, I've been able to fill the frame with the awkwardness of this street performer forcing two strangers to hold hands for an extended period. Andrew Lanxon/CNET Enlarge Image And here the telephoto zoom has captured a nice natural bokeh around this couple. Andrew Lanxon/CNETThe Photography Kit is a great additionYes, you can buy the 15 Ultra with the same Photography Kit that was offered with last year's model. It includes a case, a powered grip with shutter button and an attachable ring that allows you to use regular 67mm photography filters. The grip is awesome. It clicks in neatly, adds some extra battery life to the phone and the shutter button and settings wheel allow you to shoot just like you were using a compact camera. It's much more comfortable than taking photos without it.It's been updated too, with a new thumb grip attachment to make it a bit easier to hold. There's also a soft-touch, screw-in shutter release button, which is bigger and easier to quickly find and hit than the original button it screws into. If you're keen on using your phone for street or travel photography, the Photography Kit is worth getting. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra wearing its optional Photographer's Kit. Andrew Lanxon/CNETThe processor is a powerhouseThe Snapdragon 8 Elite chip found inside the Xiaomi 15 Ultra has already impressed us on phones like the OnePlus 13 and its power is noticeable here, too. It put in notable scores on our benchmark tests, while everyday operation is fast and lag-free.It's great for gamers, too, with demanding titles like Genshin Impact playing smoothly at max settings and at 60 frames per second. Qualcomm's 8 Elite chip isn't just designed for raw power though, it's built for better AI processing. Which brings me neatly on toThere are a bunch of new AI skillsGoogle Gemini and Gemini advanced are built in as standard, including the conversational Gemini Live and Circle to Search. But Xiaomi has thrown in a few of its own features, too. There's a generative text tool to create blocks of text based on your prompts, along with a helpful tool that creates text transcriptions from voice recordings -- great for a busy tech journalist.There's also a variety of image-focused AI tools for expanding an image using generative AI, removing things in a scene or simply sharpening the picture. The AI tools all work as well as I'd hope, but it's worth keeping in mind that all of them require an internet connection in order to use -- including the voice transcript tool, for some reason. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra runs on Android 15. Andrew Lanxon/CNETAn acceptable software support periodThe 15 Ultra launches with Android 15 on board, and Xiaomi promises it'll receive four generations of Android updates along with six years of security support. It's less than what both Samsung and Google provide for their flagships (seven years of both software and security support) and I'd certainly have liked to see Xiaomi match, or even beat its rivals here, especially considering the high price of the phone. Still, a shelf life of six years is decent enough (a third of people keep their phones for three years or longer) and matches what OnePlus offers for its recent OnePlus 13 flagship.The rest of the phone is solid tooBattery life is good, but not outstanding. On our demanding video streaming test it held out better than the OnePlus 13 but didn't do quite as well as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. You can safely expect a day of use but as with all phones you'll probably want to give it a full charge overnight. The 6.7-inch display is bright, vibrant and pin sharp. Videos look great, as do colorful mobile games.The phone is IP68 rated to help keep it safe from spilled drinks, too. All in all, it's a phone that ticks pretty much every box you'd expect from one of today's flagships. I just wish I'd seen more innovation in the cameras for this year's model. Still, there's no question that it still takes superb images that rival any of today's flagships. If you're looking for a high-performance Android phone to use as your main camera on your travels, it's certainly worth considering.