• Discord is working on a new 'Game Mode' feature to reduce CPU and GPU usage while gaming
• The new feature seems to be an auto-toggle of the Reduced Motion feature on the desktop app when a game is running
• It's not yet clear if any improvements will be made to resource consumption while screen sharing

Discord is infamous for its high RAM, CPU, and GPU consumption while gaming, and some of those aspects are finally being addressed.

As reported by VideoCardz, Discord is working on 'Game Mode,' a new feature for the Discord client that frees up CPU and GPU resources while a game is running by disabling effects and animations for smoother gameplay.

Discord already offers options to reduce system resource use, notably Reduced Motion, which reduces the intensity of animations and hover effects when navigating the client. Users can also disable hardware acceleration, which stops the app from using the GPU for better performance within it, and disabling it should stop "visual glitches like frame drops in games or performance problems".

Game Mode sounds a lot like Reduced Motion, with DiscordPreviews (on X) describing how it reduces animations and effects automatically once a game is detected. With this in mind, Game Mode might not be the best answer to solving Discord's system resource issues, especially since there's no mention of RAM usage reduction.

It's also worth noting that Discord is an Electron-based application (a framework for desktop applications that uses web technology), which means Discord's web app is essentially running in an embedded browser engine known as Chromium — the same engine Google Chrome is built on, which is another app that is heavy on system resources.

What about screen sharing?

It's unclear if Game Mode will do anything new other than serve as an automatic toggle for Reduced Motion while gaming. In that case, Discord still has a long way to go in ensuring the desktop app doesn't continue to creep up as a system resource issue for gamers.

At the very least, having Discord devs address the issues is a great start, but it remains to be seen if Game Mode will also help with keeping CPU and GPU usage as low as possible while screen sharing.

Unsurprisingly, the latter uses high amounts of system resources, especially when streaming at higher resolutions, but it's more reasonable compared to simple voice chat or the app being open in the background and still hogging memory.

Still, in-game frame rates can suffer when using screen share, even if the resolution is below 1080p, and this is far more problematic on lower-end systems with less RAM. Solutions such as a capture card on a separate system (or specifically a laptop) can help solve game performance problems completely, but it's not exactly an affordable option.

If Discord can optimize the desktop app or move away from its Electron-based nature, it could go a long way toward removing all of the major pain points.

• Microsoft had blocked posts that used the term 'Microslop' on its Copilot Discord channel
• This was a "temporary anti-spam measure," apparently
• The policy is no longer in place, but if Microsoft thinks the word will die off, that seems highly unlikely

Microsoft is apparently letting go over the 'Microslop' affair and is no longer policing its Discord channel to block the term.

You may recall that at the start of this year, the Microslop nickname came about after a comment from Microsoft's CEO – relating to 'AI slop' – and the company cracked down on the word by blocking posts that used it on the Copilot Discord channel.

Windows Latest noticed that this is no longer the case, and the term is now being openly used in the general chat channel. Searching for 'Microslop' produces over 200 results in posts that go back weeks.

In short, Microsoft has moderated its moderation, come to its senses, and realized that cracking down and censoring in this manner is only going to inflame passions against AI, if it achieves anything.

I should make it clear that Microsoft has never said anything official on this matter, in terms of admitting any ban in the first place, let alone the lifting of it. Windows Latest reports that it did hear from Microsoft back at the time, though, and was told that the filtering was a "temporary anti-spam measure" rather than a permanent policy. It seems this is indeed the case.

Analysis: Streisand effect

The writer of the Windows Latest article further observes that they've noticed that on Reddit, X, and Windows forums, there are fewer mentions of the Microslop term these days. It happens "much less often" we're told.

I'm not so sure about that. I still see Microslop mentioned with some regularity, although I concede that the popularity of the term has diminished. This is a subjective matter, of course, and it may reflect that I visit more negative posts about Windows 11 than the Windows Latest writer has done in the past few months – who can say?

The writer acknowledges that the "criticism is still very much there" in terms of 'AI slop' in Windows 11, but that it has died down since Microsoft started fixing the OS, and made some moves to minimize the presence of AI in certain areas.

I think what Microsoft has done so far is more about not mentioning or actively pushing AI, rather than stripping it out of Windows 11, although it's true some work has been done on the latter front. It doesn't amount to a whole lot, though, in the grand scheme of things.

There has been a change of attitude, yes, but that was absolutely necessary considering the whole 'fix Windows 11 campaign' was embarked upon after Microsoft was blasted for focusing on adding AI trimmings to the system rather than getting the fundamentals right with the OS.

I still see a lot of chorusing of 'Microslop' particularly when a Windows 11 bug emerges. Commenters are very quick to jump on Microsoft and fire criticisms along the lines of 'this is what you get when AI does your coding', and the term Microslop is inevitably included in these kinds of threads. (Microsoft has admitted that it uses AI for coding to a substantial extent, and Windows 11 users won't let the firm forget that in a hurry).

I personally don't think the term Microslop is going anywhere, and it'll be hanging around Microsoft's neck for the rest of the company's existence in all likelihood. While it's obviously a positive step that any 'temporary' censorship has been rescinded, it's a bit late now. Any attempt to curtail negative talk about AI was always only going to further highlight grievances, cause more bad feeling, and yet more damaging chatter.

As one Redditor put it: "How many times do companies need to learn about the Streisand effect?"

• A bug in Windows 11's September update broke File History
• Microsoft admitted the backup feature was scuppered and has apparently now fixed it
• However, the cure is in an optional update, so it might be best to wait for the full release of the upgrade next month

Microsoft has admitted that Windows 11 has a bug that messes up a backup feature in the OS, although a new optional update fixes it (but not quite fully).

Windows Latest reports what's been a slightly odd tale in that the bug in File History has been kicking about since the September update first emerged over two weeks ago, but Microsoft didn't acknowledge it — even though it was a widely reported issue.

File History is a feature that enables you to keep files backed up to an external drive, and while it doesn't see a whole lot of use these days, it's obviously important for those who do still avail themselves of the functionality.

Microsoft informed Windows Latest that: "After installing the September 2026 Windows security update KB5124008, some customers using File History, might be unable to create or update backups. File History is used to back up files to an external drive or network location."

The good news here is that the latest September update, which is optional — it's a preview of the October update in fact — does fix this bug, as confirmed by Windows Latest, but it seemingly doesn't fully iron out every issue with File History.

Windows Latest noticed a post on Microsoft's Learn portal from a user who confirms that the new September preview update does mean that File History is working again and making backups, but there still appears to be an issue with the 'Run now' ability and problems with synchronization of save times therein.

However, this isn't a bug caused by Microsoft's recent work on Windows 11, and in fact this glitch dates back to a Windows 11 update in July 2026.

Analysis: update skeptics

At least File History appears to be cured of this latest feature-breaking bug, and hopefully the other problem highlighted on Reddit will be fixed before too long.

You don't necessarily want to download an optional update, of course, as it may bring in other bugs — after all, it's still a beta. The safest bet is to wait for the October update to arrive in two and a half weeks (on October 13) and then install that as the remedy for your File History blues (while temporarily keeping backups a different way, manually or on OneDrive, in the meantime).

Windows 11 bugs have remained a problem throughout 2026, and every year before for that matter (particularly with the 24H2 release). Microsoft still needs to do better in this regard considering this is one of the thornier issues that has continually dogged its OS, which it's busy fixing this year.

The trouble with the long-running overly buggy nature of Windows 11 is that it's making some users hold off updating the OS, and I don't mean for just a week or two. (I'd advise a week's breathing room in general myself, just to see if there are any major bugs or nasty showstoppers with any given update).

For example, this Redditor notes: "I am once again advising everyone to disable Windows updates. Let people test the bugs for a few months, then update. Your PC isn't gonna implode because you are 3 months behind on Windows 11 versions."

This was in reply to a comment which simply asked: "Is there a Windows 11 core feature that hasn't been broken at least twice since release?"

Cynicism prevails around Windows 11 updates in many corners of the web these days, and I think this is something Microsoft needs to act on. Yes, Windows is a very complex operating system that needs to cope with umpteen PC and device configurations, and a labyrinth of legacy features that must be maintained for a niche set of customers, but still — that's ultimately not an excuse.

Something needs to be done to improve QA and testing, otherwise it's going to be difficult to declare that 'Windows 11 is fixed' next year, which is Microsoft's goal (presumably).

Even as public opinion turns against camera-equipped smart glasses, Meta is pushing forward with its generally well-received and quite popular Ray-Ban Meta line. Alongside the much-anticipated Meta Ray-Ban Audio glasses, which skip cameras entirely and come in two styles, Clubmaster and Burbank, there's also the next generation of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses.

Like the previous generation, the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) still features onboard cameras with the all-important glowing LED ring that alerts you when a photo is being taken or a video is being recorded. It's an important safeguard, and Meta has added more protections against folks who try to disable or conceal it, but concerns remain.

Meta's pushing forward with the Gen 3, even if the audio-only models prove more popular. They're launching today in three styles: Ray-Ban Meta Aviator, Ray-Ban Meta Zena, and a new version of the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer. Pricing starts at $449 in the United States; we're working to confirm UK and Australia pricing.

The story across the board is better hardware, all tucked into smart glasses that more closely resemble real glasses, with lighter and thinner builds where possible. The Aviators are particularly exciting to see adopted for the AI and smart era. The frames are thicker than the classic wire ones, but they still frame the face well. Zena is decidedly modern and sleek as a cat's eye, while Wayfarer is still the iconic, cool frame that Ray-Ban introduced years ago.

I'm testing the Ray-Ban Meta Aviator in a brown shade, and you can see my unboxing video embedded below. I like this color, especially compared with my speckled brown Gen 1 Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarers.

There are 27 total combinations when you account for colors and lens types, and if you're willing to pay for it, you can fit these with transition lenses and even prescription lenses.

Regardless of frame style or lens type, you benefit from improved tech onboard. For starters, the cameras — if you choose to use them, and as mentioned, the ring will glow when you do — can take 12-megapixel photos and record 3K Ultra HD video, with Dolby Atmos support for a more cinematic audio experience during playback. There's also a Dynamic Photo mode, similar to Live Photos on iOS, which snaps a few shots so you can pick the best one.

Battery life is also improved. It isn't quite at the 12 hours of the new Meta Ray-Ban Audio models, but the Gen 3s last up to nine hours on a full charge. That's an hour longer than the Gen 2s, and the included charging case lets you recharge on the go.

Finally, just like the Meta Glasses — including the Kylie edition — that launched earlier in 2026, the Gen 3s get more microphones. Six of them improve voice pickup, whether you're drafting a message, asking Meta AI a question, or on a call. Meta promises they cut over 90% of background noise, and we look forward to putting that to the test.

While it's not a night-and-day difference over the second generation, the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) shows that Meta has settled on the core feature set it wants for its AI glasses. Now, in a move likely to broaden their appeal, it's focusing on offering more styles, and its partnership with Ray-Ban is clearly still evolving. The Gen 3s continue the quest for smart glasses that feel closer to the regular versions of these frames, while adding the latest tech for a compelling experience.

Just how compelling will be weighed against the added privacy concerns, but let's hope Meta keeps adding more privacy features and keeps cracking down on those who try to block out the LEDs.

We'll be back soon with our full thoughts — and if you ask us, the Aviators look pretty, pretty nice — but if you're already sold, the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) are up for order right now, starting at $449 in the US, from Meta, Ray-Ban, and other authorized sellers.

Meta Connect 2026 is busy. Alongside the next-generation Meta Glasses, a camera-free version of the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, and a new collaboration with Korean pop star Lisa, Meta is adding a significant new capability to its glasses: hearing enhancement.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the feature, which turns a pair of Meta Glasses into a hearing aid for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. It amplifies sound based on your hearing profile and uses machine learning to boost voices and suppress background noise.

Meta isn't the first here, though. Apple's AirPods Pro 2 are already cleared as over-the-counter hearing aids and Nuance offers a pair of smart shades with a similar function. Meta, though, is betting on its form factor: glasses sit outside the ear, and many people already wear them all day.

It's not free, though. The feature launches with a free 30-day trial, after which it costs a one-time payment of $149.99, or comes as part of a Meta One subscription. In the US, it's also FSA/HSA eligible, with Meta saying it will share more details closer to the launch, which in the US is set for later in 2026. Even including the price of compatible glasses, Meta says it's significantly cheaper than traditional hearing aids.

The feature is launching in the US first, with Meta planning to expand to other countries as it works through each region's medical device regulations.

I spoke with Ravish Mehra, Director of Research Science at Meta, about why Meta thinks glasses are the right home for hearing enhancement. Mehra, who has spent nearly 12 years at the company, says the work started more than five years ago.

"We have a very unique audio platform that has microphone arrays, that has glasses, is socially acceptable in terms of people wearing glasses, and we have onboard compute," he says.

According to Mehra, one in six Americans have mild to moderate hearing loss, yet only around 15% of them do anything about it. He notes that hearing aids are expensive, uncomfortable to wear all day, and signal to others that you have a hearing impairment. So people "put the issue under the rug," Mehra says, telling themselves, "Okay, it's just people are mumbling, and that's why I'm not able to hear."

Glasses sidestep the stigma in his view: "Nobody else can tell just by looking at your glasses that you have hearing impairment.”

A hearing test at home

"Every person's hearing loss is slightly different," Mehra says. Instead of a clinic visit and multiple fittings, Meta's hearing test takes around one to two minutes with your phone, through the Meta AI app, and your glasses. You listen to sounds at different frequencies, indicate when you can barely hear them, and the system builds a hearing profile showing where you need amplification.

"You don't have to go anywhere to get these glasses fit for your hearing profile," Mehra says. "You just do a very simple test at home, and whenever your hearing needs change, you just redo the test."

That test was central to the FDA clearance. Meta tested the feature with a group of people with mild to moderate hearing loss, and its results showed the phone-based test was equivalent in performance to a professional fitting, within an acceptable margin.

"We are actually the first self-fitting hearing aid on glasses in the market," Mehra says.

How it works

The glasses' six microphones capture sound around you — currently being used on Meta Glasses — which is then amplified where your profile shows a deficit. That also amplifies noise, so a machine learning model trained to recognize voices brings the background down. It all runs on-device, and speed is critical. "All of this has to happen in a very short latency, because otherwise you start hearing echoes or start hearing distortions," Mehra says.

There are two modes: 360 mode amplifies sound all around you, while Focus mode suits environments like a restaurant, where you want to hear the person across the table.

"We actually use the microphones to first do beamforming, which is like focusing in the forward direction more," Mehra explains. "And then […] we train the system to enhance the voices while not enhancing or suppressing the noise."

The frame helps, too. "Because the glasses have a much wider baseline, you can put the microphones much farther away," says Mehra. This makes it easier to isolate speech from noise than with microphones placed millimeters apart in the ear.

I got a brief demo: Meta had us put in earplugs to simulate hearing loss, then wear the glasses. They did properly amplify the people directly around me, and even those a bit farther away. Focus mode noticeably singles out the person in front of you, but it wasn't perfect, and of course earplugs are no substitute for real hearing loss.

The feedback problem

Amplifying sound isn't the hardest part, though. "One of the issues that any kind of real-time amplification feature faces is called feedback," Mehra says. "When you amplify something through the speakers, they feed back into the microphones."

On glasses, with their open-ear design, nothing separates the speakers from the microphones. Meta's system has to detect feedback before it builds, suppress it, and still deliver enough amplification. "If you're not able to cancel that feedback, then you hear these very sharp noises," Mehra says.

Then there's processing, which is added on top of a broader feature set the glasses offer, so Meta had to squeeze the feature into what Mehra calls "a very small envelope" of onboard compute power.

Meta hasn't confirmed which glasses will support it, only that they must meet a minimum performance bar, or confirmed a rollout schedule other than late 2026. Given the processing involved, I'd be surprised to see it on older models like the first-gen Ray-Ban Meta glasses; all of the demos at Meta Connect have been on the more recently released Meta Glasses.

Meta isn't just trying to make its glasses hear for you; it's trying to help you hear, too. It's a new category for the company, but Mehra is in no doubt about the bet, telling me: "We strongly feel like glasses is the ideal form factor."

• Meta's glasses can no longer record if the capture LED is covered at any time, says independent test
• But the light is too hard to see if you're not very close, says German data protection agency
• EU bodies recommend actively getting full consent from anyone recorded, not assuming it

Detailed testing confirms that the Meta Glasses firmware update, designed to stop a potential privacy problem with surreptitious recording, does what it's supposed to do — but Germany's privacy enforcement agent says it's not enough, because the light itself is insufficiently visible.

The update was designed to address a simple exploit that bypassed the "no recording when the recording light is covered" feature.

In theory, that feature meant that it was impossible to secretly record someone or something by hiding the camera capture LED. The glasses could detect if the light is covered, and wouldn't record if that was the case.

In reality, it was immediately defeated by the kind of people who've helped earn the 'pervert glasses' label for the smart glasses: they discovered that the glasses only checked the light at the very beginning of recording, so you could simply start capturing, cover up the light and keep recording with the light now hidden.

The new update prevents them from doing that by re-checking the light every few seconds — but privacy watchdogs say it doesn't make much difference: even uncovered, the capture light on current models isn't good enough when it comes to privacy, consent or potential illegality.

Why a little LED isn't enough to protect other people's privacy

In a detailed report by the Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, which involved a tear-down of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses and a detailed privacy analysis (via Notebookcheck.net), the Commissioner found that the LED light "is not easily visible in many environments, particularly outdoors and in direct sunlight". Meaning that even if you're using them as intended, that doesn't mean people can necessarily see (or recognize) the recording light

It's not just the lack of brightness. The beam angle is very narrow too, the report says, and that means you need to be pretty close and looking almost directly at the wearer to be able to see if the light is on.

The report also notes that the second-gen glasses behave differently to the first generation when the wearer asks about something or someone nearby. With the first generation, the LED "glows, very dimly". But in the second generation it doesn't glow at all.

The report argues that in most cases, if you're not recording friends or family only, then you can't assume informed consent. It recommends additional steps such as text notifications or signage, or actively speaking to the people you intend to film.

That ties in with a recent report by the French e-Enfance association, which reported this month that simply assuming someone saw the capture light does not necessarily mean they've consented to the storage, processing and distribution of their image.

A person needs to not only to have seen the light, but they must also understand what it indicates and be able to withhold their consent. And if minors are being filmed, e-Enfance says parents must provide permission.

It's wise to pay attention if you'll be filming in the country: French privacy laws are notably strict, with prison sentences and five-figure fines for deliberately invading someone's private life.

It's worth noting that these reports are based on European law, whereas US law is much more lenient: the US doesn't have the data protection and privacy protections members (and former members, such as the UK) of the European Union have, and its lawmakers are much more tech-friendly.

But no matter where you live, if you're a smart glasses wearer and could be recording others who aren't part of your close circle, it may be wise to ensure you can demonstrate that the people you're filming knew you were doing it, were able to opt out, and provided their consent.

There's a growing backlash against the use of smart glasses by various bad actors, and simply assuming consent, or even assuming that people are aware of what your glasses are doing just because they have a light, may not be enough to protect wearers from future legal consequences.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

• Epic Games Launcher has been identified as the culprit behind mysterious chimes on users' PCs
• Epic has confirmed it's planning to update the launcher to reduce the frequency of its 'party chimes'
• Users have requested a feature that turns off the chimes altogether

Multiple PC users have recently noticed mysterious sounds playing at random, and it appears the Epic Games Launcher is the culprit.

As reported by TweakTown, a Fortnite news page on X discovered the Epic Games Launcher randomly playing sounds on their PC, as several audio files matching them were found in the Epic Games 'social chimes' folder.

Each sound represents actions in a game party, such as a party user leaving, push-to-talk activation or deactivation, and message notifications, which sounds bizarre as this occurs even when users aren't in Epic Games parties.

Epic has since confirmed (via a FortniteStatus X page) that the 'party chimes' were playing more frequently than necessary, and it is now updating the Epic Games Launcher to 'narrow which events play a sound while the launcher is in the background'.

These party chimes are sounds I've noticed on my Windows 11 system, playing at very random intervals, and sometimes even when the launcher isn't visibly open. The sounds aren't accompanied by pop-up notifications either, which only added to the confusion for me and many other PC users previously trying to pinpoint the source.

TweakTown states that Epic plans to introduce an option to toggle the chimes on or off in the future, but, surprisingly, a toggle option isn't a top priority as of now — especially since user replies berate Epic for not including an option to remove the sounds altogether.

For now, at least, a quick workaround is to delete the files from the directory as follows: Program Files (or Program Files x86)\Epic Games\Launcher\Portal\Extras\SocialChimes. It's worth noting that this is only a temporary fix, as Epic Games Launcher updates will likely overwrite this and place the files back into the directory.

Perhaps this entire case serves as yet another reason to use Steam for many users, where bugs are rare occurrences — but at the very least, PC users can rest knowing there isn't some unwanted or unknown application running on their system.

• Microsoft is rolling out an in-app browser for the Copilot app
• When you open links provided by the AI, they'll appear side-by-side with the chat
• While this is likely to prove a convenient feature for some, others have their doubts, and there's an ulterior motive of sorts in terms of pushing Edge

The Copilot app in Windows 11 is getting its own browser, which means that when you follow links provided by the AI, you'll stay within the confines of the app.

Windows Central noticed that Microsoft is set to roll out the in-app browser for the Copilot app on Windows 11 (and macOS), where it will open links in a panel to the side of the chat.

Normally, links would be fired up separately in the default web browser, but with this change, Microsoft aims to keep more activity within the Copilot app.

This feature has been in testing since early this year, and is available for admins to enable now, with a "broader rollout" happening in late November.

If you use the Copilot app, then, you can expect to see this ability appearing in a couple of months (or maybe a bit longer depending on the pace of the rollout).

Analysis: edging forward

Obviously, there is an aspect of convenience here, as you can peruse web pages that Copilot highlights right there in the app window. Some folks might like the idea, then, but on Reddit, the feedback that's been shared has been pretty negative.

Windows Central poses a question for the story headline, namely: "Will this upcoming update make Copilot your preferred browser on Windows 11?" And the Redditors who can't resist replying to that query are all overwhelmingly negative.

One reply says: "No. Copilot is a scourge that I avoid at all opportunities. Having a browser inside Copilot sounds like Hell."

Another states: "Definitely not. As it is, if I click a link in Copilot I have it open it in my actual web browser. The built-in browser would have to be really good to get me to change that."

Okay, so it's a loaded question and one that AI skeptics are more than happy to jump on and shoot down – but these aren't the people that Microsoft is considering here. It's introducing this for folks who use the Copilot app, who, obviously enough, aren't part of the anti-AI crowd who are very quick to fire flak at anything related to the topic.

On the other hand, this isn't something Microsoft's doing purely out of the goodness of its heart. It's a way to keep more activity within the Copilot app, as noted, and also another method of (indirectly) pushing the Edge browser. Because naturally enough, that's what the in-app browser is based on (what else would it be).

That doesn't mean the feature isn't useful, though, and if you like the sound of the in-app browser for Copilot, you've not got long to wait.

• A Vladimir Putin press call showed the Russian president casting an online vote for the country’s parliamentary elections
• The short clip has revealed that not only is Putin using a US-built Dell PC, it is running Windows 10 – and the license has not been activated
• Putin’s example of voting online is intended to encourage voters to take part, but has instead raised eyebrows and launched memes

Parliamentary elections in Russia took place on Friday, September 18 2026, with online voting for positions in the State Duma open to the public for the first time. To demonstrate the ease of online voting, a press call highlighted Russian President Vladimir Putin casting his vote – but this hasn’t gone quite as planned.

While the president appeared to have difficulty reading the display, the real challenge seems to be that the Russian leader is using a version of Windows 10 that has not been activated. Furthermore, the PC is a Dell, rather than a Russian-built system.

The Putin publicity stunt has already launched memes, but the it also raises questions about his ability to use a computer, not to mention the suitability of the hardware for voting.

“You can’t go wrong”

With 73-year-old President Putin lined up for the cameras with the Dell PC set up on his desk, he goes through the motions of “voting online,” presumably to demonstrate how easy it is. (In person and mail voting options were also available.)

The press call has all the authenticity of an unlicensed copy of Windows 10. Ironically, this is exactly what is in use, as you can see toward the end of the video.

Watch to the end:

Although an initial reaction might be “Russian state IT is pretty weak,” it seems more likely that the state-controlled hardware overseeing infrastructure, networks, and military systems is far more up-to-date. What is more likely is that that PC was pulled out of a back room and an old copy of Windows quickly installed simply to provide President Putin with his short encouragement to vote.

Dell vs. Aquarius

The use of a Dell PC is curious, however. While Russia and the US have cordial relations, it seems strange for the Russian president to use a foreign PC. Sanctions aside, Russia has a policy of forcing the use of home-grown brands (such as Aquarius) over those from overseas.

After voting, the five-times elected Russian leader uttered the memorable line “you can’t go wrong,” in his native language, perhaps highlighting the futility of voting for any candidates not in his favoured party, United Russia.

While it is difficult to assess the legitimacy of the elections in Russia itself, the governments of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom have challenged the elections in occupied Ukraine territories. The nations have described the them as “sham elections” that violate “Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence, and the UN Charter.”

• Adobe Premiere on Android has officially launched
• The free video editing app adds easy 4K video editing, AI, and more
• I checked out how the app runs, what you get, and if it really does offer 'effortless editing' for creators

Adobe Premiere for Android has arrived - finally, since Apple users got this app almost exactly a year ago. The mobile editing app is promising to deliver 4K video for content creators, alongside a slew of other tools including templates and AI generation (did you ever doubt it?).

Like most of Adobe's mobile apps, Premiere is free to download from the Google Play Store, although you'll need a subscription for extra AI generations and storage.

The upshot is, I've been keen to try out this Android app for a long time now, so here's what you can expect after I spent an hour dabbling with it on my Fairphone.

What's new?

This new Adobe Premiere app is specifically designed for Android phones, including foldables. According to Adobe, you'll need a device running Android 13 or later, with a minimum of 5GB RAM.

The app serves up a host of useful tools for content creators, including 4K video, simple-to-use templates for speeding up production, multi-track timeline editing, music and audio effects, and generative AI for image and video.

One of the high-points, as far as I'm concerned, is that it has no ads and exported videos are watermark-free.

A lot of 'free' mobile video editors could learn from this. There are no added intros and outros promoting Adobe either. So you can basically start creating video for social channels immediately. You can read the full write-up in Adobe's blog here. But is it any good? Here are my thoughts...

First impressions

I spent the last hour toying with Adobe Premiere to see whether it lives up to the promise of creating "stand out edits to share on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook."

Spoiler alert: It's good stuff. A responsive app that's worth checking out if you need a free video editor that does everything I'd expect it to do. Especially if you have a paid Adobe account for those extra AI generations.

Layout

Adobe Premiere on Android feels very clean, very sensibly laid out. That's a relief, because often I find Adobe's user interface to be unintuitive as a result of too many features. A phone screen is the last place you want to combat that.

Along the top of the screen are shortcuts for the main functions. This includes 'New from files' and 'Create for YouTube Shorts', as well as AI generations tools 'Image to video' and 'Text to video'. Once you start editing, your most recent projects can be found below this.

Under those key tools are a ridiculous number of templates for quickly spinning up videos - notably, there are ones designed specifically for YouTube, with "exclusive music and effects."

All in all, it's very simple to jump into the timeline and start creating.

Editing process

Editing video is incredibly straightforward. It's not laggy or clunky like I've seen with some mobile apps.

In fact, I was impressed how responsive it was overall, even with relatively larger video files. Helpfully, there are undo and re-do buttons sitting beneath the large preview window. An absolute godsend when editing on a phone.

Once you have a clip loaded on to the timeline, double-tapping the video brings up the handles for trimming. There's a Plus sign for adding (or generating) more clips. And you can select from a range of transitions with the tap of a button.

Running along the bottom of the screen are options to add text and audio, modify aspect ratio. I particularly liked this, because inside the frame options are logos, letting you know which ratio is suitable for which platforms.

AI generation

You do get access to a limited number of free tokens for AI image and video generation.

And when I say limited, I mean it. It's not very generous, and Firefly eats through them. I managed to squeeze out a single 4-second 720p clip before I needed to upgrade (or rather, sign into my main account).

Still, the generation itself works well, and it's relatively quick. Functionally, it's exactly what you'd get if you were using Adobe Firefly in your browser, or the Premiere desktop app.

I like that you can define the first and last frames of a video, generate in 720p and 1080p resolutions, change the duration, and opt to add audio. But to really make the most of this part of the app, a paid subscription is essential.

Video export

Super-simple, this one. When you're done editing, tap the ever-present Export button in the upper-right corner. You're then able to either export direct or tweak the settings.

Those settings include changing the resolution (720p, 1080p, 4K), the frame rate, between 24 and 60fps, and quality (low, medium, high).

Once you've got it set, Adobe Premiere offers an estimated file size, which is a nice touch. I exported a 17-second video at 4K in highest quality. The 106.5MB video took 34 seconds to complete. I then had the option to share via the usual channels.

My initial verdict

The Android spin on Adobe Premiere is actually very good - although I'll be keen to put it under the full review process. But it's very easy to use, and the 4K res video export without watermarks is excellent.

The real catch is the laughably small AI generation limit. Unless you're a paid subscriber, I'd swerve those and use it strictly as an editor for your own clips. On that score, it delivers everything I'd expect from a free video editor for your phone.

• Where to get it: You can grab Adobe Premiere on Android free from the Google Play Store here

• City of Sydney has joined four other local Australian councils in banning the use of smart glasses in specific areas
• Banned in public pools, gyms, childcare centers, libraries and government buildings
• Separate ban covers public schools in Western Australia

Local government councils and public schools across Australia are continuing moves to rapidly ban the use of smart glasses in public areas, following the federal government’s announcement that use of the devices will be prohibited in government-run workplaces, services centers, laboratories and local council buildings.

The City of Sydney, whose jurisdiction covers a population of approximately 240,000 within Sydney’s central business district and surrounding inner suburbs, is the latest local government council to enforce the ban, following the City of Yarra in Melbourne, City of Brisbane and Canterbury-Bankstown council in suburban Sydney.

The ban covers public pools, gyms, childcare centers, libraries and town halls, and the council will update signage and guidance to enforce it.

“There is a policy in place at our pools that covers the use of recording devices, including smart glasses,” a City of Sydney spokesperson told TechRadar.

“Recording without consent is not permitted and recording devices are prohibited in change rooms and other areas of our aquatic facilities.

“Conditions of Entry, published online and displayed on reception screens, have recently been updated to strengthen protections against non-consensual recording, with specific reference to smart glasses. Reminders have been issued through member communications. Staff respond when they observe behaviour that may be inconsistent with the Conditions of Entry. Matters can be escalated to police if needed.”

In a separate statement, the Western Australian government also announced today that students, teachers, parents and contractors will be banned from wearing or storing smart glasses on school premises from the start of the next school term on October 12.

Western Australia's education minister Sabine Winton said keeping students and staff safe was a priority for the state government.

“This ban is about taking a common sense, preventative approach,” she said. “We know that smart glasses are becoming more accessible and can have a detrimental impact on people’s privacy and wellbeing.”

'We need an import ban'

City of Sydney councilor Matthew Thompson added that there will be exemptions for those who use the glasses as accessibility devices, including individuals with vision and hearing loss.

“Overseas we’re seeing women being targeted and harassed in public and recorded without their consent. We don’t want what’s happening in the US to happen here,” Thompson’s motion read.

“That’s why we’re banning smart glasses and other wearable recording devices from all of our pools, gyms, childcare [centers], libraries and other council spaces.

Thompson has also called for the Australian federal government to impose an import ban on these smart glasses until privacy laws and standards are strengthened.

“Cheap wearable devices like smart glasses are already flooding the market. But instead of stopping this problem, the federal Labor government has dumped it on to councils to sort out.

“We need an import ban on these cheap, intrusive devices until we have stronger privacy protections and clear standards implemented nationally.”

‘Pervert’ glasses and privacy concerns

First widely popularized by Meta, smart glasses have since been replicated by other brands and have recently come under heavy criticism for their potential for harassment and for recording members of the public without their consent — earning the nickname ‘pervert glasses’ in some circles.

A University of Sydney study found that from a sample size of 350 public Instagram videos shot with smart glasses, around 60% could potentially be classified as harassment of a person or people.

Similar bans have also been introduced in the UK and the US, including in courtrooms in England, Wales and New York state, as well as being prohibited from use by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees.

• A recent update introduced a new bug affecting pasting in Excel
• Excel 2016 just got a hotfix, but Microsoft admits issues can persist
• Temporary workaround is available by selecting 'Paste Special'

Although a recent Microsoft Excel security update brought with it a highly annoying bug impacting copying and pasting functionalities across the spreadsheet software, it's already issued a partial fix.

Just days after the glitch was introduced with a September 8 2026 security update (KB5002914), the company has released a hot fix rather than forcing users to wait until the next cycle.

But this fix in particular only applies to Excel 2016, which is unlikely to have as much reach and global usage as Microsoft 365 versions of the app, therefore many users won't even have been aware of the issue.

Excel just got an important new fix

Other non-365 versions of Excel were also impacted. "In Microsoft Excel 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016, as well as Excel Online in Office Online Server, the paste operation might fail silently," the company explained in a status update.

"Although users try to paste content, the source remains selected and the destination is unmodified," the update reads, confirming that users didn't receive an error message or sound to let them know of the failure.

Office LTSC 2021 and 2024 are officially fixed, Microsoft confirmed, but a only a mitigation is available for Office LTSC 2019 and Office 2016, so users may still experience some problems.

Thankfully, while a full fix is in the works, Microsoft offered up a pretty simple workaround. Pasting 'Special' from the Home tab is all it takes, with conditional formatting apparently causing headaches for now.

• Canva ProSuite connects Affinity, Cavalry, Flourish, and Leonardo into one ecosystem
• Affinity and Cavalry stay free as ProSuite gains over 100 additions
• Scene Decomposition uses AI to split flattened pictures into separate editable components

Canva is giving Affinity a major set of upgrades as it tries to make its professional creative tools more useful against established competitors.

The free software now adds photography, design, automation and file compatibility features alongside deeper connections with Cavalry, Canva and other creative products.

The changes form part of Canva ProSuite, which brings Affinity, Cavalry, Flourish and Leonardo together while keeping Affinity and Cavalry available without payment.

Affinity gets a major photography and design update

The photography changes are particularly extensive, adding batch importing and an improved RAW processing system for users handling large collections.

Preset looks can now be applied across multiple images, while new correction tools address mixed illumination and camera movement during editing.

Scene Decomposition uses AI to separate flattened pictures into editable components, allowing photographers to modify individual elements without rebuilding images manually.

A dedicated Astrophotography Studio adds specialized controls for photographers working with night skies and astronomical subjects during detailed image processing.

Affinity is also expanding the range of files it can handle, including support for bringing InDesign documents directly into the application.

The company says this gives users access to major industry file formats while reducing obstacles when moving projects between different creative applications.

Integration with Canva Brand Kit and Canva Sheets also adds a route for connecting design work with brand assets and structured information.

Other additions cover vector editing, typography, brushes, noise reduction, high dynamic range processing and export controls, giving professional users more options.

Sony ARW6 support, OpenColorIO display emulation, and improved output matching also extend Affinity's capabilities for photography and color-managed production workflows.

The release includes more than 60 Affinity additions, while Canva says ProSuite brings over 100 additions and changes across its connected products this year.

Canva connects Affinity with motion and AI tools

Canva is also connecting Affinity with Cavalry, its software for creating motion graphics and animations, as part of the new ProSuite.

Cavalry receives more than 50 changes, including new shape controls, lighting effects, graph editing improvements, and expanded SVG handling for motion designers.

The integration lets selected elements within Cavalry projects become editable inside Canva, while keeping the underlying animation protected.

This arrangement could allow teams to make limited changes without repeatedly sending modification requests back to motion designers and animators across team workflows.

Affinity and Cavalry can also connect with AI assistants through ProSuite's AI Connectors, allowing repetitive operations to be handled from natural-language instructions.

“We're genuinely excited to be releasing such a huge swathe of new tools for professional designers, animators, photographers and other advanced users,” said Duncan Clark, CEO of Pro Design at Canva.

“We asked professionals what they actually needed to power their creative work…there’s a lot of noise right now about AI replacing human creatives, but we believe professional craft matters more than ever. We want the Canva ProSuite to be where that craft lives and thrives.”

Affinity's new features, the Cavalry improvements and tighter connections across Canva's products give the free software a significantly larger professional toolkit.

• Some of those who've upgraded to macOS 27 aren't happy
• They're complaining about bugs with the interface and sluggishness
• The main problem is with Mission Control, but there's also flak being aimed at Apple due to other issues – and its testing department is under fire

Apple released macOS 27 Golden Gate last week, and some early adopters are flagging up bugs and regretting their upgrade – although others are finding the new version smooth sailing.

The Reddit 'megathread' on macOS 27 bugs and issues highlights some of the more common problems that those upgrading are running into, some of which appear to be more severe than others.

The biggest beef is with Mission Control which a number of macOS 27 users are describing as broken. It's in pretty bad shape by all accounts.

As one user put it in the above thread: "Been reading about this and finally tried it because I never use Mission Control and you're absolutely right. Most NON smooth experience I've ever seen on a Mac."

Someone replies to agree, and goes further: "It is, without a doubt, the most significant visual glitch I've encountered as a decades-long Mac user."

Another Redditor observes: "I'm a power user of multi-desktops and Mission Control and I can't believe they've broken such a fundamental feature. Yes, the animations are broken and sluggish, but the issue that breaks my workflow is when you drag a desktop to another monitor it leaves an unresponsive black screen behind.

"The only fix is to create a new desktop on the black screen, switch to this new desktop, then delete the new desktop."

In a separate thread complete with an illustrative video clip, another Redditor declared that Mission Control is "glitchier, laggier, and buggier," and that: "The animations judder, and sometimes when switching to a full screen app I'll get a completely black screen."

They added: "I've been using Macs for 20+ years, and remember [when] Exposé was released. Never have I ever experienced such a Windows-esque bug in macOS."

On top of this, there are complaints about sluggishness with some other areas of the interface in macOS 27 Golden Gate, including the menu bar and Control Center.

There are also frustrations being vented about Spotlight search not working properly, but this is apparently a symptom of the system reindexing after the installation of the new version of macOS.

Analysis: mission statement

The biggest problem is clearly Mission Control, but stuttering, sluggishness and glitchy animations can reportedly extend to other areas of macOS 27.

That said, there are a notable amount of folks who are finding that macOS 27 runs nice and smoothly for them, and they're praising it as a vast improvement over macOS 26 (although that isn't difficult given that Tahoe was a messy release for many reasons).

You may experience some slowdown with Golden Gate due to search indexing, as mentioned above, but once that work is done, those performance hiccups should disappear, and macOS 27 will hopefully settle down.

If you use Mission Control, though – and granted, a lot of people don't, as it's designed for power-users, and those running apps across multiple virtual desktops or monitors – it seems that for now, macOS 27 is best avoided. Those in this boat might want to wait until the 27.1 release in the hope that it brings a resolution.

It is a bit baffling that a feature should be pushed out in a clearly wonky state – there's no arguing that something is wrong with Mission Control – and this has brought up a related issue with Apple's beta testing of the desktop operating system.

As one tester tells us: "Many years ago, I did actually get responses [from Apple] to bugs submitted and updates on where it was heading. I've submitted a lot of bugs and since Tahoe (maybe earlier) I haven't received any feedback on my submissions and the bugs that I submitted still exist in the official release of Golden Gate. I don't think that anyone is reviewing the bug reports anymore."

That's in reply to a post that says: "The very long list of serious bugs were reported extensively and often during the beta to Apple. Apple did what they always do with macOS beta feedback. Your video [of the glitchy Mission Control interface] is the result."

Others agree that the process of beta testing and feedback seems to have gone downhill in recent times, hence the comparison of macOS to Windows. Microsoft has long taken flak for its QA department which, as I've argued many times, needs some serious attention – but this subject just isn't talked about. I doubt Apple will be talking about these testing-related assertions, either, but hopefully Mission Control will get the attention it needs behind the scenes.

For now, a good number of macOS users who stuck on Sequoia because Tahoe was overly buggy and problematic are still holding off upgrading to Golden Gate, and I can see why some folks might think it's prudent to exercise caution here. Those macOS 25 holdouts will continue to watch and wait, no doubt, and that's a bad look for Apple.

APC 563 October 2026

Please note that these exclusive downloads will only be available for a limited time, from 21/09/26 to 08/11/26.

AnyTech365 Anti-Scam Ultimate for Android

Next Generation of Digital Protection.

We are spending more time online and therefore putting our devices and data on it at risk, be safe with the AnyTech365 Security and protect your data and devices. AnyTech365 Security is powered by Panda Security and brings together the best protection, privacy, and performance features into a single solution. This high-end, cross-platform antivirus allows you to enjoy your devices with complete peace of mind.

AnyTech365 Security makes your digital life easier and safer. It operates in real time, constantly monitoring the files and processes on your system. It scans any activity for potential threats and monitors any suspicious behaviour.

Download from the Google Play Store at tinyurl.com/APC563anytech365

To unlock the Ultimate version for 180 days use the promo code: APCY3BAZ

Audials One 2026 SE

Enhance videos in record time.

With Audials, you can upscale your videos via AI in the cloud – razor-sharp and rich in detail. If you're in a hurry, simply use AI Credits to get your results even faster. you can get your favourite songs lightning fast and in breathtaking studio quality. Find and save your music with unprecedented ease. Audials makes music editing easy: automatic song separation, precise tagging, millisecond-accurate audio editor. Add new brilliance to your songs with effects like bass boost, reverb, flanger, or equaliser.

Record your favourite movies and series in impressive quality, up to 1080p. Thanks to modern graphics card encoding and automatic framerate detection, Audials gets the most out of your PC.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Ashampo Privacy Inspector 2

Analyse user behaviour and protect users.

Windows collects extensive usage data, and browsers track every online activity. Ashampoo Privacy Inspector 2 empowers you to take control of this data. The software provides detailed insights into which objects were used, when, and how often, offering various filters for clear data display. It allows for precise analysis of browsing behaviour across all user profiles on a PC, covering everything from visited pages to top search terms and login timestamps.

Browsing behaviour can be viewed in lists or tree structures, with the option to delete data as needed. Downloads, searches, and logins are transparently displayed and fully filterable across major browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Ascomp BackUp Maker

Simple and Intuitive Windows Backup Software.

Malware, user errors, or hardware failures often spell the end for important files. Therefore, it is essential to create regular backups to have a safety copy to fall back on in case of an emergency. Discover how BackUp Maker simplifies the process of data backup.

With BackUp Maker, you simply select the data you want to secure, configure automation if desired, choose the destination, and your documents are reliably backed up – either scheduled or based on specific events. Your data lands safely and compactly in zip format on hard drives, USB sticks, or in the cloud.

To protect sensitive information from unauthorised access, BackUp Maker offers high-security encryption of up to 256-bit (AES).

DOWNLOAD HERE

APC 562 September 2026

Please note that these exclusive downloads will only be available for a limited time, from 24/08/26 to 11/10/26.

Ashampoo Photo Commander 17

All-in-one image viewer, editor and manager.

The new Ashampoo Photo Commander 17 is a comprehensive software solution to view, edit, and organise digital photos. Clever filter and grouping options help users keep track no matter how large their photo collections are. The program supports geotagging to sort photos by location and can visualise locations on a map. Photo Commander's image viewer features seamless transitions and is perfect for multi-display environments with high-res 4K resolutions. Features include automatic image optimisation plus manual effects and various tools to recover faded images, remove scratches, fix red eyes and eliminate digital noise. The integrated batch processing is ideal for large numbers of images and supports conversion as well as common image manipulation features.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Ascomp Secure-PDF

Securely encrypt and sign PDF files.

The PDF format is used worldwide to distribute graphically enhanced documents. However, good PDF editors are often expensive, and cheaper alternatives lack the necessary features for secure PDF editing. This includes encrypting PDF documents, digital signatures, and adding watermarks. This is where Secure-PDF comes in, offering comprehensive security features for your PDF files.

With Secure-PDF, you can secure your PDF documents with up to 256-bit AES encryption. This method ensures that your sensitive information is protected from unauthorised access. By adding a password, only authorised users can open and view the document. This feature is especially useful for confidential documents such as contracts, financial reports, or personal data.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Audials TV Recorder 2026.1

Capture and store television shows and movies.

Audials TV Recorder is a module of Audials Movie 2025, which is also available as a standalone version. Recording live TV episodes, streams from TV networks, or media collections and making them available offline is a breeze with this app. Among the features offered by this software are an intuitive interface, high-definition (HD) video recording, automatic recording schedulers, and support for a wide variety of national and international channels. By supporting multiple file formats, Audials TV Recorder 2025 makes it easy to save shows for later viewing on any device.

Record in ultra-high definition (UHD) or 4K with increased video quality and 60 frames per second (FPS) capability.

DOWNLOAD HERE

• The Australian government might ban smart glasses at all of its agencies
• Devices like Meta’s glasses have garnered controversy over user privacy
• The move would follow Australia’s banning of social media for under-16s

The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have been in hot water ever since they launched amid concerns they could be used to record people without their consent. And the privacy backlash has grown so vocal that the Australian government is now considering a “world-leading” ban on the devices inside any workplace run by the state.

The ban would affect any government-run offices, services centers, laboratories and local councils. It goes a lot further than the state’s current position, which is to allow workplaces to set their own rules on the controversial wearable tech. While the ban would affect most municipal locations, schools and hospitals run by the government would be allowed to decide their own rules on the glasses.

Katy Gallagher, the Australian public service minister, said that the nation’s public has been asked for feedback on the next move, adding that “Smart glasses can raise legitimate privacy and security concerns, particularly because of their ability to record and capture information.”

“We need clear and consistent guidance for public servants,” Gallagher said. So far, no national government has banned smart glasses across its agencies, with the Australian Albanese administration saying it sought to create a “world-leading” standard.

A privacy storm

Meta’s smart glasses have attracted growing criticism for their potential to encourage harassing behavior and to record members of the public without their consent. They’ve been popularly branded “pervert glasses” in light of the controversy, while a University of Sydney study found that of 350 public Instagram videos shot with the glasses, around 60% could be classified as potentially containing harassment of a person or people.

The negative blowback has not been aided by Meta’s abysmal record on user privacy. The company has been accused of harvesting triple the data of its rivals, ignoring users’ desires not to be tracked, feeding untold reams of private data into its artificial intelligence (AI) models, and more. The company’s apps, including Facebook and Instagram, have been labeled among the worst offenders for privacy violations — news that will likely surprise few people.

If the Australian ban goes into place, it would only be the most sweeping of a similar set of moves made around the world. Courts in England, Wales and New York state have banned smart glasses, as has the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Several cities and local councils in Australia have barred the glasses in playgrounds, childcare centers, gyms and public swimming pools.

And Australia also took the lead on restricting social media usage by children when it banned under-16s from using a range of platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and more.

Considering the current hostile reaction to smart glasses, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see other governments follow Australia’s cue and outlaw the devices at their state facilities and workplaces. Until Meta can allay public concerns over the privacy-busting potential of its glasses, this storm isn’t likely to pass any time soon.

• Snap’s Specs are its sixth-generation AR glasses
• They may be hefty devices, but they’re surprisingly comfortable to wear and easy to use
• The Specs come packed with engaging features, including a new AI assistant

It’s been almost a decade since Snap Inc. released its first Spectacles smart glasses back in 2016, and the series has grown a lot since then. The original pair was essentially an extension of Snapchat, designed to record short 10-second clips for the social platform.

Since then, Snap’s tech has grown into a robust augmented reality platform, improving both the hardware and software along the way.

For Fall 2026, Snap Inc. will soon launch what is technically its sixth generation of Spectacles. However, it seems that the company is looking for a fresh start, as these smart glasses will simply be known as the Snap Specs.

The Specs were initially unveiled at the Augmented World Expo 2026 in June, and it was revealed then that the company was placing greater emphasis on regular consumers rather than strictly an enterprise audience.

I had the opportunity to try out the Specs myself at Snap Inc.’s headquarters in Santa Monica, California. And it was instantly clear to me that the glasses are meant to be the entry point to a vast AR ecosystem. While I had a lot of fun using them in an early demo, the experience wasn’t without its quirks.

Big frames, vibrant screen

While these 6th-gen Specs are much slimmer than the previous generation, they are still quite chunky, sporting thick black frames made out of a Swiss TR90 polymer.

Snap offers two sizes: a 47mm model weighing 132 grams and a 52mm model weighing 136 grams. For anyone keeping score, that's significantly heavier than a pair of Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, which weigh just 50 grams. But Snap did a good job of distributing weight. The 52mm devices felt quite comfortable on my head. The smaller 47mm glasses, on the other hand, pinched my temples.

These glasses project a digital screen with a 51-degree field of view (FoV) in front of your eyes, providing a decent amount of viewing space. Snap equates the floating display to a 24-inch desktop monitor. Combine that with the liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) lenses, and you get high-resolution, vibrant images.

Smart, intuitive software

Most of my hands-on time with the Specs was spent using the consumer-facing software. The UI is clean and easy to understand. Features are split between the Home and My Lenses menus, with the main window remaining visible in your immediate view. Digital objects can be repositioned using a simple pinching gesture.

In my experience, dragging and dropping windows was a little finicky. The process was smooth most of the time, although there were instances when the glasses didn’t register my hand movements, and I had to repeat the gesture several times.

Navigating the interface takes some getting used to, although there is an alternative. Holding your left hand up toward the camera brings up a quick menu that lets you quickly navigate to the Home screen as well as other parts of the system.

A major aspect of the Specs is the new on-board AI assistant, Specs Intelligence. Like other AI assistants, such as Google Gemini, Specs Intelligence can provide contextually relevant information in response to voice commands. It will keep listening until instructed otherwise. Do note that you’ll need to speak up for the microphones to pick up your voice.

It also builds an understanding of your routines so it can surface useful information when you need it. I found Specs Intelligence to be one of the best parts of the glasses. It’s quick to operate, delivering accurate search results and suggestions in almost no time.

Seeing the Apps

I had access to a few third-party apps, namely Spotify and Google Docs. When it comes to audio, the glasses' stems have speakers on either end that point directly toward your ears. Music from Spotify came through crystal clear, with a bit of punchy bass. The best part is how little audio leakage there is. I held the glasses close to my face during the demo, and I could barely hear the music.

With Google Docs, you can connect a wireless keyboard to the Specs glasses via Bluetooth for on-the-go work. It’s a nice utility to have, although there was noticeable latency between the keyboard input and what appeared on the page. I asked if I could connect a mouse to the wearables. I was told that currently, users can't connect computer mice.

Outside the third-party software, there were plenty of first-party apps, including an internet browser, an image gallery, navigation, direct access to Snapchat, and, most notably, a translation tool. What’s cool about the translation tool is that it translates other languages in real time. I had a Snap representative speak to me in Italian, and the translated text appeared on the display a few seconds after they finished speaking.

Admittedly, I don’t know how accurate the translation tool is. I don’t speak Italian, so I can’t verify it myself, but we were able to have a fluid conversation without issue.

The early verdict

Snap’s new Specs were pretty fun to use. They’re comfortable to wear despite their size, and the software felt intuitive. Yes, the gesture controls were a little inconsistent, but there is still time before the official launch to address those quirks.

At the time of this writing, you can pre-order the Snap Specs for an eye-watering $2,195 (around £1,640 / AU$3,090) with a $200 deposit, making them quite the investment.

A release date is set for sometime this Fall (in other words, sometime before the end of November). An exact date has not been given. It is worth pointing out that Snap Inc. will let interested shoppers try the smart glasses at the Specs First Look pop-up in the Westfield Century City shopping mall in Los Angeles, starting October 1. Given that date, an October launch seems likely.

• Canon announced its 3D image generation 'Dual Pixel 3D' tech
• It uses depth data from a single shot via Dual Pixel CMOS AF, through a free Windows-only app coming in October
• The EOS R10 and most models up to the EOS R5 series are compatible

Canon introduced a new Dual Pixel CMOS-type sensor and autofocus system in the EOS R5 back in 2020, and a string of cameras have since inherited this tech, most recently the EOS R8 Mark II announced today. And it's these cameras that just got a free upgrade that can add another dimension to photos: Dual Pixel 3D.

The new software leverages "depth and phase-detection data captured in a single shot via Dual Pixel CMOS AF", says Canon, using "an exclusive algorithm to convert your photos into highly realistic 3D imagery", plus 3D models in OBJ or GLB formats, or as an MP4 video, "complete with rich photographic textures."

This depth-adding tech will come in the (free) Dual Pixel 3D Converter software, which will be available for Windows only (Windows 11 64-bit 24H2 or later), from October 3.

So what exactly can users expect from the software, and which cameras are compatible? Let's take a look.

An extra dimension

Billed as 'simple 3D image generation technology', Dual Pixel 3D enables users to create immersive three-dimensional images and models from a single RAW photo, without needing specialized equipment or viewing devices. Canon also says the technology works with JPEGs captured by the new EOS R8 Mark II.

These files contain depth information from slightly different views, captured by each pixel's two photodiodes, which are then converted into 3D shape data.

Users will be able to fine-tune the degree of depth in the new software, for a more pronounced 3D effect or a subtler appearance. The depth information in Dual Pixel CMOS-captured photos also simplifies background removal, should users want to output a subject onto a plain background as a 3D model, or as a stereographic photo.

Can has shared tips for how to take photos designed to be converted for 3D on its YouTube channel (see below).

Photographers working in product and still life photography stand to benefit from the creative possibilities in particular. We'll be sure to try out the new software when it's released on October 3, and share our experience of making 3D imagery with it.

Compatible Canon cameras and lenses

Here's every Canon mirrorless camera that features Dual Pixel CMOS AF and can, therefore, enjoy the new Dual Pixel 3D feature, provided images are captured with a compatible lens:

• EOS R5 Mark II
• EOS R5
• EOS R6 Mark III
• EOS R6 Mark II
• EOS R7
• EOS R8 Mark II
• EOS R8
• EOS R10

And you'll need to be using one of these lenses;

RF24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM

RF24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM

RF24-105mm F4 L IS USM

RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

RF35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM

RF50mm F1.8 STM

RF70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM

RF70-200mm F4 L IS USM

RF85mm F2 MACRO IS STM

RF100mm F2.8 L MACRO IS USM

RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM

RF-S18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM

• New camera-free smart glasses from Meta are rumored
• The wearable could be unveiled as early as next week
• A new glasses-detecting app is proving popular with users

It's fair to say that the various iterations of Meta's smart glasses had been quite well received by users — as you'll see from our own reviews — but over time, the general public has become less and less comfortable with the idea of being secretly spied on through the cameras embedded in these wearables.

That might explain Meta's plans to release some spectacles with cameras on board, as reported by The Information. According to the outlet's sources, the glasses have the codename Luna, and will be available in two styles called Clubmaster and Burbank.

With no camera, the focus will be on the audio capabilities of the glasses, which will let you have conversations with Meta's own AI chatbot. The report says we could get a grand unveiling at the Meta Connect event next week, on September 23 and 24.

While Meta's smart specs have always been fitted with LED lights that show when they're recording, modders were finding ways around this, enabling more covert video and photo capture. While those mods have since been disabled and prevented by software updates, it's still left people with a general sense of unease.

The backlash continues

As Meta apparently preps its next pair of smart glasses, Wired reports on the ZuckOff app that takes a swing at the Meta CEO in its name, and alerts users when they might be in the presence of someone wearing Meta glasses. The app uses Bluetooth to scan the surrounding area for these wearables.

With several thousand downloads on both Android and iOS, the app is clearly proving popular. It's free to download and use in its basic form, with a pro version available for $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$14.99 a year that scans continuously and gives you scan histories.

It's not your only option either: if you're on Android, Nearby Glasses is open source and free to use, and does a similar sort of job as ZuckOff without the provocative name. That app has now racked up more than 100,000 downloads.

There's definitely been a shift in perception when it comes to glasses that can record, warning light or no warning light — even though these specs have been around for years. There's even talk of bans and government regulation coming in at some point, which Meta might be trying to get ahead of with its next pair of glasses.

• Windows 11's latest update breaks the sound on some PCs
• The September update also messes with File History
• Microsoft is working on a fix for the audio glitch, but we don't have an ETA

Windows 11's new update is breaking the audio on some PCs, thanks to the latest nasty bug that Microsoft has let slip through the QA testing net.

Windows Latest spotted that Microsoft has admitted that the September update has torpedoed the audio on some systems, in a post on the Windows release health dashboard.

Microsoft explains that: "Some USB Audio Class 1.0 devices might fail to start or produce audio."

As well as your speakers being eerily silent, the September update can also render the Sound panel in the Settings app unresponsive, which hardly helps when troubleshooting the issue.

One way you can check if your device is affected by this bug — assuming it has no audio, and you want to rule out other possible causes — is that in Device Manager you'll see a 'code 10' error ("this device cannot start") for your sound controller.

Windows Latest also informs us that this bug can affect microphones, as well as the PC's speakers.

It's not the only glitch with the September update, either, as users have reported problems with GPUs, and the File History feature going awry and failing to work.

File History is a capability that allows you to back up your files to an external drive (or elsewhere), so it's pretty important for those who use the functionality.

Analysis: negative vibes

Microsoft says this audio bug could manifest in other ways, so you might get sound when using standard stereo, but that audio might disappear when switching to multichannel playback. This means it's worth checking what your audio output is set to, and changing it back to stereo if it's currently using a different playback mode, which might just resurrect your sound.

Otherwise, there's not much that can be done, other than trying different audio output options on your Windows 11 system (Windows Latest observes that wireless audio devices don't appear to be affected). The other alternative is to remove the September update until Microsoft fixes this issue, although that will leave you without security patches.

When might we get a fix for this issue? Microsoft tells us: "We are working on a resolution and will update this documentation when more information is available."

This is a somewhat widespread problem by all accounts, and the File History bug is even more so, although the latter hasn't yet been acknowledged by Microsoft.

The reaction on Reddit is much as you might expect in terms of Windows 11 users blaming Microsoft's increased use of AI in coding the desktop OS, and observing that these kinds of bugs are why people don't want to migrate to the newer operating system.

As one Redditor observes: "And they wonder why people don't want to move from Windows 10."

Another notes: "Microslop can keep vibe coding all they want, I'm already on Linux."

Windows 10 is a sounder (ahem) bet for avoiding bugs, seeing as Microsoft isn't adding new features or messing with the codebase much, and ks only applying security fixes and essentials. That said, this of course doesn't mean Windows 10 is immune to glitches.