It’s nearly summer. Birds are migrating, flowers are blooming, and REI is kicking off its annual anniversary sale.
It’s the outdoor retailer’s biggest sale of the year. This year’s REI sale starts May 15 and runs through Memorial Day, May 25. Many items are up to 30 percent off, but REI Co-op members save up to 20 percent on any full-price item and an extra 20 percent off any REI Outlet item. To get the discount, add the promo code ANNIV26 at checkout.
Goal Zero’s new Yeti 1500 is one of the best camping and overlanding power stations we’ve tested. The new LiFePO4 chemistry battery is rated for 4,000 charge cycles (about 10 years of average use) and there’s a new high amp output (30 A) for tying into van and overlanding setups. Goal Zero also engineered it to be able to handle the high vibration environment of off-roading. With 4 AC outlets and USB charging at up to 140 watts, the Yeti 1500 can keep your wired world running for well over a week, no grid required.
Yes your phone has some features of a dedicated satellite messenger, but we still think you’re better off with a dedicated device. Garmin’s new inReach Mini 3 now offers some of those phone features—like voice and photo messaging—along with the emergency features and excellent service world wide. It’s also still tiny, well built and it has great battery life. The cheaper Garmin Inreach Mini 3 (which does not have the new photo sharing features) is also on sale for $400 ($50 off).
The Garmin Instinct Solar is our favorite rugged and affordable outdoor watch powered by the sun. It has long battery life and yes, recharges any time it’s in the sun. GPS is enabled and there’s tons of sports tracking and navigation features. It’s cheaper than a Fenix and just as reliable.
Courtesy of Coleman
My favorite of Coleman’s current lineup, the Cascade 3-in-1 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) features heavy-duty cast iron grates, comes with a cast-iron griddle and grill, and can fit a 12-inch pan and a 10-inch pan side by side. It’s sturdier and all-around more robust than other Coleman stoves, well worth the extra money if you’re serious about camp cooking. That said, the much cheaper stove below will get you by if you’re only using it a few nights a year.
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This is our favorite camp stove for most people. Technically this version is a little fancier than our top pick, with electronic ignition and a nice pale green paint job. Is it worth an extra $30? That’s up to you. If it’s not, snag the less fancy version for $59 at Walmart.
The thing to keep in mind when you shop REI brand gear is the company’s basic proposition: you get 90 percent of the designer item for 70 percent of the price. It’s a strategy that works quite well and has generated some really great, affordable gear. This chair is a good example of that. It’s not as nice as the Nemo above, but it’s still comfortable (it does wobble a little, side to side when you move) and nearly half the price.
Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
Whenever I can, I like to cook over open flame using my firebox stove, which often means cutting wood. The best portable saw I’ve found is this Silky folding saw. It’s light enough to bring bike packing (5.3 ounces), and it folds down to about 9 inches long, which slips in a pannier no problem. This thing is razor sharp though, be careful when using it in the backcountry.
The thing to keep in mind when you shop for gear bearing the REI brand is the company’s basic proposition: You get 90 percent of the designer item for 70 percent of the price. It’s a strategy that works quite well and has generated some really great, affordable gear. This REI chair is a good example of that. It’s not as nice as the Nemo above, but it’s still comfortable (it does wobble a little, side to side when you move) and nearly half the price.
REI’s Base Camp tent is WIRED’s favorite car camping tent. It’s extremely well designed and proved plenty weatherproof in our testing. The traditional dome tent design, with two crossed poles and two side poles, holds up well in wind, and the tent floor is high-quality 150-denier (150D) polyester. There’s loads of storage pockets, double doors, great vents, and huge windows, making it comfortable even in summer heat.
The REI Half Dome 2 is the best budget two-person backpacking tent. I’ve toted it on many a backpacking trip and found it to be plenty sturdy, quick to set up, and capable of fitting two people and their gear. It even comes with a footprint (which I never bother with, but it’s nice to have it if you have to deal with prickers or pointy rocks).
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The Big Agnes Copper Spur series is our top pick for freestanding ultralight tents. This is a high-quality, well-designed tent that’s lightweight, easy to set up, and roomy enough to be livable in the backcountry. The “awning” design (where the front fabric is held aloft with trekking poles or sticks) is a nice extra and the mix of 15D nylon, and 20D ripstop, while to feels fragile, as held up well over time. The 4-person version, which is one of the lightest 4P tents on the market is also on sale.
Nemo’s Dragonfly tents are great. I really like the generous amount of mesh at the top, which provides some nice ventilation on warm summer nights and is perfect for falling asleep under the stars when the weather permits. The Osmo fabric continues to live up to the hype, with much less water absorption than nylon tents in rainy weather, and there’s a good amount of room for storing all your stuff.
REI’s Magma line of down gear are some of the best deals around. The Magma 15 sleeping bag has long been an affordable bag that’s perfect for shoulder season trips when the temp potentially swing lower than you’re expecting (the comfort rating is 21 degrees Fahrenheit). There are three lengths and three widths, making it easy to get something that’s perfect for your body, and the 850-fill-power goose down (Bluesign-approved) packs down nice and small. If you don’t need the shoulder season coverage the Magma 30 is also on sale for $262 ($87 off), and makes a great summer sleeping bag.
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I just spent a week sleeping under this quilt at the Biggest Week in American Birding. The Magma quilt was surprisingly warm. I did have on an puffer jacket, but I managed to stay comfy down to 30 degrees. Like the sleeping bag version above, this is 95 percent of what you get from far more expensive quilts. It’s light (20.3 ounces for the medium), packs down small, includes straps to keep it on your sleeping pad, can be completely unzipped and used like a comforter or snapped up in a proper foot box on colder nights.
Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
This is one of my favorite ultralight sleeping bags. There are lighter quilts out there, but when you need the warmth of a mummy bag on those colder nights, this is what I use. It also has the smallest pack size of any bag I’ve tested in this temperature range. With the included compression sack, this thing is truly tiny. The down fill is PFC-free, 850+ hydrophobic down. The zippers are on the small side, but they slide well and rarely if ever snag on the bag. I’ve slept in this bag down to 20 degrees and never been the least bit cold.
Nemo’s Forte 20 is a 20-degree synthetic-fill sleeping bag, but the comfort rating is 30 degrees. In my testing, this feels more like where you’d want to stay temperature-wise with this bag. The outer shell uses a 30-denier recycled polyester ripstop with an inside liner made from 20-denier recycled polyester taffeta. The fill is what Nemo calls Zerofiber insulation, which is made from 100 percent postconsumer recycled content fibers. The Zerofiber packs down remarkably small—this is the most compact synthetic-fill bag I’ve tested in this temp range.
Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
I had to surrender my ultralight cred to the Reddit mods for carrying this robust pad, but it is totally worth the improved sleep. The 6 or so extra ounces is more than made up for by how well I sleep—rest and recovery are a key part of long miles, kids—on this pad compared to, well, every other backpacking sleeping pad. It’s that good. Alas, it is also kinda pricey … which is why you should grab one now on sale.
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The Tensor All-Season hits all the sweet spots. It weighs an acceptably light 18.2 ounces, provides a good 3 inches of padding, and has an R value of 5.4. (The R value of a sleeping pad denotes its level of insulation; the higher the number, the warmer you stay and 5.4 is enough insulation for colder spring or autumn nights.) That works out to the best padding and R rating for the weight. It’s also mercifully quiet—none of that annoying crunching noise every time you roll over.
If you’re gearing up for a winter trip, this is a good deal on a great winter sleeping pad. The Tensor Extreme Conditions has the highest R value of any pad we’ve tested (8.5) yet somehow manages to pack down to about the size of a Nalgene water bottle and weighs just 21 ounces (587 g).
Courtesy of Exped
This is my new favorite winter sleeping pad. It doesn’t have quite the R-value of the Tensor Extreme above, but I find it more comfortable and when paired the a Therm-a-Rest Z-lite, I stayed plenty warm even on a night spent at minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit this past winter. I like it so much a bought a second one for whomever is foolish enough to come with me on such trips.
The big fat camping pad that started the trend of big fat camping pads, the Megamat is a revelation. Trust me, you have no idea how comfortable tent camping can be until you sleep on a Megamat. The 4-inch-thick Exped MegaMat is soft and surprisingly firm thanks to the closed-cell foam inside it, which relieves pressure and feels about as close to the mattress in your bedroom as you’re going to get in the woods.
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When I sold my Jeep, I had to give up my overlanding dreams and return to being a mere camper. But this Megamat, which cuts in to fit around the wheel wells of an SUV, has brought some of those overlanding dreams back to life. I throw this in the back of my wife’s Rav4, and while it’s not a perfect fit (check Exped to see which vehicles are supported), it’s close enough that I can get a good night’s sleep in the car.
Before the modern trifecta of video game giants came to dominate the market around two decades ago, the world was awash in video game consoles. Many of these retro platforms have largely been forgotten outside of the enthusiast communities, and an average gamer today might not have ever heard of brands like ColecoVision or TurboGrafx. Among these unusual, rare, or forgotten systems was the 3DO which wasn’t strictly a console but rather a specification that manufacturers could use to make consoles on their own. But even more unusual was that this standard could be used to build 3DO-compatible expansion cards for PCs as well.
In this video, [The Retro Collective] received one of these boards to add to their museum, but like much retro hardware of this era it wasn’t working exactly like it would have out-of-the-box. After adding it to one of their period-correct 386 machines of the time, they found that it would only work properly with weight applied at one of the corners. This led to the discovery of some disconnected pins on the PCB, and a repair of that and some other issues brought the card back to life again.
The video also discusses the platform itself and shows how it would connect to a PC from that time. The PC would have needed a Sound Blaster card, a CD ROM drive with a particular proprietary interface, and a few other hardware requirements, but with everything up and working the player would have a console that theoretically competed with the original Playstation or Nintendo 64. It also illustrates an alternative path video games might have taken where expansion cards added console compatibility to any modern PC, but unfortunately the 3DO never really caught on.
Over 100,000 EZ Lynk users could find their data being handed over to the United States government if Apple complies with a request for app download information.
Governments subpoena Apple for information all of the time, but that doesn’t mean it gets handed over automatically. Apple will push back if the scope of the request is too broad or vague.
In the case of the EZ Lynk lawsuit, the US Department of Justice has asked Apple and Google to hand over information about over 100,000 users. According to a report from Forbes, the DOJ wants information like the name and address of every person that downloaded the EZ Lynk app.
It’s an incredible request that’s 10x the size of a previous request about a gun scope app in 2019. While the companies involved haven’t commented directly, EZ Lynk shared that it expects Apple and Google to refuse the subpoena.
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The lawsuit itself centers around EZ Lynk being accused of breaking the Clean Air Act by selling devices that let users bypass emission controls. While EZ Lynk’s devices can be used for all kinds of modifications, it seems that emission bypass was a popular use case.
The DOJ claims it needs the information of all of these users for evidence gathering. They’d like to contact some of the individuals to act as witnesses to the case.
There are obvious Fourth Amendment issues at play here. Beyond the wide scope of the data request, the DOJ seemingly wants people to self-incriminate themselves on the stand.
Apple does respond to subpoenas and provides data within reason. This request is too vague and wide in scope, so if history is anything to go by, Apple will reject it.
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However, that doesn’t mean the government can’t narrow its scope and ask for specific individuals’ app download records. If requested properly and legally, Apple will hand over a download record and a user’s name and address.
As we’ve seen in other cases, Apple can’t hand over data that is end-to-end encrypted like Apple Health data. Since an app download is basically just a receipt of purchase, Apple will have an unencrypted record of that interaction.
Aaron Mackey from the Electronic Frontier Foundation questions the reasoning behind the subpoena. They question what the data might be used for beyond the prosecution of the particular case.
To make matters worse, EZ Lynk alleged that the US government wanted “a backdoor” in 2019 that would enable monitoring unsuspecting users. The government denies that claim.
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Time will tell how Apple responds and if it gets dragged into the case any further.
RacQ will be demonstrated in action at next week’s Dell Technologies World expo in Las Vegas.
Irish quantum computing start-up Equal1 has launched the next iteration of its server technology for deployment, integration and use in data centre infrastructure.
The ‘RacQ’ is described as “the next generation” of the company’s ‘Bell-1’ server and is claimed to be “the world’s first deployable rack-mounted silicon-spin quantum computer designed to live within a standard 19-inch data centre rack”.
According to the Dublin-based company, RacQ is designed to utilise hybrid quantum-classical computing, in which classical and quantum technologies work in tandem as single system to optimise efficiency and effect, for “high-impact” application such as investment risk analysis, materials simulation and supply chain optimisation.
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“For nearly every organisation, quantum computing remains out of reach, confined to labs,” said Jason Lynch, CEO of Equal1.
“We’re changing that. We are putting quantum inside the rack so customers can roll it in, plug it in and begin running hybrid quantum-classical workloads in days, using the infrastructure they already own.”
RacQ’s configuration is optimised for use at standard data centres, according to Equal1, with power requirements, cooling mechanisms, and weight and footprint dimensions designed for accessibility to centre operators working with “existing server stacks” or specialised high-performance “nodes”.
The system’s architecture, according to the company, is built using standard semiconductor processes and powered by ‘UnityQ’, a “breakthrough quantum system-on-chip that will integrate the complete quantum system onto a single silicon package”.
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RacQ will be demonstrated in action at next week’s Dell Technologies World expo in Las Vegas through a research collaboration between Equal1 and Dell to explore how hybrid quantum-classical computing can operate inside existing data centre environments.
Equal1, which was founded in 2017 at University College Dublin, says quantum computing using standard silicon is the way to overcome challenges posed by AI to the power and cost thresholds of traditional computers.
The RacQ predecessor Bell-1 server, launched in March 2025, was claimed at the time as the first-ever Irish-made quantum computer, as well as the the world’s first silicon-based quantum server designed for data centres and high-performance computing.
In January of this year, the company raised $60m in a funding round led by the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund. In April, Equal1 said it would partner with Californian quantum infrastructure software maker Q-Ctrl for the deployment of rack-mounted quantum computers in enterprise data centres, as well as with French computer company Bull to help “advance the next generation of hybrid quantum-classical technologies with European solutions”.
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It is widely accepted that drones have changed the conduct of modern war dramatically. The war in Ukraine, in particular, is driving the rapid evolution of drone technology. Evidence of how far things have come was provided recently by the following claim from Ukraine, reported here on The Next Web (TNW):
In April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that his forces had, for the first time in the history of warfare, seized an enemy position using only unmanned systems. No infantry. No human soldiers entering the contested ground. Drones and ground robots identified the target, suppressed defensive fire, and captured the position without a single Ukrainian casualty. The claim has not been independently verified in detail, and Ukraine’s military has declined to provide specifics.
The TNW article goes on to give some details about the company that apparently played a major role in that unmanned assault:
a Ukrainian-British defence technology startup called UFORCE, has conducted more than 150,000 combat missions since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, achieved unicorn status with a valuation exceeding one billion dollars, and is now scaling production from a discreet London headquarters designed, the company says, to protect it from Russian sabotage. The age of unmanned warfare is no longer a conference-circuit prediction. It is a line item on a defence contractor’s balance sheet.
Politico interviewed the Ukrainian commander in charge of the Third Assault Brigade’s ground robotic systems unit, the one which carried out the attack. Mykola Zinkevych provided some interesting indications of what robotic systems were already doing today, and what Ukraine’s future plans were for unmanned warfare systems. For example, Zinkevych said:
Delivery of important cargo, evacuation of the wounded, conducting surveillance in open areas, destruction of enemy fortifications, sabotage operations behind enemy lines, laying minefields — all this is now performed by ground robotic systems
In the short term:
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Infantrymen can and should be taken out of direct fire. Our goal for 2026 is to replace up to 30 percent of personnel in the most difficult areas of the front with technology
In a post on Facebook (in Ukrainian), Zinkevych gave details of the ambitious longer-term goals (via Google Translate), which will involve the wider deployment of unmanned ground vehicles (UGV):
In March alone, 9,000+ missions were completed by the military. Our goal is for 100% of front-line logistics to be performed by robotic systems.
In the first half of 2026, due to increased demand, we will contract 25,000 UGVs, which will be gradually delivered to the front. This is twice as much as in the entire year 2025.
A new paper from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, written by the former defense minister of Ukraine, Andriy Zagorodnyuk, explores what he calls “The New Revolution in Military Affairs”, which is being brought about by “rapid innovation and adaptation, introducing new types of unmanned systems, countermeasures, and operating methods at unprecedented speed.” A key element of this is “affordable precise mass” — the highly effective deployment of cheap, long-range drones on a massive scale. He calls this transformation:
a structural shift in warfare in which new technologies drive the development of novel operational concepts and doctrines, fundamentally altering how military power is generated and employed, and forcing enduring changes in military organizations. These trends include the emergence of affordable precise mass, the fragmentation of the air domain, the growing difficulty of maneuver, the centrality of networked warfare, and the elevation of rapid adaptation as a core military capability. This transformation is still in its early stages, but countries that fail to recognize and adapt to it risk preparing for a form of war that has lost its decisiveness.
One important aspect of this shift touches on an area that will be familiar to Techdirt readers. As noted in the quotation above, Zagorodnyuk underlines the importance of rapid adaptation for this new kind of warfare:
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The decisive advantage lies with those who can shorten the loop between combat experience, technical adaptation, and redeployment. As a result, ultra-fast adaptation becomes a paramount requirement for survival—and directly shapes force organization.
In Ukraine, this has led to drone operators being deeply involved in the technology’s evolution:
Units maintain their own repair facilities, component stocks, and small-scale production capabilities. Some operate informal research-and-development cells. Successful adaptations spread laterally through personal networks, messaging platforms, and volunteer communities rather than through centralized bureaucratic channels.
But Zagorodnyuk points out a key reason why the important lessons emerging from the wars in Ukraine and Iran are unlikely to be learned in many Western countries, including the US:
legal, contractual, and technical restrictions often prevent units from modifying or repairing their own equipment. In the United States, for example, defense contractors frequently retain control over maintenance data, software, and diagnostics, limiting what military personnel can do independently. The debate around the “right to repair” reflects this tension. While intended to protect intellectual property and safety standards, such restrictions can slow adaptation cycles and reduce operational flexibility—precisely the opposite of what high-intensity, technology-driven warfare now demands.
In other words, today’s obsession with protecting intellectual monopolies above all else could one day prove a major obstacle to fighting — and winning — future wars.
The official IDE for Android app development now accelerates your productivity with Gemini in Android Studio, your AI-powered coding companion.
What programming languages does Android Studio support?
It supports Kotlin, Java, and C++ natively, with additional support for other languages via plugins.
Do I need to pay in order to use Gemini AI assistant in Android Studio?
No, you don’t need to pay to use the Gemini AI assistant in Android Studio-for individual developers, it’s available for free. This free tier includes features like code completion, generation, and conversational assistance within the IDE.
What is Android Studio Cloud and how I access it?
Android Studio Cloud is a new browser-based version of Android Studio, accessible through Firebase Studio. It streams a Linux VM running Android Studio directly in your browser, allowing you to develop Android apps without installing anything locally. It’s ideal for coding on the go or using lower-end devices.
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Features
Compose design tools
Create dynamic layouts with Jetpack Compose. Then preview your layouts on any screen size and inspect Compose animations using the built-in inspection tools.
Intelligent code editor
Write better code, work faster, and be more productive with an intelligent code editor that provides code completion for Kotlin, Java, and C/C++ programing languages. Moreover, when editing Jetpack Compose you can see your code changes reflected immediately with Live Edit.
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Android App Bundle
Find opportunities to optimize your Android app size before publishing by inspecting the contents of your app APK file or Android App Bundle. Inspect the manifest file, resources, and DEX files. Compare two APKs or Android App Bundles to see how your app size changed between app versions.
Instant Run
Push code and resource changes to your app running on a device or emulator and see the changes instantly come to life. Instant Run dramatically speeds up your edit, build, and run cycles, keeping you “in the flow.”
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Fast emulator
The Android Emulator lets you to test your application on a variety of Android devices. Unlock the full potential of your apps by using responsive layouts that adapt to fit phones, tablets, foldables, Wear OS, TV and ChromeOS devices.
Flexible build system
Powered by Gradle, Android Studio’s build system allows you to customize your build to generate multiple build variants for different devices from a single project.
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Realtime profilers
The built-in profiling tools provide realtime statistics for your app’s CPU, memory, and network activity. Identify performance bottlenecks by recording method traces, inspecting the heap and allocations, and see incoming and outgoing network payloads.
Gemini in Android Studio
Gemini in Android Studio is an AI assistant that helps you generate code, fix code, and answer questions about Android app development. Available in Android Studio Jellyfish.
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Code Anywhere with Android Studio Cloud
Try Android Studio Cloud directly in your browser, accessed through Firebase Studio. Streamline your workflow and skip local installations. Try the Early Access Preview.
Note: The newest versions of Android Studio do not offer a Window 32-bit version. Android Studio 3.6.3 was the last to offer a Windows 32-bit version. You can download it here.
To accelerate the start of your UI development process, you can now generate Compose code directly from a design mock. In a file without an existing preview, click Generate Code From Screenshot in the Preview panel. Gemini will use the provided image to generate a starting implementation, saving you from writing boilerplate code from scratch.
Match your UI with a target image
Once you have an initial implementation, you can iteratively refine it to be pixel-perfect. Right-click on your Compose Preview and select AI Actions > Match UI to Target Image. This lets you upload a reference design, and the agent will suggest code changes to make your UI match the design as closely as possible.
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Iterate on your UI with natural language
For more specific or creative changes, right-click on your preview and use the AI Actions > Transform UI. This capability now leverages agent mode, making it more powerful and accurate. This upgrade lets you to modify your UI using natural language prompts, such as “change the button color to blue” or “add padding around this text,” and Gemini will apply the corresponding code modifications.
Find and fix UI quality issues
Verifying your UI is high-quality and more accessible is a critical final step. The AI Actions > Fix all UI check issues audits your UI for common problems, such as accessibility issues. The agent will then propose and apply fixes to resolve the detected issues.
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Manage multiple conversation threads with Gemini
You can now organize your conversation with Gemini in Android Studio into multiple threads. This lets you switch between multiple ongoing tasks and search through your conversation history. Using separate threads for each task also improves response quality by limiting the scope of the AI’s context to only the topic at hand.
Find and review changes using the changes drawer
You can now see and manage changes made by the AI agent using the changes drawer. When the agent makes changes to your codebase, see the files that were edited in Files to review. From there, you can keep or revert the changes individually or all together. Click an individual file in the drawer to see the code diff in the editor and make refinements if needed. With the changes drawer, you can keep track of edits made by the agent during your chat and revisit specific changes without scrolling back through your conversation history.
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Android Studio Otter 2 Feature Drop | 2025.2.2
Android Studio is the official IDE for Android development, and includes everything you need to build Android apps.
This page lists new features and improvements in the latest version in the stable channel, Android Studio Ladybug.
Android Gradle plugin and Android Studio compatibility
The Android Studio build system is based on Gradle, and the Android Gradle plugin (AGP) adds several features that are specific to building Android apps. The following table lists which version of AGP is required for each version of Android Studio.
Introducing Gemini in Android Studio
Gemini in Android Studio is your coding companion for Android development. It’s an AI-powered conversational experience in Android Studio that helps you be more productive by answering Android development queries. To learn more, see Meet Gemini in Android Studio.
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New sign-in flow
When you sign in to Android Studio with your Developer account, you benefit from Google developer services – such as viewing Firebase Crashlytics and Android Vitals reports in App Quality Insights, accessing real remote devices with Device Streaming in Android Studio, and writing higher-quality code with Gemini in Android Studio – directly from the IDE.
Android Studio Jellyfish makes it easier to add and manage accounts, and provide the IDE with only the permissions required for each feature. To get started do one of the following:
Navigate to one of the features mentioned previously and follow the prompts to sign in and provide necessary permissions
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If you’re already signed in, you can manage your accounts and permissions by navigating to File (Android Studio on macOS) > Settings > Tools > Google Accounts.
Access real devices with Device Streaming in Android Studio
Device Streaming in Android Studio lets you securely connect to remote physical Android devices hosted in Google’s secure data centers. Powered by Firebase, it’s the fastest and easiest way to test your app against real devices, including the Google Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel Fold, select Samsung devices, and more.
After connecting to a device, you can deploy your app, view the display, interact with the device (including rotating or unfolding the device), and anything else you might do with a device over a direct ADB over SSL connection – all without leaving Android Studio. When you’re done using the device, Google wipes all your data and factory resets the device before making it available to another developer.
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During the current beta period, you can use device streaming at no cost with Firebase projects on either a Spark or Blaze plan. To get started sign into your Developer account from Android Studio and select a Firebase project. If you don’t already have a Firebase project, it’s easy to create one. To learn more, go to Device Streaming in Android Studio.
App Quality Insights support for ANRs, custom data, and multi-events
Dive deeper into App Quality Insights (AQI) crash reports in Android Studio Jellyfish with support for ANR reports, custom data, and multi-events:
Iterate through events: Now explore multiple events within a Crashlytics report in reverse chronological order, revealing patterns for faster debugging.
Explore custom data: View custom key/values and logs for each crash report (find them in the Keys and Logs tabs after selecting a report).
Analyze ANRs: Access and investigate ANRs directly within both the Android Vitals and Crashlytics tabs.
Embedded Layout Inspector
The Layout Inspector is now embedded by default in the Running Devices tool window. This integration saves screen real-estate, centralizes your workflow in a single tool window, and delivers significant performance gains – with a 50% improvement in rendering speeds. You can effortlessly toggle between deeply inspecting and interacting with your app, and use snapshots for 3D visualizations of your UI. Discover the full range of features at Debug your layout with Layout Inspector.
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App Links Assistant supports web associations file validation
The App Links Assistant now supports validation of the Digital Asset Links JSON file that should be published on your website.
This feature extends the existing validation capabilities for the intent filters that you declare in the app’s manifest file. For each domain that’s declared in the manifest file, the Assistant parses the file on your website, performs seven validation checks, and provides a detailed explanation on how to fix any errors.
To get started:
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In Android Studio click Tools > App Links Assistant.
Double-click Links to get a detailed view of the checks the Assistant performed and understand how to fix the misconfigurations.
Ensure a seamless user experience by validating that your JSON file is correctly formatted for upload to your domain.
Baseline Profile installation
Android Studio Jellyfish automatically compiles Baseline Profiles after installation on device for projects that use AGP 8.4 or higher. This covers Baseline Profiles that have been generated through a Baseline Profile Generator module or from libraries like Compose. The automatic installation lets you experience the performance benefits of Baseline Profiles when installing your release app locally, and when using low-overhead profiling.
New colorblind checks in Compose UI Check
Compose UI Check includes new colorblind simulations and checks, empowering you to craft visually accessible experiences for all users. Simply enter UI Check mode from Compose Preview to view your Compose UI in different types of color vision deficiencies to ensure your designs remain clear and usable.
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Redirect audio using device mirroring
Starting with Android Studio Jellyfish Canary 5, you can redirect audio from connected physical devices to your computer speakers or headphones. With audio redirection, keep your headphones connected to your computer and listen to both the computer and connected phone without having to manually reconnect to one device and then another. To enable audio redirection, go to Android Studio > Settings > Tools > Device Mirroring and select Redirect audio from local devices. Note that audio is always redirected, regardless of the settings, for Firebase Test Lab devices running Android 12 or higher.
Wharfedale has been mining its Heritage Series with unusual success, but the new Denton 1S is not another sepia tinted tribute act in walnut drag. Priced at $999 per pair, the compact bookshelf loudspeaker takes the Denton name in a very different direction with a clean sheet coaxial point source driver architecture, designed to deliver better coherence, tighter imaging, and a more unified presentation from a small cabinet.
That matters because the Denton story has always been about value, scale, and getting real hi-fi sound into rooms that do not require a country estate or a second listening wing. The original Denton dates back to 1967, while the Denton 1 arrived in 1974, and Wharfedale is clearly leaning into that history without being trapped by it. Under the direction of Peter Comeau, the Denton 1S joins the Linton, Super Linton, Super Denton, Aston, and new Heritage Centre as part of a growing lineup that proves British heritage hi-fi does not have to look like it was rescued from a damp Cotswolds library.
The big question is whether the Denton 1S can turn its coaxial makeover into something more than a clever engineering headline. At $999, this is not entry level background music furniture. It is aimed at listeners who want a compact speaker with the timing, imaging, and tonal balance of something more serious, without the usual boxy compromise or retro affectation.
Rebirth of the coaxial? Maybe. But Wharfedale seems more interested in giving the Denton name a proper modern spine than dressing it up for another lap at Downton Abbey.
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Coaxial Done Properly
At the center of the Denton 1S is a new coaxial driver array that places a 25mm silk dome tweeter inside a 165mm mid/bass cone. The goal is simple: make both drivers behave more like a single acoustic source instead of two separate elements arguing over the same piece of music.
That matters because a properly executed coaxial design can improve timing, phase behavior, and image stability, especially in smaller rooms where listeners are not always locked into the perfect center seat like they are defending a throne. By radiating from the same acoustic center, the Denton 1S is designed to deliver a more consistent tonal balance across a wider listening area, with imaging that should remain stable both on and off axis.
The layout also gives Wharfedale some practical design advantages. With the tweeter mounted concentrically within the mid/bass driver, the front baffle remains cleaner and less interrupted, allowing for a more compact cabinet and potentially improved rigidity. It also helps the Denton 1S look more modern and purposeful than the usual retro box with a nice veneer and a charming backstory.
Built for Real Rooms
The Denton 1S is designed for homes where speakers have to live in the room, not dominate it. Wharfedale includes a discreet rear 3/8 inch mounting point for wall installation, giving owners more flexibility than the usual stand or shelf placement routine. A rear-panel Brilliance EQ switch also provides a small tonal adjustment for free-space or near-wall positioning, which is useful when the room starts making decisions for you. Rooms do that. Usually badly.
Placement options include stands, shelves, or wall mounting, making the Denton 1S a more adaptable Heritage Series model than some of Wharfedale’s larger designs. The cabinet also moves away from the traditional hardwood look, with smooth curves, a painted finish, and a cleaner silhouette that feels more contemporary without pretending the past never happened.
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Wharfedale still keeps the heritage cues in place. The cloth grille and silver retro badging connect the Denton 1S to the company’s classic British hi-fi identity, but the execution is less country house and more modern apartment. Cabinet construction includes multi-layer panels, internal bracing, and controlled damping to reduce unwanted resonance, which matters far more than another paragraph about “timeless elegance.”
The Denton 1S will be available in matte black, matte white, and a new matte blue finish. That gives it a broader lifestyle appeal without turning it into furniture masquerading as hi-fi. It still looks like a proper loudspeaker. Just one that understands not everyone wants their living room to look like a 1978 dealer showroom.
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Denton 1S Specifications:
Sensitivity is rated at 88dB, with a nominal impedance of 8 ohms and a minimum impedance of 4.5 ohms. Wharfedale recommends amplifier power between 30 and 100 watts, which should make the Denton 1S a realistic match for a wide range of integrated amplifiers, AVRs, and compact streaming amps. Peak SPL is rated at 95dB, so this is still a compact loudspeaker, not a PA system in polite clothing.
Frequency response is listed at 50Hz to 20kHz, plus or minus 3dB, with bass extension down to 45Hz at minus 6dB. That is respectable for a cabinet with an 11.5 liter internal volume, but anyone expecting true full range bass from a speaker this size needs a brisk walk and possibly a subwoofer.
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The crossover frequency is 3.1kHz, and the cabinet measures 13.0 inches high, 9.29 inches wide, and 10.04 inches deep. Each speaker weighs 15 pounds and includes a rear panel 3/8 inch thread for wall mounting.
The Bottom Line
The Wharfedale Denton 1S is not just a smaller Super Denton or another Heritage Series box with nicer clothes. Its clean sheet coaxial point source driver is the big difference, giving it a more focused technical identity than the rest of the range.
The Linton, Super Linton, Super Denton, Aston, and Heritage Center lean into Wharfedale’s vintage inspired formula, but the Denton 1S feels like a compact modern rethink. Smaller cabinet, wall mounting, Brilliance EQ adjustment, matte finishes, and coaxial driver geometry all point to a speaker designed for tighter rooms, cleaner installs, and more precise imaging.
At $999 per pair, it is for listeners who want British loudspeaker DNA without the full retro furniture routine. Stand mount it, shelf mount it, or put it on the wall. That flexibility makes it especially useful for apartments, offices, secondary systems, or living rooms where a Linton is simply too large.
Amplifier matching should be easy on paper. With 88dB sensitivity, 8 ohm nominal impedance, a 4.5 ohm minimum, and a 30 to 100 watt recommendation, the Denton 1S should work well with Leak, Rega, Audiolab, Cambridge Audio, and Quad integrated amplifiers. The Leak Stereo 230, Rega Brio or Elex, Audiolab 6000A or 7000A, and Cambridge Audio CXA series all make sense.
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If the Denton 1S proves more neutral than the Super Denton, the Quad 3 could be the under the radar pairing. A little warmth and texture from Quad, plus the Denton 1S’s coaxial focus, might be a very clever match. The kind of small system that walks in quietly and starts making bigger boxes nervous.
Switching phones tends to feel like a bigger commitment than it needs to be, especially when the mid-range market asks you to give up something meaningful to stay within budget.
What makes this moment different is that a phone launched in 2025, running Android 15 with six years of OS upgrades promised, has already dropped to a price that most people would associate with a handset half as capable.
Samsung’s Galaxy A17 5G has fallen to its lowest cost yet, turning this deal into a smart time to switch phone
With six OS upgrades guaranteed and a sale price of £155.99, the case for acting on this deal before it moves is difficult to argue with.
The 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display at 90Hz is the first thing that earns its place at this price: the combination of AMOLED vibrancy and a smooth refresh rate is something budget phones routinely sacrifice, and its absence is felt every time you scroll or watch video.
The camera setup tells a similar story, with a 50MP main sensor backed by optical image stabilisation, which physically compensates for hand movement rather than relying on software alone, resulting in noticeably cleaner low-light shots and steadier video.
Battery life comes from a 5000mAh cell that the spec sheet puts at around 2.5 days of typical use, and the 85-minute charge time means a morning top-up is rarely a rushed affair.
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IP54 splash resistance also adds a layer of everyday confidence that phones at this price do not always include, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus handles screen durability from the front.
Few phones at this price can promise what the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G does in terms of longevity, and with six OS upgrades guaranteed and a sale price of £155.99, the case for acting on this deal before it moves is difficult to argue with.
For a fuller picture of where this sits in Samsung’s range, our roundup of the best Samsung phones covers the strongest Galaxy handsets across every budget.
In all of our conversations about video game preservation, one common thread is the general apathy of developers and publishers when it comes to this sort of thing. It’s actually a bit mind boggling to me that apathy is even a thing here. After all, this is the work done by these developers and, to a lesser extent, the publishers. When we have seen instances in the past of game servers being shut down, and even more so in cases where publishers have gone after fan-run servers of online games that have already been shut down, this represents the loss and potential erasure of what is often years and years of work by very talented artists and programmers.
It’s with that in mind that I found it so refreshing that the developer behind one online game that didn’t perform so well, Blindfire, has committed to keeping the servers up and running for “years” because they actually take pride in their work.
Blindfire was released back in October 2024 with a unique hook: It was an online first-person shooter set in the dark and was built around finding your enemies or remaining out of their sight. Sadly for developer Double Eleven, it never found much of an audience. Now, a year after its last patch, Blindfire will get one last big update and will go free, with devs promising to keep the servers on because they are “proud of it” and want to preserve it for others.
“We are doing this because we believe games are art and they deserve to be preserved,” said Double Eleven. “We refuse to bury what we built just because things didn’t go perfectly. We are keeping it alive because we are proud of it. You won’t see adverts or marketing campaigns trying to drag you back in. This is just a gift to those who want to see what we created.”
When you read the comments from Double Eleven, you immediately wonder why the hell this isn’t the posture of every developer of online games out there. This is their work, after all. Why in the world would they want it scattered to the ether?
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Now, this also cannot be the end state, if we’re truly looking at this from a preservation standpoint. A commitment directly from the developer to keep the game around for several years is a good thing. But it’s perpetuity we’re after here, after all. And there’s no guarantee that Double Eleven will live on long enough to keep the game available for whatever passes as “forever” these days. Coupling this with the eventual release of source code, so that fans and preservationists can scatter the game to the wide ranging corners of the internet, is what will end any danger of this art and culture ever disappearing. That hasn’t been done yet, but hopefully Double Eleven is thinking along these same lines.
But if you can find a more human, kind, and engaging message for a situation like this than the following, I’ll be surprised.
“We loved making [Blindfire],” said the studio on Steam. “Watching playtesters get to grips with our twist on the FPS was a massive highlight for us and seeing some big streamers jump into our world was a proper thrill. Blindfire was a flash in the dark. It was weird, loud, and ours. It is staying online for anyone who wants to play it today, tomorrow or years from now. Thanks for being part of the journey.”
Bravo on step 1 in the preservation process, folks. Now let’s take this further.
In recent months, a new infostealer malware known as REMUS has emerged across the cybercrime landscape, drawing attention from security researchers and malware analysts. Several technical analyses published in recent months focused on the malware’s capabilities, infrastructure, and similarities to Lumma Stealer, including browser targeting mechanisms, and credential theft functionality and more.
However, far less attention has been given to the underground operation behind the malware itself.
An analysis conducted by Flare researchers of 128 posts linked to the REMUS underground operation between February 12 and May 8, 2026, provides a rare look into how the group presents, develops, and operationalizes the malware within underground communities. By analyzing the actor’s advertisements, update logs, feature announcements, operational discussions, and customer-facing communications, the research helps map how the operation evolved over time and what priorities drove its development.
The findings reveal not only the rapid evolution of the stealer’s capabilities, but also a growing focus on commercialization, operational scalability, session theft, and password-manager targeting. More broadly, the activity offers insight into how modern malware-as-a-service (MaaS) operations increasingly resemble structured software businesses, with continuous development cycles, operational refinements, and features designed to improve usability, persistence, and long-term monetization.
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The underground activity reveals a highly compressed but aggressive development cycle, with the operator repeatedly publishing feature updates, operational refinements, and new collection capabilities over just a few months.
Rather than advertising a static malware build, the posts portray an actively maintained MaaS platform evolving in near real time.
February 2026 marked the initial commercial push. Early posts focused on establishing REMUS as a reliable and easy-to-use stealer, promoting browser credential theft, cookie collection, Discord token theft, Telegram delivery, and basic log management. The tone was highly promotional and customer-oriented. In one of the earliest posts, the operator claimed: “With good crypting and a dedicated intermediary server, the callback rate is ~90%.”
Another post marketed the malware as featuring “24/7 support” and functionality “simple enough that even a child can figure it out” highlighting a strong emphasis on usability and commercialization from the beginning.
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March 2026 represented the campaign’s most active development period. During this phase, the operator introduced restore-token functionality, expanded log handling, worker tracking, statistics pages, duplicate-log filtering, and improved Telegram delivery workflows. Multiple posts focused not on theft itself, but on operational visibility and campaign management. One update added worker nicknames to log tables and statistics views, while another improved loader execution visibility so operators could better understand failed infections. The shift suggests REMUS was evolving into a broader operational platform rather than just a malware executable.
April 2026 showed a clear move toward session continuity and browser-side authentication artifacts. The operator added SOCKS5 proxy support, improved token restoration, anti-VM toggles, gaming-platform targeting, and password-manager-related collection. One update explicitly stated: “Added IndexedDB collection for 1Password and LastPass extensions.”
Another referenced Bitwarden-related searches. The posts increasingly emphasized authenticated sessions, restore workflows, and browser-side storage rather than standalone credentials alone.
By early May 2026, the operation appeared focused on refinement and operational stability. The remaining posts in the dataset referenced restore improvements, bug fixes, collection optimizations, and continued adjustments to delivery and management functionality, suggesting the operator was shifting from rapid feature expansion toward platform stabilization.
REMUS and Its Connection to Lumma
Screenshot from Flare’s platform showing one of REMUS’s earliest posts. Sign up for the free trial to access if you aren’t already a customer.
Public reporting has largely focused on REMUS as a technically significant successor or variant of the Lumma Stealer. Researchers described the malware as a 64-bit infostealer sharing multiple similarities with Lumma, including anti-VM checks, browser-focused credential theft, and browser encryption bypass techniques.
That technical overlap is important, but the underground data suggests the story extends far beyond malware lineage.
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The analyzed posts show a threat actor aggressively building a commercial cybercrime product around the malware. The operation repeatedly promoted updates, customer support, performance improvements, and additional collection capabilities in a way that strongly resembles legitimate software development cycles.
In one early post, the operator claimed the malware could achieve approximately “90%” successful delivery rates when paired with proper crypting and an intermediary server, language clearly aimed at reassuring potential buyers about operational reliability.
Infostealers like REMUS don’t just harvest credentials anymore, they capture cookies, browser tokens, and authenticated sessions that bypass MFA entirely.
Flare monitors millions of stealer logs across dark web markets and Telegram channels continuously, so you can detect exposed sessions and credentials before attackers use them against you.
A Shift Toward Session Theft and the Rising Value of Cookies
Screenshot from Flare’s platform showing an example of the high demand for “cookies.” Sign up for the free trial to access if you aren’t already a customer.
One of the clearest themes across the REMUS campaign is the growing emphasis on session theft rather than traditional credential harvesting alone.
Historically, many infostealers focused primarily on usernames and passwords.
REMUS, however, repeatedly emphasized cookie collection, token handling, browser sessions, proxy-assisted restoration, and authenticated access continuity. From the earliest stages of the campaign, the malware promoted browser sessions and authentication artifacts as a core part of its value.
This reflects a broader shift across the underground economy, where stolen cookies and authenticated sessions have increasingly become a highly valuable commodity. Instead of stealing credentials and attempting to log in later, attackers increasingly seek already authenticated sessions that may bypass MFA prompts, login alerts, device verification, and risk-based authentication systems.
Multiple REMUS updates referenced “Restore” improvements, proxy compatibility, and support for multiple proxy types during token restoration workflows, strongly suggesting the operator viewed session persistence as a major selling point.
Several updates also focused on platforms where active sessions carry substantial value, including Discord, Steam, Riot Games, and Telegram-linked environments. Combined with cookie collection and restore functionality, the campaign increasingly appeared designed not just to steal credentials, but to preserve and operationalize authenticated access itself.
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Password Managers Become High-Value Targets
The most significant late-stage evolution observed in the campaign involved password-manager-related collection. By April 2026, the operator was advertising support tied to Bitwarden, 1Password, LastPass, and IndexedDB browser storage. Password managers increasingly represent concentrated stores of valuable credentials and authentication material.
The references to IndexedDB are especially relevant because modern browser applications and extensions frequently use local browser storage mechanisms to retain application data and session information.
The posts do not prove successful vault decryption or direct password-manager compromise by themselves.
However, they clearly demonstrate that REMUS development was moving toward browser-side storage collection associated with password-management ecosystems.
The Operational Maturity Behind REMUS
The underground activity also demonstrates how modern MaaS ecosystems increasingly resemble legitimate software businesses.
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Across the analyzed posts, the operator repeatedly published versioned updates, bug fixes, feature expansions, troubleshooting improvements, statistics enhancements, and operational visibility refinements.
Several posts also implied a multi-operator environment through references to workers, statistics dashboards, management visibility, loader monitoring, and log categorization. This operational structure aligns closely with broader MaaS trends where malware developers increasingly separate development, infrastructure, delivery, and monetization into specialized roles.
Final Thoughts
The REMUS campaign offers a revealing look into how modern infostealer operations are evolving far beyond simple credential theft.
Over just a few months, the underground activity analyzed by Flare analysts showed a clear transition from basic malware promotion into the development of a structured MaaS ecosystem focused on operational reliability, session persistence, and scalable data collection.
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Perhaps most notably, the campaign highlighted the growing importance of authenticated sessions and browser-side authentication artifacts within the underground economy. The repeated emphasis on token restoration, proxy-assisted session recovery, and password-manager-related collection reflects a broader shift in cybercrime operations away from simply stealing passwords and toward maintaining direct access to already-authenticated environments.
The findings reinforce an increasingly important reality: infostealers are rapidly evolving into mature operational platforms that support persistence, automation, and long-term monetization workflows. As these ecosystems continue to professionalize, understanding how threat actors operationalize and commercialize malware may become just as important as analyzing the malware itself.
Alpina built its name on the simple idea that a comfortable driver covers ground faster. Founded in 1965 in Buchloe, Germany, the company tuned BMW cars to deliver both performance and ease on long trips. BMW took full control of the brand a few years ago and now offers this one-of-a-kind concept as a clear signal of what comes next.
The four-seat coupe’s low stance, wide hood, and softly curving roofline set the tone right away. Four adults can fit inside without feeling crowded, and the vibe is reminiscent of Alpina’s classic grand tourers while being contemporary. A single line, six degrees from the front, runs the length of the body, curling around the back and tying everything together like a nice little bow.
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The front elements are simple but eye-catching, with a shark-nose profile that leans in, framing a kidney grille sculpted into a three-dimensional work of art around the central symbol. The warm white lights around the grille’s edges were inspired by the first light of dawn over the Bavarian Alps. You can only see the subtle designs inside the grille at certain times of day, and the recessed surfaces have a dark metallic sheen that adds depth.
The wheels and exhaust pipes are ultra-traditional, with twenty-spoke designs that have barely changed since 1971, measuring 22 inches up front and 23 inches in the back. At the back, there are four elliptical exhaust pipes positioned low and ready to unleash the V8’s tuned roar. The engine is a true gem, producing a rich, full-bodied sound at low revs and a deeper, fuller note at higher revs, all while providing the smooth oomph required for driving down the interstate.
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The Comfort+ mode takes it to a whole new level, softening the ride even more than the standard BMW settings, so it’s all about relaxed driving and comfortable miles rather than snappy turns, and every option here is about keeping comfort and speed working together rather than against each other, as that’s the original Alpina principle, you see.
Inside, the cabin’s clean and straightforward lines complement the exterior’s immaculate discipline. The same six-degree line goes across the dashboard and doors, dividing the darker higher area from the lighter lower one. The seats and panels are all upholstered in beautiful full-grain leather from producers in the Alpina region, and the stitching echoes the classic deco lines initially utilized in 1974. The rear passengers will appreciate the quiet luxury touches, which include a glass water bottle and two crystal glasses that pop up automatically when needed. Each glass has 20 carved deco lines and a six-degree rim angle, is kept in place by hidden magnets, illuminated from below, and is set against a stunning open-grain wood surface. It’s the small nuances like this that make a long journey worthwhile.
The screens are quite modest while still delivering all of the necessary information. The panoramic display runs directly across your line of sight, with a second screen for the passenger. As you switch between Comfort+ and Speed mode, the blue and green accents become more prominent, and the background becomes this magnificent representation of the Alpine landscape just south of Buchloe. The metal trim has been beveled by a watchmaker, resulting in a pleasing combination of satin and polished surfaces.
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