BMW Motorrad revealed its latest vision motorcycle at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on Lake Como this May. Called the Vision K18, the machine turns heads with its long, low lines and unmistakable presence. Designers looked to high-speed aircraft for guidance, crafting a form that feels ready to launch even when parked on the pavement.

Visitors are immediately drawn to the Vision K18’s extended shape. Hand-shaped, the smooth aluminum panels give the bike a sleek, aerodynamic aspect, catching the light and appearing impossibly long, with nearly two meters of panel length down each side. Forged carbon parts are employed when extra strength is required, adding a nice touch of contrast to the overall design.

LEGO Technic Kawasaki Ninja H2R Motorcycle Toy – Building Toys for Kids, Boys & Girls, Ages…

• Motorcycle toy gift for kids aged 10 and up – The LEGO Technic Kawasaki Ninja H2R Motorcycle is packed with authentic features and gives boys and…
• 1:8 motorcycle scale model kit – Designed with amazing attention to detail, this scale model Kawasaki motorcycle toy includes a kickstand so kids…
• Lots of realistic details – Features include steering, suspension, a 2-speed gearbox, a 4-piston articulated engine and turbocharger

Six air intakes protrude from the front end, supplying air to a unique central filter installed directly where the gasoline tank would normally be, resulting in a fantastically flat back profile. Another six exhaust pipes exit via a large carbon-framed area where saddlebags would ordinarily be located, contributing to the bike’s overall clean, purposeful appearance. Put simply, the design has the clean lines of a bagger, but without any storage.

The powerplant is an 1800cc inline-six, boldly placed at the core of the bike. BMW has emphasized the engine’s visual and mechanical focus; observe how the 6 intakes and 6 exhaust pipes match up precisely with the layout of the six cylinders, making the motor impossible to overlook and reinforcing the idea that this is a performance bike. The delivery is smooth and powerful, with a distinct character that has long been associated with BMW’s six-cylinder designs. Plus, the heat haze effects in the presentation only add to the sensation of speed and raw energy emanating from the engine, which is rather impressive.

The Vision K18 has a distinct style and feel due to the combination of old and new, traditional workmanship and technological processes. For example, some of the aluminium components have been planished by hand, giving them a lovely, handcrafted appearance. Other portions have been sprayed in flame spray, giving them the appearance of a classic racing exhaust header, which is a nice touch. The headlight is especially impressive since it is a stacked LED design that has been set up to operate actively and is designed to fit in with the six-cylinder motif. There’s even hydraulically adjustable suspension to modify ride height, allowing you to lower the bike for a serious, aggressive posture or raise it for extra clearance or comfort.

Everything about the Vision K18 exudes confidence and performance. The proportions are stretched out like an arrow in flight, with a wide tail and sculpted saddle section that resembles the lines of a supersonic jet. Even when the bike is stationary, the way it is constructed gives you a sense of forward movement, as if it is straining to move. BMW developed this as a one-off to test where their designs could go on a motorcycle, but there are numerous hints and references to future production models, touring and cruising bikes that could be built based on this vision.

A month ago, Spotify let you build a podcast playlist with just a prompt. Now it wants to skip the playlist entirely and generate the podcast itself. Studio by Spotify Labs is a new standalone desktop app that uses AI to create personal podcasts, daily briefings, and playlists built entirely around your life.

It pulls from your Spotify listening history across music, podcasts, and audiobooks, and with your permission. It can also tap into your calendar, inbox, and notes to make content that actually fits your day. Studio is launching as a Research Preview in over 20 markets for users aged 18 and above, coming in the next few weeks.

What can Studio by Spotify Labs actually do?

The app is conversational, meaning you talk to it like a chatbot and it builds audio around your request. You could ask it to create a daily briefing for a road trip using your bookings and calendar, recommend a dinner spot along the route, and wrap up with a podcast you would enjoy on the drive.

The AI agent behind it can also browse the web and pull real-time information, like current news, trends, or local recommendations, to shape what it creates. Everything generated in Studio saves directly to your Spotify library and syncs across your devices, so it moves with you from your desktop to your commute.

Importantly, what you create is private and not available publicly. Spotify is clear that this is an early preview and the AI can make mistakes, so it encourages users to review outputs before relying on them.

How does this compare to what is already out there?

Google’s NotebookLM has been doing AI-generated podcasts since 2024, and Amazon and Microsoft have since launched similar features in Alexa Plus and the Edge browser. Spotify’s edge is that its users are already there for audio, which gives Studio a more natural home than a notes app or a browser.

The launch also follows Spotify’s recently released ‘Save to Spotify’ tool for developers who use Claude Code or OpenClaw to generate personal podcasts. Studio brings the same capability to everyone else, without any coding.

Dirac is bringing Dirac Live Bass Control to select NAD streaming amplifiers, giving owners of the M33, M33 V2, M10, M10 V2, M10 V3, and C 658 a more advanced way to fix the part of stereo playback that usually behaves like it has outstanding warrants: the bass.

Available as an optional $299 software upgrade, Dirac Live Bass Control builds on the Dirac Live Room Correction already included with these NAD models and uses measurement data from each subwoofer to analyze how bass is distributed throughout the room. The software then identifies gaps, resonances, and uneven low-frequency behavior, helping deliver smoother crossover integration between speakers and subwoofers, more consistent bass across the listening area, better multi-subwoofer management, and greater flexibility in subwoofer placement.

To use Dirac Live Bass Control, NAD owners will need to update their streaming amplifier to BluOS version 4.16.6. A Dirac Calibration Mic Kit is also available separately for NAD products.

“The integration of Dirac Live Bass Control into select NAD amps marks a strong step forward, expanding Dirac’s market presence while enhancing the audio performance of NAD’s renowned lineup,” stated Rikard Hellerfelt, VP and Head of Consumer Electronics at Dirac. “Traditionally, configuring subwoofers for optimal performance has been complex and often imprecise. Our advanced bass control technology co-optimizes subwoofers and speakers, creating a seamless blend at the crossover point. This innovation eliminates seat-to-seat sound variation, delivering impactful bass that’s free of unwanted reflections and boominess – making premium bass quality accessible to everyone, from professional installers and audiophiles to everyday consumers.”

Dirac Live Bass Control goes beyond basic room correction by time-aligning all speakers and adjusting low-frequency phase so the subwoofers and main speakers behave like one system, not a custody dispute. That matters because bass is usually where rooms do their worst work.

The upgrade allows NAD M33, M33 V2, M10, M10 V2, M10 V3, and C 658 owners to co-optimize their speakers and subwoofers for a smoother blend between low and higher frequencies, while also giving them more freedom to place subs where they actually fit in the room. These BluOS-enabled NAD components can also store multiple Dirac filter presets for different listening positions or room conditions, with quick switching available through the BluOS Controller app.

What Is Dirac Live Bass Control and Why Does It Matter?

Dirac Live Bass Control is designed to help users get better bass from one or more subwoofers by analyzing how low frequencies are distributed throughout the room. It uses measurement and location data from each subwoofer, identifies uneven bass response, and applies correction so the low end is more consistent across the listening area.

It also corrects the timing relationship between the subwoofers and the main speaker pair, helping the system behave more like one properly integrated source instead of three boxes arguing in a basement. The result is smoother bass through the crossover region, tighter low-frequency response, more effective multi-subwoofer management, and greater flexibility when it comes to subwoofer placement without completely sacrificing performance.

Dirac Live Bass Control sits within the broader Dirac Live family, which also includes Dirac Live Room Correction. That platform is already used across a range of products from Onkyo, Pioneer, Integra, Denon, and Marantz, and is designed to improve imaging, clarity, speech intelligibility, and low-frequency control by reducing room-related resonances across the listening area.

The Bottom Line

Dirac Live Bass Control on select NAD streaming amplifiers is for listeners who already invested in serious two-channel systems and want better bass integration without swapping hardware or turning the room into an acoustic science fair. If you use one or more subwoofers with the NAD M33, M33 V2, M10, M10 V2, M10 V3, or C 658, this upgrade matters because it addresses timing, phase, crossover blending, and bass consistency across the room — not just the sweet spot.

What makes it useful is the flexibility. Multiple Dirac filter presets can be stored for different seats or room conditions and changed from the BluOS Controller app. Drapes open, drapes closed, different listening position, different bass behavior. Very fancy. Very real. Just remember: Dirac Live Bass Control is an optional $299 license upgrade, not a free NAD firmware gift from the audio gods.

Where to buy:

For more information: dirac.com/brands/nad

Related Reading:

Open-ear earbuds have grown quite popular in recent years, and Samsung has finally decided it wants a piece of the market. The Korean outlet ETNews, citing industry sources, claims that the company is gearing up to launch the Galaxy Buds Able. 

They are believed to be clip-type, open-ear earbuds that hook onto the ear without blocking the canal, and I genuinely believe they could be one of the most interesting audio launches of the year. 

How are the Galaxy Buds Able different?

Samsung’s existing earbuds sit in your ears, sealing the ear canal for effective sound isolation. The Buds Able flips that approach entirely. The clip hooks onto the outer ear, while the canal stays open, and you hear both your podcast and the traffic around you. They should also appeal directly to buyers who aren’t comfortable wearing in-ear earbuds. 

These earbuds are specifically designed for situational awareness. You can use them while running, cycling, commuting, or basically anything where you want to be aware of your surroundings. Instead of bone-conduction, Samsung is going after the more advanced air-conduction route for sidestepping the vibration and sound quality issues. 

The market for such earbuds is growing rapidly. The global open-type headphone and earphone segment is projected to climb from around $3.8 billion last year to about $4.2 billion this year, a $400 million jump that explains why Samsung is on the move.

Who else is chasing the same design?

Along with Samsung, Xiaomi is also moving in that direction. The company has already released official images of its first clip-type earbuds, which feature a satin gold design with a high-gloss unibody, and a transparent spherical speaker section.

Per the report, Xiaomi could announce its first open-ear product sometime this month. Meanwhile, Huawei FreeClip, Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, Sony LinkBuds Clip, and Anker Soundcore AeroClip are already doing well. 

Samsung Galaxy Buds Able don’t have a launch date yet, which is the disappointing part. However, they could arrive sometime this year.

Google Health 5.0 is rolling out now as a mandatory update for the Fitbit app users, and the timing is deliberate. 

The new Fitbit Air, Google’s most direct competitor to the Whoop fitness tracking band, launches next week, and, if you haven’t already guessed it, Health 5.0 is required to set it up. 

What is the new Google Health widget?

Until now, the Fitbit home screen widget was a single, circular steps counter. The new Quick Access widget replaces it with something that could prove more useful. At its largest, the widget expands to a 5×3 grid, letting you check up to six fitness metrics at the same time. 

You can set the grid to showcase the most important stats: steps, distance, sleep, hydration, weight, readiness, or whichever stats you’ve configured. At its smallest, the widget collapses to show just one stat. 

To access full stats, you can simply tap on a tile. Then there’s a heart icon in the top-left that opens Google Health, a refresh button on the right, and the last update time sits in the centre, so you always know how fresh or stale the data is. 

The Quick Access widget mirrors exactly what you’ve set in the Today tab, which means the widget and the app stay in sync. 

What the update doesn’t tell you

According to Lifehacker’s hands-on review, the Gemini-powered Health Coach, the feature Google is promoting aggressively, has a hallucination problem.

While the Health Coach congratulated a tester for achieving a sleep score of 99, the actual score was 85. The coach also referenced irrelevant Reddit threads as sources, at least one of which had an answer copied from ChatGPT. 

Beyond the AI hallucination issues, several popular Fitbit features aren’t a part of the update, including sleep animals, the Community Feed, Groups, direct messaging between users, food plans with calorie targets, and stress-check graphs.

Finally, features that were available for free during the Public Preview, including chat with the Health Coach and personalized fitness plans now require a Google Health Premium membership, which costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year. 

The Google Health 5.0 rollout began May 19 and should reach full availability by May 26, 2026.

Only 15% of workers in Singapore feel safe from job cuts

Singapore workers rank among the least confident in the world about their job security—and the numbers are stark. Just 15% of employees feel their role is safe from elimination, according to ADP Research’s latest People at Work report.

Only four other markets rank lower than Singapore. In Europe, only 12% of workers in the Czech Republic feel secure in their jobs, while the remaining three are all in APAC—Taiwan (11%), South Korea (9%), and Japan, dead last at just 5%.

While Singapore ranked low, the broader region fared only slightly better, with just 18% of respondents across APAC saying they believed their jobs were safe from elimination. Globally, the figure stood at 22%.

This comes despite worldwide unemployment remaining at its lowest level in decades.

Jessica Zhang, Senior Vice President of APAC at ADP, said the results point to a disconnect between current labour market conditions and employees’ perceptions of their long-term job security.

“In Singapore, employees are not thinking about whether they have a job today, but also whether their roles will remain relevant tomorrow. This growing uncertainty is becoming a defining feature of today’s workforce,” she said in a statement.

The executive stressed the importance of clearer communication and continued upskilling efforts as concerns over job security grow.

Zhang said employers should be more transparent about how roles are changing, what those shifts mean for employees, and invest in ongoing training to help workers stay employable while boosting productivity and efficiency.

Long hours, low engagement

Singapore workers also reported high levels of unpaid overtime.

Overall, 45% of workers in Singapore said they clocked more than five unpaid hours a week, with 35% saying they put in between six and 15 unpaid hours each week, while another 10% said they worked 16 or more unpaid hours weekly.

The proportion of workers doing six to 15 unpaid hours exceeded the APAC average of 30%, while the share working 16 or more unpaid hours was in line with the regional average of 10%.

At the same time, Singapore recorded relatively high levels of generative AI adoption. Around 23% of workers said they used AI almost every day, while just 8% said they had never tried the technology.

Despite this, employee engagement levels in Singapore remained relatively low. Fully engaged workers accounted for 12% of the workforce in both 2024 and 2025, below the APAC average of 15%.

ADP Research’s People at Work report gathered responses from more than 39,000 adult workers in 36 markets between Jul 21 and Aug 4, 2025.

In APAC, the survey covered 13,136 respondents across multiple markets, including Singapore, Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

• Read the full report here.
• Read other articles we’ve written on Singapore’s current affairs here.

Featured Image Credit: TK Kurikawa/ Shutterstock.com