[This is a sponsored article with U Business.]

U Business just launched a new mobile device bundle to solve one of the biggest headaches for growing companies: getting teams properly equipped without burning cash upfront.

The U Biz 3-Line Bundle is a limited-time offer that packages multiple business lines together under one plan, with free flagship smartphones. Yes, including the latest Apple iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S25.

Designed to make connectivity easier, it’s built on U Mobile’ 5G network to support the day-to-day needs of Malaysian entrepreneurs and SMEs, regardless of whether your team is desk-bound or constantly on the move.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new U Biz 3-Line Bundle.

The smarter business upgrade

As mentioned, the bundle gives businesses three mobile lines under a single plan, available with either the U Biz 68 or U Biz 98. Each line comes with a free flagship 5G smartphone, with no upfront payment required for the devices.

Instead of buying phones separately and managing multiple subscriptions, this limited-time offer bundle allows companies to consolidate your mobile needs into one structured plan. 

In today’s Instagram and TikTok-driven world, flagship 5G smartphones are now a necessary productivity tool for businesses. Yet, buying several devices at once may not be financially strategic as it can strain cash flow, especially when paired with recurring operational expenses.

With the U Biz 3-Line Bundle, entrepreneurs and SMEs are able to spread those costs into predictable monthly payments. 

What’s more if this new bundle includes flagship 5G devices. Businesses can choose between premium iOS and Android options, including the Apple iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S25.

Access to these newer flagship 5G devices means that the team is able to enjoy stronger performance and longer software support. Thereby translating to more reliable day-to-day work tools.

Business performance without compromise

Businesses get to choose between the U Biz 68 (which starts from RM68/month per line) and the U Biz 98 (which starts from RM98/month per line). 

Both plans are built for high-usage business environments. On the data front, users get up to 1,000GB of 5G high-speed data, supporting faster downloads, smoother video calls, real-time cloud collaboration, and reliable hotspot usage across teams.

Communication-wise, the bundle includes unlimited local calls, so teams can stay connected internally and with clients without worrying about extra charges.

There’s also free global roaming in over 60 destinations, useful for businesses that have regional travel needs or cross-border operations.

By combining multiple lines and devices under one bundle, companies can better optimise their monthly expenses. 

All-in-one connectivity for SMEs

As Malaysia’s 5G ecosystem continues to expand, having access to a strong 5G network becomes increasingly important for businesses that operate across multiple locations.

Whether you’re a new startup or a business scaling up, the U Biz 3-Line Bundle is suited for teams of all sizes who want to stay connected without breaking the bank, regardless of where work takes you.

So if your team is seeking premium devices, then this is one bundle deal you do not want to miss. 

To sign up or learn more about the U Biz 3-Line Bundle, check out the website here.

Tens of millions of people listen to podcasts and stream internet radio every day. The challenge isn’t access, it’s organization. With content spread across multiple apps and platforms, discovery can feel fragmented, and for many listeners that means sticking to the familiar rather than finding something new.

BluOS, the premium multi-room audio software platform from Lenbrook Media Group is addressing that with a new partnership with airable. The first phase integrates airable’s extensive global catalog of internet radio stations and podcasts directly into the BluOS Controller app.

The update gives BluOS users centralized access to a wide range of programming, from independent shows like the eCoustics Podcast to widely followed titles such as The Joe Rogan Experience, The Daily, and thousands of global radio stations. Rather than requiring separate apps, content is surfaced within the BluOS interface itself, with browsing tools organized by country, genre, city, and newly added stations.

Because BluOS operates as the software layer across hardware brands including Bluesound, NAD Electronics, PSB Speakers, DALI, Monitor Audio, Cyrus Audio, and Roksan, the integration rolls out across a broad installed base without requiring new hardware.

The goal is straightforward: streamline radio and podcast discovery inside the same control environment users already rely on for music streaming and multi-room playback.

What Is airable?

airable is a Germany-based media services provider that supplies internet radio and podcast aggregation to audio brands, automakers, and streaming platforms.

In simple terms, airable is the infrastructure layer. It licenses, organizes, and maintains access to a massive catalogue of global radio stations and podcasts, then integrates that catalogue into partner ecosystems through APIs and backend services.

Rather than each company negotiating station agreements or building its own discovery engine, airable handles:

• Aggregation of tens of thousands of global radio stations
• Podcast indexing and catalog updates
• Metadata, categorization, and search tools
• Geographic portals (country, city, genre browsing)
• Ongoing catalogue maintenance and scalability

For platforms like BluOS, airable acts as the content backbone behind the scenes. The user experience lives inside the BluOS Controller app, but the station and podcast database, discovery structure, and updates are powered by airable’s media services platform.

It’s not a consumer-facing brand most listeners recognize — and that’s intentional. It operates quietly in the background, enabling centralized radio and podcast access without requiring users to jump between separate apps.

The Bottom Line

By integrating airable into BluOS, Lenbrook adds a large, structured catalogue of global radio stations and podcasts directly inside the BluOS Controller app. That means no separate radio app, no bouncing between podcast platforms, and no fragmented search experience.

Who benefits? Existing BluOS users across Bluesound, NAD Electronics, PSB Speakers, DALI, Monitor Audio, Cyrus Audio, and Roksan. They get broader access and improved discovery through a software update, not a hardware upgrade.

In practical terms, BluOS becomes a more complete listening hub with music, radio, and podcasts in one control environment without adding complexity.

For more information: bluos.io

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from the gargantuan-ego dept

We’ve explained in detail how Larry Ellison is trying to scuttle Netflix’s planned merger with Warner Brothers because he wants to buy CNN and HBO, and, as he’s doing with CBS (and now TikTok) turn them into a safe space for right wing zealots, autocrats, and oligarchs. He’s unsubtly trying to build the kind of autocrat-friendly state television we’ve seen arise in places like Orban’s Hungary.

Since Donald Trump and MAGA want the same thing, they’ve been helping Ellison’s quest along, first by launching a campaign against “woke Netflix” across right wing media, and more recently by launching a fake DOJ “antitrust investigation” that scrutinizes the Netflix Warner Bros merger “to protect the public interest,” but ignores the fact that a Paramount/Warner tie up would be arguably worse.

Enter Director James Cameron, who last week decided to “help” by writing a publicized letter to Senator Mike Lee, lamenting the Netflix Warner Brothers merger (and only the Netflix merger) as “disastrous to the motion picture business.” Cameron, who in the letter calls himself a “humble movie farmer,” seems to mostly be concerned with the a possible shortening of the 45-day theater-to-streaming window:

He’s also doubtful Netflix would stick to its pledge about keeping movies in theaters for a set amount of time; his letter cited a 17-day theatrical window that was cited in an earlier Deadline report, rather than the more recently mentioned 45-day window.

“What administrative body will hold them to task if they slowly sunset their so-called commitment to theatrical releases?” Cameron wondered.

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Traditional theater owners have been particularly and understandably sensitive about the shortening of this window since COVID demonstrated the outdated nature of such arbitrary restrictions. Major chains like AMC haven’t helped themselves on this front; their biggest innovation of late has been to saddle brick-and-mortar theater visitors with more ads than ever.

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos didn’t take Cameron’s public grievances well, saying he’d already met with Cameron about maintaining the 45-day release window, and lamented Cameron’s participation in a “Paramount disinformation campaign:”

“I met with James personally in late December and laid out for him our 45-day commitment to theatrical exhibition of films and to the Warner Bros slate,” Sarandos told Fox Business’ The Claman Countdown today in the latest sit-down in the exec’s seemingly never-ending media blitz this week. “I have talked about that commitment in the press countless times. I swore under oath in front of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust that that’s what we would be doing.”  

“So I am … I’m particularly surprised and disappointed that James chose to be part of the Paramount disinformation campaign that’s been going on for months about this deal,” Sarandos said, sticking it at the same time to the Oscar winner and his David Ellison-owned WB rival.

The weird part about Cameron’s missive is he doesn’t mention Paramount at all in his letter to Lee, despite the fact that it’s extremely likely that Paramount would be just as bad on shortening release windows. And given that Paramount and Warner have way more structural similarities than Netflix and Warner, the number of layoffs would likely be significantly worse.

This is before you even get to the fact that Larry Ellison is clearly gobbling up media giants in service to our violent kakistocracy, something that seems kind of important to mention if you’re going to inject yourself into the middle of the debate. Cameron mentions none of this; either because he doesn’t know, or because he was potentially made promises by Ellison and Paramount and didn’t want to be transparent about it (neither of which is good).

None of this is to say that a Netflix Warner Brothers merger would be great for consumers or the market. Media consolidation always results in layoffs, higher prices and steadily eroded product quality. Ideally you’d block all additional media consolidation and impose meaningful limits. But that’s simply not happening under Trump, making the Netflix Warner tie up the best of a bunch of bad options.

Anybody trying to do any good (and that includes Dem lawmakers) in the regulatory reality we currently inhabit would likely have to concur Netflix owning Warner is better than Ellison owning the entirety of U.S. media. Especially given what we’ve all been witnessing over at CBS (and know from years of watching Ellison’s nonexistent ethics at Oracle). Strange days, strange bedfellows.

Filed Under: consolidation, film, james cameron, larry ellison, media, mike lee, release windows, state television, streaming, ted sarandos, theaters

Companies: netflix, paramount, warner bros. discovery

Researchers from the American Institute of Physics’ publishing arm have developed a technique that could change how smartphones are inspected for tampering and hidden modifications. Instead of physically examining a device, the team demonstrated a way to detect whether a smartphone has been altered using radio-frequency signals from a distance.

The work introduces what researchers describe as a robust over-the-air testing platform that analyzes how a smartphone’s radio hardware behaves when it communicates wirelessly. The idea is surprisingly simple. Every phone’s radio components produce a unique “fingerprint” when transmitting signals. If a device has been modified, damaged, or compromised, that fingerprint changes in subtle but measurable ways.

The team showed that this method can reliably distinguish between original, untouched phones and devices that have been tampered with. Because the system works wirelessly, it could theoretically be used to check phones without needing physical access. That opens the door to entirely new ways of verifying device integrity.

Why remote phone verification matters

Detecting hardware tampering today usually requires physical inspections or specialized lab testing, which makes large-scale verification difficult in places like airports, offices, or secure facilities. The new approach aims to change that by using a remote test setup that analyzes a phone’s radio-frequency behavior and compares it to known baselines to spot signs of modification.

This could open the door to practical uses across multiple industries. Governments and enterprises could screen devices entering sensitive environments, manufacturers could verify products throughout supply chains, and even second-hand marketplaces could confirm that phones haven’t been altered before resale.

The research is still experimental, but it reflects a growing shift toward hardware-level security. While everyday users may never interact with this technology directly, the idea of phones being quietly verified from a distance points to a future where device trust checks happen behind the scenes.

The ShinyHunters extortion group has published personal information in more than 12 million records allegedly stolen from CarGurus, a U.S.-based digital auto platform.

CarGurus is a publicly traded automotive research and shopping company that operates in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Its website has an estimated 40 million monthly visitors and helps people find, compare, and contact sellers of new and used vehicles.

On February 21, the threat group published a 6.1GB archive containing 12.4 million records, saying it was from CarGurus. A day later, the HaveIBeenPwned (HIBP) data breach monitoring and alerting platform added the dataset, listing the following data types as compromised:

• Email addresses
• IP addresses
• Full names
• Phone numbers
• Physical addresses
• User account IDs
• Finance pre-qualification application data
• Finance application outcomes
• Dealer account details
• Subscription information

Although CarGurus has not released an official statement disclosing a data breach and did not respond to BleepingComputer’s request for comment, it is important to note that HIBP attempts to confirm the validity/authenticity of the leaked records before adding them.

HIBP reports that 70% of the leaked data was already on its database from previous incidents, so roughly 3.7 million records are fresh. Since the information is freely available for download, cybercriminals could take advantage of it for phishing attacks.

CarGurus users are advised to stay alert for potentially malicious communications and scam attempts leveraging the leaked information.

The ShinyHunters data extortion group has been very active recently, claiming multiple attacks on large companies and leaking their data when negotiations reached a dead end.

The most recent examples include Dutch telecommunications provider Odido, ad tech firm Optimizely, fintech firm Figure, outerwear brand Canada Goose, restaurant chain Panera Bread, online dating company Match Group, and music streaming platform SoundCloud.

The threat group typically uses social engineering, most commonly voice phishing, to breach organizations, directing victims to credential-harvesting pages that grant them access to SaaS platforms such as Salesforce, Okta, and Microsoft 365.

Previous ShinyHunters campaigns also involved tricking employees into installing malicious OAuth applications that granted them API-level read access to customer data tables inside Salesforce instances. 

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• Dark Sky founders have launched a new forecast app, Acme Weather
• The new app displays alternate forecast readings to show weather changes that could occur throughout the day
• It’s also added a community reporting tool, as well as refined custom notifications settings

Remember the days of the Dark Sky weather app before it was dissolved by Apple? Well, its creators are back with an alternative that acknowledges that weather forecasts are often very wrong.

The new weather forecast platform, called Acme Weather, is now available to download on iOS devices, with plans to bring it to Android already in the works. You can try it out with a two-week free trial, and then it requires a $25 yearly subscription fee, working out a lot cheaper than Dark Sky’s $3.99 monthly charge.

Astell&Kern is best known for building some of the most over-engineered and unapologetically expensive digital audio players on the planet. From established flagships like the SP4000 to more experimental plays like the PD10, the brand has long leaned on premium materials, ambitious engineering, and pricing that assumes you’re already committed. The HC5 takes a different route. It’s a portable USB DAC that promises flagship-grade DNA in a far smaller, supposedly more affordable package. However, at nearly $500, it’s priced squarely in entry-level DAP territory and staring down serious competition.

So, is the HC5 a smart way to get A&K sound without carrying a brick? Or is it an awkward middle ground that costs too much for what it is? Let’s get into it.

Build

The HC5 features an aluminum chassis with a small OLED screen on its top face. The display shows key details such as volume level, playback rate, and connection info. The sides of the chassis are gently beveled, which aids in ergonomics. The HC5’s screen is bright-enough to be viewed easily in sunlight, but no so bright that it is distracting in a dim room. That’s good, since A&K did not implement any way to adjust screen brightness.

The left side of the chassis features a single button and volume scroll wheel. Both are aluminum, and neither are set very firmly. The scroll wheel has a bit of wiggle, even when not being rotated. The side button is a little better, but isn’t as tactile as you can find on other devices. A little give on a button usually doesn’t bother me much, but a near-$500 USB-C dongle should offer a top-notch physical interface as well. 

The top of the HC5 houses the USB-C input and the scroll wheel. From this angle, the wheel’s slight slack is visible even when the unit is at rest—noticeable, but not catastrophic. The USB-C port, by contrast, is rock solid. There’s no play or flex when a cable is connected, which is genuinely confidence-inspiring.

Around back, the HC5 offers both 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs. Both sockets are firmly mounted in the chassis and, like the USB-C port, remain completely wiggle-free. Astell&Kern also gets the accessories right: the included USB-C-to-USB-C and USB-C-to-Lightning cables are thick, well-finished, and reassuringly sturdy. They’re double-shielded as well, which should keep signal interference from crashing the party.

It’s worth noting that the HC5, while considerably more compact than a full-size A&K DAP, is nearly twice the volume of many other high-end, high-performance dongle DACs. Some of that bulk comes from the inclusion of a screen; some of it is down to Astell&Kern’s signature scroll wheel. Fair enough, but a portable DAC still needs to be portable.

The HC5 isn’t enormous, but it’s large enough to be awkward. It doesn’t fit comfortably in some stock IEM cases, and it’s also too big for most common MagSafe DAC holders. That puts it in an uncomfortable middle ground: smaller than a DAP, yet noticeably less convenient than the best compact dongles it’s competing against.

DAC

The A&K HC5 is the very first portable DAC to feature the AKM AK4499EX. This is a high-end chip that Astell&Kern typically reserves for flagship-level products. It’s paired with an AK4191EQ for a proper premium audio experience. A&K integrates this novel application of these chips with their flagship-derived “high-driving mode” tech that allows them to achieve a pretty impressive power-to-size ratio. 

Sample Rates

The HC5 offers broad support for high-resolution audio formats, with no obvious limitations for portable use. It handles PCM up to 768 kHz at 32-bit resolution and supports native DSD playback through DSD512 in stereo.

Supported formats:

• PCM: 8 kHz – 768 kHz (8 / 16 / 24 / 32-bit)
• DSD (Native):
  • DSD64 (2.8 MHz), stereo
  • DSD128 (5.6 MHz), stereo
  • DSD256 (11.2 MHz), stereo
  • DSD512 (22.4 MHz), stereo

This puts the HC5 in line with other high-end portable DACs in terms of format compatibility, without introducing format-related constraints.

Output Level

Power output in portable USB-C DACs is constrained by several factors, including the power-delivery limits of Android and iOS devices, as well as the USB-C standard itself. Even so, not all portable DACs are created equal.

The HC5 offers stronger output than most, which isn’t surprising given its larger-than-average footprint. Its 3.5mm single-ended output delivers 2.5 Vrms, while the 4.4mm balanced output reaches 5 Vrms—placing it ahead of many competing premium dongle DACs in terms of available voltage.

Output Impedance

Output impedance plays an important role in how a DAC interacts with headphones and IEMs. Higher output impedance can alter frequency response which can be perceived as added warmth particularly with sensitive, multi-driver IEMs that use complex crossovers.

The HC5’s output impedance is low by portable standards. The 4.4mm balanced output measures 1.1 ohms, while the 3.5mm single-ended output is even lower at 0.5 ohms. At these levels, audible effects are minimal, with the 1.1-ohm balanced output only likely to be noticeable on the most sensitive multi-driver IEMs.

Listening

At 5 Vrms, the HC5 has enough output to comfortably drive most common headphones. Even higher-end models like the Meze 109 Pro and Audio-Technica ATH-ADX3000 reach satisfying volume levels with solid dynamic range. Less-demanding planar magnetic headphones also perform well, though listeners who prefer very high listening levels or who use more power-hungry designs may still benefit from a dedicated desktop amplifier.

For portable use, the HC5 is clearly capable. Demanding planar IEMs like the Campfire Audio Astrolith reach high listening levels without strain, allowing the drivers to perform as intended. The HC5’s low, but not zero output impedance doesn’t meaningfully alter the sound. Sensitive IEMs such as the Campfire Audio Andromeda 2019 remain stable and consistent, with no obvious tonal shifts when switching between the 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs.

More importantly, that consistency was not limited to ultra sensitive earphones. Regardless of the IEM or full size headphone used, the overall tonal balance remained intact. There was no sense of the balanced output adding artificial weight, nor the single ended output sounding comparatively thinner or softer.

There is no such thing as a completely neutral source or amplifier. Every design leaves a fingerprint, whether subtle or obvious. That said, this one comes very close. It avoids editorializing the signal, preserves timbre with discipline, and lets the transducer do the talking.

The Bottom Line

The Astell&Kern HC5 is a truly-premium portable DAC. Buyers that want to experience Astell&Kern’s flagship audio hardware can finally do so without having to drop many thousands on their top-tier DAPs, like the SP4000. That said, A&K needs to improve their manufacturing tolerances to reduce slack on both the volume wheel and the side-button. A nearly $500 device should be as premium to physically interact with as it is to listen-to. Buyers that treat audio as a price-no-object experience have a lot to like about the HC5 . However, those that are looking to maximize price-to-performance will want to check out cheaper, similarly-powerful dongles like the Audioengine HXL or Campfire Audio Relay.

Pros

• Impeccable sound quality
• True flagship performance
• Lightweight and ergonomic
• Runs cool

Cons

• Expensive
• Scroll wheel and button lack firmness
• Too large for common MagSafe setups

Where to buy:

You can find the HC5 for sale at Bloom Audio and Moon Audio for $489.

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