Intel said the agreement is reflective of a strong partnership with Apollo, as well as the organisation’s role in the age of AI.

US technology company Intel has plans to repurchase a 49pc stake of the Leixlip, Kildare Fab 34 manufacturing facility, via a partnership with asset manager Apollo Global Management. The deal which will be valued at $14.2bn is expected to be funded through cash on hand and proceeds from the issuance of new debt of approximately $6.5 bn. 

With work beginning in 2019, Fab 34 was designed to be an advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility. 

There has been significant investment in the plant over the years with the organisation hitting several important milestones and currently it is a fabrication facility for products utilising the Intel 4 and Intel 3 process technologies, for example Intel Core Ultra and Intel Xeon 6 processors.

In 2024, it was decided that Intel would sell a 49pc stake in Fab 34 to Apollo Global Management.

At the time, David Zinsner, the chief financial officer at Intel, said that the $11bn deal would give the chip maker the “additional flexibility to execute our strategy as we invest to create the world’s most resilient and sustainable semiconductor supply chain”. Intel also said it would be retaining full ownership and control of Fab 34 and its assets. 

Commenting on the recent announcement Zinsner said, “Our 2024 agreement was the right structure at the right time and provided Intel with meaningful flexibility, enabling us to accelerate critical initiatives. Today, we have a stronger balance sheet, improved financial discipline and an evolved business strategy.”

Apollo Partner Jamshid Ehsani added, “Our partnership with Intel began at an important stage in the execution of its advanced manufacturing roadmap, where our long-term strategic capital played a meaningful role in accelerating the production of next-generation chip technology.

“Flexibility and alignment are core to how we approach relationships as a long-term, solutions-oriented capital partner, and we are pleased to facilitate this transaction in support of Intel’s evolving strategic and operational priorities.”

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Samsung already has its own slim magnetic case for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, so most people won’t think twice about alternatives.

But choosing the right Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra case isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. Some cases look great on day one but end up feeling too smooth, slightly bulky, or just awkward to use after a few days. Thinborne is still a thin magnetic case, but it takes a slightly different approach.

This review focuses on how it feels in real use, and how it compares to Samsung’s own option.

Thinborne Overview of Features

It helps to look at what Thinborne actually offers and how those features translate in real use.

Material and Build

Thinborne uses 600D aramid fiber, which you’ll usually see in lightweight, high-strength materials. You’ll notice how it feels:

• It’s very light
• It feels firm rather than flexible
• The surface has a subtle texture

At 0.90 mm thin, it doesn’t add much bulk. The phone still feels close to how it does without a case.

What makes it different from typical cases is the structure. It doesn’t have that soft, slightly rubbery feel you get from silicone. It’s more rigid, almost like a thin shell that snaps into place. Over time, silicone can start to feel sticky or collect dust – this doesn’t.

MagSafe Compatibility

Like most Galaxy S26 Ultra cases, Thinborne includes built-in magnets since the phone itself doesn’t have them. In everyday use, that means:

• Chargers snap into place quickly
• Car mounts hold steady
• Wallets and stands attach cleanly

The experience is straightforward, and everything lines up as expected (and it stays in place).

One thing that helps with the setup is the case’s rigidity. Since it doesn’t flex much, the alignment stays consistent. You don’t get that slight shift you sometimes notice with softer cases.

Available Colors

Thinborne keeps the color options simple:

• Black
• Royal Crimson
• Wild Navy

All three use the same woven finish, so the feel doesn’t change – only the color does. The tones are muted and don’t draw too much attention.

Thinborne Thin Phone Case vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Slim Magnet Case

Samsung’s Slim Magnet Case is the most direct comparison. Both cases fall into the same general category: thin, lightweight, and magnetic.

Samsung doesn’t list an exact thickness, but it’s positioned as a slim case. What we do know is that it weighs 24 grams, making it a bit heavier than Thinborne, which weighs around 20 grams.

Here’s how they compare:

As you can see, Thinborne and Samsung look similar. In use, however, the differences can be noticed:

• Grip – Thinborne has a bit more texture, so it feels more secure in your hand. Samsung’s case is smoother, which can feel slightly slippery.
• Weight – The difference isn’t huge, but the lighter feel can be noticeable over time – especially on a large phone like the S26 Ultra.
• Material feel – Thinborne feels more solid and structured. Samsung’s case feels more like a standard slim case.

Pricing and Availability

Thinborne and Samsung are priced almost the same, so cost isn’t really the deciding factor here.

Thinborne comes in at $69.69, while Samsung’s Slim Magnet Case is slightly higher at $69.99. The difference is minimal, and in practice, both sit in the same premium range for thin magnetic cases.

Where they differ is availability. Thinborne is sold through its official website and is also available on Amazon, which gives you a bit more flexibility when buying. It typically includes extras like a tempered glass screen protector as well.

Samsung’s case is easier to find overall. It’s available through Samsung’s store and most major retailers, making it a more convenient option if you prefer to buy locally or through familiar channels.

At this price point, it really comes down to which case fits your preferences better, not which one is cheaper.

Wrap Up

Thinborne keeps things simple, and that’s really the point. It’s built as a thin phone case that doesn’t change how the Galaxy S26 Ultra feels in your hand. The lighter weight, subtle texture, and rigid build all come together in a way that feels easy to live with day to day.

Samsung’s Slim Magnet Case still does what it’s supposed to. It’s reliable, widely available, and works well with magnetic accessories. But if you care about how your phone actually feels in use, Thinborne has a clear edge. The lighter weight and textured finish make it easier to hold, especially during one-handed use – something you start to notice after a few days of use.

Microsoft is investigating a known issue that prevents some Classic Outlook users from sending emails via Outlook.com.

Affected users are being warned that their message hasn’t reached some intended recipients, and they will encounter this problem more often when the Outlook.com account they use to send email is an Outlook profile linked to another Exchange account.

“This message could not be sent. Try sending the message again later or contact your network administrator,” the non-delivery report (NDR) error displayed when sending or replying to emails reads.

“You do not have the permission to send the message on behalf of the specified user. Error is [0x80070005-0x0004dc-0x000524].”

Microsoft added that another condition that may trigger these errors is that the sender’s account has an Exchange Online mail contact with the same SMTP address.

​While investigating this issue and still looking for a fix, the Outlook team shared several workarounds that may help affected customers temporarily mitigate the issue.

Microsoft recommends removing the M365 account Address Book so that the Outlook client does not check it when sending emails, hiding the Outlook.com contact from the Microsoft 365 account Global Address List (GAL).

Other alternatives include creating a new classic Outlook profile that includes only the account receiving NDR errors, and using the New Outlook client or Outlook.com on the web to send email from the affected account.

Over the last two weeks, Microsoft fixed two other known issues, including one that caused Classic Outlook to crash when enabling the Microsoft Teams Meeting Add-in and another that triggered 0x800CCC0F and 0x80070057 errors when synchronizing Gmail and Yahoo accounts.

Microsoft is also investigating known bugs that cause “Can’t connect to the server” errors when creating groups if Exchange Web Services (EWS) is enabled for the tenant, and that make the mouse pointer disappear for some users in Classic Outlook, OneNote, and other Microsoft 365 apps.

Automated pentesting proves the path exists. BAS proves whether your controls stop it. Most teams run one without the other.

This whitepaper maps six validation surfaces, shows where coverage ends, and provides practitioners with three diagnostic questions for any tool evaluation.

Get Your Copy Now

Studio 64 Bits worked tirelessly for four months to hand-draw every single frame, allowing them to introduce Elden Ring to the wild world of Saturday morning television in the 90s. The end effect feels like a bizarre parallel universe in which the game appears alongside Thundercats and He-Man.

Ranni is right there at the start, cradling a double-necked electric guitar slung lazily across her shoulders, and as she begins noodling on the opening chords, the camera sweeps across these blasted landscapes, full of familiar faces from both the base game and the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. We see Malenia charging ahead with blades flashing, Blaidd standing tall and loyal by her side, and Messmer looming large as the true new threat. Meanwhile, Miquella and Radahn share a dramatic moment, and Melina, Rykard, Mohg, Varre, Midra, Placidusax, Astel, Maliketh, and the Elden Beast all flash across the screen in quick, splashy bursts. Each character receives the usual cartoon makeover, complete with bold outlines, vivid colors, and exaggerated posturing that transforms their conflicts into heroic showdowns rather than gloomy, terrible struggles.

The animation sticks to the technical limits of 90’s TV production, which means that the colors don’t deviate much from a fairly limited palette, the lines have just a hint of that creaky hand-drawn cel look to them, and the transitions snap along with the same crisp timing you’d see on shows from that era. The music builds to a precise pitch, culminating in a driving rock song that sounds like it might have come directly from the opening titles of Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors or Captain Planet. Every second creates the impression that an entire series could follow, with the Tarnished rushing across the continent to repair the Elden Ring and face off against these legendary monsters in one thrilling episode after the next.

After the main intro concludes, the film transitions to a brief commercial in which Elden Ring appears to have recently been released for the old SNES. A happy narration promises additional dungeons, secrets, and a fate that is entirely in the player’s control. The tagline reverses a humorous old Nintendo slogan into ‘Now you’re playing with power, rune power’, and the spot concludes with a quick little bumper that parodies the DIC logo from coutnless old 90’s cartoons. It connects neatly to their last full-length SNES remake, making the entire package feel like one continuous block of faux Saturday morning programming.

Smart glasses have always had a basic problem for people like me. They looked cool in demos, sounded futuristic in press releases, and usually came with the same quiet catch. If you already wear glasses every day, you are expected to work around them. This meant adding prescription lenses later, settling for a fit that is not quite right, or treating the whole thing as a novelty instead of something you would actually wear throughout the day.

This is what makes Meta’s latest announcement more exciting. The company just unveiled its first prescription-optimized AI glasses, the Ray-Ban Meta Blayzer Optics (Gen 2) and Ray-Ban Meta Scriber Optics (Gen 2), and they are explicitly designed around people who rely on prescription eyewear all day.

Meta says they support nearly all prescriptions, start at $499 in the US, and will be available at optical retailers beginning April 14.

For me, that is the first time Meta’s glasses story has felt less like wearable hype and more like something I could actually live with.

Prescription wearers don’t have to do extra work

Billions of people around the world use glasses or contacts for vision correction, and Meta itself notes that many Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley owners already add prescription lenses to existing models. But “can be added later” is not the same thing as “built for you from the start.”

The new prescription-first push feels more thoughtful. Meta says that these new models were designed for all-day comfort and include features like overextension hinges, interchangeable nose pads, and optician-adjustable temple tips. These may sound like dry-product language stuff, but if you actually wear glasses every day, it is the kind of detail that decides whether something stays on your face for the next eight hours or if it gets thrown into a case after 20 minutes.

Balancing act between ‘gadget’ and ‘eyewear’

Meta is not just launching two new frame styles and calling it a day. It is trying to make AI glasses feel like a normal category of eyewear rather than a niche device for early adopters. These new prescription-optimized frames aren’t alone, as Meta also announced more frame and lens options across Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta glasses.

There’s also a new software feature, like hands-free nutrition tracking, WhatsApp summaries and recall through Meta AI, and Neural Handwriting support expanding to iMessage. All of this makes these new glasses feel more natural for daily use. The tech itself is only half the story. The real breakthrough is when you don’t need to accommodate the hardware.

And if you already wear prescription glasses, that threshold is even higher. A smartwatch can be optional. Glasses are not.

This is the first Meta glasses move that feels genuinely practical

This is basically why I think these new Meta glasses matter more than they might look on paper. The usual wearable pitch is about features, AI tricks, cameras, and convenience. But for prescription wearers, such as myself, the first question is whether I would actually want to wear this all day instead of normal glasses?

And for a change, Meta seems to be answering that question directly.

Yes, the concerns don’t disappear, and smart glasses still have the privacy baggage and hefty price tag. They also haven’t proved that their AI features are useful often enough to justify becoming part of your daily routine. But this launch clears a much more fundamental barrier than people give it credit for.

And for someone who already owns prescription Wayfarers and knows how much difference proper eyewear fit makes, Meta’s new AI glasses suddenly feel a lot more attractive.

• ChatGPT arrives on Apple CarPlay update for iOS 26.4
• Update adds support for “voice-based conversational apps”
• Interaction is limited to voice prompts only

We reported on a big Apple update in February of this year with the release of the new iOS 26.4 public beta.

The headline news was the inclusion of third-party, voice-controlled AI chatbots on CarPlay for the first time, allowing drivers to make the most of AI assistants outside of those that come part and parcel of many modern cars.