• Norton VPN has launched “first truly AI native” VPN for Agents
• It is fundamentally integrated with AI agent activities
• It offers multi-tunnel support

Norton VPN has launched VPN for Agents, its AI-native VPN built for autonomous AI.

Traditionally, the best VPNs have been designed for users browsing the web, forcing AI agents to share your VPN and internet settings. The setup so far hasn’t been ideal, with AI Agents performing tasks on your behalf, either not being able to utilise VPNs when necessary or, at best, necessarily dictating your host’s entire VPN settings.

ASUS is clearly going all-in on Snapdragon-powered creator machines, and its latest launch might be one of the most interesting yet. The new ProArt PZ14 is here, and it’s not just another 2-in-1. It’s ASUS trying to blend AI, portability, and serious creator-grade hardware into one compact device.

What makes the new ProArt PZ14 stand out?

The new ProArt PZ14 is a 14-inch detachable 2-in-1 built around the latest Snapdragon X2 Elite (X2E-88-100) chip, and that alone sets the tone. This is the successor to the ProArt PZ13, and it isn’t your typical thin-and-light. It’s an 18-core processor with up to 80 TOPS of AI performance, which means it’s built for tasks like on-device AI editing, rendering, and multitasking without relying heavily on the cloud.

Then there’s the display, which honestly steals the show. ASUS has packed in a 14-inch Lumina OLED panel with a 144Hz refresh rate, 3K resolution, and excellent color accuracy aimed squarely at creators. The form factor is equally important here. It’s a detachable design with a stylus, keyboard, and stand, making it equally usable as a tablet or a laptop, depending on the workflow.

Is this the best creator laptop?

This device feels like ASUS positioning itself right in the middle of the AI PC transition. With Snapdragon chips gaining traction thanks to efficiency and AI capabilities, the ProArt PZ14 is clearly built to take advantage of that shift. It also checks all the boxes for creators on the move. It’s lightweight at around 0.79 kg, packs up to 32GB RAM and 1TB storage, and includes a fairly large 75Wh battery for a device this thin. The inclusion of Wi-Fi 7, USB4, and stylus support further reinforces that this is meant to be a flexible, all-in-one creative machine rather than just a secondary device.

Right now, the ProArt PZ14 has launched in China, with ASUS confirming that a global rollout is coming soon. While exact timelines vary, earlier announcements suggest broader availability could follow in the coming months as part of ASUS’s wider 2026 lineup.

Apple will reveal more Apple Intelligence features than ever before during WWDC, but they will continue to stay out of the user’s way. Those that don’t want AI can just ignore it or turn it off.

We’re only a few weeks away from WWDC 2026, so the internal leaks have begun in earnest. While I’m sure Apple Intelligence and AI will play a major role at the event, I also expect Apple to respect its user base.

Unless something dramatic has changed at Apple, and no, I’m not talking about a CEO transition, I doubt Apple’s stance on AI has shifted. Ever since its first big AI event at WWDC 2024, Apple has made it clear that it views AI as a tool that should be in the background and on device.

Of course, Apple did want to emphasize that it had AI at all, so that’s where the rainbow Siri interface and various elements in features like Writing Tools came from. This approach is what earned Apple the “behind” label from pundits.

That label carries a lot of weight, especially when it isn’t properly defined. Apple definitely doesn’t have a competitive tool for image or video generation, nor does it have a chatbot. It also doesn’t have a can opener on the iPhone, so I could also say Apple is behind in that department as well.

The reality is that Apple’s hardware ecosystem is above and beyond what most other companies are offering in the AI space today. If rumors are correct about what is coming in iOS 27, Apple will be a powerhouse in the space that can’t be ignored.

But the AI itself? It can be ignored.

It’ll be there, but not in your face

AI is and should have always been treated as a background task that users have no business knowing about or interacting with directly. Imagine if the industry had the same reaction to the first successful machine learning decision tree.

Sure, the Photos editing tools will get some new AI features like extending beyond the frame, changing the perspective of a Spatial Photo, or an AI-powered enhance tool. Most iPhone users don’t even open the edit pane or even know that it is there, but know that some of the tools will have an AI backend with iOS 27.

Visual Intelligence is apparently moving to the Camera app as a toggle. I’m willing to bet that the toggle can be hidden, especially since the feature can still be launched by long-pressing Camera Control. Either way, don’t want it? Don’t use it.

Siri is being revamped with a new backend powered by Apple Foundation Models, but users don’t need to know that. They’ll still be able to play music, set timers, or make calls with the assistant as usual. Those that want to can go further by entering into longer chatbot-like conversations, but it isn’t a requirement.

I could go on, but I believe I’ve made my point.

Apple is the only company doing AI right. It is a background tool that can do some very interesting things, but it isn’t meant to be the product itself.

Apple doesn’t need AI to succeed

What is most interesting about Apple’s place in the AI race is that it has proven it doesn’t need AI at all. The iPhone’s growing popularity is the key indicator. So, seeing Apple slowly grow its AI feature set even if it doesn’t really need it is very interesting.

Apple’s position in the AI race may soon become irrelevant as it hosts all of its rivals

If anything, AI needs Apple to succeed.

One of the more significant features of iOS 27, that yes, can still be ignored, will be the ability to call out to any third-party tool. For example, if a user wants to have a query go through Claude, it could designate the Claude app as an endpoint. Anthropic would support this action through an API.

It means that Apple Foundation Models powering Apple Intelligence could drive on-device functions and Private Cloud Compute, but where needed, users could choose to target other models on their own. This would also mean not needing some kind of partnership with other companies like OpenAI to pull it off.

While I wish we had some of these AI features to play with today, I’m excited for what the summer beta cycle might provide. WWDC 2026 is nearly a month away, so we don’t have long to wait.

Relive the magic of the 1980s by stepping inside a classic Japanese arcade and playing “Tetris” on the Apple Vision Pro.

Tetris may not be the first video game, but it’s hard to think of any other franchise that is as iconic. In fact, Tetris ranks number two on the best-selling video game franchise list, seconded only to everyone’s favorite plumber, Mario.

And now you can relive the magic of classic Tetris on the Apple Vision Pro, thanks to Retrocade.

This isn’t technically Tetris’ first appearance on Retrocade. Initially, the classic title featured as an Easter egg in the in-game back office.

But now it’s joined the growing list of classic titles showing up on Retrocade. Currently, Tetris is exclusive to Retrocade for the Apple Vision Pro, and comes with a brand new Japanese arcade environment.

Resolution Games’ Retrocade was added to Apple Arcade in February. As the name implies, it’s an app that aims to give the arcade experience to a modern audience by including a selection of classic titles to play.

Currently the list of games available for Retrocade include:

• Asteroids
• Bubble Bobble
• Breakout
• Centipede
• Dig Dug
• Frogger
• Galaga
• Haunted Castle
• Pac-Man
• Space Invaders
• Tempest
• Tetris
• Track & Field

While most games are also available for iPhone and iPad, Tetris is exclusively available for the Apple Vision Pro. Retrocade is available via an Apple Arcade subscription, which costs $6.99 per month or $49.99per year.

Apple Arcade can be shared with up to six family members. It is also included in every Apple One tier.

As a Star Wars fan and someone who grew up with Lego as my favourite toy, Lego Star Wars sets have become some of my aspirational purchases as an adult — partly because the larger sets are expensive on their own, and I also don’t have the room to display all the sets in my wish list in my small apartment.

At present, there are just two sets in my Lego Star Wars collection — the big-ticket Ultimate Collector Series (UCS) X-Wing Starfighter and a smaller set with a Grogu (aka baby Yoda) minifigure — but I’ve been keen to add to it, particularly the 7,541-piece Millennium Falcon and the 9,023-piece Death Star.

So it’s a good thing that Amazon has slashed prices on several Lego Star Wars sets in celebration of May the Fourth, including the ones on my wish list, but there are offers on the flashy new Smart Play sets that were unveiled at CES earlier this year. With Star Wars Day here, even those are now quite affordable.

There are also a lot of other sets across a variety of price ranges that have discounts too. So go on, indulge yourself and May the Fourth be with you.

For years, the smartphone chip conversation has been pretty straightforward. A phone with Snapdragon inside was almost always assumed to be the better option. If it had Exynos or MediaTek, the reaction was usually more doubtful. Qualcomm earned its reputation over time, but by 2026, that hierarchy no longer feels as solid.

MediaTek’s last couple of Dimensity 9000-series chips have been going neck and neck with Snapdragon 8-series SoCs, while Exynos has typically trailed behind both. Now, though, the race has become a lot more interesting.

My recent time with the Galaxy S26, powered by Exynos 2600, has already surprised me in terms of performance. And once you widen the lens to include the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in the S26 Ultra and the Dimensity 9500 in devices like the Oppo Find X9, the whole “Snapdragon automatically equals better” idea starts showing some cracks.

Galaxy S26 was a pleasant surprise

The easiest surprise here is that the Exynos 2600 does not show up as some obvious weak link. In my testing, the base Galaxy S26 put up 3,036 single-core and 10,534 multi-core in Geekbench 6, plus an AnTuTu score of 2,859,177. Historically, Samsung released its flagship devices in two variants. Historically, Samsung released its flagship devices in two variants. North America, China, and Japan got Snapdragon versions, while the rest of the world got Exynos processors. The company faced a lot of criticism for that split because older flagship models on Exynos chips often fell behind their Snapdragon-powered counterparts.

That, along with chip production yield issues, pushed Samsung to make a few generations of Galaxy S phones exclusively with Snapdragon processors. But it looks like Exynos is back. On 3DMark Wild Life Extreme, the Galaxy S26 scored 6366. The stress-test results are a little more mixed, delivering 53.5% stability in the stress test. These are healthy numbers for a smaller flagship, especially one many people were probably ready to dismiss the moment they saw “Exynos” on the spec sheet.

The S26 Ultra is faster, but not by much

The Galaxy S26 Ultra still has advantages, and that’s not really surprising. Its Wild Life Extreme Stress Test posted a best loop score of 6,519 and 63.2% stability, helped by its larger vapor chamber cooling setup. So yes, the overall thermal performance was better, but not by the kind of margin that completely changes the conversation when you compare it with the standard S26. In both AnTuTu and Geekbench, the Galaxy S26 Ultra led the pack. Exynos still lags a bit, but the gap is no longer the kind you would notice in ordinary day-to-day performance.

The S26 Ultra is clearly faster, but the difference is nowhere near as dramatic as older Snapdragon-versus-Exynos comparisons used to be. Especially when you compare the GeekBench scores, the performance is almost identical. Even without the upgraded cooling setup, the Galaxy S26 managed to stay surprisingly close to the S26 Ultra in the stress test. Where the Ultra does pull ahead more clearly is stability, which matters more once you start talking about sustained performance under load.

MediaTek is the part that makes the race fun

The Dimensity 9500 in the Oppo Find X9 Pro is what really makes this conversation interesting. Its Geekbench 6 single-core score of 3,203 beats the base Galaxy S26, while its AnTuTu score of 3,512,048 edges ahead as well. On 3DMark Wild Life Extreme, it posted 7,142, which puts it above both the S26 and the S26 Ultra.

MediaTek is no longer showing up as the “other” flagship chip brand. It is putting up top-tier numbers and staying in the same conversation as Qualcomm and Samsung’s in-house silicon. For a long time, Dimensity chips were seen as the more budget-friendly alternative powering cheaper mid-range and entry-level phones. Results like these show how much ground MediaTek has made up at the high end. There is still a weak point here, which is the 54.9% stress-test stability, which trails the S26 Ultra.

Snapdragon still makes excellent chips, and the S26 Ultra proves that easily. But reputation alone is no longer a substitute for looking at the actual results. The Exynos 2600 has enough performance to not fall behind anymore, and the Dimensity 9500 is close enough in raw horsepower to make the flagship chip race feel properly competitive again.

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a large-scale fraud operation that uses Telegram’s Mini App feature to run crypto scams, impersonate well-known brands, and distribute Android malware.

A new report by CTM360 says the platform, dubbed FEMITBOT, is based on a string found in API responses and uses Telegram bots and embedded Mini Apps to create convincing, app-like experiences directly within the messaging platform.

Telegram Mini Apps are lightweight web applications that run inside Telegram’s built-in browser, enabling services such as payments, account access, and interactive tools without requiring users to leave the app.

Abusing Telegram mini apps

According to a CTM360 report shared with BleepingComputer, the FEMITBOT platform is used to conduct multiple types of scams, including fake cryptocurrency platforms, financial services, AI tools, and streaming sites.

In various campaigns, threat actors impersonated widely recognized brands to increase credibility and engagement, while using the same backend infrastructure with different domains and Telegram bots.

Some of the brands impersonated in this campaign include Apple, Coca-Cola, Disney, eBay, IBM, Moon Pay, NVIDIA, YouKu,

Researchers say the activity uses a shared backend, where multiple phishing domains use the same API response, “Welcome to join the FEMITBOT platform,” indicating they are all using the same infrastructure.

The operation uses Telegram bots to display phishing sites directly within the social media platform. When a user interacts with a bot and clicks “Start,” the bot launches a Mini App that displays a phishing page in Telegram’s built-in WebView, making it appear as part of the app itself.

Once inside, victims are shown dashboards with fake balances or “earnings,” often paired with countdown timers or limited-time offers to create a sense of urgency.

When users attempt to withdraw funds, they are prompted to make a deposit or complete referral tasks, a common tactic in investment and advance-fee scams.

The researchers say the infrastructure is designed to be used across different campaigns, allowing attackers to easily switch branding, languages, and themes.

The campaigns also use tracking scripts, such as Meta and TikTok tracking pixels, to track users’ activity, measure conversions, and likely to optimize performance.

Some Mini Apps also attempted to distribute malware in the form of Android APKs that impersonated brands like the BBC, NVIDIA, CineTV, Coreweave, and Claro.

Users are prompted to download Android APK files, open links within the in-app browser, or install progressive web apps that mimic legitimate software.

“The APK filenames are carefully chosen to resemble legitimate applications or use random-looking names that don’t immediately trigger suspicion,” explains CTM360.

“The APKs are hosted on the same domain as the API, ensuring TLS certificate validity and avoiding mixed-content warnings in the browser.”

Users should be cautious when interacting with Telegram bots that promote crypto investments or prompt them to launch Mini Apps, especially if they are asked to deposit funds or download apps.

As a general rule, Android users should avoid sideloading APK files, which are commonly used to distribute malware outside the Google Play Store.

AI chained four zero-days into one exploit that bypassed both renderer and OS sandboxes. A wave of new exploits is coming.

At the Autonomous Validation Summit (May 12 & 14), see how autonomous, context-rich validation finds what’s exploitable, proves controls hold, and closes the remediation loop.

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Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,400 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc’s Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.