As evidenced by the Hyundai Boulder Concept and some statements in Kia’s 2026 Investor Day announcements, Kia is getting serious about building a truck. Kia already has a body-on-frame truck, the Tasman, which launched in global markets in 2025, but this potential new offering seems to be different from that particular mid-sized truck.
The new truck, as yet unnamed, will ride on a body-on-frame platform like other American-market trucks from the likes of Toyota, Ford, and General Motors. Whether Kia’s new pickup offering will be able to compete with those well-entrenched models is a question only the future can answer: Kia’s truck isn’t even scheduled to hit the market until 2030.
However, Kia is at least giving the truck a pair of drivetrains that might edge out a win, or at least help it stand out from the competition. More specifically, Kia is aiming to offer two hybrid drivetrains, one of which will be an extended-range model.
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An electrified boost
Two giants in the truck industry, Toyota and Ford, already offer hybrid versions of their trucks: Toyota has the newest-generation Tacoma and Tundra, while Ford has the F-150 PowerBoost. However, an extended-range electric vehicle pickup, as the new Kia is supposed to be, would be unique, at least in the North American market.
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BYD, the Chinese automaker well known for its electric cars, produces the BYD Shark, a body-on-frame plug-in hybrid pickup, but that truck probably isn’t showing up on American streets anytime soon. As far as American automakers go, Stellantis has teased the Ram Ramcharger — which would have a gas motor to charge its onboard batteries — for years, but it has yet to materialize. Ford has, admittedly, announced a range-extending gas engine for the second-gen F-150 Lightning, but it hasn’t revealed a release date yet.
The new Kia model has the potential to shake up the market, providing American drivers with something unique at a price point that will likely be very competitive. While Kia hasn’t even announced what the truck will look like or what it will be called, it’s certainly a truck to look forward to.
Windows Recall, originally available to all users of Copilot+ PCs in April 2025, stores screen caps of user activity. (Microsoft Photo)
Microsoft says its Recall app — which captures and stores screen shots every few seconds — is safe. Security researchers keep saying otherwise.
Recall was originally billed as a “photographic memory” to store everything Windows users do on their computers. People could then see some of those screen shots at a later time by searching AI with plain-text queries such as red barn. (See illustration above.)
Select members of Microsoft’s exclusive Windows Insider program have had access to Recall for more than a year. Users of AI-enabled Copilot+ PCs started receiving Recall as an opt-in feature in April 2025, one year ago this month.
But since its debut, experts have repeatedly demonstrated that hackers can access the data Recall stores. This raises questions about whether a tool that records your entire digital life can ever be adequately secured. The situation is creating uncertainty about Microsoft’s plans to make Recall more widely available on all PCs.
Alexander Hagenah, executive director of SIX — a Zürich-based technology company that operates infrastructure for stock exchanges in Switzerland and Spain — described Recall’s security weaknesses in a LinkedIn post in April 2025. He also released an app he called TotalRecall that could “extract all captured windows and images taken by Recall … nothing encrypted, no rocket science needed.”
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Joining other researchers, the University of Pennsylvania’s Office of Information Security released a warning on Apr. 14, 2025, about the version of Recall that was then available. The university’s announcement stated that Recall “introduces substantial and unacceptable security, legality, and privacy challenges” [emphasis in the original]. The statement added that administrators of “Windows environments at Penn are strongly urged” to disable Recall.
In response to criticisms such as these, Microsoft — to its credit — pulled back on its plans to roll out Recall to all Windows 11 PCs that met fairly high system requirements (including a neural processing unit and eight logical processors, according to an MS Learn document). Instead, the company announced in a blog update on June 13, 2024, that Recall would become available only to participants in the company’s much smaller Windows Insider program.
In the time since that decision, the fate of Recall has become even murkier. Journalist Zac Bowden wrote in a Windows Central blog post on Jan. 30, 2026, that Microsoft is “pulling back its Windows 11 AI push with a major Copilot and Recall rethink.”
The problem is that it’s tough for software engineers to make data ultra-convenient for end users to access while simultaneously securing it so it’s impervious to hackers.
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It’s hard to remember that the company’s original goal was ease of use, now that Microsoft’s focus has changed to making the security of its screen-cap app impenetrable.
Microsoft says Recall blurs images of credit-card numbers, bank passwords, and other personal data — or doesn’t store them at all. But security experts are still not convinced.
After testing the latest version of Recall, Swiss technologist Hagenah recently issued a new proof-of-concept called “Total Recall Reloaded” on a GitHub page. In his comments, Hagenah said any malware running on a user’s PC can copy every Recall screen shot as it passes through in-process memory: “No admin required. Standard user. No kernel exploit.”
Hagenah has not publicly disclosed some security holes, saying he’s reported them to Microsoft and won’t release the technical details until the Redmond company has fixed the problems.
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Already, malicious hackers have written code to take advantage of Recall’s screen shots. The malware can access Recall’s own memory to copy screen caps and send them to a faraway server. Hackers no longer need to write such code from scratch. (The procedure is described in a technical overview by cybersecurity writer Kevin Beaumont.)
At this writing, fewer than 10% of Windows 11 PCs can enable and run the current version of Recall. Microsoft representatives responded to my inquiries about plans for the app’s future availability by pointing to a Sept. 27, 2024, security update and an Apr. 25, 2025, blog post.
The Asus VivoBook and ZenBook laptops are quite the hotcakes in the Indian market, simply because they strike the right balance between portability and performance. Keeping up that momentum, the Taiwanese laptop maker has opened pre-orders for its latest premium Zenbook lineup in India, introducing a range of new laptops focused on design, portability, and AI-powered performance. The lineup includes the Zenbook S14, Zenbook DUO, Zenbook A14, and the upcoming Zenbook A16, alongside refreshed Vivobook models. Prices for the ZenBook series start at ₹1,79,990, while the Vivobook lineup begins at ₹98,990. Here’s everything you need to know about them.
What’s New with the ZenBooks & VivoBooks?
ASUS is doubling down on its “Design You Can Feel” philosophy with this launch. One of the key highlights is Ceraluminum, a proprietary material that aims to combine durability with a lightweight, premium finish. The flagship Zenbook S14, for instance, features an ultra-slim profile of around 1.1cm and weighs roughly 1.2kg, making it highly portable. It also gets a 14-inch 3K OLED display and a claimed battery life of up to 27 hours. Under the hood, the ZenBook S14 series packs Ultra Series 3 processors, with the highest tier going to the Ultra 9.
Meanwhile, the newest version of my favorite ZenBook Duo takes things to another level by packing dual 14-inch 3K 144Hz ASUS Lumina Pro OLED touch displays. It’s powered by Intel’s latest Core Ultra 7-series processors and offers 32 hours of claimed battery life. Lastly, there’s the Zenbook A Series (A14 & A16), which targets more casual, yet premium users. It’s made from the same Ceraluminum material and focuses primarily on portability, weighing under 1 kg. On the power side, the ZenBook A series uses the Snapdragon X2 series processors. While this should pay pretty big dividends in the battery life department, we have yet to test the laptops, so stay tuned for a full review.
The next-gen VivoBook classic series will be powered by the updated Intel Core Ultra 5 Series 3 processors, delivering 47 TOPS of NPU performance for all your AI tasks. On the other hand, the Vivobook S14 and S16 will feature sleeker metallic designs and Ultra 7 Series processors with up to 49 TOPS of NPU performance. Battery life for these is rated for 29 hours.
OPPO has finally taken the covers off its popular F-series, bringing a strong focus on selfie photography, durability, and long battery life. The lineup includes the OPPO F33 5G and F33 Pro 5G, both of which feature a 50MP ultra-wide front camera, AI-powered editing tools, and a massive 7,000mAh battery, as well as high durability ratings. Here’s what you need to know about them.
Big Focus on Selfies and AI Photography
The highlight of the OPPO F33 series is its 50MP ultra-wide front camera with a 100° field of view, which aims to capture more people in a single frame without distortion. The Pro variant also introduces auto-switching to 0.6x zoom when multiple faces are detected, making group selfies more seamless. OPPO has also added a multicolored front fill light for better low-light selfies, along with features such as autofocus and electronic image stabilization.
On the rear, the phones feature a 50MP main camera paired with a depth sensor for portrait shots. The camera system is backed by a wide range of AI tools, including object removal, scene enhancement, portrait lighting, and more. We are currently putting all these claims to the test, so keep an eye on our review dropping pretty soon.
New Design and Performance
The OPPO F33 Pro 5G introduces a redesigned camera module called the Starry Sea Lens, giving the phone a more premium look. The devices also feature a one-piece unibody design with a mix of glossy and matte finishes. On the front, both models come with a 6.57-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and high brightness levels.
Under the hood, both devices are powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX processor, paired with up to 12GB RAM. As always, durability is another highlight. The OPPO F33 series comes with IP69K, IP68, and IP66 ratings, offering protection against dust, water immersion, and even high-pressure water jets. The phones also feature a 360-degree armor body with aerospace-grade materials and shock-absorbing internals, along with military-grade certifications for harsh conditions
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The F33 series runs on ColorOS 16, bringing AI features like document scanning, writing assistance, and system-wide optimizations. It also integrates Google Gemini for smart assistance across apps. Connectivity is another area OPPO is focusing on, with the F33 series being positioned as India’s first Jio-certified 5G++ smartphone. Battery life is handled by a 7,000mAh unit with 80W fast charging, which OPPO claims can fully charge the phone in around 69 minutes.
Price and Availability
The OPPO F33 series will be available via Flipkart, Amazon, OPPO’s online store, and offline retail outlets.
OPPO F33 Pro 5G
8GB + 128GB: ₹37,999
8GB + 256GB: ₹40,999
OPPO F33 5G
6GB + 128GB: ₹31,999
8GB + 128GB: ₹34,999
8GB + 256GB: ₹37,999
The F33 Pro goes on sale from April 23, while the standard F33 will be available starting April 26.
Dark solar panels turn desert heat into rain clouds, not just electricity
A 20 square kilometer solar farm produces more rain than a year of cloud seeding
The Persian Gulf’s moist winds are what the desert solar needs to make rain
In the United Arab Emirates, where water is more valuable than oil, new research suggests large solar farms could trigger their own rainstorms.
A modelling study led by climate scientist Oliver Branch at the University of Hohenheim found dark solar panels absorb more heat than the surrounding reflective desert sand.
This temperature difference drives updrafts that can lead to rain, potentially providing water for tens of thousands of people.
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How dark solar panels create their own weather
The researchers modeled solar panels as nearly black surfaces that absorb 95% of incoming sunlight.
When solar farms exceeded 15 square kilometers, the increased heat contrasted sharply with the reflective sand around them, increasing the updrafts that drive cloud formation, but it needs a source of atmospheric moisture.
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However, the model showed that moist, high-altitude winds from the Persian Gulf would suffice.
A 20 square kilometer solar field would increase rainfall by nearly 600,000 cubic meters under the right conditions, equivalent to 1cm of rain falling across an area the size of Manhattan.
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If such rainstorms occurred ten times in one summer, they would provide enough water for more than 30,000 people for a year.
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“Some solar farms are getting up to the right size right now… Maybe it’s not science fiction that we can produce this effect,” said Branch.
One limitation is that the simulated solar panels were darker than most manufacturers currently make, as some modern solar panels are designed to be reflective to cool their surroundings, which would reduce the rainmaking effect.
Zhengyao Lu, a climate scientist at Lund University, called the new work “very stimulating” but noted this concern.
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Branch is hopeful that the idea could be tested in the real world, noting that solar farms coming online in China are nearly large enough.
He suggests planting dark, drought-tolerant crops such as jojoba shrubs between panel rows to enhance the effect.
The UAE funded Branch’s modeling research, but the country remains committed to its cloud seeding program, carrying out approximately 300 missions each year.
This implies that local authorities are not yet convinced that solar-induced rainfall is a practical alternative.
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According to Branch and his team, this model could work in other arid regions, including Namibia and Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.
If future research validates these findings, the rainmaking potential of solar farms could provide an unexpected incentive for expanding renewable energy in the world’s driest regions.
iPhone users around the world are encountering an Apple Pay scam that could lose you thousands of dollars if you fall victim. According to Consumer Affairs, there is currently a widespread scam going around that looks like a text from Apple regarding Apple Pay fraud. The text is actually not from Apple at all, but from a scammer wanting to get a hold of your bank account or credit card information.
The scam is simple and relies on victims feeling a sense of urgency and panic, making these fraudulent text message schemes quite common. The text will read that a purchase was attempted with your Apple Pay, resulting in your account being locked. It will then say that immediate action is required to get the account back or reverse the charges. If you end up calling the provided number, you will be speaking to a scammer who wants access to your money. They may also send a link to a website that will prompt you to enter sensitive information that hackers can later use.
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How to protect yourself against scammers on your iPhone
Themotioncloud/Getty Images
If you have received a message like this from someone claiming to represent Apple, it’s more than likely a scammer. Apple does not reach out for private information or request that customers call, text, or email them. Don’t click on any links or call any provided numbers. Apple provides this advice to its customers: “If you get an unsolicited or suspicious phone call from someone claiming to be from Apple or Apple Support, just hang up.” You can check Apple Pay right on your iPhone, and you’ll be able to tell if it’s frozen or if a suspicious transaction was made. You can also call your bank to see if anyone’s made any purchases.
If you believe that you may have already been in contact with a scammer, don’t panic just yet. Notify your bank or credit card issuer to let them know that the recent transaction was the result of a scam. You should then report the incident to Apple by taking a screenshot of the text and sending it to reportphishing@apple.com) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Remember, since you authorized the transaction, it may be difficult to get the money back. Many victims have reported that they haven’t been able to. It’s best to recognize the red flags to avoid being in contact with the scammers at all. These scams are quite common since they are easy to pull off, so you’ll also see them pretending to be from Amazon or other popular companies. Apple customers have been targeted by these types of scams multiple times.
The Mission 1 series is the latest range of GoPro action cameras, flanked by the Mission 1 Pro and Mission 1 Pro ILS.
So, how does the Mission 1 Pro ILS compare to the Mission 1 Pro? Why should you opt for the ILS model over the “standard” Pro iteration?
While we’re yet to review any of the Mission 1 series, we’ve looked closely at the specs of both the Mission 1 Pro and Mission 1 Pro ILS to see what really separates the two. Keep reading to learn more about the new Mission 1 line-up.
Check out our GoPro Mission 1 Pro vs Mission 1, where we’ve compared the flagship to the more entry-level model. Otherwise, our list of the best action cameras includes all our favourite models from the past year or so.
In terms of availability, GoPro explains that customers will be able to pre-order the Mission 1 Pro from May 21st ahead of its official launch on May 28th. As for the Mission 1 Pro ILS, GoPro has stated that it will be available from the beginning of Q3 2026.
Both have a 50MP sensor and GP3 processor
We’ll start with a key similarity between the two cameras. Both the Mission 1 Pro and Mission 1 Pro ILS are equipped with a 50MP, one-inch sensor and sport GoPro’s GP3 processor. It’s also worth noting that these are the same specs as the GoPro Mission 1.
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The 50MP sensor features a larger surface area, native 1.6µm pixels and 3.2µm fused pixels which GoPro promises ensures both cameras are able to capture more light in darker and trickier environments. Plus, thanks to the 5nm GP3 processor, the Mission 1 series should see “category-leading battery runtimes and thermal performance” too.
Finally, both the Mission 1 Pro and Mission 1 Pro ILS sport an AI Neural Processor Unit for “next-generation” video pixel processing and better low-light image performance.
We’ll have to wait until we get our hands on either of the cameras to confirm GoPro’s claims, but it’s fair to say at this early stage, the Mission 1 series certainly looks promising.
Image Credit (GoPro)
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GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS is mirrorless
One of the key differences between the Mission 1 Pro and the Pro ILS is that the latter is mirrorless. In a nutshell, this means the ILS model uses electronic viewfinders (EVFs) to display images digitally, rather than using a mirror to reflect its image onto an optical viewfinder. The ILS model also has an interchangeable lens mount that supports Micro Four Thirds (MFT) lenses and adapters which, according to GoPro, allows a “virtually limitless range of lenses to be paired with the camera”.
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With this in mind, if you want a more versatile camera that allows you to play around with different lenses and adapters, then the ILS is the more suited option out of the two.
Image Credit (GoPro)
GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS supports in-camera HyperSmooth stabilisation
A feature first introduced on the Hero 7 Black, the Mission 1 Pro ILS supports GoPro’s in-camera image stabilisation technology, HyperSmooth. This feature works by cropping a small amount from the edge of the frame to help reduce camera motion, so recordings aren’t wobbly or jittery.
GoPro also states that the ILS’ HyperSmooth works with “any rectilinear, prime focal length lens” for added versatility too.
GoPro Mission 1 Pro is water resistant
Even without housing, which is sold separately, the Mission 1 Pro can survive in up to 20m (66 feet) of water. However, if you opt for a protective case then the Mission 1 Pro will be water resistant down to a whopping 60m (196 feet), plus the case’s built-in mounting fingers will allow you to capture content both horizontally and vertically too.
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In comparison, GoPro states that the Mission 1 Pro ILS is “weatherproof”, but doesn’t actually expand on what that means. Perhaps it might not be as water resistant as the Mission 1 Pro without a case, but we’ll have to wait for GoPro’s confirmation.
Early Verdict
Promised to be the world’s “smallest, lightest, and most rugged 8K and 4K Open Gate cinema cameras”, the Mission 1 series is undoubtedly one of the most exciting camera launches of the year so far – although we’ll have to wait and see how they really perform in everyday use.
At this early stage, the Mission 1 Pro ILS is best suited for those who want the flexibility and versatility that comes from swapping out lenses. On the other hand, the Mission 1 Pro is a great choice for those looking for a compact action camera that will see them through most uses.
We’ll be sure to update this versus once we review both the cameras.
A digitally signed adware tool has deployed payloads running with SYSTEM privileges that disabled antivirus protections on thousands of endpoints, some in the educational, utilities, government, and healthcare sectors.
In a single day, researchers observed more than 23,500 infected hosts in 124 countries trying to connect to the operator’s infrastructure, with hundreds of infected endpoints present in high-value networks.
More than just adware
Security researchers at managed security company Huntress discovered the campaign on March 22, when signed executables viewed as potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) triggered alerts in multiple managed environments.
PUPs, or adware, are regarded more as a nuissance than malicious, as their role is typically to generate revenue for the developer by showing advertisement pop-ups, banners, or through browser redirects.
Huntress researchers say that the software was signed by a company called Dragon Boss Solutions LLC, involved in “search monetization research” activity and promoting various tools (e.g., Chromstera Browser, Chromnius, WorldWideWeb, Web Genius, Artificius Browser) labeled as browsers but detected as PUPs by multiple security solutions.
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The Chromnius tool website Source: Huntress
Beyond annoying users with ads and redirects, Huntress researchers say the browsers from Dragon Boss Solutions also feature an advanced update mechanism that deploys an antivirus killer.
Deactivating security
Huntress researchers discovered that the operation relied on the update mechanism from the commercial Advanced Installer authoring tool to deploy MSI and PowerShell payloads.
Analyzing the configuration file for the update process revealed several flags that made the operation completely silent and with no user interaction. It also installed the payloads with elevated privileges (SYSTEM), prevented users from disabling automatic updates, and checked frequently for new updates.
According to the researchers, the update process retrieves an MSI payload (Setup.msi) disguised as a GIF image, which is currently flagged as malicious on VirusTotal by only five security vendors.
The MSI payload includes several legitimate DLLs that Advanced Installer uses for specific tasks, such as executing PowerShell scripts, looking for specific software on the system, or other custom actions defined in a separate file named ‘!_StringData‘ that includes instructions for the installer.
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Huntress says that before deploying the main payload, the MSI installer conducts reconnaissance by checking the admin status, detecting virtual machines, verifying internet connectivity, and querying the registry for installed antivirus (AV) products from Malwarebytes, Kaspersky, McAfee, and ESET.
The security products are disabled using a PowerShell script named ClockRemoval.ps1, which is placed in two locations. The researchers say that installers for the Opera, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browsers are also targeted, likely to avoid potential interference with the adware’s browser hijacking.
Compromise overview Source: Huntress
The ClockRemoval.ps1 script also executes a routine when the system boots, at logon, and every 30 minutes, to make sure that AV products are no longer present on the system by stopping services, killing processes, deleting installation directories and registry entries, silently running vendors’ uninstallers, and forcefully deleting files when uninstallers fail.
It also ensures that the security products cannot be reinstalled or updated by blocking the vendor’s domains through modifying the hosts file and null-routing them (redirecting to 0.0.0.0).
During the analysis, Huntress found that the operator did not register the main update domain (chromsterabrowser[.]com)or the fallback one (worldwidewebframework3[.]com) used in the campaign, presenting them with the opportunity to sinkhole the connection from all infected hosts.
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As such, they registered the main update domain and watched “tens of thousands of compromised endpoints reach out looking for instructions that, in the wrong hands, could have been anything.”
Based on the IP addresses, the researchers identified 324 infected hosts in high-value networks:
221 academic institutions in North America, Europe, and Asia
41 Operational Technology networks in the energy and transport sectors, and at critical infrastructure providers
35 municipal governments, state agencies, and public utilities
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24 primary and secondary educational institutions
3 healthcare organizations (hospital systems and healthcare providers)
networks of multiple Fortune 500 companies
BleepingComputer tried to reach out to Dragon Boss Solutions but could not find contact infor as their site is no longer operational.
Huntress warns that, while the malicious tool currently uses an AV killer, the mechanism to introduce far more dangerous payloads onto infected systems is in place, and could be leveraged at any time to escalate the attacks.
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Additionally, since the main update domain was not registered, anyone could claim it and push arbitrary payloads to thousands of already infected machines with no security solutions protecting them, and through an already established infrastructure.
Huntress recommends that system administrators look for WMI event subscriptions containing “MbRemoval” or “MbSetup,” scheduled tasks referencing “WMILoad” or “ClockRemoval,” and processes signed by Dragon Boss Solutions LLC.
Additionally, review the hosts file for entries blocking AV vendor domains and check Microsoft Defender exclusions for suspicious paths such as “DGoogle,” “EMicrosoft,” or “DDapps.”
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.
1 in 5 Singaporeans are overqualified for their jobs, according to a new MOM study
Singapore workers are better educated than ever, but that doesn’t always translate into the jobs they take.
A new Ministry of Manpower (MOM) study, released on Apr 14, finds that nearly one in five (19.4%) of resident workers held qualifications higher than what their jobs required in 2025, up from 16.3% in 2015.
And most of them chose this path voluntarily, with about nine in 10 underemployed workers—equivalent to 17.7% of the resident workforce—saying they had done so by choice.
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay said many workers are making deliberate career choices that prioritise flexibility, fulfilment, or life-stage needs, reflecting a labour market that offers diverse pathways rather than one that is structurally misaligned.
Despite the rise in overqualification rates, the data suggests it is not driven by a shortage of suitable jobs, The Straits Times reported. Roles requiring tertiary education now account for 64.2% of the job market, closely matching the 64% share of tertiary-educated workers, up from 51.6% in 2015.
Only 1.7% of the resident workforce were involuntarily overqualified: a figure that has stayed below 3% for the past decade, according to MOM’s study, which draws on labour force surveys and international benchmarking. MOM said this suggests a limited structural mismatch in the labour market.
The report also found that overqualification was more common among younger workers, particularly those early in their careers. Among those who are involuntarily overqualified, more than one-third are under 35.
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MOM noted that this likely reflects career building, with younger workers gaining experience before moving into better-matched roles later on.
Overqualified tertiary-educated workers tend to cluster in sales jobs, which may offer high earning potential, or in administrative and financial-related roles, where younger workers gain experience in entry-level roles before progressing to higher positions.
Many are also found in clerical roles such as general office clerks and client information clerks, or private-hire car drivers.
For older workers aged 60 and above, voluntary overqualification rises, with some choosing less demanding roles or alternative paths as retirement nears.
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Employers are increasingly looking at skills and experience over paper qualifications
The studies also highlighted a shift in hiring trends, with employers increasingly favouring skills and experience over academic qualifications.
At the same time, employers continue to face difficulties filling roles requiring specialised expertise, such as data scientists, teaching and training professionals, and civil engineers, pointing to skills gaps in the workforce.
These gaps have resulted in increased workloads for existing staff, missed business opportunities and slipping quality standards.
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MOM and NTUC pointed out that these findings point to “differences in perspective between workers and employers”.
“This suggests the key issue is not excess qualifications per se but ensuring that workers’ skillsets remain aligned with evolving job requirements,” MOM added.
NTUC called for expanded worker support across all career stages, with particular focus on early-career assistance, multi-skilling opportunities, and transition programs for those entering new career phases.
Read more articles we’ve written on Singapore’s job trends here.
Featured Image Credit: Shadow_of_light/ depositphotos
Even the most well-intentioned edtech can fall short if it does not meet students where they are. After several years studying the usability of edtech for teachers, the research team at ISTE+ASCD turned its attention to students — examining how the technical and pedagogical design of digital tools shapes their learning experiences.
In partnership with In Tandem and Sesame Workshop, researchers spoke with high school students across the United States to understand how they actually use edtech in real learning contexts. The findings identify five areas that matter most to students and offer guidance for educators and product designers seeking tools that are intuitive, meaningful and engaging.
Click here to see the full infographic.
A full framework and guidance for edtech buyers and product providers will be released in 2026.
Year 26 for DeVore Fidelity and John DeVore wasn’t chasing spectacle at AXPONA 2026. He was doing something far more dangerous. In a show packed with $100,000 loudspeakers, including his own Orangutan O/Reference, most systems impressed for five minutes and then slowly gave the game away. This one didn’t follow that script. It didn’t try to overwhelm you. It didn’t ask for attention. It just sat there and delivered tone, weight, and emotional clarity in a way that made a lot of other rooms feel like expensive distractions.
That should make people uncomfortable. It should. Because once you hear it, the usual suspects asking for down payment money and ballroom sized rooms to prove their point start to feel a little less convincing.
This is a four piece system with real bandwidth and real room flexibility, but that’s not the point. It sounds like music with consequences. And at six figures, it has to do more than impress. It has to mean something.
We all claim we’re chasing the same thing, but it’s more complicated. This has always been a solitary pursuit. After decades and more than 80 shows, it’s clear the draw isn’t the gear. It’s the search. The hope that a system can deliver both emotional and intellectual connection. Not just analysis, but something that lingers after the last note fades, when the glow of the tubes slips into darkness and you’re left alone with it, letting whatever it stirred settle in. And it has to cut through whatever you brought with you into the room, including the cheap Scotch.
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That’s where the divide really lives. Technical precision is easy to admire. Resolution, speed, imaging. We can all point to those things and agree they exist. But connection is harder. It asks more from the listener and more from the system. It demands that the music move beyond being a collection of sounds and become something personal. Something that reaches past the brain and settles somewhere deeper. That’s the part no spec sheet can quantify, and the part most systems never quite deliver.
The problem is that a lot of high-end audio, especially at the six figure level, mistakes luxury for meaning. It reminds me of riding in a Mercedes Maybach S-Class. Immaculate finishes. Impressive engineering. A price tag that clears the room. And total isolation from the experience. You’re removed from the road. Removed from the moment. Audio can fall into the same trap.
At some point, you have to feel something or the whole thing starts to ring hollow.
If you’ve never had that moment, where a system pushes you past analysis and into something uncomfortable and real, then none of this matters. The gear. The price. The endless debates online with nasty idiots. It’s just expensive insulation from the thing you said you wanted in the first place.
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DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/Reference: Engineering That Serves the Music
The Orangutan O/Reference is a four piece system split into the A and B modules, each with a clear role. The A handles the main range with a 10-inch paper cone woofer built around an AlNiCo motor, copper Faraday rings, and a bronze phase plug to keep distortion low and behavior consistent across the band. Above that, a 1-inch silk dome tweeter and 0.75-inch super tweeter are both horn loaded in machined bronze, which helps with sensitivity and control without pushing the top end into something aggressive. The cabinet details are not cosmetic. Bronze ports and a decoupled brass input plate are there to reduce vibration and keep things clean.
The B module takes care of the bottom end with an 11-inch aluminum woofer and a matching passive radiator tuned below 20 Hz, powered by a dedicated 700 watt Class D amplifier with an all analog control section. You get adjustable crossover, phase, and low frequency EQ, but the key is how it connects to the rest of the system. The bass section takes its signal from the same amplifier driving the A module, so the tonal balance and texture remain consistent from top to bottom. It is not doing its own thing off to the side. It follows the same chain, which makes integration far less of a guessing game.
At $99,000, none of this should surprise anyone. What does stand out is that DeVore Fidelity actually gives you a meaningful range of finish options that let the speakers work in real living spaces. That should be standard at this level, but too many brands still treat it like an afterthought. John DeVore has never had that problem. His speakers don’t dominate a room visually, even when they are capable of filling it sonically.
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They scale in a way that feels almost deceptive. Bigger than they look. More powerful than they have any right to be. And maybe most important, they invite experimentation.
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I’ve heard DeVore systems driven by everything from low powered tubes to blowtorch solid state, across a wide range of sources, and there isn’t a single “correct” answer. That’s rare. Most speakers at this level demand a specific chain and punish you if you get it wrong. These don’t. They let you find your own way.
Where Tone Stops Being a Preference and Starts Being the Point
One of the constants in any DeVore room is that you’re not subjected to the same audiophile greatest hits you’ve heard 500 times. No safe demo tracks polished to death. If you’ve spent any time watching John DeVore speak on YouTube, you already know where that comes from. He’s direct. Intelligent. Thoughtful. He understands the subject and doesn’t hide behind it. And in the room, that translates to a kind of quiet confidence. He’s not hovering. Not steering reactions. He built it. He knows what it does.
There’s a reason his speakers divide people. Some listeners want scale, impact, and the visual statement of something that looks engineered to within an inch of its life. Polished metal. Exotic materials. A kind of precision that feels clinical. DeVore goes in a different direction. Across his lineup, including the Orangutan series, the emphasis is on how instruments and voices actually sound. Not as data points, but as living things.
Tone is the anchor. The weight of a piano. The texture of a saxophone. The human edge in a voice when it starts to crack. These speakers are not microscopes. They behave more like instruments themselves, moving air, resonating, and shaping energy in a way that feels closer to the real thing.
By his standards, the system looked almost restrained. A rack of Nagra electronics, not the top tier, feeding a Yuki AP-01EM with Glanz tonearms into a Phasemation phono stage and cartridges, all tied together with AudioQuest. Nothing about it leaned on excess. The sound told a different story. It was clear, grounded, and saturated with tone, with bass that filled the room without taking control of it.
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Before I left, the gentleman running the room put on Nick Cave. Just a quiet nod and the needle dropped. That voice carries history. The piano behind it has mass and decay that can collapse into something flat if the system misses the mark. I’ve heard far more expensive setups get it wrong. This one didn’t. It held together. It felt intact.
I moved into the second row and leaned forward, resting my chin on my hands against the back of the chair in front of me. Closed my eyes and remembered her. Her soft blonde hair in my hands. Those eyes. The smile that made me feel like I could take on the entire Empire by myself. It wasn’t nostalgia. It wasn’t distant. It was right there. Immediate. And a little dangerous in how quickly it pulled me in.
When a system can pull something like that out of you without asking permission, it’s doing something very few ever manage. If you’re looking for a reason to care, that’s it. And if you’re wondering what it might take to get there, start saving.
And before anyone starts wondering if I stumbled into a pot of gold after AXPONA, between the ATC EL50 Anniversary, Quad 2912X, and these from DeVore Fidelity, let’s be clear. I’ll be reviewing a pair of Orangutan O/baby this summer. Those I can afford. The emotional aftermath is another story.
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