Amazon Leo is ready to begin limited internet service later this year, but it’s far behind Starlink — several thousand satellites behind.

Amazon launched 29 more satellites into low-Earth orbit on Thursday, bringing its total to 396 and positioning the company to begin offering internet service to a relatively small customer base. Leo business and product VP Chris Weber posted on X that the company will be able “to support continuous service across initial latitudes.”  

Still lots of work ahead — including raising all these new satellites to their assigned altitude — but we’ve completed enough launches for initial service this yr, and future missions just add coverage and capacity,” he added.

More from CNET: Best Satellite Internet Providers for 2026

But Leo is starting a marathon that Starlink began in 2019 with its first launch. Trillionaire Elon Musk’s company has about 10,000 satellites in orbit and offers internet coverage to more than 150 countries. Starlink also either has or will have internet service on more than 200 airlines, including United Airlines, Air France, Alaska Airlines and British Airways.

In comparison Leo will only have limited service available to US customers later this year — coverage and price to be determined later — and is contracted by two airlines, JetBlue Airways in 2027 and Delta Air Lines in 2028. It will take several years and thousands more satellites launched for Leo to be able to offer widespread coverage in the US and elsewhere.

Of course, underestimate Jeff Bezos and his ability to compete and dominate at your peril.

Satellite internet is a big pie. Grand View Research estimates that the market will grow at a 15% rate from now until 2033, from $13.3 billion in 2026 to $35.7 billion by 2033. 

Hans Geerdes, a strategist at R&D firm CableLabs, said Starlink and its rivals pose a major threat to fixed internet service providers such as Xfinity, Verizon Home Internet and T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. “I think every fixed broadband operator should be very worried,” Geerdes said earlier this year. “It’s basically the second coming of fixed wireless, but at much better economics and with very, very aggressive competitive behavior.”

Leo eyes faster satellite deployment

Thursday’s Leo launch was the last of eight with its Atlas V rocket, which had a 100% success rate. Leo will conduct future launches with its heavier Vulcan rocket, which can carry more satellites at a faster deployment rate.

Melissa Wuerl, director of launch systems for Leo, said in a statement that the company has “hundreds of flight-ready satellites standing by” at Cape Canaveral in Florida. The company reportedly has nearly 100 launches scheduled at a cost of $82 billion. The goal is to have 7,727 satellites up by 2035.

Leo and Starlink’s satellites operate roughly 350 to 500 miles above the Earth’s surface, in the region known as low earth orbit (hence Amazon’s name for them, taken from the acronym LEO). This lower altitude allows satellites to deliver faster internet speed and also keeps it more affordable to install satellites into orbit.

Amazon is also hoping to capture a large share of the direct-to-device internet market. Direct-to-device internet basically means that a person’s cell phone or other device connects directly to a satellite. Key to that strategy was the company’s $11.6 billion purchase in April of Globalstar, whose low-earth-orbit satellites provide coverage in over 120 countries.

Predator. Omen. Legion, Asus. Imposing gaming PC sub-brands signal the power that elevates them over web-and-Word workhorses. But even before AI model training became the new killer app, gaming wasn’t the only application where performance, even GPU performance, commanded a premium.

Workstations such as Lenovo’s ThinkPad P series and HP’s Z series, optimized for applications like advanced data science, computer-aided design and 3D model rendering, have long boasted specs similar to leading gaming PCs. However, they ship in more conservative exteriors, offer greater durability, and traverse different distribution channels en route to the desks of enterprise users.

Rowing machines are a great way to get a low-impact cardio workout in. However, it’s easy to use this machine improperly, which is why it’s helpful to know what the right technique looks like. Whether you’re new to rowing machines or have little experience with them, it doesn’t hurt to learn how to row properly. It may take some practice, but once you nail the technique, you’ll understand why this is one of the best ways to do cardio in a short period.

We spoke with a personal trainer to understand the common mistakes people make with a rowing machine and how to fix them with simple cues.

1. You’re mainly using your arms instead of your legs 

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One of the mistakes most people make when using a rowing machine is focusing too much on their arms rather than their legs. 

“Most people sit down and immediately pull with their biceps like it’s a cable row,” says Gerard Washack, personal trainer and owner of Strong Republic Personal Training. The problem with this approach is that rowing mainly requires leg strength. 

“About 60% of the power should come from your legs driving against the foot plate, 30% from the hips and back opening up and only 10% from the arms pulling the handle in at the very end,” Washack explains.

To help people improve their rowing technique, Washack says he changes how the handle is held: “I have people row with their hands off the handle and tuck the handle into your hip crease and just push with legs, then hips, then arms in that order.”

2. You’re not postured correctly

Poor posture is another mistake rowing machine users tend to make. If you have rounded shoulders and a hunched back, you’re not getting the most out of your rowing.  

“The spine has to stay long and the chest open during the whole move,” says Washack. He cues clients by telling them to imagine they’re sitting on a barstool with their chest up. 

Proper rowing should look long and smooth, with the legs pushing first. Then, the back opens, and the arms pull last. On the way back, the arms go away from the body first, the body hinges forward and then the knees bend last. By following these cues, it should feel like your legs are doing most of the work.

3. The damper is on the wrong setting

The damper, the dial found on the side of a rowing machine, controls how much air flows into the fan. This is what you use to adjust the resistance of the rowing machine, and it influences how heavy the stroke feels. 

“Beginners usually move it to 10 because they think harder is better,” Washack explains, adding, “The damper isn’t a resistance setting like a weight stack; instead, it’s more like a gear on a bike.” Depending on your fitness level, he recommends the following:

• Beginners should keep the damper settings between three and five.
• Intermediate users who have their form down can set the damper between four and six.
• Advanced rowers who focus on interval training or power can aim for seven or eight, and sometimes 10, on the damper. 

Ultimately, though, it’s more about the effort you put into the row. “Elite competitive rowers usually train at four or five,” Washack says, but they’re focusing on their output versus the number on the damper.  

4. Your rower lacks maintenance

The damper, the dial found on the side of a rowing machine, controls how much air flows into the fan. This is what you use to adjust the resistance of the rowing machine, and it influences how heavy the stroke feels. Although a rowing machine doesn’t require as much maintenance as other types of fitness equipment, you should still do your best to keep it clean and replace any worn-down parts. 

Washack recommends inspecting your rowing machine every month. “Inspect the chain or belt for wear, the seat rollers for dirt and the foot straps for fraying.” You should wipe down the seat and handle after every use, as sweat that falls onto the seat track can wear down the machine. 

Depending on the type of rower you own, you may need to focus on different parts for maintenance: 

Air rowers: If you own an air rower like the Concept2, these are the easiest rowing machines to take care of. The chain will need occasional oiling, and the flywheel cage (the enclosure where the fan sits) needs to be kept dust-free. 

Magnetic rowers: These are rowers that have the most electronic parts and mechanical complexity — similar to some of CNET’s favorite rowing machine picks. “The magnetic resistance system can wear or shift over time, and the cables connecting the resistance to the console can fray,” Washack explains. “I recommend checking those connections every couple of months.”

5. You’re using the rower for the wrong workouts

Unlike a treadmill or an exercise bike, where you can do long, steady workouts, a rowing machine is best used in short bursts. 

Washack likes prescribing intervals to clients who use the rowing machine. “Programs like four rounds of 500 meters with two minutes rest between are my go-to,” he says. “Another day, I do a longer, steady aerobic piece, 30 to 45 minutes at a conversational pace where your legs are working but you could still talk.” 

For clients looking to improve their power and speed, Washack focuses on eight rounds of 250 meters with a minute rest. 

6. It’s your primary workout

Unlike a treadmill or an exercise bike, where you can do long, steady workouts, a rowing machine is best used in short bursts. While rowing machines are great cardio machines, they shouldn’t be your main form of exercise. You should be following a strength-training program in addition to your rowing workouts. 

“Combine rowing with two days of traditional strength training, and you’ve got a complete program,” recommends Washack. 

Overall, finding a form of cardio you enjoy is important, since it will keep you consistent, and including strength training and mobility exercises will help you remain fit and strong.

Dream, the Israeli AI cybersecurity startup that tripled its valuation to $3 billion this year, is expanding into Latin America. The company is targeting governments aligned with Washington in a region where cyber attacks are reportedly growing 25% annually and national defences rank among the weakest in the world.

The expansion is notable for what Dream’s co-founder built before. Shalev Hulio created NSO Group, the Israeli surveillance firm whose Pegasus spyware was used by governments to monitor journalists, activists, and political opponents across more than 50 countries.

Hulio founded Dream in January 2023, months after stepping down as NSO’s chief executive. The company describes itself as purely defensive, providing governments with AI-powered platforms to detect threats and patch vulnerabilities rather than the offensive surveillance tools that made Pegasus infamous.

The founders

Hulio’s co-founders are Sebastian Kurz, the former Austrian chancellor, and Gil Dolev, founder of intelligence-gathering firm Wayout Group. Kurz was convicted in February 2024 of making false statements to a parliamentary inquiry but acquitted on appeal in May 2025, with Vienna’s Higher Regional Court finding that the offence had not been fulfilled.

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Dream has more than 300 employees across offices in Tel Aviv, Vienna, and Abu Dhabi, with a Munich office planned. The company has built a sovereign data centre near Modiin, Israel, where it trains proprietary language models without relying on public cloud providers.

Why Latin America

Latin America is the world’s fastest-growing market for cyber attacks, with incidents rising roughly 25% annually according to industry estimates. A World Bank assessment scored the region’s countries an average of 10.2 out of 20 on cybersecurity preparedness, though the precise methodology and vintage of that figure could not be independently verified.

Costa Rica demonstrated the stakes in 2022. The Conti ransomware group hit roughly 30 government institutions, demanded $10 million in ransom, and forced President Rodrigo Chaves to declare a national emergency on 8 May, making Costa Rica the first country to take that step over a cyber attack.

Weeks later, the Hive group struck the country’s healthcare system, forcing hospitals to revert to pen and paper. The twin attacks crippled public services for months and showed that a mid-sized Latin American state could be paralysed by criminal hackers operating from another continent.

The political alignment

Dream’s push into the region coincides with a rightward shift that has brought several Israel-friendly leaders to power. Argentina’s Javier Milei has pitched his country as an AI hub and pledged to move its embassy to Jerusalem, aligning Buenos Aires closely with both Washington and Tel Aviv.

In Colombia, Abelardo De la Espriella won the presidential runoff on 21 June with 49.66% of the vote. He has pledged to restore diplomatic relations with Israel that his predecessor, Gustavo Petro, suspended in 2024 over the war in Gaza.

The alignment matters because Dream’s sales depend on government-to-government trust. Selling sovereign AI platforms to national security agencies requires a level of political intimacy that commercial cybersecurity contracts do not, and the company’s Israeli identity is an asset in capitals that have moved closer to Jerusalem.

The Pegasus question

Dream’s expansion into a region where surveillance technology has been exported to governments with poor human-rights records invites scrutiny. NSO Group was blacklisted by the US Commerce Department in November 2021 after Pegasus was found on the phones of journalists, dissidents, and at least one European Parliament member investigating spyware abuse.

Hulio has distanced himself from that legacy, resigning as NSO’s chief executive in August 2022 amid a corporate restructuring. Dream’s investors, led by Bicycle Capital and Group 11, have accepted his argument that defensive cybersecurity is a fundamentally different business from offensive surveillance.

Whether Latin American civil-society groups will draw the same distinction remains an open question. The region has a documented history of governments using surveillance tools against domestic opponents, and Dream’s founder built the most powerful one ever made.

The business case

Dream’s sales have reportedly exceeded $300 million, more than doubling over the past two years. The sovereign defence AI market is attracting new entrants, with startups like Rilian raising funding to deploy AI into air-gapped government environments, but Dream’s scale and government relationships give it a significant head start.

The company operates across three continents and counts sovereign clients in the Middle East among its largest accounts, though it does not publicly name its government customers. Latin America would add a fourth continent and a customer base whose cybersecurity budgets are growing from a very low base.

For Dream, the commercial logic is clear: sell to governments that need the technology, can afford it, and are politically willing to buy from an Israeli firm. For the region, the question is whether the man who built the world’s most notorious surveillance tool can be trusted to play defence.

The change in policy will create new rights for employees looking to stay in their careers for longer, as well as bring in new legal and operational obligations for employers.

This past week (commencing 29 June), the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment brought into effect the Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages) Act 2025, which introduces significant new rights for employees in Ireland and also places new legal restrictions and responsibilities on employers. 

The new rules mean that eligible employees, who wish to do so, can now choose to remain employed at their place of work for a period of time beyond their contractual retirement age, where that age is below the State Pension age of 66. 

The eligible employee can retire as scheduled if that is their choice and if they elect to stay on, they must formally notify their employer of their plans at least three to six months in advance.

The employer will be expected to consider any notification made under the new act and if they intend to compel retirement at a certain age, there are criteria to be met – namely, they have to respond to a notification within one month, clearly establish the basis for the decision and ensure that it is in line with the higher legal threshold set out in the act. 

In support of the new act, the Minister of State for Small Businesses, Retail and Employment Alan Dillon, TD has signed into law an updated Code of Practice on Longer Working, which was developed by the Workplace Relations Commission and is now also in full effect. 

Successful complaints around the new legislation brought by an employee through the Workplace Relations Commission could be awarded up to two years’ remuneration or €40,000, depending on which figure is higher.

On the employer’s side, a failure to provide a reasonable response to retirement notifications may constitute a criminal offence and is punishable by a Class A fine of up to €5,000 or imprisonment for up to 12 months. 

Golden years

Commenting on the recent change in policy, Ruadhri McGarry, an associate director at IT Search and a DevOps, cloud and cybersecurity specialist recruiter, explained that the right to request a later retirement date will also give older employees additional reassurances.

McGarry told SiliconRepublic.com, “It removes two specific worries. Financially, they can work at full pay for another year and continue pension contributions accordingly, and professionally, not everyone wants to retire – and so many people within the STEM community are deeply passionate about their work.”

It is an opportunity that he believes many people operating in the STEM space are going to take advantage of, particularly as he has noticed an increase in retirement-age professionals extending their tenure as they are still more than capable of producing exceptional work. In many cases they might pivot to consulting work to supplement income, but more often, in his opinion, it is about personal happiness and not feeling that they need to retire based on a calendar. 

He said, “We all need a sense of purpose and if any professional can contribute their decades of experience and drive, there is no real reason for them to stop.”

Turning challenge into opportunity

In the wake of the new rules, there may also be an opportunity for organisations to further capitalise on the expertise of employees reaching retirement age.

McGarry said, “From a big-picture perspective, that is an entire additional year, or more, that can add to the industrial body of knowledge.”

He added: “I fully expect employers to use this legislation and subsequent to maximise knowledge transfer across the generations, utilising senior employees to bring new focus to mentoring, project leadership and expertise retention. 

“Any legislative change that offers more choice to employees is always welcome, and those that choose to extend their careers for whatever reason will no doubt add a small but significant layer of experience to an entire sector.”

Addressing concerns that extending the tenure of older employees may limit opportunities for early-career starters or younger workers, McGarry is of the opinion that organisations will be clever in how they spend the remaining time with the established workforce. 

“I expect that when this change in legislation kicks in, firms will utilise that year to focus on knowledge transfer from technical staff approaching this new retirement date, giving a new focus for their final year,” he said.

“The limiting of opportunities for career starters would be minimal and more than offset by having additional time to learn from those at the end of their professional journey.”

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Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one. It has a holiday topic, and the answer grid shows up in bright colors, which fits the theme. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Ooh!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Happy 250th birthday!

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

• DARE, FARE, PARK, BROIL, ROIL, SPAR, COIL, BOIL, FAIL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

• BRIGHT, COLORFUL, DAZZLING, EXCITING, SPARKLING

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is FIREWORKS. To find it, look for the F that is four letters to the right on the bottom row, and wind up.

The trade that defined the first half of 2026, buying anything with proximity to a GPU, broke apart in the holiday-shortened week before Independence Day. The PHLX Semiconductor Index, which had surged more than 80% in the first half, sank 6.3% on Wednesday and 5.4% on Thursday, a two-session decline of roughly 12%.

While chip stocks cratered, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at a record 52,900 on Thursday, lifted by a 5% surge in Apple after Bloomberg reported the company had instructed suppliers to prepare 10 million foldable iPhones for a launch this autumn. All three major indices finished the week higher despite the rotation.

The numbers behind the crack

Micron Technology led the decline, falling more than 10% on Wednesday alone. SanDisk, Applied Materials, and Lam Research all dropped roughly 10%, while Intel and Marvell each lost about 9%.

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The selling intensified after reports that SK Hynix was slowing its expansion of high-bandwidth memory production, a signal that the supply side of the AI infrastructure boom may be catching up with demand. Equipment makers ASML, KLA, and Applied Materials all fell between 5% and 6%, suggesting investors are pricing in a slowdown in chip-factory orders.

The damage to chip stocks happened against a backdrop of broader macro uncertainty. June nonfarm payrolls came in at just 57,000, roughly half the 110,000 consensus estimate, and revisions to April and May cut a combined 74,000 jobs from previous tallies.

The unemployment rate dipped to 4.2%, but only because the labour force participation rate fell to 61.5%, its lowest level since March 2021.

Where the money went

The rotation was not a flight from AI but a repricing of where the returns will come from. Enterprise software stocks, led by ServiceNow, Snowflake, and Palantir, have been the primary beneficiaries, with the iShares Expanded Tech-Software ETF up 35% from its April low.

Snowflake surged 36% in late May after reporting strong earnings, adding 616 net new customers and lifting its count of million-dollar accounts to 779. ServiceNow, Oracle, and Palantir each rallied 6% to 8% in the session that followed.

The logic is straightforward. Investors spent two years paying premium multiples for the companies that supply AI infrastructure, and now they want evidence that it is generating revenue for the companies that deploy it.

Palantir’s Q1 revenue hit $1.63 billion, up 85% year over year. ServiceNow has projected $30 billion in subscription revenue by 2030, with roughly a third attributed to its AI product, Now Assist.

The valuation question

The first half left all three major indices in strong shape. The S&P 500 gained 9.6%, the Nasdaq rose more than 12%, and the Dow climbed 8.9%, its best first-half performance since 2021.

But the Shiller CAPE ratio sits at 38 to 40, second only to the dot-com peak of 44, and market concentration in the largest technology stocks has exceeded year-2000 levels. The difference, proponents argue, is that this time the companies are among the most profitable in corporate history, with Nvidia alone reporting net income exceeding $120 billion for fiscal 2026.

The counterargument is that profitability at the top of the supply chain does not guarantee profitability in the middle. Hyperscalers are on track to spend more than $650 billion on AI infrastructure in 2026, and the question that spooked markets in the holiday-shortened week is whether anyone below Nvidia in the stack will earn returns that justify those prices.

What the Fed changes

The weak jobs report reshaped the interest-rate picture overnight. The probability of a Fed rate hike at the 29 July meeting collapsed to about 22%, with a hold now the overwhelming favourite at 78%.

Fed chairman Kevin Warsh called the jobs picture “steady” and continued to emphasise his commitment to the 2% inflation target, without offering forward guidance on the rate path. A Fed that stays on hold gives equity markets one less reason to sell, but it also removes the catalyst that had been supporting bank stocks and the dollar earlier in the quarter.

What to watch

The market reopens on Monday with Q2 earnings season approaching. The results that matter most will come from the AI software layer: whether Snowflake’s customer additions accelerate, whether Palantir’s commercial pipeline converts, and whether ServiceNow’s AI attach rate holds at the levels it projected.

If the software companies deliver, the rotation will look prescient. If they disappoint, the AI trade will face a harder question: what happens when the infrastructure is built and the applications do not come.