ON-PREM

2016 and 2019 installations must meet the October 2025 baseline to reach cloud-hosted inboxes

Microsoft is upping the ante on Exchange Server security, warning that outdated on-premises systems will soon be blocked from sending email to Exchange Online.

From the second week of September, Exchange Server 2016 and 2019 machines that send email to Exchange Online through an inbound connector of the OnPremises type must be patched to the final public update baseline released in October 2025, according to Microsoft.

“This update level was released almost a year ago,” Microsoft stated, “and all organizations should have updated to it.”

Microsoft has been advancing its “oldest acceptable version” for some time, but this change takes the baseline to the final public update for Exchange 2016 and 2019. Any subsequent increase would leave only customers enrolled in the Extended Security Update (ESU) program or those who have migrated to Exchange Server Subscription Edition able to meet it.

Organizations may retain on-premises Exchange servers to support hybrid deployments, applications, or other systems that depend on them for email.

According to Microsoft, throttling and blocking apply only to servers sending email to Exchange Online through an inbound OnPremises connector. Other delivery methods are unaffected, and the policy does not necessarily cover “all servers in your organization.”

The company added: “This might change in the future,” which doesn’t sound sinister at all.

Administrators must balance the need to apply security patches promptly against the risk that an update introduces problems of its own – something Microsoft has, to put it delicately, caused in the past. 

Some administrators responding to the announcement were more than a little perturbed, although Microsoft has applied throttling and blocking to “significantly out of date” Exchange Server installations for several years.

The announcement gives administrators advance notice of a change Microsoft says would have happened anyway. “With or without this announcement, the change would have been made (just as it was made in the past, without any announcement),” explained Microsoft Principal Project Manager Nino Bilic.

“The bottom line is that admins really need to understand that updating Exchange should be done on time.” ®

Bose already sells one of the best-known open-ear earbuds on the market. Now an Indian consumer electronics company in which Bose owns a minority stake has unveiled a premium clip-on alternative developed in collaboration with Bose.

That makes the new Noise Master Buds Open, unveiled at IFA Berlin 2026, considerably more interesting than another pair of wireless earbuds joining an increasingly crowded open-ear category. The earbuds use a clip-on design that leaves the ear canal unobstructed and feature Sound by Bose technology, although Noise has not yet disclosed pricing or most of the final commercial specifications.

The official announcement is rather thin on those details, but public pre-launch documentation associated with the product’s FCC certification fills in some of the blanks. It lists 10mm drivers, Bluetooth 5.4, IPX5 water resistance, six-hour battery life and a weight of just 4 grams per earbud, along with Spatial Audio, Audio Boost and compatibility with the Noise Audio app.

Noise plans to start selling Master Buds Open in late September 2026, with pricing and individual market availability still to come.

Related Reviews:

Who Is Noise?

North American readers can be forgiven for asking.

Noise was founded in India in 2014 by Amit Khatri and Gaurav Khatri, initially selling smartphone cases before expanding into wireless headphones, earbuds, smartwatches and other connected devices. It has since become one of India’s largest wearable brands, with Counterpoint Research reporting that Noise maintained its leadership of India’s smartwatch market in 2024 while also ranking among the country’s largest TWS brands.

So this is not a tiny startup ordering generic Bluetooth earbuds from a catalog and hoping Instagram handles the rest. Noise has built a substantial consumer electronics business in India and has been working to expand internationally.

The relationship that matters most here began in December 2023, when Bose acquired a minority stake in Noise as part of the Indian company’s first outside funding round. The companies said they planned to collaborate on audio products and research, a partnership that subsequently produced the premium Master Series, including Master Buds, Master Buds 2 and the over-ear Master Buds Max.

Master Buds Open extend that collaboration into another rapidly expanding part of personal audio.

Not Actually Noise’s First Open-Ear Earbuds

There is one detail in the announcement that deserves clarification. Noise says Master Buds Open mark its entry into open-ear audio, but the company’s existing catalog already includes products such as ALT Buds Open ($99), Pure Pods ($55) and ALT Clip ($99) models using open-ear or clip-on configurations.

A more precise description is that Master Buds Open represent the Master Series’ first open-ear model and the first Noise open-ear product featuring Sound by Bose technology. That’s arguably more interesting anyway because Noise already knows how to compete at the affordable end of open-ear audio; this is its attempt to move the concept farther upmarket.

What Makes Master Buds Open Different?

The obvious differentiator is the Bose relationship, but we need to be careful about what that actually means. Noise says Master Buds Open were developed in collaboration with Bose and feature Sound by Bose technology, but it does not say they use Bose OpenAudio technology, Bose drivers or the acoustic hardware found inside Bose Ultra Open Earbuds.

Existing Noise Master products describe Sound by Bose primarily in terms of acoustic tuning and collaboration. Until either company publishes more technical information about Master Buds Open, there is no reason to assume Bose supplied specific hardware. A logo is not a teardown.

What we can confirm is an unusually lightweight design. The pre-launch manual lists each clip at only 4 grams, which is notably lighter than many current clip-on rivals and could matter more in everyday use than another page of Bluetooth features.

Open-ear earbuds are frequently worn for hours during work, exercise or commuting, so reducing the amount of hardware hanging from the ear has obvious ergonomic benefits. The harder problem is acoustic: an open design has to produce convincing bass and intelligible vocals without the physical seal of an in-ear monitor while also controlling sound leakage.

That is where Bose’s involvement becomes particularly interesting.

FCC Documentation Fills In the Blanks

Noise says complete specifications will arrive closer to launch, but the user manual associated with FCC ID 2BKRS-BUDSOPEN01 already provides a useful preview.

Each Master Buds Open uses a 10mm driver and connects over Bluetooth 5.4, with a stated wireless range of 10 meters. The earbuds carry an IPX5 rating, making them resistant to sweat and water jets but not suitable for submersion, while charging is handled through a USB-C case weighing 52 grams.

Battery life is listed at six hours per charge and 22 hours total with the case, although those should be treated as pre-launch figures until Noise publishes its final specifications. The same manual also says the case can recharge the earbuds five times, which does not mathematically reconcile with the stated six-hour runtime and 22-hour total.

Rather than invent a sixth form of arithmetic, we’ll wait for Noise to clarify it.

The manual also identifies Spatial Audio and Audio Boost modes, along with support for the Noise Audio app. Still missing are final details about Bluetooth codecs, microphone configuration, multipoint connectivity and exactly how the spatial processing works.

Those are more useful questions than counting how many times the word “premium” appears in the press release.

Open-Ear Audio Is Getting Much Bigger

Noise is entering the premium end of a category with significant momentum. Omdia reported that global Open Wireless Stereo (OWS) shipments exceeded 10 million units during Q3 2025, up 69% year over year, while open-ear shipments also expanded rapidly in India during 2025.

The attraction isn’t difficult to understand. Open-ear earbuds allow listeners to hear their surroundings, avoid the plugged-ear sensation of conventional IEMs and can be more comfortable during long listening sessions.

The compromise has traditionally been sound quality, particularly bass extension and isolation. Every manufacturer now claims to have solved that problem, so our ears will ultimately have to settle the argument.

Two Main Competitors

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds — $299 MSRP

Yes, Bose is effectively competing with a product developed by a company in which Bose itself owns a minority stake. Audio remains a wonderfully uncomplicated business.

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds use a cuff-style design and proprietary OpenAudio technology to position sound near the ear without blocking the canal. They offer Immersive Audio, Bluetooth multipoint, IPX4 water resistance and up to seven hours of standard stereo playback.

Bose launched them at $299, although promotional pricing can be substantially lower. Until Noise announces pricing, we cannot know whether Master Buds Open will compete directly on cost, but based on the rest of the Master Series it would be surprising to see them priced at Bose levels.

Sony LinkBuds Clip — $229.99 MSRP

Sony’s LinkBuds Clip attacks the same problem from another direction. The $229.99 clip-on earbuds use a 0.39-inch driver and include Bluetooth 5.3, multipoint connectivity, DSEE processing, 360 Reality Audio and IPX4 water resistance, with battery life rated at up to nine hours per charge.

Sony also includes a Sound Leakage Reduction mode, addressing one of the less charming aspects of open-ear audio: occasionally sharing your playlist with people who did not request it.

Sony has an established app, mature global distribution and years of wireless-audio experience. Noise may have a very different weapon if it can get the pricing right.

Noise Master Buds Open Specifications

The following combines Noise’s IFA announcement with information contained in pre-launch documentation associated with the product’s FCC certification.

*Listed in pre-launch product documentation and subject to confirmation when final commercial specifications are released.

Price & Availability

Noise says Master Buds Open will become available in late September 2026 through retail stores, major e-commerce platforms and gonoise.com. Pricing and specific regional availability have not been announced.

The product has already received FCC certification in the United States, and Noise operates a U.S. online storefront. That makes a U.S. launch plausible, but FCC approval should not be confused with confirmation that the product will actually be sold here.

We will update the story when Noise provides final U.S. pricing, availability and commercial specifications.

The Bottom Line

Noise is considerably more important in the global wearable market than many North American consumers probably realize, and its relationship with Bose gives Master Buds Open a hook most inexpensive open-ear products cannot claim.

The lightweight clip design is promising, the preliminary specifications are competitive, and Noise already has experience selling aggressively priced wireless products. The unanswered question is whether Sound by Bose can help close the sonic gap between affordable OWS products and premium competitors from Bose, Sennheiser and Sony.

Final pricing will matter enormously. If Noise can deliver genuinely good open-ear sound at the kind of pricing we’ve seen from the rest of its Master Series, Bose may have helped create a surprisingly dangerous competitor.

Corporate family gatherings could get awkward.

For more information: us.gonoise.com

Related Reading:

With three straight wins, Les Kiss’ Australia tenure is off to the perfect start, and victory against Argentina in Mendoza would be another huge step forward. Across three previous multi-game series, the Wallabies have never secured a sweep on Argentine soil, and to do so now they’ll have to break a telling pattern.

Argentina and Australia have alternated wins in their past six meetings, a run of results that illustrates both the Pumas’ improvements and the Wallabies’ inconsistencies.

The Sony Bravia 5 is a mini-LED TV with crisp images, strong contrast and great gaming features. It occupies that level in Sony’s TV range where the brand has historically struggled to maintain its high standards. The Bravia 5, though, bucks this trend in pretty spectacular fashion.

The Sony Bravia 5 retains both mini-LED lighting and local dimming, for starters, as well as an 120Hz panel to keep gamers happy. Sony says the Bravia 5 LCD panels are still made to the brand’s Master Backlight Drive standard too, and they’re equipped with a full up-to-date version of the Google TV smart system.

from the good-deals-on-cool-stuff dept

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Filed Under: daily deal

Most smartwatches get glued shut, live a short life, and then sit in a drawer. Google’s Pixel Watch 5 still refuses that fate. iFixit’s teardown team opened the 45 mm model and handed it a provisional 9 out of 10 on the smartwatch repairability scale, the same mark last year’s Pixel Watch 4 earned, with a few small changes that make the job even clearer once you are inside.

Opening the case feels more like servicing a dive watch than taking apart a little phone. Interior latches are released with two Torx screws, the rear sensor glass is removed, and reusable O-ring gaskets replace a smear of adhesive for water resistance. IP68 and 5 ATM certifications remain in place since the seals provide the function that glue typically accomplishes. You don’t need a heat gun to get started. You’ll need a driver, some patience, and the knowledge not to lose a screw on the carpet.

Google Pixel Watch 5 (41mm) – Android Smartwatch – Obsidian – Wi-Fi

• The new Google Pixel Watch 5 offers a smarter way to a healthier you.[1,2]; Designed for Gemini Intelligence, get proactive help, and personalized…
• Precision-crafted to do it all: The Google Pixel Watch 5 features the domed Actua 360 display with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass and up to 40 hours…
• Metrics that matter: Advanced sensors help you stay ahead of your health and wellness; and Google Pixel’s most accurate heart rate tracking is…

The most common type of repair is battery replacement, and Google has simplified that process. After the latches are removed, a few green screws guide you toward the vibration motor and ultimately the cell itself. The color coding is new to this generation. The 45 mm watch has a 465 mAh battery, which is 2.2 percent higher than last year’s 455 mAh unit, and the printed face of the battery even directs you to Google’s repair hub if you stumble in without a plan. Pull the connector, lift the cell, and the exhausted battery work is complete. iFixit has already produced a guide specifically for this exchange.

Screen work takes longer, but you still have a removable display and a gasket that can be replaced while the casing is open, which is important because those rings wear. Before the panel can be removed, you must first remove several screws of various lengths, a bracket, and a press connector. According to iFixit, that procedure is the only spot where a future Pixel Watch may become simpler. The site already has guides for the screen, back sensor glass, battery, and vibration motor, so you won’t have to guess based on a paused video.

The mainboard is mounted within the chassis using a single screw and a press connector on the reverse side. LTE variants feature a small antenna pogo pin on the edge. Drop that pin, and you’ll be on your knees for the rest of the afternoon. The hardware around that board has been upgraded: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 Accelerated platform, 64 GB of storage, and 3 GB of memory. Google claims a 20% speed increase over Pixel Watch 4. None of the additional silicon comes in the way of disassembling the watch.
[Source]

Holiday gift lists fill quickly with licensed toys, yet few manage to serve both the parent who still quotes the clock tower scene and the kid who just learned what 88 miles per hour means. LEGO Speed Champions 77256 Time Machine from Back to the Future does that job in 357 pieces for $22.49 (was $28), aimed at ages 9 and up. Finished size stays compact at just over 6.5 inches long, 4 inches high and 2.5 inches wide, so it fits a shelf, a desk or a mix of other 8-wide Speed Champions cars without dominating the space.

Builders start with a single shared chassis and then choose a movie. The first configuration makes use of the rear lightning rod and California OUTATIME plate from 1985. A few extra pieces transform it into the 1989 flying look, with Mr. Fusion attached at the back, an orange plate, and wheels flipped sideways. Both variants retain the rear air vents, a cockpit for two minifigures, a printed flux capacitor, and the time calculator. Conversion remains simple enough that switching between modes after the initial construction takes only a few minutes.

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LEGO Speed Champions Time Machine from Back to The Future Building Toy for Kids – Pretend Play & Display…

• MODEL CAR BUILDING TOY – The LEGO Speed Champions Time Machine from Back to the Future (77256) building toy for kids 9 years old and up lets young…
• 2 MINIFIGURES – Kids can place the Doc Brown and Marty McFly minifigures inside the cockpit for creative storytelling and pretend play adventures
• BUILD 2 WAYS – Kids can construct the DeLorean from the first Back to the Future movie with lightning rod and California license plate, then rebuild…

The majority of the visual load falls on printed elements. Flux coils, clock circuits, headlights, and other body panels are already decorated, requiring only seven stickers. On a much smaller scale, new slope pieces help recreate the DeLorean’s wedge contour and stainless-steel appearance. The roof lifts off cleanly, providing access to the interior without damaging the bodywork. Construction goes through five numbered bags and normally takes about an hour, with the LEGO Builder app accessible for 3D rotation if paper instructions become too cramped.

Marty McFly and Doc Brown both get updated prints. Marty wears a real puffer vest initially seen in another theme, and the separate piece rests over his torso, matching the 1985 suit more than a flat print ever could. Doc Brown gets a detailed radiation-suit body, a clock around his neck, and a two-sided skull. Both figures fit within the cockpit together, which is unusual for a single Speed Champions vehicle. The legs remain unprinted, a frequent sacrifice at this pricing, but the torsos and Marty’s vest make the pair clearly recognized.