Linus Torvalds called Linux 7.2-rc7 part of a "new normal" of oversized release candidates
Torvalds attributes the volume of fixes to reviews by various AI tools, a week after calling rc6 the biggest in years by commit count
The growth is in late-cycle bug fixes rather than features, and Torvalds credits AI review rather than AI authorship, with humans still writing and submitting the patches
Modern coding approaches dictate that Release Candidates should be expected to shrink as patches and code fixes get increasingly smaller as the software enters what many call a "stabilization phase".
Linux 7.2-rc7 did not do that, and neither did rc6 before it - and announcing the seventh candidate on August 9, 2026 Linus Torvalds wrote he could not say he was thrilled about the size of it, but that it is what it is: the new normal, with a lot of fixes, many of them the result of review by various AI tools.
A week earlier, opening the rc6 message, Torvalds had been blunter still, calling that release candidate huge and reckoning it the biggest rc6 in years by commit count.
An easier, detailed AI-enabled review process?
Torvalds is not describing AI writing for the Linux kernel; that still requires human intervention. The tools being used are review and analysis agents pointed at existing code, and they produce actionable bug reports. Humans then write the fixes, submit them through the normal subsystem maintainer process, and the creator of Linux, as the maintainer, pulls the code.
Phoronix, which closely tracks the cycle, describes the current environment as one in which AI and LLM coding and review agents keep kernel activity at an all-time high. It has resulted in a much larger-than-normal Release Candidate this late in the cycle; RC7 comes packed with a plethora of bug fixes that would otherwise have been in play much earlier in past cycles.
By one count of the RC7 pull, more than 400 fixes came in from upwards of 230 contributors, a volume more typical of an early merge window than a closing candidate.
Torvalds noted in the accompanying message that nothing looked particularly scary, and that the majority of the fixes were spread across drivers, filesystems, core networking, and architecture code, which was relatively small, making a potential release by the following weekend possible.
The AI approach doesn't have Mr. Torvalds particularly keen, but he has subtly acknowledged its advantages when it comes to code review, and it could bring a different issue into play: the maintainer model, which involves a few trusted individuals to read and test code before it is eventually released to the masses may not be too keen to have the equivalent of an AI-powered firehose of fixes and new information to deal with indefinitely.
For now, it seems larger updates are the new norm, for better or worse, and AI will be powering an increasingly large share of code review in an ecosystem that drives most of the world's servers, smartphones and tablets, as well as a sizeable portion of its personal computers.
The FlexiSpot EN1 has long been the budget standing desk we recommend for those who wants a more secure wobble-free setup. Currently, the EN1 is $110 (was $170) at Amazon. Both the black desk and a model with a white frame and wooden top are discounted right now, to suit a variety of workspaces.
And what seals the deal based on our testing of standing desks is the inclusion of a single-piece desktop. Most cheap electric desks of this price have the less stable splice-board, with the desk using two pieces of wood instead of one.
An electric height-adjustable desk with a seamless, single-piece 48"x24" desktop. Height range runs 28.9in to 46.5in, with 4 memory presets for quick sit-stand switching and a 176lb weight capacity. Assembly is simplified compared to older FlexiSpot models, with fewer steps and less lifting required.View Deal
Why we recommend it
We've tested many FlexiSpot standing desks, and each one has impressed us with their build quality and price. So, while we haven't tried the EN1, expect the same quality here that we've experienced across the company's range.
Beyond our excellent experience with FlexiSpot in general, the main reason we recommend the EN1 is because of its single-piece desktop design.
Most standing desks under $150 use a splice-board top, essentially two pieces of wood joined at a seam, which keeps costs down but sacrifices rigidity. The EN1 uses a whole-piece desktop instead.
That makes it more stable when loaded with your laptop, monitor, and accessories, holding up better over time than cheaper alternatives in the same price bracket. The reasoning is simple: a one-piece top flexes less under load and doesn't develop the seam gap that splice-board desktops can show after a year or two of use.
It's also a genuinely simple desk to assemble and operate, with a four-button memory panel that handles the sit-stand switching without any fuss.
You can find cheaper standing desks (the Fezibo model seen in our guide to the best standing desks is the cheapest). But if you're prepared to spend a few dollars more, we absolutely recommend opting for the EN1.
Should you buy it?
✅ Buy the FlexiSpot EN1 if...
You want the sturdiness of a single-piece desktop without paying premium prices, you're working with a couple of monitors and the usual desk clutter within a 176lb limit, or you want a simple four-preset control panel without extra frills.
❌ Skip the FlexiSpot EN1 if...
You need storage and built-in cable management, a higher weight limit, or more premium materials, like those found on FlexiSpot's E7 Pro or a Herman Miller.
Price Context & Historical Value
This is the usual deal price we see on the EN1 - although it briefly dipped to $100 back in January, which is relatively rare. We wouldn't recommend paying full price for this, as it's often on sale for $110.
The discount brings the EN1 close to what budget splice-board desks typically cost, which is why this deal is worth flagging. You're not paying a premium for the single-piece top, and you get all the core features we expect to see in a standing desk.
The Catch: What to know before you buy
This is a two-leg desk, so if you're loading it up with heavy monitor arms or a lot of desktop hardware, you may notice more flex at full height than you would on a four-legged design. There's also no built-in cable management, so budget for a separate tray or sleeve if a tidy setup matters to you.
For anyone who wants a stable, no-frills standing desk without paying for features they won't use, the FlexiSpot EN1 at $109.99 is worth a look.
Apple may or may not be working on a mostly-glass 20th anniversary iPhone. This long-rumored passion project would not necessarily transform the iPhone into a fully translucent device, but would extend the front and back glass panels so that they almost meet around a far thinner metal border.
But like a rabbit hiding inside the secret compartment of a magician's hat, the device, depending on your perspective, might not exist and may only appear through the force of sheer will or alchemy.
What's not in question is that the iPhone will celebrate 20 years of existence that started on January 9, 2007, the day Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs held it aloft at Macworld in San Francisco. That it didn't ship for another six months is unlikely to dissuade Apple from engaging in some introspection and external celebration.
That might include a glassy iPhone.
On one side, we have an analyst stating that, owing to poor manufacturing yields, Apple scrapped plans for the 20th anniversary device. On the other side, we have Apple soothsayer Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claiming the glass iPhone is on track. In the middle, though, is the reality of a device that challenges the limits of physics and promises more glass than metal.
I think it's safe to say that Apple will ultimately produce an exciting, albeit practical, 20th anniversary device that we may get off-schedule in mid-2027. If the design is particularly challenging, then it may be a limited run, priced like a museum piece, and mostly never used by the relative handful or so Apple enthusiasts who manage to score one.
Buried under the [rumor] mill
The entire saga, though, led me to a different realization. I mean, what are we even talking about here? This conversation about a 20th anniversary iPhone is raging (and has been for years) just weeks before Apple unveils not just its iPhone 18 line, but the highly anticipated folding iPhone or iPhone Ultra.
That's a big deal, even more so because the flexible device will be held up not by long-time CEO Tim Cook, but by John Ternus, who will have officially taken over the reins just days before (September 1). It's a huge moment for the company and the tech industry.
And yet we're still obsessed with "what's next?"
No doubt, most tech companies suffer from this a little bit, but nothing like the insatiable curiosity that's dogged Apple since the launch of the first iPhone. The tech rumor mill was, in some ways, developed simply to support all the leaks and guesswork surrounding much of what Apple does, especially as it pertains to the iPhone.
We're still obsessed with "what's next?"
This impulse didn't take years to develop. It was on full display in 2007. This October 9, 2007, story mused about whether or not the next iPhone would feature an Intel chip. This CNet feature obsessed somewhat presciently over a potential name change ("the 2G iPhone"). And the 2009 YouTube video went on an iPhone design deep dive, even touching on the never-delivered "iPhone Nano".
Apple, I'm certain, doesn't mind the attention, and as long as the leaks are not breaking the law or revealing clearly stolen information, they're happy to let the rumors percolate. For those working on these new devices, however, there must also be some level of frustration.
Just imagine if you're working on a big project and your customers say, "Yeah, great, but what about the next one?" Or every time you serve dinner, your family asks what you're making for tomorrow or begins speculating on what you might make and how it'll obviously be better than what you just served.
Apple can never get away from attention, turning our distractible heads toward the future.
When I attend an Apple iPhone launch event, I always laugh at how stories about the next iteration appear right after the launch of the still new iPhone — one I haven't even reviewed yet.
None of this serves consumers, who are usually still struggling to understand their current devices and maybe some of the new hardware currently on offer. Talking about a distant and sometimes improbable future only confuses and probably frustrates them.
Who is this serving?
Lately, the impulse to look past the present is creating this sonic dissonance wherein the pundits cannot even agree on the fundamentals of an uncertain future. They're free to make proclamations, even wildly different ones, because Apple will naturally never tell them (or us) otherwise. The information is so contrasting that it becomes useless (even if markets sometimes move on these rumors).
It's gotten so out of hand that we're already discussing the iPhone Ultra 2 and the Ultra 3. That's right, the unreleased folding phone has, according to rumor, been greenlit for second and third iterations. This is the only scientific proof we have that vacuums have weight and, in fact, get heavier over time. (Narrator: Pure vacuums have zero mass and weight.)
What if we stopped trying to fill these information vacuums with pure speculation and unfounded guesswork? What if we stopped fixating on the "what's next" and stuck with the "what's new," especially at least until we understand the impact of the new thing?
How, for example, will the folding iPhone, which may or may not be called Ultra, fare? It too is entering an uncertain future where it will compete with the well-established Samsung Galaxy Z8 line, especially that oddball Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.
As you may have noticed, for as popular as Samsung is, it doesn't really suffer or enjoy a rumor mill in quite the same way. Yes, there are always rumors about the next Galaxy line, but they're usually confined to the upcoming model release and not two or more years down the line.
I'm excited about Apple's next iPhone and am honestly over speculating about anything beyond that. Perhaps you and Apple are too.
- Announced in November 2025 - It will be the show's final season - Expected to premiere in 2028 - Filming could begin in early 2027 - No trailer or other footage available yet - Many of the show's cast will return - Some actors won't reprise their roles - Plot will pick up after the season 3 finale - Other story details teased in its source material - No plans for a surprise fifth season
House of the Dragon season 4 has plenty riding on it. With the high-fantasy show's next chapter set to be its final installment, it'll have to deliver a fittingly fiery conclusion to the Targaryen Civil War, and wrap numerous other subplots and character arcs before its final credits sequence rolls.
All of that, and the final season's 2028 launch, feel a long way off at this stage — but that doesn't mean we can't look forward to its eventual release. So, if you want to know more about its possible cast, expected storylines, and more besides, this guide to the Game of Thrones prequel's next chapter is geared towards you.
Hop on, dragonrider, and let's take flight together.
House of the Dragon season 4 release date: what we know
Daemon will return in House of the Dragon's final season (Image credit: HBO Max)
HBO hasn't revealed next season's official launch date yet. However, as part of a multi-show renewal announcement that confirmed House of the Dragon season 4 was in development, the US TV network's boss Casey Bloys said it would premiere sometime in 2028.
Of course, plans can change, but word is that the cameras will start rolling in early 2027. Should that be the case, I'll be more confident that House of the Dragon season 4 will make its HBO Max debut in 2028.
House of the Dragon season 4 trailer: is there one?
Any idea when we'll see next season's first trailer, Alicent? (Image credit: HBO)
Unsurprisingly, no — and we won't see one for a long time yet. Once a trailer for House of the Dragon season 4 is unveiled, I'll update this section.
House of the Dragon season 4 likely cast
We'll see Aegon II and Aemond again next season (Image credit: Ollie Upton/HBO)
Full spoilers follow for House of the Dragon season 3, and Fire and Blood, aka the book the show is based on.
Here's who I expect to see in House of the Dragon season 4:
Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen
Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower
Matt Damon as Daemon Targaryen
Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon
Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II Targaryen
Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen
Bethany Antonio as Baela Targaryen
Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen
Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull
Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull
Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria
Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer
Tom Bennett as Ulf the White
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Daeron Targaryen
Freddie Fox as Gwayne Hightower
Jefferson Hall as Tyland Lannister
Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers
Joplin Sibtain as Jon Roxton
Kyrt Egyiawan as Orwyle
Archie Barnes as Oscar Tully
Annie Shapero as Alysanne Blackwood
Dan Fogler as Torrhen Manderly
Amanda Collin as Jeyne Arryn
Three big names were taken off the proverbial chess board in last season's finale, meaning they won't return for chapter 4.
James Norton's Ormund Hightower and Tommy Flanagan's Roderick Dustin were both gravely injured as part of their Tumbleton duel. The pair were then burned alive by Ulf and his dragon Silverwing in the final throes of said conflict.
Meanwhile, Phia Saban's Helaena committed suicide by throwing herself from a window in Maegar's Holdfast as a way out of being Rhaenyra's perennial prisoner. This trio, then, won't be back for another round.
So long, Helaena (Image credit: HBO Max)
There are bound to be a few returning faces, including Jamie Kenna's Ser Alfred Broome, while individuals like Ser Marston Waters and an unhinged, so-called prophet known simply as The Shepherd, who are yet to appear in House of the Dragon, might also show up.
In Fire and Blood, Broome and Waters play integral roles in the Fall of Dragonstone and/or other late-game events. Meanwhile, The Shepherd is responsible for instigating the Storming of the Dragonpit, a hugely significant event that was teased as part of Helaena's dream sequence in season 3 episode 7. I have a wild theory about the identity of The Shepherd, though, which you can read more about in my season 3 ending explained article in this guide's plot section.
That all said, House of the Dragon has taken some creative liberties with its source material, so there's no guarantee that this triumvirate will be part of proceedings. Hopefully, it won't be too long until HBO confirms season 4's full cast roster, and we can say with certainty that they, plus other returnees and newcomers, will take part.
House of the Dragon season 4 story speculation
Rhaenyra has fully committed to her tyrant queen persona (Image credit: HBO Max)
Full spoilers follow for House of the Dragon season 3. Fire and Blood spoilers are also discussed.
Season 4's story synopsis hasn't been revealed yet, but we've got a good idea of what'll happen next
My House of the Dragon season 3 ending explained piece contains some clues about where things will go from here. Meanwhile, those who've read Fire and Blood will definitely know what's in store for Rhaenyra, Aegon II, and everyone else moving forward.
I'm about to dig into some aspects of the latter, so this is your one and only warning: potentially big spoilers immediately follow for House of the Dragon season 4. Skip to the next section if you don't want any major story beats ruined ahead of time.
What'll become of Corlys Velaryon next season? (Image credit: Theo Whiteman/HBO)
Still here? You'll already know — or want to know — that there are many more deadly events yet to be played out in the Dance of the Dragons.
Indeed, the Fall of Dragonstone and Storming of the Dragonpit notwithstanding, we should also see live-action depictions of the Battle Above the Gods Eye, the Second Battle of Tumbleton, and the final showdown between Rhaenyra and Aegon II.
Other moments, such as the Moon of the Three Kings, Battle of the Kingsroad, the False Dawn, and Hour of the Wolf could also be adapted. However, House of the Dragon season 4 already has plenty of destructive and life-threatening ground to cover, so I'd be surprised if the latter pair are shown in any great capacity, if at all.
There could be further ructions in the Velaryon household in season 4 (Image credit: HBO)
That said, the series could end on an unexpected note. Asked by Business Insider about how he planned on concluding things, Condal replied: "We've talked about this being kind of a World War II movie: There are plenty of World War II movies that exist where you tell the story within this greater war, but the curtain drops at some point in the story, and it's not necessarily with Japan's surrender or Hitler dying in the bunker — these big kind of endpoints where you could say World War II truly ended. You're telling the story within the story.
"So, in no way to comment at all on how we're planning on ending this, but I think that was the trick," he continued. "Because Fire & Blood is a decades-spanning history, the question is really more 'Where do you drop the curtain on this particular story?. We're telling the story of the Dance of the Dragons... at what point do you drop the curtain on this, [in a way] that feels satisfying and like you've told a complete story, but also that leaves certain things open-ended? [By] telling the audience, intentionally, that history marches on."
Ulf White and Hugh Hammer might no longer be affiliated with the Targaryens or Hightowers (Image credit: HBO)
Before things come to an end, there are many subplots and character arcs to tie up. Those include — but aren't limited to — Rhaenyra potentially losing more allies in Baela, Addam, and Corlys; Aegon and Aemond teaming up to tackle Daeron and Rhaenyra; Alyn having to deal with taking the life of the High Septon under Rhaenyra's orders; and Hugh reckoning with Cat's death, and how that'll impact his loyalty to Rhaenyra.
Furthermore, there will be Alicent learning of Helaena's death and Aegon II's return, Mysaria's possible role in instigating a rebellion against Rhanyera, and Ulf being a dragon-wielding wildcard whose no longer loyal to Team Black or Team Green — and that's just dealing with some of the show's expansive ensemble.
Of course, the biggest question of all is: will House of the Dragon be able to give closure to everyone in the eight, 60-minute-long episodes that remain before its final curtain call? That remains to be seen. But, with other popular shows recently failing to stick the landing from a finale standpoint, Condal and company will hope House of the Dragon doesn't become the latest one to under-deliver for its fanbase.
Will there be a fifth season of House of the Dragon?
Who else pulled this face when they realized there won't be a fifth season? (Image credit: HBO Max)
Right now, no. Speaking to Deadline in January, HBO boss Casey Bloys replied "yes, that is the idea" when asked if the show will end with season 4. In a separate chat with Deadline this June, showrunner Ryan Condal also said "I think I have said what I have to say about Westeros" — the implication being that, once House of the Dragon's fourth season has ended, it won't return for another outing.
There's always the prospect of HBO replacing Condal with someone else if it felt that a fifth season was necessary, but it would be bizarre to see another individual helm a single season of it. It would be even weirder if House of the Dragon's story continued after season 4, because the show was only intended to cover the Targaryen Civil War as it's outlined in Fire and Blood.
There's plenty more ground to cover with House Targaryen and Westeros more generally post-The Dance of the Dragons. Those stories are arguably best told in separate Thrones spin-offs, though, rather than being the foundations on which to build a fifth season. In short: don't expect to see House of the Dragon season 5 once the show reaches what's expected to be its natural end with its fourth and final installment.
Synology lowers NAS entry costs without removing future hardware upgrade flexibility
Four new NAS models arrive with expandable memory and familiar hardware
Lower default memory creates cheaper starting prices across the new lineup
Synology has introduced the DiskStation neo+ Series, a new lineup built to give buyers more flexibility over cost and performance from the outset.
The series includes four models — the DS1825neo+, the DS1525neo+, the DS925neo+, and the DS725neo+ — each sharing hardware with existing Plus units.
The company says each new unit is built on the same platform as its Plus Series counterpart but ships with a different default memory setup and price tag.
Synology created room for future upgrades
All four models rely on AMD processors with 64-bit architecture and include a hardware encryption engine.
The DS725neo+ uses an AMD Ryzen R1600 processor featuring 2 cores, 4 threads, and clock speeds of 2.6 GHz with a boost reaching 3.1 GHz.
Meanwhile, the DS925neo+, DS1525neo+, and DS1825neo+ all rely on the AMD Ryzen V1500B processor, offering 4 cores, 8 threads, and a 2.2 GHz operating frequency.
In terms of memory, the four-bay DS925neo+, five-bay DS1525neo+, eight-bay DS1825neo+, and two-bay DS725neo+ ship with 4GB memory but are expandable up to 32GB.
The larger DS1825neo+ and DS1525neo+ models include PCIe 3.0 expansion slots supporting optional 10GbE or 25GbE networking cards, while built-in M.2 slots provide SSDcaching capabilities.
All models include 2.5GbE networking and expansion support through the DX525 unit, allowing storage capacity to increase as requirements become more demanding.
Buyers searching for the best NAS may still need to compare memory configurations carefully because the standard Plus models offer higher default ECC memory on selected versions.
Synology believes that the new memory approach broadens purchasing options by allowing buyers to select lower initial costs while retaining the ability to increase capacity later.
“Desktop models remain at the heart of our NAS ecosystem,” said Bie-I Chu, Executive Vice President of the Synology NAS Group.
“As memory market dynamics shift, the neo+ Series reinforces our commitment to accessibility, giving customers the freedom to scale hardware according to their immediate budget and future growth.”
The company has confirmed that the neo+ products will remain alongside the existing Plus Series instead of replacing those systems, giving buyers additional configuration choices.
DSM software remains unchanged across the new range
Although hardware memory differs from several Plus models, the software environment remains unchanged. Every neo+ device runs the same Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system.
DSM includes Synology Drive for private cloud access, cross-platform file synchronization, and site-to-site replication for organizations operating across multiple locations with shared storage requirements.
Active Backup Suite protects Windows, Linux, macOS systems, virtual machines, and cloud accounts while supporting off-site backup strategies intended to improve data resilience.
Surveillance Station also enables each compatible NAS to function as an on-premises network video recorder for monitoring multiple security locations from one interface.
The DiskStation neo+ Series is now available through Synology's global distribution channels, though there are no official prices for these models.
Chinese research vessel lingered above critical Pacific undersea communications infrastructure
Taiwan's Coast Guard warned the vessel to turn away from the Pacific Light Cable Network
Windward linked slow vessel movements with recognized intelligence-gathering behavior
A Chinese-flagged research vessel was recently observed loitering directly above an undersea cable system connecting Taiwan to the United States.
Taiwan's Coast Guard filmed the encounter and warned the 200-foot ship to alter its course away from the cable route.
The cable is the Pacific Light Cable Network, an 8,000-mile fiber-optic system linking Taiwan, the Philippines and the US.
A pattern consistent with intelligence gathering
Maritime analysis platform Windward tracked the vessel moving at slow speed directly over the cable route in the Philippine Sea.
The company described such slow-speed movement over critical undersea infrastructure as one of the clearest signals used in maritime intelligence gathering.
Windward stated plainly that cables do not move, adding that "vessels that hover over them get noticed" by trained analysts worldwide.
Though the vessel's name and identifying number were withheld, Windward said it had operated repeatedly near the disputed Paracel and Spratly Islands.
Records also placed the same ship as far as the Bay of Bengal and waters off Sri Lanka in earlier years.
Analysts also noted increased Chinese research vessel activity east of Taiwan since June alongside broader maritime operations in surrounding waters.
Some analysts have expressed concerns that Beijing's military-civil fusion policy could enable information gathered by civilian research vessels to support military activities.
However, no publicly available evidence has verified that the vessel gathered intelligence or transferred information to Chinese military authorities during the reported voyage.
Beijing refutes the claims
Chinese authorities have consistently denied that their vessels intentionally damage undersea cables, calling such accusations premature and politically motivated overall.
They accuse Taiwan and several Western governments of concluding before formal investigations into these incidents are completed.
Chinese-flagged vessels have featured in previous investigations into damaged undersea cables around Taiwan.
NATO officials and Taiwan's own Coast Guard have also linked Chinese-flagged vessels to earlier cable disruptions, including suspected sabotage in the Baltic Sea.
On its part, China claims that all its maritime activities are completely legal and respects international maritime law.
Submarine cables worldwide now carry roughly 99% of all intercontinental internet traffic, making their protection a growing global security concern.
The Pacific Light Cable Network carries added significance because Taiwan alone produces more than 90% of the world's most advanced semiconductor chips today.
This network was originally planned to connect Hong Kong before US regulators blocked that route in 2020.
American officials cited concerns at the time that the connection could directly expose sensitive US data to Chinese intelligence services.
The project was later reconfigured to link only the United States, Taiwan and the Philippines, bypassing Hong Kong entirely afterward.
Analysts believe the recent deployments may gradually normalize China's presence in waters that Taiwan has long regarded as strategically important.
Whether the vessel's activity ultimately amounted to scientific research or intelligence collection remains unresolved.
If you're of a certain age, you'll remember the frisson of excitement around the launch of Gmail back in 2004. The idea of getting 1GB of storage space completely free of charge seemed wild — and all of your messages could be got at in a simple web browser tab.
As someone who had become accustomed to deleting emails to save space, and painstakingly moving over message archives manually every time I got a computer upgrade, this sounded fantastic. So did being able to get at my emails from any device I wanted, instantly (that seems less appealing these days, somehow).
Something else Gmail has done really well down the years is act as a hub for other email accounts, letting you import and send messages from other accounts inside the Gmail interface — with all the benefits of powerful search, filtering, and spam flagging tools. Now though, most of that functionality is going away.
These are features that I've relied on for decades inside Gmail, and it's going to make my email experience much more frustrating and fragmented.
What's changing
Gmail is focusing on Google emails now (Image credit: Ascannio / Shutterstock)
Charting the gradual dismantling of these features inside Gmail is tricky, because the updates have largely come through emails to users and updates to support documentation — there aren't really any official blog post announcements to point to (it's not surprising Google wants to keep all of this quiet).
The most recent news is that the ability to send emails from other accounts through Gmail is going away, and will be switched off completely from January 2027. If you currently send your Outlook or Yahoo messages through Gmail, as I do, you're going to have to find another solution from the start of next year.
A couple of other features are also being killed off in January 2027 as well, though these changes are ones we've known about for a while. You'll no longer be able to import messages from other accounts via the old POP protocol — something I've relied on for years to get emails from all of my various accounts into the same place — and you won't be able to use the Gmailify feature that essentially adds a few Gmail features (like spam protection) to your third-party accounts.
As someone who primarily uses Gmail on the web, and has several email accounts feeding into it, these are significant changes — and I'm not the only one upset about them. My current setup means I can have separate emails for work, app sign-ups, newsletters, and so on, and keep them all in Gmail for searching, filtering, and labeling, and it's been a simple and reliable setup.
Now I'm going to have to go back to jumping between three or four different email apps to check everything. Different rules, different storage limits, different interfaces. It's an annoying set of changes, which Google hasn't really explained — presumably the idea is to keep users focused on Gmail, and to cut costs.
What to do next
You can still access other accounts in Gmail on mobile (Image credit: Google)
You do have a few options for trying to cling on to Gmail as a message hub, though none of them are ideal. You can get your third-party email account to auto-forward messages to Gmail — it means you'll have them in your Gmail archive for filtering and searching, though there's no 'send as' functionality.
This might cost you too: It's a paid-for extra for Yahoo Mail for example. That's particularly galling for me, because Yahoo is one of the accounts I feed into Gmail. I rely on it for newsletters, tickets, store accounts, general admin, and the like, and now I'm not going to be able to get at any of that inside Gmail.
Another option is to set up a desktop email client on Windows or macOS, which feels very old school. Gmail still supports the IMAP standard, and so do most other modern email services: all of your email will be together in one place, but you're only going to be able to access everything in one place from whatever desktop computer you set this up on.
Lastly, you can still add third-party accounts inside the Gmail app for Android or iOS. However, while this will let you view all your emails in one unified inbox, it won't actually move anything over to Gmail — if you open up the web app, your other accounts and all the messages inside them won't be there.
It's all a bit of a sorry mess, and I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do going forward. What's certain is that I'm not going to be able to carry on as I have been, and that Gmail is going to be a significantly less useful email hub for me in the future.
Researchers tested AI-generated patches on six CVEs with poor success rates
Many fixes failed, altered behavior, or introduced new vulnerabilities
Guidance improved outcomes, leading to FLAWED evaluation harness release
When using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to fix vulnerabilities, security professionals are most of the time just robbing Peter to pay Paul, experts have warned.
Researchers from 1Passwords Off-by-1 Labs analyzed fixes proposed by two frontier models - ChatGPT 5.5 at “medium” effort, and Claude Opus 4.8 at “high” effort.
As an experiment, the researchers took six recently disclosed CVEs and produced 6,080 patches using two frontier, cyber-capable reasoning models. The results were underwhelming to say the least - of all the proposed patches, just a quarter (26%) fully resolved the issue.
FLAWED work?
This obviously leaves plenty to be desired, as half (49.3%) of the patches failed to fix at least one existing exploit path. A fifth (20.1%) fixed the original issue but changed application behavior, while 2.3% introduced new security issues. Funny enough, 2.2% failed to fix the vulnerability while also introducing additional exploit paths, as well.
Even among the patches that might be considered (26% of clean ones and 20.1% of those that changed app behavior), more than a third were fragile and not entirely addressing the underlying problem.
The researchers created an acronym for automated LLM patches: FLAWED (Fix-Like Artifacts With Embedded Defects), and warned against letting AI work without human oversight: "The expected value of a fully LLM-generated, non-human-reviewed patch is a net-negative by a considerable margin."
Results drastically improved when the AI was given better context, the researchers further explained. Before working on any patch, human developers are usually given initial guidance. When AI is given proper guidance, its success rate rises to 65%. Incorrect guidance, on the other hand, drops the success rate down to 15.2%. The difference between humans and AI is that humans are better at catching misleading information and poor guidance.
This doesn’t mean developers will, or should, abandon AI. Worst case scenario is that developers will spend more time reviewing AI-generated fixes which could increase cognitive load and still end up being net negative. Therefore, the researchers released a patch evaluation harness called FLAWED, which organizations can now use to determine the effectiveness of their AI-generated fixes.
The Apple AirPods Pro 3 have just received a surprise price cut at Amazon, bringing the excellent premium earbuds down to just $189 (was $249) at the retailer.
That's the lowest price since the retailer's annual Prime Day mega-sale back in June, and likely the best deal we'll see for a while. Ever since Prime Day, these buds have stubbornly held at $199, which is the usual 'sales price' for Apple's premium buds.
Even though the record low is officially $169, the AirPods Pro 3 only hit that on one occasion over Prime Day, so today's price cut is definitely worth considering. Even at $189, the AirPods Pro 3 are an excellent buy for anyone looking for some high-end buds. Not only do they feature excellent noise cancellation, but they're packed with new features like heart rate monitoring and Live Translation.
The AirPods Pro 3 are cheaper today at Amazon
Amazon has dropped Apple's AirPods Pro 3 to $189.99, which is the best deal I've seen on these buds in well over a month. Upgrades to the AirPods Pro 3 include improved Active Noise Cancellation and audio, a new comfortable in-ear design, and new features such as live translation and the ability to track heart rate, workouts, and calories burned.View Deal
We awarded the buds an impressive four and a half stars out of five in our AirPods Pro 3 review, calling them 'near-perfect noise-cancelling earbuds' at the time. While not exactly cheap, they offer excellent noise cancellation and sound quality.
If we had to draw any criticisms, we'd mention that the AirPods Pro 3 don't have class-leading battery life (around 5.5 hours in our testing). You'll also need one of the latest iPhones to really take advantage of their full suite of features like Live Translation and personalized fitness insights. They're still great with older devices, but iPhone 15 and newer devices support Apple Intelligence, which is required for the newest bells and whistles.
