A crop of famous faces take on a festive task in this special outing. Here's how to watch The Celebrity Apprentice Christmas Specials online and from anywhere.
All the ways to watch Inoue vs Picasso live streams online, including PPV options as the Monster defends his undisputed super bantamweight crown against El Rey.
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From crime comedies to spy thrillers via the latest from the creator of Dawson's Creek, here are three canceled Netflix shows from 2025 that are still worth checking out.
The Dell Pro Max 18 Plus is a massive 18-inch portable workstation with more power than most would even know what to do with. It’s the developer’s dream machine, the coder's crutch, and the engineer's engine
The UPerfect UColor O Lite is a powerful 13-inch portable monitor with a great display, hyper-portability and some easy modifications to make this a secret weapon in your tech stack.
How to watch Heated Rivalry episode 5 online and in the UK, US, Canada, Europe, Ireland India, Asia and around the globe as the steamy hockey drama breaks streaming records.
The Geekom AX8 Max is a mid-range mini PC sporting an AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS with integrated Radeon 780M, enabling it to handle day-to-day office tasks, multimedia, and a touch of gaming, whilst maintaining a small form factor and footprint.
It might looks like a USB flash drive, but this neat, simplistic design hides a powerful SSD that offers the perfect option for backing up files on the go.
Ash Hewson, CEO of Affinity, explains why the popular design platform is free for all and how the move challenges the prevailing orthodoxy across the creative landscape.
The world's top tungsten talent visit the Ally Pally mecca in London, here's how to watch 2026 World Darts Championship live streams online from anywhere in the world.
Norton VPN is closing out the year with a bang, releasing a slate of updates that deliver significant improvements to speed, server availability, and user security. Here's all you need to know.
Locai Labs has launched the UK’s first homegrown AI assistant, claiming it outperforms GPT-5 and other global rivals in conversation, reasoning, and user preference.
Netflix has just announced the biggest entertainment shake-up for years with its $72 billion deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. But what does this mean for you?
Major tech firms are racing to deploy AI infrastructure in orbit, aiming to solve Earth’s digital bottlenecks and reshape how global systems connect, compute, and respond.
Designed for rack mounting, this 4-bay direct-attached storage (DAS) offers an easy way to quickly boost desktop or NAS storage. The D4-320U is built for pure simplicity, bolts directly into a standard rack, and offers four bays that will take 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SATA drives, then connects directly to your NAS or computer through a simple USB cable.
The Devolo WiFi 6 Router 3600 5G LTE is a network-enabled router that makes it possible to connect to either a standard broadband connection or, with a SIM installed, use a mobile for internet connection. This means that as long as you have AC power, you can use this powerful dual-band WiFi 6 router in almost any location.
Sony has announced a new DualSense Wireless controller that will go on sale next week, and it's inspired by one of the most popular free-to-play games.
Here's how to watch UK Championship 2025 live streams from anywhere in the world, including for free, as the biggest names in snooker take to the baize in York.
As Tommy tries to fix Cooper's mess in Landman season 2 episode 2, the father-son duo become closer than ever. For Billy Bob Thornton, it was all 'natural'.
Maxton Hall season 2 episode 5 throws another huge spanner in the works for James and Ruby's relationship, and Mortimer is about to destroy one of them.
Mimi says her ChatGPT companion helped her heal and reconnect with life. But her story raises urgent questions about loneliness, technology, and what care really means.
From ChatGPT to Gemini-powered cameras, we're covering everything you need to know in the world of AI with in-depth beginner's guides, features, and reviews.
Camp Snap's fabulous digital reimagining of the single-use film camera is available in multiple colorways and now you can add your name of choice to one – it's a neat gift idea for budding creatives.
The headline feature here is the price: a 5K monitor for less than $600/£600, and while there are a few other models matching this specification, and at this price point, few equal the elegance of design or a dual mode that enables you to switch from high resolution to high refresh rate, making this suitable for both intensive colour-accurate work and games.
The Piocreat Halot-X1 is an MSLA resin 3D printer that offers 16K resolution and one of the first true level-three designs. The build area is pretty decent considering its relatively compact footprint, and with auto resin feeding and a quick-release build plate, this printer marks a pivotal point in resin 3D printing.
The Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS) is a lighter, cheaper, and more portable version of the original Legion Go. Powered by the latest AMD Z2 Go, the handheld can play most games with buttery smooth framerates, albeit with some slight adjustments.
The Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250) can be so many things, a budget productivity machine or gaming powerhouse, depending on the configuration. Regardless, it’s worth your attention.
Here's our live coverage of the launch of Battlefield 6 Season One. This includes the start time, what's being added, as well as info on the new Battlefield battle royale mode.
Featuring a powerful CPU/GPU combo, bright, high-resolution AMOLED screen, quad cameras, powerful camping light and huge capacity battery, this rugged smartphone is about as refined as they come. Designed for those who need a mobile device that can withstand the elements and go days, if not weeks, between charges.
As a Rugby League Ashes series two decades in the making begins at Wembley Stadium, see how to watch England vs Australia live streams from anywhere and for FREE.
Offering laptop power in a very portably frame, the M3-powered 11-inch iPad Air released only just a few months ago and has just been hit with its biggest discount yet.
Windows 11 offers superior productivity and efficiency gains, and its not too late to make the switch from Windows 10 now that it has reached end of life.
iOS is the best mobile platform for triple-A games – giving Apple the chance to do something weird and wonderful for mobile gaming with its long-rumored folding iPhone.
The Adata SD810 has been designed for anyone needing large capacity storage that can withstand more than just a few knocks and exposure to the elements. It features a compact size, IP68 certification, and speed and capacity to meet the needs of photographers and other professionals working outdoors.
The K2 range has arrived with the launch of two new machines, the K2 and the K2 Pro, with the larger build space now making three very distinct size differences in the range. As the one in the middle, the K2 Pro is going to be the obvious choice and, for K1C owners, finally offers a decent upgrade route.
Here's how to watch Australia vs New Zealand live streams online, with the All Blacks and the Wallabies still in with a chance of winning the Rugby Championship.
The HISHUB Portable SSD combines storage, hub functions, and heavy charging, although real-world performance remains unproven beyond Kickstarter demonstrations.
Thirteen Big Brother stars speed across the Continent to win $1,000,000, and this guide explains how to watch The Amazing Race: European Adventure online and free from anywhere.
Discover essential SEO tools integrated into website builders to improve search rankings. Get automated optimization suggestions and data-driven keyword insights.
The UK Government’s proposal to prohibit certain ransomware payments marks a notable shift in national cyber policy landscape - but does it amplify the risk?
M&S says its chief digital and technology officer is taking a break following damaging cyberattack forced widespread operational disruption earlier this year.
The Plaud NotePin is a wearable AI voice recorder that's been designed for anyone who needs to take notes or summarize conversations or meetings. Think of it as an AI-enhanced dictaphone; however, it doesn't just record the audio but also has the ability to summarize anything said in a variety of handy ways.
The Nighthawk M7 Pro builds on the speed and reliability of previous Netgear mobile routers, but adds Wi-Fi and data transfer speed of up to 6 GB/s. That speed ramp in use makes a significant difference, firstly to the speed of your Internet connection and secondly to the number of people who can connect to this one mobile router whilst working out in the field.
There’s a ticking clock in the world of cybersecurity and it’s counting down to what experts call Q Day — the day when quantum computers will theoretically become powerful enough to break some of today's cryptographic methods, and render many existing encryption methods obsolete.
Or at least that’s the theory. In truth, nobody can predict with absolute accuracy when, or even if, quantum computers will reach the level of sophistication and practicality to manifest this threat. But that doesn’t mean businesses shouldn’t be thinking about it.
While some are hearing the tick of the Q Day clock, others remain unaware. So, what is Q Day, is it a big deal, and what do businesses need to know to prepare?
Do businesses need to be aware of Q Day?
The short answer is yes. The potential threat that quantum computers could pose to current cybersecurity methods cannot be understated. What was once academic theory, akin to technology you’d see in a science fiction novel, is making strides towards reality.
Big companies like IBM and Google, as well as governments and startups, are racing to build more powerful quantum machines. These computers are still in the early stages, but they’ve already grown from handling a few quantum bits (or “qubits”) to managing hundreds, and they’re getting better at solving complex, specific problems.
While quantum computers can’t yet break the encryption software and protocols that protects the internet, experts seem to be reaching a consensus that the day that this could be a reality is about 10-15 years away. This is the so-called Q Day.
Aside from the obvious threat that breaking current encryption poses, businesses also need to be aware that the rise in quantum technology is being taken seriously by governments and regulators alike.
Agencies like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have standardized post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) algorithms, while Europe’s ENISA is focused on standardizing the implementation and certification of PQC through schemes such as EUCC, all in preparation for Q Day.
When is Q Day?
Unfortunately, as with all things quantum, answering when Q Day will be is not simple, because no one knows for sure. It’s all dependent on when (and if) the technology reaches a specific level of capability and practicality. And it’s not only about the number of qubits.
However, the speed at which quantum computing is moving forward has prompted agencies like the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to put timelines in place.
The NCSC’s timeline for migrating to a quantum safe method of encryption has three phases: discovery and planning by 2028, early migration by 2031, and full migration by 2035.
That gives businesses a maximum of six years to plan and prepare to migrate their critical assets. But again, this timeline is not set in stone — Q Day could come sooner than 2035, later, or it could never come.
It’s difficult because we are talking about technology that hasn’t realized its theoretical potential yet, and no-one has a crystal ball. Quantum computers don’t follow Moore’s Law; they scale non-linearly, and quality matters more than quantity when it comes to qubits.
What do businesses need to do to prepare?
Staying calm should be step number one. Quantum technologies can sometimes be subject to scaremongering, pushing people to make premature or misinformed decisions. And I hate this FUD; it doesn’t lead to the best security outcomes.
Of course the threat is theoretically coming, but it isn’t imminent. Even if quantum computing does eventually break common encryption methods, it’s unlikely that everything will change in the blink of an eye — there will be time to prepare.
However, the time to prepare is now, not when the first quantum-powered breach makes headlines. And that starts with getting your basic digital hygiene sorted.
Organizations should begin by auditing their IT estate with two aims: the first being to identify what IT assets they have, because you can’t update or protect what you don’t know you have. The second is to identify which of those assets are most at risk, especially those dependent on public-key encryption or requiring long-term data confidentiality.
This is great security practice anyway - building a decent asset inventory will bring you gains beyond just post-quantum migration planning.
The next step is to prepare the inventory; decide what needs to be end-of-lifed, and prioritize what you have to migrate. It’s a short sentence to write, but a very long exercise. Good luck. Annex A of this ETSI standard has a very helpful set of questions to help.
If you want to follow the latest standards, here’s a quick update on where we are. NIST has published 3 PQC standards: FIPS 203, 204 and 205, with two more on the way: FIPS 206 in draft and a new fifth algorithm recently announced.
The mathematics is there, but we’re lacking the integration into protocols and widely used technologies. Instead of tracking NIST now, I’d recommend the best group to follow is ETSI’s Quantum Safe Cryptography Working Group focuses on the practical implementation of quantum safe primitives, and the IETF’s PQUIP group, which summarizes all the post-quantum efforts in internet standardization today.
When should businesses prepare for Q Day?
The NCSC timelines are very clear: prepare and plan by 2028, so that you can migrate by 2031. But the uncertainty on when/if Q Day will arrive complicates this slightly.
Prepare too early and you risk adopting immature technologies and standards, potentially increasing vulnerabilities. Wait too long and you may leave critical systems exposed.
The key is finding the timing that’s just right — it’s what I call the Goldilocks Theory and again, it comes down to preparedness: making a good asset inventory, while staying on top of the latest post-quantum standards.
Q Day may be uncertain, but your preparation shouldn’t be. Start planning now — not out of fear, but out of foresight.
This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here:https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro
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In today’s work-anywhere culture, people are more connected than ever. As work becomes more mobile and meetings more virtual, one form of cyber threat is quietly becoming more common: audio surveillance.
Cybersecurity now extends far beyond protecting email accounts and stored files. In a hybrid working environment, where conversations happen over video conferencing, voice messages and shared screens, it’s not only your data that is at risk. The conversation itself can become a target.
And here is the reality, according to Forbes, an overwhelming 95% of all cybersecurity breaches are caused by human error. This includes everything from sharing sensitive information without proper safeguards to joining calls over unsecured networks.
It doesn’t always take a sophisticated hack to cause real damage. Sometimes, the risk comes from the tools we trust, the places we connect from or the assumptions we make about who’s listening.
The illusion of safety
Imagine opening your laptop at a coffee shop, putting on your headset and jumping into a client meeting. The connection seems strong, the audio is crystal clear and everything feels just right. But what if someone else is eavesdropping?
In hybrid work, we often step outside the secure walls of the office and into environments we can’t control. That flexibility is a defining feature of modern productivity, but it also opens the doors to silent risks. An unsecured café Wi-Fi network, for instance, can make it remarkably easy for malicious actors to intercept audio streams or access shared content without detection.
Every call, screen share and calendar invite can include sensitive materials, such as financial data, customer details, upcoming campaigns, or internal strategy. A breach of confidential information could result in serious consequences, including regulatory penalties, disciplinary action, financial and reputational liability, or even job loss.
Recent research published in ScienceDirect highlights just how vulnerable virtual collaboration can be. A comprehensive review of video conferencing platforms revealed persistent security flaws, including weak encryption protocols and insufficient access controls, that leave meetings open to unauthorized access and potential surveillance.
For hybrid professionals working from hotels, shared spaces or home networks, this means even the most routine call could be silently compromised if the right safeguards aren’t in place.
More than just a call
In hybrid work, our headsets, webcams and conferencing tools have become the new endpoints of trust. But here’s the uncomfortable truth; a headset isn’t just a device, it’s a data hub that carries voice, client queries, business sensitive information and, in many cases, biometric data like tone, speech patterns and emotional cues.
The risks aren’t just external either. With the rise of AI, even internal tools are learning from the voices of everyone in a company. If not built securely, they could share that information with more than just your team. We live in a world where what we say can be stored, analyzed and even weaponized.
That’s why companies are rethinking how they protect their people, not just their files. Security isn’t just about firewalls anymore, and IT teams need to consider about everything from what a headset hears to how your video bar streams to the cloud.
The quietest threats are the loudest warnings
It’s easy to spot a phishing email or a suspicious link. But the more subtle threats, like unsecured pairing between a headset and a laptop, or a public connection masking malicious intent, are the ones that slip through the cracks.
Imagine walking into a crowded room and announcing your company’s quarterly results out loud. You’d never do it. But working unprotected in a public space can be equally as revealing.
As reported by Comparitech, cybercrime is projected to cost the global economy $10.5 trillion USD annually by 2025. Businesses need to think beyond whether they will be targeted or not, it’s an inevitability.
Raising the Standard
Business leaders need to adopt the ethos that the only individuals who should be on a call are the ones who’ve been invited. That’s why all devices need to have an emphasis on security.
This includes encrypting conversations, implementing secure device pairing and building-in automated defenses against man-in-the-middle attacks. And implementation alone isn’t enough, IT teams need to stress-test solutions with in-house and contracted ethical hackers. This ensures customer trust is built into the very fabric of the tools we use.
Hybrid work is here to stay, and that’s a good thing. It gives workers freedom, flexibility and balance. But with that freedom comes a new kind of responsibility: to protect the digital spaces businesses occupy, the voices employees share and the people they connect with.
The next time you plug in your headset, ask yourself “who else might be listening?”. The biggest risks don’t always come with red warning signs; sometimes, they arrive quietly, just like a spy among us.
This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here:https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro
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KPMG's TaxBot development consumed months of drafting a 100-page prompt
Partner-written tax advice had been scattered across countless laptops
KPMG Workbench hosts multiple LLM models from competing vendors
When large language models began attracting global attention in late 2022, KPMG’s digital leaders immediately recognized potential benefits but also major risks.
Chief digital officer John Munnelly admitted that first experiments with ChatGPT produced “really scary” results, including the discovery of sensitive financial data sitting unsecured on internal servers.
That incident caused the firm to suspend experiments, restrict access to public AI tools, and reassess the dangers that uncontrolled deployment might introduce.
Building a private AI platform
KPMG subsequently began constructing a closed environment for AI work, supported by software licenses that allowed access to OpenAI and Microsoft systems.
This move gave the consultancy a chance to design applications within safer boundaries, eventually leading to a platform called KPMG Workbench.
The system combined retrieval-augmented generation, multiple LLM options, and agent hosting capabilities.
Rather than depending on a single vendor, the firm deliberately spread usage across OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, and Meta.
Throughout 2023, extensive effort was devoted to training employees on how to write prompts effectively and interact with AI writer systems.
By 2024, the Australian arm of KPMG initiated projects to build specialized agents. Among them was the so-called TaxBot, a tool designed to prepare tax advice.
Munnelly explained that development began by gathering partner-written advice that had been “stored all over the place,” often scattered on laptops.
That information, combined with Australia’s tax code, was placed into a RAG model to produce automated drafts. TaxBot, however, was not trivial to construct.
According to Munnelly, its creation required a 100-page prompt, drafted over months by a dedicated team, and ultimately fed into Workbench.
The result is a system that requests several inputs, seeks guidance from human experts, and then generates a 25-page document for client review.
Munnelly claimed the agent now performs tasks that once took two weeks in a single day, a change he described as “very efficient.”
He suggested that quick turnaround is particularly important for clients engaged in time-sensitive deals such as mergers.
Yet he also emphasized that only licensed tax agents are permitted to operate the tool, acknowledging that output without professional oversight is not suitable for general users.
Beyond efficiency, KPMG argues that the introduction of agents has boosted staff satisfaction, since repetitive tasks can be avoided.
Additionally, some clients have expressed interest in acquiring similar agents, generating revenue streams KPMG did not originally anticipate. Nevertheless, the firm concedes that measuring precise benefits remains difficult.
It feels like only yesterday that the internet was abuzz with the news that Xiaomi – best known for its smartphones, watches and wearables – smashed the electric production car record at Germany’s infamous Nurburgring.
The SU7 Ultra beat the formidable Porsche Taycan Turbo GT and the $2.5m Rimac Nevera, as well as shaming the Tesla Model S Plaid, itself a car that embarrassed many dedicated performance brands when it set a blistering time back in 2021.
Now Yangwang has performed a similar feat, breaking an EV top speed record by hitting an eye-watering 293.54mph at the ATP test track in Germany.
It beat previous records held by the Aspark Owl and the Rimac Nevera. Yup, another blow to the brand whose CEO is now head honcho at Bugatti.
The fact that the Xiaomi SU7 bettered a Porsche Taycan Turbo GT on its very first lap around the Nurburgring is mildly embarrassing
The Yangwang U9, which is just one model from the high-performance sub brand of BYD, is particularly impressive given its ground-breaking electric powertrain. The Track Edition that set the record features four motors, each of which develops a staggering 744bhp.
Total output tickles almost 3,000bhp, while the clever torque vectoring system ensures the majority of this grunt can be delivered to the road by monitoring and adjusting torque to each wheel more than 100 times a second.
There’s also a DiSus-X Intelligent Body Control System, which automatically adjusts the suspension system for maximum grip and reduction of pitch and roll. The same tech enables the standard road-going car to leap over potholes.
(Image credit: Yangwang/BYD)
What’s more, Yangwang says it is pioneering a 1200V ultra-high-voltage vehicle platform in this car, one that has been optimized to handle the sort of extreme battery discharge scenarios experienced during a high-speed record attempt.
China clearly has a stranglehold on battery technology and is currently leagues ahead of western automakers in both the chemistry and production capabilities
Right now, an 800V system is considered cutting-edge and is enough to see batteries brimmed in under five minutes from the most powerful charging stations. Yangwang didn’t go into any details, but we expect this U9 Track Edition can slurp juice from a MegaWatt charging station at astonishing rates.
There is also no word on what the bespoke Track Edition would cost a private buyer, but the ‘standard car’, complete with some 1,300bhp, went on sale in 2024 priced at 1.68 million Yuan (or around $236,000 / £193,000 / AU$400,000).
To put that into perspective, that is more than the current Ferrari F80, which cost almost $4 million if you were lucky enough to get invited to buy one.
Shifting perceptions
(Image credit: Porsche)
Despite the impressive feats demonstrated by both Xiaomi and Yangwang, the general sentiment among US and European performance car enthusiasts is that the threat is largely overhyped, that it’s "easy to make electric cars go fast in a straight line" or that nobody is going to spend their hard-earned cash on something badged Yangwang.
While it is true that brand value remains arguably one of the most important factors when it comes to the world of luxury and performance cars (Ferrari’s profits hit $2.67 billion last year), the age of electrification is changing all of that and the Italian marque might not experience the same success when it launches its debut EV this year.
I lost count of the number of times the phrase 'Temu Ferrari' was banded around the comments sections
Porsche said this week that it has scrapped its Cellforce high-performance battery division, which was set up to produce the sort of next-generation cells that would power upcoming electric hyper cars, such as the previously-teased Mission X concept.
The German sports car-maker said that a "global lack of volumes" means that it is not financially viable to proceed with its plans to develop its own batteries. It has also slowed its transition to purely electric vehicles, as customer demand has been relatively weak.
Performance that doesn't cost the earth
(Image credit: Xiaomi)
China clearly has a stranglehold on battery technology and is currently leagues ahead of western automakers in both the chemistry and production capabilities, but it is also proving that it now has the technical knowhow to produce brutally capable electric performance cars.
The fact that the Xiaomi SU7 bettered a Porsche Taycan Turbo GT on its very first lap around the Nurburgring is mildly embarrassing, especially for a brand that has been building and racing cars for over 75 years.
Chinese brands are already busy making the electric vehicle more affordable for the masses, but it is also on a mission to democratize performance
Similarly, Yangwang looks like it has the technological prowess to produce a version of the U9 that could crack the 300mph max speed barrier – something that was achieved by the physics-defying, $4million+ Bugatti Chiron Super Sport just last year.
Put simply, China is busy smashing electric vehicle records and many are still adamant that the brands are somehow substandard or cheaper replicas. I lost count of the number of times the phrase 'Temu Ferrari' was banded around the comments sections of various news coverage.
Chinese brands are already busy making the electric vehicle more affordable for the masses, but it is also on a mission to democratize performance. A fact that has many of the most revered brands heading back to the drawing board.
In China, both the Yangwang U9 and Xiaomi SU7 have proven to be huge sales successes for the two brands, as the domestic market naturally pivots towards the latest technological advances.
It's still yet to be seen whether the rest of the world even wants high performance EVs of this nature – but if it does, China will be there to offer them at a fraction of the price.
It probably hasn't escaped your attention that Windows 10 support expires on October 14, 2025. Given that, there's precious little time left before those who remain on the operating system without taking any action will be left with no security updates. Those patches are vital protection for your system, and without them, an unsupported version of Windows is open to new vulnerabilities and potentially being compromised.
If you want to stick with Windows 10 – maybe you dislike Windows 11, or your PC is unable to run it – then there are actually a few options for getting additional support for an extra year. This will carry you through to October 2026, giving you more breathing room to decide on the next step for your Windows 10 PC.
These options can be accessed via the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program that Microsoft revealed late last year, which is being offered to consumers for the first time. (Previously, this scheme was for businesses only.)
You'll have three choices – one of which is completely free, though it has a small catch – so let's go over those next before addressing the issue of how you actually sign up for the ESU scheme (which is causing confusion for some people).
(Image credit: Shutterstock - Wachiwit)
ESU Option 1: Free updates via syncing PC settings
This is the route I'll be taking, and I imagine it'll be the preferred option for a lot of Windows 10 users. This way, you don't need to pay anything at all for the extra year of support: Microsoft just asks that you sync your PC settings to OneDrive (via the Windows Backup app).
Note that you don't have to back up all your PC's data, only the settings. I've seen some confusion about this online, with people not keen on 'giving Microsoft all their data' - you aren't doing this, rest assured. You do have to share your PC settings, though, and you will, of course, need to be signed up for a Microsoft account.
ESU Option 2: Use Microsoft Rewards
If you've accumulated Microsoft Rewards points, which are accrued by using Bing or other Microsoft services, or spending at the Microsoft Store, you can use these to pay for the ESU scheme. It'll cost you 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points.
ESU Option 3: Pay $30
If you don't have Microsoft Rewards points and absolutely refuse to sync anything with Microsoft, then the only remaining option is to pay for the extra year of extended support. It'll cost $30 or the equivalent in your local currency. Note that even if you pay for extended support, you'll still need a Microsoft account.
(Image credit: Shutterstock/fizkes)
I can't see the ESU scheme anywhere - how do I sign up?
You sign up for the ESU program by clicking a link in the Windows Update panel. Just search for 'Windows Update' in the taskbar search box (or Settings), and when you're in the panel, you might see an option to 'Enroll now' for Extended Security Updates on the right-hand side of the screen.
Notice I said that you might see it, because here's the thing: Microsoft has only begun rolling out this option right now. As Microsoft recently clarified, it's a slow-paced rollout, meaning a lot of folks can't see it yet, myself included (at the time of writing). However, rest assured that it's coming; you'll just have to be patient.
Microsoft has promised that the ESU enrollment wizard will appear on all Windows 10 PCs before the support deadline expires in mid-October. So most likely, you'll see it on your PC in September at some point (possibly after that month's update). Just keep checking back in Windows Update and it'll turn up eventually, or it should do, barring any weirdness or bugginess on Microsoft's part (which can't ever be fully ruled out).
Whatever you do - don't do nothing
Make sure you know what you want to do in terms of getting extended updates, and keep checking back to sign up for the ESU program. Whatever you do, don't just stay on Windows 10 after October 2025 with no updates provided, because as time ticks on, you'll increasingly be running a greater risk. The more months that pass by, the more security holes that may be revealed and remain unpatched, possibly opening the door for your Windows 10 PC to be hacked in some way.
If you don't get extended updates for Windows 10 sorted, or don't like any of the options, and don't want to upgrade to Windows 11, then look at moving to another platform. A Windows-like flavor of Linux might be your best bet.
One of the hardest 'skills' in photography is often staying motivated to keep shooting. Once you've learnt the fundamentals, how do you keep that spark of beginner enthusiasm? It can be easy to fall into a rut and stop shooting completely. That's what happened to me, so a few months ago I took the nuclear option and gave my old Fujifilm X-T3 an infrared conversion.
There were definitely simpler, cheaper alternatives, but I justified the decision in a few ways. Firstly, my old X-T3 was gathering dust and I needed to either sell it or give it a new lease of life. Secondly, I have a bad habit of throwing money at creative blocks and couldn't justify buying any more lenses. But most importantly, I live in the UK and was summertime was on the horizon.
1/2000s at f/8, ISO 160. I soon learned that darker leading lines usually work best with infrared photography.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
Photographers often recoil from the summer like vampires because of the harsh light and ludicrously early sunrises. But this is actually the season where infrared photography shines. Sunlight is bursting with 'near-infrared' light, whose wavelengths are invisible to the human eye. Yet with the right kit, you can capture this light – and see the world in new and strange ways.
It's still early days for my infrared adventure, but I'm very glad I took the plunge – and if you're similarly looking for a refreshing vacation into the surreal, then it could be for you too...
Instant snow mode
Infrared photography is, like astrophotography, a world unto itself. You could spend days learning the theory of 'false color', 'channel swapping' and 'hot spots' without even taking a photo. I wanted to keep things simple, so I took the easiest route.
There are broadly two kinds of infrared photography and two ways to get into it. The psychedelic kind, which was big on 1960s albums covers, is 'false color'. It's called 'false' because the human eye can't see infrared light, so color is added using editing techniques – and the results can be very strange indeed.
1/1000s at f/9, ISO 160. I've shot in London's Richmond Park many times, but it was refreshing to get infrared's almost graphical take on the cycling hotspot.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
For me, pink trees and blue grass is just too big a leap into the strange, so I leaned towards black-and-white infrared photography. This still has the surreal element of glowing leaves and dark skies, but without going full Salvador Dali. Plus, as someone who doesn't typically shoot in monochrome, it gave me a bonus challenge.
So how do you start an infrared adventure? The cheaper and arguably more sensible option is to use lens filters, which you can buy from the likes of Hoya and Urth. But the downside is that these drastically cut the amount of light coming into your lens, so you usually have to use a tripod and long exposures.
This didn't really work for me, because the big appeal of infrared was the simplicity – heading out at a reasonable hour on a sunny day and shooting black-and-white. So I took the other option of converting an old camera.
1/800s at f/8, ISO 160. Complex scenes don't always work well in infrared photography, but high-contrast light helps – and the XF70-300mm lens works well with IR cameras.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
Being based in the UK, I found Protech Photographic, who converted my Fujifilm X-T3 for £300 (around $410 / AU$620).
The likes of Kolari offer a similar service in the US, though I can't vouch for the quality. The DIY route is also possible, but definitely not for the faint-hearted (or ham-fisted).
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1/640 at f/8, ISO 160. I'd like to return to Petworth Park in the UK as it's a bit of a goldmine for IR photography.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
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What is infrared?
(Image credit: Shutterstock / petrroudny43)
Infrared has a longer wavelength than 'visible light', which is what the human eye can see. The world reflects infrared light differently, which is why trees glow and skies darken. Most IR-converted digital cameras capture 'near infrared' light, rather than the extreme end that's used by thermal cameras or night vision.
Before you get to go out and become obsessed with glowing trees, there is one final decision – what kind of IR conversion you want. These are categorized in wavelengths (measured in nanometers) and you'll need to choose the right one to match your preferred style of photography.
They start at 590nm and go up to 'full spectrum', but 720nm is often the most popular for black-and-white IR snapping because it strikes a good balance between letting through infrared light without going too extreme – so that's what I went for.
Beginner fun
So why bother with all of this? I've found infrared to be the spark I needed to get me shooting again and thinking about snapping in new ways. For me, it’s been like discovering a new guitar tuning – it doesn’t instantly make you ‘better’ in any way, but it does (quite literally) help you see something familiar in a new light.
Infrared naturally comes with its own pitfalls and learning curve. When I first looked through my viewfinder – using Fuji’s monochrome film simulation to preview the final image – everything looked incredible. It was like waking up to fresh snow, except snow rarely looks as good in photos as it does in real life.
1/800s at f/9, ISO 160. Having a darker anchor point definitely helps with infrared photos on bright days.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
I took reams of bad shots of glowing trees (an effect called ‘halation’) before I started to understand infrared’s strengths.
Good black-and-white photography comes from understanding luminosity and contrast, and infrared flips the world upside down. Bright skies turn black, and tree foliage glows. It takes a while to lock your eye in, but that’s part of the fun. It gives you a taste of that beginner joy again.
Once I'd got going, my other question was simply – what is the actual point of infrared photography? That's taken a bit longer to work out. There’s nothing wrong with taking surreal, pretty photos for the sake of it, but my best images came when I started to see scenes that worked with infrared's strengths – and that was helpful in a few particular cases.
Embrace the weirdness
I’d been looking to shoot a photogenic group of petrified oak trees in Essex, England which date back to around the year 900. The place definitely has an eerie atmosphere that apparently inspired the Martian landing scene in The War of the Worlds.
Shooting in early summer wasn't ideal, but this is where infrared can help – and it's also a good match for scenes that already have an otherworldly look. If your subject is dark and striking, then bright foliage can help support it and also bring out the 'personalities' of trees, if that doesn't sound too new age.
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1/500s at f/10, ISO 160. This is another scene I'd like to return to in different light, although the ancient trees are understandably protected now so a zoom lens like the XF70-300mm is a must.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
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Once I'd photographed almost every tree in south England, I found that infrared can also work in urban scenes too. Two places I wanted to try were London's Canary Wharf (a financial district that feels a bit like The Truman Show) and the Wimbledon tennis championships.
Because glass blocks most near-infrared light, any windows in your infrared scenes tend to go dark or black. That can be helpful if you're trying to capture intimidating skyscrapers in a financial capital, and also helps to strip out clutter and distractions.
Most windows turn black in infrared photography because glass absorbs or reflects the light, which can make buildings look more intimidating.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
The other benefit of urban IR snapping is that it helps tease out the strangeness of places that are a bit too man-made. The classic combo is bright foliage next to dark windows or water, but some materials reflect infrared light in surprising ways – and that can help add a slightly sci-fi look, if that's what you're going for.
Another fun side quest is finding pops of vegetation to highlight certain parts of a cityscape. I still haven't found my perfect combo of light and skyline, but even a backlit scene can like the one below (not traditionally great for infrared) can benefit from its slightly dreamy feel.
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1/3200s at f/5.6, ISO 160. Backlit scenes don't typically work well in infrared as the style thrives on high contrast, but you can get a slightly dreamy feel.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
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I also saw the Wimbledon tennis championships as a good infrared challenge because I've never been particularly happy with the 'normal' shots I've taken there. It's hard to avoid falling into the strawberries-and-cream clichés, as it's such a bright and cheery place. But does Wimbledon have a dark side?
Okay, 'dark' is a bit strong, but for some players (as this year's women's final showed), the place probably feels pretty intimidating – and as a punter it feels like there are large sections of the grounds that are cordoned off for a special few. Infrared can even make anything look creepy with the right light, but it was fun to tease out a side of Wimbledon I hadn't previously captured.
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Shooting the Wimbledon tennis championships in infrared gave me some different shots to my previous visits, and it helps that everyone dresses in white.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
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Unfortunately, I realized too late that the end of a day, when most people have stumbled out of Wimbledon in a champagne-induced daze, is ideal for infrared. You don't always have to shoot around midday – a low sun casting deep shadows also creates the contrast that's great for black-and-white, so I'll definitely return to make more of that.
Glass ceiling
I'm still learning the infrared ropes, but if you're looking to try it out there are a few important things I've learned over the past few months.
One is lenses. Not all lenses play nicely with IR-converted cameras, as the coatings, materials and glass can interact differently with infrared light – which can create the dreaded 'hot spots' (bright circles in the middle of your photos). I found Rob Shea's crowd-sourced guide to X-mount lenses to be a helpful starting point, and he also has guides for Canon and Nikon.
I mostly used Fujifilm's Monochrome film simulation on my X-T3 to get a preview of black-and-white shots in the field, while shooting in raw for editing.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
I also asked Fujifilm for some guidance. It told me that its internal tests found the XF18-135mm and XF50-140mm to be great performers among its zooms, while for primes the XF30mm macro, XF50mm f/1, XF35mm f/2 and XF50mm f/2 are all highly rated (and I can vouch for the latter two). Older lenses are often best it seems, as the newer XF33mm f/1.4 gave me bright hot spots.
What about editing? The benefit of shooting black-and-white infrared photos is that this is a whole lot simpler than color. My converted Fujifilm camera came with a custom white balance already set, so I just shot in Fuji's monochrome film simulation to give me an idea of the final shot. Because you're often out in the middle of the day, it's very much a fun, point-and-shoot experience – just what I was looking for.
1/640 at f/5.6, ISO 160. Simple scenes with bright foliage and a black sky are ideal for infrared photography.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
I then just used Lightroom Classic to edit the raw files, though any of the best photo editors will do. Those raw files will look a muddy brown to start with, so it's then just a case of applying a profile to bring out the infrared goodness. I found Adobe's built-in B&W ones (go to Profile > Browse) generally did the trick, with B&W 01-04 usually being a good starting point.
One thing I have struggled with is pushing my edits harder towards infrared's natural sense of drama. I usually go for natural, subtle edits, but infrared raw files are crying out for a strong blast of contrast with deep blacks and bright highlights. If you're too careful, shots can end up with a flat, 'grey soup' look, so that's something I'm looking to improve. I'd also like to embrace infrared's abstract potential a lot more.
What is infrared good for?
After a few months with my IR-converted X-T3, and many mistakes, I've started to get a taste for what works best with infrared photography.
One lesson is that simplicity is everything. Choosing an uncluttered scene with a strong anchor is a good idea for all types of photography, but it's essential for infrared photos – otherwise that glowing scene that looked great in your viewfinder will look like post-snow slush.
1/400s at f/8, ISO 160. I tried this tribute to Bill Brandt's classic shot of the Cuckmere River in the UK, which instead has a white river surrounded by a black landscape. Rivers make good subjects as, like windows and the sea, they go dark in infrared.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
I also found that thinking about depth is even more important than usual. Again, using leading lines and layers is nothing new, but many shots that would have typically worked in standard color just fell flat in infrared.
Infrared is also at its most fun when it amplifies a subject or feeling that's already in a scene, rather than just flicking on the 'surreal' switch for the sake of it. In my never-ending quest for scenes that work, I took a trip to the Seven Sisters cliffs on England’s south coast. It ticks a lot of boxes – bright, white cliffs next to a black sea – and while definitely a photographic cliché, was a fun place to shoot.
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The white cliffs at Seven Sisters in the UK are an obvious subject for infrared, so I couldn't resist popping down to its popular postcard scenes.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
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Fortunately, a random patch of mist – not something you typically get in the middle of the day – came in to add some extra drama and I found that ethereal scenes are IR's bread and butter.
Unfortunately, infrared cameras also aren't particularly flexible if you want to also take a traditional street photo, so you may need to rock two cameras on some trips.
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Mist isn't so common in the middle of the day in the UK, which is the ideal time for infrared snapping, but it can help simplify a scene even more.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
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But once my initial wave of infrared obsession had subsided – and it does come in waves – my main lesson was to stop looking for big, theatrical scenes and to try to find ones that suit infrared's ability to make the everyday look a bit weird and Hitchcock-like.
1/800s at f/8, ISO 160. A random phone box in a lavender field felt like a good match for infrared's naturally surreal look.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
For example, I found the phone box in the lavender field above, which I probably wouldn't have shot with a normal camera – yet it felt like it benefited from IR's surreal touch.
A break from the old
There are countless photography projects that can help you rediscover your snapping spark, many of which are less expensive than giving your camera an infrared conversion.
But if, like me, you have an older camera that's been gathering dust and isn't your main body, then an IR conversion can be a good way to breathe new life into it – and your photography.
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1/800s at f/7.1, ISO 160. Humans turn a ghostly white in infrared, but some animals look closer to normal.(Image credit: Mark Wilson / Future)
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Now that autumn is coming around again in the UK, I can feel the lure of 'normal' photography coming back again. There's also a good chance that, in a few years, I'll look back at my infrared experiments and wonder what I was thinking.
But I also feel rejuvenated by my vacation from the usual worries about 'accuracy', color theory and pesky tripods. A quote I recently saw from Outkast's André 3000 summed it up for me, when he told Rolling Stone about his recent musical experiments: "I'd rather go amateur interesting than master boring".
It's been to fun to hit the reset switch and be a complete beginner again, and that's made the cost of converting my camera feel like something of a bargain.
Do you have an infrared camera or been tempted to give it a go? Let us know in the comments below.
