Tag:

Heres

Trader Goes From $43M To $770,000 As Ethereum Price Retraces, Here’s How

by admin August 21, 2025

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

A legendary ETH trader who once turned a modest $125,000 into more than $43 million has seen nearly his entire fortune vanish following the latest Ethereum price decline. According to reports, the trader went long on ETH during the recent bull rally but was liquidated, leaving his balance at $771,000 as prices retraced sharply from highs.

$42 Million Erased As Ethereum Price Crash Hits Star Trader

In one of the most dramatic downturns in recent trading history, a legendary trader who built a reputation for turning $125,000 into $43 million has just witnessed a devastating loss. Blockchain analytics platform Lookonchain reports that the trader reopened a long position on Ethereum, only to be caught in the latest price crash. The sharp correction had wiped out his leverage, triggering liquidations that erased $6.22 million and left his account with just $771,000.

Until recently, the trader had built a strong portfolio, capitalizing on the recent Ethereum price rally through a series of well-timed positions. Just days ago, he exited a massive 66,749 ETH long worth $303 million, securing $6.86 million in profit which equates to a 55x gain on his initial capital of $125,000. At the peak of his run, his total equity had exceeded $43 million, a 344x increase from where he started.

The week’s crash, however, unraveled nearly all of the trader’s progress. In just two days, Lookonchain reports that four months of gains were erased, leaving him with a fraction of where he once stood. The decline from his $43 million peak underscores a much deeper collapse—one worth approximately $42.2 million.

For a trader who came close to pulling off one of the most successful ETH trades this year, the dramatic reversal seen in the Ethereum price highlights the brutal volatility of the market. It also underscores the dangers of holding overleveraged positions and the risk of failing to secure gains while market prices were still climbing.

Analyst Says Ethereum Pullback Is Healthy

The Ethereum price saw a 10% decline this week, triggering a wave of liquidations and broad market sell-offs. However, analysts suggest that ETH’s retracement may not be a cause for panic. Mark Newton, a technical analyst and managing director/global head of technology strategy at Fundstrat, noted that Ethereum is undergoing what he considers a healthy pullback.

In an email to Fundstrat’s CIO and Head of Research, Thomas Lee, Newton highlighted that ETH is consolidating around the $4,075 – $4,150 range, which he views as a favorable risk-reward zone for midweek. The technical analyst confirmed that the recent Ethereum price decline is consistent with Elliott Wave patterns and should not be interpreted as the end of Ethereum’s bullish momentum.

Source: Tom Lee on X

Instead, he believes that after this brief correction, Ethereum could rise toward a new all-time high near $5,100. Based on this bullish thesis, the retracement represents a temporary cooling phase rather than the beginning of a prolonged downturn.

ETH trading at $4,278 on the 1D chart | Source: ETHUSDT on Tradingview.com

Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview.com

Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.

Source link

August 21, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

ETF Issuer Says XRP Is A Tactical Play For Institutional Investors, Here’s Why

by admin August 21, 2025

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

Institutional confidence in the cryptocurrency market is gaining new momentum, particularly with XRP, which is increasingly becoming a focal point for investors. A recent release by ETF issuer WisdomTree, now circulating across the social media platform X and amplified by crypto commentator SMQKE, is projecting XRP as a “tactical onshore play” for institutional portfolios.

The endorsement shows the growing sentiment that XRP is no longer just a speculative asset, with many fervent bullish proponents predicting a $1,000 price point in the near future.

XRP As A Tactical Onshore Play

According to ETF issuer WisdomTree, the unique advantage XRP now offers is its fully onshore accessibility through CME-listed futures. This eliminates the reliance on offshore venues that often expose investors to shallow liquidity and weaker regulatory oversight. In essence, the full onshore access of XRP makes it a viable gateway to consistent basis yield harvesting, especially valuable in fast-moving and volatile conditions in the crypto market.

Basically, recent crypto market dynamics have made it possible that institutional traders can directly access basis trading opportunities in XRP without leaving regulated markets, a development that makes the asset particularly attractive for large-scale portfolio managers.

However, many XRP proponents would argue that the cryptocurrency is yet to reach its full potential when it comes to being the tactical play for institutional investors. The most important thing right now is the launch of Spot XRP ETFs in the US market. A Spot XRP ETF would mirror the trajectory that Bitcoin followed in early 2024, when Spot ETF approvals by the SEC unleashed billions in inflows into the cryptocurrency.

Interestingly, the SEC has set a final deadline for deciding on several XRP-linked spot ETF applications by mid-October. For instance, the regulator must decide by October 18, 2025, whether to approve Grayscale’s request to convert its XRP Trust into a spot ETF. According to Eric Balchunas, a senior ETF analyst for Bloomberg, the odds of an XRP ETF hitting the US market soon are at 95%.

Bitcoin, Ether, And Solana As Institutional Benchmarks

The release by WisdomTree also looks at how different digital assets occupy particular roles among institutional investors. Bitcoin, through CME-listed futures, is the institutional “gold standard,” with the deepest liquidity and the most reliable structure for basis trading. According to the ETF issuer, Bitcoin CME futures are always trading at an annualized premium to spot, which makes them the cleanest in terms of scalability for yield harvesting.

On the other hand, Ether is the smart beta to Bitcoin’s benchmark, while Solana was described by WisdomTree as the high-octane yield enhancer. Solana, like XRP, is still in its early stage compared to Bitcoin and Ether among institutional investors, but with the potential for higher returns due to staking rewards boosting its basis trades. However, despite these other crypto heavyweights, WisdomTree proclaimed XRP as the best tactical onshore play.

XRP trading at $2.9 on the 1D chart | Source: XRPUSDT on Tradingview.com

Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

Source link

August 21, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Bitcoin’s Year-End Destination: SkyBridge Founder Stands By Bold Prediction, Here’s The Target

by admin August 20, 2025

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

Bitcoin seems to have shifted into a bearish mood as it retests the $113,000 price level, raising questions about a potential bear market phase. However, Anthony Scaramucci remains confident that BTC will recover from the ongoing downtrend and surge to a new high of $180,000 and beyond in 2025.

Scaramucci Keeps $200,000 Bitcoin Year-End Target Alive

Despite the robust downward movement in price, many analysts are still optimistic about Bitcoin’s potential in the short term, predicting a move to new all-time highs. Anthony Scaramucci, founder of SkyBridge Capital and a long-time Bitcoin advocate, has reignited bullish hopes as he recalled his end-of-year BTC prediction.

During an interview on CBNC posted by Altcoin Daily on the X platform, Anthony Scaramucci maintains that BTC is on track to reach between $180,000 and $200,000 by year-end. The founder’s prediction is backed by tightening supply dynamics, boosting institutional adoption, and growing global recognition of Bitcoin as a hedge asset.

According to Scamaracci, Bitcoin remains bullish in any scenario, expressing his hopes that United States President Donald Trump will pick the mama bear fed. His belief reflects an increasing number of well-known investors who think that Bitcoin’s next leg higher could be much more explosive than prior cycles.

When asked about the base and most bullish case for BTC, Scaramucci started by highlighting the current state of the market. “I think what is happening now is lots of consolidation and institutional adoption,” he stated.

Years ago, BTC’s price action was mostly driven by retail adoption and CEOs working in the layer 1 blockchain space. However, this trend has started to shift towards the institutional level over time, as large corporations accumulate the crypto king at a substantial rate.

A Transition Of BTC Ownership Ongoing In The Market

The founder has pointed to the robust performance of BlackRock’s Bitcoin Spot ETF, the IBIT, which has attracted a wide range of retail and institutional investors. While institutional adoption is increasing, Bitcoin whales continue to offload their holdings.

Scaramucci considers this pattern a crucial development, declaring it a shift in ownership. “I just think it is a function of buying in only 450 Bitcoin being made by the network per day,” he added. During this shift in ownership, the founder noted that demand for the flagship asset has surpassed issued supply or the overall available supply of BTC in the market.

Considering these developments, the founder is confident that BTC still has room for more growth, potentially reaching his bullish target between $180,000 and $200,000 this year. This bold prediction suggests the current pullback is likely a healthy correction before another explosive move.

Even though many other companies and analysts foresee a much higher target for Bitcoin by this year’s end, Scaramucci remains firm with his prediction, calling it a cautious price target.

BTC trading at $113,707 on the 1D chart | Source: BTCUSDT on Tradingview.com

Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com

Source link

August 20, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Here’s why smart money could target this low cap gem

by admin August 20, 2025

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

Solana memecoins surge, but new rival XYZVerse’s presale gains steal market spotlight.

Summary

XYZVerse, the first all-sport memecoin, rises with sports fandom focus, aiming to rival SOL and ADA.
Backed by G.O.A.T. branding, it blends memecoins with GameFi, gaining traction beyond hype.
XYZVerse presale momentum grows as sports-driven memecoin targets major gains for early adopters.

Recent moves by Solana and Cardano have caught attention, as many eyes turn to their next steps this September.

While big names battle for the spotlight, some investors are shifting focus. A lesser-known project, XYZVerse (XYZ), is starting to draw interest from those tracking new trends. There may be more to this story than what meets the eye.

XYZ and the sports-crypto crossover: Can it live up to the hype?

Memecoins have always thrived on culture and community, and the latest entrant, XYZVerse, is betting big on sports as its cultural anchor. Positioned at the intersection of crypto and fandom, the project is appealing to enthusiasts of football, basketball, MMA, and even esports.

Rather than being framed as “just another token,” XYZVerse wants to build a community around a shared passion for competition.

Chasing the G.O.A.T. title

The team behind XYZVerse has embraced the Greatest of All Time (G.O.A.T.) branding — a bold signal that they want to stand out from the wave of short-lived meme tokens. The project recently gained traction by being named Best New Meme Project, which suggests it’s starting to get recognition beyond its own circles.

Unlike many memecoins that live and die on hype cycles, XYZVerse is presenting itself with a roadmap and community-driven ambitions. Whether that will translate into long-term relevance remains to be seen, but the intent is clear: they want staying power.

Presale momentum

At the time of writing, XYZVerse is in presale and has already raised more than $15 million. Here’s a look at the pricing structure:

Launch Price: $0.0001
Current Price: $0.0053
Next Stage: $0.01
Final Presale Price: $0.02
Target Listing Price: $0.10

If the token does list at its projected price, early presale buyers could theoretically see significant returns. Of course, such projections in crypto often hinge on whether the project sustains demand and delivers on its roadmap.

The bigger picture

What sets XYZVerse apart isn’t just the presale hype — it’s the way it’s framing the token as a “badge of honor” for sports and crypto fans. This narrative could resonate in a space where identity and belonging are as important as financial speculation.

Still, questions remain: Can XYZVerse sustain momentum once the token is publicly traded? Will the community continue to grow after the initial excitement fades? These are the factors that will ultimately determine whether XYZVerse becomes a long-term player — or just another fleeting meme coin experiment.

Solana

Source: TradingView

SOL has recently shown a modest gain, with a 2.46% increase this week and a 1.19% climb over the past month, staying within a $173-$209 range. Over the last six months, it has seen a 6.00% rise, indicating a slow but consistent upward trend. Despite short traders attempting to push it below $173, buyers have consistently countered these dips.

Near-term indicators suggest a mixed outlook. The 10-day average of $182.64 remains below the 100-day line at $188.25, indicating a need for stronger bullish momentum. Momentum gauges are low, suggesting that selling pressure is diminishing, but conviction among buyers is weak.

Key price levels to watch are $227.70 and $155.26. If SOL surpasses $227.70, it could potentially reach $263.92, representing a 30%-40% increase from its current midpoint. Amid an increasing institutional interest, Solana’s long-term forecast looks bullish.

Cardano

Source: TradingView

ADA recently saw a 16.95% increase over the past week, surpassing its 8.92% gain in the last 30 days and its 16.80% rise over six months. The coin is currently trading within a narrow range of 0.81 to 1.07, as traders test both support and resistance levels. The market sentiment is cautious but active.

The 10-day moving average is at 0.92, and the 100-day moving average is at 0.94, indicating minimal long-term price deviation. Both the Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 39.29 and the stochastic oscillator at 25.71 are near oversold levels, suggesting that selling pressure might be diminishing. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is slightly negative at -0.0044, indicating flat momentum. Key support levels are at 0.66 and further down at 0.41, while resistance levels are at 1.17 and 1.42.

If buyers manage to push the price above 1.07 and then 1.17, ADA could potentially climb another 15% to 1.25, and subsequently test 1.42, which would represent a 33% increase from its current level. Conversely, a drop below 0.81 could lead to a 20% slide to 0.66, and a further breakdown could see it fall to 0.41, wiping out 50% of its current value. The tight moving averages and low RSI suggest a higher probability of an upward movement, but for a new rally to begin, the coin needs to close above 1.17.

Conclusion

SOL and ADA remain strong picks, yet XYZVerse, the first all-sport memecoin, targets significant gains through community-led sports GameFi, giving early adopters unmatched upside.

To learn more about XYZVerse, visit the website, Telegram, and Twitter.

Disclosure: This content is provided by a third party. Neither crypto.news nor the author of this article endorses any product mentioned on this page. Users should conduct their own research before taking any action related to the company.

Source link

August 20, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

inZOI: Island Getaway’s DLC is here, and here’s a trailer to hold you over until you can get home and play it

by admin August 20, 2025

Very much right on schedule, Krafton has released Island Getaway, the long-teased DLC pack for life sim game inZOI. The first time we got solid details of the add-on was back in July, when the developer confirmed it would be revealed at gamescom.

Later, an official release date was announced, and it turned out that you won’t actually have to be attending gamescom in person to play the DLC, because its release date is August 20. Well, that day has now arrived.

Manage cookie settings

Island Getaway launched earlier today, free to all owners of inZOI. The DLC is part of a larger patch, version 0.3.0, which brings several quality of life tweaks and other updates across the board. This also means that inZOI is now available on Mac OS.

Island Getaway adds an entirely new map to the game. It’s called Cahaya, and it’s split into two islands. The whole thing is inspired by Southeast Asian locales, and that’s what the new activities and outfits are themed after.

Lifestyle activities (farming, fishing, mining) are among the core features of this update. There’s also the arrival of vehicles to look forward to, which let you travel around faster and more easily. There’s plenty in the patch notes that inZOI players will appreciate.

Manage cookie settings

If you’re thinking of joining them, there’s a nicely-timed 20% off sale, live now on Steam. The discount is good until September 2, so there’s plenty of time to decide. If you know your PC won’t be able to handle the game, you’re probably better off waiting until inZOI comes to PS5 next year.

While you’re here, you’re going to appreciate our guides for how to change your gender and sexuality, as well as how to go to university. We’ve also updated our jobs guide with the new careers that became available with the DLC.

Source link

August 20, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Wukong 2 Already In Development, Here’s The Teaser

by admin August 20, 2025

Today, at the very end of Gamescom Opening Night Live, Geoff had one more secret to reveal: The developers behind the super-popular action RPG Black Myth: Wukong are working on a new game, Black Myth: Zhong Kui, starring a new mythical hero.

Here’s the very short teaser for Zhong Kui, which doesn’t have a release date yet:

Black Myth: Zhong Kui isn’t a direct sequel to Wukong. On the new game’s official website, the devs explained that they wanted to “build more distinct game experiences, to challenge ourselves with bolder features” and work on “fresh ideas.” However, they did tease an actual sequel or DLC to Wukong, saying: “And to all friends who love Black Myth: Wukong, the westward journey won’t end here.”

It should also be noted that, despite a slick-looking CG trailer showing off the new mythical hero and setting, Game Science admits it doesn’t have much to show because the game is still very early in development, saying that Zhong Kui is “little more than an empty folder at this stage.” However, the devs said they love announcing new things and updating fans on August 20, so they created a CG short to “let everyone know that a new project has kicked off.” But yeah, don’t expect to be playing this game anytime soon.

According to Game Science, Black Myth: Zhong Kui, like Wukong, is a single-player action RPG that will follow “the same business model as before.” That seems to imply that this sequel won’t be free-to-play when it eventually launches.

“However, you won’t be playing a monkey role this time,” explained the studio. “That said, we’re still exploring and experimenting with the concrete differences between Wukong and Zhong Kui. So take it easy—let us impress ourselves first before we serve it to you.”

On August 20, 2024, Black Myth: Wukong launched on PlayStation 5 and PC and quickly became a massive hit. The game saw over 2.4 million concurrent players on Steam alone, beating out popular games like Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Elden Ring, Cyberpunk, and many more. It still, to this day, holds the record for second-highest number of players all online at the same time on Steam, only beaten by PUBG’s massive 3.2 concurrent players record. Needless to say, a lot of people are excited for more Black Myth, and I expect that when Zhong Kui eventually arrives on PC and consoles, it will be as big if not bigger.

Source link

August 20, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Solana Handles 100K Transactions Per Second in Test Run: Here’s Why It Matters

by admin August 19, 2025

In brief

A Solana validator processed blocks with greater than 100,000 transactions per second in an experiment.
The performance improvement was more than 25x the typical throughput of the Solana mainnet.
Key Solana backers suggest that it means the network is ready for much more.

The Solana network briefly processed more than 100,000 transactions per second (TPS) in an on-chain experiment Sunday. That’s more than 25 times the network’s typical throughput, according to data gathered by the network’s explorer.

Solana already massively outpaces O.G. blockchain networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum on that front, but the Sunday peak beats Visa’s own high mark of handling up to 65,000 transactions per second.

The Solana validator operator behind the feat said that it showcases what’s possible if continued technical developments and efficiency improvements make their way to the popular layer-1 blockchain.

“The main point I want to get across is that Solana needs more efficient programs and an efficient token standard,” pseudonymous validator Dr. Cavey PHD told Decrypt.

The rest of the network struggled very little to replay these blocks, and the subsequent leader produced their blocks normally.

This is a significant milestone not only for the network of over 1000 validators, but for distributed systems.

— dr cavey phd ⏳ (@cavemanloverboy) August 17, 2025

Cavey’s validator achieved a peak of 104,529 TPS on Sunday in what they called an experiment conducted on a “whim.”

However, unlike a typical Solana block filled with transactions like token swaps or meme coin launches, the experimental blocks instead were filled with “votes, a few normal transactions, and a significant number of ‘no-op’ transactions,” or those that don’t require much computation.

Nevertheless, if extrapolated out and handled with more efficient programs and token standards, Cavey believes the network could process approximately 100,000 token transfers per second—or 10,000-20,000 swaps in its current state.

With such programs and token standards in place, they said, Solana can become the foundational infrastructure for on-chain markets that it aims to be.

“High capacity enables the world’s markets to all be on-chain,” said Cavey. “Without the capacity, we can only ever hope to support a handful.”

Solana’s real-time throughput is around 3,600 TPS at present time, according to the block explorer on Solana.com. For comparison, competing network Ethereum’s real-time mark is around 20.7 TPS, according to data from Etherscan—around 170 times slower than Solana.

Why is it so important that Solana can achieve 100,000 TPS?

“It’s important insofar as it demonstrates that the network can clearly scale over an order of magnitude more than the current utilization, which is already several orders of magnitude over most blockchains,” Multicoin Capital Managing Partner Kyle Samani told Decrypt. “It means that Solana is ready to support web-scale applications today.”

“This enables more activity to come on-chain,” Mert Mumtax, CEO of Solana infrastructure firm Helius Labs, told Decrypt. “More finance, more oracle updates, more market-making, etc. And of course: lower fees for users.”

Developers too stand to gain, according to Samani, who added that major throughput gains “opens up an entirely new design space for transaction-heavy applications.”

In July, a blog post authored by leading Solana stakeholders (including Samani) outlined a technical roadmap designed to make Solana the home of the world’s best financial markets, with improvements scheduled regularly for the next few years.

But according to Cavey, major throughput improvements like those showcased in their experiment could be here even sooner.

“Three months at best,” the validator said, “six months at worst.”

Daily Debrief Newsletter

Start every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.

Source link

August 19, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Here’s everything you need to know

by admin August 18, 2025

August is more than half over, which means we’re getting ever closer to the usual September timeframe of Apple’s iPhone event. That means the expected official announcement of the iPhone 17 line. The latest iOS 26 features will come preinstalled on the new models, as well as any additional features Apple reveals at the launch event. But since we still have to wait a few weeks (presumably) until the iPhone event, we can at least speculate what the new phones will look like. As with most unreleased iPhone models, rumors and leaks have trickled in about the hardware side ahead of the official introduction. Here’s what we’re expecting and what we can reasonably assume we’ll get from Cupertino in September.

What are the latest iPhone 17 rumors?

The latest rumor from a Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station suggests the iPhone 17e will come equipped with a new design that includes the Dynamic Island, MacRumors reports. According to the post, the new phone will have the A19 chip and could have a 6.1-inch OLED display with a front-facing 12-megapixel camera and a rear-facing 48-megapixel camera.

In additional to the usual caveat — this is just a rumor and we won’t know what the actual iPhone 17 models look like until Apple’s iPhone event next month — there’s a second important distinction here. This report refers to the 17e model that would be expected to launch no earlier than February 2026, if it followed the same release pattern as the iPhone 16e.

How much will the iPhone 17 cost?

Apple’s announced plan to expand US-based manufacturing partners seems to give it at least some shielding from the steepest Trump administration tariffs that have already triggered price increases on everything from Switch consoles to high-end cameras to Sonos speakers. But given that President Trump’s trade policies can change from week to week, and Apple’s continuing reliance on Asia-based supply chains, price shocks remain an ongoing possibility. The bigger question is: Will Apple absorb any higher costs, or pass them on to consumers?

If prices do creep up, Apple may choose to pair it with an “upgrade.” Consider this recent rumor posted by MacRumors from a leaker known as “Instant Digital,” suggesting that the default storage of the iPhone 17 line may start at 256GB, doubling the current 128GB baseline. While that could be accompanied by a price increase of $50, Apple could at least pitch it as a “better value.” That said, the company doubled the default RAM of its Mac computers from 8GB to 16GB at no extra cost in 2024 — but that was before the current Trump tariff cycle started.

When will the iPhone 17 series be announced?

Most years, the flagship smartphones are introduced in September. MacRumors highlighted a story originally reported by iphone-ticker.de that the Apple iPhone 17 event could be Tuesday, September 9, according to information gleaned from German mobile phone providers.

It’s still too early to have the specific dates; some years, Apple only gives a week or two of lead time between sending invites and hosting the event. But years of past precedent show that sometime in September should be when the 17 models make their debut. This family of smartphones may be the last to follow that trend, however. There have been hints that the introduction of the iPhone 18 collection in 2026 will be split into a pro-tier announcement in the fall and a standard model announcement the following spring.

What will the new iPhone 17 lineup include?

Design leaks suggest that Apple is building an ultra-thin smartphone, likely to be named the iPhone 17 Air to match Apple’s ultralight laptop designation. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, often a solid source of advanced intel about Apple, reported in January that the iPhone 17 Air will be equipped with a basic A19 chip and will only have a single camera lens. It may also use Apple’s new in-house modem, which was introduced in February on the iPhone 16e. More details about this development may leak ahead of September, but that’s what we know for now.

An investor note from Apple analyst Jeff Pu indicated that the Air will have a titanium frame. If his reports are accurate, the lightweight smartphone will be the only entry in the iPhone 17 lineup to use that metal; the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max are expected to be made of aluminum, which is oddly a lighter material than titanium. Other speculation had suggested that the Air would use a blend of aluminum and titanium, so the exact materials may not be known until the official announcement.

Additionally, an August 4 MacRumors report says the internal battery pack of the iPhone Air is just 2.49mm thick — half the thickness of the iPhone 17 Pro battery. The leak was posted on the Korean-language Naver blog, where they show the alleged batteries of the iPhone 17 Air and 17 Pro side by side. The same account claimed the 17 Air’s battery capacity was a mere 2,800 mAh, MacRumors notes. (That’s below the battery capacity of current iPhone 16 models.)

On a similar topic, an iPhone 17 Pro production leak appears to have revealed an all-aluminum chassis, according to MacRumors. Originally posted by leaker Majin Bu, the image shows a shell that has a large round hole on the back (where the Apple logo typically is) to allow for MagSafe charging. MacRumors says this could just be a molding but notes that the aluminum frame (versus the current titanium in Pro iPhone models) would yield a significantly lower weight.

That same leaker (Majin Bu), whom MacRumors classifies as a “hit-or-miss leaker,” suggests the iPhone 17 Pro will have better wireless signal strength thanks to an updated antenna design. The individual posted a render on X that shows a new antenna system that wraps around the iPhone 17 Pro’s supposedly wider rear camera bump. Again, this is a render, not a real-world photo. That said, we can’t knock the goal of better wireless reception, so we’re hoping this one has a degree of truth to it.

Each new roster includes a base model, but over the years, Apple has shaken up the variety of phones it offers. Most likely there will be an iPhone 17 and an iPhone 17 Pro. Apple has also committed to the size matters philosophy, and has been building an iPhone Pro Max option with an even bigger screen and better battery life; the 17 roster will almost certainly have one as well.

The new Pro iPhones are said to have a full-width “camera island” on the rear, which would mark the first time an Apple model opted for that design. This feature can be seen in the purported iPhone 17 “spotted in the wild.” The pics, highlighted on MacRumors, show a black cased iPhone (17 Pro?) with the distinct back panel. Is it the real deal? The dual angles lend a degree of credibility in a social media landscape increasingly polluted with AI-enhanced fakes, but your guess is as good as ours.

The iPhone 17 Air seems primed to take the place of a potential iPhone 17 Plus. Since the iPhone 16e was only just introduced in February at a surprisingly high price point, it seems unlikely that there will be a new addition to that lower end of the spectrum, the models that were previously called SE.

At the very least, it sounds like the iPhone 17 Air won’t take away the charging port and rely only on wireless connectivity. Bloomberg said that while Apple had investigated making the iPhone 17 Air without a single port, the company (fortunately) changed plans. He also says that the rumored phone will have a 6.6-inch screen and include the Dynamic Island and Camera Control button. Finally, the price is rumored at $900 — likely more than the standard iPhone 17 but less than the Pro.

We’ve also gotten what seems to be a reliable look at what the color lineup will be for the new smartphones. Macworld reported that the iPhone 17 will be available in black, white, steel gray, green, purple and light blue. The iPhone 17 Air will reportedly have four color options: black, white, light blue and light gold. While the Air colors will be less saturated, the visuals for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will go bold. The options for the Pro models are expected to be black, white, gray, dark blue and orange.

On July 30, Tom’s Guide highlighted an X post from Sonny Dickson — a longtime and generally reliable leaker of unreleased iPhone information — showing “dummy” iPhone 17 models in the new colors that were the source of the aforementioned Macworld story. While these are literally just mock-ups — not real, leaked iPhones — it’s interesting to see how the design and color rumors translate into a real-world look and feel.

What will iOS 26 be like?

Apple upended its numbering conventions with WWDC 2025, and will match the name of each new operating system to the year it’s released. So when the next wave of iPhones hits, they’ll be running on iOS 26.

On the design side, the smartphone OS introduced during the big developer showcase took a contentious approach dubbed Liquid Glass. Apple has been scaling down the amount of transparency effects in the subsequent beta tests of iOS 26, but it will still have a glass-like visual.

The feature list includes big and small updates. On the more impactful side, the Phone and Photos apps have been redesigned. There will be several features leveraging artificial intelligence, such as live translation capabilities coming to Phone, FaceTime and Messages. Apple is also currently testing a sensitive content warning for child accounts that will freeze FaceTime video if nudity is detected by on-device machine learning tools. And the company is also launching Visual Intelligence, which will use AI to search for elements in an image.

iOS 26 also has a litany of minor, quality of life improvements. Group texts are getting support for polls. And for the slow risers out there, iOS 26 will finally let you escape the tyranny of the nine minute snooze alarm.

The next iOS is now available as a public beta. Here are our initial impressions of the Liquid Glass design and other new features. iOS 26 is compatible with all models back through iPhone 11.

What other products are expected to be released alongside the iPhone 17?

If Apple follows its usual pattern, the iPhone 17 will be announced alongside new Apple Watch products. That would be the Apple Watch Series 11 (if Apple sticks to the same naming scheme), and maybe an Apple Watch Ultra 3 and/or an updated Apple Watch SE. (They’ll all run watchOS 26, of course.) Other possibilities — and this is, again, speculation — could include refreshed Apple AirPods Pro (which received its last big update in 2022) and maybe new AirTags trackers (first released in 2021).

The Apple rumor mill got a big shot in the arm this week thanks to the reported inclusion of product ID numbers in recent beta software builds. Per MacRumors, it’s a laundry list of new hardware, including long-rumored product updates like the Apple TV, HomePod mini, new Apple Studio Display monitor and two fresh iPads.

Of course, even if that list is totally accurate, we may not see those products until 2026 — if ever. So don’t expect all of products to share the stage with the iPhone 17, especially since Apple likes to keep its star performer at the center of attention.

That said, keep in mind that Apple has recently been having Mac-centric announcements in late October (as it did last year to debut new M4 Macs), so there’s always the chance of another shoe dropping a few weeks down the road.

Update, August 18, 2025, : Added new rumor about the iPhone 17e potentially having the Dynamic Island.

Update, August 15, 2025, 2:05PM ET: Added new rumor about the all-aluminum chassis on the iPhone 17.

Update, August 13, 2025, 10:02PM ET: Added a list of the products that are expected to be released alongside the iPhone 17s.

Update, August 11, 2025, 7:27PM ET: Added a render of a rumored new antenna design for the iPhone 17 Pro.

Update, August 8, 2025, 4:43PM ET: Added new speculation and reports about iPhone 17 pricing.

Update, August 6, 2025, 4:05PM ET: Added latest details about the potential iPhone 17 event date.

Update, August 4, 2025, 5:23PM ET: Added latest battery leaks about the iPhone 17 models.

Update, August 1, 2025, 8:15AM ET: Added new photos showing potential iPhone 17 colors.

Update, July 30, 2025, 11:08AM ET: Added latest leaks and rumors about the iPhone 17, and updated information on the iOS 26 public beta.

Update, July 17, 2025, 4:40PM ET: Added latest information about iOS 26, possible materials for the Air, and the color options for the different models.

Update, March 17, 2025, 2PM ET: Added details about the rumored price and features of the iPhone 17 Air.

Update, April 11, 2025, 3:45PM ET: Added details from Front Page Tech’s new video that claims to reveal details from a leaked iOS 19 build.

Katie Teague contributed to this story.

Source link

August 18, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

The U.S. is blocking state AI regulation. Here’s what that means for every business

by admin August 18, 2025

Congress didn’t just reshape tax codes with the “One Big Beautiful” bill; it also quietly reshaped the future of artificial intelligence. A lesser-known provision of the sweeping legislation is now on its way to becoming law: a 10-year freeze on state-level AI regulation.

In other words, no individual state can pass rules that govern how businesses develop or use AI systems. The message is clear for companies rushing to embed AI in daily operations: govern yourselves or risk learning the hard way why guardrails matter.

Nichole Windholz

Social Links Navigation

AI isn’t a side project anymore. It’s already embedded in cybersecurity platforms, CRMs, internal chat tools, reporting dashboards and customer-facing products. Even mid-size organizations are training AI models on proprietary data to speed up everything from supplier selection to contract analysis.

Without guardrails, AI can drift; fast

AI models aren’t static. Once deployed, they learn from new data, interact with systems and influence decision-making. That’s powerful but also unpredictable.

Left unchecked, an AI-driven forecasting tool might rely too heavily on outdated patterns, causing overproduction or supply chain bottlenecks. A chatbot designed to streamline customer service could unintentionally generate biased or off-brand responses.

Meanwhile, generative models trained on sensitive business documents can inadvertently expose proprietary information in future prompts. For example, a study released in January 2025 found that nearly 1 in 10 prompts used by business users when interacting with generative AI (GenAI) tools could inadvertently disclose sensitive data.

These aren’t abstract dangers; they’ve already appeared in public incidents. But it’s not just PR damage that’s at stake. AI errors can affect revenue, data security and even legal exposure. The absence of regulatory pressure doesn’t make these issues go away – it makes them easier to miss until they’re too big to ignore.

The smart play is internal governance: before you need it

Organizations are eager to integrate GenAI, with many teams already using these powerful tools in daily operations. This rapid adoption means that just passively monitoring things isn’t enough; a strong governance structure is crucial, one that can adapt as AI becomes more central to the business.

Setting up an internal AI governance council, ideally with leaders from IT, security, compliance and operations, offers that vital framework. This council isn’t there to stop innovation. Its job is to bring clarity. It typically reviews AI tools before they’re rolled out, sets clear usage policies and works with teams so they fully understand the benefits and limits of the AI they’re using.

This approach reduces unauthorized tool usage, makes auditing more efficient and helps leadership steer AI strategy with confidence. However, for governance to be effective, it must be integrated into broader enterprise systems, not siloed in spreadsheets or informal chats.

GRC platforms can anchor AI governance

Governance, risk and compliance (GRC) platforms already help businesses manage third-party risk, policy enforcement, incident response and internal audits. They’re now emerging as critical infrastructure for AI governance as well.

By centralizing policies, approvals and audit trails, GRC platforms help organizations track where AI is being used, which data sources are feeding it, and how outputs are monitored over time. They also create a transparent, repeatable process for teams to propose, evaluate and deploy AI tools with oversight so innovation doesn’t become improvisation.

Don’t count on vendors to handle it for you

Many tools advertise AI features with a sense of built-in safety, which includes privacy settings, explainable models and compliance-ready dashboards. But too often, the details are left up to the user.

If a vendor-trained model fails, your team will likely bear the operational and reputational costs. Businesses can’t afford to treat third-party AI as “set and forget.” Even licensed tools must be governed internally, especially if they’re learning from company data or making process-critical decisions.

The bottom line

With the U.S. blocking states from setting their own rules, many assumed federal regulation would follow quickly. However, the reality is more complicated. Draft legislation exists, but timelines are fuzzy, and political support is mixed.

In the meantime, every organization using AI is effectively writing its own rulebook. That’s a challenge and an opportunity, especially for companies that want to build trust, avoid missteps and confidently lead.

The organizations that define their governance now will have fewer fire drills later. They’ll also be better prepared for whatever federal rules eventually arrive because their internal structure won’t need a last-minute overhaul.

Because whether or not rules are enforced externally, your business still depends on getting AI right.

We’ve featured the best business plan software.

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

Source link

August 18, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

WIRED Tests Dozens of Air Purifiers a Year. Here’s What We Look For (2025)

by admin August 18, 2025

If I put a box on its side and cannot grasp the product to lift it from its box, then that’s the first strike. WIRED considers accessibility, and this means handles and wheels on heavier air purifiers. When I review a unit, I think about those with less upper body strength moving the appliances, and whether they’d be able to maneuver it around their home. I move air purifiers all around my apartment; I shouldn’t have to bend at the knees to adjust a purifier’s location.

Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro

I was able to move the 50-pound ProX using its hidden handles and built-in lockable wheels.

After an air purifier is unboxed, it’s time to pair it with its app. Not all the air purifiers WIRED tests have an app, but if one does, the pairing process should not be complicated, nor should it require a lot of time. The best user experience is when an air purifier has a QR code that opens the app and adds the device. An app with a simple dashboard, graph that corresponds to the AQI color codes, and a smart remote is usually all that’s needed, though it’s a bonus if the app gives the filter life expectancy.

I prefer a simple power bar design that shows the percentage of filter life used. And while air purifier models give recommendations for when to replace the filter, like every six months, or when the replace filter indicator light glows on the appliance, nothing beats the heads-up of knowing exactly how much filter life has been used.

Internal Air Sensors, Lights, and Scores

While some air purifiers had internal air sensors when I first started testing in 2018, the majority of current purifiers we test now have them. If the purifier has internal sensors, there is usually an indicator light. Next question: Does the air purifier have an easy-to-see or read indicator light or air quality index (AQI) score? If it’s a smart air purifier, then the sensor’s readings feed into the device’s app. And I prefer an indicator light that follows the EPA’s color codes for the air quality index. That means green for good air, yellow for moderate, orange for unhealthy for sensitive groups, red for unhealthy, purple for very unhealthy, and maroon for hazardous. There are some companies, like Coway, that have their own take on the color codes, which can be confusing.

Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro

While Coway’s air purifiers are consistently WIRED’s top-rated picks, if I could change one thing about them, it would be their custom color scale, where blue means good and green means moderate. More and more air purifiers are also displaying their internal sensors’ air quality numbers. Most times, air purifiers will show a reading of PM 2.5. If the internal sensor senses an uptick in PM 2.5, the auto mode will trigger a higher fan speed, the indicator light might show orange and red along with the PM 2.5 number like 100. I should be able to see that light across the room, and the numbers should be easy to read.

Then there are some models, like those from Shark, that use their own scoring system. A score of 100 represents good air on the display of Shark’s NeverChange, for example, but 100 PM 2.5 would be considered unhealthy.

Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro

Shark

NeverChange Air Purifier

Noise and Size Matter

I think the labeling on air purifiers is confusing on purpose. Often the square footage listed on a product is for one air exchange per hour at the purifier’s highest setting. An air exchange is how many times an air purifier can clean the air of a room in an hour. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends five air exchanges an hour. If you have a 200-square-foot room, your air purifier needs to be able to pull the air of the room into the filter using the fan. That air runs through the filter, PM 2.5 and VOCs are captured by the filter, and the clean air is released back into the air at least five times in an hour. Often, WIRED won’t recommend air purifiers that can only clean unusually small spaces. And while those cute tabletop or miniature air purifiers seem like an easy solution, they are usually too tiny to effectively clean the air in an average-size room.

WIRED also uses a decibel meter to check the manufacturer’s decibel claims. Most of the time, the decibels are close to those listed on the purifier’s user manual. Sometimes they are louder. What’s too loud? The hum of a refrigerator is somewhere between 40 and 50 decibels; a conversation is around 60 decibels. Ideally, an air purifier should be able to clean the air in your room five times an hour without sounding like a conversation. And if an air purifier is louder—a lot louder—than the manufacturer claims, we’ll include that in our review or won’t recommend it.

If an air purifier is too loud at its highest fan setting, users are likely to turn down that fan speed to a quieter and less effective setting, rendering the air purifier into nothing more than a wellness prop. Another issue WIRED takes into account is when the air intake overpowers the external vents, causing unsightly clumps of pet hair to accumulate on the outside of the air purifier.

Source link

August 18, 2025 0 comments