Category: Tech

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E-commerce giant Amazon is about to close out an impressive 2025 and is looking forward to an even bigger 2026. Fans of shopping at Amazon for groceries can look forward to an expansion of stores across the next year. Amazon is going all-in on its robotaxi service, not for deliveries, but to transport people. And for those who sell products on Amazon, there is a massive change in that sellers must label and prepare products for shipping themselves, a service that was previously handled by Amazon.

Amazon itself and Prime, with its impressive perks available to users, have grown massively since its inception. Amazon has the biggest U.S. market share for e-commerce, towering over competitors like eBay and WalMart. Its revenue has grown rapidly year-over-year, achieving billions of dollars worth of sales every year. All of this growth and success has enabled it to look ahead to 2026 with an innovative eye. Its plans for the new year aim to expand its services, provide more customer offerings, and continue to win over consumers in the e-commerce market.

Grocery delivery and robotaxis

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Amazon offers grocery delivery to homes for both Prime and non-Prime members, though non-Prime members have to pay an additional fee, making it worth it as a Prime member. Amazon currently offers same-day grocery delivery to over 2,000 cities and is looking to expand that even more across 2026. Driving this demand is Amazon’s focus on the quick delivery of perishable grocery items, like fruits and vegetables, which top Amazon’s perishable delivery charts. Since produce can go bad fairly quickly in your kitchen, it’s easy to see why fast delivery of such items would be a target for Amazon in 2026.

Robotaxis are ramping up activity in a handful of states where you can ride one in the U.S. Amazon refers to its service as Zoox, which can hold up to four passengers at a time, and it’s already being used by Amazon workers. Zoox will start giving rides to people in Las Vegas and in the greater San Francisco Bay area in 2026.

Since it is a driverless vehicle, there is no steering wheel, but there are screens for each passenger that display their personal routes to their destinations along with estimated arrival times. The tech doesn’t stop there, as it also offers charging ports and wireless charging pads for your phones, tablets, and other devices. Each seat also has its own climate control. The purpose of the robotaxis is to help with smoother transportation in busy metropolitan areas.

A new shipping system for sellers

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Amazon is a good platform for both large and independent sellers to list products. For independent sellers, it offers a reputable e-commerce service, integrated marketing, and a better way to get more visibility. Previously, Amazon would label and package items itself on behalf of sellers in what was known as Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) shipments. That ends on January 1, 2026, as sellers will be responsible for that part of the fulfillment themselves from now on.

This puts a bigger burden on sellers, prompting them to take care of the extra cost and supplies. If they can’t handle it on their own, they will have to work with certified third-party logistics providers. This goes beyond just ensuring the product is in a box with a label. There are compliance guidelines that must be adhered to, and it’s on the seller now to understand those.

For those who purchase from Amazon but don’t sell, this could mean higher prices on items to recover the operational costs. Some prices on Amazon have already increased due to tariffs. For sellers, this means reworking current operations to comply with these new rules. Whether you think the changes Amazon has planned for 2026 are positive or not, the e-commerce giant is ready to kick off the new year with ambition and innovation.

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The government procurement chiefs at the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) are gearing up for the 2026 launch of the 15th iteration of the government’s G-Cloud procurement framework, having treated the purchasing agreement to the biggest revamp in its history.

The framework’s value and length are both markedly larger and longer, respectively, compared with previous iterations of the framework, with CCS introducing changes to seemingly make G-Cloud better suited for larger cloud deals.

For example, the estimated framework value for G-Cloud 15 is tipped to be £14bn, with the agreement set to run for four years to September 2030.

In contrast, the previous iteration was valued at £4.8bn and will have run for two years by the time it ends.

Another sizeable change is the introduction of eight-year contracts for cloud hosting deployments under G-Cloud 15, when the maximum contract length permitted under G-Cloud 14 was half that length at four years. For the non-cloud hosting lots, contracts called off under G-Cloud 15 can be a maximum of six years.

Based on all of the above, it’s fair to say G-Cloud 15 marks a radical departure for the framework, with all the changes that CCS has planned for it.

Here, we take a deep dive into CCS’s proposed framework tweaks, and find out why it’s feared some of these changes risk making the framework less accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

How different is G-Cloud 15 to what’s gone before?

Compared with the first-ever iteration of G-Cloud, which made its debut in spring 2012, G-Cloud 15 is a world apart.

When it made its debut, the framework was pitched as a means of opening up government IT deals to SMEs and supporting the growth of the UK’s own homegrown market of cloud providers.

This was at a time when the awarding of lengthy and expensive contracts to big tech firms and systems integrators (SIs) was the norm, and G-Cloud was intended to help break the hold these firms had on public sector IT procurement.

To this end, G-Cloud contracts were initially capped at 12 months in length, to give buyers the freedom to switch out their cloud providers regularly for cost or performance reasons.

The framework was also regularly updated (with new iterations launching every six months) to ensure the public sector was getting access to the latest and greatest tools and technologies the burgeoning cloud market had to offer.

“The G-Cloud tenets were around innovation and getting SMEs into public sector IT, and introducing a fresh approach, niche tools and cost-effective solutions, and actually freeing up departmental procurement professionals [because it was easier to use],” Bill McCluggage, a former director of IT strategy and policy in the Cabinet Office and deputy government CIO from 2009 to 2012, told Computer Weekly.

“And the customers loved it because it meant they didn’t have to go through a big, costly, long-winded, complex procurement process that – by the time you got through the other end of it – your requirements have literally changed.”

And while the framework initially helped to give homegrown cloud firms and SME tech providers a leg-up into government IT deals, the picture has steadily changed over the past decade or so. Specifically, since the hyperscalers began opening UK datacentres in late 2016.

Evidence of this can be seen from glancing at the government’s Digital Marketplace sales figures. These confirm the tech suppliers making the most amount of sales from the framework these days are big tech firms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), IBM, Microsoft, and consultancies and SIs such as Deloitte, Capgemini and Accenture.

“[The framework has] slowly but surely been grasped by the procurement professionals in CCS and tailored into a traditional, risk-averse framework that now starts to look as if it’s favouring the big hyperscalers and the SIs again,” said McCluggage.

What’s the timeline for G-Cloud 15 to start?

The invitation to tender (ITT) part of the procurement process for G-Cloud 15 began on 23 October 2025, and would-be suppliers have until Friday 30 January 2026 to apply for a place on the framework, which is expected to go-live in September 2026.

How does G-Cloud 15 differ to G-Cloud 14?

There are quite a few differences between the two purchasing agreements, with the number and structuring of the framework lots for G-Cloud 15 looking significantly different. This is mainly because G-Cloud 15 is covering the work of the Cloud Compute framework, as well.

For example, Cloud Hosting is now spread across two lots (dubbed Lot 1a and Lot 1b) rather than one.

Lot 1a is for suppliers specialising in the provision of “core” infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) subscription services, while Lot 1b covers the same types of services when used to host information that is classified as being above the “official” government data security classification level.

The framework’s Cloud Software Lot has also been similarly split into Lot 2a, covering the provision of infrastructure software-as-a service (ISaaS), and Lot 2b, which covers software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings.

Lot 3, covering Cloud Support services, remains intact, but Lot 4, which was run as a standalone framework to G-Cloud 14 for public sector IT buyers that wanted to run their own competitive processes for more complex cloud support contracts, is being discontinued.  

As previously stated, G-Cloud 15 is set to run for four years, while G-Cloud 14 was initially a two-year framework (that got extended by an additional six months).

Meanwhile, the maximum amount of time that contracts can run for has doubled (in the case of the cloud hosting lots) to eight years in G-Cloud 15. This works out at five years for the initial term of the contract, with buyers offered up to three optional extensions of 12 months.

For the other G-Cloud 15 lots, the maximum amount of time that contracts can run for is six years, consisting of an initial period of four years, with buyers offered up to two optional extensions of 12 months.

For context, all G-Cloud 14 contracts, regardless of the Lot they were called off from, could run for an initial 36-month period, with the option given to extend them by a further 12 months if needed.

What other changes has CCS introduced?

As well as a rework of the G-Cloud 15 Lot structures, CCS is considering introducing enhanced applicant vetting procedures for Lot 1a and Lot 1b participants, specifically.

As previously detailed by Computer Weekly, CCS is reportedly considering making potential suppliers:

• Undergo more rigorous financial vetting than required under the previous iteration of the framework.
• Possess an expanded number of mandatory ISO accreditations than before, or provide proof that work to acquire them is underway by the time the application deadline for G-Cloud 15 closes in January 2026.
• Where Lot 1b applicants are concerned, they must possess insurance cover in excess of £75m to secure deals through G-Cloud 15.

How will the financial vetting procedures for G-Cloud 15 differ to what’s gone before?

Participants in G-Cloud 15’s cloud hosting lots will need to participate in a more in-depth Gold Standard Financial Viability Readiness Assessment (FVRA).

This process typically involves suppliers having to participate in a detailed assessment of their financial affairs, involving the supply of extensive information about their businesses, which will be subject to tight scrutiny by CCS.

Under the previous iteration of the framework, all suppliers – regardless of lot – were subject to less onerous checks that would only involve them having to participate in a full FVRA if they did not meet an initial credit score screening test. This system remains in place for Lot 2a, Lot 2b and Lot 3 providers under G-Cloud 15.

What kind of accreditations are participating suppliers expected to have?

The CCS has confirmed it is now mandatory for suppliers wishing to participate in its Cloud Hosting Lots to possess the ISO 9001, ISO 20000-1, ISO 27001 and ISO 27018 certifications.

CCS initially stated in its tender documents that suppliers would need to be in possession of these mandatory accreditations by the time the application deadline for G-Cloud 15 closes in January 2026.

However, it appears, in response to supplier pushback, CCS’s stance on this matter has now softened.

“Following a review of requirements and the current capability and capacity issues that exist within the market, CCS has decided to amend its position concerning ISO accreditation,” CCS has confirmed.

“The ISO standards listed are still mandatory … to operate in Lots 1a and 1b. However, the requirements on bidders will now be that if they do not currently hold the required ISO certification, they must evidence to CCS, before the application deadline of 30 January 2026, that they have begun the process of certification … This should take the form of an authorised third-party confirmation from an ISO accreditation body.”

G-Cloud suppliers have previously been exempt from needing the Cyber Essentials accreditation. Is that the case this time around?

No – under the terms of G-Cloud 15, all participating suppliers will now need to hold a Cyber Essentials accreditation.

CCS previously stated this would just be mandatory for G-Cloud 15’s Cloud Hosting participants, but – in an email to suppliers dated 5 December 2025 – it confirmed this condition now applies to all suppliers.

“Suppliers awarded a place on the framework on either Lots 2a, 2b or 3 will be required to obtain a valid Cyber Essentials certificate for themselves and ensure any of their subcontractors who process personal or official data have a Cyber Essentials certificate,” the email, seen by Computer Weekly stated.

“Evidence of your certification is required within 12 months of the award date of the G-Cloud 15 framework. Certificates will be monitored by CCS, and any suppliers who fail to provide a valid certificate within 12 months of the award date will be suspended from the framework. Suspended suppliers can be reinstated as soon as they provide a valid Cyber Essentials certificate to CCS.

“Bidders who already have a Cyber Essentials certificate should provide it with their tender,” it added.

And what’s with the changes to the insurance requirements?

Details of G-Cloud 15’s reworked insurance requirements are laid out in a “Joint Schedule 3” document CCS has previously shared with potential suppliers.

It stipulates that suppliers wanting to secure contracts under framework Lot 1a, Lot 2a, Lot 2b and Lot 3 “shall hold” separate private indemnity, public liability insurance and employers’ liability insurance with cover that totals at least £7m.

As such, suppliers must have separate professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance of at least £1m each, as well as at least £5m in employers’ liability insurance. Incidentally, these levels of insurance are the same as those required of suppliers on G-Cloud 14.

However, suppliers vying for contracts awarded under Lot 1b, which covers IaaS and PaaS services used to host data that is above the “official” security grading, must have in place separate private indemnity, public liability and employers’ liability insurance that totals at least £75m, the document states.

These changes appear to raise the barriers to entry to G-Cloud quite significantly. What has been the response to them?

As previously reported by Computer Weekly, concerns have been raised by various sources in the G-Cloud supplier community that G-Cloud 15 looks set to finally put paid to the notion that the framework is SME-friendly, based on the changes CCS is planning to introduce.

Speaking to Computer Weekly, Nicky Stewart, a senior advisor to pro-cloud market competition advocacy group The Open Cloud Coalition, echoed these concerns.

“G-Cloud began as a revolutionary initiative designed to shatter the IT ‘oligopoly’ [of big tech firms and SIs], enabling the government to ‘pay less, get more, and get it sooner’ by allowing SMEs and new market entrants access to the market to compete with the oligopoly,” she said.

“G-Cloud, in its initial iterations, genuinely enabled this aspiration. SMEs and new market entrants grew, hired, created wealth and helped to underpin the government’s digital transformation. But along the way, G-Cloud lost its way.”

An “absence of competition” within G-Cloud paved the way for a new “duopoly” of suppliers emerging – namely AWS and Microsoft – that, in time, SMEs would find difficult to beat on price and – ultimately – would lose out on business to.

And G-Cloud 15 seems to be continuing a marked shift that started with G-Cloud 14, in terms of the framework becoming harder for SMEs to get a foothold in.

“G-Cloud 14 saw a shift, not towards competition and diversity, but towards alignment with the CCS Public Sector Contract,” she said. “This meant financial tests from the outset and, initially at least, much tougher insurance requirements. Previously, buyers would perform their own due diligence and determine their insurance requirements.

“G-Cloud 15 takes this shift to a new level … the insurance, financial and accreditation requirements are all significant barriers to entry. These, coupled with a potential eight-year term for cloud hosting call-off contracts, risk undermining G-Cloud’s initial principles of diversity and competition, and could nullify any meaningful impact that G15 could have had in terms of diversifying and strengthening the government’s unhealthily concentrated cloud market.”   

Why has CCS decided to make such big changes to how G-Cloud this time around?

The reasoning for pushing through many of the proposed changes to the framework can be traced back in part to the fact that when G-Cloud 15 launches, it will not only be replacing G-Cloud 14, but also the need for CCS to roll out a third iteration of its hyperscale-focused Cloud Compute framework.

The latter was created as a purchasing agreement for large-scale, high-value public sector cloud contracts, and so it is thought that CCS is putting suppliers through heightened financial vetting and requiring more accreditations to make sure they have what it takes to deliver on these types of deals.

What difference will adding the Cloud Compute framework to the G-Cloud purchasing agreement make?

The government’s Cloud Compute framework was originally created and introduced so that large, hyperscale deals of that ilk would no longer be funnelled through the more SME-friendly G-Cloud setup. However, that purchasing agreement – over two iterations – has struggled to find its footing with public sector IT buyers.

CCS has confirmed there will be no third iteration of the Cloud Compute, as the principles of that framework are set to be incorporated into G-Cloud 15.

This is thought to be why G-Cloud 15’s value has ballooned between iterations, and why G-Cloud 16 is not expected to make an appearance until 2030 at the earliest.

Why exactly is CCS merging the Cloud Compute framework with G-Cloud?

The official line on this is that merging the two frameworks will allow Cloud Compute to “leverage” G-Cloud’s popularity, with the latter purchasing agreement described by CCS in the G-Cloud 15 tender document as the “largest framework of its kind in the public sector”.

Reading between the lines, this could be interpreted as an admission from CCS that the Cloud Compute framework never quite delivered on what it was intended to, and under-performed.

The first iteration, which went live in 2021, reportedly generated very few sales, with a 2023 investigation by Computer Weekly uncovering just one contract – totalling £750,000 – called off under the £750m Cloud Compute 1 framework.

The framework’s second iteration, Cloud Compute 2, has fared a little better since it went live in November 2023, having undergone a revamp by CCS to make it more accessible to SME suppliers.  

According to contract data supplied to Computer Weekly by public sector-focused analyst Tussell, there have been at least five deals totalling £10.8m called off under Cloud Compute 2 since it went live – the largest of these being a £5m contract awarded by the Department for Work and Pensions to Oracle in May 2024.

For a framework valued at £1.35bn, though, it’s not a great sales track record, particularly as it’s a purchasing agreement intended for large-value cloud deals to be pushed through it.

To put that figure into context, during the 2023–24 financial year, the amount of cloud spend – as confirmed by CCS – transacted through the G-Cloud framework totalled £3.1bn.

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Mobile connectivity across the UK is becoming faster and more responsive on average; a marked gap still persists between the quality of experience in urban and rural areas; and the gap between the best and worst-performing local authorities remains significant, according to research from Ookla.

The analyst’s Speedtest Intelligence report for 2025 takes an overview of mobile network performance across the UK, focusing on outcomes at local authority level and how those outcomes have changed over time.

The study was based on millions of samples from mobile devices connected to a cellular network, comparing results from Q1–Q3 2025 with the same period in 2024. For each local authority, the report considered not only typical speeds, but also the experience of slower connections, and the relationship between population density and mobile outcomes. At UK and country (nation) level, it drew on national aggregate metrics (2025 to date) for the UK, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Fundamentally, the research found that population density correlates strongly with better outcomes, and that practically, the findings illuminate the urban-rural digital divide, showing that where you live in the UK largely dictates your mobile experience.

Analysis of local authority outcomes revealed what Ookla called the “stark” extent of regional variation in and across nations in the UK. Despite the general upward shift in the overall local authority distribution over the past year across key mobile performance indicators, the range remains large and many rural local authority areas are still stuck with not-spots despite the progress of the government’s shared rural network (SRN) scheme. Areas that were strong performers in 2024 generally remained strong, and many of the weakest authorities in 2024 still sit near the bottom of the distribution in 2025.

On a country level, UK mobile performance improved notably between 2024 and 2025, with the national median download speed rising from approximately 55.02Mbps to 63.03Mbps. This represented a year-on-year increase of around 15%. Median upload speeds inched up from 7.80Mbps to 8.21Mbps, while median latency improved marginally from 52ms to 50ms.

England and Northern Ireland saw the strongest gains, while Wales remained the slowest nation and Scotland’s median slipped from 49.13 to 46.05Mbps despite improvements in several local authorities. Overall, though, the UK rates badly compared with European peers such as Germany and the Republic of Ireland.

Drilling deeper, the study showed that the gap between local authorities remained stark. In Q1–Q3 2025, median speeds ranged from just over 10Mbps in the Shetland Islands to just over 100Mbps in Leicester. Around 28% of local authorities had fewer than 60% of test samples meeting a 25Mbps download threshold, indicating persistently poor connectivity for many in the UK.

Including the aforementioned Leicester, top performers included Nottingham, Derby, Bridge of Don, Thurrock and Stoke-on-Trent. These areas typically combine median download speeds in the mid-80s to 100Mbps, roughly three-quarters or more of samples reaching 25Mbps, and relatively strong results even in the slowest 10th percentile (generally around 8–11Mbps).

In addition to the Shetland Islands, the country’s weakest performers included the Isle of Anglesey, Fermanagh and Omagh, Denbighshire, Pembrokeshire, Orkney, and Cornwall. These areas have median download speeds mostly in the mid-teens to low-20s – excluding the Shetland Islands – with less than half of samples reaching 25Mbps and 10th-percentile speeds typically in the 1.5–3Mbps range, highlighting large not-spots for a significant share of users there.

Looking at the companies driving the industry, the study noted that heavy capital spending by the UK’s operators was driving improved outcomes. It added that the UK remains one of only a handful of countries in Europe and globally where at least three operators have “aggressively” deployed 5G standalone across a significant footprint.

Virgin Media O2 has already reported 70% population coverage and BT/EE boasts a similar level. VodafoneThree has committed to invest £11bn in its UK network over the next decade, including £1.3bn of capex in year one.

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The UK government has admitted that IT systems at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) were hacked in October, but insists the attack had a “low risk” of personal data being compromised.

During a round of broadcast interviews today (19 December 2025), trade minister Chris Bryant said it was “not clear” who perpetrated the attack, although the first report on the hack, revealed in The Sun, attributed it to a China-based threat actor known as Storm 1849.

The same group was blamed for targeting vulnerabilities in Cisco equipment that led to a National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warning in September for organisations using Cisco’s Adaptive Security Appliance family of unified threat management systems. Users were told to replace any devices reaching end-of-life support, noting the significant risks that ageing or obsolete hardware can pose.

Bryant said some of the reports about the FCDO hack were “speculation”, but that the government had managed to “close the hole” quickly, and that security experts were confident there was a “low risk” of any individual being affected. The Sun report claimed hackers accessed confidential data and documents, possibly including thousands of visa details.

The Storm 1849 attack campaign on Cisco equipment was dubbed ArcaneDoor, and targeted two zero-day vulnerabilities. One was a high-severity denial-of-service vulnerability capable of remote code execution; the other was a high-severity persistent local code execution vulnerability.

While government IT systems always face scrutiny over cyber security, the hack will provide further fuel for critics of plans to introduce a national digital ID scheme, many of whom have already raised concerns about the potential risks of gathering citizen identity data.

The development also comes a day after ITV News broadcast a report on the cyber security issues found in One Login – the government single sign-on system that will be at the heart of the digital ID plan – which were first revealed by Computer Weekly in April.

Damaging year

2025 has been a notably damaging year for cyber attacks, with high-profile ransomware campaigns affecting Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the Co-op and Marks & Spencer.

The Office for National Statistics attributed a November decline in the UK’s economy partly to the impact of the JLR attack, which stopped car production at the manufacturer and had a knock-on impact across the automotive supply chain.

Last month, four London councils – Kensington and Chelsea; Hackney; Westminster; and Hammersmith and Fulham – suffered cyber attacks, disrupting services and prompting an NCSC investigation. Westminster has since admitted that potentially sensitive data was copied from its systems during the hack. Three of the local authorities operate a shared IT service.

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Choosing the right HDMI cable for your smart TV or peripherals connected to your television should be a straightforward experience. Even though there are several kinds of standard HDMI cables, with the latest being the HDMI 2.2 introduced at CES 2025, you shouldn’t worry too much about them.

After all, unless you have a pretty old device at home, all of your devices should have the same HDMI port. Besides that, there usually isn’t a big difference in price between the various versions, which means you can get the latest technologies without overpaying.

That said, even though the golden advice is to get the latest version of the HDMI cable as possible, it all depends on the technologies available on your TV. You can find this by looking at the manual, or searching for your TV model online. Once you have that figured out, you have a better idea of what cable you should get. Still, here are some other tips before jumping into your Amazon cart and ordering your new HDMI cable.

Newer is better, but maybe you don’t need a lot more

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Newer HDMI cables are supposed to work with older devices. That means that even if you decide to change your smart TV in the near future, if you get a cable that surpasses the specs of your current TV, you’ll be able to use it with your new one. It’s also important to note that even if your HDMI cable supports 8K120Hz, but your smart TV can only reach 4K240Hz, the cable will respect your TV’s settings — or vice versa.

In addition, not necessarily all the HDMI ports on your TV support the same standard. This means that you might need to choose to plug your PlayStation 5 in the first port, while other peripherals like the Apple TV, Nintendo Switch 2, or even Blu-ray player in slower ports.

Since HDMI 2.2 has just been released, it’s slightly more expensive than the other models, around $20 at Amazon depending on its length. The previous HDMI 2.1 is available for around $14, which will probably make a better investment in the near future, as the new HDMI 2.2 standard depends on both your smart TV but also peripherals, which might take a while.

When are the new smart TVs with HDMI 2.2 support arriving?

With CES 2026 just around the corner, it’s possible that we might start hearing about the first HDMI 2.2 smart TVs soon. This new standard will be able to support 4K at 480Hz, 8K at 240 Hz, and 16K at 60Hz. That said, we might get a preview of improved 4K and 8K TVs arriving later this year with the new standard.

Still, it wouldn’t be a surprise if manufacturers like LG, Samsung, and Sony decide to postpone the announcement of their first HDMI 2.2 support TVs to 2027, as the technology is still fairly recent. It’s also possible that the new standard also comes to business initiatives first, such as AR/VR, big displays at concerts, and so on. One thing is for sure, if you’re currently trying to find an HDMI cable for your smart TV or peripherals, an HDMI 2.1 port will be more than enough for the years to come.

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If you thought you could escape the “6-7” meme online, you’d better think again, as even Google has joined the phenomenon by incorporating a “6-7” Easter egg right into Google Search, where it often includes such references to notable events. The “Pluribus” Google Search Easter egg is one such example. Reported by 9to5Google, and seen in the following video, the Google Search “6-7” Easter egg can be activated by typing “6-7” or “67” into Google Search. Once that happens, Google Search will perform the hand motion that’s part of the “6-7” meme — the palms-up weighing of the hands — by jiggling the Google Search results up and down. The only thing missing is the sound that goes along with it, as Google Search doesn’t actually say the words “six seven” out loud.

Google’s decision to give “6-7” its own Easter egg isn’t surprising, considering that the viral joke received similar recognition from Dictionary.com in late October, when the meme became the word of the year. Hilariously, Google’s Easter egg is about to prank those people who are still confused about “6-7” after a year of use. They may search for the term, and Google will serve them the Easter egg promptly.

What does 6-7 even mean?

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Adults asking what “6-7” means, or trying to understand why kids and teens go crazy about the phrase-and-gesture combination, should easily be the second-most popular meme of the year. The confusion of the adult mind trying to discern the meaning of “6-7” in a specific context would need its own Google Search Easter egg. The truth is that “6-7” means nothing in particular. It’s not supposed to indicate that a situation, event, or person is “mid” (so-so), to borrow a term that teens also use. It’s just a vibe that kids understand and convey, a gesture that’s able to generate endless fun for the younger generations.

Dictionary.com put it best, saying that “the most defining feature of 67 is that it’s impossible to define. It’s meaningless, ubiquitous, and nonsensical.” The website also explained the source of the meme, which may be useful to have on hand especially during the busy holiday season when families get together and there may be plenty of “6-7” going around: “The origin of this most modern use of 67 is thought to be a song called ‘Doot Doot (6 7)’ by Skrilla. (This is an opportune moment to mention that you may also see it written as 6 7, 6-7, or six-seven, but the most important thing is to never pronounce it as ‘sixty-seven.’) It was quickly reinforced by viral TikToks featuring basketball players and a young boy who will forevermore be known as the ’67 Kid.'”

The “Doot Doot (6 7)” and the “67 Kid” videos, seen above, should help clarify the meme.

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Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered autonomous vehicle technology provider Kodiak AI has turned to Verizon Business to bring connectivity and internet of things (IoT) data capabilities to its driverless trucking services.

Founded in 2018, Kodiak AI offers AI-powered autonomous vehicle technology designed to help address the problem of safely transporting goods in the face of unprecedented supply chain challenges and tackle some of the toughest driving jobs.

The company serves customers in long-haul trucking, industrial trucking and defence industries, and its stated vision is to become the trusted world leader in autonomous ground transportation. Kodiak AI says it’s committed to a safer and more efficient future for all through the commercialisation of driverless trucking at scale. In 2024, it believes it achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first company to deploy customer-owned and operated driverless trucks in commercial service.

To that end, Kodiak has developed the Kodiak Driver, a virtual driver that combines advanced AI-powered software with modular and vehicle-agnostic hardware to further address customers’ needs.

Kodiak Driver incorporates technology that allows a human to provide remote assistance to a vehicle in certain low-speed and clearly defined scenarios that benefit from human involvement. Verizon connectivity allows Kodiak’s driverless vehicles to communicate with Assisted Autonomy drivers and send mission-critical communication between vehicles and command centres, with low latency over long distances in remote environments.

The collaboration uses Verizon’s 5G and LTE networks, IoT telematics and ThingSpace management platform to help fill Kodiak’s need for advanced data capabilities. Use cases include over-the-air software updates, remote fleet management, and skilled remote assistance for Kodiak’s long-haul trucking and industrial operations.

Verizon provides custom 5G and LTE data plans for the intense data demands of autonomous vehicle operations. The network delivers high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity for the required over-the-air software updates, and near-real-time communication between operations centres and trucks throughout the US.

The connectivity is critical for Kodiak’s Assisted Autonomy capability. Enabled by Verizon partner and automotive-grade remote driving technology provider Vay Technology, this allows remote operators to quickly review camera feeds and sensor data, and guide autonomous trucks through defined scenarios. This human oversight is intended to enhance safety and helps make daily operations more efficient.

The ThingSpace centralised IoT platform allows Kodiak’s IT team to easily monitor, manage and troubleshoot connectivity across the fleet. The platform tracks data usage and provides cost transparency, enabling efficient scaling of operations.

“Our autonomous driver as a service business model requires highly reliable, low-latency communications for a number of different data transport and management needs,” said Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak AI. “This is physical AI at work to enable up to 24/7 driverless operations, and Verizon’s cellular and IoT capabilities provide the backbone that helps Kodiak safely scale its business and deliver for our customers.”

With the network foundation, Verizon says Kodiak can deliver next-generation driverless services to its customers, including day-and-night hauling for industrial clients and long-haul freight with trucking partners.

“Kodiak’s cutting-edge approach to logistics showcases the vast potential of the future of transportation powered by AI and connectivity,” added Daniel Lawson, senior vice-president of global solutions at Verizon Business.

“Our IoT solutions, 5G network and data platforms are now underpinning connected-vehicle operations of every size and scale. And now with AI catalysing new enthusiasm for autonomous mobility, reliable connectivity and data services have never been more important.”

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After decades of research and experimentation, quantum is shifting from discovery to deployment, and the coming year will be critical for stepping up delivery on a world‑class quantum network by 2035, according to a research note by BT.

Furthermore, said Gabriela Styf Sjoman, the firm’s managing director of research and network strategy, the UK’s next phase of quantum progress hinges on building quantum-ready and quantum-secure networks.

The mission to build a world‑class quantum network by 2035 would provide the secure infrastructure needed to connect quantum technologies and enable real‑world applications.

As BT was publishing the paper, UK Research and Innovation was mapping out its £38.6bn budget of which £1bn has been committed to quantum over the 2026–30 time period.

BT says global momentum for quantum technologies is building fast. Quantum computers are emerging, investment is rising, and early applications are said to be showing real value. Quantum is no longer a distant frontier, it stated: it is becoming one of the defining technologies of the next decade – and the UK has a pivotal opportunity to lead.

BT believes progress across quantum missions in 2026 will be essential to achieving the UK’s ambition to secure 15% of the global quantum technologies market and 15% of global private equity investment by 2033.

However, the company added that such technologies will require top infrastructure to function effectively. “As exciting and extraordinary as quantum computers, sensors and devices are – on their own, they are isolated,” said Styf Sjoman. “Their true value is unlocked only when they are connected – to each other, to users, to data, and to the wider digital ecosystem. Just as AI required cloud infrastructure and electric vehicles needed charging networks, quantum technologies need networks that are both quantum-secure and quantum-ready. This is the foundation of the UK’s future quantum economy.”

BT sees its role as delivering quantum-secure and quantum-ready networks, and believes that in its role as the UK’s leading network provider, it was uniquely placed to build this infrastructure.

The paper revealed that BT was developing quantum‑secure networks using technologies such as PQC, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and entanglement‑based security, ensuring data is protected today and resilient against future threats.

Quantum‑ready networks will connect quantum computers, sensors and devices, and are designed to enable the quantum internet and unlock applications yet to exist.

To this end, in 2025, BT began building with the University of Suffolk a research facility designed for optical space‑to‑ground communications which it says is essential for future satellite‑enabled quantum networks. It has also developed IP in quantum sensing and trialled a quantum radio receiver.

UKRI has selected BT to lead Project Spectra, looking to advance quantum‑enabled RF sensing and strengthen the UK’s sovereign capability with global impact.

“Making quantum technologies is as critical as enabling, adopting and implementing them – and essential for UK leadership,” said Styf Sjoman. “The UK enters 2026 from a position of strength, with thriving startups, strong industrial players and world-class research.

“Now we need to accelerate adoption, and build deeper, more resilient supply chains. Government has a key role to play: stimulating demand, convening industry and users, and helping to turn breakthrough science into deployable solutions.”

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Having the opportunity to upgrade a device is pretty exciting — especially when you’re cracking the cellophane on a new Apple product. Getting ahold of something like the Apple Watch Series 11 can be a fun experience, but then the challenge of finding a use for your old device arises. You can properly recycle or sell it, of course, but it’s worth knowing that there’s some other options available.

Taking a look at the list below, your old Apple Watch can be fantastic for a grandparent, help you sleep at night, act as a backup for certain activities, or even be transformed into a retro-looking Apple product. Most of these ideas will simply require having the Apple Watch, but at least one idea does involve purchasing an extra accessory. We also did our best to let you know when certain ideas may require additional research regarding the specific model of your Apple Watch.

From Apple Watch features that might fly under people’s radars, to watchOS 26 providing plenty of reasons to upgrade, getting a new one certainly isn’t a bad decision — but there’s still plenty of experiences to be had with your old one. Check out the ideas below to see if any of them can spark a bit of creativity for your old device, as an Apple Watch wasting away in a sock drawer somewhere isn’t ideal.

Make your old Apple Watch into a dedicated sleep tracker

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Using an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch to track your sleep is pretty easy to set up, and if you have an older version of a Watch, using it solely to track your sleep, and act as a secondary alarm, can be a great way to get some extra use out of it. So long as the device supports watchOS 8 or later, you can use your old Apple Watch to track your sleep, allowing your new device to charge or rest alongside you.

An Apple Watch is capable of tracking how long you spend within each stage of sleep, including REM, Core, and Deep sleep (if you’re using watchOS 9), and it can also determine if you’re waking up in the middle of the night. Getting started is as simple as navigating to the Sleep app from your Apple Watch and following the instructions.

Once you dive fully into the Apple Watch’s sleep monitoring functions, you’ll be able to set a sleep goal, limit notification distractions with Sleep Focus, and more. You can easily view your metrics within the Sleep app, or you can also view them through the Health app on your iPhone by opening the app, tapping the magnifying glass icon, and selecting Sleep. Lastly, you can also set alarms from your old Apple Watch, and it can simply buzz to wake you when you activate Silent Mode from Control Center — which may be ideal for a partner that’s still trying to get some shut-eye.

Turn your old Apple Watch into a modern iPod

A solid protective case can be a wise investment, but one that provides cool secondary functions can offer so much more. For the iPhone, there’s the GameBaby case that also serves as a retro gaming controller. For the Apple Watch, the RePod C1 from Beaverlab is a $49.90 accessory that gives it the style and functionality of a classic iPod while retaining everything great about your old smartwatch.

The RePod C1 supports a wide-variety of Apple Watch models, including the Apple Watch Series 4 through 9, and the SE first, second, and third generation — so long as they’re 44mm or 45mm in size. The body of the RePod not only features that classic iPod look (with controllable click wheel), but also acts as a protective case. What’s even cooler is that the case supports any features that the Apple Watch does, meaning you can use Apple Pay, or transfer music to your Watch and use it as an MP3 player.

For those that like options, there’s also the tinyPod for $79, which supports 41/40mm, 45/44mm, and 49mm models. They also offer a soft case that has no scroll wheel for $29, which can be good for anyone that just wants the look but can do without the wheel functionality. For anyone that misses their old iPod and has an Apple Watch laying around, this can be a great way to bring new life to your old smart wearable.

Use your old Apple Watch for extreme activities

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Having a new Apple Watch is great, but there may be some activities or adventures where taking your new device can be risky — and you just can’t swing the $800 price tag of the Apple Watch Ultra. While other models of the Apple Watch can handle a variety of activities — the product lineup offers some of the best fitness apps, after all — if you know you’re going to be doing something that can put your Watch in jeopardy, maybe bringing an older model along is a wise decision.

There’s more than a few situations where doing so may come in handy. For example, when it comes to an Apple Watch and it being water-resistant, there’s more than a couple of things you should know, so taking an older device to the pool can be a great way to ensure your new one stays safe. Since an Apple Watch can track a ton of different workouts – including Functional Strength Training, Indoor/Outdoor Running and Walking, Surfing, and more –- you can use the older Watch for tracking activities while keeping your new Watch pristine.

For those that love closing their Activity Rings every day, so long as both Watches are still connected to your iPhone, you’ll be able to close your Rings on one Watch without worrying about closing them on the other, as the data is sent to your iPhone. So if you know you have a big day of rock climbing or jetskiing ahead of you, leaving your new Apple Watch at home and taking your old one may be the smart move.

Give your old Apple Watch to a grandparent

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There’s plenty of reasons to get an Apple Watch yourself; between hidden features you should use everyday to some of the most essential apps you need to install, there’s a lot to like about the product. Something really nice about these devices, however, is that they also have a rather impressive amount of health features that can be beneficial for loved ones who happen to be older.

For starters, there’s more than one story out there about Apple Watch’s Fall Detection features saving someone’s life, and in January 2025, the SOS Alert feature saved a skier after a 1,000 foot fall. These standout examples come in addition to other health tracking features provided by the Apple Watch, including Sleep Tracking, a heart rate monitor, and more. You’ll need to do some research for the specific features your Watch has, but there’s a good chance you’ll find something useful for the senior in your life.

While things are easier if the grandparent in question has their own iPhone to connect with the Apple Watch, there’s still some options if they don’t. So long as you have an iPhone, you can set the Apple Watch up for a relative with Apple Watch For Your Kids, meaning they can use many of the Apple Watch’s features without the need for their own iPhone. However, they will miss out on some big health features by employing this method, such as Blood Oxygen and Sleep tracking, so having their own iPhone is more ideal. The Watch will still have heart rate notifications and Fall Detection, however, so it can still make a great accessory for an older individual.

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We use so many tech devices day to day — from smartphones to computers, earbuds to smartwatches — that recharging our devices has become routine. You may have a rat’s nest of cables on your desk to recharge everything you need to get through the day. Logically, that makes wireless charging as an alternative sound quite appealing. You can plug in a single multi-charge unit, or a wireless charging pad, and get all your devices boosted in a neat and tidy way. It sounds like a no-brainer.

But wireless charging isn’t for everyone. For powers users, especially, you might find that it simply doesn’t suffice. Even the fastest wireless charging standards, with limited exceptions, are generally slower than basic wired charging options. What’s more, they require a cable anyway (to the base), typically cost more, and have limited compatibility. Plus, you can’t comfortably use your phone for anything but passive tasks — like watching videos or making calls — while it’s charging, even if it’s on a charging stand. Wireless charging is useful for quick top-ups, but for reliable, primary charging, wired is still the way to go.

Wireless charging is typically slower than wired charging

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No matter how you slice it, wireless charging is slower. The maximum wireless charging speed is 25W through the new Qi2 standard, based on Apple’s MagSafe technology, although proprietary wireless chargers for OnePlus and Xiaomi currently best this standard. But 25W Qi2 accessories are only just starting to arrive. Further, so far the only phones that can support 25W Qi2 wireless charging are the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL and iPhone 17 series devices (iPhone Air at 20W). What’s more, all Android phones to date with the exception of the Pixel 10 series require a MagSafe case to work with Qi or Qi2 charging. That is, if they are even Qi2-ready, like the Samsung Galaxy S25 series. Those phones support the standard but don’t have the positioning magnets built into the back.

Most Qi2 wireless charging-enabled mobile devices support up to 15W wireless charging, while older Qi-enabled devices tap out at 7.5W. To put this in perspective, a MagSafe charger can get an iPhone 17 to about half battery life in 30 minutes, provided a newly released 30W MagSafe puck is present. With slower or older wireless chargers, the pace of charge is very sluggish by comparison. 

Wired charging speeds are on the rise

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Aside from certain outliers, wired charging will almost always be faster. The iPhone 17 series models, for example, support 40W charging, which can get you to 50% in about 20 minutes. The time savings can add up.

Consider that many phones also support super-fast charging with the right cables and adapters. Some brands, like OnePlus, even include ultra-fast adapters in the box. The new OnePlus 15, for example, supports 80W SUPERVOOC wired charging (100W internationally).

But it’s also worth noting that wireless chargers often produce more heat. Over time, if you rely exclusively or predominantly on fast wireless charging, which uses higher charging currents, this can potentially degrade the battery faster. In a pinch, you can always rely on a wired cable and adapter, or a power bank, while wireless charging is useful for emergency top-ups. A lower-output wireless charger may also be suitable for all-day at-your-desk charging when you aren’t in a rush.

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