Big box retailer Smiths City has announced it is downsizing after its business dropped 40% from two years ago. Read...

As one of the most important technology companies in the world, Microsoft employs over 220,000 people. However, this number has shrunk somewhat following layoffs from earlier this year, which resulted in thousands of employees being let go. But how much do you actually earn as a Microsoft employee? This question is particularly interesting for developers and managers, as such positions at top companies are in high demand. And as a user, you might also wonder what a Windows developer earns these days. How much do Microsoft devs earn? Business Insider recently obtained a leaked internal Microsoft document that answers this question. In it, 850 employees provided information on their own earnings at Microsoft, and the data allows for different levels to be compared with each other. Compensation at Microsoft comprises the following: a base annual salary, a cash bonus, a percentage bonus (presumably based on targets achieved), and a stock award (which is based on the current company value and can therefore fluctuate greatly). This results in the following salary range for developers: Level Basic salary Cash bonus Bonus percentage Stock bonus59$120,800 – $124,000$3,000 – $19,3008-14%$7,000 – $19,30060$111,000 – $160,000$9,300 – $21,7008-16%$7,200 – $20,00061$128,000 – $170,000$11,300 – $27,0008-20%$10,800 – $36,00062$139,200 – $191,000$11,000 – $30,8008-20%$8,000 – $45,00063$153,500 – $224,800$8,000 – $50,00010-25%$22,000 – $64,00064$162,700 – $230,600$11,000 – $50,00010-140%$38,000 – $80,00065$188,000 – $230,000$32,700 – $61,70016-28%$39,000 – $91,00066$217,600 – $269,000$59,000 – $60,70020-120%$78,000 – $140,00067$248,000 – $250,000$70,000 – $82,00028-34%$145,000 – $252,000 This means that a top developer at Microsoft could receive between $500,000 and $600,000 per year (after bonuses and stock awards). This is astonishing, as the average salary for developers in the US is normally around $120,000. However, you have to bear in mind that only a very small portion of the workforce is represented here. The salary is not only based on the individual level, but also on the area in which you work. The salary is lowest for developers in the “Experiences and Devices” area, which presumably means end devices and support. Cloud and AI developers earn a little more, but salaries are highest in the Xbox division and Commerce division. How much do Microsoft bosses earn? If you compare these already-excellent salaries with the top salaries at Microsoft, they no longer seem quite so impressive. According to unconfirmed reports, Phil Spencer (head of the Xbox division) earns $10 million per year, and that’s before stock awards. At the top of the list is Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who just about makes ends meet with a modest annual salary of $2.5 million. However, after all bonuses and premiums are paid out, the Microsoft top dog earns an impressive $79 million. So even a top-tier Microsoft developer earns as much in his entire life as Phil Spencer gets in two years or Satya Nadella in three months. Past reports of Microsoft salaries Microsoft salaries were also leaked in 2024 and in 2019. Compared to last year, salaries have hardly changed—but in 2019, developers at Microsoft earned significantly less. However, the company’s annual turnover has now risen to $281 billion, making it one of the top 3 tech companies in the world. Read...

For better or worse, the number of ways to watch NFL and college football games has exploded in 2025. While you once need a bloated pay TV bundle just to stream your local teams, this year brings new standalone options from ESPN and Fox, skinnier channel bundles from pay TV providers, and shorter-term subscription plans from Sling. Slice and dice things the right way, and you’ll save a bunch of money compared to what you might have spent in previous years. But with so many potential paths for football coverage, it’s hard to keep track of what’s even available, let alone what the best option is. Here is my best attempt to point you in the right direction. First, know which channels you need The scenarios below are focused on channels rather than specific teams. If you’re not sure which channels you need to watch your favorite college or NFL teams, I suggest using ESPN’s Where to Watch tool. Enter your team into the search box, and you’ll see a schedule of upcoming games and their corresponding TV channels. Make a list of necessary channels and keep them in mind as we go through the options. If you can use an antenna Figure out which channels you can get over the air, and then buy an antenna that suits your needs What’ll you get: ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC If you’re blessed with good enough reception, an over-the-air antenna is still the best way to access a huge amount of football coverage for free, including all the NFL’s Sunday day games and the biggest college football matchups. You’ll miss some games that air on cable, but that’s where some of the following alternatives come into play. If you only need ESPN Subscribe to ESPN for $30 per month (or $36 per month with the addition of Disney+ and Hulu) What you get: ESPN, ESPN on ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX ESPN isn’t a great deal on a purely standalone basis, but it could pair well with an antenna and might cater to college football fans whose teams air exclusively on ABC and ESPN channels. If you only need Fox’s sports channels Subscribe to Fox One for $20 per month What you get: Fox, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, Fox News, and Fox Business Much like ESPN’s service, Fox One will have narrow appeal as a standalone option, but it could work for folks whose NFL team airs primarily on Fox. It might also appeal to antenna users who otherwise have no reasonably-priced way to watch FS1, FS2, and the Big Ten Network. If you want ESPN and Fox, but not much else Subscribe to the ESPN and Fox One bundle from October 2 onward What you get: All of ESPN’s channels, and all of Fox’s channels These two services will cover a good-sized chunk of college and NFL games, especially for teams whose day games don’t air primarily on CBS. For the cheapest path to local games, ESPN, and Fox’s cable channels Subscribe to Paramount+ ($8 per month), Peacock ($11 per month), ESPN ($30 per month), and Fox One ($20 per month). Bundle the latter two for $40 per month after October 2 What you’ll get: All of ESPN’s channels, ABC’s sports coverage, all of Fox’s channels, sports and entertainment from NBC and CBS For $69 per month (dropping to $59 per month once the ESPN-Fox One bundle becomes available), you get a wide swath of broadcast and cable football coverage, including all Sunday NFL games and Monday Night Football. If you don’t care about ESPN, but want football on local channels Subscribe to DirecTV MyNews for $40 per month What you get: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and a bunch of cable news channels Don’t be misled by the name. DirecTV’s MyNews package is sneakily the cheapest way to stream local channels, including football coverage on the four major broadcast networks. Just note that DirecTV MyNews doesn’t carry all four major networks in every market. To check availability, click the “See 10+ channels” link. If your NFL team airs on Fox and you live in a major city Look into Sling Select, which ranges from $20 to $30 per month depending on local channel availability. What you get: A combination of ABC, NBC, and Fox that varies by city, plus NFL Network and a handful of other channels. Sling Select’s local channel availability is limited, but there are some markets where it makes sense for football coverage. New Yorkers, for instance, can use Sling Select to get every Giants game on Fox, plus Sunday Night Football and any Monday Night Football games that air on ABC. Sling Select costs $20 per month in markets with one or fewer local channels, $25 per month in markets with two local channels, and $30 per month in markets with three. See Sling’s local channel chart too see what’s available in each market. If you’d rather have everything in one app, plus NFL Network Subscribe to DirecTV MySports for $70 per month What you get: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, all of ESPN’s channels, all of Fox’s sports channels, NFL Network, Golf Channel, MLB Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, TBS, TNT, TruTV, USA, major cable news networks. This option will still be cheaper than standard pay TV packages, and you’ll get more overall sports coverage than the standalone options mentioned earlier. You’ll just have to do without cable’s entertainment channels. As with DirecTV’s MyNews package, local channel availability varies by market. Head to DirecTV’s MySports page, then click the “See 20+ channels” link to see what’s covered in your area. For occasional ESPN coverage only Sign up for a $5 Sling Day Pass, $10 weekend pass, or $15 week pass What you’ll get: ESPN, TNT, and a bunch of other basic cable channels Sling’s newly launched day passes could come in handy if you get local channels with an antenna or via DirecTV MyNews. Instead of paying for an entire month of ESPN’s service just to watch one or two Monday Night Football games, you could buy a day pass for a fraction of the price. If you just want a regular pay TV package Consider YouTube TV ($83 per month), Hulu + Live TV ($83 per month), Fubo (starting at $98 per month), or DirecTV’s signature packages (starting at $90 per month) What you’ll get: A broad mix of local, sports, news, and entertainment channels While they’re not as flexible or inexpensive as the other options I mentioned, a standard live TV streaming service will give you a package of channels that more closely resembles cable. If your favorite team plays at home in a different city from where you live And you absolutely must watch live: Subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket ($480 per season) And only need to see the big moments or don’t mind catching up on games after they’re over: Subscribe to NFL+ Premium ($15 per month or $100 per year) YouTube has the exclusive rights to out-of-market games via Sunday Ticket, but you might be able to eke by with NFL+ Premium’s partial coverage. If you’re balking at the price, NFL+ Premium gets you NFL Redzone’s whiparound coverage (so you’ll at least see your team’s scoring drives) along with full game replays after they’re over. More to come This is a quickly-evolving situation, with new bundles arriving at a rapid clip ahead of football season. Fubo, for instance, plans to launch its own cheaper sports bundle soon, and we may see more attempts to bundle standalone services together at a discount. Stay tuned for more updates. Sign up for Jared’s Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter to get more in-depth streaming research and analysis every week. Read...

The USA may be considered the land of the free, but the reality is different when it comes to dealing with border control. Travelers entering the country must expect electronic devices such as laptops and smartphones to be checked, read or even temporarily retained. The US authorities are authorized to do this and are increasingly making use of it, especially for tourists with a valid visa or ESTA. In this article, we show you how to configure and prepare your devices securely, what sort of content can be problematic, and how you can stay protected online with a VPN, even in a hotel or airport network. When preparing technically for a trip to the USA, two devices take center stage: your laptop and your smartphone. If you’re well prepared, not only will you protect your privacy, but you’ll also avoid unnecessary queries or, in the worst case, being refused entry. Preparing your laptop for a trip to the USA: Reduce data, gain control A simple principle works best for laptops: less is more. The less private or professional data stored locally, the lower the risk that it will be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Work documents, tax documents, invoices, applications, CVs, or project files are particularly sensitive, as they may give the US authorities the impression that employment in the USA is planned. Even seemingly harmless tools such as Slack, Figma, or Notion can raise questions if they reveal professional activity. To be on the safe side, consider setting up a fresh laptop before traveling or create a separate user profile without sensitive content. An elegant solution is a dual-boot setup with a minimalist second system. This can be installed alongside Windows, which strictly separates private use from travel needs. You should also deactivate cloud access such as Google Drive, OneDrive, or iCloud. Make sure you remove saved browser logins, too. Instead, we recommend a deliberately reduced setup with only essential applications, such as a browser, PDF viewer, and VPN client. Secure your smartphone for the USA: Select apps wisely and limit access Smartphones are particularly sensitive: they not only contain personal data, but also meta-information such as location histories, chat histories and app usage behavior. A glance at the app icon or a notification on the lock screen is often enough to trigger queries. The following app categories in particular can cause problems when entering the country: News apps with geopolitical explosiveness such as “RT News,” “Sputnik,” “PressTV,” “CCTV,” or “Al Mayadeen” Messengers with a strong focus on encryption such as “Signal,” “Telegram,” and “Threema” — frequently used in activist circles or for anonymous communication Tools for circumventing censorship and tracking such as “Tor Browser,” “Orbot,” or “Psiphon” — technically useful, but in need of explanation Apps with links to sanctioned countries, such as Persian calendars, Iranian banking, shopping apps, or apps with Arabic script Wallets and crypto platforms such as “Exodus Wallet,” “Monero GUI Wallet,” and “Trust Wallet.” This can arouse suspicion due to possible money flows without traceability. Social networks with a political focus such as Mastodon apps with left-wing or anarchist instances or special Reddit clients with conspicuous subreddits The use of these apps is not prohibited generally, but in combination with other factors (travel history, visa type, previous stays) they can provoke questions. If this is a concern for you, you should consider using a second phone for your trip to the USA that only contains the most necessary apps. More sensitive applications can then remain on the main device, which is kept safe at home. Alternatively, affected apps can also be uninstalled and reinstalled after your return. Overview of device unlocking requirements Under current US law, border officials may search electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones and, if necessary, confiscate them. They can also demand that devices be unlocked by fingerprint, facial recognition, or by issuing passwords, including individual apps. Although refusal is not a criminal offense, it may result in entry being denied or the device being confiscated. It’s better to travel sparingly and only take the most necessary content with you. VPN for travel to the USA: The protection you need before you even take off A VPN (Virtual Private Network) protects your connection, especially when it matters most: while entering the country, using airport Wi-Fi, in your hotel, or during travel. With a VPN, you can hide your IP address, connect to your home network, and prevent unencrypted data from being read. How to prepare your VPN correctly: Choose a VPN provider and subscribe to a suitable tariff Install the VPN app in advance (both on your laptop and smartphone) and test the connection Activate “Auto-Connect” and “Kill Switch” so that the VPN starts automatically and protects your data if the tunnel breaks down Hide the app icon on the home screen or move it to a folder With a VPN like NordVPN, you can surf safely on foreign networks in the USA. Install the client before your trip.Sam Singleton Is a VPN a red flag at the US border? No, VPNs are legal in the USA and commonly used in business settings. However, it’s advisable to avoid particularly conspicuous providers or political associations such as Tor integration. If you want to travel inconspicuously, you can simply hide the app or use a neutral provider such as NordVPN or Surfshark VPN. If needed, VPN use can be plausibly justified as protecting personal data or ensuring secure access to private online services. Especially practical: A VPN can easily be used with an eSIM, so you don’t even have to rely on public (and often very weak) Wi-Fi networks. Read...

Workday has confirmed a breach via a third-party CRM platform, exposing business contact info through social engineering but no core customer data was compromised. Read...

TL;DR: Turn complex projects into simple tasks with a lifetime license to Microsoft Project Pro, now only $15. Managing complex projects gets easier when you have the right tools in place. Instead of juggling spreadsheets and calendar reminders, having dedicated software built for planning and execution can save time and reduce mistakes. Microsoft Project Professional 2021 is a desktop app for Windows that helps you map out tasks, assign responsibilities, and track progress in a centralized way, and a lifetime license is only $14.97 on sale (reg. $249.99). Project Pro helps you build out schedules, create timelines, and adjust workloads using built-in tools designed to keep everything organized. It’s useful for people who manage everything from small business projects to large-scale operations and includes automation features that take care of repetitive work like adjusting dates or redistributing resources. There’s no subscription involved. You pay once and own the software for life. The license includes updates and customer support and is compatible with Office 2021 and Office LTSC. Project Pro also supports features like multiple timeline views, pre-built templates, and time tracking, so you can monitor how hours are spent across different types of work. If your team uses Project Online or Project Server, this version can sync with those tools as well. During this limited-time sale, you can get Microsoft Project Pro 2021 for only $14.97. No coupon needed. Microsoft Project 2021 Professional: Lifetime License for WindowsSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

Well-known Auckland mortgage adviser Jeff Royle has expanded his business to Australia and the UK and is changing its name. Read...

Kiwibank has posted a lower full-year profit on the back of increased costs and a fall in margins. Read...

Modern notebooks with integrated AI hardware are changing the way artificial intelligence is used in everyday life. Instead of relying on external server farms, these large language models, image generators, or transcription systems run directly on the user’s own device. This is made possible by the combination of powerful CPUs, dedicated graphics processors and, at the center of this development, a Neural Processing Unit (NPU). An NPU is not just an add-on, but a specialized accelerator designed precisely for the calculation of neural networks. It enables offline AI tools such as GPT4All or Stable Diffusion not only to start, but also to react with high performance, low energy consumption and constant response time. Even with complex queries or multimodal tasks, the working speed remains stable. The days when AI was only conceivable as a cloud service are now over. Work where others are offline As soon as the internet connection is interrupted, classic laptops begin to idle. An AI PC, on the other hand, remains operational, whether in airplane mode above the clouds, deep in the dead zones of rural regions, or in an overloaded train network without a stable network. In such situations, the structural advantage of locally running AI systems becomes apparent. Jan.ai or GPT4All can be used to create, check and revise texts, intelligently summarize notes, pre-formulate emails and categorize appointments. Foundry With AnythingLLM, contracts or meeting minutes can be searched for keywords without the documents leaving the device. Creative tasks such as creating illustrations via Stable Diffusion or post-processing images with Photo AI also work, even on devices without a permanent network connection. Even demanding projects such as programming small tools or the automated generation of shell scripts are possible if the corresponding models are installed. For frequent travelers, project managers, or creative professionals, this creates a comprehensive option for productive working, completely independent of infrastructure, network availability, or cloud access. An offline AI notebook does not replace a studio, but it does prevent downtime. Sensitive content remains local Data sovereignty is increasingly becoming a decisive factor in personal and professional lives. Anyone who processes business reports, develops project ideas, or analyzes medical issues cannot afford to have any uncertainties when processing data. Public chatbots such as Gemini, ChatGPT, or Microsoft Copilot are helpful, but are not designed to protect sensitive data from misuse or unwanted analysis. Local AI solutions, on the other hand, work without transmitting data to the internet. The models used, such as LLaMA, Mistral or DeepSeek, can be executed directly on the device without the content leaving the hardware. This opens up completely new fields of application, particularly in areas with regulatory requirements, such as healthcare, in a legal context, or in research. AnythingLLM goes one step further. It combines classic chat interaction with a local knowledge base of Office documents, PDFs and structured data. This turns voice AI into an interactive analysis tool for complex amounts of information, locally, offline and in compliance with data protection regulations. NPU notebooks: new architecture, new possibilities While traditional notebooks quickly reach their thermal or energy limits in AI applications, the new generation of copilot PCs rely on specialized AI hardware. Models such as the Surface Laptop 6 or the Surface Pro 10 integrate a dedicated NPU directly into the Intel Core Ultra SoC, supplemented by high-performance CPU cores and integrated graphics. The advantages are evident in typical everyday scenarios. Voice input via Copilot, Gemini or ChatGPT can be analyzed without delay, image processing with AI tools takes place without cloud rendering, and even multimodal tasks, such as analyzing text, sound, and video simultaneously run in real time. Microsoft couples the hardware closely with the operating system. IDG Windows 11 offers native NPU support, for example for Windows Studio Effects, live subtitles, automatic text recognition in images or voice focus in video conferences. The systems are designed so that AI does not function as an add-on, but is an integral part of the overall system as soon as it is switched on, even without an internet connection. Productive despite dead zones The tools for offline AI are now fully developed and stable in everyday use. GPT4All from Nomic AI is particularly suitable for beginners, with a user-friendly interface, uncomplicated model management and support for numerous LLMs. Ollama is aimed at technically experienced users and offers terminal-based model management with a local API connection, ideal for providing your own applications or workflows directly with AI support. LM Studio, on the other hand, is characterized by its GUI focus. Models from Hugging Face can be simply be searched in the app, downloaded, and activated with a click. The LM Studio chatbot not only provides access to a large selection of AI models from Huggingface.com, but also allows the AI models to be fine-tuned. There is a separate developer view for this. LM Studio Jan.ai is particularly versatile. The minimalist interface hides a highly functional architecture with support for multiple models, context-sensitive responses, and elegant interaction. Local tools are also available in the creative area. With suitable hardware, Stable Diffusion delivers AI-generated images within a few seconds, while applications such as Photo AI automatically improve the quality of screenshots or video frames. A powerful NPU PC turns the mobile device into an autonomous creative studio, even without Wi-Fi, cloud access, or GPU calculation on third-party servers. What counts on the move The decisive factor for mobile use is not just whether a notebook can run AI, but how confidently it can do this offline. In addition to the CPU and GPU, the NPU plays a central role. It processes AI tasks in real time, while at the same time conserving battery power and reducing the load on the overall system. Devices such as the Galaxy Book with an RTX 4050/4070 or the Surface Pro 10 with a Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU demonstrate that even complex language models such as Phi-2, Mistral, or Qwen run locally, with smooth operation and without the typical latencies of cloud services. Copilot as a system assistant complements this setup, provided the software can access it. When travelling, you can compose emails, structure projects, prepare images or generate text modules, regardless of the network. Offline AI on NPU notebooks also transforms the in-flight restaurant, the waiting gate, or the remote holiday home into a productive workspace. Requirements and limitations The hardware requirements are not trivial however. Models such as LLaMA2 or Mistral require several gigabytes of RAM, 16 GB RAM is the lower minimum. Those working with larger prompts or context windows should plan for 32 or 64 GB. The SSD memory requirement also increases, as many models use between 4 and 20 GB. NPUs take care of inference, but depending on the tool, additional GPU support may be necessary, for example for image generation with Stable Diffusion. Sam Singleton Integration into the operating system is also important. Copilot PCs ensure deep integration between hardware, AI libraries, and system functions. Anyone working with older hardware will have to accept limitations. The model quality also varies. Local LLMs do not yet consistently reach the level of GPT-4, but they are more controllable, more readily available and more data protection-friendly. They are the more robust solution for many applications, especially when travelling. Offline AI under Linux: openness meets control Offline AI also unfolds its potential on Linux systems—often with even greater flexibility. Tools such as Ollama, GPT4All, or LM Studio offer native support for Ubuntu, Fedora, and Arch-based distributions and can be installed directly from the terminal or as a flatpack. The integration of open models such as Mistral, DeepSeek, or LLaMA works smoothly, as many projects rely on open source frameworks such as GGML or llama.cpp. Browser interface for Ollama: Open-Web-UI is quickly set up as a Python program or in a Docker container and provides a user interface.IDG Anyone working with Docker or Conda environments can build customized model set-ups, activate GPU support or fine-tune inference parameters. This opens up various scenarios, especially in the developer environment: Scripting, data analysis, code completion, or testing your own prompt structures. In conjunction with tiling desktops, reduced background processes and optimized energy management, the Linux notebook becomes a self-sufficient AI platform, without any vendor lock-in, with maximum control over every file and every computing operation. Offline instead of delivered Offline AI on NPU notebooks is not a stopgap measure, but a paradigm shift. It offers independence, data protection, and responsiveness, even in environments without a network. Thanks to specialized chips, optimized software, and well thought-out integration in Windows 11 and the latest Linux kernel, new freedom is created for data-secure analyses, mobile creative processes, or productive work beyond the cloud. The prerequisite for this is an AI PC that not only provides the necessary performance, but also anchors AI at a system level. Anyone relying on reliable intelligence on the move should no longer hope for the cloud, but choose a notebook that makes it superfluous. Read...

This week`s bills are a mixture of unfinished business from last week along with a selection plucked from the Order Paper that are awaiting their next stages. Read...