Let's start with what we finished on for a change: the Apple MacBook Neo, in the flesh. Jon Honeyball proposes it as the Hot Hardware of the Week, but not without opposition...

Also this week, Barry explains what you need to know about Alexa+, which landed in the UK this week (you may want to mute your Echo!). Jon shares why he's so annoyed by the Companies House breach, Nik explains why brain-cell powered computers may be the future, and Tim reveals what's been happening at Nvidia's GTC 2026 event.

The team looks at Amazon’s embarrassing AI-related outages, asks whether BBC iPlayer should join forces with other major UK broadcasters and weighs up a Norwegian initiative aimed at reversing the trend for everything in technology to gradually get worse and worse (you know the term). As occasionally happens, our Hot Hardware candidate is in fact a piece of software, specifically a real-time transcription tool called Typeless that uses AI to turn your spoken words directly into polished prose.

And if you want to read the Forbrukerrådet report referred to by Lee, you can find the English version here: https://storage02.forbrukerradet.no/media/2026/02/breaking-free-pathways-to-a-fair-technological-future.pdf

The team discusses Apple’s latest product announcements, including the cheap and colourful MacBook Neo; we also look at Lenovo’s new modular laptop concept, and kick over the US government’s spat with AI developer Anthropic. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Sekonic C-800-U spectrometer, a useful device for checking colour consistency in creative environments.

This week the team chat about Claude Cowork, the change in leadership within Microsoft's XBOX division, rumours of a touchscreen Mac and Ofcom's fines for adult sites that don't implement age verification.

Our Hot Hardware of the Week candidate is a Dell's 52" monster monitor.

Jon's ZEISS Lens Wipes can be bought at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZEISS-Binoculars-Individually-Disposable-Spectacle-White/dp/B00IKGH2TI/

The team discusses the growing impact of worldwide shortages of RAM and storage, new security alerts in Windows and a prediction that white-collar jobs could be on the way out. Our Hot Hardware candidate is Starlink Mini, a portable white rectangle that can get you online from anywhere.

The team discusses new research that analyses your personal shopping history for potential health issues; explores Moltbook, the new social media platform that’s strictly for AI agents; and debates the UK’s light touch on app store monopolies. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the RØDECaster Video S, a mini-production studio that lets you mix and stream multiple live video and audio feeds from a portable desktop console.

Barry, Olivia, Jon and Lee discuss whether Microsoft has finally realized that users don't want Copilot forced into every corner of Windows. The Data Use and Access Act 2025 is under the spotlight to understand what the legalisation of automated decision-making means for your privacy. The team also ponder why the 8K TV dream has ended.

Our Hot Hardware of the Week nominee is the BenQ Halo 2 Screenbar

For more information about the Chrysalis Backdoor for Notepad++: https://www.rapid7.com/blog/post/tr-chrysalis-backdoor-dive-into-lotus-blossoms-toolkit/

The team discusses a class action lawsuit alleging that Apple Pay has pushed up banking prices for everyone, asks whether Microsoft was right to hand over encryption keys to the authorities, and ponders whether Mozilla’s “rebel alliance” of AI upstarts has a chance of defeating the dark side. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the ElevationLab Five-Year Compact Battery for AirTag, an expanded battery case for your Apple AirTags that lasts… wait, I wrote it down here somewhere…

The team discusses the ballooning cost of RAM, and a steep and sudden price hike for Rackspace email customers. We issue a cautious welcome to the newly rebooted Digg, and ponder a possible UK-wide social media ban for under-16s. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the XPJBKC heated mouse mat, an affordable desktop accessory designed to keep your fingers warm on those cold winter evenings.

The team discusses reports of Elon Musk’s Grok platform creating non-consensual smut; Apple’s big AI partnership with Google; and dissatisfaction over Roblox’s attempts at age verification. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the UniFi Travel Router, a cheap, compact little hotspot that lets you replicate your home network (and even connect back to it) from anywhere in the world.