News

Y2K(24): What happened when the world broke this weekend?

It’s the CrowdStrike incident of 2024

Published

July 22, 2024

Luigi Leonardo

Twenty-five years ago, the world trembled in the fear at the coming of the new millennium. A lot of people thought that computers all over the world would just stop working when the calendars rolled over from 1999 to 2000. Because computers were supposedly incapable of distinguishing 2000 from 1900, the so-called Y2K bug would break critical machines from functioning.

As you might have guessed, the world didn’t end in 2000. However, if everyone in 2000 feared how the world depended heavily on technology, imagine what a world-breaking bug can do in 2024. Now, thanks to a major mishap last weekend, you don’t need to imagine anymore.

In case you missed all the systems going down all over the world, a CrowdStrike incident caused an unprecedented number of PCs to crash, taking down essential services and companies.

What happened?

CrowdStrike is a cybersecurity company that ships important security updates to a vast number of systems operating through the cloud. It helps companies detect and prevent potential security threats. Because the service operated mainly in the cloud, most people, like you and me, probably have no idea how much the entire world relies on it.

Over the weekend, however, we all got a taste. On Friday, the company rolled out a security update to all its customers on Windows-based PCs and servers. The update contained a piece of software that caused PCs to enter a boot loop, preceded by the dreaded blue screen of death.

Almost immediately, systems crashed. Though a lot of essential services went down, the most visible effects came through flight delays and cancellations at airports all over the world. Bank services also went down. If a service you rely on is down today, chances are that they are still reeling from the error.

If you’re worried about your own machines, the error does not affect personal devices. It’s also only affecting Windows-based devices, so Macs are safe.

A fix rolls out

Hours after, CrowdStrike quickly pushed out an update that resolved the issue. For a lot of customers, that was the end of it. Not all systems were automatically fixed, though.

Some systems require an IT representative to actually handle the issue themselves at their respective servers. Some also require additional steps, such as rebooting systems multiple times.

Thankfully, the main brunt of the issue has been resolved. However, a comprehensive fix might take quite a while. If a service is still down right now, it’s likely that they’re still working on a fix at their end.

What does this mean for the world?

Back in 1999, the early internet era imagined a world where a single bug can take down the world’s systems in one fell swoop. Twenty-five years later, the world’s fears finally manifested into a global incident that crippled the globe for a weekend.

Thankfully, the world also moved fast to fix the problem. Regardless, it proved how much everyone relies on technology these days. The onus isn’t on regular people to find a workaround, though. The incident is just a grim reminder that things like this can (and does) happen.

News

Smart showcases cloud gaming platform in partnership with Blacknut

Play over 1,000 titles straight on your smartphones

Published

August 14, 2026

GadgetMatch

Philippines mobile service provider Smart showcased the country’s first cloud gaming platform in partnership with Blacknut at the recent Philippine GameDev Expo (PGDX) 2026.

As the event’s main presenter, Smart highlighted its collaboration with the cloud gaming subscription service. Together with its value-packed Power All offers, the network provider is highlighting what the future of gaming can look like.

Smart and TNT subscribers can conveniently access Blacknut Cloud Gaming through a dedicated site. Here, they can play more than 1,000 premium console and PC-quality games on their smartphones.

That’s without the need for expensive gaming hardware or lengthy downloads. Weekly subscriptions start at just PhP 145 and can be conveniently charged to prepaid load following a simple OTP verification process.

To make the experience better, Smart also has Power All offers, which provide generous open-access data for today’s digital lifestyles. There’s a package for cloud and mobile gaming, streaming, content sharing, and productivity.

Gaming

Ghost of Yotei gets a story expansion in October

The Complete Edition comes with the expansion and a roguelike mode.

Published

August 13, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Ghost of Yotei is a classic RPG experience set in the same universe as its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima. In my opinion, Atsu’s journey of revenge feels a lot more fun than Jin’s battle to save his homeland. If you’re in the same boat, Ghost of Yotei is coming back on October 1 with brand-new content.

Without delving too much into spoiler territory, Ghost of Yotei has a conclusive ending. Rather than shoehorning a forced epilogue, Echoes of Sekigahara, the title of the upcoming story expansion, explores Atsu’s past.

As with Tsushima’s expansion, Echoes of Sekigahara features a new map with new enemies, weapons, and collectibles. It will be set in two different time periods.

Besides the story expansion, the upcoming update also has a new mode called Most Wanted, which Sucker Punch Production describes as their “spin on a roguelike.” The mode explores Atsu’s experience as a headhunter, feeding her with bounties and earnable perks.

The two new content expansions will come with in the upcoming Ghost of Yotei Complete Edition. The new edition, coming on October 1, will also come with the co-op Legends mode. It also has a few perks and customization options. The edition will sell for US$ 70.

If you already have the base edition, you can grab an upgrade for only US$ 15. If you don’t want to pay for the upgrade, the game is still getting a few minor tweaks.

News

HONOR isn’t taking the Robot Phone global — yet

The hardware is ready. The AI isn’t.

Published

August 13, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

The HONOR Robot Phone may have officially launched, but don’t expect this version to immediately make its way to global markets.

HONOR told media in Shenzhen that it currently has no plans to bring the current Robot Phone outside China. The main hurdle isn’t the hardware. It’s the phone’s AI experience, which is currently optimized for the Chinese market.

HONOR believes a future generation of the Robot Phone would be better positioned for a true global rollout once its AI experience is ready for markets outside China.

That doesn’t mean HONOR is abandoning the idea. Quite the opposite.

More than a phone with a moving camera

The Robot Phone is HONOR’s attempt to introduce a new idea to the smartphone market. It combines a smartphone with a 4DoF mechanical gimbal, allowing its camera to physically move.

Its AI features take that concept further. YOYO Robot Mode can use voice commands, gestures, and AI tracking to control the camera. It can also automatically pan and tilt to keep a person in frame during vlogs, livestreams, and video calls.

The phone also brings selected elements of ARRI Image Science and professional cinema workflows to its camera system. Its 200MP gimbal main camera supports 10-bit ARRI LogC3 recording, while ARRI Wide Gamut 3 and ARRI Looks give creators more control over their footage.

But HONOR isn’t treating the Robot Phone primarily as a volume-driving product.

The company says its bigger goal is to introduce a new concept to the smartphone market and see what kind of effect it can have.

That makes the Robot Phone an interesting experiment for HONOR. The hardware is already here. The company now wants to learn what happens when a smartphone can physically move, respond to its surroundings, and use AI to help operate itself.

For now, though, China is where that experiment begins.