Leaseweb Appoints Jan Willem des Tombe as Global Strategic Relations Director

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 6, 2026 by itnerd

Leaseweb today announced the appointment of Jan Willem des Tombe as its new Global Strategic Relations Director, reinforcing its strategic ambition to accelerate growth and strengthen its position in the hybrid cloud and sovereign infrastructure landscape. Des Tombe will focus on developing and strengthening Leaseweb’s global market narrative, increasing industry visibility and recognition, and supporting strategic growth initiatives across marketing, communications, sales, partnerships, and M&A.

With over two decades of experience in the TMT, SaaS, IT Managed Services, Cloud, Workspace, and E-commerce sectors, des Tombe brings extensive leadership expertise in scaling businesses, developing commercial strategy, and guiding organizations through transformation. He has previously worked with organizations including Reckitt Benckiser, Tripolis Solutions (now Spotler), and KPN Interned Services, and founded and chaired public-private industry platforms DHPA (now Dutch Cloud Community) and DINL.

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Hisense Showcases a Full-Scenario Home Ecosystem at CES 2026 

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 6, 2026 by itnerd

Hisense, a leading brand in global consumer electronics and home appliances, showcases a full-scenario smart home ecosystem at CES 2026, demonstrating how advanced display technologies and AI-powered home appliances come together to enhance everyday life.

Designed around real-life home scenarios, Hisense’s CES booth brings premium large-screen entertainment together with intelligent kitchen, air and laundry solutions. Large-screen TVs anchor shared family moments, while AI-enabled appliances demonstrate how technology integrates seamlessly into everyday living. Also making its debut is the Humanoid Service Robot Harley. With 31 degrees of freedom, Harley delivers lifelike gestures and interactions to boost engaging and enhancing on-site experiences. Alongside this, the humanoid robot R1 (A2) and the home companion robot Beta are also on display.

In displays, Hisense highlights RGB Mini-LED evo, a true system-level evolution in large-screen TV technology, led by the debut of the 116UXS RGB Mini-LED TV, the first product powered by this tech. RGB Mini-LED evo introduces an industry-first Sky Blue-Cyan fourth LED into the backlight, expanding colour coverage to up to 110% of BT.2020 while delivering more natural colour expression and improved viewing comfort through genuine system-level evolution. 

Hisense also globally debuts the Laser Projector XR10, delivering 6,000 ANSI lumens to create a professional-grade home cinema experience. Designed for immersive viewing up to 300 inches, XR10 brings enhanced brightness and rich colour performance to dedicated home theatre environments. Together with RGB Mini-LED TVs, TriChroma Laser extends Hisense’s large-screen display offering from premium living-room viewing to dedicated home cinema environments.

Building on the evolution of the VIDAA OS, Hisense announced a strategic collaboration with Microsoft to integrate Copilot’s generative AI capabilities into V homeOS, advancing next-generation TV experiences for large-screen home environments. The collaboration also extends to Xbox cloud gaming, bringing world-class game titles directly to Hisense TVs — no console required.

Hisense is dedicated to enhancing everyday life with a range of AI-powered home appliances. The PUREFLAT SMART SERIESrefrigerator features an integrated large smart display with a built-in ConnectLife Hub, delivering a modern, connected kitchen experience by streamlining appliance interaction and smart home control. Meanwhile, the Red Dot Award-winning Air Conditioner Air Master features a high-precision sensing system that can adjust airflow, temperature and humidity for optimal indoor comfort. Its intelligence is further supported by a smart voice assistant and an automatic energy-saving mode. 

Hisense’s presence at CES 2026 is further underscored by four CES Innovation Awards. Among the winners, 163 MX has received the CES 2026 Best of Innovation Award in its respective field, recognizing Hisense’s leadership across display and home appliance categories.

Through “Innovating a Brighter Life,” Hisense continues to demonstrate how human-centred innovation can transform advanced technology into more comfortable, connected and meaningful home experiences.

For more information, please visit hisense-canada.com. 

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Forcepoint Names Eva Klein as Chief Customer Officer

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 6, 2026 by itnerd

Forcepoint today announced Eva Klein has joined the company as Chief Customer Officer. Klein will lead Forcepoint’s global customer success organization, overseeing onboarding, adoption, retention and long-term value realization as customers operationalize data security in the AI era. She reports to Rick Hanson, President of Go-to-Market.

As sensitive data moves across cloud platforms, SaaS applications, endpoints and AI-driven workflows, organizations face mounting pressure to turn security investment into measurable outcomes. Agentic AI and the rapid growth of synthetic data are accelerating how data is created, shared and reused, often beyond traditional controls. Visibility alone is not enough; customers need confidence that insight leads to action and that protections adapt as risk and regulatory demands change for enterprises and governments.

Forcepoint’s AI-native Data Security Cloud helps organizations identify sensitive data in context, understand how it is accessed and shared and adapt protection in real-time through a unified, single-policy framework. The platform is built to close the visibility-to-control gap facing organizations as they scale AI adoption to support back-office processes, infrastructure management, vibe coding and beyond.

With more than 25 years of experience spanning customer success, partner enablement and sales, Klein will focus on strengthening the customer journey as a continuous loop of ‘always-on’ operational excellence.  Most recently, she served as Vice President of Global Customer Success at Mimecast, where she led global teams focused on customer retention, value delivery and operational scale. Prior to Mimecast, she held senior customer leadership roles including Vice President of Customer Success at HubSpot and Vice President of Customer Experience at Rapid7, building and leading organizations through periods of rapid growth and platform expansion.

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DryRun Security Builds Momentum with Breakthroughs in AI-Native Code Security Intelligence

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 6, 2026 by itnerd

DryRun Security has completed its first year out of stealth with strong corporate momentum. Over the past twelve months, the company delivered major product innovations, industry-leading vulnerability research and laid the groundwork for securing autonomous software development in the age of agentic AI.

Early last year, DryRun Security closed an $8.7 million seed funding round, accelerating investment in product development, go-to-market expansion, and customer success. Enterprise and mid-market adoption is accelerating, with customers running more than 250,000 code reviews every month with DryRun Security, more than any other AI-native Code Security Intelligence provider.

Product Innovation Built for Agentic Development

Over the last twelve months, DryRun Security doubled down on product innovation to address a growing gap in traditional application security tools. The company’s AI-native Contextual Security Analysis (CSA) engine was purpose-built to support agentic code security intelligence, delivering security that understands code behavior, execution context and autonomous decision-making across both human-driven and AI-driven workflows.

Powered by this core technology, DryRun Security introduced the following innovations:

  • Natural Language Code Policies (NLCPs): allows security teams to define secure coding requirements in plain English. These policies remove the complexity of rule-based configuration and enable faster alignment between security intent and real-world development practices, an essential capability for governing autonomous coding agents. Policies are no longer ignored in an old share site, but live in every pull request.
  • Custom Policy Agent: enforces natural language policies directly within developer workflows, scanning every pull request and providing inline, actionable feedback. Acting as an autonomous security guardrail, the agent helps ensure that both human developers and AI coding agents operate within approved security boundaries.
  • Code Insights MCP: securely connects DryRun’s Code Insights to MCP-compatible AI assistants, enabling natural language search, summaries, and trend reporting across pull requests and repositories. This gives security and engineering leaders fast visibility into high-risk changes, emerging patterns, and audit-ready evidence, without living in yet another dashboard.

Industry-Leading SAST Accuracy Validates Contextual Security Approach

DryRun Security’s contextual analysis approach delivers measurable accuracy gains. In the 2025 SAST Accuracy Report, DryRun detected 88% of seeded vulnerabilities out of the box, outperforming five leading static analysis tools, particularly on complex logic and authorization flaws. These results further validate why DryRun’s AI-native approach is essential as applications grow more complex and less deterministic, especially in AI-rich environments.

LLM & Agentic Applications Expose AppSec Blind Spots

The implications of these findings are even more pronounced in LLM-powered and agentic applications. In its research report, “Building Secure AI Applications,” DryRun Security found that more than 80% of vulnerabilities in LLM-enabled applications go undetected by traditional static analysis tools.

As execution paths become dynamic and code is increasingly generated or modified by autonomous agents, the shortcomings of legacy AppSec approaches are amplified, creating new classes of risk that demand a fundamentally different security model.

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Ledger confirms customer data accessed

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 6, 2026 by itnerd

Ledger has confirmed that customer data was accessed following a security incident at its ecommerce and payments partner, Global-e Exposed information includes customer names, contact details, and order data such as purchased products and pricing, though Ledger says no financial data, passwords, or recovery phrases were compromised. Global-e began notifying affected users on January 5 and warned that phishing campaigns are already underway, with attackers impersonating both companies. Ledger has urged customers to be vigilant, emphasizing it will never request recovery phrases, send replacement devices, or ask users to scan QR codes. Security researchers have already observed real-world phishing attempts exploiting the breach.

Bleeping Computer has the details here: Ledger customers impacted by third-party Global-e data breach

Anders Askasen, VP of product marketing, Radiant Logic has this comment:

“This incident shows why identity risk extends far beyond credentials. Contact and order data, when paired with brand trust, is sufficient to drive highly effective phishing. That data typically sits scattered across third-party platforms, outside direct control and with little governance. Without unified identity and data observability, organizations discover phishing only after attackers have already weaponized their data.”

Will Baxter, Field CISO, Team Cymru adds this:

“What stands out here is how quickly threat actors pivoted from data exposure to active phishing campaigns. That speed highlights the need for continuous and proactive threat intelligence to spot emerging lures, spoofed domains, and brand impersonation infrastructure as soon as it appears. Organizations should not rely solely on customer warnings, but proactively monitor for brand abuse tied to known incidents. Early detection means faster takedowns — and better protection for users — even when the initial breach occurs through a third-party partner.”

We’re six days into the new year and we have a supply chain attack with a side of phishing tossed in. Thus proving that if you’re one of the good guys, you need to make sure that you’re looking for threats that will come at you from multiple sources as that’s how the bad guys roll these days.

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Recast Names Jake Mosey Chief Product Officer

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 6, 2026 by itnerd

Recast today announced Jake Mosey has joined the company as Chief Product Officer. Mosey is a trusted customer advocate and technology industry veteran with a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges ahead for Recast’s global customers using both Application Workspace and Right Click Tools. With a proven track record of translating user feedback into actionable strategies, he is committed to driving innovation by consistently elevating the voice of the customer.

Mosey has extensive experience in product strategy and development. He held several strategic roles during his 17-year tenure at Jamf, most recently serving as Vice President of Small and Medium-Sized Business Markets. As one of the founders of Jamf Nation, a vibrant community of IT systems administrators, he championed IT productivity, security, and knowledge sharing. These open exchanges informed product direction and helped drive the company’s notable growth and success.

Free Recast Tools Support the IT Community

Recast has also established a thriving and fast-growing user community. Mosey will be actively involved in using the input from this dynamic group to define the company’s product vision. In fact, his appointment comes at an exciting time for Recast, which expanded its portfolio of free community tools in 2025 with the addition of OSDCloud and the launch of Right Click Tools for Intune.

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Guest Post – Malicious employees for hire: How dark web criminals recruit insiders

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 6, 2026 by itnerd

Cybercriminals can use malicious insiders as a direct means to access sensitive company resources, stealing confidential data or using the access to deploy a devastating cyberattack. Experts from NordStellar, a threat exposure management platform, have discovered that dark web actors are actively seeking insiders from specific organizations to recruit for their operations.

Researchers at NordStellar found 25 unique dark web posts from users who claim that they are searching for employees from specific organizations over the past year. A significant part of these posts focuses explicitly on insiders who work for social media or cryptocurrency platforms.

Real‑world incidents highlight how these threats can translate into actual breaches — for instance, in 2025, the cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase revealed that cybercriminals bribed its employees to leak user information.

“Employees can grant cybercriminals access to critical data, such as personal customer information and confidential business agreements,” says Vakaris Noreika, cybersecurity expert at NordStellar. “This data can be utilized to deploy ransomware attacks, sell intel on  business agreements to competitors, or to  carry out sophisticated phishing scams on unsuspecting victims whose personal data they managed to get their hands on.”

According to Noreika, insider threats can be challenging to spot and, therefore, may go undetected by security teams for a significant amount of time. Employees are trusted members of the organization and have legitimate access to company resources. Consequently, it can be challenging to pinpoint any anomalies in their behavior.

“Unlike external threats, insiders may not trigger typical security alerts, such as unusual login attempts or data transfers,” says Noreika. “Insiders are also familiar with the organization’s internal security policies and weaknesses, allowing them to adjust their actions to avoid suspicion.”

Direct insider recruitment

Noreika emphasizes that although some cybercriminals are searching for insiders on the dark web, the recruitment process is usually carried out privately. Bad actors target specific employees within the organization, especially those with technical capabilities that aid in their operations or have access to highly sensitive company data.

Mantas Sabeckis, a senior threat intelligence researcher at Nord Security, home to NordStellar and other advanced cybersecurity solutions, shares that he has been contacted by cybercriminals for possible recruitment opportunities numerous times. He explains that in the past, bad actors have reached out to him on LinkedIn, most likely intrigued by his experience in cybersecurity, and notes that the process of cybercriminals recruiting insiders likely follows the same playbook.

“In my experience, after the first few messages, bad actors try to direct the communication to a different channel, such as Telegram or WhatsApp,” says Sabeckis. “One time, I was contacted by a recruitment specialist from Singapore searching for a candidate for a role in a large organization. She did not name the specific organization and asked to continue our conversation on WhatsApp, which is not an unusual request in itself, as different messaging platforms are popular in different countries.”

According to Sabeckis, after their conversation moved to WhatsApp, the recruiter started sharing more details — she explained that she was looking to recruit an individual to work for a wealthy and influential family in Singapore, without disclosing which one.

“The statement definitely raised red flags, but I was curious to hear what exactly they were looking for,” says Sabeckis. “She continued to explain that the role would be similar to a bug bounty. When asked for more details, the recruiter finally divulged that they were looking for an individual to take down websites containing very sensitive and illegal material, offering to provide compensation in cryptocurrency.”

Sabeckis explains that, by its nature, the role fell into a “gray area,” which is a common tactic used by bad actors to recruit individuals. After the recruited individuals have their foot in the door, the tasks eventually become more demanding. Evidence of the individuals completing the tasks is later used as leverage to blackmail the person into carrying out illegal activity or risk being compromised.

Safeguarding against insider threats

Noreika emphasizes that high observability into system and data usage is the foundation of an insider threat-resistant cybersecurity strategy. He explains that any unexpected system behavior or access patterns must be flagged, reported, and thoroughly examined.

“Patterns of unusual behaviour are the first indicator that the user might be an insider,” says Noreika. “Security teams should keep an eye out for employees who are frequently accessing sensitive information and make sure that they have the proper authorization. Data exfiltration to external parties or devices is another major red flag to look out for.”

He explains that data loss prevention tools are essential for reducing the possibility of data theft and transfer from within. Proper network segmentation and the implementation of strong access controls to prevent privilege drift, the accumulation of excess access rights, are other necessary security measures to stop insiders and attackers who have already infiltrated the network from acquiring sensitive data.

“Dark web monitoring for information leaks or posts looking for insiders at the company is also crucial,” says Noreika. “It can be the first warning sign that a company might be at greater risk of being exposed. After flagging such activity, it’s necessary to stay on high alert and ensure that all of the precautionary measures, as well as a recovery plan, are in place.”

According to Noreika, an incident recovery plan is a significant requisite in minimizing the fallout of a cyberattack caused by insider threats. An effective recovery plan should cover incident detection and outline the key steps the organization should take to contain the threat and mitigate damage.

These steps may include removing the malicious employee’s access to sensitive data and ensuring that an external attacker who has been working with the insider connection to the network has been terminated.

ABOUT NORDSTELLAR

NordStellar is a next-generation threat exposure management platform that enables companies to detect and respond to cyber threats before they escalate. It includes solutions like dark web and data breach monitoring, helping to prevent account takeovers, session hijacking, and other threats. NordStellar was created by Nord Security, a globally recognized company behind one of the world’s most popular digital privacy tools, NordVPN. For more information, visit nordstellar.com

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Hackers Exploit FortiWeb Devices to Deploy Sliver C2 for Persistent Access

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 5, 2026 by itnerd

Researchers have identified a threat actor who had exposed Sliver C2 databases and logs and successfully exploited multiple FortiWeb devices to deploy Sliver. This group also leveraged React2Shell (CVE-2025-55182) in order to deploy Sliver and leveraged the tool fast reverse proxy (FRP) to expose local services on victim hosts remotely.

More details here:  https://ctrlaltintel.com/threat%20research/FortiWeb-Sliver/

Ensar Seker, CISO at threat intelligence company SOCRadar, commented:

“This is a textbook case of adversaries exploiting the weakest link in the network, outdated edge appliances. FortiWeb devices running unpatched firmware have become prime targets for initial access, and the deployment of the Sliver C2 framework shows how mature and stealthy these operations have become. Sliver, being an open-source post-exploitation tool, is now favored by both red teams and threat actors alike for its modularity and evasiveness.

What’s especially concerning is the use of Fast Reverse Proxy (FRP) to create persistent tunnels from within internal networks to attacker-controlled infrastructure. This is a clear attempt to sidestep traditional perimeter defenses and EDR visibility. It raises serious questions about visibility on network edge devices, which are often poorly monitored compared to endpoint systems.

This incident underscores the importance of aggressive patch management, zero-trust architecture, and strong monitoring of ingress/egress traffic from non-endpoint infrastructure like WAFs and VPN gateways. Simply deploying EDR is no longer enough if attackers can establish a persistent beachhead on devices outside its scope.”

This should be a wakeup call to get this sort of tech out of networks as soon as possible so that networks become more secure by default.

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Hisense Makes A Number Of Announcements At CES Today

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 5, 2026 by itnerd

Hisense today unveils its visionary 163MX RGBY Micro-LED Display at CES 2026, presenting a glimpse into the future of ultra-large display technology and earning a prestigious CES 2026 Innovation Award for its industry-first four-primary Micro-LED colour architecture. As a new iteration of Micro-LED display, the 163MX demonstrates Hisense’s continued leadership in pushing the boundaries of colour performance and pioneering foundational display innovations.

The 163MX introduces the industry’s first four-primary RGBY (Red, Green, Blue, Yellow) Micro-LED architecture, adding a yellow sub-pixel to the traditional RGB structure to fill the critical spectral gap between 500 – 600nm, a range where conventional Micro-LED displays fall short and often mute a content’s intended look. By restoring this missing range, the 163MX dramatically enhances colour fidelity and delivers a level of colour expression no Micro-LED has achieved before.

To maintain colour fidelity across its massive canvas, the 163MX employs advanced colour management techniques that precisely balance luminance and chromatic uniformity across 33.17 million subpixels. The result is a display capable of achieving up to 100 per cent of the BT.2020 colour space, establishing a new benchmark for spectral range and accuracy in true Micro-LED technology.

A Vision for the Future of Large-Format Displays

Beyond colour performance, the 163MX reflects Hisense’s broader exploration of how ultra-large displays can exist more seamlessly in premium environments. Despite its imposing scale, the display features a refined, minimalist design with an ultra-slim 32mm profile and a precision zero-gap wall mount, allowing it to integrate neatly into architectural spaces while maintaining an immersive, cinematic presence.

The 163MX offers a clear view into the next phase of Micro-LED development, highlighting how the technology can evolve to balance scale, visual impact and refined design.

Leading the Next Era of Color Technology

As a CES 2026 Best of Innovation Award winner, the 163MX represents a defining moment in Hisense’s pursuit of next-generation colour technology. The award recognizes Hisense’s pioneering work in expanding the colour spectrum through RGBY Micro-LED and underscores the company’s broader mission to continuously advance display technology through meaningful, forward-looking innovation.

From pioneering RGB technologies to advancing multi-primary systems and now reshaping the future of Micro-LED, Hisense remains committed to delivering richer, more expressive and more accessible visual experiences. The 163MX is not just an award-winning display, it is a testament to the company’s role as a global leader in the future of colour. 

Hisense also introduces its most sophisticated RGB Mini-LED televisions to date. As the first TV manufacturer to bring true RGB Local Dimming technology to the market in 2025, Hisense returns this year with a rapid evolution of that breakthrough. This evolution is led by the flagship 116UXS and expands RGB into a more accessible RGB Mini-LED lineup for the first time via the new UR9 and UR8 Series, providing unprecedented colour precision across a wide range of screen sizes.

In 2025, Hisense reshaped the colour conversation entirely by introducing the first consumer RGB Mini-LED TV. Now, Hisense advances that work on two fronts. At the flagship level, the company is introducing a new multi-primary colour system, RGB Mini-LED evo in the 116UXS, expanding the colour spectrum and deepening wavelength-level precision beyond what RGB alone can achieve. At the same time, Hisense is evolving and scaling its RGB technology, rolling it out across the new RGB Mini-LED lineup with even more screen sizes, from 55 to 100 inches, bringing high-performance RGB to a wider audience.

“Accelerated innovation is a hallmark of Hisense,” says Puneet Jain, Senior Director of Marketing and E-commerce at Hisense Canada. “We’re bringing advanced technologies to market faster, scaling them sooner and making them accessible to more homes. This year’s expansion of RGB technology is another example of how we continue to lead the industry forward. It’s the kind of progress that reinforces why Hisense is one of the most dynamic pioneers in the TV market today.”

116UXS and the Four-Colour RGB Revolution

The 116UXS represents the fullest expression of Hisense’s colour philosophy. Colour has always been central to the way Hisense approaches display innovation, not just as a specification, but as the foundation of how viewers connect emotionally with what’s on screen. This year, that philosophy comes to life through Hisense’s new RGB Mini-LED evo backlight system, a four-primary architecture that adds cyan to the current RGB structure.

Cyan sits in the part of the spectrum where human vision is most sensitive to subtle changes, and its addition allows the 116UXS to render gradients, tones and transitions with a level of nuance that feels more natural and lifelike. Scenes gain depth without oversaturation, shadows reveal smoother detail and bright content maintains clarity, creating a picture that feels richer and more dimensional in everyday viewing, not just in dramatic HDR moments.

Powered by the Hi-View AI Engine RGB, the 116UXS intelligently manages tens of thousands of colour dimming zones to preserve this tonal accuracy across fast motion, bright highlights and dark scenes and delivers up to 110% of BT.2020 colour coverage. A nearly bezel-free design and slim 1.57-inch profile keep attention on the picture, while a Devialet Opéra de Paris 6.2.2 audio system provides cinematic sound that complements the display’s enhanced colour performance.

The result is a flagship TV that advances Hisense’s colour story in a meaningful way, pairing next-generation RGB Mini-LED evo technology with a design and processing engine built to make every scene feel more expressive, more precise and more immersive.

RGB For Every Home: New RGB Mini-LED Series

The new UR9 and UR8 RGB Mini-LED Series carry forward Hisense’s RGB breakthrough by making the technology available to more homes, more screen sizes and more price points. As the second generation of the RGB architecture first introduced in 2025, this expanded lineup brings the benefits of richer primaries, cleaner tonal separation and more consistent colour accuracy to more consumers, now spanning screens from 55 inches up to 100 inches.

Where last year’s debut RGB model proved what was possible, this new lineup shows what’s scalable. UR9 and UR8 deliver a dramatically expanded colour range with richer saturation and more accurate tonal reproduction than standard premium TVs on the market. They’re engineered for real homes, preserving colour integrity in bright rooms and maintaining stable, natural colour during fast-paced sports, films and gaming.

The refined industrial design of the UR9 and UR8 and Devialet-tuned audio systems complete a viewing experience that feels premium yet approachable, a reflection of Hisense’s belief that advanced display technology should be within reach for more consumers, not locked behind flagship tiers. By expanding RGB across these new models, Hisense is moving faster than the rest of the market, scaling a technology competitors are still working to introduce and reaffirming the brand’s commitment to making high-performance colour widely accessible.

Finally Hisense today hosted its CES 2026 media conference under the theme “Innovating a Brighter Life,” showcasing its latest advances in display technology and smart home products — focused on more natural colour, healthier viewing and human-centric experiences.

Guided by the theme, Hisense highlighted how long-term, human-centric innovation has translated into sustained global growth and market leadership. In just a few years, Hisense has become one of the world’s fastest-growing consumer electronics brands, now operating in more than 160 countries and ranking No.1 globally in the 100-inch-and-above TV segment and in Laser TVs, according to Omdia. In 2025, Hisense ranked among the top 10 brands in the Kantar BrandZTM Top 50 Chinese Global Brand Builders for the ninth consecutive year, and was named No.1 in the smart home appliance category, according to the Ipsos China Brand Global Trust Index.

This innovation-driven momentum was further recognized at CES 2025, where Hisense received more than 50 international awards across its display and home appliance portfolio, underscoring its leadership in large-screen displays and smart home innovation.

Building on this global momentum, brand trust and market leadership, Hisense also introduced the Hisense Elite Collection for FIFA World Cup 2026TM, marking its third consecutive FIFA World CupTM sponsorship. More than a product lineup, the collection reflects Hisense’s growing global presence and its role in bringing fans together through shared moments — on the screen and throughout the home — around the world’s most celebrated sporting event.

Headlining the announcement was the debut of RGB Mini-LED evo, marking a real system-level evolution in RGB Mini-LED development. As the Origin of RGB Mini-LED, Hisense continues to advance this display route through a system-level evolution—redefining how light sources, control systems and algorithms work together. Rather than pursuing parameter-driven performance alone, the RGB Mini-LED evo introduces an industry-first Sky Blue-Cyan fourth LED into the backlight. With colour performance reaching up to 110% of BT.2020, and colour control achieving 134 bits, RGB Mini-LED evo enables more authentic colour expression, enhanced viewing comfort and balanced energy efficiency. This real evolution forms the technological foundation of the 116UXS RGB Mini-LED TV, the first flagship product powered by RGB Mini-LED evo.

Beyond hardware, Hisense also highlighted the evolution of its smart display ecosystem. Beginning January 1, 2026, VIDAA will transition to V, with VIDAA OS becoming HomeOS, reflecting an expanded platform approach that integrates content, AI-driven services and connected devices across the home.

Through “Innovating a Brighter Life,” Hisense continues to showcase how technology can be applied in practical, human-centric ways — enhancing visual experiences, improving daily comfort and supporting more connected home lifestyles.

For more information, please visit hisense-canada.com.

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What Freedom Mobile Needs To Do To Be A Player In The Canadian Telco Space In 2026

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 5, 2026 by itnerd

Freedom Mobile is often referred to as Canada’s Fourth Telco relative to their place in relation to “big three” telcos which are Rogers, Bell, and Telus. Now Freedom has had a positive influence on the market by forcing down the prices of cell phone service in the country and having the best international roaming options available. But in terms of coverage and offerings, Freedom sort of lags behind the “big three”. If Freedom is going to, really continue to have positive momentum in 2026, here’s things that they need to focus on:

  • Securing customer data: Freedom got pwned in 2025. Which is something that I suspected that would happen when I first got onto the Freedom Mobile bandwagon. And getting pwned is a great way to have customers bolt to the competition. Thus at the top of the list has to be Freedom stepping up their game in that area. They need to prove to their current customers and to their future customers that they can secure customer data. And the time to start doing that is now.
  • Superior customer service: Right now Rogers, Bell and Telus have by all reports have taken a serious dive in their customer service via off-shoring their customer service and bringing in AI to replace humans. Which has infuriated customers who can’t get the help that they need from the “big three”. Freedom has an opportunity to take advantage of this by having Canadian based customer service that is customer focused and easy to get to. On top of that Freedom needs to improve their app which is simply a wrapper for their website so that is is a real app that allows customers to add and remove services with ease. While they’re at it, Freedom should also update their website to allow customers to do the same thing. In short, what Freedom needs to do is to make dealing with them as frictionless as possible.
  • Better coverage with less reliance on their partners: Freedom will never be a legitimate competitor to the “big three” until they have a network that they control. So what they should start doing in 2026 is accelerate their rollout of their own towers in more places. That way they are able to control their own destiny from a service quality standpoint. Speaking of service quality, Freedom also needs to fill in the holes in their coverage. In Toronto for example there’s areas where there’s very weak coverage or no coverage. And signal penetration inside buildings lags behind the “big three”. All of this needs to change.
  • Implementing more 5G variants: What does this mean? Well, they have 5G and some 5G+. But for Freedom to be a player, they need to have things such as5G Standalone and 5G RedCap as that will benefit a wide variety of 5G devices and use cases. That’s important because we live in an age where cell service isn’t just about phones, it’s about devices and how those devices are used. And by doing so, that would put Freedom either level to or ahead of the “big three”.

I’d be very interested in hearing from Freedom Mobile customers about anything else you think should be on this list. And I would be very interested if Freedom Mobile has a response to this if they happen to be reading this. Finally for transparency purposes, I am also a Freedom Mobile customer. So you might say that I am invested in the success of Freedom Mobile. Unless I switch carriers, which I have been known to do.

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