The four environmental modes can be of some help here, but the best in my experience was the default Comfort mode, which “reduces the sharpness of high-frequency sounds and overall intensity, creating a more comfortable, balanced listening experience.” The Atom X’s Conversation mode was too sharp for much use, while the Crowd and TV modes didn’t make a big impact in comparison to the Comfort mode.

I immediately noticed that there was a much lower level of hiss on the Atom X than on previous Audien hearing aids, but the overall experience still wasn’t all that effective. By blasting out lower frequencies I didn’t need amplified, I found I often heard worse with the hearing aids in than with them out—and this was exacerbated the louder I pushed the volume. At very low levels of amplification (10 or 20 percent at most), the hearing aids were at their most effective for me. Anything beyond that threatened to get painful.

At $389, the Atom X is a tough sell compared to the $249 Apple AirPods Pro 3, which have a tuning system, app control, outstanding noise cancellation, and overall better-quality hearing support. Yes, they are much larger and more visible than the Atom X aids, but if you never actually wear your hearing aids because they don’t provide a great experience, how much does discretion even matter?

A US judge on Friday granted an injunction barring Israeli spyware maker NSO Group from targeting WhatsApp users but slashed a $168 million damages award at trial to just $4 million.

District Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled that NSO Group’s behavior fell short of a “particularly egregious” standard needed to support the jury’s calculations on a financial penalty.

But in the ruling, seen by AFP, she said the court “concluded that defendants’ conduct causes irreparable harm, and there being no dispute that the conduct is ongoing” the judge granted WhatsApp owner Meta an injunction to stop NSO Group’s snooping tactics at the messaging service.

“Today’s ruling bans spyware maker NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp and our global users again,” WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart said in a statement.

“We applaud this decision that comes after six years of litigation to hold NSO accountable for targeting members of civil society.”

Evidence at trial showed that NSO Group reverse-engineered WhatsApp code to stealthily install spyware targeting users, according to the ruling.

The spyware was repeatedly redesigned to escape detection and bypass security fixes at WhatsApp, the court concluded.

The lawsuit, filed in late 2019, accused NSO Group of cyberespionage targeting journalists, lawyers, human rights activists and others using the encrypted messaging service.

Hamilton ruled however that the $168 million damages verdict awarded to Meta earlier this year was excessive.

“There have simply not yet been enough cases involving unlawful electronic surveillance in the smartphone era for the court to be able to conclude that defendants’ conduct was ‘particularly egregious’,” Hamilton wrote in the ruling which was seen by AFP.

“As time goes on, more of a shared societal consensus may emerge about the acceptability of defendants’ conduct.”

‘Malicious code’

Founded in 2010 by Israelis Shalev Hulio and Omri Lavie, NSO Group is based in the seaside high-tech hub of Herzliya, near Tel Aviv.

Media website TechCrunch reported Friday that a US investment group has acquired controlling interest in NSO Group.

The Israeli firm produces Pegasus, a highly invasive tool that can reportedly switch on a target’s cell phone camera and microphone and access data on it, effectively turning the phone into a pocket spy.

The suit filed in a California federal court contended that NSO tried to infect approximately 1,400 “target devices” with malicious software to steal valuable information.

Infecting smartphones or other gadgets being used for WhatsApp messages meant the content of messages encrypted during transmission could be accessed after they were unscrambled.

The complaint said the attackers “developed a program to enable them to emulate legitimate WhatsApp network traffic in order to transmit malicious code” to take over the devices.

The software has been pinpointed by independent experts as being used by nation states, some of them with poor human rights records.

NSO Group has maintained it only licenses its software to governments for fighting crime and terrorism.

© 2025 AFP

As much as the Mini felt very comfortable and good inside, once I started exploring vibration modes, I began to fear exactly how secure the whole thing was. Based on the wiggling feeling I was experiencing, I had concerns. What if I used too much lube, got excessively wet on my own in addition to the already-applied lube, or sneezed? Will the Lush Mini fly out? None of these things happened when I tried the Mini, but you can feel the smaller size, and it’s hard not to imagine it falling out on its own.

If I were to let my partner control the Mini via the Lovenese app while we were out on the town, I’d better be rocking a very snug pair of full-coverage granny panties. This is far from a tragedy, as outdoor sexual adventures aren’t a requirement for me. But it’s important for internal products to feel secure and safe for me to relax and have an orgasm.

Although I find the greatest pleasure from clitoral stimulation, I do love a strong G-spot vibration—especially when the two are working together. After all, you never know when a blended orgasm might come your way. The spectrum of intensities for the external arm is definitely enough for me, so much so that I didn’t need to click my way up to the most powerful setting, but the inside vibrations are subpar.

According to Lovense’s site and manual, both the Mini and Lush 4 deliver up to 7,000 vibrations a minute and unlimited patterns via the app. The vibration intensity I was experiencing internally was most likely linked to the size of the egg. Despite it being smaller, ever-so-slightly, it wasn’t covering enough area against my G-spot, and I could feel that.

Solo or Couples Play

Like every Lovense Lush model, the Lush Mini is waterproof and has a long battery life. It takes only 40 minutes to fully charge, and you get close to four hours of playtime, depending on how much you crank up the modes. Should things go south mid-romp, you can get another hour of use from a quick seven-minute charge. I strongly feel all sex toys should include a fast-charging option like this.

It’s a fun couples toy as much as it’s an interesting solo toy. But if you’re experienced in the Lovense Lush line or similar toys during partnered play, you may want to skip the Mini for the larger Lush 4 (which costs around the same). If you’re new to this arena, however, then the Mini is likely to be a good fit for you. Beginners, this baby is for you.