What’s this week’s biggest tech news announcement? Is it the Steam Machine, Valve’s impressive new gaming machine, or the iPhone Pocket, a sock for your phone?
If you think it’s neither, then perhaps it’s one of the other five major tech announcements we’ve highlighted here so you can catch up on yet another massive week in the tech world.
7. Gemini Live got its biggest ever update
Google’s real-time conversational AI assistant, Gemini Live, has gradually been getting smarter since it launched in August 2024 – and this week it got its biggest-ever update to make it sound even more human.
For example, it’s now a much better learning assistant thanks to its personalized tutoring powers and ability to imitate accents. You can also do practice conversations to help you tune up for an interview or difficult family chat, and it’ll even respond in a calmer voice if it senses you’re talking about something stressful.
We’ll still need our real friends for their jokes and drinking buddy potential, but their days may be numbered.
6. Superman spun-off
This week, we found out that James Gunn’s Superman movie is getting a spin-off, according to Variety.
In the lead is reportedly Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen, with the character expected to be the ‘host’ of an in-universe true crime docuseries. He’ll apparently appear alongside other members of The Daily Planet’s news reporting team. However, David Corenswet’s Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, who also work for The Daily Planet, apparently won’t be involved.
Gunn has yet to officially announce the show (he usually steps in on social media to confirm or deny reports from the trades), but he has previously teased an announced TV show that is his “favorite thing in all of this [DCU Chapter One].”
5. Apple launched an iPhone Pocket
This week, Apple launched an all-new product… a pocket for your iPhone. The design is a collaboration with Issey Miyake, the designer behind Steve Jobs’ iconic turtle neck.
At first glance, the fabric sling – which comes in two sizes – is a fashionable carry case that comes in a wide variety of striking shades, but commenters have been quick to deplore the asking price: $149.95 / £139.95, or $229.95 / £219.95 for the long strap.
Apple is no stranger to outrageous accessory prices, but there does seem to be a method to the madness. These kinds of phone slings are picking up steam in territories like Asia, which Apple has targeted heavily based on the Pocket’s availability.
4. The DJI Neo 2 took flight
DJI took selfie drones to new heights with the Neo 2, which is the lightest and most affordable drone with omnidirectional object sensing – a truly fantastic feature for beginners. We played with Neo 2 ahead of its launch, and it’s clearly a much-improved model, even if it’s slightly heavier and pricier than the original Neo.
Still, it’s only 151g and features better wind resistance, flight speed, and now voice and gesture control – Neo 2 can take off from the palm of your hand and follow voice or gesture prompts for flight moves and then return to your palm. It’s incredibly clever stuff. It’ll record aerial 4K video at 60fps, or vertical 2.7K video, complete with intelligent subject tracking skills – the whole experience is child’s play. Prices start at just £209 / AU$409, but once more, there’s bad news if you’re in the US – the Neo 2 is another DJI product unavailable at launch.
3. OnePlus cured the common phone
According to reviewer Philip Berne, “The OnePlus 15 is better than perfect. It grants every smartphone wish I have and exceeds most expectations. It has the best battery life of any smartphone, stellar performance, and top-notch cameras, backed by an understated yet durable design. There isn’t a better phone you can buy than this one.”
That’s some high praise, so it’s no wonder this is the first phone Phil has ever given a five-star review. Perhaps it’s finally time to ditch that iPhone or Galaxy phone in your pocket for something much better.
2. Valve’s Steam Frame finally broke cover
After months of leaks, we finally got to see what the Steam Frame is all about, and it could be the best VR headset we’ve seen in years.
It’s a standalone design with some impressive specs (including a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 16GB of RAM, and at least 256GB of storage, which is expandable with an SD card) and the SteamOS.
That basically makes this both a VR headset and a Steam Deck for your face, which sounds like it could finally put the Meta Quest 3 in its place.
The only downside is we’re missing the price, but rumors have pointed to it costing $1,200, and based on the specs Valve has announced, our resident VR expert Hamish Hector says he’d be surprised if the device didn’t land around this price.
1. Valve debuted the Steam Machine
Valve dropped a bombshell on the gaming scene for both PC and console gamers, with the announcement of the Steam Machine. It’s a mini-PC, but designed like a hybrid PC console, with a small form factor catered to TV-couch gaming setups, and uses AMD Zen 4 hardware that looks like it could give Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox reasons to worry.
With a promise to deliver a streamlined console-like experience using the popular Linux operating system, SteamOS, Valve is putting current generation consoles, notably the PlayStation 5, but more so the Xbox Series X | S, and Microsoft’s Windows 11 on notice. If reasonably priced, we could be looking at a serious contender in the gaming console market, and perhaps a revolutionary move for gamers on every platform.
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