What’s the biggest tech news announcement this week? Is the Steam Machine, Valve’s awesome new gaming machine, or the iPhone Pocket, a sock for your phone?
If you don’t think it’s either of those, then maybe it’s one of the five other big tech announcements we’ve highlighted here to get you caught up on another big week in the tech world.
7. Gemini Live got the biggest update ever
Google’s real-time conversational AI assistant, Gemini Live, has been gradually getting smarter since its launch in August 2024, and this week it received its biggest update yet to make it sound even more human.
For example, it’s now a much better learning assistant thanks to its personalized tutoring powers and its ability to imitate accents. You can also practice conversations that will help you prepare for a difficult interview or family talk, and it will even respond in a calmer voice if it detects that you are talking about something stressful.
We’ll still need our real friends for their banter and potential as drinking buddies, but their days may be numbered.
6. Superman Derivation
This week, we found out that James Gunn’s Superman movie is getting a spin-off, according to Variety.
Reportedly leading the way is Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen, and the character is expected to “host” an in-universe true crime docuseries. He will 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 hasn’t officially announced the show yet (he usually weighs in on social media to confirm or deny reports of the trades), but he has previously teased an announced TV show as his “favorite thing in all of this.” [DCU Chapter One].”
5. Apple launched a pocket iPhone
This week, Apple launched a brand new product… a pocket for your iPhone. The design is a collaboration with Issey Miyake, the designer behind Steve Jobs’ iconic turtleneck.
At first glance, the fabric crossbody bag, which comes in two sizes, is a fashionable case that comes in a wide variety of eye-catching shades, but reviewers were 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 seems to be a method to this madness. These types of phone stands are gaining traction in territories like Asia, which Apple has targeted heavily based on the availability of the Pocket.
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 detection, a truly fantastic feature for beginners. We played with the Neo 2 before its release, and it’s clearly a much-improved model, although it’s a bit heavier and more expensive than the original Neo.
Still, it weighs 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 movements and then return to your palm. It’s incredibly clever. It will record 4K aerial video at 60 fps or 2.7K vertical video, complete with intelligent subject tracking capabilities – the whole experience is a cinch. Prices start at just £209 / AU$409, but once again, there’s bad news if you’re in the US: the Neo 2 is another DJI product not available at launch.
3. OnePlus cured the stock phone
According to reviewer Philip Berne, “The OnePlus 15 is better than perfect. It meets 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’s no better phone you can buy than this one.”
That’s high praise, so it’s no surprise that this is the first phone Phil has given a five-star review to. Maybe it’s finally time to ditch that iPhone or Galaxy phone you’re carrying in your pocket and buy something much better.
2. Valve’s Steam Frame finally broke the cover
After months of leaks, we finally got to see what the Steam Frame is all about, and it might 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, expandable with an SD card) and SteamOS.
That basically makes it a virtual reality headset and a Steam Deck for your face, which looks like it could finally put the Meta Quest 3 in its place.
The only downside is that 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 wasn’t around this price.
1. Valve launched the Steam Machine
Valve dropped a bombshell on the gaming scene for PC and console gamers with the announcement of the Steam Machine. It’s a mini PC, but designed as a hybrid PC console, with a small form factor tailored to TV couch gaming setups, and it uses AMD Zen 4 hardware that looks like it could give Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox cause for concern.
Promising to deliver an optimized console-like experience using the popular Linux operating system, SteamOS, Valve is fielding current-gen consoles, notably the PlayStation 5, but more so the Xbox Series Yes, and Microsoft’s Windows 11 on notice. If it is reasonably priced, we could be looking at a serious competitor in the gaming console market and perhaps a revolutionary move for gamers on all platforms.
