The year is coming to a close, but we have time for at least one more ICYMI roundup to catch you up on the biggest tech announcements before the holidays and, more importantly, CES 2025.
This week we saw plenty of leaks for the Samsung Galaxy S25, Nintendo Switch 2, and the new Ray-Ban smart glasses, as well as getting a preview of Superman which introduced us to a very nice guy in Krypto.
you can’t look Superman yet, but if you’ve caught up on the week’s news and are looking for something to fill your downtime, check out our picks for the seven new movies and TV shows airing this weekend.
7. Panasonic brought back the point-and-shoot camera
One thing we didn’t have on the 2024 bingo card was a new point-and-shoot camera, even though it’s a trending market this year. That’s why it was surprising when Panasonic announced the Lumix ZS99 / TZ99 (it’s called the first in the US and the second elsewhere), which will be available from February 2025.
The pocket snapper includes a Leica lens with a massive 30x optical zoom, a 24-720mm range that’s much more versatile than your smartphone and can be digitally duplicated to 60x using Panasonic’s iZoom feature. Shoot 20.3MP stills and 4K videos, backed by Panasonic’s 5-axis image stabilization for sharp shots. That all sounds fabulous, but it’s actually 10-year-old technology borrowed from the Lumix ZS80/TZ80 it replaces, and the newer model is arguably a downgrade because the EVF (electronic viewfinder) has been removed.
So why the new model? It has USB-C charging, meaning it will be green-lit to stay on shelves in 2025, when the EU’s Common Charger Directive comes into force. So it’s not so much about the return of the point-and-shoot camera, but about keeping it alive… just.
6. The Nintendo Switch 2 leaked… again… twice
We just talked about the Nintendo Switch 2 leak in last week’s ICYMI roundup, but it happened again, and the upcoming console was shown off not once but twice more.
Announcing its new Killswitch 2 case for the incoming hardware, Dbrand apparently showed it off with a 3D rendering of the inside of the handheld, which its CEO says is based on a “3D scan of the actual hardware.”
We then apparently got another look at the hardware thanks to YouTube channel NerdNest who posted a video showing what appears to be a dummy model of the Switch 2, which they apparently sourced from a third-party accessory maker, iVoler.
We’ve yet to see the Nintendo Switch 2 for real, but leaks seem to suggest that those hoping for a major redesign will be sorely disappointed. Perhaps this is one of those occasions when it would have been better not to have been informed about it beforehand.
5. The Samsung Galaxy S25 was also leaked left, right and center
Leaks are common in the consumer technology industry, but someone at Samsung clearly left the tap open, as this week we received numerous design, spec, and release date reveals surrounding the upcoming Galaxy S25 series.
We were already pretty sure that the rumored Galaxy S25 would be announced on January 22, and that date was all but confirmed on Wednesday by a leaked launch event poster, which teased the imminent launch of four (yes, four) Galaxy phones.
Even more recently, a reputable leaker shared an image of a Spigen case for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and since Spigen is a major brand, these design details are likely as accurate as they come.
The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are good, but they could be better, and a leak this week suggests that Meta is preparing to give the specs its most requested upgrade in 2025: a display.
This is according to the Wall Street Journal, which says that “a person familiar with the project” suggested that Ray-Bans would get a “small screen inside the lens” to give wearers a small HUD that will save them from always having to take your phone out of your pocket.
It won’t have as many features as the consumer version of the Meta Orion AR glasses prototype that wowed us this year, but it’s a step in the right direction and adds credence to a rumor suggesting Orion will arrive in 2027, which is much closer to what it seems.
3. DC showed us a trailer for Superman, and a very good guy
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2024 isn’t over yet, but next year is already shaping up to be a huge one for a slew of new movies, including James Gunn’s Superman movie.
It’s still seven months away from release, but the first trailer for the DCU Chapter One movie was revealed this week and, we don’t know about you, but we’re completely obsessed with Superman’s best friend in Krypto the Superdog, who stole the show following the reveal of the teaser. In fact, it already looks like he’ll be a very good, if naughty, boy, so let’s go July 11, 2025, we say!
Read more: I’m completely obsessed with the DCU version of Krypto the Superdog
2. ChatGPT came to WhatsApp as part of a 12-day event
OpenAI surprised everyone this week by announcing, as part of their ’12 Days of OpenAI’, that we can now text ChatGPT via WhatsApp. You just need to add ChatGPT as a contact on WhatsApp (their number is 1-800-CHATGPT) and you can text them as you would any other WhatsApp contact. If you’re outside the US, make sure you add it as a US phone number and it will still work.
Using WhatsApp for ChatGPT is perfect for quick interactions, like asking ChatGPT if there are good places to eat nearby or what you should visit while you’re in town. And if texting doesn’t cut it for you, then (as long as you have a US number) you can call ChatGPT on the phone and talk to him using voice mode. You get 15 minutes of talk time per month with a free account, but more if you’re a ChatGPT Plus subscriber.
1. Google revealed its AI video generator that surpasses Sora
Last week, OpenAI fully launched Sora, its long-awaited AI video generator. Well, Google has already revealed an update to its video generation tool and Veo 2 might be the best we’ve seen yet.
Google’s Veo AI video generator update adds huge improvements, like 4K resolution output and a focus on “a better understanding of real-world physics and the nuances of human movement and expression,” helping improve your detail and realism in general.
I Veo 2 was launched as part of Google Labs and you can join a waitlist to access the AI video generator as long as you are over 18 and reside in the US. Google is set to roll out the AI model in 2025, and as soon as we get our hands on it, we’ll be sure to pit it against Sora to see which AI tool wins.
