We get it: It’s not easy to check TechRadar every hour of every day, with so many other things going on. Well, that was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair this week – because the last seven days have been filled with big stories.
That’s where our ICYMI weekly roundup comes in: all the big tech news of the week, in a digested format, for your reading pleasure. You can catch up in just a few minutes, and then you’re also ready for the deluge of tech news that awaits you next week.
It’s been another eventful week in tech, with the new iPads up for testing, the big Google I/O 2024 Developer Conference, Significant Upgrades ChatGPTThe AI capabilities of and more than one important trailer from the world of entertainment. Let’s get started.
7. We reviewed the sensational new iPads
We were able to get our hands on the new iPad Air 13-inch (2024) And iPad Pro 13-inch (2024)and these are truly superb tablets from Apple: They both earned 4.5 stars out of 5 from TechRadar experts, and they live up to the hype that accompanied them in the Apple Let Loose Event last week.
This is the first time we’ve seen the more affordable Air in this larger 13-inch screen size, and we were impressed with that screen, as well as its excellent battery life and performance levels possible thanks to M2 processor under the hood.
As for the Pro model, it goes up to M4 processor, and this is the first iPad we’ve seen with a OLED display. We’ve described it as an “absolute powerhouse” when it comes to a tablet, and it’s without a doubt the best Apple has ever made. Our review will also tell you if this is the best Apple tablet for you.
6. Apple released iOS 17.5 – with a serious bug
A new version of iOS is always big news, and this week Apple released iOS 17.5 to millions of users around the world. Most importantly for EU users, however, they gained access to third-party web app downloads for the first time as Apple complies with antitrust requirements put in place by regulators.
Other new features, including upgrades to Apple News Plus and better support for third-party device trackers, were available for everyone. There’s also a new setting that means you can continue to track your iPhone even when it’s under repair.
However, the rollout hasn’t gone smoothly for everyone: some users report that they are see deleted photos come back from the digital grave. This appears to only affect a select group of users running iOS 17.5, but it’s a worrying bug and one we hope Apple fixes soon.
5. We got the first trailer for The Rings of Power season 2
We were already impatiently awaiting the second season of The Rings of Power even before its first trailer was released – but the 103-second teaser that landed this week has raised anticipation levels even higher. It looks like we’re in for some epic fantasy action and a plot that surpasses anything planned in Season 1.
At the same time as he shows us the first trailer, Amazon also confirmed a release date: The Rings of Power season 2 will be released on screens from Thursday August 29. There are only 104 days left before we can start binging again.
If you need help understanding everything revealed in this trailer, senior entertainment reporter Tom Power has you covered. his detailed breakdown of the Rings of Power season 2 trailer, which separates each scene, look, glimpse and statement. Be warned though: you may want to take a swerve if you want to approach the second season without any spoilers.
4. Fujifilm has launched two ultra-desirable cameras
In the digital camera department, we were really spoiled this week, with not one but two excellent Fujifilm upcoming models. In our entirety Fujifilm X-T50 reviewwe found that it offered more performance and versatility than we expected, given that its predecessor X-T30 II was an entry-level model.
In fact, we gave the Fujifilm X-T50 only half a star out of a full five-star rating, and if you read our review you’ll find out why. This is a camera model that performs wonderfully and of course produces fantastic photos and videos.
We also managed to spend some hands-on time with the Fujifilm GFX100S II, another camera that gives you bang for your buck (even if you have to part with a lot of money to get it). Tim Coleman, editor-in-chief of TechRadar Cameras, currently describes it as “probably the best medium format camera for most people.”
3. ChatGPT received another major upgrade
Google had plenty of new AI features and tools to introduce this week – more of which in a minute – but OpenAI came first with awesome ChatGPT announcements and demos. At the center of everything was the new GPT-4o (or GPT-4 Omni) modelwhich is a new multimodal engine compatible with real-time audio, vision and text.
The demonstrations performed by the OpenAI team show just how advanced ChatGPT and its AI have become. We’re getting very close to the scene where Joaquin Phoenix talks to his AI robot in the movie Her – although we hope for a less depressing ending.
These upgrades make ChatGPT less of a chatbot and more of a real personal assistant you can chat with. There was also news of a desktop app for macOS users (there is no Windows equivalent yet), as well as a refreshed interface and more features for free users (including memory capabilities for AI).
2. The ambitious Google Astra AI project has been revealed
Not to be outdone, Google had plenty of AI announcements to share during its Google I/O 2024 developer conference this week. The one that particularly caught our attention is Astra Project: a multimodal AI engine, like GPT-4o, that is comfortable looking at the world and handling video and voice input.
The idea is that you get more natural, more contextual responses from your artificially intelligent assistant, and US Mobiles editor-in-chief Phil Berne has been familiarizing himself with the new technology – finding it impressive, but not yet completely ready for the general public.
The Astra AI is already smart enough to play Pictionary, tell stories, and adapt to new inputs in real time, and it seems perfect for a device like a pair of smart glasses – although to be perfectly clear , Google has not said that another version of Google Glass is in the works.
1. Google pushed the boundaries of AI at I/O 2024
Google had a lot more to share besides Project Astra at Google I/O 2024 this week, and we I covered everything live. We had a new video generator tool, new AI features for Android, a new AI-powered way to search through your photos and videos, and even bots that can guide you through yoga exercises (we are not sure about that one).
Google’s main AI model, Gemini, is set to get a bunch of upgrades over the coming months, making it smarter and more reliable no matter where you access it or what you do with it. need.
This could be helping the kids with their homework, sorting through files you have stored in the cloud, or summarizing vast swaths of the web for you. Expect more upgrades to hit more devices in the years to come – including, almost certainly, the rumored Google Pixel 9 phone.
