This week we launched our full version Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 reviews, we saw Amazon was ordered to recall more than 400,000 dangerous and defective products and learned how an incredible Olympic photo was taken using a Nikon Z9.
If you missed this and more, we’ve got this guide to keep you up to date with the biggest tech news stories of the week. Scroll down for quick summaries of everything you need to know and links to the bigger stories so you can read more if you want.
Don’t forget to come back next week for another ICYMI recap, but for now, let’s move on to our first story…
7. We tested Samsung’s new foldable devices
There are perhaps some criticisms to be made of Samsung for not doing enough to change its foldable lineup, like too few camera updates and not enough redesign, but in our view, Samsung has taken the best of the foldable genre and tweaked and refined it all.
The new looks are incredibly clean and durable, and what the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 And Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 While they lack major photography upgrades, they more than make up for it in impressive AI performance. There are so many cool things you can do with these new foldables, like creating professional-grade art from scribbles, adding photorealistic elements to photos on the Fold 6, and performing impressive image edits or adding slow-motion after video capture on the Flip 6.
The Fold is more expensive than ever, but these foldables, especially the Fold 6, give you two devices in one. It would be great if the Z Flip 6 Cover’s screen did more, but it still wins major points for cuteness. The Fold 6, on the other hand, is a powerful, big-screen phone with a nice 7.6-inch tablet tucked inside. In a word, we’re smitten.
Countless TV shows like the excellent Living with yourself Instagram creators have already explored the idea of cloning themselves to share the drudgery of daily life. This week, Meta unveiled the digital equivalent with its new AI Studio. The new feature, available only in the US, allows professional Instagram creators to “create an AI extension of themselves” to respond to their private messages and replies to their stories.
If that’s not scary enough, you can also create “AI characters” based on your interests so you always have a virtual gym buddy on hand to ask you questions. Meta did that at least to retire its AI celebrity avatars this week. But with similar ideas explored this week by the strange AI friend necklaceIt really feels like we’ve entered a dystopia. Black mirror chronology.
5. Apple Intelligence made its first appearance
The developer betas for iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 have finally shown us a first look at Apple Intelligence suggests that rumours of the delay may have been greatly exaggerated.
When it launches, Apple Intelligence promises to bring features like writing assistance, natural language search, context persistence in Siri, and more, though not everything was available in this first release. It focused on generative writing tools, email summaries, and some natural language search features in Photos, with the creation of Genmoji, Photo Clean Up, and ChatGPT integration totally absent.
Google and Samsung have a significant lead in smartphone AI, and while this gradual arrival is a start, Apple will need to be ready to wow us when iOS 18 launches in full later this year.
4. The Olympics have started and given us podium-worthy photos
It’s almost too surreal to be true, but the viral photo from the 2024 Olympics so far captures the moment Brazilian surfing star Gabriel Medina celebrated a near-perfect score of 9.9 with a “kick-out”: several meters in the air, like a superhero and perfectly aligned with his surfboard. Taken by French photographer Jérôme Brouillet with a Nikon Z9, the photo will go down in surfing and Olympic history, as will Medina’s record-breaking individual score.
Despite having a professional camera capable of shooting at up to 20 frames per second at maximum quality or 120 frames per second with cropped JPEG files, Jerome only had time to take four photos of the moment, one of which is the one that’s in everyone’s feeds.
Positioned in the right spot on a boat, Jerome said capturing the image was a matter of “preparation, dedication, timing and a touch of luck,” and we are the lucky ones that all the elements came together that day.
3. New Google Nest Smart Thermostat Leaked in TikTok Unboxing Video
We got our first look at the all-new, sleek and stylish Google Nest Learning Smart Thermostat, thanks to a TikTok user who managed to get their hands on not one, but three of the new devices. The fourth-generation thermostat features a virtually frameless curved glass front, a stainless steel body instead of plastic, and a customizable display. It’s also smarter than its predecessor, and can suggest adjustments to your heating schedule that will help you save energy.
We’re not sure if the upgrade will be as simple as unclipping your old Learning Thermostat and sliding the new one into the bracket, but it should all become clear eventually. Event hosted by Google on August 13.
2. Amazon ordered to recall over 400,000 items
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has asked Amazon to recall 400,000 unsafe items sold on its site this week. Interestingly, these items were not sold by Amazon itself. They are part of the more than 60% of sales on its site made by independent sellers who use Amazon as a virtual marketplace.
Amazon intends to appeal the decision, arguing that the company is already doing enough to protect its customers. However, the CSPC believes that Amazon meets the legal definition of a “retailer” and should do more.
This decision might not just affect Amazon, but potentially have repercussions for other popular marketplaces like Temu, but we’ll have to see how things play out.
1. Leaked DJI Neo Drone Found Itself in Dangerous ‘Impulse Buy’ Zone
We don’t really need to buy a small drone, but DJI is set to test our low resolution soon, according to new leaks about its new Neo. If these rumors are correct, the Neo will be its lightest drone yet and virtually portable without its propeller guards.
What will the Neo actually do? Apparently, its 4K The camera and AI-powered subject tracking could make it the ultimate selfie drone for travel photos and videos. There’s also a chance it’ll be compatible with FPV (first-person view) headsets to allow it to shoot spectacular indoor videos. Either way, we’ve got the family cat on sale ahead of a full launch soon…
