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 maybe it’s one of the other five big tech announcements we’ve highlighted here so you can catch up on another big week in the tech world.
7. Gemini Live got its biggest update ever
Google’s real-time conversational AI assistant, Gemini Live, has been getting progressively smarter since it launched in August 2024 – and this week it got its biggest update ever to make it sound even more human.
For example, it’s now a much better learning assistant thanks to its personalized tutoring capabilities and the ability to mimic accents. You can also make practice calls to help you prepare for an interview or a difficult family chat, and it will even respond with a calmer voice if it senses you’re talking about something stressful.
We still need our real friends for their jokes and drinking buddies, but their days may be numbered.
6. Superman spin-off
This week, we learned that James Gunn’s Superman movie is getting a spin-off, according to Variety .
The lead is reportedly Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen, with the character 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, will apparently not be involved.
Gunn has yet to officially announce the show (he usually takes to social media to confirm or deny reports of the trades), but he 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 a brand 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 tote that comes in a range of striking hues, but commentators have been quick to bemoan 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 the madness. These kinds of phone slings are picking up steam in areas like Asia, which Apple has targeted heavily based on Pocket’s availability.
4. 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 amazing feature for beginners. We played with the Neo 2 ahead of launch, and it’s clearly a much-improved model, even if it’s a bit heavier and more expensive than the original Neo.
Yet it is only 151g and has better wind resistance, airspeed and now voice and gesture control – Neo 2 can take off from your palm and follow voice or gesture prompts for flight movements and then return to your palm. It’s incredibly clever stuff. It captures aerial 4K video at 60 fps or vertical 2.7K video, complete with intelligent subject tracking skills – the whole experience is a breeze. 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 Curated the Ordinary 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, excellent performance and top-notch cameras, backed by a discreet but durable design. There is no better phone you can buy than this.”
That’s some high praise, so it’s no wonder this is the first phone Phil has ever given a five-star review. Maybe 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 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 makes this both a VR headset and an in-your-face Steam Deck, which sounds like it could finally put 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 didn’t land around that price.
1. Valve debuted the Steam Machine
Valve dropped a bomb 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 suited to TV-sofa gaming setups, and uses AMD Zen 4 hardware that looks set to 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 puts the current generation of consoles, especially the PlayStation 5, but more than the Xbox Series X | S, and Microsoft’s Windows 11 with notice. If priced reasonably, we could be looking at a serious contender in the gaming console market and perhaps a revolutionary move for gamers on any platform.
