ICYMI: the 8 biggest tech stories of the week, from smart tags to the Pixel 8 Pro
Come together, come together, because we have some stories to tell you – stories from the last seven days in the land of technology. It was another busy week in a series of busy weeks, with a large number of new gadgets being launched and also a lot of technical consumer news.
We saw three new flagship devices from Google – the Pixel 8, the Pixel 8 Pro and the Pixel Watch 2 – plus new SmartTags from Samsung and a new instant camera from Leica. The Fitbit app was also redesigned, although it didn’t get the best response.
A week is a long time in tech – especially weeks like this – but we can help you get there quickly. Read on to find out what happened.
8. The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 is here to keep track of your stuff
Samsung has launched a follow-up to its original SmartTag and has played it clear and obvious with the naming: the SmartTag2 is a perfectly respectable upgrade that can be yours for $30 / AU$55 (about £25, although we’ll wait at UK prices).
Battery life is twice as good (up to 700 days now), water and dust protection has been improved, tracking features are more comprehensive, and there’s a new design to make these devices easier to attach to your belongings.
So all in all, a lot to like, but it does make us wonder what happened to the Google AirTag rivals that are rumored to be launching throughout the year. The Pixel 8 event is over and there’s no sign of it.
7. Google has unveiled its Chromebook Plus plans
The long-rumored Chromebook Plus project sprang into action this week, with Google telling us which laptops running Chrome OS would make the cut and which wouldn’t – while also introducing some new models.
The idea is that when you see the Chromebook Plus badge on a particular product, you know that a certain level of quality is guaranteed, in terms of the performance under the hood and the resolution of the screen.
There are also software improvements heading to this line of laptops, including some impressive AI-powered features for Google Photos, and Google is even doing a few deals with Chromebook Plus purchases – like a free Nvidia GeForce NOW trial.
6. We have a horrifyingly awful trailer from Netflix
If you only watch one movie trailer this week, make it the one for Netflix Leaving the world behind. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali and Myha’la Herrold and combines small-scale drama with a large-scale apocalypse.
Based on an award-winning and hugely successful book by Rumaan Alam, the film asks what you could do – and who you could trust – if you thought civilization as we know it was coming to an end.
As is the norm for modern trailers, the video preview perhaps gives away a little too much – it’s the kind of story where the less you know, the better. However, if you want to whet your appetite, give it a try.
5. The Leica Sofort 2 instant camera became an instant icon
Seven years after the cover of the original Leica Sofort broke, the sequel has arrived: it offers the choice between prints that pop straight out of the camera, or the more conventional digital photography approach of saving snaps to storage.
That means it can perform the new instant camera trick if you’re feeling nostalgic, and also store photos that you can save and use elsewhere – not a bad combination, and some serious competition for rivals like the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo.
The list price of the Leica Sofort 2 is $389 / £350 / AU$649 and will be available in stores from November 9, 2023 in three colours: black, white and red. That’s a pretty high price, but there might be just enough in it to make it worth it.
4. OnePlus claimed to have made the best foldable phone yet
There is another foldable phone coming, and that is the OnePlus Open. It’s understandable that OnePlus is claiming this will be the best foldable phone yet, but there may be something in that beyond hyperbole.
In a preview video, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau was enthusiastic about the hinge of the upcoming device. That’s a pretty specific part to focus on, but it’s also pretty important when it comes to a foldable smartphone.
It seems like very few compromises have been made when it comes to the OnePlus Open, and we’re looking forward to giving it the full TechRadar review treatment when launch day arrives – which could be this month.
3. Fitbit fans were furious about their app’s new design
Once users get used to a particular app design, it’s difficult to make changes – as Fitbit discovered when it updated the app to (in theory) make the interface cleaner and more accessible to anyone who owns a Fitbit device.
Complaints focused on everything from the color scheme used in the new design to the removal of certain features that users had come to depend on. It may take a while for Fitbit (and Google) to resolve these issues.
Also this week, Fitbit joined virtually every other tech company in recent months to debut an AI-powered feature. Coming next year, Fitbit Labs uses generative AI to give you more detailed feedback on your fitness stats and future goals.
2. The Pixel Watch 2 immediately became a contender for best smartwatch
We had a big Google Pixel event this week and one of the stars of the show was the Pixel Watch 2: just like the original, but better. It offers more advanced heart rate monitoring, improved battery life, a new safety check feature and also a stress management feature.
We’ve already spent some hands-on time with the wearable device and praised its lighter aluminum casing, as well as the extra safety and training features that Google has managed to pack into a watch that looks more or less the same.
There’s a new quad-core processor under the hood and the latest Wear OS 4 software – so if you don’t have an iPhone and aren’t going to get an Apple Watch, then it’s worth putting on your list of possible purchases.
1. The Google Pixel 8 Pro has landed with new camera party tricks
In addition to the Pixel Watch 2, Google also unveiled the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro, and we’ve had some hands-on experience with both. The 6.7-inch Pro model is the real star, with an advanced camera system and multiple AI tricks to improve your photos.
While the design retains the familiar Pixel look, the Pixel 8 Pro now lets you instantly remove objects (and people) from photos on the software side, move people around in a scene, and even pick the best facial expressions from a series of shots.
Add to that the 5x optical zoom and it’s clear this is a smartphone that will appeal to serious mobile photographers. There’s also a temperature sensor, which we haven’t seen on a handset before; To be honest, we’re not entirely sure how useful that will be. Still, our first impressions are positive and it looks like we’re another contender for our best phones list. Look out for a full review soon.