ICYMI: The 7 Biggest Tech Stories of the Week, From the Barbie Flip Phone to Black Ops 6 Beta
This week, Apple finally set a date for the iPhone launch (September 9, if you wanted to know), and players got their first taste of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – and you could join them.
To keep you on top of these and other major tech news stories of the week, we’ve put together a handy ICYMI roundup with details on all the stories, plus links to additional reading if you want to learn more.
Once you’re caught up, you’ll be in a great place for the busy weeks ahead. Next week is IFA in Berlin (a huge tech show that we’re flying to so you can get the scoop on all the best stuff on show) and of course the week after that we’ll be focusing on Apple.
7. Apple just sent out invites to the iPhone 16 event
“It’s Glowtime”… well, almost. Apple has sent out invites to its upcoming event this week, and has set September 9 as the day we’ll almost certainly see the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max (assuming Apple doesn’t surprise us too much).
We also expect Apple to offer us new Apple Watches. There are three rumors: the Apple Watch 10 (or maybe X if it copies the iPhone), a new Apple Watch Ultra and a plastic Apple Watch SE, which could bring the price down considerably.
The star of the show – as hinted at by the Siri-like glow of the invite’s badge – will be Apple Intelligence. Pinned back to WWDC 2024, it should finally get us a good look at Apple’s AI solution, an area of technology in which it currently lags far behind its rivals.
6. Black Ops 6 Early Access has gone live
Every Call of Duty release is a monumental moment in the gaming calendar, and some players can get a head start on the game by participating in the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 betas starting this weekend. Starting today, August 30, players can jump into the game ahead of its full release to get a taste of all the new weapons and the critically acclaimed Omnimovement – Black Ops 6’s new, revamped player movement feature.
What players can expect is that the Black Ops 6 beta will feature multiple maps (such as Skyline, Rewind, and Scud) and game modes such as Kill Order, Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Hardpoint.
Maps and modes will be added in a trickle over the first weekend, with players able to reach level 20 before the cap increases to level 30 in the second weekend. Custom loadouts are also on offer elsewhere, but you’ll need to reach level 4 first – though we’d recommend trying the preset loadouts first to see how the new game’s weapons feel.
This is the first beta period, with a new one next week. This Early Access period runs from August 30th through September 4th. The second Open Beta period runs from September 6th through September 9th. Both periods are the perfect time for fans to get a taste of the game before the full release on October 25th.
5. Garmin Fenix 8 and Enduro 3 landed
Garmin released two new, highly anticipated watches this week. The first is the Garmin Fenix 8. It comes in three sizes, with two screen options (AMOLED or solar-powered MIP), and has an incredible battery life: even the AMOLED version offers 29 days of battery life in smartwatch mode.
For context, if you weren’t using either watch’s GPS, you’d need to charge an Apple Watch Ultra 2 a whopping 19 times by the time you’re done with the Fenix 8. Brand new sports features like a dive mode, revamped mapping, and more intelligent “dynamic routing”—which generates a route back to the start of your run while you’re still on the way out—are the icing on the cake. It starts at $999.99 / £869.99 / AU$1,699 for the 43mm model.
The Garmin Enduro 3 shares a lot of what makes the Fenix 8 great, including that new dynamic routing feature, topographic maps and up to 90 days of battery life in smartwatch mode. The Enduro line has always been a tool for serious endurance athletes like triathletes and ultrarunners, and while it’s a bit cheaper than the Fenix 8 ($899.99 / £769.99 / AU$1,549), it might not have quite as much appeal.
4. Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 sprint in picture
The original Shokz OpenRun Pro is one of the best bone conduction headphones available, so we’re excited to get our hands on the recently announced OpenRun Pro 2. Battery life is immediately longer than its predecessor, at 12 hours up from 10. Not a huge increase, but the OpenRun Pro 2 can last 2.5 hours on a five-minute charge, ideal for powering up before a run.
The OpenRun Pro 2 also features a combination of bone conduction drivers and air conduction speakers, which are designed to deliver more powerful bass than the original OpenRun Pro. Multi-point connectivity allows you to pair two devices at once.
Otherwise, the OpenRun Pro 2 hasn’t changed much in terms of design and aesthetics. However, the original design was so successful that Shokz is sticking to that age-old adage: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
3. Note ChatGPT, Artifacts made Claude a top AI candidate
If you were asked to list AI chatbots, you’d probably name ChatGPT, Gemini, Apple Intelligence, and a few others. But one you might not know about is Claude. But after this week, Claude has shown us that it’s definitely not an AI you should ignore.
That’s thanks to the new Artifacts tool, a feature that lets Claude show you a working prototype of the project you’re working on, like a website or app he’s helping you design, or a presentation he’s helping you put together. Best of all, you can choose to share Artifacts with other Claude users or mess around with one of their creations to make something new.
You can achieve a similar effect with other AI on the PC, but you first have to open a separate app that can convert the chatbot’s code or design suggestions, and you have to manually make any changes Claude suggests as you iterate on your design. With Artifacts, it all happens automatically.
The service is currently being rolled out to all users, even those on Claude’s free plan. Besides Claude’s focus on privacy, it looks like it will be a strong competitor to ChatGPT.
2. DJI Neo leaks hint at a bargain drone
Italian YouTuber andontheroad Not only has Warner Bros. showed us all the hardware we can expect at the launch of DJI’s upcoming entry-level drone, the DJI Neo, we’ve also learned that the price is expected to be €199 (or around $220 / £167 / AU$325).
Obviously, we should take the leaks with a grain of salt, but if they turn out to be true, the Neo could be a bargain at launch.
It won’t be long before we know more. The official reveal takes place on September 5 at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm UK time.
1. We said ‘Hi Barbie’ to the Barbie Flip Phone
We are convinced that life in plastic is been a big fan since the Barbie movie hit theaters last year, and Nokia manufacturer HMD seems to think so too. The Finnish manufacturer this week released the Barbie Flip Phone, a Kenergized reinvention of a Nokia feature phone, complete with interchangeable covers, a beaded string and software easter eggs. Priced at $129 / £99 / AU$199, this Mattel collaboration offers an affordable dose of nostalgia for Barbie fans and Y2K-obsessed fashionistas alike.
It’s not just the aesthetics that harken back to a different time. Like most of HMD’s feature phones, the Barbie Flip Phone is light on the modern conveniences we take for granted in smartphones. There’s no social media access, and the camera isn’t even HD. Barbie fans in the US, however, are getting an upgraded model, with a 5MP camera, more storage, and a more capable operating system.