ICYMI: the week’s 7 biggest tech stories, from Spotify Wrapped to the best apps of 2023
If you're understandably behind on tech news after emerging from the hectic Cyber Monday sales, don't worry: we're here to fill you in on everything you missed over the past seven days. And surprisingly enough, there is a lot to say about it.
As we rattle towards the end of 2023, there are inevitable end-of-year roundups, some of which are very useful ways to discover some new entertainment in time for the holidays. This week we saw Spotify Wrapped, Apple Music Replay and the YouTube 2023 Recap all land to fuel the debate among music fans.
Apple and Google also crowned their favorite apps of 2023, both of which are very useful overviews whether you use iOS or Android. But this week wasn't all about prices: IKEA debuted some new smart home sensors, Google Drive frantically tried to solve a serious storage problem, and the Tesla Cybertruck finally rolled into town with a slightly higher than expected price tag.
For a round-up of all the above and more in five minutes, check out our ICYMI round-up of the past week – starting with those surprising IKEA smart home treats…
IKEA may bring to mind flatpack furniture nightmares, but this week the homewares giant promised to warn us of other domestic disasters with its trio of cheap and cheerful smart home sensors.
The Parasoll, Vallhorn and, er, Badring (no offense, Ring doorbells) are all designed to detect motion and can even spot problems like water leaks. So whether you're worried about burglars or burst pipes, the sensors could be a wise investment when they go on sale in 2024.
The Apple Vision Pro is still a complete mystery, but the spatial computing headset is slowly revealing its secrets as it heads towards its long-awaited full launch in 2024. This week, a short video revealed what it will be like to roam in one of its virtual 'environments'.
The Yosemite 'environment' looks a bit like an immersive virtual screensaver and looks like a very peaceful place to get your work done, as you're surrounded by blizzards, mountains and (hopefully) no bears.
There have been a lot of big streaming stories this week – and there will likely be many more to come, thanks to CCXP taking place in Brazil this weekend (note House of the Dragon season 2 news, Westeros fans). However, few have been as big as the revelation that Prime Video is expanding its offering Bosch TV universe with another spin-off project.
Well, we say 'another' – there's only been one so far. Still considering it Bosch doesn't have a spot on our list of the best Prime Video shows, but is clearly popular enough among those subscribed to Amazon's primary streaming service to warrant more yet untold stories. Perhaps we should correct our glaring mistake and find a place for it Bosch and its side walls project into said guide.
If your Google Drive will soon look different, don't worry: Google is introducing a redesigned homepage for its cloud storage service, which was also hit this week with an issue that may have resulted in file loss for some users.
The better news is that this new design uses AI to provide useful filters and recommendations based on your Drive activity. The new 'Home' landing page will be available to some users soon, with a wider rollout planned for early January 2024.
Don't worry, though, if you like the current My Drive homepage; you can easily exchange back. Plus, iPhone and iPad owners finally get a handy Drive feature that Android users have had for ages: the Document Scanner, which can convert photos from your device's camera into scan-style PDFs. The Android version of the feature recently got a makeover and now iOS users can enjoy it too.
Tesla's most controversial EV yet was finally unleashed on the world this week, with the first customers driving away in the wedge-shaped Cybertruck. Of course, we have known the electric pickup for years: it was announced back in 2019 (and pre-orders were accepted). But actually bringing it to market was a tricky thing, and there was still a lot we weren't doing.” I don't know anything about it yet.
So, what did Elon Musk reveal during the Cybertruck's delivery event? Well, it'll be expensive, with the cheapest model costing $60,990 (about £48,200 / AU$92,160) and the most expensive model setting you back (sharp breath) $99,900 (about £79,000 / AU$150,915). Ouch!
We also found that it will have a relatively modest range of between 250 and 350 miles, but also that for certain models there will be an optional battery pack that will increase the range and add around 130 miles. And of course we learned that it is fast. Like it, Real fast. To be precise: 0-100 km/h in 2.6 seconds, in the case of the top model. Only time will tell whether it will be a success in the style of the Model 3, but it has certainly already made an impression.
We all have our favorite apps, but most of us struggle with what to install next. There are countless choices in each category. That's why this time of year is such a blessing for all of us smartphone owners (in other words: everyone) because we get the best app lists from Apple and Google who provide us with their picks for the best apps on their respective platforms across a wide range of categories.
Google's Android list was a mix of old and new. It included Spotify and Bumble, as well as the AI frenemy ChatGPT of 2023 (this kind of intelligence in your pocket is pretty cool).
Apple identified AI as a key app trend in its list, but did not award any AI-only apps. Still, the list of great apps, including games like Hello Kitty: Island Adventure, and Pret-a-Make-Up certainly have some features that are at least AI-powered. Apple has also added a Cultural Impact category that highlights a big Ny Breaking favorite: Too Good To Go, which helps you find a home for excess restaurant, supermarket, and bakery food.
It's only been around since 2016, but Spotify Wrapped has already wormed its way into the hearts of music fans around the world and become something of a digital rite of passage; go to Glastonbury, visit Graceland, share your Wrapped on Instagram.
This year's episode arrived Wednesday with much fanfare, but also with a few hiccups. The initial problem was that not everyone could find it. Some people had to update their Spotify app to the latest version, others found that even then it didn't show up unless they searched for it. We also heard a few reports (from the Ny Breaking office) that people were seeing songs on their most played list that they hadn't actually listed – although we suspect this may be their way of trying to excuse the fact that they had In 2023 I listened to a 12-minute jazz saxophone epic 127 times.
Either way, the most important thing is that it got people talking about and listening to music – which we think is never a bad thing. Well, unless it concerns a twelve-minute jazz saxophone epic.