Week in Review: The top stories in AI, wearables, virtual reality, and more

Google makes AI inescapable, Prime Day early deals, and vote in the TechRadar Choice awards Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( October 4, 2024 CONNECT WITH TECH RADAR  [Facebook]( [X]( [Instagram]( [Youtube]( [Tech Radar]( [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE]( [] Welcome to the Week in Review [] Welcome Holy cow, it’s October – and that’s not just a commentary on the fast-approaching Christmas holiday season. The latter quarter of the year means preparing to buy lots of stuff to give to others (and yourself) and, if you work for TechRadar, drawing up a lot of ‘Best of’ lists. Speaking of which, TechRadar’s round-up of the best products of 2024 is well underway, and we can’t do it without your help – that’s right, you get to vote on all the best technology you've used this year across 90(!) categories. You’ll find the link towards the end of this newsletter, so dive in, vote, and then check back to see which of your favorites made the cut. Some of the technology and products we saw this week certainly have a chance of making the cut. We checked out an impressive new VR headset from HTC, and we’re still talking about Meta’s wild Orion AR glasses. From the world of drones, I think the affordable DJI Mini 4 is a lock for the list – it’s almost palm-sized when folded, supports 4K video, and is a relative bargain at $299 / £269. Maybe the new Oura Ring 4 will make the cut too – it’s a substantial redesign, and I hear the software is better than ever. There’s also a good chance that some of these potential best-of-the-year devices will be on sale during next week’s Amazon Prime Big Deal Days event. The two-day sale promises to be a goldmine of bargains, and I’d strongly recommend that you start your deal hunting with TechRadar. When you’re not shopping, you might want to start your Halloween-season viewing with the latest Salem’s Lot remake. And if terror isn’t your thing we’ve also got details on lots more binge-worthy content for the weekend, and some fantastic deep dives on The Rings of Power season finale and that intense new Penguin series. Since you didn’t ask, my favorite story of the week is about the two AI podcasters who discover “on air” that they’re not actually real. It’s the Black Mirror moment we didn’t know we needed. Okay, back to reality. Check out all of the above, and lots more, below – and don’t forget to share this newsletter with your (hopefully real) friends. Lance Ulanoff, Editor-at-Large [Tackle your credit card debt with 0% interest until nearly 2026]( Pay no interest until nearly 2026 with some of the best hand-picked credit cards this year, all with no annual fee. Experts identified these top credit card of 2024 offering 0% intro APR until nearly 2026. [Find out more]( ADVERTISEMENT [] The Week in AI [] [Google packs even more AI smarts into search]( More AI is coming to Google Search (Shutterstock) [Google packs even more AI smarts into search]( Expect to see even more AI results appearing in Google Search in the future: starting in the US, results are now going to be sorted using AI, with new web links added to AI summaries, and new capabilities when it comes to searching using videos and voice. [Read the full story]( [] - [Google's AI podcast hosts have existential crisis]( [] - [ChatGPT's 'Canvas' is your new AI collaborator]( [] - [Microsoft gives Copilot a major upgrade]( [] The week in cameras [] [The DJI Mini 4K could be your best first drone]( The DJI Mini 4K (Future) [The DJI Mini 4K could be your best first drone]( TechRadar Cameras Editor Tim Coleman has been busy flying the new DJI Mini 4K around, and his comprehensive review is now available for you to dig into – and his verdict is that this might be the most capable drone for beginners at this price point. [Read the full story]( [] - [Why the DJI Mini 4K is a better first drone than the DJI Neo]( [] - [We've also reviewed the new GoPro Hero]( [] - [Fujifilm is rumored to be working on a new kind of camera]( [] The week in wearables [] [The next-gen Oura Ring 4 smart ring is official]( Meet the 4th-gen Oura Ring (Future) [The next-gen Oura Ring 4 smart ring is official]( Up to now, the Samsung Galaxy Ring was the big smart ring launch of 2024 – but Oura has hit back with the 4th-gen model of its own device: it comes in more sizes than its predecessor, and offers a more comfortable fit and extra data insights. [Read the full story]( [] - [Garmin unveils surprise new Lily 2 Active smartwatch]( [] - [Strava's powerful AI insights are here with Athlete Intelligence]( [] - [watchOS 11.0.1 has landed to fix your Apple Watch issues]( [] Today's best deals, picked by TechRadar's experts [] Early Prime Day tech deals are live now Early Prime Day tech deals are live now Another Amazon Prime Day deals bonanza is upon us (Future) Amazon's second Prime Day event of the year, or Big Deals Days to give it its official title, is happening next Tuesday and Wednesday. We're expecting to see some fantastic deals on Amazon's ever-growing range of Echo speakers and other devices, as well as on a whole host of other tech – and lots of deals are already live at Amazon's US and UK stores. [] - [The 30 best early Prime Day deals live now at Amazon US]( [] - [Here's everything I'm buying in the Big Deal Days sale at Amazon US]( [] - [These Prime Day LG TV deals at Amazon US are so good I'm buying one]( [] - [These are the best early Prime Day deals we've found at Amazon UK]( [] The week in VR [] [Testing the HTC Vive Focus Vision with Squid Game VR]( The Vive Focus Vision in action (Future) [Testing the HTC Vive Focus Vision with Squid Game VR]( HTC has a new virtual reality headset for your consideration, and TechRadar's Senior Staff Writer Hamish Hector has donned one to see what it's capable of – and his VR adventures included a Squid Game experience and a racing sim demo. [Read the full story]( [] - [Meta has officially discontinued three of its VR headsets]( [] - [HoloLens 2 cancellation paves the way for the Meta and Xbox VR headset]( [] - [Everything we know about the game-changing Meta Orion AR glasses]( [] The week in entertainment [] [The best new movies and shows to stream this weekend]( There's lots more to watch this weekend (Netflix / Prime Video / Max) [The best new movies and shows to stream this weekend]( Spooky season has arrived, so there are plenty of horror-fuelled and not-so-scary movies and shows to watch this weekend: everything from Heartstopper season 3 and Salem’s Lot, to Hold Your Breath and The Rings of Power season 2 finale. [Read the full story]( [] - [The Rings of Power season 2 finale ending explained]( [] - [Disney responds to fan ire over axing of highly-rated shows and movies]( [] - [The Penguin viewers are worried about the fate of its most lovable character]( [] More of this week's top stories [] - [Voting is open for the 2024 TechRadar Choice Awards]( [] - [Why Tesla is no longer the keeper of our electric vehicle dreams]( [] - [My parents' iPhones aren't getting AI – and they're not happy]( [] - [Windows 11 spikes in popularity, but Windows 10 is still way more popular]( [] - [Check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE]( Sharing TechRadar with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free. 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