ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from the Apple iPad Mini 7 launch to the major Amazon Kindle refresh
Welcome back folks. This week in the world of tech has been a busy one. We tested a new smart ring for our Oura Ring 4 review, we got four new Kindles from Amazon, and LG updated its 2023 for free.
To catch up on the biggest stories we've rounded them below for your to browse the highlights, with links to the wider stories if you're hungry to learn more.
When you're done you should check out our guide of the seven new movies and TV shows to stream this weekend (October 18).
7. The iPad mini 7 finally landed after a long wait
Just as we were about to give up on ever seeing a new iPad mini, Apple announced a new version for the first time in over three years – and it looks a solid bet for anyone who needs an 8.3-inch tablet.
Naturally, the mini 7 is mainly here to support Apple Intelligence features, which it can pull off thanks to its A17 Pro chip (from last year’s iPhone 15 Pro series) and 4GB of RAM. Apple has also doubled the tablet’s base storage (which now starts at 128GB) and added support for the Apple Pencil Pro.
On the downside, there’s no ProMotion display (its screen tops out at 60Hz) and buyers in the EU won’t get a charging brick in the box. But otherwise, the new iPad mini ticks most of the main boxes for traveling creatives who need a backpack-friendly tablet.
6. We reviewed the Quest 3S, but the Quest 3 remained our favorite
We’ve given the Meta Quest 3S an in-depth test and awarded it four-and-a-half stars in our Meta Quest 3S review. Overall it’s a fantastic VR headset for the price, save for a few downsides.
The main one is the visuals. While everything is rendered just as well thanks to having an identical chipset and RAM, the less sharp 1832 x 1920 per eye display doesn’t beat the Quest 3’s 2064 x 2208 pixels per eye dual-display setup, and the differences are a lot more noticeable than we expected. The pricier headset is also less bulky and feels a little comfier.
For just a little bit extra the Meta Quest 3 offers major visual upgrades that make the better model more than worthwhile. Though if you’re looking for a more affordable option the Meta Quest 3S is the headset you’ll want to buy instead.
5. We tried the best ChatGPT prompt
This week Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, took the unusual step of recommending a ChatGPT prompt that was going viral on Reddit with the simple words “love this” on his X.com account. The recommendation was for a tweet by a writer called Tom Morgan, which said simply ‘Ask ChatGPT “From all of our interactions, what is one thing that you can tell me about myself that I may not know about myself’.
Most users found that this produced a startling revelation about themselves that they’d never really thought about. The results were truly inspiring, with Reddit user Newmoonlightavenger saying, “It was the best thing anyone has ever said about me” So, if you fancy a free bit of therapy then head over to the ChatGPT.com and give the prompt a try today!
4. The DJI Air 3S took flight
Just over a year since the dual-camera Air 3 took to the skies, DJI has followed it up with an iterative update, the new DJI Air 3S. Building on the best all-round drone, the Air 3S delivers an improved main camera that utilizes a larger 1-inch sensor, alongside the secondary camera which is a 3x telephoto zoom for the times you need to get a tighter perspective of your subjects. T
he latter is identical to the one in the Air 3, with a smaller 1/1.3-inch sensor. Each of those cameras is able to shoot 4K video up to 120fps, in D-Log M color profiles, with up to 14-stops dynamic range, which is a superb set of features for aerial photographers.
In addition to a better main camera, the Air 3S is the first omnidirectional obstacle-sensing DJI drone equipped with front-facing LiDAR. This enables the Air 3S to automatically identify and avoid obstacles during its flight and return paths, for daytime and now nighttime imaging, together with 'next-gen' Smart Return to Home (RTH).
Otherwise, there's not a lot new in the Air 3S, which as our review says, is no bad thing. The Air 3S is a solid if not transformational upgrade that soars closer to perfection. It's not particularly worth the upgrade for Air 3 owners, but for everyone else it's now the best all-round drone available.
3. New Kindles came our way...
Amazon delivered more new Kindles in one day than ever before and even broke new ground. Yes, we finally got that long-rumored color Kindle, the Colorsoft, that uses an E Ink filter to deliver 150ppi color for comics, magazines, and more.
The good news is that you still get the full 300 ppi black and white E Ink performance (you will pay for it, though, at $279.99).
In the shadow of that big deal e-reader is the new Kindle Paperwhite 12th Gen which is the fastest E Ink page-turner we’ve ever seen. AI finally arrived on Kindles in the form of some generative tools for the freshly painted Scribe.
Finally, there’s the updated basic Kindle, which is most notable for that spiffy, new Macha color. Just think, a cute green e-reader that fits in your back pocket.
- Read more: Hands on Amazon Kindle Scribe 2024 review
- Read more: Hands on Amazon Kindle Colorsoft review
2. ... And we got a new Fire Stick too
Alongside four new Kindles, Amazon also surprisingly streamlined its lineup of Fire TV Sticks. The all-new Fire TV Stick HD replaces both the Fire TV Stick Lite and Fire TV Stick in a fairly simple fashion but includes a major upgrade in the box.
It now comes with an Alexa Voice Remote for $34.99 / £39.99 / AU$69, which will let you control the experience with your voice and control TV functionality all in on remote.
Of course, it's still a Fire TV Stick at heart and will stream content at up to 1080pHD with support for key visual standards like HDR. All the mainstays in the streaming world have apps for the Amazon Fire TV platform as well.
- Read more: Amazon just dropped the Fire TV Stick HD
1. LG updated its OLED TVs
LG surprised everyone earlier this week, rolling out an update for some of its 2023 TVs that it originally promised for sometime in 2025.
The update in question, first arriving on some of its premium 2023 TVs such as the LG C3 and LG G3, sees the existing smart TV platform, webOS 23, upgraded to the current version, webOS 24 (found in 2024 TVs such as the LG C4), which boasts an improved design, better accessibility options and other new features, including a useful Sports Portal.
The update serves as part of LG’s commitment to five years worth of smart TV platform upgrades to its TVs going forward, though older TVs will always have a version of the software that’s behind the latest and greatest TVs – got to keep you buying those new models, right?
The updates for other TVs are still slated for 2025, but it’s great to see that LG is clearly planning to live up to this promise.
hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
October 19, 2024 at 10:00AM
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