You may have spent a lot of the past week taking advantage of the best Black Friday deals, and as a result missed some of the major tech stories that the TechRadar team has been reporting on – but this round-up is here to fix that.
Even with all of the holiday sales madness going on, it’s been another hectic week in the world of technology. We’ve had the biggest tease of Spotify Wrapped 2024 yet, we’ve seen more leaks of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and we’ve had Apple‘s best apps of 2024.
There’s lots more to dig into besides those stories too, so sit back and let us be your guide to all of the important happenings in tech over the last seven days. Once you’re done, you can also check out the best new movies and shows to stream this weekend.
7. B&O revealed its stunning new wireless earbuds
We love a quality pair of wireless earbuds here at TechRadar, and the new Beoplay Eleven from Bang & Olufsen certainly fit the bill: inspired by jewelry, apparently, these earbuds and their accompanying case really look the part, even before you get to the audio quality.
While we haven’t heard them for ourselves yet, you get active noise cancelling here, plus eight hours of battery life and IP57 waterproofing. They’re yours for $499 / £429 / €499 / AU$910, and they’re on sale from December 17 – click through below for all the details.
6. Windows Recall launched – and ran into teething issues
Windows Recall continues to have a rough start: the upcoming AI-powered feature is designed to log your computing activities to make it easier to retrace your steps and find old information again, but some users suspect it may be a little too intrusive.
Having previously been pulled because of privacy worries, the feature has now been put back into testing – only to run into a series of frustrating bugs. The advice from Microsoft, if you can believe it, is to turn your computer off and then turn it back on again.
5. Arcane makers promised to learn from Netflix’s ‘rushed’ second season
Fans weren’t too happy with the way the second season of Arcane ended on Netflix, but show co-creator Christian Linke has told TechRadar he “understands and respects” the complaints in an exclusive interview – and that lessons are going to be learned.
In other words, don’t expect the same mistakes to be made with the various Arcane sequel projects now in development. Linke also gave us plenty of insight into the production process of a show like this, which ranks as one of the best shows on Netflix recently.
4. OpenAI Sora was leaked by protestors
You may remember the OpenAI Sora video generator being teased by the ChatGPT maker earlier this year. The tool was announced amid a wave of hype back in February, but only selected creators were invited to test out the software. As we approach the end of the year, it’s still not open to the public.
That changed briefly this week, when a group of disgruntled Sora testers made the tool available to everyone – before the leak was shut down by OpenAI. Those behind the leak are reportedly upset with their work being used for free, and OpenAI’s positive PR spin. Expect to see a lot more tussles like this in 2025.
3. Apple revealed its favorite apps of 2024
When it comes to choosing the best iPhone apps of 2024, Apple knows what it’s talking about – so we’d encourage you to check out its newly-announced top picks (below). You might find one or two (or more) apps in the list are worth a place on your own home screen.
We’ve got apps and games for the iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch here as well as selections for the iPhone, and the categories cover everything from video editing and AI-enhanced music production, to planning vacations and tracking your daily jog. It’s an excellent list.
2. Spotify Wrapped 2024 is now ‘right around the corner’
Brace yourself for Spotify Wrapped 2024, because Spotify itself says this year’s recap now “right around the corner” – so you (and everyone else) should be seeing the annual look back on your music streaming year inside the Spotify apps across the next few days.
We don’t yet know what’s going to be included in Spotify Wrapped 2024, but it’s no doubt going to include the usual overview of the artists, albums, and tracks you’ve listened to most over the past 12 months. Keep updating and refreshing your Spotify app over the next week to make sure Wrapped lands safely.
1. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leaked in a big way
If you don’t want any spoilers for the expected January launch of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, look away now: the latest set of leaks around the phone have given us a very good look at the Ultra model, including the more rounded corners and upgraded cameras.
Add in more leaked photos and a specs reveal from a regulatory certification process, and we’re probably going to know everything there is to know about this phone before it gets unveiled. It’s likely that One UI 7, based on Android 15, will launch in full in January too.
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