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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
