If you’ve been struggling to restart during the first week of 2024 and missed the latest tech news, fear not – we’ve gathered all of this week’s big stories in one handy place, so you can get back into January hibernation.
With CES 2024 on the horizon, officially kicking off on January 9, we’re starting to get pre-show announcements for some of the big launches, including the Dell XPS 16 and LG’s new 2024 range of OLED TVs.
Beyond CES, another big tech launch is approaching, and this week we also learned the official launch date of the Samsung Galaxy S24 series. But arguably more important than all these tech announcements is their 2024 fitness plan, and luckily we’ve got that covered too this week with our impressive range of Get Fit by 24 articles…
It’s January, and in the spirit of the season, TechRadar’s Fitness and Wearables channel has arrived with a selection of great fitness content to kick off 2024, whatever your current fitness level.
If you’re just starting your fitness journey, you may not be ready to embark on strenuous exercises, and that’s okay. Our sleep editor tried it walk 10,000 steps every day for a week instead of going to the gym, to show that it is not necessary to sweat to be healthier. On the other hand, if you’re ready to start running for the first time, we have a beginner’s guide to Couch to 5Kand a list of three of the best free fitness apps for runners available right now.
Experienced runners might want to run their first marathon or even participate in a triathlon. Our news editor shares his experience, writing 5 things you should know before swimming in open waterand we have a selection of high energy fryer recipes to fuel serious cardio sessions. And that’s just a taste of the great content on offer – check out the contents page to see all of our Get Fit by the 24th articles as they are published.
Meta kicked off 2024 by announcing that its Quest 2 headsets will get a permanent $50 / £50 / AU$70 price cut, making them as cheap as we saw during Black Friday 2023. You can also save on official Quest accessories 2 as Meta’s Elite. Strap and carrying case, so you can improve your virtual reality experience without spending a lot of money.
This record-breaking cost makes virtual reality more accessible than ever, but it also signals that the Quest 2 is on its way out. The Oculus (now Meta) Quest 2 single-handedly made virtual reality mainstream, but now that its successor is on shelves, the Meta Quest 3, it looks like the previous model is on its way out. This lower price is likely intended to help Meta swap out older units before dropping the headphones in the near future.
If you have ever wondered ‘what Knives out Set on a cruise ship? It looks like Hulu has the answer for you.
Death and other details, a new whodunit series from Disney Plus’ sister streamer, is a mystery thriller that’s sure to pique the interest of fans of Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, and other esteemed fictional detectives. Set aboard a luxury cruise ship, it sees Imogene Scott (Violett Beane) team up with Rufus Coleworth (Mandy Patinkin) to solve a locked room murder case. Scott will also want to help Coleworth get to the bottom of this particular head-scratcher, as she is the prime suspect among many of the ship’s crew and guests.
Willpower Death and other details Be optimistic enough to stay afloat and make it to our list of best Hulu shows? That remains to be seen. But, if you’re looking for a suspenseful murder mystery to immerse yourself in, be sure to watch it on one of the world’s best streaming services when it premieres on January 16.
Just a few weeks ago, we predicted that its next car would likely come from a tech company, and to confirm our prediction, this week Xiaomi revealed more about its plans to take down Porsche and Tesla with its first electric vehicle.
On paper, the Xiaomi SU7 is an exciting car (or perhaps a smartphone on wheels), with fast charging power (the 800V version can add 137 miles of range in just five minutes), self-driving abilities from next generation and autonomous parking.
While we don’t have details on pricing yet, Xiaomi says the SU7 will go on sale globally after its initial launch in China this year.
Do you like to use Google Maps as a sat nav while driving? Then you’ll be happy to know about an update that many users of its Android and iOS app spotted this week.
If you’re in a city or built-up area, it’s now possible to view 3D illustrated buildings while driving, a feature previously unavailable in navigation mode. To see if it’s already implemented, tap the Layers icon in the app and then “3D.”
Now, when you type an address and press ‘directions’, you should start seeing 3D buildings appear when you are in navigation mode and zoom into the scene. It’s a subtle improvement, but one that should make it much clearer to see where you are and when you missed your turn.
Dell’s
We’ve already spent some time with the MacBook Pro rival in our hands-on review of the Dell XPS 16, which calls it a “high-end laptop that oozes luxury.” This is largely due to the laptop’s combination of a 4K OLED display, a much-improved webcam, an excellent keyboard, and an improved ventilation system.
But it’s not all good news, our initial verdict highlights the XPS 16’s impressive port selection, inaccessible taskbar, and weight. Still, despite these drawbacks, Dell’s laptop could well be a strong contender for our guide to the best laptops, as it otherwise shapes up to be a near-perfect companion for professionals on the go.
This week, LG unveiled its 2024 lineup of OLED TVs ahead of CES 2024. The series includes its flagship wireless OLED, the LG M4, which uses a Zero Connect Box to eliminate the need for cables and will also feature the new Alpha 11 AI processor from LG that promises improved performance, brightness and lossless wireless Dolby Atmos when paired with compatible LG soundbars.
The LG G4 was also revealed and features the same Alpha 11 AI chip as the M4. It promises similar upgrades to the M4 and now comes with a kickstand in the box (although regional availability is TBC). A third model, the LG C4, will also have higher brightness levels thanks to an improved chip, and all three models will also support 4K 144Hz for gaming.
Finally, the basic B4 was announced, with a new 48-inch size and four HDMI 2.1 ports. More information will surely be revealed at CES 2024, so stay tuned for our coverage of the show.
The wait is over and we finally know the date of Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked event. We expect to see the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus and the mighty Galaxy S24 Ultra at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm GMT on Wednesday, January 17, which is 5am AEDT for our Australian readers.
We’re not sure where Unpacked will take place and Samsung hasn’t confirmed exactly what products we’ll see, but with history as a guide, we know what to expect. It’s no surprise that Samsung is already showing off AI features on the Galaxy S24, with Samsung’s invitation saying that “Galaxy AI is coming.”
If you click over to Samsung’s page, you’ll find that AI Zoom is also on the cards, and this could be how Samsung squares off recent rumors that its Galaxy S24 Ultra would be downsized from a 10X zoom lens to just a 5X zoom .
