ICYMI: the week’s 8 biggest tech stories, from the iPhone 16e to Wi-Fi 7 routers and a crackdown on Kindle piracy | usagoldmines.com

We say this every week, but what a week it’s been in tech: we’ve seen a flurry of new product launches, reported on a seismic shift in one of the biggest movie franchises in history, and spent some time with the thinnest foldable phone on the planet.

It’s a lot to keep up with, which is why our weekly ‘In Case You Missed It’ round-up exists. Get yourself a beverage, settle down somewhere comfortable, and let’s go through everything that happened over the last seven days.

Once you’re fully caught up, we’re all set for the next week in tech – and you can rely on TechRadar to bring you all the tech news that matters, as it happens.

8. You told us how you’re using AI

The TechRadar team has been polling the general public in a new Special Report that takes the temperature of how AI tools are continuing to change our lives: there’s no industry hype here, just real data taken from hundreds of users in the US and the UK.

We made some interesting discoveries about which AI tools are the most popular, how polite we’re being to our AI companions, what AI is actually useful for, and why AI search is a genuine threat to Google – it’s well worth your time to read through all these in full. Or just get your favorite AI tool to summarize them, at least.

• These are the 12 most popular AI tools right now, according to a new survey – and rivals are catching ChatGPT
• Goodbye Google? People are increasingly switching to the likes of ChatGPT, according to major survey – here’s why
• These are the top 5 things people are using AI for – and free therapy doesn’t make the list
• Are you polite to ChatGPT? Here’s where you rank among AI chatbot users

7. James Bond got a new boss

Amazon-owned MGM Studios bought the Bond franchise back in 2022, but now the company has full creative control over the property: long-time stewards of Ian Fleming’s creation, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, are stepping aside.

It’s a huge shift, and the world of James Bond won’t ever be the same again. Let’s hope the executives at MGM Studios keep everything that’s great about the suave spy and resist the urge to churn out 12 spin-off television shows that we’ll never get around to seeing.

• Read more: Amazon MGM Studios acquires the license to thrill as its gains full creative control of the entire James Bond franchise in landmark deal

6. Amazon culled a useful Kindle feature

When it’s not charting out the future of James Bond, Amazon makes ereaders: and older Kindles owners are losing the ability to download their purchased ebooks to a computer. In the future, these files will be transferred wirelessly and locked to a Kindle.

This was a useful way of backing up ebooks you’d bought direct from Amazon, but it was also a feature people were exploiting to pirate files and distribute them across the web. Once again, normal users lose out because of the shady actions of a minority.

• Read more: Amazon just killed a useful Kindle USB feature – leaving me stuck with less flexibility for ebook downloads and backups

5. We met the new OnePlus Watch 3

Fresh from the launch of the excellent OnePlus 13, OnePlus has now pushed out the OnePlus Watch 3 to go with it – and we’ve been spending some hands-on time with the big, beautiful wearable. It’s an iterative update, but it’s still an impressive one.

Our full OnePlus Watch 3 review is still pending, but immediate highlights are the long, long battery life, the classic look of the timepiece, the new health features, and the extensive support for Google’s third-party apps. This could be one of the best smartwatches for Android yet.

• Read more: Hands-on OnePlus Watch 3 review – Android’s long-lasting chunky smartwatch

4. Canon teased a promising little video camera

Vloggers in the market for a compact and capable camera would do well to consider the newly teased Canon PowerShot V1. Quietly announced on the Canon Japan website, it features an all-new 22.3MP sensor and some rather handy features for video makers.

We’re still waiting for the full details of the camera, and global pricing, but we’re liking what we’ve seen so far. While there are already a lot of vlogging cameras at this sort of price point, Canon may have come up with the perfect mix of price and performance here.

• Read more: Canon PowerShot V1 unveiled with all-new sensor, and it looks like a Sony-beating compact vlogging camera

3. Amazon revealed two powerful Wi-Fi 7 routers

When it’s not charting out the future of James Bond, or making ereaders, Amazon also manufacturers routers. The Eero series has long been a great choice for affordable and reliable home networking kit, and there are now two new Wi-Fi 7 models available.

The Eero 7 and Eero Pro 7 come in at cheaper price points than the premium Eero Max 7, but still appear to do a fantastic job of blanketing your entire home in speedy Wi-Fi – ideal for busy households and power users. The devices start shipping on February 26.

• Read more: Amazon’s new Eero 7 and Pro 7 complete a ‘comprehensive lineup’ for its customers – here’s everything you need to know

2. We reviewed the world’s thinnest foldable phone

Full marks to the engineers at Oppo, who have managed to build a foldable phone that measures just 4.21mm front-to-back when unfolded. That’s incredibly thin, and we’ve been putting said phone – the Oppo Find N5 – to the test in a full review of its capabilities.

In short: Samsung should be worried, because the Oppo Find N5 stacks up very well against the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Not only is the phone very thin and light, it boasts a couple of excellent displays, and offers an impressive level of battery life for a foldable handset.

• Read more: I spent a week with the world’s thinnest folding phone – here’s why I’d pick the Oppo Find N5 over the Galaxy Z Fold 6

1. The iPhone 16e landed – and replaced the SE series

There’s no doubting the biggest news of the week: with the iPhone 16e, Apple revamped its most affordable iPhone series, ditching the Home button, Touch ID support, and the iPhone SE name at the same time. And there’s a new modem chip for good measure.

Find out everything you need to know about the iPhone 16e on TechRadar below, including the internal specs (which compare very favorably with the iPhone 16), and how much it’s going to cost you. It could well be the best value iPhone on the market at the moment.

• Read more: iPhone 16e – 5 things you need to know, including its price, camera, and that C1 chip

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• Everything missing from the iPhone 16e, including MagSafe and Photographic Styles
• Google has stopped selling the Chromecast with Google TV – but there’s no way I’m replacing mine
• I review cameras for a living, and the new Canon PowerShot V1 could be this year’s vlogging star – here’s why