It has been one other busy week on this planet of tech, which included us testing new Android XR glasses and watching the brand new Supergirl trailer.
To make amends for each of those and extra, scroll down for our picks of the week’s seven most vital tech information tales. You will discover fast recaps of all of them, and hyperlinks to the bigger story if you wish to be taught extra about what’s been occurring.
7. IKEA gave us a helpful little sensible gentle
IKEA has been on one thing of a sensible residence roll lately – and this week it adopted up its colourful new speaker-lamps with a helpful little motion-sensitive gentle.
The Gömpyssling – an LED gentle that mechanically activates when movement is detected – wasn’t formally introduced, as a substitute simply quietly sneaking onto IKEA’s European shops. It seems ideally suited for cabinets and a two-pack prices simply £3 / €4, although we don’t but know when (or if) it’s coming to different international locations.
At that worth, we clearly can’t anticipate any Wi-Fi smarts or cellphone connectivity, but it surely’s already shot to the highest of our IKEA impulse buys record.
6. DC advised us to ‘Look Out’ for Supergirl
Spoiler alert: there’s a second on the finish of final Summer season’s blockbuster Superman movie from James Gunn that actually left you craving for extra; it’s when a dishevelled and maybe barely inebriated Supergirl (aka Kara Zor-El, aka Superman’s cousin) stumbles into the Fortress of Solitude. It was a short, comedic bit, however from that second ahead, all of us wished to see and be taught extra concerning the DCU’s up to date model of the final surviving citizen of Krypton.
We now have the primary teaser trailer for the Supergirl film, set to drop this summer season. From the seems of issues, that temporary look in Superman was solely the start of Kara’s troubles and adventures. There’s nothing right here that appears like a straight continuation of the Superman film story, apart from Krypto, the tremendous canine.
In truth, the settings, character, and tone all really feel purposefully totally different. There was a lot to interrupt down from the trailer reveal; we advise you reread our exhaustive liveblog.
5. Paramount pitched a hostile takeover
Final week, Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery introduced plans for the previous to amass the latter, however Paramount wasn’t able to get shut out of the negotiations, and so it has introduced a potential hostile takeover of WBD.
In some ways, its $108 billion provide trumps Netflix’s – not solely is it paying extra, but it surely’s additionally all money fairly than a mixture of money and shares, plus it buys the entire of WBD, not simply the manufacturing studios and again catalogue that Netflix is attempting to nab. It’s additionally robust to disregard the private ties between US President Donald Trump and the Paramount deal.
Not solely is he pleasant with the Ellison household – David Ellison runs Paramount, and his father Larry Ellison is an in depth ally of Trump’s and is stumping up a number of the money for the deal – however his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s personal fairness agency can also be placing some cash behind the Paramount bid.
Nevertheless, the Paramount bid additionally consists of monetary funding from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, which may increase considerations for regulators who could not need international powers to have such vital involvement in a significant media empire.
4. We met a distinct type of sensible ring
Like your futuristic devices with tactile buttons that work, as a substitute of yelling a wakeword at a display screen half-a-dozen occasions? So does the Pebble founder, Eric Migicovsky, who invented a brand new type of sensible ring.
Stated to be a “a button and a microphone, somewhat little bit of reminiscence and a Bluetooth chip”, the Pebble Index 01 is a great ring designed to be a note-taker and organiser, linked to an LLM on the Pebble app in your cellphone. With no assistant character or subscription, you simply discuss into the ring, and it will transcribe recordings and interpret your instructions. It does not even must be recharged: it is mentioned to final years, and as soon as accomplished, you ship it again for recycling.
The primary items are scheduled to ship in March 2026.
3. The Home of Mouse embraced AI
This may need been probably the most stunning moments of the week, however The Walt Disney Firm has struck a cope with OpenAI to permit over 200 of its characters to seem in Sora and ChatGPT Pictures. Meaning, come early 2026, you’ll ask for Mickey, Sew, Elsa, Yoda, and even a number of the Avengers to sit down alongside you or be animated in user-generated movies.
Furthermore, choose Sora-generated movies can be accessible on Disney+. As a part of the deal, Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and has a multi-year licensing settlement that can permit Disney’s characters to seem on OpenAI’s platform. Nonetheless, for a corporation that is been so protecting and intentional with its characters and tales, a partnership with OpenAI and the usage of these in Sora is a daring, huge transfer.
2. ChatGPT 5.2 made its debut
ChatGPT 5.2 is now accessible, and it comes at an attention-grabbing time for the world of AI as OpenAI tries to meet up with the critically spectacular Google Gemini 3.
The brand new AI mannequin for the world’s hottest chatbot is a delicate enchancment, delivering upgrades throughout the board, in accordance with Sam Altman, who says it’s “the neatest generally-available mannequin on this planet.”
The headline enchancment is reasoning. OpenAI says GPT-5.2 is healthier at working by means of multi-step issues, retaining maintain of context in longer chats, and delivering solutions that really feel extra thought-about fairly than rushed. In observe, meaning clearer plans, extra structured explanations, and fewer moments the place the mannequin confidently goes off within the incorrect course.
Preliminary reactions are fairly blended, with some customers taking to Reddit to debate how “boring” and “company” the brand new mannequin feels. That mentioned, it’s nonetheless early days, and we’ll must correctly take a look at ChatGPT 5.2 over the subsequent week or so to get a transparent sense of the way it compares to five.1 and Gemini 3.
1. The Android XR thriller was revealed
The form, measurement, weight, and expertise of Android XR glasses are not a thriller. We acquired to strive not one, however three totally different Android XR-powered glasses, together with a light-weight pair with two shows (for stereoscopic visuals) and a connection to your Pixel cellphone for all of the processing energy.
Typically, this seems like a promising begin to the light-weight Android XR wearable journey and maybe a greater foot ahead than the Samsung Galaxy XR, which is kind of good however nonetheless costly and never one thing you’ll put on outdoors the house or workplace.
So prepare for video cellphone calls, turn-by-turn instructions, and on the spot entry to an ever-watchful Gemini (in the event you permit it) in your future, and all proper earlier than your eyes.
