Every week is a busy week in technology, and the past seven days have been no exception. Just in case you haven’t had chance to visit TechRadar every day this week (we’ll forgive you), these are the most important stories you need to know about.
There’s a lot to get through here: more advances in AI, a new number one Bluetooth speaker, and promises of futuristic devices on the way. From phones to satellites, there’s a varied selection of stories below.
Once you’ve made it all the way through, you’ll be back up to date with all the comings and goings in tech since last weekend – and if the next few days are looking busy too, don’t worry, because we’ll have another ICYMI for you this time next week.
8. Netflix revealed the date for its Tudum showcase
Netflix has a big content showcase every year called Tudum (the sound the Netflix app makes when it launches) and we now know that the 2025 extravaganza is going to be taking place late on May 31 in the US, and early on June 1 in the UK and Australia.
There are plenty of reasons to tune in, based on the Tudum 2025 trailer. We should be getting updates on some of the biggest properties Netflix has, including Stranger Things, Squid Game, and Wednesday, as well as the third movie in the Knives Out franchise.
7. We reviewed the world’s best Bluetooth speaker
JBL has a very strong reputation when it comes to portable Bluetooth speakers, and the brand new Flip 7 only enhances that reputation further: it’s just earned itself five stars out of five in our in-depth JBL Flip 7 review, and our writers really don’t give out that score easily.
The speaker has hugely impressed us in terms of its design, build quality, and battery life, and then of course there’s the beautifully punchy and detailed sound too. It offers a much bigger and much better soundscape than you’d expect, given its compact dimensions.
6. Nothing launched another impressive budget phone
Nothing continues to release devices that perfectly balance performance and price, with the latest gadget to catch our eye being the CMF Phone 2 Pro. Yours for just $279 / £219 (around AU$460) from next week, it looks like being one of the best cheap phones of 2025.
That’s not all, because Nothing also unveiled the CMF Buds 2, Buds 2 Plus, and Buds 2a, which again put more expensive devices to shame in terms of value for money. Not only are these new gadgets attractively priced, they also offer stylish, eye-catching designs.
5. OpenAI fixed ChatGPT’s ‘annoying’ personality
It’s always refreshing to see a tech company admit that it’s made a mistake, and having noticed that GPT-4o’s personality had become “too sycophant-y and annoying”, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman promised that fixes were rolling out to correct the issues this week.
The core of the problem has been that ChatGPT has been trying too hard to be human, with too many flattering remarks and too many fake-sounding expressions of excitement. It turns out that most of us like our AI companions to admit to their artificiality.
4. Starlink’s satellite internet got a tempting ‘free’ offer
Starlink’s efforts to try and connect the most cut-off and remote parts of the world to the internet continue, and the latest offer from the company waives the hardware setup fee for new subscribers, as long as they commit for at least 12 months to the satellite service.
That’s a hefty saving of $349 in the US, for example, but not everyone is eligible to get the money off. To begin with, it’s only available in “select markets” (check the Starlink website to see if you qualify), and there are some additional terms and conditions attached too.
3. GTA 6 got delayed until 2026
Say it ain’t so: the most anticipated video game of recent years will no longer be launching this year. Rockstar Games had promised we’d see Grand Theft Auto 6 in 2025, but has now announced the title is getting pushed back, and will be unveiled on May 26, 2026.
The reasons are the usual ones for this kind of delay, that the fans “expect and deserve” the best possible experience, and so on. Next year we might well find that GTA 6 fans actually deserve to wait a little longer than May – but that remains to be seen.
The smart glasses made by Meta and Ray-Ban have helped push this gadget form factor further towards the mainstream, so we’re excited to see what comes next: and what comes next will apparently be multiple new versions of the specs, arriving later this year.
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg went on the record in an earnings report to say that the range would “expand” in 2025, and offer some “new technological capabilities”. We’ve also got some ideas about what Zuckerberg could mean, and what improvements we might see.
ChatGPT announced a big upgrade to its online shopping skills this week, with the idea being that you can have a natural, interactive conversation with the AI about the products you want and the budget you’ve got, and get some suitable buying options in return.
We’ve already tested out the new features, and they have the potential to completely transform the way we shop online – assuming you trust AI to pick out the right items for you. If you’d rather do more of the research yourself, you might still prefer the old ways.
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