Author: News Room

OpenAI is launching GPT-4.5 today, its newest and largest model. GPT-4.5 will be available as a research preview, and OpenAI is calling it the company’s “largest and most knowledgeable model yet,” but warning that it’s not a frontier model and might not perform as well as o1 or o3-mini.GPT-4.5 will have better writing capabilities, improved world knowledge, and what OpenAI calls a “refined personality over previous models,” but it won’t introduce enough new capabilities to be considered a frontier model. “GPT-4.5 is not a frontier model, but it is OpenAI’s largest LLM, improving on GPT-4’s computational efficiency by more than…

Oh, Alexa, how you’ve changed. The long-awaited new Alexa, Alexa Plus, is set to bring a more conversational, context-aware, and capable assistant to your smart home. With a new voice (eight of them, in fact) and a new attitude, this is the biggest change to the voice assistant since it debuted in 2014. And it all sounds very impressive.Announced at a press conference in New York City this week, Alexa Plus offers several new generative AI-powered abilities to help you manage your life, plus some major smart home upgrades. I was at the event and saw several staged demos of…

Black Friday has been and gone, but Goldsmiths is still delivering a horological jackpot with jaw-dropping discounts of up to 50%, plus an extra 10% off using the code ‘EXTRA10‘. With brands like Omega, TAG Heuer, Longines, Bremont, Seiko, and Tissot on offer, it’s the perfect opportunity to curate the ultimate watch collection without breaking the bank. You can check out the Goldsmiths Luxury Watch Sale here, but if you’re short on time, I’ve put together a dream seven-watch lineup, covering all the essentials: a reliable GMT for jet-setters, a precision Chronograph for timing enthusiasts, a rugged Dive Watch, an…

I tell Amazon’s Alexa to shut up on a near daily basis. I have almost zero interest in speaking to Gemini after our first awkward chat. The hitches, misunderstandings, and lag in any given AI “conversation” mean I’m always wasting time speaking when I could be texting instead. I don’t have to describe it to you: you can try it, and you can listen to my first conversation yourself just below. Fair warning: I am a nerd! Confronted with a new voice assistant, I will ask it to dream up a Dungeons & Dragons-esque adventure and quiz it about small…

There are plenty of top TVs to pick from, but you probably want to get the most bang for your buck. Well, this sub-£400 4K QLED TV has one of my favourite new TV features. In fact, I’ve never seen this feature on such an affordable TV. The feature in question? A matte screen for viewing without glare, which also offers rich colours and crispy details. The 4K QLED display isn’t just about resolution; it’s about colour vibrancy and contrast that actually makes a difference. And with the matte panel, you can say goodbye to annoying reflections. This TV is an ideal pick…

The MacBook Air M3 is Apple’s best ultraportable yet. In fact, it’s one of the best lightweight laptops you can get. With the latest M3 processor, this laptop is faster, more efficient, and still just as sleek as ever. And in a rare Amazon deal, you can nab the laptop for even less. Right now, the MacBook Air M3 is available for just $899, a fantastic 18% off the $1099 list price. That makes this entry-level Apple laptop a genuine bargain in my eyes. Unfortunately, those in the UK are out of luck for this discount. What makes the latest…

Microsoft might say its top priority right now is security, but it’s been clear for months that AI is just as important. The odd division out has been Xbox, which hasn’t discussed its use of AI much in public. But that changed last week when Microsoft ripped the band-aid off and waded, somewhat clumsily, into the debate over AI in gaming.Last Wednesday, Microsoft revealed Muse, its new AI model that can generate gameplay. It was trained on Ninja Theory’s Xbox game Bleeding Edge, and it can understand a 3D world and physics and then respond to players’ interactions. While Muse…

The Nikon Zf, a stylish full-frame camera that pairs retro aesthetics with cutting-edge tech. It hit its lowest-ever price this Black Friday, and it’s stayed at that new low. In the US, the Nikon Zf price is down to $1,797 from $2,000. But UK buyers get the best deal – now just £1,667, a huge drop from £2,499. With its vintage-inspired design reminiscent of the iconic FM2, the Nikon Zf marries timeless style with modern innovation. In our glowing 5-star review, it was hailed as “a fantastic stills shooter, with rapid performance and outstanding image quality.” Key highlights include its…

President Donald Trump says his 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports will go into effect as scheduled on March 4th, unless imports of drugs including fentanyl are stopped or “seriously limited.”“Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels,” Trump writes in a Truth Social post, without elaborating on the source of his information. “A large percentage of these Drugs, much of them in the form of Fentanyl, are made in, and supplied by, China.”Earlier this month, the President agreed to…

To most people born before 1997, sigma is little more than the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, but for a member of Gen Z there is no higher compliment, which makes the Sigma BF a very appropriately named camera. Whether you understand Gen Z slang or not, there’s no disputing the fact that the Sigma BF is one of the most eye-catching snappers seen in years. Milled from a single block of aluminium and available in either black or silver, the BF looks like something the design team at Apple would cook up. Its minimalist vibe extends to the…

Photography enthusiasts, rejoice! Canon’s flagship full-frame mirrorless camera, the EOS R5, saw a jaw-dropping 28-percent discount this Black Friday and it’s still available today! The Canon R5 (body only) was originally priced at $3899, but this powerhouse can now be yours for just $2799 – a saving of $1100 at Amazon US. The Canon EOS R5 is a dream machine for photographers and videographers alike. At its heart is a 45MP full-frame CMOS sensor, delivering stunning detail and colour accuracy for portraits, landscapes, and more. It’s not just about stills, though – the R5 sets the bar high with uncropped…

DoorDash is paying restitution after keeping tips from as many as 63,000 of its New York delivery workers thanks to a settlement with the New York Attorney General’s office, The New York Times reports. Attorney General Letitia James announced on Monday that DoorDash will pay $16.8 million, which will be spread across workers who were subjected to the company’s “guaranteed pay” model that subsidized payments against customer tips.DoorDash will additionally pay up to $1 million in administrator costs to help make the payments happen. Some workers are expected to get several thousand dollars, others as much as $14,000, a spokesperson…