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Welcome to the mobile age of the chatbot. Bing AI is already there, and now OpenAI has launched its first mobile version of the wildly popular ChatGPT on iOS.

Just days after CEO Sam Altman outlined before Congress the dangers of unregulated AI, OpenAI announced and delivered another expansion to its platform of generative AI, Large Language Model services, bringing it to your best iPhone.

As a free and official version of the ChatGPT chatbot, this is built on GPT-3. However, you can access the ChatGPT+ and those GPT-4-powered services (which means more recent training and possibly better accuracy) by logging into your account or upgrading through the app.

This is a limited rollout in that it's US only and there's no Android version. OpenAI does promise in its blog post that, "Android users, you're next! ChatGPT will be coming to your devices soon."

ChatGPT on iOS works similarly to the desktop, web-based version. On installation, it reminds you that "ChatGPT is inaccurate." This is, though, a significantly pared-down interface and certainly leaner than what you'll find on the mobile version of Microsoft's Bing AI. 

A new chat screen opens with a white screen with a black (sometimes blue) dot in the center. Below that is the prompt window where you can type in your query. I asked about a business plan for a new ice cream shop we want to build on the beach in San Diego. The response was almost instantaneous and quite detailed.

This what it looks like to run ChatGPT on iOS for the first time. It's a simple interface and the answers come very quickly. (Image credit: Future)

Speak it

New in this mobile version, though, is the ability to add voice queries. On the right-hand side of the prompt window is a little voice recording icon. As soon as you select that, the area below the text prompt shows that it's recording. You have to tap to stop. However, in multiple attempts, the Whisper-powered, open-source speech recognition system failed to capture my query and instead displayed an API error. 

It turned out though that ChatGPT was listening and when we selected "Retry Transcription" it did interpret our query and throw it into the prompt window. On the fifth attempt, it finally captured the query and dropped the recognized text into the prompt field. I still had to hit the "up arrow" to enter and deliver the prompt to ChatGPT.

We suspect OpenAI will have solved the aforementioned bugginess by the time you read this.

ChatGPT on iOS adds voice recognition, though it's not without fault in this first version. (Image credit: Future)

Because your ChatGPT history is synced across devices, you can open History in the app and, as I did, see prompts that I added today on the mobile app and all the others I've done going back four months.

You can even go back and continue any of those conversations. I hopped into one from February about if ChatGPT would always remain free and noted that now it is not always free. It basically said, "Hey man, I don't have control over this, talk to the boss man at OpenAI." Okay, not in those words, but that was the gist of it.

There aren't a lot of other controls beyond launching a new chat, signing out, and deleting your account – in case you really are afraid of AI.

Even though ChatGPT is now on your iPhone, it's no Siri. It can't for instance set a timer on your phone. On the other hand, neither Siri nor ChatGPT can directly control the brightness of my iPhone.

Guess they both have some way to go before they're the ultimate mobile, voice AI.

The ChatGPT app is available for download right now in the App Store. Look for "OpenAI ChatGPT" if you want the real one and not one of the myriad, free, knockoffs.

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Usually, whenever a company launches a new entry in a series, you’d expect the gadget to be bigger and better than the older models. That’s exactly what Amazon did with the second generation Echo Buds.This time, however, the tech giant is doing the opposite with the latest Echo Buds by incorporating a more lightweight design.

Noise cancellation, a major feature on past models, is now gone. Same goes for the differently sized silicone tips. Now, it’s just one pair of silicone covers (with a backup pair) to fit everyone everyone. The new Echo Buds also sport a “semi-in-ear design”, losing the tight seal the others were known for. This means outside sound will seep through, ensuring you'll be aware of your surroundings at all times.

So the audio coming out of these earbuds won’t be as all-encompassing, but they still have some interesting features. By overhauling the design, Amazon was able to improve the battery life significantly as the devices can now last up to 20 hours on a single charge “with the case fully powered”. The Echo Buds 2nd Gen, in comparison, could only last up to 10 hours with the case.

Notable features

The rest of the features on the new Echo Buds are carryovers from previous installments. Alexa is back helping people set reminders or resume a podcast through the earbuds. Touch controls can be customized so you can have a double tap either play music, “answer phone calls, [or] mute your mics”. Speaking of which, the devices come with two microphones that, when used alongside the “voice detection accelerometer”, allow the buds to “distinguish between the person speaking on a call versus others around” you. 

Multipoint pairing is making a return so you can “switch audio between two devices simultaneously”. Then you have the VIP Filter that allows users to select which notifications they want to hear and which ones to keep silent. 

Availability

Interestingly enough, the latest Echo Buds are very similar to Apple's original AirPods. They both have the same one-size-fits-all design, lack noise cancellation, and even have a similar battery life (the AirPods can last up to 24 hours with the charging case). But the biggest difference is Amazon’s offering is way cheaper.

Instead of paying $140 for a pair of AirPods, these earbuds cost $40 (£32 or around $60 AUD). Not a bad price, truth be told. However, they're only available in the United States at the time of this writing, according to an Amazon representative. The Echo Buds are currently available for pre-order with the release date set for June 7.

Alongside the earbuds, Amazon launched a variety of new Echo smart devices including the semi-spherical Echo Pop smart speaker. Be sure to check out TechRadar’s coverage of the update. 

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Ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Samsung revealed it will be improving how ambient sound works on the Galaxy Buds2 Pro.

The feature will now have two extra levels of audio amplification in the Galaxy Wearable app, bringing the grand total to five. Additionally, users will be able to independently “adjust the volume on the left and right [earbuds]”. Altogether, that'll give Galaxy Buds2 Pro owners a greater ability to fine-tune their listening experience so it best suits their needs. For example, one earbud can output loud, clear audio, while on the other, the sound is softer and quieter. 

The company is also introducing a new tool in Galaxy Wearable called Adapt Ambient Sound, which is said to allow “even more clarity in helping users hear the world around them better.” That explanation is pretty vague, but it does remind us of Adaptive Transparency on the AirPods Pro 2. And if it’s anything like Apple’s feature, Adapt Ambient Sound should allow external sound to automatically seep through the Galaxy Buds2 Pro at key moments. This can be pretty useful in scenarios like when you have your earbuds while waiting in the airport but don't want to miss when you're boarding time is announced.

Samsung states the update will release in the coming weeks. However, “availability may vary by market, carrier, and [smartphone] model”. It’s unknown if this will be a global launch. We did ask the tech giant for clarification on the roll out and for more information on the Adapt Ambient Sound. This story will be updated at a later time.

Greater accessibility

The company claims that part of the goal of enhanced ambient sound is to help the “hard of hearing better enjoy the sounds of the world.” Apparently, a recent trial conducted by [the] Samsung Medical Center found the Galaxy Buds2 Pro “show promise as a hearing enhancement device” although the earbuds are no substitute for an actual hearing aid. At the very least, the update aims to help those who may have some hearing impairment and that would benefit from customizable sound amplification.

It’s worth pointing out Samsung isn’t the only company participating in Global Accessibility Awareness Day (May 18, 2023) as Apple recently announced its fair share of accessibility features for its various devices. Chief among them is Personal Voice, “developed in cooperation with Team Gleason, a US-based non-profit ALS awareness foundation”. Basically, the tool can create “a synthesized version of your own voice” to say whatever you want without having to rely on a robotic Siri voice.

Making technology more accessible doesn’t have to be something only corporations do. If you own a website, you can help out by making sure your page is accessible to all. To learn how to do this, check out TechRadar’s list of the best web accessibility services of 2023.

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In April 2023, we reported on a major issue with AMD’s Ryzen 7000-series processors, which were randomly burning out and sometimes even taking the attached motherboard with them. The issue, caused by excessive SoC voltages running to the CPU, was affecting both the Ryzen 7000X3D and regular Ryzen 7000 CPUs, though more the former than the latter.

Asus is offering support to users who installed beta versions of its motherboard BIOS software, by extending its warranty period for its AM5 motherboard. According to PC Gamer, the manufacturer confirmed its warranty includes both the XMP and EXPO memory overclocking profiles.

AMD did fix the problem rather quickly through a timely AGESA firmware update for the 600-series AM5 motherboards that support next-gen CPUs, with said update limiting the voltage to the chip to 1.3V. The manufacturer also released an official statement, stating that “anyone whose CPU may have been impacted by this issue should contact AMD customer support.”

The problem is that at that time it was unclear whether AMD would honor warranties for this particular issue. As we pointed out in a previous article, that statement concerning reporting to customer service could be for data-gathering purposes as damage caused by hardware overclocking is explicitly not covered in Ryzen product warranties.

TechRadar has reached out to AMD for clarification regarding this situation and will update this story with any statements given to us.

Asus is stepping up to the plate while AMD is striking out 

When looking over the evidence it’s clear that the AMD EXPO memory profiles are the main culprit. The memory overclocking setting in the motherboard BIOS is what's leading to the overvoltage of the chips, and it's not expressly stated that the users overclocked the chips themselves, just the RAM, which has manufacturer-provided presets. 

However, Asus isn’t entirely faultless either. As Gamers Nexus noted when investigating this issue, Asus motherboards were still running EXPO memory profiles beyond 1.3V, which is supposed to be the SoC voltage cap set by AMD. And while this is a huge oversight on Asus’s part, it did own up to this defect and is compensating buyers, while AMD hasn't said one way or the other.

The fact that Asus is covering for a problem that’s the fault of both AMD’s own Ryzen 7000-series chips and Asus’s motherboard is absolutely bonkers. Regardless of whether or not it normally covers overclocking-related incidents, this is clearly the fault of both companies. AMD EXPO is AMD's own creation, after all, so it can hardly blame Asus entirely.

Overclocking is a very common practice for gamers and tech enthusiasts alike, to the point that manufacturers will almost always list overclocked specs for their components and even provide tools to overclock their hardware. The idea that AMD did not make a clear statement of intent to rectify that issue when it really should be covered under warranty is a terrible business practice.

Hopefully, AMD will fix this by honoring warranties for replacement CPUs, since its own AMD EXPO technology appears to be the root cause of all these problems and buyers having to replace such an expensive chip on their own budget is unfair.

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It’s long been a case of when, rather than if, and now it appears the wait for the rumored Leica Q3 is almost over. The camera is tipped for a May 26 launch, and new pictures have leaked that, if real, confirm what street photography Leica-ites have hoped for: the Q3 will feature a new tilt-screen design. 

We’ve included the Q3 leaked pictures, courtesy of Leica rumors, below, and they suggest that the camera will indeed get a tilt touchscreen rather than a fully articulated (flip out to the side) screen. 

A tilt-screen makes waist-level shooting – a long favored shooting technique for street photography – all the easier, as you can look down to view what the camera sees, rather than shooting blind with a fixed screen like the one in the Leica Q2 / Leica Q2 Monochrom.  

It’s not all about the new tilt-screen, though; the fixed-lens full-frame Q3 looks to be a classic minimalist masterpiece, sporting improved features with a modern twist. In fact, if all the rumors are on the mark, we’d pitch the Q3 as the most compelling Leica to date. Let’s recap what else we’re expect from the Q2 successor. 

More pixels, more flexible

The 60MP full-frame sensor in the Leica M11 is expected to find its way into the Q3, which would represent a solid bump in resolution from the Q2’s 47MP. You might not need the extra pixels per se, but in a camera like the Q3, which we assume will also feature a wide-angle 28mm f/1.7 lens, more pixels makes more sense.

The Q2 has focal length simulation modes, whereby you can shoot at 35mm, 50mm and 75mm. What the camera is actually doing is cropping into the 28mm field of view, and therefore the resolution drops – so more pixels gives more detail for every one of those settings, making them more usable.

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(Image credit: leicarumors)

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(Image credit: leicarumors)

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(Image credit: leicarumors)

You might also be thinking that a higher resolution like 60MP is less forgiving, showing up any focusing errors or camera shake all the more, but the Q3 is rumored to feature improved phase-detection AF plus in-body image stabilization, which should go some way to ironing out those issues.

Whether or not the extra resolution unleashes higher-resolution 8K video, too, we’ll have to wait and see. 

Doing things differently

Leica does traditional rangefinder design very well, but that doesn’t mean it eschews the latest technology. 

Like the M11, the Q3 is tipped to feature internal memory (in addition to its SD card slot) with enough storage for around 700 raw images. And, improving on the Q2, there will now be a USB-C port through which the camera can be charged on-the-go. But there’s a new feature that’s even more intriguing. 

In leaked pictures, the underside of the camera seems to reveal electronic contacts that are rumored to be for a handgrip that also enables wireless charging. Think of how an electric toothbrush sits in a charging dock – something similar could be in store for the Q3. We can’t think of another camera (excluding smartphones) with this type of wireless function. 

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(Image credit: Leicarumors)

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(Image credit: leicarumors)

Given Leica’s track record, a wireless charging handgrip is likely to be a pricey extra, and we expect the list price of the Q3 itself to exceed that of its predecessor, too – the Q2 is currently $5,795 / £5,100 / AU$9,290. The Q3 will certainly cost a lot of money, but unlike the interchangeable-lens M11, the fixed lens here is built-in, so in Leica terms we’re at the more reasonable end of the price scale. 

We will bring you all the details of the Leica Q3 when the camera is officially launched, closely followed by our first impressions in our hands-on review.

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