August 16, 2024 | View in browser

🔎 Google AI Overview expands
🍎 Should you wait for the iPhone 17?
🥽 Quest gets HDMI Link app
📽 Disturbing trailer for The Substance debuts

🚀 Fortnite returns to the iPhone, but only in the EU

Image: Google

Despite becoming an internet laughingstock for cheerfully instructing users that they should eat rocks, Google's AI Overview will continue to roll out to six new countries. The feature uses AI to summarize answers to user queries by scouring webpages and regurgitating answers, though due to its errors, it has not been deemed trustworthy by many people.

Google is powering ahead though, rolling out AI Overview to U.K., India, Japan, Indonesia, Brazil, and Mexico. This includes localized language support for each country. The company is also testing adding webpage links to the overview summaries so that users can click through for more information from the original source.

Image: Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Apple is gearing up for an expected announcement of the iPhone 16 next month. However, new rumors suggest that you might want to hold off on upgrading to the 16 and wait for the iPhone 17 instead. According to 9to5Mac, analyst Jeff Pu has warned that the iPhone 16 will have only "limited spec upgrades," primarily a larger display.

However, the iPhone 17 lineup is rumored to have much more significant upgrades, like a refreshed design, upgraded front-facing camera, better optical zoom, and a narrower Dynamic Island. There also could be a new iPhone 17 Slim coming. So if you're thinking of upgrading, you might want to consider all that before rushing out to buy an iPhone 16.

Image: Meta

The Quest headset is getting a new app from Meta that takes the Quest 3 to the head of the pack when it comes to VR headsets. The HDMI Link app allows Quest to accept input from a UVC or UAC capture card that supports USB 3.0, which is a small and relatively cheap device that takes HDMI input and translates it to video suitable for the Quest.

Although this does require the purchase of some additional hardware, it provides an alternative to Air Link for connecting your devices to your headset -- which can only be a good thing.

Image: Mubi

A new trailer for the Mubi-distributed movie The Substance takes fears about prescription drugs, plastic surgery, and the eternal quest for youth and turns them into body horror. Demi Moore stars as an aging actress who takes a new drug that promises to transform her into a beautiful, young version of herself, but with one problem: the younger and older versions cannot coexist, and must swap places every seven days.

The trailer is chaotic and wild, showing less of the plot structure and more of the disturbing mood of the movie. It comes from award-winning director and writer Coralie Fargeat, and will premiere on September 20 this year.

Image: Epic Games

There's been a breakthrough in the long-running feud between Epic Games and Apple, with Fortnite finally returning to the iPhone -- but only in the EU.

The feud is over the existence of third-party app stores on iOS, which Apple insists is dangerous and unnecessary. But EU legislators have disagreed. Now, a new version of the Epic Games Store comes to the iPhone for EU users, as well as another third-party app store called AltStore PAL.

The new Epic Games Store is also launching worldwide on Android. It includes Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe, and a new Fall Guys. Today will also see the launch of the new Fortnite chapter Absolute Doom. “The tide is turning and the mobile ecosystem is finally opening up to competition," said Epic CEO Tim Sweeney.

Image: Digital Trends

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