ICYMI: the week’s 7 biggest tech stories, from Meta smart glasses leaks to Superman’s dog and ChatGPT on WhatsApp

The year is coming to a close but we have time for at least one more ICYMI round-up to catch you up on the most important tech announcements before the holidays, and more importantly, CES 2025 land.

This week we saw leaks galore for the Samsung Galaxy S25, Nintendo Switch 2, and new Ray-Ban smart glasses, as well as getting a trailer for Superman which introduced us to a very good boy in Krypto.

You can’t watch Superman yet, but if you’ve caught up on the week’s news and are looking for something to fill your downtime, then check out our picks for the seven new movies and TV shows to stream this weekend.

7. Panasonic brought back the point-and-shoot camera

One thing we didn’t have on the 2024 bingo card was a new point-and-shoot camera, even though it’s a trending market this year. So it was surprising when Panasonic announced the Lumix ZS99 / TZ99 (it’s called the former in the US and the latter elsewhere), which will be available from February 2025.

The pocketable snapper packs a Leica lens with a whopping 30x optical zoom – a 24-720mm range that’s way more versatile than your smartphone, and which can be doubled digitally to 60x using Panasonic’s iZoom feature. It shoots 20.3MP photos and 4K video, supported by Panasonic’s 5-axis image stabilization for sharp shots. That all sounds fab, but it’s actually 10-year-old tech borrowed from the Lumix ZS80 / TZ80 it replaces, and the newer model is arguably a downgrade because the EVF (electronic viewfinder) has been removed.

So why the new model? It’s got USB-C charging, meaning the green light to stay on the shelves come 2025 when the EU’s Common Charger Directive comes into force. So it’s not so much a comeback for the point-and-shoot camera, but a case of keeping it alive… just.

6. The Nintendo Switch 2 got leaked… again… twice

We only just talked about the Nintendo Switch 2 leaking in last week’s ICYMI round-up, but it’s happened again, with the upcoming console being shown off not once but twice more.

When announcing its new Killswitch 2 case for the incoming hardware, Dbrand seemingly showed it off with a 3D render of the handheld inside, which its CEO says is based on a “3D scan of the real hardware”.

Then we apparently got another look at the hardware thanks to YouTube channel NerdNest publishing a video that showcases what appears to be a dummy model of the Switch 2, which they apparently got from a third-party accessory manufacturer, iVoler.

We’re still yet to see the Nintendo Switch 2 for real, but the leaks do seem to suggest that those of you wishing for a major redesign will be sorely disappointed. Maybe this will be one of those occasions where we’d have been better off being in the dark beforehand.

5. The Samsung Galaxy S25 also leaked left, right, and center

Leaks are commonplace in the consumer tech industry, but someone at Samsung clearly left the tap on, as this week we were treated to…