Month: July 2024

San Diego Comic-Con 2024 was full of big reveals and surprise announcements – these are the nine that wowed me.

San Diego Comic-Con is over for another year – and the world’s biggest multi-entertainment event certainly delivered on the big announcement front.

Unsurprisingly, Marvel led the way with a couple of memorable moments at its Hall H panel last Saturday (July 27), but the past weekend also provided plenty of other big reveals, including new information on returning Star Trek shows on Paramount Plus and some notable Prime Video TV show updates.

While there were lots of announcements at Comic-Con 2024, there are nine in particular that I’m most excited for – so, without further ado, here they are.

1. Avengers 5 has a new title – and Robert Downey Jr is playing the Multiverse Saga’s new villain

It was inevitable that Marvel would deliver some standout news at its Hall H panel, especially surrounding its next two Avengers movies. Indeed, with Marvel firing Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors in December 2023, and then reportedly renaming Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and dropping the multiverse-traversing villain altogether, big things were expected.

None of us thought for one minute, though, that the comic titan would drop this on us. At the end of another excitement-laden panel, Marvel not only announced that Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (aka Avengers 5) was now called Avengers: Doomsday, but that it was finally bringing Doctor Doom – arguably its most famous villain – to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). 

If that wasn’t enough, it also unveiled who’ll play Doom: none other than Robert Downey Jr, who played the MCU’s Iron Man between 2008 and 2019. Cue roars of delight from the assembled Hall H crowd, plus plenty of questions like “wait, what?” and “how’s that going to work?” from other fans worldwide (myself included) upon his unveiling.

2. The Russo brothers will direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars

Naturally, Downey Jr’s MCU return was the biggest talking point from Marvel’s presentation, but there was another big announcement concerning the next two Avengers films.

In mid-July, I reported on the rumors that Joe and Anthony Russo, who have directed four MCU flicks, including Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, were being lined up to make shock return and direct Avengers 5 and 6. Well, the rumors were true: the Russo brothers taking to the Hall H stage to confirm they’ll be helming the MCU’s next two ensemble movies. 

A press release from the duo’s AGBO production company (per Reddit) also revealed long-time collaborator Christopher McFeely, who penned the brothers’ previous Marvel films, will write the next Avengers movies’ scripts. McFeely is replacing the formerly installed scribe Michael Waldron, whose previous credits include Loki and Doctor Strange 2. With Avengers 5 rumored to begin filming in January 2025, the Russo brothers and McFeely are going to have to hit the ground running.

3. Marvel’s Fantastic Four movie has a new subtitle – and its first footage confirmed its villain

On any other given year, the latest news surrounding The Fantastic Four, which will mark the debut of Marvel’s ‘First Family’ in the MCU, would’ve been the headline news during the studio’s Hall H presentation. With the return of Downey Jr and the Russo brothers, though, it was somewhat overshadowed.

Still, there were some fascinating new details to emerge about Marvel’s new Fantastic Four flick. For starters, its new title – The Fantastic Four: First Steps – speaks to the group’s spacefaring adventures and long-awaited arrival in the MCU. Next, it won’t be another origins story; director Matt Shakman explaining that the superteam’s latest big-screen adventure, which will be a retro-futuristic period piece, will be well established in their alternate universe when we meet them. Then, a two-minute sizzle reel, comprising pre-viz footage, a couple of brief live-action scenes, and a first glimpse at the movie’s terrifying cosmic villain Galactus, was shown exclusively to attendees. 

Lastly, contrary to reports, the iconic quartet will be part of the next two Avengers films. Given the group’s active role in the two Secret Wars comic storylines, plus their decades-long affiliation with Doctor Doom in the source material, this reveal was music to my ears.

4. Invincible season 4 in the works at Amazon Studios

Moving away from Marvel but staying in the superhero space, Amazon MGM Studios officially announced that Invincible is getting a fourth season. The reveal comes over 18 months after Amazon exclusively told TechRadar that it hadn’t secretly greenlit Invincible season 4 after executive producer Seth Rogen suggested it was already in development.

That wasn’t the only Invincible tease we received, mind you. At a Prime Video animation panel, Invincible‘s co-creator Robert Kirkman also unveiled an image showing Mark Grayson’s new blue and black suit (comic book fans will already be familiar with it), which will debut in Invincible season 3. Speaking to GamesRadar later on at Comic-Con, Kirkman also suggested that, unlike its predecessor, season 3 may not be split into two parts because fans didn’t respond well to that release plan.

5. The Rings of Power season 2 gets a monstrously great trailer ahead of its Prime Video debut

Not to be outdone by one of its Amazon cousins (and fellow member of our best Prime Video shows list), The Rings of Power came out swinging with an epic, three-minute-long trailer for its second season, which will premiere on August 29.

And when I saw The Rings of Power season 2‘s official trailer is epic, I mean it. Indeed, as much as I liked The Rings of Power season 1, its successor looks like The Lord of the Rings prequel series we were promised a couple of years ago. Watch the trailer above to see what I mean and then read my The Rings of Power season 2 official trailer breakdown to learn more about the secrets hidden within.

6. The Boys is getting another spin-off, and it’ll star Soldier Boy and Stormfront

As one of Prime Video’s flagship TV Originals, it won’t come as a shock to learn that The Boys universe will continue once The Boys season 5 wraps up the main show’s narrative (NB: read my The Boys season 4 ending explained piece to see what plot threads it needs to address before the show ends).

We already know that Gen V, The Boys‘ first live-action spin-off, is getting a second season, which has been confirmed to be coming sometime in 2025. And, during The Boys season 4‘s spoiler-filled Comic-Con 2024 panel, franchise creator Eric Kripke announced that another live-action offshoot – a prequel titled Vought Rising – was also in the early stages of development. It’ll be set in the 1950s and chart the rise of Vought International, the company behind the creation of Compound V, and serve as an origins story for Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) and Stormfront (Aya Cash), two of the world’s first Supes.

7. The Penguin get a brutal and thrilling new trailer – and an official Max release date

With The Penguin set to debut this September, it’s high time we received word of an official release date. Thankfully, HBO finally confirmed when it’ll waddle onto Max (US) and Sky/Now TV (UK): September 19, which puts it in direct opposition with Marvel’s Agatha All Along, which launches on Disney Plus on the same day.

To celebrate The Penguin‘s official launch date, HBO gave us another action-packed and melodramatic trailer to pore over, too, which teases even more of the brewing gang war that’ll erupt in the wake of The Batman‘s ending. Oh, and The Batman‘s director Matt Reeves also confirmed (as reported by IGN) that Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb, aka The Penguin, will show up in The Batman Part 2. Cheers all round.

8. James Gunn’s Creature Commandos series gets a first teaser and December release month reveal

It feels like we’ve been waiting for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) to begin, but it’ll officially do so before 2024 ends. That’s because the rebooted DC Studios’ first project – Creature Commandos – will debut on Max in December.

That announcement came at the end of the R-rated animated series’ first teaser, which was revealed by Gunn when he surprisingly gate-crashed a DC panel at Comic-Con. So far, it looks pretty good and, while I suspect many people won’t consider the DCU to be up and running until Gunn’s Superman film flies into theaters in July 2025, it’ll take a brave person to bet against Gunn giving us another fun-filled project filled with wacky, D-list superpowered individuals to rally behind. While we wait for Creature Commandos‘ launch, get the lowdown on every DCU Chapter One movie and TV show that’s in development.

9. Season 2 of acclaimed Apple TV Plus sci-fi show Silo will launch in November

It was something of a surprise that many of the world’s best streaming services didn’t have a major presence at Comic-Con 2024. Indeed, Netflix wasn’t involved at all, while Marvel and Lucasfilm kept their Disney Plus powder dry, with the duo holding back any big MCU and Star Wars reveals until August’s D23 Expo.

Prime Video and Max aside, Apple TV Plus was the only other streamer that had a big announcement to make. Silo, one of Apple’s many critically-acclaimed sci-fi shows, will return on the tech giant’s streaming platform for its second season on November 15. No trailer was released alongside the announcement, so it’s unclear how much time has passed between the end of season 1 and the start of its follow-up. Regardless, we don’t have much longer to wait to find out.

For more streaming-based coverage, check out our best Netflix movies, best Disney Plus shows, best Hulu shows, and best Paramount Plus movies guide.

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If you use multiple Google-powered devices together, then your life is about to get a little bit easier.

Google is rolling out a new update for Android that makes it easier to transfer calls and share Wi-Fi hotspots between multiple devices, provided they’re close by and all signed into the same Google account.

The upgrade was actually announced at the end of May, after the Google I/O 2024 developer conference, and it seems the functionality is now making its way to devices, as spotted by 9to5Google.

If your phone has got the update, you’ll be able to go to Settings and then select Google > Devices and sharing > Cross-device services. You’ll then be asked to configure a device group to share calls and hotspots between, which can include tablets and Chromebooks.

Of course this is an area where Apple devices already excel, with features such as Handoff, which lets you pass calls, files, and plenty more besides between iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Google is now catching up, to an extent.

Automatic sharing

Part of the setup process (Image credit: Future)

As per the descriptions in the app, call casting lets you “move calls between this device and other nearby devices signed in to your Google account”. At the moment, you need to use Google Meet in order for this to work, though other apps may be adapted in the future.

The instant hotspot feature lets you “automatically share hotspot access with your own devices”. This covers Android phones and tablets, as well as Chromebooks, and will save you the extra step of having to put in your password.

Google says the second feature, internet sharing, isn’t available on Samsung devices, but there is a similar feature on Galaxy phones called auto-hotspot which you can use instead (and which has been around for several years).

This is all ahead of the big Android 15 update, which is expected to roll out in full within the next month or so – and on Tuesday, August 13, we’re going to get the grand unveiling of the Pixel 9 series of phones.

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The new thermostat will calculate an efficient temperature for you home when you’re away, and offer energy-saving tips.

Google is about to release a new Nest Learning Thermostat, which will help you save money by heating your home in a greener way according to newly leaked images.

Last week, we got our first look at the new Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) thanks to materials posted on Twitter by Arsene Lupin. Now, Lupin has shared even more details, including some intriguing hints about the new thermostat’s features.

The new images confirm that the thermostat will have a face with rounded glass edges rather than the large moveable bezel of previous models. However, the differences are more than just superficial, and the new thermostat will make better use of what is effectively a screen mounted on your wall.

Now, instead of just displaying temperature settings or nothing at all, it can also show you a weather forecast, display the time, and more. The leaked materials refer to it as a ‘home screen’, suggesting that you may be able to choose from a range of widgets.

More importantly, the new thermostat will help you save energy and cash with a feature called Adaptive Eco, which calculates an energy-efficient temperature for your home when you’re away.

Google Nest thermostats can already switch to Eco Temperatures automatically when they detect that nobody is home, but you must set a suitable temperature range yourself. It looks as though the new Learning Thermostat will work out a temperature itself, which should mean it feels comfortable when you arrive home, while using as little energy as possible.

Like its predecessors, the Google Nest Learning Thermostat (gen 4) will ‘learn’ the temperatures you like, and create a schedule automatically based on the way you raise and lower the temperature throughout the day. You can adjust this schedule through the Google Home app, but unlike earlier versions, the Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen) will also suggest tweaks that you can make to save energy.

The new Google Nest Learning Thermostat will have a curved glass front and a much smaller stainless steel bezel (Image credit: Future)

Installation and extras

The new Nest Learning Thermostat will be compatible with Matter, and work with any Matter-enabled smart home app. Google says that it will be relatively quick to install “in around 40 minutes or less”, and although the leaked promo materials don’t state so directly, judging by the photos it looks as though it will be compatible with the same base as the previous version, allowing you to simply clip the new face into place.

Last week, we learned that Google is releasing a new version of the Nest Temperature sensor, and according to the new images, you’ll get one in the box with the new Learning Thermostat to help pinpoint cold spots in your home.

None of these details are official yet, and we may have to wait until after the Google Pixel event taking place on September 13 to learn more. Any appliance that reduces energy usage is welcome, though according to Lupin the new thermostat will cost $279 (up from $249 for the previous model), so it could be a long time before you reap the cash saving.

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Some of the first specifications have leaked from the FCC, and include strong smart home support

It’s been a long time since the Chromecast with Google TV launched: four years and counting. That means it’s starting to fall behind the best streaming devices, but Google has a plan: as we reported last week, a new Google TV streamer is imminent. Leaked images suggest that it’s going to look rather different, that it’s going to drop the Chromecast branding and it’ll be a wedge-like box rather than a dongle. And now some of its specifications have leaked to tell us more about what it can do.

The leaked specifications come via 9to5google, which reports that they include the same Thread radio support that’s coming to the Google Pixel 9 phones. That means the Google TV streamer will be able to communicate with Thread-compliant smart home kit without needing a separate hub – so for example you might be able to control your smart-home gear with voice instructions to your streamer’s remote.

Google TV streamer: specifications and features

In addition to the Thread radio, the specs include dual-band Wi-Fi with support for 802.11a/b/g/n/ac as well as Bluetooth. There also appear to be Ethernet and USB ports as well as the obligatory HDMI – or Ethernet support at the very least, which could be via adapter rather than a dedicated port, in theory. With the Wi-Fi topping out at 802.11ac rather than Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), let alone Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), that suggests that this isn’t going to be an expensive, high-end device: as it did with the Chromecast, it looks like Google is going for a relatively low price.

We don’t yet know what the other specifications may be, although a processor upgrade, memory upgrade and storage upgrade are highly likely: the 4K version of the current Chromecast with Google TV has an Amlogic S905X3 CPU, which is based on the ARM Cortex-A55, along with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. As we’ve pointed out a few times now, that 8GB really isn’t much when you start installing apps; it’s a common complaint from users of the current model.

These specifications are from filings with the FCC, the US regulator, but the filings haven’t come from Google; instead, they’ve been filed by Quanta Computer, which has previously made Google hardware including the Pixel Slate, the PixelBook Go and the Pixelbook. 

There’s not been an official announcement about the new Google TV Streamer, but educated guesses are suggesting we might see it at Google’s event on 13 August. That’s when we’re expecting to see the Google Pixel 9 Pro, and the streamer might also make its debut then.

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The flaw only works if you have Python installed, but Meta seemingly doesn’t want to address it.

The Windows client for popular instant messaging platform WhatsApp has a rather worrying flaw, but owner Meta apparently doesn’t think it should be the one addressing it.

Instead, it believes that it falls upon the user to be careful not to get infected – but fortunately, the attack surface seems to be rather small, so you should be safe.

Security researcher Saumyajeet Das analyzed WhatsApp for Windows, to see which file types the client can run natively. The majority of risky ones, such as .EXE, .COM, .SCR., or .BAT were blocked, and can only be run if first saved to the computer’s hard drive. However, there are a few that the client runs directly – .PYZ (Python ZIP app), .PYZW (PyInstaller program), and .EVTX (Windows event Log file).

Negative response

In other words, if the victim clicks “Open” on any of these files in WhatsApp, they will execute the script (including malicious code) instantly. The caveat here is that the victim first needs to have Python installed which, apparently, not many people do.

 According to BleepingComputer, this prerequisite limits the targets to software developers, researchers, and power users. 

Das reported the problem to Meta in early June 2024, and got a response a month and a half later, saying that the issue was already reported. Apparently, Meta will not be addressing it, at all. In a statement given to BleepingComputer, the company basically said it’s up to the users to make sure they don’t open malicious files:

“We’ve read what the researcher has proposed and appreciate their submission. Malware can take many different forms, including through downloadable files meant to trick a user,” the statement reads. “It’s why we warn users to never click on or open a file from somebody they don’t know, regardless of how they received it — whether over WhatsApp or any other app.”

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AMD reportedly mislabels mid-range Ryzen 9000 CPUs as high-end chips – is this the reason for Zen 5’s delay to August?

AMD’s delay of the launch of its Ryzen 9000 processors – with the CPUs already shipped being recalled from retailers and PC makers – could apparently be due to a simple typo, if you can believe the (multiple) reports floating around out there.

Well, we say a simple typo, but this isn’t a mistake with the packaging and box, but the actual name of the processor on the chip itself (although there may be more to all this than just the typo, and we’ll come back to that).

Instead of a Ryzen 7 9700X processor, we can see a picture of a CPU (in the below post on X, from leaker HXL) where AMD has mislabelled it as the Ryzen 9 9700X.

Tom’s Hardware observes this is from a rogue, early review on Bilibili (in China), further noting that Ryzen 5 9600X chips have also been errantly engraved as ‘Ryzen 9’ models.

The Ryzen 9 label is, of course, reserved for the high-end chips in the Zen 5 family, which at launch will be the Ryzen 9 9950X and 9900X.

Previously, other sources have pinned the blame for the recall of Ryzen 9000 processors on AMD’s typo on an apparently large scale, including Ian Cutress on X (TechTechPotato, ex-Anandtech) as mentioned in HXL’s post.

Originally, AMD was set to unleash Ryzen 9000 processors on July 31, but that has been delayed to a staggered launch next month (on August 8, followed by August 15, for the Ryzen 5 and 7 models and Ryzen 9 models respectively).

(Image credit: AMD)

Analysis: Odd news – but good news? Definitely the former, but maybe not the latter

This is all a bit odd. AMD hasn’t officially revealed any reason for the Ryzen 9000 recall, instead issuing a vague message that the chips “did not meet our full quality expectations” and we guess being misnamed (slightly) could fit that bill.

You could further argue the reason that Team Red hasn’t admitted what’s happened here – if this is the case – is because it’s embarrassing. If we’d have been stood on an AMD production line with these chips coming through, glancing them over, we’re sure we’d have noticed a ‘Ryzen 9 9700X’ – to anyone with some passing familiarity with Team Red’s processors, surely that mistake would stand out like a sore thumb? (Apparently not).

However, even if there seems to be a solid amount of evidence of these chip typos, as Tom’s raises, there is also the possibility that this isn’t the only problem with the Zen 5 processors.

Indeed, if the whole recall is about fixing typos, that would actually be great news – yes, it’s a very silly mistake, but at least there are no underlying technical issues with Ryzen 9000 CPUs buried deep under the hood (cough, Intel, cough) that buyers might have to worry about.

But, it might be the case that there are typos, and also other possible issues of a technical nature. After all, AMD’s official statement on the recall used some language that made us think this was the case. Primarily the phrase that the recall was initiated “out of an abundance of caution and to maintain the highest quality experiences for every Ryzen user” – which hardly seems to fit a chip having Ryzen 9 written on it instead of Ryzen 7 or 5. Does it?

Perhaps now these mismarked processors have come to light, AMD will be issuing a further statement to clarify what’s gone on here. We’ve got a feeling we might hear something later today.

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