ICYMI: the week’s 7 biggest tech stories from AT&T’s service outage to the Borderlands movie trailer giving us déjà vu

The standout story came from AT&T after it had a massive cell service outage across the US that lasted for 12 hours and got so bad some affected people couldn’t call 911. They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but this is one time AT&T probably wishes it wasn’t making headlines.

There was also an AI tool meltdown, Apple launched a new Sports app, the first Borderlands movie trailer dropped, and there’s so much more you need to know. So in case you missed it, here are this week’s seven biggest tech news stories.

7. AT&T had an almighty cellphone outage in the US

This week, AT&T unintentionally gave its customers a trip back to the early 90s when a huge outage crippled its cellphone service across several major US cities. The problems started in the early hours of Thursday morning when thousands discovered they had no mobile signal – and the outage ultimately hit over 1.7 million customers.

So what caused it? Was it a solar flare, a cyberattack, or an elaborate Netflix promo for Leave the World Behind? Actually, it was simple user error, according to AT&T. The network said the outage was caused by the “application and execution of an incorrect process” as it expanded its network. So if you’re feeling bad about an IT-related gaffe at work, that should make you feel better at least.

6. ChatGPT had a meltdown, and Google Gemini struggled with accurate art

ChatGPT had yet another blip in its behavior this week – and it might have been the strangest one yet. Users reported the AI chatbot getting stuck in nonsensical loops, spouting incomprehensible Spanish, and even at one point claiming to be ‘in the room’ with the user.

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has released a statement telling users not to be concerned, and that the issue has been identified and rectified – but didn’t explain the bot’s bizarre behavior. Speculation is rife among users, with some suspecting that a glitch in the chatbot’s creativity ‘temperature’ resulted in overly imaginative responses to ordinary queries. ChatGPT (including the paid GPT-4 model) now appears to be back to normal, so whatever behind-the-scenes fix OpenAI deployed seems to have worked.

Google Gemini also had some problems this week as users found it struggled to create accurate images of historical figures – particularly white men. The issue seems to have stemmed from well-meaning equality measures Google implemented to ensure Gemini produces a diverse range of people in its AI art in an attempt to counteract biases in its training data. For now, it’s turned off Gemini’s ability to generate images of people while it tries to fix the bug.

5. Apple launched its Sports App

Apple is no newcomer to sports. It’s been making deals with the big leagues across baseball and football (soccer for our European friends) for ages, but this is the first time it’s developed something just for sports or, more specifically, sports fans.

Apple’s Sports App is a wonderland of stats and real-time game scores that makes the wide world of sports glanceable. What may be even more interesting than the customizable card-based system is how Apple built its new iOS-only app. Apple’s head of services Eddy Cue told us, among other things, that the leagues didn’t have the real-time data on hand Apple needed to build the app but they helped them find it and then Apple did the massive lift of massaging that data, and making it work and look good on Apple Sports.

4. The first Borderlands movie trailer gave us déjà vu

It seems you can’t keep Marvel out of the news. After a successful week filled with exciting announcements, the comic book giant has made the headlines again over the past few days, though that’s not through any fault of its own.

Firstly, the Disney subsidiary is reportedly renaming Avengers: The Kang Dynasty as it continues to revise its Marvel Phase 5 and Phase 6 plans in the wake of a turbulent 12-month period. Interesting as that is, however, the studio found itself at the center of another kind of discourse after film fans compared the forthcoming Borderlands movie to Guardians of the Galaxy – that online chatter emerged after Borderlands’ first trailer was released on Wednesday.

Still, as the saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad publicity, and the MCU can use all the good word of mouth – direct or otherwise – it can get.

3. Apple Vision Pros were returned, but it’s maybe a good thing?

The return window for the first batch of Apple Vision Pros has officially closed after two weeks, stirring up some interesting discussions as to why many people are returning the headset. While there was some chatter on social media about a surge in returns, insider sources are painting a different picture and offering some interesting insights into who’s returning their headset and why.

In our review of the Vision Pro, we dived into both the good and not-so-good aspects of this groundbreaking venture into mixed reality. It seems like the high price tag of $3,499/£2,788, AU$6349 might be causing a case of buyer’s remorse for some folks. Alongside that, influencers and YouTubers, always on the lookout for the latest tech trends, have been using the return policy to create content for their channels without the steep financial commitment.

But here’s the silver lining: every return comes with a detailed survey, giving users a chance to share their experiences and suggestions. This feedback could help shape future versions of the Vision Pro. Mark Gurman, a trusted Apple insider, has chimed in too, noting discomfort, motion sickness, and the hefty price as common reasons for returns.

2. Garmin launches a more a-fore-dable Forerunner watch

Garmin is well-known as a maker of some of the best running watches around, but many of its best models like the Garmin Forerunner 265 and 965 are premium purchases. So it was great to see Garmin release a cheaper model this week, the Garmin Forerunner 165. In our early tests, we found it’s shaping up to be a great GPS watch for working out and a well-designed cheaper version of the Forerunner 265.

However, it’s missing a couple of features that really elevate the line, such as Garmin’s Training Readiness score, and it’s made of much lighter plastic and not weighty polymer or stainless steel. Nevertheless, with Samsung also releasing the Galaxy Fit 3 fitness tracker, it’s a great time to want a high-quality, affordable workout tracker.

It’s only February, but Fujifilm may have already released the most popular camera of 2024. This week, our hands-on Fujifilm X100VI review branded it the “best premium compact camera for most people” and Fujifilm says the retro star has already hit its “biggest pre-order numbers in history”.

Considering how good smartphone cameras have become, that’s impressive and also slightly surprising – particularly given the X100VI has a fixed 23mm f/2 lens. Then again, it’s also a beautiful little camera that combines modern comforts like in-body image stabilization and powerful autofocus with classic film camera design and fun film simulations. We’ll see you in the queue.