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There's now a Hummer-branded electric bike

What's happened?

GMC and Recon Power Bikes have teamed up to produce the Hummer EV AWD ebike.

Why does it matter?

This is one of many car companies offering a branded electric bike.

What's my take?

The thing that caught my eye about the Hummer EV AWD ebike is that AWD in the middle. This is a dual-motor bike, meaning that there's power to both the front and rear wheel which is rather more rare in an electric bike.

Don't be drawn into thinking that Hummer really has anything to do with this bike - it comes from Recon Power Bikes, which offers a range of electric bikes designed to go anywhere. They have loads of power, huge tyres and still mix in some quality components.

Having ridden a number of ebikes over the years, I think we're going to continue to see a lot of interest in the segment. The added power flattens hills, makes the miles slip by - and are as useful for leisure as they are for commuting. Don't dismiss them just because they look chunky - get the saddle before you make any judgements.

Vivo starts talking-up its next-gen smartphone camera, 1-in sensor expected

What's happened?

New leaks have suggested that the forthcoming Vivo X90 will have a 1-in main camera sensor and a new sensor for portrait photography.

Why does it matter?

Smartphone photography remains the key battleground for marketing devices.

What's my take?

Vivo, through its partnership with Zeiss, is trying to push the message about its camera capabilities. Not only will it be packing in a 1-in sensor for the main camera (that's huge by the way), but there's a lot more in the works too.

The problem is that so often the talk of hardware gains often gets detached from performance realities. Much like the old megapixel race in digital cameras, upgrading the hardware gives you bigger numbers to shout about - but doesn't always give you the best results.

Take a glance at DxOMark's rankings and you'll find phones like the Huawei Mate 50 Pro and the Pixel 7 Pro at the top of its list. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra - another phone with a 1-in sensor - is down in 11th place at the time of writing.

So much of the experience of using a smartphone camera, and the results you get, now comes down to software. That's why it's no surprise to find the Pixel 7 Pro sitting near the top. You point, you shoot, you get great results - and so much of it comes from computational photography rather than the hardware.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 review: A rough-cut jewel

What's happened?

If you love a good microscopic comparison there’s nothing like the release of a new Call of Duty to get forensic with - the minutiae of recoil models and movement techniques all become of paramount importance. Modern Warfare 2 has more community hype behind it than any recent COD release, too, with the promise of an effective franchise reboot to go with it, all while Xbox’s buyout of Activision rumbles on in the background. We've completed its campaign and played an unhealthy amount of multiplayer, and we're here with our full verdict on MW2.

Our quick verdict

Modern Warfare 2 delivers a well-paced, varied campaign that feels like playing a great action movie. The multiplayer side of things has a solid core and we've no doubt it'll be polished up in the months to come, but its state at launch is disappointing. Read our review.

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