The TechCrunch team is in Barcelona this week to bring you all the action at Mobile World Congress 2024. You already know what we’re expecting, so sit back, relax and we’ll be bringing you products, announcements all week long. And the startup news you need to know from MWC.
So far, we’ve seen some big announcements from companies, including new Android features from Google, a new laptop concept from Lenovo and a robotic dog from Xiaomi. As MWC progresses, here’s how you can follow along with our team’s coverage.
Double Point’s latest WowMouse gesture touch
DoublePoint WowMouse app. Image credit: Double point
Android smartwatch users can now have their own version of DoublePoint’s WowMouse gesture touch control app. Pinch away!
Microsoft’s AI Accessibility Principles
Image credit: Nicholas Economo/Noor Photo/Getty Images
Microsoft President and Vice President Brad Smith today announced a framework called the “AI Access Principles,” an 11-point plan that Smith said will “govern how we access our AI data.” How to operate the center’s infrastructure and other critical AI assets. world.” While the implication here is that Microsoft is open to dialogue and discussion with stakeholders, ironically, Smith broke the news in a keynote speech, with no room for follow-up questions.
Xiaomi’s first electric car
Image credit: Brian Hayter
Xiaomi EV’s first product — the highly anticipated Xiaomi SU7 — is light on specifications. We know it’s a “full-size high-performance eco-technology sedan” with plans to arrive in China sometime next year. In addition to design, Xiaomi has developed five core EV technologies: E-Motor, CTB Integrated Battery, Xiaomi Die Casting, Xiaomi Pilot Autonomous Driving, and Smart Cabin. And as mentioned earlier, it will have “HyperOS” operating system.
Samsung’s first smart ring
Image credit: Brian Hayter
Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but if you’re the kind of girl who can’t sleep, Samsung’s new Galaxy Ring might just become your new favorite. Some of the features include onboard sensors to create a cross-section of heart rate, movement and respiratory health and sleep patterns. Questions about pricing and battery life remain unanswered.
Extended battery life for OnePlus
Image credit: OnePlus
OnePlus’ upcoming Watch 2 is promising up to 100 hours of operation “in full smart mode.” This claim is made by the company after spending three years on its battery technology. Brian Hayter spoke with Tuomas Lampén, head of strategy for OnePlus Europe, about why the company took so long and how it managed to squeeze 100 hours out of the new watch.
Last week, Brian reported that “battery is exactly what OnePlus needs to lean on,” noting that its first-generation product only had a 25-hour battery life. And that was with GPS turned off.
Xiaomi’s Cyberdog
Image credit: Brian Hayter
After years of reporting on Xiaomi’s Cyberdog, Brian Hayter was finally able to see the robotic dog up close at MWC. He watched the little dog do a dressage shuffle and even do a little dance, which he wrote reminded him “of a miniature version of the familiar robot from Boston Dynamics.” Since Brian’s story in 2021, Xiaomi has made some changes to its dog, including a more realistic version of the head to replace the flatter back. The CyberDog 2 can currently be purchased online for $3,000 — nearly double its predecessor’s $1,600 price point.
Lenovo’s laptop concept
Image credit: Brian Hayter
If you’ve always wanted to see the back of your desk while working, Lenovo’s new transparent laptop will surely give you that pleasure. That is, if it ever makes it to production. It looks like your standard laptop with a few exceptions — the screen has a transparent pane, and that and the keyboard part remind us of an augmented reality experience, meaning that the graphics are based on whatever’s behind it. is overshadowed. For now, Lenovo enjoys showing off its creativity.
Google brings AI to new features.
Today, Google introduced AI to more of its services, including a new set of features for phones, cars and wearables. It’s using Gemini to generate messages, with AI-generated captions for photos, AI-powered text summarization for Android Auto, and access to Passes on Wear OS. Also, Google Messages will get a feature that lets you access Gemini in the app. The feature is currently in beta and only supports English. The mobile giant is also rolling out some accessibility features. There’s Lookout, an app that helps visually impaired people with things like food labels and documents, and will now generate AI-powered captions for photos that have missing or incorrect captions or alt text.
Also at MWC, DeepMind founder Damis Hassabis spoke on a panel with Wired’s Steven Levy about Google being able to “unlock” the ability of its multimodal generative AI tool, Gemini, to image people. . The ability for humans to respond to image prompts should be online in the “next few weeks,” he said. Natasha Lomas reports that “Last week, Google suspended Gemini’s ability after users pointed out that the tool was producing historically inconsistent images, such as America’s founding fathers of a diverse group of people. shown as, not just white men.”
A desktop lamp to improve your mood
Image credit: Brian Hayter
Seaboro, a Dutch company, demonstrated small devices designed to replace large light therapy lamps that mimic the effects of the sun on serotonin production in the brain. One sits next to the computer and the other clips display above, looking a lot like an outdoor webcam. Both plug into a USB port for power. You’ll have to wait a bit, though, as the lamp is still in proof-of-concept mode.
Infinix wants to put the back of your phone to work.
Image credit: Brian Hayter
Infinix E Color Shift improves upon the e-ink screen functionality pioneered by Utaphone years ago. What’s new here is the addition of color and what Brian Heater describes as “a fun aesthetic addition to the part of your device that’s almost always under the hood in a case, your hand or otherwise on a table.”