MWC: Qualcomm goes all in on AI with solutions for phones, PCs, and more | Tech News – Business Standard

MWC: Qualcomm goes all in on AI with solutions for phones, PCs, and more | Tech News – Business Standard


Qualcomm disclosed its latest advancements in on-device artificial intelligence (AI), intelligent computing, and wireless connectivity products at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, United States. The American semiconductor entity is pursuing the facilitation of widespread on-device AI commercialisation across next-generation PCs, smartphones, software-defined vehicles, XR devices, IoT, and similar realms. Below is a summary of all that Qualcomm unveiled at MWC:


Qualcomm AI Hub


Geared towards developers, the Qualcomm AI Hub serves as a repository of pre-optimised AI models for deployment on devices powered by Snapdragon and Qualcomm platforms. The library offers developers access to over 75 popular AI and generative AI models, including Whisper, ControlNet, Stable Diffusion, and Baichuan 7B, which are optimised for on-device AI performance, reduced memory utilisation, and enhanced power efficiency.


In essence, the Qualcomm AI Hub equips developers with solutions tailored for Snapdragon and Qualcomm platforms, enabling seamless integration into their applications. Qualcomm asserted that the AI Hub would aid developers in reducing time-to-market and harnessing the benefits of on-device AI implementations such as immediacy, reliability, privacy, personalisation, and cost savings.


Apart from the AI Hub, the optimised models by Qualcomm will be accessible on GitHub and Hugging Face. Qualcomm has pledged to continually augment the Qualcomm AI Hub by incorporating more optimised models, along with forthcoming support for additional platforms and operating systems.


Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF System


Billed as its most advanced modem-to-antenna platform, the 5G modem-RF system is in its seventh generation. Qualcomm highlighted the inclusion of a dedicated 5G AI Processor within this system, which is poised to enhance data speeds, latency, quality of service (QoS), coverage, location accuracy, spectrum efficiency, power efficiency, and multi-antenna management. Furthermore, the system boasts support for a 5G-Advanced-ready architecture. Notably, it marks Qualcomm’s maiden modem with fully integrated NB-NTN satellite communications support for connectivity to non-terrestrial networks.


The Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF System is tailored for smartphones, mobile broadband, PCs, XR, automotive, industrial IoT, private networks, and fixed wireless access. Its commercial release is slated for the latter half of 2024.


Qualcomm FastConnect 7900


This marks Qualcomm’s inaugural connectivity solution integrating Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ultra Wideband technologies onto a single chip. The integrated solution is poised to facilitate seamless proximity experiences such as digital key functionality, object finding, and indoor navigation. Qualcomm has also infused AI into this chip, enabling it to adapt to specific use cases and environments, thereby delivering significant optimisations across power consumption, network latency, and throughput. Fabricated on a 6nm design, the chip supports Wi-Fi 7. Commercial availability of the FastConnect 7900 is anticipated in the latter half of 2024.

First Published: Feb 26 2024 | 12:30 PM IST



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Apple mulls smart ring, glasses in push to expand wearable category: Report | Tech News – Business Standard

Apple mulls smart ring, glasses in push to expand wearable category: Report | Tech News – Business Standard


Representative Image: Apple Watch

Apple is reportedly exploring ideas for developing new wearable devices such as fitness ring, smart glasses, and AirPods with cameras built-in.  According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, engineers at Apple have recently been discussing the possibility of developing smart glasses similar to Meta’s Ray Ban smart glasses. There have also been discussions about developing a health-and-fitness tracking smart ring.


Gurman in his newsletter noted that, for now, the smart ring idea is still in the initial discussion stage, but the smart glass concept has moved to an “exploratory phase”, which the company calls technology investigation phase internally. Apple is also looking into other ideas such as built-in cameras on AirPods.


According to a Bloomberg report, Apple plans to include an audio device and camera to the conceptual smart glass, which would be able to provide audio output, removing the necessity of wearing an AirPod, while the user can leverage the built-in AI features and the Camera to identify things in the real world.


Apple is said to believe that consumers are increasingly comfortable with using smart glasses for taking video, playing music and giving voice commands to chatbots, as indicated by the success of the recent generation of Amazon’s Echo Frames and Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses. Additionally, a smart glass would be less expensive than the Apple Vision Pro headset, which could make it much more appealing to mainstream consumers.


Similar to the smart glass concept, Apple is also exploring ways to incorporate cameras onto its AirPods that would give consumers benefits of smart glasses without requiring a frame. The idea is already in its exploratory stage and has been codenamed B798 internally, according to Gurman. The report stated that in the current phase Apple is figuring out how to place a low-resolution camera onto the AirPods for the device to be able to capture data and process it using AI, assisting consumers in their daily life.


As for the Smart Ring concept, Gurman said that Apple could cater to a new set of customers who wish to track their health but do not hold other smart watch features necessary like applications and notifications. There are also people who do not require a smartwatch as they prefer traditional watches. With a smart ring, Apple can build a new customer base with these people. Apple can also tie the ring to its Health and Fitness apps and sell it like an iPhone accessory.

First Published: Feb 26 2024 | 11:55 AM IST



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MWC: Xiaomi 14 series with Leica cameras unveiled, India launch on March 7 | Gadgets – Business Standard

MWC: Xiaomi 14 series with Leica cameras unveiled, India launch on March 7 | Gadgets – Business Standard


Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4, Xiaomi 14 Ultra and Xiaomi 14

Xiaomi has unveiled its flagship Xiaomi 14 series smartphones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, US. The series encompasses the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Both the smartphones boast an imaging system co-engineered with Leica. Of the two smartphones it has unveiled, it is the Xiaomi 14 coming to India on March 7 at Rs 75,000 (expected).


Alongside the smartphones, the Chinese smartphone maker unveiled the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro, Xiaomi Watch S3, Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro, and Xiaomi Watch 2. The tablet and wearables are expected to be available globally soon.


Back to the smartphones, Xiaomi displayed the Xiaomi 14 Ultra with a photography kit, which includes a dedicated grip-on case. The case has a two-stage shutter button, a zoom lever, a customisable video recording button, and an additional custom dial. According to the company, the kit functions as an external charging battery bank with 1500mAh battery capacity. The photography kit will be available as an accessory sold separately.


Xiaomi 14 series: Price and options


Xiaomi 14 Ultra


  • Price: 1499 euros onwards

  • Colours: Black and White

  • Photography Kit: 199 euros


Xiaomi 14


  • Price: 999 euros onwards

  • Colours: Black, White, Jade Green


Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4: Price and Options


  • Price: 699 euros onwards

  • Colours: Graphite Gray


Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Specifications


  • Display: 6.73-inch AMOLED ProHDR display (3200 x 1440 resolution), 120Hz refresh rates (LTPO), 3000nits peak brightness, 1920Hz PWM dimming

  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

  • RAM: 16GB

  • Storage: 512GB

  • Rear Camera: 50MP one-inch type (Sony LYT-900) + 50MP 3.2x telephoto (Sony IMX858) + 50MP 5x Telephoto (Sony IMX858) + 50MP ultra-wide angle (Sony IMX858)

  • Front Camera: 32MP

  • Battery: 5300mAh

  • Charging: 90W wired, 80W wireless

  • OS: Xiaomi HyperOS (based on Android 14)

  • Durability: IP68, Xiaomi Shield Glass (Front)


Xiaomi 14: Specification


  • Display: 6.36-inch AMOLED ProHDR display (2670 x 1200 resolution), 120Hz refresh rates, 3000nits peak brightness

  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

  • RAM: 12GB

  • Storage: 256GB/512GB

  • Rear Camera:  50MP (OIS) + 50MP Telephoto (3.2x zoom) + 50MP ultra-wide

  • Front Camera: 32MP

  • Battery: 4610mAh

  • Charging: 90W wired, 50W wireless

  • OS: Xiaomi HyperOS (based on Android 14)

  • Durability: IP68, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus (Front)


Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4: Specification


  • Display: 12.4-inch display, 144Hz refresh rates, 700nits peak brightness,

  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

  • RAM: 8GB/12GB

  • Storage: 256GB/512GB

  • Rear Camera: 50MP

  • Front Camera: 32MP

  • Battery: 10,000mAh

  • Charging: 120W wired

  • OS: Xiaomi HyperOS (based on Android 14)

  • Durability: Corning Gorilla Glass 5


Xiaomi 14: Unboxing

 

First Published: Feb 26 2024 | 10:36 AM IST



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Digital 'nagriks' not to be experimented on with unreliable AI: Meity | Tech News – Business Standard

Digital 'nagriks' not to be experimented on with unreliable AI: Meity | Tech News – Business Standard


Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT


Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday reprimanded Google India, alleging a bias in the responses of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) conversational tool, Gemini.


Warning the tech giant of possible action against algorithmic bias, Chandrasekhar in a post on X (formerly Twitter) said, “Government has said this before and I repeat for the attention of Google India, our digital nagriks are not to be experimented on with “unreliable” platforms, algorithms and models.”


He further said that the safety and trust of Indian users is a legal obligation of internet platforms, and their actions can’t be exempted from law.


Chandrasekhar’s response came after Google India acknowledged the issue and said that it was working towards addressing it.


In an official statement on the issue, the company said, “We’ve worked quickly to address this issue. Gemini is built as a creativity and productivity tool and may not always be reliable, especially when it comes to responding to some prompts about current events, political topics, or evolving news. This is something that we’re constantly working on improving.”


The controversy erupted on Friday when a user took to social media platform x, and posted screenshots of responses to questions where he had asked Google’s AI tool – whether PM Modi, former US President Donald Trump, Pakistan’s Imran Khan, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky were fascists.


The user alleged that the responses to these questions were biased towards the Indian Prime Minister, and ‘downright malicious’.


Responding to the post, Minister Chandrasekhar had said the responses were direct violations of Rule 3(1)(b) of the Intermediary Rules (IT rules) of the IT Act and violations of several provisions of the Criminal Code, hinting towards a possibility of legal action against the tech giant.


Google further in its detailed statement on the issue said, “Gemini is built in line with our AI Principles, and has safeguards to anticipate and test for a wide range of safety risks. We also prioritise identifying and preventing harmful or policy-violating responses from showing in Gemini.”


“We take information quality seriously across our products, and have developed protections against low-quality information along with tools to help people learn more about the information they see online,” said the company.

First Published: Feb 25 2024 | 11:47 AM IST



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Samsung to unveil wearable smart ring at Mobile World Congress: Report | Tech News – Business Standard

Samsung to unveil wearable smart ring at Mobile World Congress: Report | Tech News – Business Standard


By Yoolim Lee

Samsung Electronics Co. is planning to unveil its first wearable smart ring as part of its health lineup at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. 

 


The South Korean company will publicly display the Galaxy Ring for the first time after teasing it last month at the Galaxy S24 smartphone series launch in California. The Galaxy Ring offers users more personalized and seamless experiences backed by advances in artificial intelligence, Samsung said in a statement Sunday. 


Visitors at the Mobile World Congress will also be able to see new health features on Galaxy Watch6 series paired with the Galaxy S24, prior to public availability later this year, Samsung said. The Galaxy Ring’s official launch is expected later in 2024. 


Health tracking is already a key selling point of smartphones and watches, with Samsung, Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google using such features to attract and retain customers. 


Creating sensors for continuous blood pressure tracking and glucose monitoring would be particularly valuable breakthroughs. Apple has been working for years on a glucose reader that wouldn’t require users to prick their skin for blood — a potential boon for millions of diabetics.

First Published: Feb 25 2024 | 5:53 AM IST



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Digital 'nagriks' not to be experimented on with unreliable AI: Meity | Tech News – Business Standard

Digital nagriks not to be experimented with unreliable models: MoS IT | Company News – Business Standard


Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT


Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday made it clear to Google that explanations about unreliability of AI models do not absolve or exempt platforms from laws, and warned that India’s digital ‘nagriks’ “are not to be experimented on” with unreliable platforms and algorithms.


The minister’s comments came after Google, which is under fire over AI tool Gemini’s objectionable response and bias to a question on PM Narendra Modi, said it has worked quickly to address the issue and conceded that the chatbot “may not always be reliable” in responding to certain prompts related to current events and political topics.


Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for IT, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) said ensuring safety and trust are legal obligation of platforms.


“Government has said this before – I repeat for attention of @GoogleIndia…Our DigitalNagriks are NOT to be experimented on with “unreliable” platforms/algos/model…’Sorry Unreliable’ does not exempt from law,” the minister said.


On Friday, Chandrasekhar had warned that Google AI tool Gemini’s response to a question around the prime minister was in direct violation of IT rules as well as several provisions of the criminal code.


Chandrasekhar has taken immediate cognizance of the issue raised by verified accounts of a journalist alleging bias in Gemini in response to a question on Modi while it gave no clear answer when a similar question was asked for Trump and Zelenskyy.

In an e-mail statement earlier on Saturday, a Google spokesperson said, “We’ve worked quickly to address this issue.”

Google further said Gemini is built as a creativity and productivity tool and “may not always be reliable, especially when it comes to responding to some prompts about current events, political topics, or evolving news”.


“This is something that we’re constantly working on improving,” the spokesperson said.


The minister had, in fact, marked the post to Google and Ministry of Electronics and IT indicating further action in the matter on Friday.


“These are direct violations of Rule 3(1)(b) of Intermediary Rules (IT rules) of the IT act and violations of several provisions of the Criminal code,” Chandrasekhar said on X earlier.


The journalist has shared a screenshot in which a question was asked to Gemini about Modi. In response, Gemini made uncharitable comments about him but was circumspect when the same query was posed about Trump and Zelenskyy.


It is pertinent to mention that the chatbot’s text-to-image generation feature has been embroiled in controversies. Recently, the Mountain View, California-based tech giant, paused Gemini Artificial Intelligence chatbot’s images generation of people, after ‘inaccuracies’ were flagged in historical images the chatbot was generating.


Social media platform X has erupted with posts describing Gemini as “too woke” when generating historical images.

First Published: Feb 24 2024 | 5:10 PM IST



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