CMP Gadgets

Tag: Electronics

  • Lava ProWatch Zn

    Lava ProWatch Zn has been launched in India as the latest wearable offering from the domestic electronic brand. The new smartwatch has a metallic build and features a 1.43-inch AMOLED touchscreen display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 coating. The ProWatch Zn has an IP68 water-resistant build and is equipped with a Photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor to deliver real-time heart rate monitoring. It also provides other health tracking including blood oxygen saturation level (SpO2) monitoring. The Lava ProWatch Zn has more than 110 sports modes and its battery is claimed to last up to eight days with standard use. Lava ProWatch Zn is priced at Rs. 2,599 for the silicon strap variant, whereas the metallic strap variant is priced at Rs. 2,999. The wearable is available in Black and Grey shades and will go on sale through the company website, Amazon and select retail stores across the country starting April 26.

  • Google’s AI Gemini: New Feature

    Google added its native artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to the Android operating system as an on-device voice assistant earlier this year. This feature gave users the option to replace Google Assistant with Gemini as the default assistant for the smartphone. However, there were certain drawbacks to using the AI chatbot as it cannot set alarms, add reminders or launch apps like its counterpart. A new report has now found that the tech giant might soon add the capability for it to play music with a simple voice command.

    The new feature was spotted within the settings options of the Gemini app for Android by a PiunikaWeb report (via AssembleDebug). Based on screenshots shared, a new option was seen within Gemini Settings. The second option from the bottom now has a Music option which features the description “Select preferred services to play music”. Another screenshot shows that within the option, another title says, “Choose your default media provider”.

  • YouTube: New Update

    YouTube has rolled out a new update for its app for the Meta Quest. The users of the mixed reality headset can now reportedly view YouTube videos in 8K resolution. However, it is said that HDR videos do not support 8K and instead will be available to watch in a maximum of 4K resolution. The feature was reportedly rolled out recently with a new update to YouTube’s app for the Meta Quest interface. Notably, the video-streaming giant recently stated that it will begin taking appropriate action against third-party apps that block ads.

    According to a report by Android Central, the YouTube for Meta Quest app’s latest version 1.54 now supports 8K resolution or 7680 × 4320p. The feature was spotted on the Meta Quest 3, which was launched in October 2023. Interestingly, the Meta Quest 3 display features 4K LCD panels with 2064 x 220p resolution per eye. It is unclear if viewers will be able to tell the difference between 4K and 8K video quality on the mixed reality headset.

  • Slack AI

    Slack has finally made its AI-powered assistant, Slack AI, available to users globally. On Thursday, the company announced the general availability of Slack AI to all users and organizations with a paid subscription to the platform with an add-on purchase. This came after the platform unveiled its AI features earlier in February. The AI assistant offers several features such as recaps, search, and conversation summaries. The business-focused communications app has also shared the features it plans to add in the future. The company made the announcement via a blog post, and said, “In February, we released Slack AI and a set of initial features designed to help you work smarter and faster. Today we’re announcing that Slack AI is now available in English, Spanish and Japanese for customers on all paid Slack subscriptions to purchase.” However, those who want to use the AI’s features will have to pay an add-on charge for it.

  • Meta Llama 3

    Meta introduced the next generation of its AI models, Llama 3 8B and 70B, on Thursday. Shortened for Large Language Model Meta AI, Llama 3 comes with improved capabilities over its predecessor. The company also adopted new training methods to optimize the efficiency of the models. Interestingly, with Llama 2, the largest model was 70B, but this time the company said its large models will contain more than 400 billion parameters. Notably, a report last week revealed that Meta will unveil its smaller AI models in April and its larger models later in the summer. Those interested in trying out the new AI models are in luck as Meta is taking a community-first approach with the Llama 3. The new foundation models will be open source just like previous models. Meta stated in its blog post, “Llama 3 models will soon be available on AWS, Databricks, Google Cloud, Hugging Face, Kaggle, IBM WatsonX, Microsoft Azure, NVIDIA NIM, and Snowflake, and with support from hardware platforms offered by AMD, AWS, Dell, Intel, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm.” The list includes all major cloud, hosting, and hardware platforms, which should make it easier for enthusiasts to get their hands on the AI models. Further, Meta has also integrated Llama 3 with its own Meta AI that can be accessed via Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp in supported countries.

  • Wayve Lingo-2

    Wayve unveiled its artificial intelligence (AI)-based vision-language-action driving model (VLAM) Lingo-2 on Wednesday. Lingo-2 comes as the successor of the Lingo-1 AI model and has multiple new capabilities. The autonomous driving AI can now offer commentary of its actions while driving as well as adapt its actions based on the passenger’s instructions. It can also answer queries about its surroundings which is not directly related to its driving. The AI firm said Lingo-2 was designed as the path to build a trustworthy autonomous driving technology.

  • Boston Dynamics: Atlas Robot

    Boston Dynamics unveiled the next generation of its humanoid Atlas robot on Wednesday. The new Atlas is fully electric and comes with several upgrades over the predecessor, including a superhuman range of motion. In a video, the slender and more athletic robot was shown moving in ways that defy human anatomy. The robotics giant claims it will be able to lift and maneuver a wide variety of objects.

    In a video posted on YouTube, Boston Dynamics introduced the electric Atlas robot designed for real-world applications. Based on the demo, the new robot now has an entirely different design. It no longer possesses a heavy torso plate or carries a wider upper body. The new Atlas has a slender, metallic torso, longer and straighter limbs, no externally connected cables, and a ring light circling its head.

  • Altstore PAL

    Altstore PAL was launched in Europe on Wednesday as the first third party iPhone app store — or alternative app marketplace, as Apple calls it. Users who live in Europe and want to access apps that are not available via the official App Store, can now install Altstore PAL after updating their iPhone to iOS 17.4. However, thanks to Apple’s mandatory Core Technology Fee (CTF), customers will have to pay a small annual fee to access the first third-party app store to arrive in the region. Developer Riley Testut shared details of the Altstore PAL app marketplace in a blog post, stating that the open-source app currently offers two applications — a Nintendo emulator called Delta and Clip, a clipboard manager. The former will be free to download via Altstore PAL, while the latter will require a minimum donation of EUR 1 (roughly Rs. 90) or more, according to the developer.

  • Miss AI

    Miss AI, the world’s first beauty pageant contest to judge the best artificial intelligence (AI) models and influencers, has been announced. The competition is being held by the World AI Creator Awards (WAIC) and aims to recognise the achievements of AI creators around the world. As per the website listing, the pageant will give out prizes totalling $20,000 (roughly Rs. 16.7 lakhs) to the winners. The entries for Miss AI opened on April 14, and any creator behind an AI-generated model can register. The creator must have a social media presence and be over 18 years old. Details of WAIC’s inaugural Miss AI event have been revealed on the official website (via Forbes), and the programme intends to host other similar awards focused on fashion, diversity, and AI-generated men. Miss AI is focused on female AI-generated models or social media influencers, which have been entirely created with an AI tool. There is no restriction on the tool used to create the model.

  • Google circle to search feature

    Google is planning to improve Circle to Search by eliminating the accidental touch issue found with the feature. Circle to Search was launched in January this year with the Samsung Galaxy S24 series as a visual lookup feature where users can circle an image or block of text and the feature recognises what is being highlighted and shows Google Search results for it. However, reportedly, some users have complained that the feature activates even when not intended. The tech giant is now looking to fix this issue. In the latest episode of Made by Google Podcast, which was released on Monday, Product Manager Erin Lynch and Director of Product Management Alistair Pott, who closely worked with the team that built Circle to Search, discussed the feature in detail. During the conversation, the duo also addressed the issue that several users have complained about the feature’s activation being too sensitive to touch. The feature can be triggered by long pressing the navigation bar or the Home button, and some users have reported that despite not trying to activate it, Circle to Search still turns on.