TechCrunch Team is in Barcelona this week, bringing you all the action happening at Mobile World Congress 2024. You already know what to expect from us. So all week long, sit back, relax, and stay tuned as we bring you product, announcements, and startup news. Information from MWC you should know.
So far, we've seen some big announcements from companies, including Google's new Android features, Lenovo's new laptop concept and rollable phone concept, and Xiaomi's robot dog. Here's how to follow our team's coverage as MWC progresses.
Tuesday, February 27th
replace wireless tv
replace mini tv
Mike Butcher sat down with Displace founder and CEO Balaji Krishna to talk about the company's 55-inch Display Flex product. This is his $3,000 “wireless” 4K OLED TV that sticks to the wall without traditional mounting. It was announced at CES in January. Krishna says more versions of screens and new features are coming. What we can talk about right now is his Display Mini, a small 27-inch TV designed for kitchens and bathrooms. Krishna also hinted at future features based on an “AI-powered shopping engine” and a contactless payment reader that would allow consumers to buy products from ads.
Motorola's rollable concept mobile phone
Image credits:
What is the maximum size for a wrist-worn device? If “bigger is better” is your main answer, then Lenovo has something for you. The company has designed a so-called “wrapable concept cell phone” for Motorola that can be wrapped around the wrist and folded. The keyword is “concept” because there is no certainty that this will become a commercial product. Whatever it is, it's fun to watch.
Monday, February 26th
Doublepoint's updated WowMouse gesture touch
DoublePoint WowMouse app. Image credits: double point
Android smartwatch users can now use their own version of Doublepoint's WowMouse gesture touch control app. Get away in a pinch!
Microsoft's AI Access Principles
Image credits: Nicholas Economou/Null Photography/Getty Images
Brad Smith, President and Vice Chairman of Microsoft, today announced a framework called the AI Access Principles. This is his 11-point plan, which Smith said “will define how we will operate our AI data center infrastructure and other critical AI assets.” world. ” The implication here is that Microsoft is open to dialogue and dialogue with stakeholders, but the irony is that Smith announced this news in his keynote and asked follow-up questions. There was no room.
Xiaomi's first electric car
Image credits: brian heater
Xiaomi EV's first product, the long-awaited Xiaomi SU7, has no details. We do know that this is a “full-size high-performance eco-technology sedan” and is expected to arrive in China at some point next year. In addition to design, Xiaomi has developed his five core EV technologies (E-Motor, CTB Integrated Battery, Xiaomi Die Casting, Xiaomi Pilot Autonomous Driving, Smart Cabin). And, as mentioned above, it will be equipped with the “HyperOS” operating system.
Samsung's first smart ring
Image credits: brian heater
Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but if you're a girl who can't sleep, Samsung's new Galaxy Ring might be your new favorite. Some of the features include onboard sensors that measure heart rate, movement, and breathing to create a cross-sectional view of the wearer's health and sleep patterns. Questions regarding price and battery life remain unanswered for now.
Extending your OnePlus battery life
Image credits: one plus
OnePlus' upcoming Watch 2 promises an impressive 100 hours of battery life “in full smart mode.” This claim comes after the company spent three years working on its battery technology. Brian Heater talks to Tuomas Lampén, head of strategy at OnePlus Europe, about what took the company so long and how he was able to spend 100 hours on the new watch. Ta.
Last week, Brian reported that “battery is exactly the kind of thing OnePlus should be focusing on,” considering that the first-generation product only had about 25 hours of battery life. And that was with GPS turned off.
Xiaomi's CyberDog
Image credits: brian heater
Brian Heater, who has been reporting on Xiaomi's CyberDog for years, finally got to see the robot dog up close at MWC. He wrote that watching the little dog do a dressage shuffle and do a little dance reminded him of “a scaled-down version of Boston Dynamics' familiar robots.” Since Brian's story in 2021, Xiaomi has made several changes to the dog, including a more realistic version of the head instead of the previous flat head. Cyber Dog 2 is currently available for purchase online for $3,000. That's nearly double his $1,600 price for the previous model.
lenovo laptop concept
Image credits: brian heater
If you've always wanted to see behind your desk while working, Lenovo's new transparent laptop will certainly give you that pleasure. That is, once it reaches production. It looks similar to a standard laptop, but there are some exceptions. The screen has a transparent pane, and the pane and keyboard area are reminiscent of an augmented reality experience. That is, the graphics are overlaid on top of what's behind it. For now, Lenovo is enjoying showing off its creativity.
Google brings AI to new features
Today, Google is bringing AI to more services, including new feature sets for phones, cars, and wearables. They use Gemini to compose messages, caption AI-generated images, summarize text with AI for Android Auto, and access paths on Wear OS. Additionally, Google Messages will be adding the ability to access Gemini within the app. This feature is currently in beta and only supports English. Mobile giants are also introducing several accessibility-related features. One is the Lookout app, which helps visually impaired people interact with things like food labels and documents, and now generates AI-powered captions for images with missing or inaccurate captions or alternative text. I did.
Also at MWC, DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis spoke on a panel with Wired's Stephen Levy about how Google could “unpause” the portrait feature of Gemini, the company's multimodal generative AI tool. The ability to respond to human image prompts should be back online in the “coming weeks,” he said. Natasha Lomas writes, “Google last week pointed out that the tool produces historically inconsistent images, such as depicting America's Founding Fathers as a diverse group of people, rather than just white men.'' Therefore, we have temporarily suspended the Gemini function.”
mood-boosting desktop lamp
Image credits: brian heater
Dutch company Seaborough showcased a small device designed to replace large light therapy lamps that mimics the sun's effects on serotonin production in the brain. One clip is on the side of the computer and the other clip is above the display and looks like an external webcam. Both connect to a USB port for power. However, the lamp is still in proof-of-concept mode, so you'll have to wait a bit.
Infinix wants to make the back of your phone work
Image credits: brian heater
The Infinix E-Color Shift is an improvement on the e-ink screen work started by YotaPhone several years ago. A new feature here is the addition of color, which Brian Heater describes as a “fun aesthetic addition to a part of the device that is almost always covered, whether it's in the case, in your hand, or when it's placed face down on a table. It is expressed as “with the addition of.''
