Apple is strongly considering making its smart glasses and is carrying out an internal study of the wearables that are currently on the market. As part of the project code-named Atlas, the tech giant has been gathering feedback from employees on smart glasses, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Apple’s Product Systems Quality team, which comes under its hardware engineering division, is the team that is conducting the exploratory study. The report said with the research, the company is planning to understand how smart glasses can be used and what features to include in them. It is also believed that Apple has plans to carry out more focus group testing down the road.

Also Read: Apple Launches MacBook Pro With M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max Chips

Apple To Take On Meta Ray Ban Smart Glasses

A month ago, Apple reportedly carried out another internal study focused on developing an app that helps people with pre-diabetes monitor their blood sugar levels and track what they consume. Apple’s Vision Pro, which comes at $3,499, is yet to find mainstream success due to its high price, weight, and limited content.

If the company decides to go ahead with developing smart glasses, it will be in direct competition with Meta and its successful Ray Ban smart glasses that are manufactured in partnership with Luxottica Group SpA.

Smart Glasses enables users to take pictures, shoot videos, answer phone calls, and ask questions to an AI assistant. But their popularity could soon be eclipsed by augmented reality (AR) smart glasses, under-development by Meta and Snap, that overlay information on the glass.

Also Read: Apple Launches Smaller, Redesigned Mac Mini: Price, Features

Apple Delays Vision Pro Headset’s Launch To Post-2027

Rumors of a cheaper Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset have been going on for several months, sparking anticipation among tech enthusiasts. However, known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has now suggested that this lower-cost version won’t hit the market until at least 2027.

Instead, Apple is reportedly gearing up to release an upgraded Vision Pro model equipped with an M5 processor as early as next year. In a recent post on X, Kuo highlighted that the company’s strategy to launch a budget version of its Vision Pro has shifted. “Apple has delayed its plans for a lower-cost Vision Pro to beyond 2027,” Kuo wrote, noting that a new version featuring the M5 chip is planned for 2025.

Kuo also anticipates a budget model for the HomePods mini, which, despite being a more affordable option, did not significantly boost Apple’s smart speaker market share. “Even after launching the cheaper HomePod mini, Apple’s smart speakers failed to become mainstream products,” he stated.

Microsoft has been testing their AI-backed chatbot for Xbox for several months and now the update is available for selected users. Dubbed Support Virtual Agent, it is an AI-powered technology designed to help Xbox players resolve support-related gameplay difficulties more efficiently.

As per the tech giant, the AI chatbot can quickly gain information from Xbox help pages to answer questions about Xbox console and game support difficulties. According to reports, Xbox Insiders based in the US can try the Xbox AI chatbot through support. Xbox. Command will address questions about the Xbox console and game support issues.

Megha Dudani, Senior Product Manager Lead Xbox said, “We appreciate feedback from Xbox Insiders on this preview experience, and any feedback received will be used to improve the Support Virtual Agent," as quoted by The Verge.

Also Read: Xbox Cloud Gaming To Let Users Stream Their Own Games

How To Use Xbox Support Virtual Agent

The Xbox AI chatbot appears as an AI character that animates when responding or as a colorful Xbox orb. It is a part of the tech giant’s bigger approach to integrating AI into its Xbox platform and services. The company is said to unveil some more AI features to Xbox soon.

• Users need to go to the support page and click on Contact Us.
• Sign in with the same account they’ve registered with the Xbox Insider Program.
• Once done, they will see an option that reads ‘Ask our new Support Virtual Agent’
• When users click on “Ask a question," the Support Virtual Agent will open in a new browser window.

As per the company, users will be able to ask virtual agents via text or voice modes and it will answer with relevant information. If the Support Virtual Agent is unable to resolve the issue, users can request to talk with a live support agent, as long as it is within Xbox Support’s normal hours of operation.

The company is said to have mentioned that Insiders will be able to freely switch between two types of Support Virtual Agents. However, the company has yet to specify what differences these two AI agents will showcase. The update is currently available for Xbox Insiders in the US, while a wider release date will be announced later.

Also Read: Microsoft Launches Custom Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Controllers

Microsoft Settles Lawsuit Over Activision Blizzard Acquisition

Microsoft has settled the antitrust lawsuit filed on behalf of a group of gamers who objected to the firm’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. As per a report from The Wrap, details of the settlement were not revealed, but we do know the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, which means it cannot be filed again.

The lawsuit was filed in 2022 in California by a group of gamers from multiple states who expressed concern about the potential negative impact of a Microsoft monopoly in the video game space sparked by absorbing the makers of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush, among many other games. It came right after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) began its work to block the deal from closing, work that eventually failed.

Acer India has announced the launch of the Iconia Tab series, which includes 8.7-inch and 10.36-inch models. Targeted at users requiring devices for work, entertainment, and on-the-go use, the tablets offer a balance of performance and functionality.

Both models run on Android 14 OS and include MediaTek processors for multimedia and multitasking needs. Battery capacity is designed to support extended usage.

The Acer Iconia Tab 8.7 starts at Rs. 11,990, while the 10.36-inch model is priced at Rs 14,999 as part of a limited-time offer. Both devices can be bought at Acer exclusive stores, Acer’s online store, and Amazon.

Also Read: Acer Aspire 7 Gaming Laptop Launched With 13th Gen Intel Core i5

Acer Iconia Tablets Under The Hood

The 8.7-inch Iconia Tab iM9-12M is powered by the MediaTek Helio P22T octa-core processor at 2.3 GHz, 4GB RAM, and 64GB of internal storage with support for expansion up to 1TB. The tablet comes equipped with an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. Its 5100 mAh battery, which claims to provide up to 10 hours of video playback.

The 10.36-inch Iconia Tab iM10-22 features a 2K resolution display and is powered by a MediaTek Helio G99 processor at 2.2 GHz, and PureVoice QUAD speakers. It also packs a 16MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera.

Security features include face recognition and fingerprint login. Its 7400 mAh battery offers additional support for multitasking and entertainment. Both devices come with dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, and Dual SIM 4G LTE capabilities, with option flip covers for added protection.

Also Read: Acer Nitro V16 Ryzen 8040 Series AI-Powered Gaming Laptop

Acer Nitro V16 Laptop Launched With Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU

Previously, Acer launched the Nitro V16 gaming laptop in India. The new laptop claimed to be crafted for gamers and creators, will come in two configurations with 14th gen Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. It is also equipped with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics processing unit (GPU).

The Acer Nitro V 16 has a 16-inch WUXGA display, up to 512GB of storage, and offers connectivity options such as Wi-FI 6 and Thunderbolt 4. The Acer Nitro V 16 with Intel Core i5 14450HX CPU comes for Rs 99,999 in India, while the Intel Core i7 14650HX CPU variant will set buyers back by Rs. 1,09,999. It will go on sale through Acer’s online store, Acer’s exclusive stores, Flipkart, Amazon, and other offline stores. 

Acer Nitro V16 packs a 16-inch WUXGA display with IPS technology and a 165Hz refresh rate. It is equipped with a ComfyView LED-backlit TFT LCD to minimize glare. Besides, the laptop runs on Windows 11 Home. The laptop can be configured with 14th-generation Intel Core i7 14650HX Intel Core i5 14450Hx chipsets. 

Amazon Prime Video is getting a new generative AI-powered feature to help users catch up with a show. The new tool, dubbed X-Ray Recaps, can create text summaries “of full seasons of TV shows, single episodes, and even pieces of episodes,” the company says in a blog post.

X-Ray Recaps will be accessible from the detail page of a show or in X-Ray while users are watching something. The tool “analyzes various video segments, combined with subtitles or dialogue, to generate detailed descriptions of key events, places, times, and conversations,” Amazon says.

Also Read: Prime Gaming November 2024 Free Games List Revealed

When Is the X-Ray Recaps Feature Coming To Prime

Amazon has also applied “guardrails” to help the feature avoid sharing spoilers and to keep summaries concise. X-Ray Recaps, which are currently in beta, are already available to Fire TV devices, the company says. The feature, at launch, will work with all Amazon MGM Studios Original series.

Besides, Amazon might be facing some hurdles with the promised AI upgrades to Alexa. According to a report from Bloomberg, the company’s signature voice assistant, which was supposed to get a big AI overhaul before the end of this year, will instead get that upgrade in 2025.

The idea here is to make the smart assistant more smart and more powerful by making it more conversational and capable of new things. Sadly, by all accounts, that will not happen any time soon.

Also Read: Amazon Unveils Its First Colored Kindle With Kindle Scribe

Amazon Has Reportedly Delayed AI-Powered Alexa To 2025

 
The Bloomberg report goes on to list out the problems that the AI-enhanced Alexa is having in testing. For instance, beta users reported that the AI can give long, rambling answers that aren’t completely to the original query. Other alleged problems include hallucinations, and failure to work with connected smart devices like light switches consistently.

Amazon hasn’t officially confirmed any delay, but beta access has been turned off, so users can’t even try the more conversational Alexa in a test environment anymore. Perhaps users will be able to use it in 2025.

Besides, Amazon recently announced the launch of its refreshed Kindle lineup of e-book readers. What’s more interesting is that the lineup includes the Colorsoft Signature Edition, which comes with a colored e-ink display. It claims to offer a week-long battery and costs $279.99.

The Kindle series now packs four models: the first-ever colored Kindle, a reimagined Kindle Scribe, the fastest Kindle Paperwhite yet, and a new entry-level Kindle. The entry-level Kindle comes in a new Matcha color with a price tag of $109.99, and it comes with a non-reflective e-ink display with 300 ppi and 16GB of storage.

The latest WhatsApp beta build brings a new feature that will allow users to send a received image through a reverse image Google Search. There has been a reverse image search on Google Search for quite some time, and it can be an invaluable tool.

The feature enables users to search the web for an image, which will give a little background on whether or not that image is original or has been seen on other websites or social media.

As per a report from WABetaInfo, WhatsApp has added an option in-app to send an image to Google’s reverse image search. This option is available in build 2.24.23.13 and is available on the Google Play Store for those in the beta program.

Also Read: WhatsApp To Soon Let Users Verify Links The Get Or Send

How Will WhatsApp’s New Beta Feature Work

When viewing an image, users will be able to tap the three-dot menu at the top of the screen to display their options. Tapping “search on the web” will provide users with the option to send the attachment to Google Search in what seems like a direct integration. The WhatsApp app notes that the message attachment is still confidential and won’t be shared with Meta or any other program/app besides Google.

A reverse image search is also very likely through Google’s Circle to Search. Still, the in-app function will prove to be useful for those who either don’t have Circle to Search or users who want a more dedicated way to check an image’s validity.

It seems like the feature is server-side within the build, which means some users on the latest version still might not see the feature. That number is decreasing, though, as more users are getting the “search on the web” function.

Also Read: WhatsApp To Soon Let Users Create Custom Sticker Packs

WhatsApp Launches Custom Lists To Help Users Sort Chats

WhatsApp is now making it easier to sort through the mess in your DMs by introducing the new custom lists features. The custom lists enable users to filter their contracts in different customizable categories, basically decluttering the inbox while also providing a way to add important conversations in a separate category.

The new custom filters can be added alongside the already existing, All, Unread, Favorites, and Groups list available on the platform. A custom list can be added by tapping on the ‘+’ icon in the filter bar. WhatsApp gives users the ability to add any custom names to the lists such as family, friends, annoying relatives, and so on, without notifying the person on the other end that they are part of a custom list.

Recently, Oppo launched its flagship Find X8 series including the Find X8 and Find X8 Pro, in China. The company has also confirmed that the device will be launched globally soon.

As the anticipation builds for the global launch of the Oppo Find X8 series, let’s take a quick look at what users can expect. Since the company has already unveiled the series in China, the global variants are likely to feature similar specifications.

Also Read: Huawei Launches New Android-Free Mobile Operating System

Oppo Find X8 Series Under The Hood

In China, Oppo has unveiled the new Find X8 with a 6.59-inch LTPO OLED display, offering a 1256 x 2760 resolution and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Meanwhile, the Find X8 Pro comes with a bigger 6.78-inch LTPO OLED display with micro-quad curvature, to offer more of a premium edge-to-edge feel.

One standout feature of the Find X8 series is the camera system, made in collaboration with Hasselblad. The smartphone comes with a 50MP main camera with a Sony LYT-700 sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, and a 3x telephoto camera with a 73mm periscope lens for zoomed-in shots.

The series also brings an exclusive Quick Button - a customizable feature that activates the camera, functions as a shutter button, and lets users zoom with ease. This feature resembles Apple’s new Capture Button introduced with the iPhone 16 series.

As for the performance, the Find X8 series is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 chipset, a next-gen SoC that for now has been getting positive impressions for its benchmark performance.

Also Read: HMD Fusion Venom Edition With Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC Teased

Oppo Find X8 Series Price And Availability

The Oppo Find X8 is powered by the 5630mAh battery, while the Find X8 Pro comes with a larger 5910mAh cell. Both models use the company’s silicon-carbon battery technology and support 80W wired and 50W wireless charging. Both devices are also IP69-rated for dust and water resistance, adding durability in various environments.

In China, the smartphone comes in Starfield Black, Floating Light White, Chasing Wind Blue, and Bubble Pink colors, with a starting price of CNY 4,199 (approx Rs 49,551). The Find X8 Pro, available in Hoshino Black, Cloud White, and Sky Blue, starts at CNY 5,299 (around Rs 62,536).

As for the Indian market, pricing is said to be competitive with similar offerings from other brands. The Find X8 might arrive at around Rs 50,000 for the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage variant, while the Find X8 Pro could range from Rs 60,000 to Rs 65,000, depending on the configuration.