Tech Digest daily roundup: Xiaomi shows off new wireless AR glasses

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AR is an exciting idea, but it’s not clear if there’s enough computational power in the world to make such a fantastic concept real. Undeterred, Xiaomi has unveiled its Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition, a compact AR headset using the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 found in the Quest Pro. The company says these oversized sunglasses offer an elegant way to blend the digital and real worlds while, most crucially, not requiring a physical tether to a smartphone. Weighing 126g (4.4 ounces), Xiaomi crafted the hardware from magnesium-titanium alloy and carbon fiber parts to lighten the load. It’s also rocking a custom-made silicon-oxygen anode battery which, all in, Xiaomi says will reduce the physical burden on the user. Engadget

 

When OnePlus teased its OnePlus 11 Concept ahead of MWC 2023 earlier this month, we were quick to speculate that the mysterious device looked more like a gaming PC than a phone.  Well, as it turns out, that assessment wasn’t too far wrong. Having now handled the OnePlus 11 Concept for ourselves at the annual Barcelona trade show, we can confidently say that this phone is indeed the most gaming PC-like handset we’ve ever seen. But hold the applause, because we also know that the OnePlus 11 Concept definitely won’t be earning a spot on our list of the best gaming phones any time soon.  Unfortunately, the OnePlus 11 Concept is just that: a concept. Tech Radar 


Australian firm Recharge Industries has bought the defunct battery maker Britishvolt out of administration. Britishvolt had planned to build a £4bn battery plant near the Port of Blyth in Northumberland but it collapsed last month after running out of money. Its downfall was blamed on a lack of battery experience, proven technology, customers and revenue. Recharge Industries has in many ways a similar profile – it is a start up with little manufacturing experience. The Australian company is ultimately owned and run by a New York-based investment fund called Scale Facilitation. “What we are bringing is validated technology,” the fund’s Australian chief executive David Collard told the BBC.

Tesla could reveal its tipped Volkswagen ID 3-rivalling electric hatchback during Wednesday’s Investor Day, where CEO Elon Musk will announce the firm’s third-generation EV platform. Along with what appears to be sketches of facelifted Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y, a side-profile drawing of what would be Tesla’s smallest model – and its cheapest, at an expected £20,000 – was shown in a preview video for the major event, previewing three doors and much smaller, squatter proportions than the Model 3. Although not officially confirmed, it’s likely that it could be the first cars to use the American firm’s next-generation EV platform, codenamed Generation 3. Autocar

Tech billionaire and Twitter chief Elon Musk has revealed his “AI existential angst” after a series of chatbots went rogue. Musk has long been a sceptic of the development of artificial intelligence, despite being a founding member of OpenAI and creator of ChatGPT. Even still, Musk took to Twitter to reveal his anxiety about artificial intelligence, writing: “Having a bit of AI existential angst today”. He followed up in a later tweet: “But, all things considered with regard to AGI existential angst, I would prefer to be alive now to witness AGI than be alive in the past and not”. Twitter

 

Chris Price
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