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Tech wrap Sep 05: Apple Watch, Snapdragon X Plus, Amazfit GTR 4 New, more

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Apple is set to introduce significant upgrades to its smartwatch lineup with the upcoming Apple Watch Series 10, Watch Ultra 3, and potentially a new Apple Watch SE model. Although the iPhone 16 series is anticipated to be the highlight of the company’s “It’s Glowtime” event on September 9, notable enhancements across all Apple Watch models are also expected.


American chip manufacturer Qualcomm has introduced the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core, a new addition to its range of AI PC processors. This latest chip features eight CPU cores, making it the smallest in the Snapdragon X-series, which also includes the Snapdragon X Elite (12-core) and Snapdragon X Plus (10-core).

 


China-based health and fitness wearable manufacturer Amazfit has introduced the Amazfit GTR 4 New in India. As an update to the GTR series, this smartwatch boasts a metallic middle frame, a stainless steel navigation crown, and a glass ceramic back panel. Additionally, the company has announced that the smartwatch’s display is safeguarded by an anti-fingerprint coating.


Taiwanese consumer tech company ASUS has introduced new laptops featuring the recently released Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-Core processor. The latest ASUS Vivobook S15 and ProArt PZ13 models provide Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC experience, incorporating an exclusive AI feature that leverages the dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) on the new Qualcomm Arm chip.


Taiwanese electronics company Acer has ventured into the handheld gaming console market with the introduction of the Nitro Blaze 7. This new device, powered by AMD Ryzen 8040 Series processors, comes with 16GB LPDDR5x RAM and offers up to 2TB of storage. Operating on Windows 11, the Nitro Blaze 7 includes a specialized Acer Game Space app that provides a unified interface for accessing games across multiple platforms.


Meta-owned WhatsApp is testing new features to improve the visibility and accessibility of recent status updates. According to WhatsApp update tracker WABetainfo, a new capability in the WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.24.19.4, available on the Google Play Store, lets users view status updates directly from the viewer list.


Microsoft has announced that it will be hosting a special “Microsoft 365 Copilot: Wave 2” event on September 16, focussing on the “next phase of Copilot innovation.” The event will kick-off at 8AM PT ( 8:30 PM IST) and will be livestreamed on Linkedin.


Google has reportedly confirmed that Google Drive will soon gain native support for ARM chips. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon announced at the company’s IFA event that Google will be launching an Arm64 version of Google Drive on Windows later this year, according to the technology news website The Verge. He added that NordVPN and ExpressVPN have arrived on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon laptops. 


According to recent research by data firm Kantar, over 25% of global advertisers are considering cutting back their spending on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly Twitter). This shift is driven by increasing concerns about content quality and trustworthiness of the information shared on the platform.


India and Singapore have committed to enhancing their collaboration in the semiconductor and digital technology sectors. Their goal is to play a larger role in the global chip supply chain, which is being reshaped by ongoing tensions between the US and China.


YouTube has announced it will cease recommending videos to teenagers that glorify particular fitness levels, body weights, or physical features. This decision follows expert concerns about the potential harm from repeated exposure to such content, according to The Guardian.


On Thursday, social media giant Meta announced a two-year partnership with the Telangana government to advance e-governance and citizen services through artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.


Ganesh Chaturthi is a major Hindu festival celebrated extensively across India, particularly in the southern regions such as Maharashtra. The festival honors the birth of Lord Ganesh, which is believed to have occurred at midday, hence the tradition of performing Ganesha Puja during this time. This year’s ten-day celebration will commence on September 7, 2024.

First Published: Sep 05 2024 | 8:03 PM IST

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