Here is the top trending news from the world of technology. News that every tech enthusiast should keep a tab on.
1)
Meta Quest headsets rolls out support for spatial video playback – ahead of Vision Pro Launch
There is good news for Meta’s Quest customers. The Meta Quest headsets are finally getting spatial video playback capabilities. Interestingly, it has rolled out this feature just ahead of the launch of Apple’s Vision Pro Headset. Meta had no choice but to roll out this feature as spatial video capture and playback is one of the key selling points of Vision Pro Headset. You can upload spatial video directly from your iPhone by using the Meta Quest mobile app. However, you’ll mandatorily need an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to make the videos. Once the video is uploaded, you can enjoy and relive the memories indefinitely or for as long as you want.
2)
Amazon rolls out Rufus, an AI-powered shopping assistant
E-commerce giant Amazon launched a new AI shopping assistant, Rufus, on Thursday. Rufus has been designed as a one stop destination where Amazon customers can get all their A to Z shopping needs fulfilled. Whether it is getting comprehensive information about a specific product or brand, running a product or price comparison or getting a quick customer review, Rufus can apparently simplify your shopping experience. However, Rufus has been currently launched in a beta to a limited number of American customers in the Amazon mobile app. Gradual rollout to more users is expected in the coming weeks. This new AI shopping assistant is certainly an exciting addition to Amazon as it might entirely revolutionize the shopping experience of Amazon shoppers.
3)
Snap is recalling and refunding the Pixy Drones (here’s why)
Snap is recalling and offering full refunds for every Pixy Flying Camera they ever sold, which amounts to roughly 71,000 units. This decision comes after reports of fire hazards associated with the drone’s lithium-ion battery. Until now, four reports of battery issues have been reported, including one minor fire and one minor injury. If you own a Pixy drone then it is recommended to stop using it immediately and return the product to the company. Snap had launched this product in 2022 and the company had described it as a friendly flying camera. It was a pocket-sized drone. Snap had stopped manufacturing this product in August 2022.
4)
Google launches another text-to-image AI Tool – ImageFX
Google has just unveiled a new text-to-image generative AI tool called ImageFX, powered by their latest Imagen 2 model. It boats the highest quality image outputs among Google’s text-to-image tools. It allows users to create images with simple text prompts, similar to tools like DALL-E 3 and Midjourney. The tool also leverages Google DeepMind’s SynthID technology to embed digital watermarks in all AI generated images, addressing concerns about ownership and potential misuse. However, ImageFX is currently available only in Google Labs, which technically means that it’s still under development and accessible to a limited audience.
5)
SpaceX could launch a private moon lander within weeks
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is gearing up to launch a private moon lander, the Nova-C, within the next few weeks. The Nova-C lander aims to touch down near the Malapert crater close to the moon’s south pole, an area believed to hold water ice. This mission was initially scheduled for May last year but the mission got postponed due to technical reasons. If successful, it would be the first privately developed lander to touch down on the moon. However, it should be noted that landing on the Moon is a complex and risky endeavor, and there is no guarantee of success. Over all, this upcoming SpaceX mission marks an exciting development in lunar exploration and the future of space travel.