This week many technology companies are making announcements at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the world’s largest mobile and communications trade show. Barron’s will report on all the major news from the event, as well as what’s happening in tech elsewhere.
Samsung Set to Launch Wearable Ring – Apple to Follow?
Samsung Electronics
is showing off its wearable smart ring for the first time at Mobile World Congress. Meanwhile,
Apple
is still thinking about it.
Samsung confirmed at MWC that it plans to launch the Galaxy Ring —yes it sounds like something from the Marvel universe— before the end of the year.
While the Korean company wasn’t keen to confirm exactly what its capabilities are, it will focus on health tracking, with sleep and heart monitoring the top features – as well as a mysterious “Vitality Score” which will offer personalized health insights. The Galaxy Ring versions Barron’s saw came in three colors – gold, silver and black- and a range of sizes.
Smart rings are ostensibly more comfortable wearable options than a smartwatch, especially at night. The market is currently dominated by smaller companies such as Finland’s Oura Health.
However, that could soon change. Some people within
Apple
are pushing for the iPhone maker to also pursue smart-ring development, according to Bloomberg, citing an internal presentation. However, for now nothing is in active development.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on that report early on Monday.
Qualcomm Bets on AI Coming to Smartphones
Qualcomm
is hoping to be the next chip maker to get a big boost from artificial intelligence. On Monday, the company made a series of AI software and hardware announcements at Mobile World Congress.
First up is the task of getting AI to at least partially work on a mobile device rather than relying on remote servers increasingly powered by
Nvidia’s
graphics-processing units. Qualcomm is looking to tackle that with its new AI Hub—giving developers access to more than 75 pre-optimized AI models for deployment on devices, so long as they’re powered by the company’s processors.
Qualcomm is powering several AI-enabled smartphones on show at MWC, including
Samsung Electronics
’ new Galaxy S24 Ultra and Chinese company Honor’s Magic 6 Pro. However, it’s also hoping to make inroads into the PC market with its chips’ AI capabilities.
In addition to powering AI on devices, Qualcomm is looking to make its own technology better with the technology. The company said AI would help integrate Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ultra Wideband (another type of wireless signal) in a single chip, allowing it to adapt better to different uses.
Write to Adam Clark at adam.clark@barrons.com
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