Tech Digest daily roundup: Oppo announces Air Glass ‘assisted reality’ device
Oppo has announced the Air Glass, an AR device that’ll go on sale early next year. Oppo describes the Air Glass as an “assisted reality” product, as opposed to augmented reality, meaning it projects 2D information into your field of view rather than overlaying 3D objects onto the real world. (Yes, sort of like Google Glass.) The Air Glass has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4100 processor and weighs just 30g (about 1oz) in total. Oppo says it should last for 3 hours of active usage and 40 hours on standby. There are two frame designs, a silver half-frame and a black full-frame, and each is available in two sizes. The inside of the frame has a magnetic port that allows it to be attached to more conventional glasses. The waveguide display uses a tiny projector with Micro LED tech capable of up to 3 million nits peak brightness, though Oppo says the actual brightness will be up to 1,400 nits in average conditions. The Verge
Google was the company to make augmented reality glasses the hot topic back when it launched its Google Glass wearable in 2013, but the company was forced to pivot its strategy to focus on the enterprise market due to consumer privacy concerns back in the day. With many other companies launching somewhat similar products these days (see above), like Snapchat with its Spectacles and Microsoft with its HoloLens, Google seems to think that it’s time to return to the market, too. As spotted by 9to5Google, the company is building out a team to develop some “Augmented Reality OS” for “an innovative AR device.” Android Police
New criminal offences and major changes have been proposed in the UK’s landmark Online Safety Bill, which seeks to regulate social media and tech giants. A new parliamentary report calls for adding scams and offences, like sending unwanted sexual images and promoting violence against women and girls. A named senior manager at the tech giants should also be made personally liable in court for failures, it said. Those behind the report said “we need to call time on the Wild West online”. Damian Collins, chairman of the joint committee issuing the report, said: “What’s illegal offline should be regulated online. For too long, big tech has gotten away with being the land of the lawless…. the era of self-regulation for big tech has come to an end.” BBC
Apple and Google have been criticised for “exercising a ‘vice-like grip’ over mobile devices” by the UK’s competition watchdog. More than 99% of all phones sold in the UK run on either iOS, owned by Apple, or Android, owned by Google – meaning these two companies can “tilt the playing field towards their own services”. An interim report into the companies published by the Competition and Markets Authority on Tuesday said the watchdog was “concerned that this is leading to less competition and meaningful choice for customers”. The CMA has advocated that the issue be tackled through the new Digital Markets Unit when it receives powers from the government. Sky News
The pro-democracy opposition to Myanmar’s ruling junta has adopted a cryptocurrency as its official tender to help raise funds for toppling military rule. The National Unity Government, a parallel regime that supports ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, will accept the digital coin Tether as its official currency. It is also aiming to raise $1bn (£750m) in bonds as a government-in-exile and has begun a crowdfunding campaign to secure cash for military resistance from its global diaspora. Tether, a “stablecoin” that is linked to the price of the dollar, would be accepted for domestic use for payments, the opposition’s finance minister Tin Tun Naing said on Facebook. Telegraph
