Amazon unveils quantum chip Ocelot, Xiaomi 15 boasts 200MP telephoto camera
Amazon has become the third tech giant in as many months to announce a breakthrough in quantum computing – a technology that promises vast processing power but is beset by technical difficulties. The firm has unveiled Ocelot, a prototype chip built on “cat qubit” technology – an approach derived from the famous “Schrödinger’s cat” thought experiment. The chip seeks to address one of the biggest stumbling blocks to the development of quantum computers – making them error free. Amazon says, taken alongside other recent breakthroughs in the industry, its work means useful quantum computers are likely to be with us sooner than previously thought. BBC
The artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT has launched its video generation tool in the UK amid a deepening row between the tech sector and creative industries over copyright. Beeban Kidron, the film director and crossbench peer, said the introduction of OpenAI’s Sora in the UK added “another layer of urgency to the copyright debate”, in a week the government faced strong criticism over its plans for letting AI firms use artists’ work without permission. San Francisco-based OpenAI is making Sora available to UK users who pay for ChatGPT. The Guardian
Apple’s Find My network is an incredibly useful bit of software, giving users a way to track down their missing devices and accessories — including AirTags, iPhones and even certain kinds of headphones. Unfortunately, it may not have been quite as secure as Apple had hoped, thanks to a serious exploit that researchers at George Mason University uncovered. According to researchers this exploit would have allowed hackers to turn any Bluetooth device into an AirTag “without the opener ever realizing it.” Tom’s Guide
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is here and it kept up the core values that made its predecessor great! It’s beautifully made, and it has the latest chipset, while adding a bigger battery and improving what was already a kickass camera system. The new Xiaomi Ultra naturally adopts the full-fledged Snapdragon 8 Elite and pairs it with 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM. There’s either 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage. The new chipset provides up to 45% better performance and as much as 52% lower power consumption.
The new battery features an industry-leading 10% silicon carbide content and its capacity has grown by 17% to 6,000mAh (global models are expected to have a 5,410mAh unit). It keeps the same 90W wired and 80W wireless charging support as the 14 Ultra, though. The display is a 6.73-inch 3200x1440px AMOLED panel with a 1-120Hz refresh rate and up to 3,200 nits of brightness. GSMArena
There was a time, not so long ago, when TVs just showed, well, TV. Not anymore. The Echo Show 21 is just the latest – and biggest – of a new generation of Echo Show devices that can control your home, even aspects of your life. Combining all the functionality of Amazon’s Fire TV and Echo smart speakers in one solidly-built touchscreen display, it’s a complete smart home hub for hanging on the wall (a stand is available for an additional fee). It’s perfect for checking out recipes while you cook, or for controlling your home’s smart devices such as cameras and heating systems. However, there are better and cheaper options if you just want to relax and watch a movie. Tech Radar
