News

Everything Announced At Meta’s Connect 2023 Event

Including the Meta Quest 3, Ray-Ban smart glasses, and Meta AI updates.

Published

1 year ago

September 28, 2023

everything announced at meta's connect 2023 event

The Meta Connect 2023 keynote event saw the company share news about its latest products and technologies. CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed updates to Meta’s AI, a new pair of smart glasses in collaboration with Ray-Ban were previewed, and the company’s flagship Quest 3 headset was given a release date.

Meta Quest 3 Release Date

The Meta Quest 3 blends augmented reality into the wearer’s physical surroundings. The headset runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip to double the performance of its predecessor and offer higher resolution and increased depth of field.

Meta has revamped the Quest’s controllers by ditching the tracking rings and adding haptic feedback, while interpupillary adjustment helps glasses wearers get more comfortable.

Along with upcoming native VR games, the Quest 3 will support Xbox Cloud Gaming this December. In addition, Microsoft 365 apps will be compatible by the end of the year, and users will soon be able to access Windows on the headset.

Meta Quest 3 pre-orders are open now, starting at $500 for the 128GB version. The headsets will be shipped by October 10.

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses

Meta has teamed up with Ray-Ban to develop a new pair of smart glasses that offer much-improved specs (no pun intended) over the original Ray-Ban Stories. A 12MP wide-angle camera can record 1080p video at 60fps, while the glasses also include 32GB of storage, five spatial audio mics and upgraded speakers.

Pre-orders for the $299 Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses open today, shipping on October 17.

Meta AI Updates

Meta now offers a range of AI chatbot personalities and a new generative AI assistant, available on WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and other new hardware.

Meanwhile, generative AI image editing is coming to Instagram, along with a green screen similar to the one already unveiled by YouTube. In addition, AI-generated stickers are being rolled out across Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Facebook Stories.

News

UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.

Published

1 week ago

December 17, 2024

Nour Nasir

uae prepares to launch two satellites thuraya-2 and mbz-sat

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.

The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.

خلال ترؤسنا الاجتماع الأول للمجلس الأعلى للفضاء، بحثنا الاستثمارات الوطنية والمشاريع المقبلة في قطاع الفضاء والذي يشهد تطوراً مستمراً… وجددنا التزامنا بدعم ومواصلة تنفيذ برامج طموحة لاستكشاف الفضاء الخارجي حيث وصل حجم الاستثمارات في هذا القطاع إلى 40 مليار درهم خلال السنوات… pic.twitter.com/etJ33OnuSu

— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) December 16, 2024

Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.

Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.

Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.

Also Read: IBM Opens New Doha Office To Support Qatar’s Digital Growth

The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.

The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.