The big smartphone show has the answer to the future of smartphones and an app to find a workout buddy
The TechCrunch team is in Barcelona this week to bring you all the action going on at Mobile World Congress 2024. You already know what we’re expecting, so sit back, relax and stay tuned throughout the week as we bring you the products, announcements and startup news from MWC that you need to know.
So far, we’ve seen some big announcements from companies, including new Android features from Google, Lenovo’s new laptop concept and rollable phone concept and Xiaomi’s robotic dog. As MWC progresses, here’s how you can follow along with our team’s coverage.
Friday, March 1
Ultraleap is bringing haptic touch to cars and VR headsets
If you don’t know what haptics are, you will by the end of this article. Brian Heater spoke with Ultraleap co-founder and CEO Tom Carter about adapting the technology for use in automotive and virtual reality. However, that’s not all the company can do with it.
Swayy helps you tell your friends where you will be
Instagram now has the “Friend Map” feature; maybe you were yearning for a midday cup of joe and were hoping one of your friends could join you. Swayy wants to go one step further than just saying where you are at the moment and has an iPhone app that enables you to share where you plan to go in a couple of hours or even a month from now.
Thursday, February 29
Brain.ai and the future of smartphones
Earlier this week, Brian Heater met with Brain.ai founder and CEO Jerry Yue and what resulted is a delightful chronicle of how generative AI might be foundational to the next generation of devices.
The AI and interface company’s operating system is likely to be seen in the United States in the device known as the T-Mobile REVVL (known as the “T Phone” in international markets like the EU), Brian writes. The precise model, release date and nature of the deal will be revealed “soon,” according to Yue.
“From a privacy and security perspective, we want to give a new level of control that people don’t have right now,” Yue said. “The computer’s understanding of you, now it’s aggregated into different apps. These AI models are black boxes — recommendation machines that exploit our attention. We believe in explainable AI. We will be explaining to you, each step of the way, why we are making a recommendation. You have more people owning the AI and not big tech black boxes.”
Wednesday, February 28
Liveliness wants to help you find a workout buddy
Liveliness is building a community app around shared sporting passions. The free app offers a chat function and the ability for users to set up events that other users can sign up to join. It also features a feed of (non-user) organized events geared toward learning and improving at different sports, such as running clubs, street yoga, calisthenics sessions and so on. These can include paid events, giving the startup a route to earning commissions. It also plans to monetizes through a premium version of the app, with additional features for subscribers.
Sweanty’s wearable patch for athletes
Sweanty (clever name) is the Spanish startup behind a stick-on patch for tracking athletes’ sweat to monitor salt loss and help them tailor their rehydration strategy. The system is designed to ensure athletes rehydrate with the correct amount of electrolytes (or isotonic drinks) after each training session. Analysis of the patch wearers’ “sweatprofile” is sent to a companion app where they access their tailored hydration plan.
Qilimanjaro named winner of 4FYN pitch competition
Qilimanjaro was chosen as the winner of the Four Years From Now (4YFN) pitch competition, which aims to find the “best startups” around the globe. The company, based in Spain, is a full-stack quantum computing company focused on high-quality qubit architectures and “coherent quantum annealers, which do not require quantum error correction and can be therefore faster-to-market.” It was awarded €20,000.
- Bitsensing, based in South Korea, is developing radar technology that can detect if passengers are inside a car or not, without using cameras.
- Mica AI Medical, based in Israel, is training its operating system to spot and diagnose suspicious findings in mammograms early, particularly for women with dense breasts.
- Ocean Ecostructures, based in Spain, is developing a biodiversity regeneration program that it claims regenerates marine life and aims to mitigate the environmental effects of “gray oceans.”
- Whispp, based in the Netherlands, develops an “assistive voice tech and calling app” that converts whispered and vocal cord impaired speech into a person’s natural voice, in real time. Check out TechCrunch’s coverage of the company from January.
Eco-friendly thread . . . made from kombucha?
If the taste of kombucha isn’t your cup of tea, you might enjoy this use for it. While scouting out the Four Years From Now (4YFN) exhibition floor, Natasha Lomas spoke with Laura Freixas about her PhD research project that’s using a base of the fermented hipster tea to “upcycle” organic waste into filaments. Freixas and her peers at the Barcelona School of Design and Engineering are aiming to commercialize the bio-filament and are calling it Biocel. Step aside mycelium, kombucha is coming for ya.
Nothing Phone (2a)
London phone company Nothing unveiled its Nothing Phone (2a), and true to form, is teasing out little bits of information rather than making a big splash as other tech companies do. While technically the company’s third phone, Brian Heater explains, “The ‘a’ bit, as you’ve likely gathered from previous handsets, implies a budget focus. In recent years, that’s mostly been a game of deciding which flagship features can sacrificed to reduce the price, while keeping is close to a premium feel as possible.” Much about the phone is similar to Nothing’s earlier devices, however what’s different is that the Phone (2a) is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chip, a variant built specifically for the device.
Tuesday, February 27
HTC Vive became an enterprise business
HTC broke off into a mixed reality division about a decade ago. During that time, Vive’s headsets have gone from a mostly consumer play to more of an enterprise tool. Brian Heater sat down with Dan O’Brien, HTC’s Vive general manager, and John Dabill, the brand’s head of product operations, to discuss Vision Pro, Magic Leap, the metaverse and generative AI.
eQub digitizes peer-to-peer lending in Africa
Meet eQub, an Ethiopian startup and winner of the fintech pitch-off at 4YFN 2024, Mobile World Congress’ startup event. Nahom Michael, the company’s business development lead, explained that the company’s name is an Amharic word referring to a local form of peer-to-peer credit. An Equb is a group of people who join forces to save money, similar to a tanda, which is then distributed on a rotating basis. eQub is digitizing the experience, starting with an app, to target users among the growing number of Ethiopians who have bank accounts and mobile phones, but limited access to credit.
SynFlora is taking on acne
The skin is the largest organ that we have, and we don’t always treat it right. That’s where biotech startup SynFlora comes in with a new type of skin treatment technology. The company is initially focused on acne and is working on a way to deliver the treatment in a deeper way than topically applied creams and also to design and engineer a wider range of treatments by using biotech methods to harness bacteria to deliver targeted therapeutics.
Lizcore’s sport tracking system
Lizcore has done what Natasha Lomas thought was impossible: digitizing and improving the indoor climbing experience. With Lizcore’s progress tracking system, climbers don’t need to climb with their phone or wear a smartwatch. All they need is its lightweight NFC wearable, which the company calls the Lizy bracelet that pairs with the startup’s app.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/01/mwc-2024-everything-you-need-to-know/