Tech News This Week #18 | NF World Latest News
Xiaomi VP Resigns | Logitech Video Chat Booth | Apple’s 2nd gen HomePod | Perseverance 4th Sample drop | Mars Sample Return – Tech News this Week
Check out below to read the Top 5 Interesting Tech News this Week in the NF World Latest News Section. In this section, you can read the weekly summary of Gadgets, Space and Science-related Tech News.
Manu Jain Departs from Xiaomi After 9 Years of Successful Leadership in India
Xiaomi, the leading Chinese electronics maker, has seen the departure of its former head of Indian operations and global vice president, Manu Jain, after a 9-year tenure. Jain was a critical player in Xiaomi’s success in India, where the company became the top smartphone brand in 2017. He was one of the founding members of the India team, working closely with former Google executive Hugo Barra.
In 2022, Jain was summoned by India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) for an investigation into an alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema). The ED accused Xiaomi India of transferring foreign exchange out of the country in the name of royalty payments to its Chinese parent. As a result, the agency seized assets worth ₹5,551.27 crores. Despite this, Jain moved to Dubai, though the company denies it was related to the investigation.
Xiaomi India confirmed Jain’s departure in a statement and thanked him for his contribution to the company’s success. He played a crucial role in the growth of Xiaomi in India, leading it to become one of the most loved and trusted smartphone brands in the country. Jain’s departure is a significant loss for Xiaomi, but the company wishes him success in his future endeavours.
Xiaomi India has appointed Alvin Tse as the general manager and Anuj Sharma as the chief marketing officer. Muralikrishnan B was also promoted to the role of president, of Xiaomi India. The company is committed to continuing its success in India and is confident in the capabilities of its new leadership team.
Logitech Unveils Ambitious New Video Chat Booth ‘Project Ghost
Logitech and Steelcase have revealed a new prototype called “Project Ghost”, a video chat booth that aims to create a more comfortable and lifelike virtual conversation experience.
Project Ghost uses Logitech’s videoconferencing technology, a special piece of glass and a camera to create the illusion of eye contact.
The booth includes a comfortable chair, a display box with a camera, microphone, speakers, and a side table. The booth will be certified for popular video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet.
The goal is to release Project Ghost within a year, with a live demo at the Integrated Systems Europe conference in Barcelona and an open house at Steelcase’s WorkLife Center in Barcelona.
Logitech and Steelcase haven’t released the cost, but have said that it may start with a clue from their existing products.
Apple’s Second-Generation HomePod: A Revamped Smart Speaker with Improved Features
Apple has introduced a new HomePod speaker after discontinuing the original model in 2021. The new model, priced at $299, is more of a makeover than a successor to the original.
It is similar in appearance and design, with the same spongy mesh fabric, but has new sensors and capabilities, including smart home features.
Despite the new features, the HomePod still carries a higher price tag compared to other smart speakers such as Amazon’s Echo Studio and Sonos One.
The LED animations on the top of the speaker are now larger and spread across the entire glossy surface. The HomePod is available in midnight and white colours, with a user-removable power cord and a traditional figure-8 connector. However, the glossy top section is harder to clean and may develop stains over time.
NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Drops 4th Sample Tube for Mars Sample Return Program
NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover has dropped its fourth sample tube on the Red Planet’s surface as part of the Mars Sample Return Program.
The rover took 43 sample containers to Mars, of which 38 will be filled with collected Martian samples and five will remain empty. So far, the rover has gathered 18 samples of rock and regolith.
The plan is for the Perseverance Rover to deliver the samples to a future robotic lander for transfer to a containment capsule on a rocket, which will launch into orbit. Another spacecraft will then capture the container for return to Earth.
In case the rover is unable to deliver the samples, a backup “depot” of ten samples will be left on the Martian surface.
NASA will use sample recovery helicopters to retrieve the samples and deposit them with the lander. The Perseverance team has assured that the possibility of the samples being covered by sandstorms is low.
The Martian atmosphere is much less dense than Earth’s, so winds can pick up speed but not carry a lot of debris.
The winds will only create a fine coating of dust on the sample tubes, and the Perseverance Rover is documenting their locations for future retrieval by the sample recovery helicopters.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Completes Mars Sample Depot Mission, Paves Way for Study of Ancient Life
NASA’s Perseverance rover has completed a historic mission on Mars, depositing the final 10 sample tubes on the Martian surface.
This marks humanity’s first sample depot on another world, part of the Mars Sample Return mission to gather Martian material for study on Earth.
The rover landed in Jezero Crater, a 28-mile-wide bowl, in February 2021, with the goal of searching for evidence of ancient microbial life and gathering environmental samples.
The 17 primary samples carried by Perseverance are hoped to eventually be delivered back to Earth.
The completed sample depot in Three Forks serves as a backup cache in case the rover is unable to deliver its samples.
The location of each tube has been carefully mapped so they can be found in future missions.
With the sample depot complete, Perseverance will now embark on an extended mission to explore the nearby Delta Top territory.
The focus of the main mission turns to the eventual retrieval of the Martian samples, a process that is estimated to take over a decade and involves numerous complex steps.
Defence contractor Lockheed Martin has been entrusted with building the Mars Ascent Vehicle to lift the samples off the planet and pass them to the European Space Agency spacecraft for delivery to Earth.
If successful, this mission could bring us closer than ever to discovering evidence of life beyond Earth.
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