What They Say
Auganix reported that Qualcomm is boosting its R&D investment in XR with the opening of six new labs in Europe.
Separately, Engadget reported that the firm has developed a ‘5G neckband’ with Verizon that supports the Lenovo ThinkReality A3 headset (among others).
Based on photos seen by the blog,
“it looks like a cross between a chunky necklace and a lanyard. There’s what looks like a rope-sized cable encircling your neck, which the companies say attaches magnetically, and a card-sized module that dangles from its middle. The current iteration is black with a red barrel on the right to connect to headsets, which is compatible with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon VR platform and Microsoft’s Remote Network Driver Interface (RNDIS). It also offers USB-C and DP1.4 connections.
The companies said the front pendant measures 2.1 x 3.8 inches (54 x 97mm), weighs 3.5 ounces (100 grams), and contains a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, 5,000mAh battery, touchpad, SIM card slot and charging light indicator. It also houses a slew of sensors like a gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer and GPS, in addition to antennae for 5G, which are also embedded along the rest of the neckband. At the back sits a trapezoid-shaped module weighing 2.6 ounces (75 grams) that also contains antenna and stereo loudspeakers. Connecting the two are coaxes and signal lines, according to company reps.”
The development is reported to be in an ‘early stage’.
We found the image here.
What We Think
This is an interesting alternative to a belt-based clip on, although I’m not sure I’d be keen on it, although I think it’s still better than balancing on the nose and ears. (BR)
