Corporate Updates
Meta Platforms has acquired Manus, a Singapore-based AI startup originally founded in China, for over $2 billion.
Manus develops autonomous AI agents that handle tasks like research, coding, and data analysis with minimal prompts. Meta will integrate this technology into Meta AI, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, while keeping Manus’s subscription services running.
The acquisition highlights Meta’s push to compete with OpenAI and Google in advanced AI development.
Meta Platforms has released a major update for its AI-powered smart glasses, including Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta HSTN models. The v21 update is currently available in the US and Canada via Meta’s Early Access Program, with a wider rollout planned. The update brings two main features: Conversation Focus and Spotify integration, aimed at making the glasses more useful for everyday life.
Conversation Focus helps users hear people more clearly in noisy environments. Using the glasses’ built-in speakers and microphones, it isolates the voice of the person in front of the wearer while reducing background noise. Users can adjust the level of focus by swiping the right temple of the glasses or via settings, making it easier to talk in places like restaurants, trains, or crowded streets.
The update also integrates Spotify directly into the glasses. Users can now ask the AI to play music hands-free, and the system can even suggest songs based on what the wearer is looking at. For instance, saying “Hey Meta, play a song to match this view” while looking at a scene can trigger a playlist tailored to that environment, combining visual recognition with music recommendations.
The v21 update also expands voice command support in English and introduces regional language options. In India, Telugu and Kannada are now supported alongside English and Hindi, making the AI glasses more accessible to local users.
With these upgrades, Meta aims to make its smart glasses more practical for daily life, improving conversation clarity, hands-free music control, and personalised experiences. The update shows Meta’s focus on blending technology with real-world usability, making AI-powered glasses not just a gadget but a helpful companion for work, travel, and leisure.
The v21 update marks a step forward in Meta’s vision for smart eyewear, offering a mix of convenience, entertainment, and enhanced interaction in a compact device worn on the face. Users can expect a smoother experience with clearer audio, interactive music, and smarter AI features as Meta continues to refine its wearable technology.
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A new fault line has emerged in India’s digital landscape, with some of the world’s biggest technology companies urging caution just as Indian telecom operators push ahead. Apple, Amazon, Meta, Cisco and others have told TRAI that the 6 GHz band should not be handed over to mobile networks yet, arguing it is better used to strengthen India’s expanding Wi-Fi ecosystem.
Global tech majors submitted a joint response to TRAI’s spectrum consultation, challenging Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea’s push to auction the 6 GHz band for future 5G and 6G use. According to these companies, the upper portion of the band is not technically ready for mobile services and is still under evaluation internationally.
They want regulators to keep the 6425–7125 MHz range unlicensed for now, allowing wider, faster and more affordable Wi-Fi, something they say benefits consumers, small businesses and India’s digital economy more immediately than reallocating it to telecom operators.
Global players have also urged the government to revisit the band only after 2027, when the next World Radiocommunication Conference is expected to lay down clearer global norms for upper-6 GHz usage.
India has already delicensed 500 MHz in the lower 6 GHz band, while about 400 MHz is likely to be auctioned soon. However, Jio wants the entire 1,200 MHz opened for IMT services to support future network growth.
Telecom operators, represented by COAI, argue that delicensing more spectrum will weaken mobile network capacity, hurt long-term planning and reduce government auction revenues.
Chipmaker Qualcomm has echoed Big Tech’s stance, saying India should wait for global clarity before moving the upper 6 GHz band into mobile services.
With both sides presenting sharply different priorities, telcos pushing for future mobile capacity and tech giants backing robust public Wi-Fi, TRAI now faces the challenge of balancing immediate connectivity needs with longer-term spectrum strategy.
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