MWC 2024 has wrapped up its second day, and we've seen a lot of new and interesting technology We saw everything from specialized mobile SIM cards and AI-based pins to affordable smartphones

Mobile World Congress always promises to be an exciting time for those interested in the future of mobile, and so far it has not disappointed If you don't want to miss what's happening, join us for this second day's roundup of news, product announcements, and hands-on sessions involving upcoming cell phones, wearables, and other mobile devices

MWC is one of the primary venues where developers showcase the future possibilities of technology, and none more futuristic than the Humane AI pin This little hi-tech hopes to make screens a thing of the past and remove all the distractions of smartphones The result is simple, sleek hardware

At MWC 2024, people finally had the opportunity to get their hands on this device and see what it can do The pin is loaded with a wealth of smart-assist commands, and the tiny camera can briefly describe what it sees and provide breakdowns and suggestions based on what is in front of it

There are some concerns, however Namely, it has minimal functionality and may be more of a hindrance than a help For example, the way the photos are viewed from the device appears to be more awkward than it really needs to be; time will tell if this minimalist approach to AI is enough to draw a crowd

The OnePlus Watch 1 was very affordable and easy to use when it first launched, but it lacked a few key features and failed to live up to its potential; OnePlus seems to have learned its lesson with the launch of the OnePlus Watch 2 at MWC 2024

Perhaps the most impressive change is the introduction of a twin chipset design on the OnePlus Watch 2 and the ability to bring third-party apps to the device The dual chipset allows the device to run two operating systems, Wear OS and the original OnePlus Watch RTOS software Essentially, this system allows the watch to perform simple operations through the RTOS and more complex programs through the Wear OS

The downside to this is that the price goes up from $159 to $300, but developers feel that this is a reasonable adjustment considering the amount of work and technology put into the new watch the changes OnePlus has put into its next-generation watch may not be enough to tempt customers to try the OnePlus Watch 2 Only time will tell if the changes OnePlus is making to its next-generation watch will be enough to entice customers to give the OnePlus Watch 2 a try

Network disruption has been a major focus of the news lately due to AT&T's massive network drop last week For many people, this network downfall has caused complications and their lives have essentially come to a halt However, the release of Resilient SIM (rSIM for short) may be the solution people need

The rSIM can test a cell phone's network connection every 60 seconds, and if it detects no connection after a pre-set time, it will switch to a second backup network Importantly, all of this is done in the background without any input from the user It should be noted, however, that rSIM is expected to cost more than a single SIM card, although it will be slightly cheaper than two separate cards

Given current concerns about network disruption, this is the perfect time for this type of technology to be released While it won't stop the network from disrupting itself, it will provide some reassurance to customers that their lives will be as undisturbed as possible

There is no doubt that VR is the future, but whatever the Apple Vision Pro is, it is an outrageously expensive future But the ZapBox could be the affordable VR experience people are looking for

The tiny headset, which costs only $100, acts as a cell phone frame; the ZapBox is just an adjustable headset, a lens that holds an iPhone in front of your eyes, and a Bluetooth controller When we tried it out, we found that while the app was a bit tricky, there was little lag when using the device as a pass-through for AI

The concept of using a smartphone for VR is not really new; we've seen variations of this type of headset before with Samsung's Gear VR, Google Cardboard, and Lenovo Mirage However, ZapBox has some interesting ideas about app development that may help you avoid the pitfalls of prior products

If you are looking for a more affordable handset, TCL just announced a new "50 series" handset; TCL may not have the brand recognition of the other handsets on our best cheap phones list, but it consistently makes more than adequate phones Is

The first phone to appear is the TCL 50 XL 5G, which will be available on T-Mobile's Metro in Q2 2024 for the low price of $159 This phone has a 678" screen, a reasonable camera setup, and 6 GB of RAM At the same time, TCL will launch the TCL 50 XL NXTPAPER 5G, the first phone in the US to feature TCL's NXTPAPER 30 display, for $229

Also in Q3 will be the TCL 50 XE 5G and TCL 50 XE NXTPAPER 5G, priced at $149 and $199, respectively Finally, there will be an ultra-cheap option called the TCL 50 LE This phone will be priced at about $99 and will be available at an unspecified point later this year

Obviously, this price means that these phones will not have the power or AI capabilities of the big players, but they are perfect for those who want a perfectly good phone at a reasonable cost