Smartphones have rapidly evolved over the years, yet the way we interact with them remains largely unchanged. For most users, keypads and touchscreens are still the primary interfaces, mainly because they’re undeniably convenient. 

This seemingly intuitive interface, however, can be a major hurdle for people with disabilities, such as those suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). 

ALS is a neurodegenerative condition that causes progressive muscle weakness, often leaving individuals with limited mobility. As a result, pressing a button or even a simple swipe on the screen can be a challenging task for them. 

To make smartphones more accessible for these users, Honor introduced an intent-based eye-tracking system with MagicOS 8.0 as part of its commitment to human-centric innovation. The feature allows users to control their phones solely through eye movements.

“ALS patients often retain control only of their eye movement in the later stages of the disease”, says Limore Noach, executive director of the ALS Foundation Netherlands. Thanks to Honor, these users now have a new way to interact with their smartphones.

The system is called “intent-based” because it uses artificial intelligence to understand what the user wants to do. This makes it easier and more natural to navigate the phone.

The company demoed this intent-based eye-tracking system at MWC this year on the Chinese Magic 6 Pro smartphone. They’ve now confirmed that the feature will be rolled out to global devices starting August 27th. However, Honor has yet to specify which smartphones will support this technology. We hope that every device receiving MagicOS 8.0 will include it.

Looking ahead, Honor is also developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) system, which will allow people to communicate with external devices using brain signals—an incredibly convenient method for individuals with limited mobility.

While the BCI system is still in development, Honor is running a social media campaign, #HONORtheChallenger, to raise awareness for ALS across platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. The campaign is endorsed by athletes like Nile Wilson and has already garnered a global engagement of 11 million.

The post Honor to roll out intent-based eye-tracking feature to global devices this month appeared first on Gizmochina.

Earlier today, Honor announced MagicOS 8.0 in China. The latest version of the brand’s mobile operating system is filled with AI features.

The software will debut on the Magic 6 series, which is scheduled to launch tomorrow (January 11). Unsurprisingly, it will be also available for several older devices.

At the end of the presentation, Honor revealed the list of smartphones that are eligible for the MagicOS 8.0 update. Let’s go through it.

The MagicOS 8.0 open beta program will begin in January itself. Magic 5 and Magic 4 phones will be the first to get the beta builds.

The beta initiative will run until May.  The affordable Honor X50 series handsets will be the last models to receive beta firmware.

Honor MagicOS 8 Open Beta Timeline

• January
  • Honor Magic 5 Ultimate
  • Honor Magic 5 Pro
  • Honor Magic 5
  • Honor Magic 4 Ultimate
  • Honor Magic 4 Pro
  • Honor Magic 4
• February
  • Honor Magic V2 Ultimate
  • Honor Magic V2
  • Honor Magic Vs 2
  • Honor Magic Vs 2 Ultimate
  • Honor Magic Vs
  • Honor Magic V
  • Honor V Purse
  • Honor Magic 3 Ultimate
  • Honor Magic 3 Pro
  • Honor Magic 3
  • Honor 100 Pro
  • Honor 100
  • Honor 90 GT
• March
  • Honor 90 Pro
  • Honor 90
  • Honor 80 Pro Flat
  • Honor 80 Pro
  • Honor 80 GT
  • Honor 80
• April
  • Honor 70 Pro Plus
  • Honor 70 Pro
  • Honor 70
  • Honor 60 Pro
  • Honor 60
  • Honor 50 Pro
  • Honor 50
• May
  • Honor X50 GT
  • Honor X50 Pro
  • Honor X50
  • Honor X40 GT Racing
  • Honor X40 GT
  • Honor X50i Plus
  • Honor X50i

All the aforementioned smartphones should get access to the MagicOS 8.0 stable update within a few weeks from when they receive the beta build.

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The post These phones will get Honor MagicOS 8 update appeared first on Gizmochina.

As scheduled, Honor took wraps off the latest version of its mobile operating system — MagicOS 8.0, in China. The OS arrives with platform-level AI and intent-based user interface (IUI).

The brand also announced MagicLM, a proprietary on-device large language model. George Zhao, CEO of Honor, says that the company’s new software is a significant step towards bringing next-generation human-device interaction and ecosystem to users.

MagicOS 8.0 brings improvements in four areas: smart connectivity, performance, privacy and security, and visual aesthetics

Magic Portal is the branding Honor is using for its intent-based user interface. In simpler words, it is a shortcut recommendation feature that lets users switch between app services with just a swipe.

At launch, Magic Portal already supports over 100 popular apps in China. These applications are spread across categories, like travel, productivity, social, search, entertainment, shopping, and food. Some of the most-used apps include Baidu Map, Amap, Didi, Bilibili, Douyin, Youku, and Alipay.

Further, MagicLM with seven billion parameters operates at a platform level with data processing on the device for enhanced privacy. Honor has partnered with Qualcomm to run it smoothly and efficiently on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile platform.

Apart from standard natural language understanding capabilities, MagicLM is also capable of generating videos and is the first in the industry to allow users to locate a specific frame in their videos. It is also integrated with the voice assistant YOYO.

Besides, Honor launched an LLM Ecosystem Program in China. This initiative promotes the integration of cloud-based and vertical AI models into MagicOS. Partners, such as Amap, Baidu, and Umetrip, will launch their experiences in the first half of 2024.

MagicRing, which was introduced in MagicOS 7.0 enables cross-device functionalities. The feature now supports connections from point-to-point networks to fully connected networks.

It is now 25% more power-efficient with a whopping 500% improvement in speed. It supports eight transmission channels to allow calls, notifications, keyboard and mouse, files, app windows, and photos to seamlessly flow across devices.

As for privacy, MagicOS 8.0 comes with system-wide Parallel Spaces. Users can move files to private space through Magic Portal. A new shake-to-block ads feature helps in eliminating intrusive pop-up ads. Lastly, all AI processing of personal data happens securely on the device.

MagicOS 8.0 will make its debut on the Honor Magic 6 series tomorrow (January 11). It will be rolled out to a plethora of devices in the coming days.

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The post Honor unveils MagicOS 8.0 with AI-powered features appeared first on Gizmochina.