Technologies

6G Phones Won’t Just Be Fast. They’ll Plug You Into an ‘Always-Sensing Network’

We’re edging closer to yet another technology transformation. «6G will provide context» to help AI agents get things done, says Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.

You’ve seen the progression on your phone screen over the years: 3G technology was followed by 4G, and now, probably more often than not, your phone is connecting over 5G. On the ever-closer horizon is, you guessed it, 6G.

Unlike with the Gs that preceded it, 6G has been flying under the radar. It’s less a source of consumer hype and more a point of discussion around the telecoms industry and the networks it relies upon.

But that isn’t quite the full story.

During his keynote address at Web Summit on Tuesday, Cristiano Amon, CEO of chipmaker Qualcomm, hinted that 6G networks, which are scheduled to launch in the US in the early 2030s, might have something exciting to offer us after all.

«6G is designed for AI,» he said at the event in Lisbon, Portugal. It will boost the speed of connectivity and sense what’s around us, providing context to the AI agents that are coming to do things on our behalf.

Following this tantalizingly brief comment, I was keen to find out more about what 6G cellular technology might do for the average smartphone user, so I asked Amon to elaborate on what we can expect from this next-gen network technology.

Every generation of network tech has been the gateway to a new experience, Amon said. 2G was about making sure everyone in the world can have a mobile phone, 3G was for connecting the phone to the internet, 4G turned our mobile device into computers. 5G has allowed us to have critical connectivity and unlimited data.

What then, can 6G offer us above and beyond what we already have?

The obvious answer: even faster speeds and even lower latency. But that takes on particular importance given the coming shift in how we’ll interact with our AI-enabled devices, Amon said.

One of the big benefits of the more advanced large language models we’re now using — the foundational technology that underlies AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Copilot — is that they can understand our natural speech, making voice the easiest and most obvious way for us to chat with our AI agents.

«Voice is going to become important again,» Amon told me. «We’re going to use voice to connect to agents and to all the different devices, so it’s going to even further improve the response time, and it’s going to provide you faster connectivity.»

6G will drive an ‘always-sensing network’

Qualcomm has been an early proponent of the potential of AI agents, which can independently carry out tasks on your behalf. Its chips are already beginning to power agentic experiences across phones, wearables, computers and cars.

If we’re relying on our voices to interact accurately and confidently with agents, which might be making payments or emailing a client on our behalf, absolutely seamless connectivity will be critical to ensure nothing gets lost in translation. This is where 6G will come into its own, according to Amon.

«The devices we interact with are going to understand what we say, what we hear, what we see,» he said. «6G will provide context.» We’ll be surrounded by an «always-sensing network» that will allow our agents to predict what we’ll do and need next based on what’s going on around us, he added.

On stage, Amon gave the example of applying AI to a radio — 6G, like its predecessors, is a radio communication technology — so that it can detect disturbances in the radio frequency environment in a room. It could, for instance, detect changes to a baby’s breathing while it’s in the crib without requiring a wearable monitor. Another, perhaps less appealing example, is mass facial recognition, which would allow for the simultaneous identification of everyone in a room.

«I know it sounds a little bit scary,» said Amon. But the 6G network understanding our context will be key to enabling AI agents to operate, he added.

With at least five years until 6G is due to launch in the US and with AI continuing to develop at a rapid pace, it’s hard to predict exactly what will happen when the two technologies finally collide. But one thing is for sure: 6G will power new experiences — some of which might not have been invented yet.

Disclosure: Katie Collins traveled to Lisbon as a guest of Web Summit to serve as a panel moderator. Her reporting from the event was independent of that role.

Technologies

Apple Launches Creator Studio Package as $13 a Month Subscription

Mac users can still buy the apps individually, but subscribers get access to Final Cut Pro and other Studio tools.

Apple is bundling its pro filmmaking and audio tools including Final Cut Pro with its productivity apps Keynote, Pages and Numbers into a subscription software suite called Apple Creator Studio.

The package, which includes apps for Mac, iPad and iPhone, includes Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, MainStage and the whiteboard app Freeform. Creator Studio will be available starting Jan. 28 at a cost of $13 per month or $129 per year, or $3 per month or $30 per year for students and educators. Mac users will still have the option to purchase software like Final Cut Pro for a one-time free. The current price for Final Cut Pro in the Mac App Store is $300.

While apps such as Keynote and Pages are already free on Apple platforms, it appears that new versions of those apps will receive access to beta features that will roll out first to Creator Studio subscribers. The announcement by Apple alludes to «new AI features and premium content» in some of the apps it otherwise makes available to use for free.

What the Creator Studio bundle comes with

The star of the show in Creator Studio is Final Cut Pro, the video editing software that will now include Transcript Search on both Mac and iPad. There is also a new Beat Detection feature Apple says uses an AI model to analyze a music track and display a beat grid, making it easier to cut video to music rhythms. The software also will include a new Montage Maker on iPad for quick social video creation.

Motion, the 2D and 3D graphics tool, and Compressor also integrate with Final Cut Pro. Apple touted Motion’s Magnetic Mask feature for isolating objects or people without the need for a green screen.

Logic Pro has new features for musicians, including a Synth Player addition to AI Session Players. Chord ID, a new AI feature, can create chord progressions from audio or MIDI recordings. A new Sound Library will have hundreds of royalty-free clips, samples and loops.

A revamped MainStage app gives subscribers access to instrument, voice-professing and guitar rig tools. Pixelmator Pro arrives with new tools and filters, and there will be an iPad version in addition to the Mac tool.

Freeform in the Creator Studio package will add premium content, including curated photos, graphics and illustrations. It will also get new AI features that include image creation.

Technologies

Reddit Outage Resolved: Here’s What Happened

Did you have trouble reading your favorite subreddits today? You weren’t alone.

If you had trouble accessing the news and discussion forum Reddit on Tuesday, you weren’t the only one. However, as of 10:15 a.m. PT, the site appears to be back up and running normally. Reddit’s status monitoring page, RedditStatus.com, notes that «all systems (are) operational» after the brief outage.

But earlier, at 9:30 a.m. PT, RedditStatus.com said the company was «investigating elevated errors across reddit.com and native apps.» RedditStatus.com reported degraded site performance for both desktop web use and native mobile apps.

Earlier on Tuesday, the site-monitoring service DownDetector also reported issues at Reddit, providing additional details. At one point on Tuesday, DownDetector received over 100,000 reports that the site was having problems. At 10:25 am PT, the report numbers fell to under 600. (Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

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«Reddit is currently experiencing a significant internal outage causing widespread service disruptions,» the site said earlier Tuesday. «The impact is categorized as Very High, primarily affecting mobile app access (55%) and website connectivity (39%). While reports are heavily concentrated in major hubs like New York City and Chicago, the lack of ISP correlation suggests a broad, nationwide issue stemming from Reddit’s internal servers rather than external network providers.»

A representative for Reddit did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Another social media site, X, formerly Twitter, also showed problems on Tuesday, according to DownDetector. Those problems seemed to spike around 6:30 a.m. PT and improve after.

Technologies

This 3-in-1 Charger Is a Must-Have for Travelers, and It Just Hit a Record-Low of $95

Snag it for $45 off and charge your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch at the same time.

If you’re a frequent traveler, then you know that outlets are a precious commodity in places like airports and coffee shops. So why waste one on a single device when you can charge up to three at once? Right now, you can grab this seriously sleek Ugreen Magflow three-in-one foldable charger for just $95 at Amazon. That’s a $45 discount and the all-time lowest price we’ve seen. Just don’t wait too long, as this deal could expire at any time.

At just 7.4 ounces, this compact charging station is designed to be taken on the go. But despite its size, it still supports 25-watt MagSafe charging for iPhones, as well as 5-watt wireless charging for AirPods and Apple Watches. The charging stand also tilts up to double as a stand, and it’s equipped with 16 magnets to keep your phone aligned and securely in place. Plus, it’s got built-in protections against overheating, overcharging, short-circuiting and more to prevent damage to your devices.

Why this deal matters

This folding Ugreen charger is great for juicing up your devices on the go, and it’s never been more affordable. Plus, Ugreen makes some of the best MagSafe chargers on the market right now, so don’t miss your chance to grab one at a record-low price.