News

Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra is resigning, going back to Silicon Valley [Updated!]

Published

January 23, 2017

Marvin Velasco

Xiaomi’s highly popular vice president, Hugo Barra, will soon be leaving the company to return to his roots in Silicon Valley. The fate of the Chinese manufacturer and Mr. Barra himself are shrouded in mystery.

Update: He’s joining the Facebook team in Silicon Valley!

No one but Barra and his close friends saw this coming. His last day will be right after next month’s Chinese New Year, after which he’ll “take some much-needed time off before embarking on a new adventure back in Silicon Valley.”

Barra was pivotal in turning Xiaomi into the international tech giant it is today. What began as a simple startup composed of just a few members nearly seven years ago, is now a multi-billion dollar company with revenues coming mostly out of China and India.

Hugo Barra shows off the Xiaomi Mi 5 at MWC 2016

As the Global VP of Xiaomi for more than three years, Barra took control of their international push using his product management experience during his days as vice president of Google’s Android platform. The work he put into the Chinese company definitely paid off; what was once considered to be just an Apple copycat, now produces smartphones as groundbreaking as the Mi Mix and as well-rounded as the Redmi 4 Prime.

Despite his resignation, he believes Xiaomi is in good hands under the leadership of current CEO Lei Jun. It’s uncertain how this will affect the image of the brand, since Barra’s western background helped the company reach non-Chinese regions. It was only earlier this month when he took the stage at CES to show off Xiaomi’s best new products.

As for Barra, describing his next step as a “new adventure back in Silicon Valley” is terribly vague. Chances are we’ll be seeing him join forces with one of the already established tech leaders in San Francisco, California, or another startup altogether.

With rivals OPPO, Vivo, and Huawei leading smartphone sales in China, Xiaomi will have to regroup soon or else lose even more footing in the world’s largest handset market.

Update: As expected, Hugo Barra really is joining forces with an established tech company. In a post shared by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg himself, it says Barra will lead all of Facebook’s virtual reality efforts, including its Oculus team. Read the entire post below:

[irp posts=”8704″ name=”You can ride on this Xiaomi”]

Image credit: Hugo Barra

Accessories

UGREEN launches FineTrack Series with Apple Find My support

Track valuables with ease

Published

May 30, 2026

Dorothy Baylon

UGREEN is expanding its smart travel lineup with the launch of the new FineTrack Series, a collection of compact trackers designed to help users keep tabs on everyday essentials.

Leading the announcement are the FineTrack 2 and FineTrack Mini 2, both of which support Apple’s Find My network for easy location tracking through compatible Apple devices. The trackers are built for travelers and commuters who want an extra layer of security for items such as keys, bags, wallets, and passports.

The FineTrack 2 comes in a soccer-inspired design created to celebrate the upcoming 2026 World Cup, while the FineTrack Mini 2 adopts a slimmer tag-style form factor that fits more easily inside wallets and passport holders. Both devices feature glow-in-the-dark accents for improved visibility in low-light conditions.

UGREEN says the trackers offer global tracking capabilities through Apple’s Find My ecosystem, along with smart left-behind alerts that notify users before they accidentally leave important belongings behind. When an item is nearby, users can trigger an alarm reaching up to 110dB to help locate it faster.

The company also highlights long-term reliability, with battery life rated for up to seven years. The FineTrack 2 additionally carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

UGREEN has also announced Southeast Asia pricing for the new FineTrack Series.

Price and availability

In Singapore, the FineTrack 2 is priced at SGD 29.99, while the FineTrack Mini 2 costs SGD 25.99. Malaysian pricing comes in at RM 69 and RM 59, respectively.

For the Philippines, the FineTrack 2 retails for PHP 850, while the FineTrack Mini 2 is priced at PHP 799. In Vietnam, the trackers cost VND 369,000 and VND 339,000, respectively. Thailand pricing starts at THB 590 for both models.

Alongside the FineTrack Series, UGREEN also introduced its new Air Editions lineup. This includes the Nexode Air 65W Charger, Nexode Air 45W Charger Slim, and the MagFlow Air Magnetic Power Bank 10000mAh 15W, all designed around portability with compact and lightweight builds. The company has separately announced Southeast Asia pricing for these accessories.

The FineTrack Series is now rolling out across select Southeast Asian markets.

News

Apple might focus on AI for WWDC 2026

There will be integrations with Google.

Published

May 29, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Throughout the entire AI “era,” Apple kept its nose clean by not shoving Apple Intelligence to its users during every event. After the significant time of keeping clean, the brand might finally sink more chips into the AI space next month.

As history tells, the annual WWDC event is a time for the brand to showcase its developments for software. You won’t see a lot of iPhones, but you will see a lot of iOS. And with that, AI is par for the course.

According to The Information, the upcoming WWDC 2026 will showcase a lot of on-device AI. Interestingly, the report does not specifically name Apple Intelligence as the spotlight. Rather, Apple might focus on integrating its chips with AI and its partnership with Google’s Gemini.

Rather than a continuous push towards creating their own AI, the company might do more to integrate existing technologies to keep pace with the industry. Despite being announced almost two years ago, Apple Intelligence has not delivered much of what its contemporaries are providing for its users.

Ironically, the brand has carved a nice niche for itself in the space precisely by staying away from heavy doses of AI. Both Microsoft and Google, on the other hand, have crafted infamy by shoving unnecessary AI-based features towards their users, regardless of whether they want them or not. Hopefully, Apple keeps its reputation after WWDC 2026.

Gaming

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has been officially announced

And it’s coming out on the Switch 2.

Published

May 29, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Compared to the crazier news we’ve gotten so far, a new Call of Duty doesn’t seem like it should make a ripple, but it does. Activision has officially announced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and it’s coming out on the Nintendo Switch 2.

This year’s mainline entry has a couple of firsts for the ubiquitous franchise. For one, Modern Warfare 4 will not launch on the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. It’s the first time that the series is dropping the last generation of consoles. Secondly, it’s launching for the Switch 2, marking the first time that the franchise is coming out on a Nintendo system since 2013. Finally, it won’t launch as a day-one release on the Game Pass.

Besides the reshuffling of launch outlets, Modern Warfare 4 will offer much of the same from the franchise: bombastic campaigns with global stakes and a thriving palette of multiplayer modes.

This time around, players will start the campaign as Private Park, a South Korean soldier thrust into a war as North Korea suddenly invades its southern neighbor. Players will also face assignments in Mumbai and New York. Captain Price is, of course, coming back but as an outlaw in pursuit of a powerful weapon.

For multiplayer, Activision promises more improvements yet again for movement and gunplay. Modern Warfare 4 will also introduce new modes such as Kill Block, which features maps that change after every round. DMZ is coming back, of course.

Activision promises more updates coming throughout the year. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will launch for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2 on October 23, 2026.