Sen. Amy Klobuchar Pushes for Antitrust Reform Amid Tech Giant Probes
As the Trump administration prepares to take over, Sen. Amy Klobuchar renews her push for antitrust reform, citing the need for set rules to rein in Big Tech's power.

Alexis Rowe
Xiaomi has officially launched its Buds 5 Pro earbuds in Europe, marking a significant milestone as the first audio device to utilize Qualcomm's Wi-Fi audio technology. This innovation enables the earbuds to stream audio over Wi-Fi, in addition to Bluetooth, without increasing power consumption.
The Buds 5 Pro were initially announced in China alongside the 15 Ultra phone, which is also launching in Europe. The earbuds come in two versions: a regular Bluetooth model and a Wi-Fi version that leverages Qualcomm's Expanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) technology. The Wi-Fi model is capable of delivering 96kHz/24bit lossless audio at a bandwidth of up to 4.2Mbps, surpassing the quality achievable over Bluetooth.
One of the key benefits of the Wi-Fi model is the ability to maintain a stable connection even when the user walks away from their phone, as long as they remain within the range of their Wi-Fi network. However, this feature is limited to situations where Wi-Fi is available, and the earbuds will default to Bluetooth when Wi-Fi is not present.
It's worth noting that the Wi-Fi model requires a phone with a compatible Qualcomm flagship chipset, such as the 8 Gen 3 or 8 Elite, to function. This means that iPhone and other Apple devices are not compatible with the Wi-Fi earbuds. Additionally, it's unclear whether the earbuds can handle connections to multiple Wi-Fi networks, which could impact their usability in different environments.
Despite these limitations, the Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi model boasts an impressive 10-hour battery life, with up to 40 hours of additional battery life provided by the charging case. This surpasses the 8-hour battery life of the Bluetooth model, supporting Qualcomm's claim that its Wi-Fi audio technology can deliver lossless audio without increasing power consumption.
The earbuds feature a triple-driver system, consisting of an 11mm main driver, a PZT tweeter, and a planar driver. They also support active noise cancellation and come equipped with an array of AI features, including call recording, transcription, and translation.
The Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi are available for £189.99 (around $240) and come in black, while the Bluetooth-only version is priced at £159.99 (around $200) and is available in white or gray.
The launch of the Buds 5 Pro marks a significant step forward in audio technology, and it will be interesting to see how this innovation is adopted by other manufacturers and consumers in the future.
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