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"AI Weekly: With AI-empowered devices, consider what you're buying | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/ai-weekly-with-ai-empowered-devices-consider-what-youre-buying"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages AI Weekly: With AI-empowered devices, consider what you’re buying Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
It’s Black Friday, and throngs of people are shopping for deals on virtual assistant-powered smart home devices from the likes of Amazon and Google. The initial appeal of smart speakers, smart displays, voice-controlled lights is obvious, and according to Strategy Analytics , growth in the smart speaker segment alone is expected to grow 57% by the end of 2019. But as we consider whether these devices will make our lives easier or better, are we giving enough thought to the trade-off between convenience and privacy? It’s essentially the same paradigm, writ small, that the world is facing with AI in general: AI has delivered unprecedented capabilities, but it has also engendered an uneasy sense that we’re losing control over these new tools and technologies. But when you consider buying a device for your home that has an AI assistant on board, you can focus on the questions you should always ask of technology: Does this technology make my life better or easier? What are the trade-offs, and are they worth it for the convenience? Although those are heavy questions generally, when it comes to Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend and you’re looking at a killer discount on some smart home device and wondering if you should click the Buy button, it’s less of an existential conundrum and more of a practical one. What will you use a Google Home Mini for, exactly? Do you really want to turn on music in your kitchen every day by shouting at an Amazon Echo Studio that gets your request right only most of the time? What is the purpose of a “smart” night light? Yes, a smart night light. That’s a real thing that exists in the extended universe of Alexa-compatible smart home products. And its utter banality serves as an excellent illustration of why we need to ask ourselves those aforementioned questions.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! This particular smart night light is made by Third Reality and is certified as “Made for Amazon.” It’s actually an accessory that attaches to the Amazon Echo Flex.
The Flex is a palm-sized device that plugs into your wall outlet and can control things like your lights and thermostat. It has its own little mic and speaker that let you not only control Alexa, but talk to people through other Alexa devices in other rooms like an intercom. In a way, the Flex is almost an accessory itself, because it’s designed to be a part of a larger network of Alexa devices rather than a standalone device. It has a USB port on the bottom where you can charge a phone or plug in an attachment, such as a smart night light.
The smart night light becomes part of your Alexa device list, and you can manage and control it remotely with the Alexa app on your phone. Features include the ability to adjust the brightness from 1% to 100%, choose from a variety of colors, and determine when the light goes on or off.
In other words, it does everything a night light does, but with brightness and color options, and you have to manually set when it turns on and off. In addition to the time you have to spend setting it up and configuring the settings, the smart night light costs $15, and the Flex costs $20. You can buy them together for $32.
By contrast, you can get a four-pack of non-smart night lights for $9 on Amazon.
They turn on when they sense that the light in the room is too low. They shut off when the light becomes brighter. Installation comprises plugging them into a wall outlet.
Arguably, the non-smart night light is already a perfect product — cheap, easy to install, reliable, purpose-built — so why does the smart night light exist? Sure, it’s neat to be able to do things like adjust brightness, pick fun colors, and control it with your phone, but you’d have to stretch to make the case that it’s making your life better. It’s certainly not making anything easier than non-smart night lights, and it’s not more convenient. And it costs more money.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting a silly, fun device, and there’s nothing wrong with paying a little more for it than you need to. But there is a larger cost to consider: Amazon has grand plans for your home. The company is clear that it wants to put Alexa everywhere it possibly can , and just this week it rolled out increased abilities to build its intelligence to even more IoT edge devices with AWS IoT Core and enabled Alexa controls for new classes of objects in the home. Like other major virtual assistant platforms, Alexa devices record audio of your commands, necessitating oversight by you, the user.
There are problems with Alexa’s user-submitted answers, too. Amazon also owns video doorbell maker Ring, with its troubling privacy and surveillance concerns , and it makes the controversial Rekognition facial recognition technology.
This is not to mention its extensive AWS services.
When you buy that little smart night light and the Flex to go with it, you’re buying further into an ecosystem of devices, services, and technologies that’s entirely controlled by Amazon.
This is not an argument that you should or should not buy into that ecosystem; it’s a reminder that when you buy a smart device, you’re not just buying a product with some extra features. That’s not how AI-powered products work.
Buy your smart device or give some as gifts, or don’t, and be happy with your choices. But like all emerging and transformative technologies, don’t forget to ask yourself what it will give you, and what it will cost. And then when it comes to larger decisions about building, buying, or creating AI technologies for your company or organization, ask the same questions.
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"A super-fast machine learning model for finding user search intent | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/a-super-fast-machine-learning-model-for-finding-user-search-intent"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Guest A super-fast machine learning model for finding user search intent Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
In April 2019, Benjamin Burkholder (who is awesome, by the way) published a Medium article showing off a script he wrote that uses SERP result features to infer a user’s search intent.
The script uses the SerpAPI.com API for its data and labels search queries in the following way: Informational — The person is looking for more information on a topic. This is indicated by whether an answer box or PAA (people also ask) boxes are present.
Navigational — The person is searching for a specific website. This is indicated by whether a knowledge graph is present or if site links are present.
Transactional — The person is aiming to purchase something. This is indicated by whether shopping ads are present.
Commercial Investigation — The person is aiming to make a purchase soon but is still researching. This is indicated by whether paid ads are present, an answer box is present, PAAs are present, or if there are ads present at the bottom of the SERP.
This is one of the coolest ways to estimate search intent, because it uses Google’s understanding of search intent (as expressed by the SERP features shown for that search).
The one problem with Burkholder’s approach is its reliance on the Serp API. If you have a large set of search queries you want to find intent for, you need to pass each query phrase through the API, which then actually does the search and returns the SERP feature results, which Burkholder’s script can then classify. So on a large set of search queries, this is time consuming and prohibitively expensive.
SerpAPI charges ~$0.01 per keyword, so analyzing 5,000 keywords will cost you $50. Running these results through Burkholder’s labeler script also takes 3 to 5 hours to get through these 5,000 keywords.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! So I got to thinking: What if I adapted Burkholder’s approach so that, rather than use it to classify intent directly, I could use it to train a machine learning model that I would then use to classify intent? In other words, I’d incur one-time costs to produce my Burkholder-labeled training set, and, assuming it was accurate enough, I could then use that training set for all further classification, cost free.
With an accurate training set, anyone could label huge numbers of keywords super quickly, without spending a dime.
Finding a model Hamlet Batista has written a few stellar posts about how to leverage Natural Language models like BERT for labeling intent.
In his posts, he uses an existing intent labeling model that returns categories from Kaggle’s Question Answering Dataset.
While these labels can be useful, they are not really “intent categories” in line with what we typically think of for intent taxonomy categories and instead have labels such as Description, Entity, Human, Numeric, and Location.
He achieved excellent results by training a BERT encoder, getting near 90% accuracy in predicting labels for new/unlabeled search keywords.
The big question for me was, could I leverage the same tech ( Uber’s Ludwig BERT encoder) to create an accurate model using the search intent labels I’d get from Burkholder’s code? It turns out the answer is yes! How to do it Here’s how the process works: 1. Gather your list of keywords.
If you’re planning on training your own model, I recommend doing so within a specific category/niche. Training on clothing-related keywords and then using that model to label finance related keywords will likely be significantly less accurate than training on clothing related keywords and then using that model to label other unlabeled clothing related keywords. That said, I did try using a model labeled on one category/niche to label another, and the results still seemed quite good to me.
2.
Run Burkholder’s script over your list of keywords from Step 1.
This will require signing up for SerpAPI.com and buying credits. I recommend getting labels for at least 10,000 search queries with this script to use for training. The more training data, the more accurate your model will likely be.
3. Use the labeled data from the previous step as your training data for the BERT model.
Batista’s code to do this is very straightforward, and this article will guide you through the process. I was able to get about ~72% accuracy using about 10,000 labels of training data.
4. Use your model from Step 3 to label unlabeled search data , and then take a look at your results! The results I ran through this process using a huge list (13,000 keywords) of clothing/fashion-related search terms from SEMrush as my training data. My resulting model gets just about 80% accuracy.
It seems likely that training the model with more data will continue to improve its accuracy up to a point. If any of you attempt it and improve on 80% accuracy, I would love to hear about it. I think with 20,000+ labeled searches, we could see up to maybe 85-90% accuracy.
This means when you ask this model to predict the intent of unlabeled search queries, 8 times out of 10 it will give you the same label as what would have been returned by Burkholder’s Serp API rules-based classifier. It can also do this for free, in large volumes and incredibly fast.
So something that would have taken a few thousand dollars and days of scraping can now be done for free in just minutes.
In my case I used keywords from a related domain (makeup) instead of clothing keywords, and overall I think it did a pretty good job. Labeling 5,000 search queries took under two minutes with the BERT model. Here’s what my results looked like: The implications For SEO tools to be useful, they need to be scalable. Keyword research, content strategy, PPC strategy, and SEO strategy usually rely on being able to do analysis across entire niches/themes/topics/websites.
In many industries, the keyword longtails can extend into the millions. So a faster, more affordable approach to Burkholder’s solution can make a lot of difference.
I forsee AI and machine learning tools being used more and more in our industry, enabling SEOs, paid search specialists, and content marketers to gain superpowers that haven’t been possible before these new AI breakthroughs.
Happy analyzing! Kristin Tynski is a founder and the SVP of Creative at Fractl , a boutique growth agency based in Delray Beach, FL.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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4,415 | 2,019 |
"Twitter will ban political ads starting November 22 | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/social/twitter-will-ban-political-ads-starting-november-22"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Twitter will ban political ads starting November 22 Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
Learn more.
( Reuters ) — Twitter will ban political advertising on its platform next month, the company’s chief executive said on Wednesday, a move that won praise from Democrats and scorn from Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Analysts do not expect the ban, which takes effect on November 22, to significantly reduce Twitter’s business. Its shares fell 1.9% in after-hours trading.
https://twitter.com/jack/status/1189634360472829952 Social media companies, including Twitter rival Facebook, face growing pressure to stop carrying ads that spread false information that could steer elections.
Facebook has pledged efforts to deal with misinformation after Russian propaganda on the platform was seen to affect the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, which was won by Trump, a Republican.
But Facebook made a decision to not fact-check ads run by politicians , drawing ire from Democratic candidates running in the 2020 presidential election, such as former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! “We appreciate that Twitter recognizes that they should not permit disproven smears, like those from the Trump campaign, to appear in advertisements on their platform,” said Bill Russo, deputy communications director for the Biden campaign, in an emailed statement.
Biden has faced attacks from Trump, offered without evidence, about the foreign business dealings of his son Hunter.
“It would be unfortunate to suggest that the only option available to social media companies to do so is the full withdrawal of political advertising, but when faced with a choice between ad dollars and the integrity of our democracy, it is encouraging that, for once, revenue did not win out,” said Russo.
Brad Parscale, who is running Trump’s reelection campaign, described Twitter’s move as an “attempt to silence conservatives” and “a very dumb decision” for the company’s shareholders.
“Will Twitter also be stopping ads from biased liberal media outlets who will now run unchecked as they buy obvious political content meant to attack Republicans?” Parscale said in a statement. “This is yet another attempt to silence conservatives, since Twitter knows President Trump has the most sophisticated online program ever known.” A Twitter spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended the company’s policy, saying it did not want to stifle political speech.
Dorsey wrote on Twitter that paying for ads forces “targeted political messages on people” with a power that “brings significant risks to politics, where it can be used to influence votes to affect the lives of millions.” He added that it was not credible for Twitter to say it was trying to stop the spread of misleading information “but if someone pays us to target and force people to see their political ad … well … they can say whatever they want!” Jasmine Enberg, a senior analyst for research company eMarketer, said Twitter’s decision “is in stark contrast to Facebook” but added that political advertising is not likely a critical part of its business.
“And, given the nature of the platform, people, publishers, and politicians will still use Twitter to discuss politics organically, meaning that it won’t fully solve the problem of misinformation,” she said.
David Herrmann, president of Hermann, a Los Angeles-based independent media buyer who works with direct-to-consumer brands, said he disagreed with the notion of banning political ads on any network, including Twitter.
“Banning political ads doesn’t hurt presidential campaigns, it hurts local politics that are dependent on reach from paid [ads],” he tweeted.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
All rights reserved.
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4,416 | 2,019 |
"Facebook beats Q3 2019 revenue and profit estimates despite regulator scrutiny | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/social/facebook-earnings-q3-2019"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Facebook beats Q3 2019 revenue and profit estimates despite regulator scrutiny Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
( Reuters ) — Facebook reported better-than-expected quarterly revenue on Wednesday and profit rose as growth in expenses slowed from a year earlier, assuaging investor fears of financial fallout from fierce scrutiny by regulators and lawmakers of the world’s largest social media company. Shares rose nearly 3% after hours.
Third-quarter revenue rose 28% compared with a year ago to $17.38 billion, beating analysts’ average estimate of $17.37 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. Facebook reported $6.09 billion in profit, or $2.12 per share. Analysts expected $5.47 billion in profit, or $1.91 per share.
Over the last three years, Facebook has faced rising hostility from both users and lawmakers over its handling of user data and its inability to ensure the integrity of its popular news feeds. It also faces growing regulatory challenges as U.S. authorities investigate whether it has engaged in anti-competitive practices.
Debra Aho, eMarketer principal analyst, said she was “not surprised” by Facebook’s solid results.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! “Advertisers continue to support Facebook, despite the many controversies swirling around the company, and the user base also continues to expand around the world,” Aho said in an emailed statement. “Yes, Facebook has a lot of challenges it must deal with, but increasing its revenue and user count isn’t one of them.” Facebook, the world’s No. 2 seller of online ads, had experienced about 18 months of slow sales growth and elevated spending heading into the third quarter. Concerns over privacy have fueled an acceleration in costs for privacy staff and other roles.
Facebook’s privacy scandals have helped inspire browser makers, operating system vendors and other software companies to provide people with more tools to block the type of online tracking that has been essential to Facebook’s algorithms for targeting ads.
Facebook, Twitter, and Alphabet’s Google have been under pressure to police their platforms after facing criticism for failing to counter alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
In recent weeks, Facebook has come under fire over its decision not to fact-check ads run by politicians on the platform.
Facebook’s existing businesses continued to grow at a fast pace in the first half of the year. But whether it can maintain the momentum has been unclear with newer ventures including privacy-focused messaging services, its expansion into online dating or its burgeoning features for group discussions and eBay-like shopping center.
For the quarter, the company reported 2.8 billion monthly users and 2.2 billion daily users across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, both slightly higher than the prior quarter.
Facebook itself had 1.62 billion daily users, versus estimates of 1.61 billion. Monthly active users rose to 2.45 billion, in line with estimates, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
Facebook also said one of its board directors, Susan Desmond-Hellmann, chief executive of The Bill and Melina Gates Foundation, would be stepping down and that a replacement would be named in the coming months.
Facebook shares have gained about 43.6% this year through Wednesday’s close, thanks to above-expectations revenue in the first half of the year. The company reached a $5 billion settlement in a U.S. Federal Trade Commission probe , which started after its Cambridge Analytica data misuse scandal and threatened to cost the company several more billions.
Even so, shares have not recovered to their record closing high of $194.32 in June 2018, just before a dramatic drop that summer amid escalating costs.
And Facebook still faces extensive regulatory challenges. Its competitive practices are under investigation separately by the U.S. Congress, Department of Justice, FTC, and 47 state attorneys general.
The break-up or tighter regulation of Facebook and other big tech firms over antitrust concerns has also emerged as a key issue for Democratic candidates in the run-up to the November 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Last week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was grilled by U.S. lawmakers on issues from its planned digital currency Libra to election interference.
The Libra project has faltered in recent weeks amid sustained criticism from lawmakers and regulators globally over fears it may aid money laundering and upend the global financial system.
Facebook’s total expenses in the third quarter were $10.5 billion, up 32% compared with a year ago. The third-quarter operating margin was 41% from 42% a year ago.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
All rights reserved.
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4,417 | 2,019 |
"Brawl is Magic: The Gathering -- Arena's best mode. Make it permanent | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/brawl-is-magic-the-gathering-arenas-best-mode-make-it-permanent"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Opinion Brawl is Magic: The Gathering — Arena’s best mode. Make it permanent Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Brawl is a new mode for Magic: The Gathering --Arena.
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I’ve fallen hard for Magic: The Gathering — Arena.
Before 2018, I’d never played Magic ( as I’ve detailed before ). But now it’s my favorite card game. I’ve spent hours brewing decks, learning the basics of drafting (and getting a few undefeated runs), and even getting into the paper game.
A few months ago, a friend of mine invited me to play Commander, a popular casual format in which you build a singleton deck (one without any duplicate cards, besides basic lands). I had a lot of fun. Highlander decks (that’s a fancier name for singleton) are some of my favorite in Hearthstone , Blizzard Entertainment ‘s hugely successful card game. But I can’t get together with people often enough to play Commander.
Enter Brawl.
When Wizards of the Coast announced that this format would be coming to Arena, I smiled. I started researching this singleton format, and my excitement grew. The creativity, flexibility, and variety of Commander, in a Standard package … and one I could play any time I logged in? But then disappointment hit when Wizards of the Coast (Magic’s publisher) said Brawl would not be a permanent mode.
Brawl debuted last week with a special event, and I’ve been playing it every day. I can’t remember the last time I’d had so much fun. I’ve even spent money on the free-to-play game, too, so I could build more decks.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! It’s just a shame that Brawl — and all this fun — won’t be a permanent mode.
What is Brawl? Above: Ayara, First of Locthwain is the commander of my favorite Brawl deck.
Brawl is a 60-card format. It’s a singleton deck, meaning you can’t have more than one copy of any card that’s not a basic land (so in a Black deck, you could have 20 Swamps, but you could only have one Witch’s Cottage). You build the deck around a Commander that’s a legendary card, and you can only use cards from its color identity (so it’s a Green card, you can only use Green or colorless cards; it’s its Red-Black, you could use Black or Red cards, and so on).
What’s great about Brawl is its variety. Yes, it does have a metagame, but it offers so many different build options than Standard (the biggest format on Arena) offers. Standard is dealing with oppressive decks built around a particular the planeswalker Oko, Thief of Crowns.
Arena hasn’t been as fun or creative as when the Throne of Eldraine set launched in late September. Magic: The Gathering Hall of Famer Ben Stark explains why Oko’s been a problem.
For me (and many others, no doubt), Brawl has been a relief from Oko and his elks. But more important, it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve made dozens of decks, setting on 18. Some I’ve netdecked (that’s copying from deck sites or other players), but I’ve created a bunch from scratch as well. My favorite is a Black sacrifice-graveyard deck that I brewed that’s all about killing my creatures and then bringing them back on the board, doing damage whenever one dies or comes back. It’s commander is Araya, First of Locthwain, an elf noble that deals damage to my foe — and gives me 1 life — whenever a I play a black creature.
Why is Brawl important to Arena? Brawl is important, from my point of view, for a couple of reasons: It’s fun, and it offers a mode that no other competitor (such as Hearthstone or Shadowverse) does.
It offers a different way to play, for those who enjoy making creative decks It’s a welcome respite from Standard, as not every player can afford Draft modes, and Historic is, well, nonexistant unless you know that you can play it in the Casual queue (nothing says this, by the way, inside the game).
Now, Brawl is a smaller format than Standard. It’s a casual way in which to play Magic, but it’s one that publisher Wizards of the Coast supports, using Standard cards. So one would assume that it’d be something folks could play every day.
What’s the problem? Above: The Brawl decks I’ve settled on during the final day of the event.
Brawl is a lot of fun. After playing it for six days in a row, playing 20-30 matches a day, I’ve enjoyed it more than any other mode in a card game. This includes standard modes, legacy modes, or drafts (which had been my favorite). But after this launch, Brawl will only be available once a week, on Wednesdays (when I imagine some people would have a limited amount of time to play it since it’s the in middle of the work week.
I asked Wizards of the Coast why Brawl is only going to be once a week, and I got this response.
“We want to always keep things interesting in MTG Arena, and a big part of that is mixing up the event programming we offer. Traditionally, we begin new limited events on Thursday or Friday, and our specialty events run Sunday through Tuesday. We’re trying Brawl out on Wednesdays to keep adding variety throughout the entire week. This could change in the future, but we think we’ve struck a nice balance at the moment,” Magic: The Gathering — Arena executive producer Chris Cao said over email.
It’s a reasonable answer, but it still doesn’t really explain why Brawl isn’t a daily mode, as it comes from the point of view that Brawl is a special event. This makes me wonder if Wizards either doesn’t see Brawl as a full-fledged way to play Magic in Arena, or would rather have players take part in Standard because decks often have run four copies of a card … and may be spending more on cards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUqCmKuSwD4 (Noxious, one of the big names in Magic, also believes Brawl should be a permanent mode.) But even this theory feels flawed. I bought packs this week so I could get wild cards to craft Legendary cards I was missing from my collection. Now, I may be an outlier; I enjoy the deck-building and experimentation of card games as much as playing matches, if not more, so I wanted to tinker with many deck commanders.
Regardless, Brawl should be a permanent mode. It’s fun, provides a needed break to Standard, and gives players different problems to solve when it comes to deck-building, especially when it comes to countering decks.
And besides, Wizards sells Brawl decks for paper Magic — there’s no reason why it can’t for Arena as well if it’s worried about losing money on card packs.
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"Xiaomi opens R&D hub in Finland to develop smartphone camera technologies | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/xiaomi-opens-rd-hub-in-finland-to-develop-smartphone-camera-technologies"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Xiaomi opens R&D hub in Finland to develop smartphone camera technologies Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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Xiaomi has officially opened its camera technology R&D hub in Tampere, Finland, three months after the Chinese smartphone giant announced that it had set up a local company in the area.
The choice of location is notable, insofar as Nokia built its mobile phone empire in the region , which means there should be an abundance of talent and resources relevant to smartphone technology — Nokia still has a hub in Tampere, where it develops network and cloud management technology. And very much related to this, Nokia and Xiaomi signed a patent and equipment deal two years ago, so the two companies have an existing foundation to build on, even though Nokia was not specifically mentioned as part of today’s announcement.
The new site represents Xiaomi’s largest team dedicated to camera technology outside of China, and the initial 20 employees based there will work on machine learning, camera algorithms, signal processing, and image / video processing smarts — “technologies that are driving the R&D of mobile cameras,” noted Xiaomi Finland R&D senior director Jarno Nikkanen. “We are a compact team of around 20 people now, but we are quickly scaling up by building up this team, especially talents specialized in camera algorithm.” Software approach As smartphone companies dabble with funky new foldable form factors , with varying degrees of success , the main area where manufacturers have been making giant strides in recent years has been in the quality of the camera. Part of this has involved shoehorning more lenses onto phones, as demonstrated with Nokia’s recent PureView 9 device which ships with a 5-camera array , while high-resolution cameras and experimentation around where to put the selfie camera has also led to some notable evolutions in smartphone camera technology.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! While the hardware is important, the software side of things is also playing an increasingly integral part in improving the quality of photos and videos captured on mobile devices. And that, it seems, is what Xiaomi will be focusing on at its new Finnish R&D hub.
It is also worth noting that Xiaomi’s new R&D hub is located near Tampere University’s technology campus, which has a track record in signal processing.
“The setup of this R&D team in Finnish city Tampere is a milestone in our global expansion journey,” added Xiaomi senior VP Wang Xiang. “In this journey, not only do we consolidate ourselves in operations and business, but also work with local talents to further improve our products with highly innovative technologies.” Xiaomi already has competition in the area, though — fellow Chinese smartphone maker Huawei set up an R&D hub in Tampere three years ago, with a focus on camera and imaging technologies.
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"China launches national 5G, promises 50 cities by end of 2019 | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/china-launches-national-5g-promises-50-cities-by-end-of-2019"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages China launches national 5G, promises 50 cities by end of 2019 Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn A banner on China Mobile's website heralds the start of the 5G era in Chia, including cloud, gaming, AI, and communication applications.
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Confirming data plan price leaks by China Mobile and its rivals earlier this week, China’s top three cellular carriers have officially commenced commercial 5G data services today, with aggressively priced data plans. Each of the carriers has launched in a strong initial collection of cities, with a promise to cover as many as 50 locations by year’s end.
As of today, actual 5G service appears to be available across many of China’s major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Shenzhen, though there are differences between the carriers. Press reports suggested that China Unicom was commencing 5G service in 14 cities, but the carrier itself insinuates that it’s covering at least 50, with peak initial data rates of 300Mbps. By contrast, China Mobile is currently offering live 5G maps for 30 cities, with data rates ranging from 300Mbps to 1Gbps, and plans to blanket 50 cities in 2019.
Like several other countries, China accelerated its 5G launch from an original 2020 date up to 2019 , but faced significant challenges in actually deploying enough base stations to cover its numerous cities and gigantic landmass. Carriers began offering limited services in some cities earlier this year. As of today, the carriers reportedly have deployed over 85,000 5G base stations, with plans to have over 130,000 units operational heading into 2020.
While all three carriers are run by the Chinese government, they compete with each other for customers, differentiating their offerings by locality and various dimensions of service quality. China Mobile is operating one nationwide 5G network, while China Telecom and China Unicom are sharing another in a bid to make better use of their resources. The carriers are primarily using sub-6GHz radio technology , rather than the faster but shorter-distance millimeter wave hardware favored initially by several U.S. carriers.
Demand from Chinese customers for 5G is expected to be very high. The carriers claimed over 10 million pre-registrations for service prior to the announcement of monthly data plan prices, which turned out to be far more aggressive than 5G in other countries. Basic 5G plans start at only $18 per month, and will be accessible via a wide range of early 5G devices from Chinese manufacturers including Huawei, ZTE, Xiaomi, and Oppo, some at 4G device-like prices. Huawei and ZTE are also supplying networking gear to support the Chinese launch, despite having been blocked from offering 5G base stations in the United States.
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"Apple reports record Q4 2019 revenue of $64 billion, aided by services | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/apple-reports-q4-2019-revenue-of-64-billion-helped-by-record-services"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Apple reports record Q4 2019 revenue of $64 billion, aided by services Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn iPhone 11 Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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While Apple’s fiscal 2019 will be remembered as a year of ups and downs, growth of the company’s subscription services last quarter helped reverse serious holiday season and second quarter shortfalls.
Today, Apple announced its fourth quarter 2019 results, top-lined by revenues of $64 billion, slightly higher than the year-ago quarter: Services revenue grew sharply, while earnings from both iPhones and Macs fell somewhat below last year’s levels.
In July, Apple told analysts to expect fourth quarter revenues in the $61 to $64 billion range, with a gross margin between 37.5% and 38.5%. Ahead of the announcement, analysts expected sales of $63 billion, up only slightly from actual sales of $62.9 billion in Q4 2018, and $2.83 in estimated earnings per share, down from $2.91 one year ago. Actual earnings per share were $3.03, up 4%, though net income was down to $13.686 billion from $14.125 billion.
“We concluded a groundbreaking fiscal 2019 with our highest Q4 revenue ever, fueled by accelerating growth from Services, Wearables, and iPad,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “We’re very optimistic about what the holiday quarter has in store.” For the quarter, Apple says it sold $33.362 billion in iPhones, $6.991 billion in Macs, and $4.656 billion in iPads. Its combined “wearables, home and accessories” sales were $6.52 billion, while services hit $12.511 billion, another record. The numbers represent year-over-year drops for both iPhones and Macs: One year ago, iPhones were at $37.185 billion, Macs were at $7.411 billion. But the numbers are up for iPads, wearables, and services, which during last year’s quarter were at $4.089 billion, $4.234 billion, and $9.981 billion, respectively.
Geographically, net sales eased down from $15.382 billion to $14.946 billion in Europe, and similarly slid year-over-year from $11.411 billion to $11.134 billion in Greater China, as well as Japan, which fell down to $4.982 billion from $5.161 billion. However, Apple saw some improvement in the Americas, which grew to $29.322 billion from last year’s $27.517 billion of total revenues, and the Asia Pacific region, which went up to $3.656 billion from $3.429 billion in the year-ago quarter. Apple notes that international revenues accounted for 60% of its quarterly revenues.
For the first fiscal quarter of 2020, Apple is predicting revenue between $85.5 and $89.5 billion, in any case higher than its disappointing Q1 2019 holiday numbers, and possibly above its $88.3 billion 2018 holiday quarter. It also expects a gross margin between 37.5% and 38.5%, operating expenses between $9.6 and $9.8 billion, $200 million of other income, and a tax rate of 16.5%. Once again, the company is issuing a $0.77 per share cash dividend, payable on November 14 to shareholders on record as of November 11, 2019.
Today’s results come one year after Apple decided to stop reporting unit sales for key products such as iPhones, iPads, and Macs, in favor of merely reporting revenues across those categories. In prior years, the company had sold well over 200 million iPhones annually, but the numbers were expected to flatten or dip for a variety of reasons after impressive 2018 quarters.
Meanwhile, the “other products” or “wearables, home and accessories” category’s sales of wireless AirPods headphones and Apple Watches grew in dollar value without any breakdown of units sold, leaving their individual sales figures to be estimated by analysts.
The Q4 2019 numbers include early contributions from the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro , released in September, as well as the Apple Watch Series 5 and substantially discounted Series 3.
Apple has also launched multiple subscription services in recent months, including Apple News+ , Apple Card , and Apple Arcade , with Apple TV+ arriving two days from now, though early reviews have been decidedly mixed , leaving the upside for Apple somewhat unclear after significant investments in the offerings.
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"Apple AirPods Pro hands-on: Smaller stems, superior sound, same Siri | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/apple-airpods-pro-hands-on-smaller-stems-superior-sound-same-siri"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Apple AirPods Pro hands-on: Smaller stems, superior sound, same Siri Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn AirPods Pro (left) compared with standard AirPods (right).
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Three years ago, Apple’s wireless AirPods earphones were at best controversial: They looked as if Jony Ive had snipped the cords off his iconic EarPods, leaving hard plastic stems awkwardly dangling from users’ ears. Regardless of how the $159 earphones sounded, would anyone actually walk around with them in public? And wouldn’t buyers just endlessly lose them ? The controversies were eventually resolved in Apple’s favor. After initial production and uptake delays, AirPods began to sell quite well, even becoming status symbols in some circles. By the time an internally improved sequel rolled out earlier this year , the exterior design was no longer an issue.
Yesterday, Apple officially released the $249 AirPods Pro , an alternative that parallels the “Pro” version of the iPhone 11 in not actually being “professional,” but using a nicer form factor and better performance to justify a higher price tag. I’ve been testing the new earphones since then, and wanted to give you a focused look at what’s new and interesting.
Smaller stems, better fit The most obvious difference between AirPods and AirPods Pro is the one you can see in the image above: Apple has shrunk the electronics to fit inside enclosures that don’t protrude as much from your ears — in two dimensions. Their unusually angled shapes rest more snugly within both the outer and middle ear, while their stems are markedly shorter than before. It’s still obvious that you’re wearing them, but if there was any residual awkwardness factor in walking around with protruding stems, it’s been cut by roughly 40%.
Aesthetics aside, I was concerned that the smaller stems might mean a reduction in microphone performance during phone calls or Siri use, as Apple’s prior design used the stems to place mics closer to your mouth — a smart trick bolstered by great software to isolate the wearer’s voice from ambient noise. AirPods Pro’s mics aren’t in the stems, yet callers told me that they had no problem hearing my voice over ambient sounds, and even gave Pro a small edge over earlier AirPods in talking sound quality. In a call with a friend who also bought AirPods Pro, his voice sounded naturally crisp and clear, while light noise in his background was basically nullified thanks to good automatic mic gain and filtering.
I also found the new AirPods Pro design to be more comfortable than its predecessors. Previously, Apple exclusively used hard plastic in the parts of AirPods that touched your ears, hoping that their glossy texture and lightness would prevent ear fatigue. Over many hours of use, I didn’t have huge problems with the prior models, but in one use case — trying to listen to audio silently while my wife slept nearby — they didn’t feel great when pressed against a pillow. That issue is gone with AirPods Pro.
Apart from shape differences, the reason is that Apple has shifted from an “earbud” design to a “canalphone” enclosure that uses soft silicone tips to directly channel audio into your middle ear canals. Three sets of tips (small/medium/large) are included in the package, with sets of three spares selling for $4. Apple includes an ear tip fit test within the AirPods Pro’s overly buried settings menu, using the earphones’ own echo measurement abilities to judge whether the rubber tips are properly sealing with your ears.
The pre-installed medium tips fit well and felt good, passing Apple’s test, though they don’t provide complete passive isolation of all the ambient noise around me. I tried replacing them with the large tips, which seemed to isolate a little better but slipped out of my ears — something that wasn’t a problem with the medium tips. Since every person’s ears are different, your experiences here may vary, but in my case, I’m settling for the slight imperfection in seal in exchange for greater comfort.
It’s worth noting that Apple guarantees AirPods Pro as IPX4 water resistant for workouts and light water exposure — not submersion, just the sort of moisture that sweat and outdoor exercise commonly produce. I haven’t yet been able to thoroughly test this, and can’t say whether active users will find the Pro model comparable to Apple’s PowerBeats Pro in stability during runs, but the added resilience is welcome.
Better sound, but (arguably) not $249 better What was apparent before Apple bought Beats Electronics is now gospel within the audio accessory industry: Beats shattered established conventions of the audio performance one could expect at a given price tag, all but single-handedly creating a huge market for stylish but sonically unimpressive headphones. The original version of AirPods leveraged this legacy, delivering sonic performance that was only a small step up from Apple’s packed-in (or $19-$29) EarPods at a $159 price point.
Under the hood, AirPods users were paying a steep premium for seamless convenience. The earphones came with three batteries — one in each earphone, one in the included charging case — plus three Bluetooth wireless chips, three charging systems, more microphones, and other electronics. And many people have been willing to pay $159 for that bundle, or even $199 for an identical version with an even more convenient inductive charging case. For $249, AirPods Pro includes all of the $199 AirPods bundle’s features, plus more, though the charging case is bigger; more on that below.
Having tested a number of headphones that’s somewhere in the low hundreds, mostly including models priced from $19 to $1,500, I can say with complete certainty that AirPods Pro isn’t the best-sounding $249 pair of earphones I’ve ever used. Years ago, it would have struggled mightily to compare with similarly priced dual-driver wired earphones from companies such as Ultimate Ears and Shure. You’re paying a steep premium for the aforementioned wireless conveniences, especially given that the $249 AirPods Pro have the same Apple H1 chip and same 5-hour internal/24-hour case battery life as current-generation AirPods.
That said, AirPods Pro easily deliver $50 of additional sonic performance. Due largely to the silicone tip isolation, I heard plenty of extra bass, somewhat but not profoundly superior treble (higher frequency) detail, and a little more detail in the midrange. Given the choice between AirPods or AirPods Pro, I’d always pick AirPods Pro, and it wouldn’t be a close call.
Just don’t expect AirPods Pro to deliver a revelatory listening experience. I listened to a bunch of tracks with different types of instruments, voices, volume levels, and soundstages using the new earphones, and to a song, everything sounded quite good. I had no complaints about balance, apart from noticing occasional spots of sizzle in the bass. But there was also no sense of experiencing a song as if I was hearing it with studio monitors or other precision listening tools. These aren’t so much “Pro” earphones as “better” ones, much like Apple’s past and now somewhat obscure $79 In-Ear Headphones were to the infinitely more popular EarPods.
Noise cancellation, Transparency, and Siri The other major addition to AirPods Pro is active noise cancellation hardware, a feature that has been popular in over-ear headphones for many years, and only recently became somewhat viable in in-ear models. As distinguished from passive noise isolation — which is achieved by shielding the whole ear or ear canal from sound with an earcup or rubber eartip — active noise cancellation uses microphones to “hear” ambient noises around you, then produce directly opposing sounds to neutralize the noise.
Active noise cancellation is a real thing, but attempting to quantify it with percentages (“cancels 95% of ambient sounds!”) is a fool’s errand for many reasons. Most legitimate ANC systems do a good job with low rumbling sounds and struggle more at higher audio frequencies; the best ones address as much of the audio spectrum as possible. Even so, they tend to succeed at neutralizing rumbling plane and subway train engine sounds, and depend at least partially on currently playing audio to distract you from residual ambient noises.
The ANC system in AirPods Pro isn’t the best I’ve ever tested, but like the passively isolating silicone tips, it does make a difference. You can toggle it on or off by pinching one of Pro’s stubby stems — a new trick that took a few minutes to totally grasp, but then felt surprisingly natural — or do so with Control Center in iOS/iPadOS. Activating it knocks around 30 minutes off the 5-hour battery life, according to Apple.
When it’s on, I found that it blocked out perhaps half of the noises around me, including anything low-frequency such as the rumble of a nearby dryer, but left some midrange and high-frequency sounds (including parts of voices) semi-audible. If you’re listening to music, the ANC effect is enough to drown out the world around you without turning the volume up, and that’s enough to make it worthwhile.
Apple also includes a Transparency mode that mixes its live samples of ambient noise directly into the audio feed so that you can simultaneously hear your music and your environment. Since the passive and active noise isolation effects can lead you to believe your own voice is quieter than it actually is, turning on Transparency can help you avoid shouting when you’re on a phone call or making requests of Siri. My daughter noted that difference when I switched Noise Cancellation off and Transparency on, as well as mentioning that AirPods Pro themselves weren’t leaking my music to people nearby, unlike standard AirPods.
Ever since the 2019 AirPods arrived in March, users have also had access to “Hey Siri” functionality directly through the earphones, without the need to press a button; you just speak the words and Siri pops up. I was generally able to trigger Siri with minimal vocal amplitude beyond a whisper, and the assistant responded as ably as it could to my requests, which is to say unevenly — just like Siri without AirPods.
Apple very recently added an iOS and iPadOS feature that enables Siri to automatically read and help you reply to incoming text messages , just like the Messages application in Apple’s automotive CarPlay system. While the feature still stumbles with proper nouns, such as rendering Emil as email, it can turn the otherwise finger-demanding texting process into an almost completely verbal experience… if you’re willing to accept some little mistakes here and there.
A brief note on the wireless charging case One of the best things about the first two versions of AirPods is the included charging case, which closely resembles a box of dental floss in shape and size. It’s small enough to make competing alternatives look oversized, and works so well that people can (and do) take it almost anywhere. When the 2019 AirPods added inductive wireless charging to the mix, compatible with Qi chargers, I was thrilled to give up Lightning cable charging as a result.
Above: This Totalee wireless charging mat is one of many Qi chargers compatible with AirPods Pro.
AirPods Pro comes with a wider, shorter case that has all the same functionality as the one bundled with the $199 AirPods. It worked on not only the flat surface of Qi chargers I tested, but surprisingly also on the prior AirPods case-sized recessed charging spot on Mophie’s 3-in-1 charger, even though the new case is 15-20% larger than before. It’s still capable of fitting easily in a pants pocket with other items, though you may tarnish the glossy surface by doing so.
If you don’t want to use inductive charging, Apple now includes a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box rather than a legacy USB-A to Lightning cable. As a big USB-C device user, I really appreciate having the new cable in the box, but for those who don’t, the old Lightning cables you’ve accumulated over the years still work to charge AirPods Pro.
Parting thoughts As earphones are concerned, the world has changed a lot over the past few years: Every major smartphone maker and quite a few other big companies are now selling truly wireless earphones, and the debate over including 3.5mm headphone jacks has all but disappeared. People now walk around in public wearing wireless earbuds and canalphones that would have seemed implausibly small five or ten years ago, while anything with wires increasingly seems… if not antiquated, at least arguably unnecessary.
Having used and generally enjoyed the standard AirPods for the better part of two years, I was entirely ready for an upgraded model with all the features found in AirPods Pro. It includes almost everything I personally wanted: sweat resistance, noise cancellation, greater comfort, and better sound. Ideally, I’d prefer even better, true multi-driver sound at a more aggressive price point, but the purely wireless earphone market hasn’t evolved to that stage quite yet.
But it will. Between Qualcomm and other wireless chip makers, there are already stereo Bluetooth components available at multiple price points, including chips designed to let premium smartphone makers bundle wireless headphones in the box. Samsung came close to that with massive giveaways of Galaxy Buds , and I wouldn’t be surprised to see both decidedly better and even more affordable Bluetooth options appear in 2020, For the time being, my early impressions of AirPods Pro are highly positive, and even if I did a full and proper review, I suspect that I’d struggle to point to any existing solution that is better overall. But going forward, Apple will unquestionably face price pressure from competitors who find ways to deliver either superior sonics at the same sub-$250 price point, or nearly identical functionality for much less.
Die-hard Apple users mightn’t be swayed by non-Apple options, but there are hundreds of millions of other people out there waiting for the right opportunity to cut their headphone cords and go wireless. Apart from their “Pro” price tag, I’d say the latest version of AirPods makes that case better than anything I’ve tested.
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"AliveCor and Xiaomi-backed Huami will co-develop ECG wearables | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/alivecor-and-xiaomi-backed-huami-will-co-develop-ecg-wearables"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages AliveCor and Xiaomi-backed Huami will co-develop ECG wearables Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn KardiaMobile 6L.
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After making an early splash with portable ECG accessories for smartphones, AliveCor has fought to remain relevant as smartwatches have grown to include similar heart monitoring tools. Today, the company announced a deal with Huami — the Xiaomi-backed smart wearable maker — to incorporate AliveCor solutions in future Huami devices.
While AliveCor is perhaps best known for its Kardia-branded heart scanning devices, including the $99 phone-linked KardiaMobile, $150 KardiaMobile 6L , and Apple Watch-dependent KardiaBand , the company has more recently sought to build a $10/month subscription business around related cloud-based services and device replacement. The Huami deal will cover both AliveCor technology and services.
“AliveCor’s intelligent, medical grade, heart care platform will be a key component of Huami smart watches and heart trackers going forward,” explained Huami CEO Wang Huang. “Our new partnership is critical to building these as well as entirely new medical grade services.” AliveCor suggests that the deal will enable it to affordably bring its products and subscription services to larger numbers of users, including both enterprise customers and consumers — an otherwise daunting challenge for an independent accessory maker. Apple has reached comparatively massive market penetration with the Apple Watch, which has included heart rate monitoring since 2015 and ECG functionality since 2018 , as well as striking deals with multiple cellular carriers, insurance providers, and enterprises to bolster global sales.
A deal with Huami offers AliveCor the potential for similar access. Huami says that it shipped 27.5 million smart wearable devices in 2018 alone, with recent models such as the Amazfit Verge 2 and Amazfit GTR specifically targeting the Apple Watch from different angles. Despite competition from better-known companies such as Huawei, Samsung, and Fitbit, Xiaomi has become a leader in the smartwatch space, and one of Apple’s strongest rivals internationally.
Today’s deal doesn’t appear to be exclusive, but does include a license of AliveCor technology to Huami and an agreement to co-develop new devices and services. Most promisingly, the companies expect “entirely new ECG form factors” to arrive in global markets in 2020 as a result of the deal, which, given AliveCor’s development of multi-lead heart monitors, could shake up the smartwatch category next year.
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"Apple TV+ looks increasingly desperate to lure viewers ahead of launch | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/media/apple-tv-looks-increasingly-desperate-to-lure-viewers-ahead-of-launch"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Opinion Apple TV+ looks increasingly desperate to lure viewers ahead of launch Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Virtually everyone knows by now that Apple is launching subscription television offering Apple TV+ publicly on November 1. But the company, which has reportedly invested billions of dollars in dozens of original programs for the service, appears to be facing a serious problem: finding viewers willing to pay for it.
Even though Apple announced a relatively aggressive $4.99 monthly price for the service , everything suggests Apple TV+’s earliest viewership will come largely from giveaways. Last month, Apple said it would give a free year of Apple TV+ service to purchasers of new iPhones, iPads, Macs, iPods, and Apple TV boxes. Today, actress Hailee Steinfeld told her Instagram followers that Apple is expanding the giveaway to include Apple Music student subscriptions, making the video service free for anyone with an existing $4.99 audio streaming account.
To be clear, I don’t fault Apple for trying to get Apple TV+ in front of as many eyeballs as possible. In fact, I personally appreciate the recent and obviously related rollouts of Apple TV apps to certain Samsung smart televisions , Roku devices , and Amazon Fire TVs, which have belatedly but collectively brought iTunes videos and Apple TV+ subscription access to tens of millions of previously unsupported TVs. Since Apple has certainly sold millions of new devices since September, and Apple TV+ includes “family” access for up to six people per account, the company is building a solid day one viewer base for its new shows.
The issue is that regardless of how Apple’s executives and accountants spin the numbers, these are Apple TV+ viewers — potential viewers — rather than Apple TV+ customers.
By virtue of having purchased a new Apple device over the past month, I qualify as a potential Apple TV+ viewer, but I certainly would not pay $5 per month for anything that’s been announced thus far for the service.
Reviews for the initial slate of Apple TV+ shows have been mediocre. Based on reports of production troubles , I would use the word “unsurprising” to describe that situation, though I had hoped the company would recover from sketchy and unpleasant trailers.
Unfortunately, Metacritic reveals that all of the shows have rated less than 70 out of 100: Flagship drama The Morning Show is currently at 60/100, while the Jason Momoa-backed See is scraping the barrel’s bottom at 38/100. These numbers aren’t good by any measure and only look worse if you consider how much money Apple has spent — and has committed to keep spending — on these programs.
A fair argument can be made that Apple had no choice but to give away Apple TV+ access for the first year. It doesn’t have a catalog of original content like the one Disney leveraged to launch its own $7 monthly Disney+ service.
One might suggest Apple is playing the long game, offering free trials to existing customers as it builds up its library of original TV shows and movies. Since content creators — and dare I say potential future advertisers? — may be reluctant to participate in a video service that has no viewers, Apple needs to do whatever it can to get those numbers up, and quickly.
From my perspective, though, launching Apple TV+ in its current form was a big mistake. There were multiple compelling alternatives, including turning the entire iTunes TV show library into an all-you-can-watch subscription service (akin to Apple Music), or bundling access to multiple existing third-party channels with original Apple content in a single service. Apple already had the relationships and properly encoded content to make either of these deals happen in a snap, but it didn’t. Either of these options would have been an instant “yes” for millions of existing Apple customers, who would gladly have paid for a true rival to Netflix with different on-demand content.
Starting with established shows and adding original content is a formula that worked for Netflix and is working for Disney+. Some people (including me) even saw enough combined value in Disney’s back catalog and future pipeline to pay for three years of service in advance. Instead, Apple somehow decided to go it alone with Apple TV+, just as it did with its standalone Apple TV devices, passing on numerous opportunities to work with TV makers and cable companies to create a better solution. We know how that worked out for Apple TV boxes, which have spent years as also-rans in the media streaming hardware market.
After years of “pulling the string” to see where its Apple TV hobby would go, Apple is looking at a multi-billion dollar investment that now seems unlikely to turn a profit or break even in the immediate future. We’ll see whether Apple is able to convert some of its growing pool of free trial-acquired potential viewers into paying customers, but unless the content becomes significantly more compelling over the next year, Apple TV+ may well become more noteworthy for the dramas it’s creating for Apple than anything it’s offering to viewers.
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"Nintendo Switch software sales grow alongside Zelda and Fire Emblem | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/games/nintendo-switch-software-sales-grow-alongside-zelda-and-fire-emblem"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Nintendo Switch software sales grow alongside Zelda and Fire Emblem Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn A level where you count each copy sold one at a time.
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Nintendo Switch software sales are on fire as fans show up for the publisher’s top franchises.
In the first six months of the fiscal year, consumers purchased 58.49 million games for the hybrid home/handheld console. That is up 38.8% year-over-year. And much of that strength comes from solid performances for familiar franchises like Zelda, Mario, and Fire Emblem.
Super Mario Maker 2 launched in June, and it has hit 3.93 million copies sold. That puts it just behind the lifetime sales of the original Super Mario Maker at 4 million.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening sold 3.13 million copies. That comes in just the last nine days of Nintendo’s reporting period. And it puts the game on pace to surpass 3DS’s Zelda game, A Link Between Worlds, which sold 4.07 million copies.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses hit 2.29 million copies sold. That already puts it ahead of Fire Emblem: Awakening’s 2.28 million copies. And Three Houses should catch up to Fire Emblem: Fates’ 2.94 million copies soon.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Switch software sales should stay hot through the holidays These are all huge debuts for these franchises. And this reveals the ongoing power Switch software sales.
Fans aren’t just buying the hardware and leaving it on the shelf. That has happened with previous Nintendo devices — the Wii in particular. Instead, consumers are buying the Switch and then purchasing games with a voracious appetite.
Link’s Awakening, Three Houses, and Mario Maker 2 should all set records within their franchises by the end of this holiday. Fire Emblem and Mario Maker will end up as the best-selling entries in their franchises. And Link’s Awakening will end up as the best-selling 2D Zelda.
And Nintendo should see a similar performance for Luigi’s Mansion 3 , which launched today, October 31, on Switch. That franchise previously appeared on GameCube and Nintendo 3DS, but its Switch entry should surpass both of those predecessors. And Pokémon Sword and Shield , which debuts November 15, could also have some of the best sales in the franchise’s history.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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"Crunchbase raises $30 million for personalized experiences using machine learning | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/crunchbase-raises-30-million-for-personalized-experiences-using-machine-learning"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Crunchbase raises $30 million for personalized experiences using machine learning Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Crunchbase, the business database for the startup and investor ecosystem, has announced a $30 million funding round led by Omers Ventures. Existing Crunchbase investors Emergence, Mayfield, Cowboy Ventures, and Verizon also participated in the round. Omers Ventures managing partner Michael Yang will be joining Crunchbase’s board.
Created by Michael Arrington in 2007, Crunchbase initially existed under TechCrunch, which was acquired in 2010 by AOL , which, in turn, was snapped up by Verizon in 2015. Backed by $6.5 million in funding from Emergence Capital Partners, AOL spun out Crunchbase as a standalone entity in 2015. Crunchbase raised another $2 million in February 2016, and then $18 million more in April 2017. Now it has more than doubled its previous funding amount (from $26.5 million to $56.5 million) and expects to double its double its headcount over the next year. The plan? Crunchbase wants to level up its AI.
“One of the key technologies we’ll be investing in after this funding round is machine learning,” Crunchbase CEO Jager McConnell said in a statement. “Today, our users are already benefiting from powerful ML tools like Crunchbase Rank and Trend Score. In the near future, we’ll create personalized experiences that highlight companies our users should consider. These recommendations will be based on the type of companies they’ve engaged with previously, and their specific business use case, whether that’s sales prospects, partnership prospects, investment prospects, or some other B2B connection. Great machine learning relies on massive amounts of data to be effective — with Crunchbase’s private company data platform, we believe we’re uniquely positioned to harness the power of ML to help our users find the best new opportunities for them.” VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! In addition to personalized experiences, Crunchbase hopes to offer a new look for profile pages, streamlined search functionality, and an updated API. Crunchbase also plans to make “significant investments” in data acquisition, research to uncover unique insights, and international expansion. Here is how McConnell describes each update: New look: We’re giving Crunchbase a major facelift. Company profile pages, the place where most of our users start, are about to look a whole lot different. We’re improving the in-profile navigation, taking away clutter, adding custom insights, and speeding up load times. You’ll be able to see what matters in seconds.
Personalized experiences: We recognize that each of our users has a unique set of goals, targets, and industries. They want Crunchbase to be the intelligent prospecting tool that takes on some of the heavy lifting. So, we’re creating an all new logged-in homepage experience that’s personalized to each user and gets smarter based on the way you engage on site.
Streamlined search: We’re reimagining our search tools to simplify the way you find companies on Crunchbase. This includes creating a guided search experience, bringing search front and center, and reducing option overload.
Improved API: Sometimes one size doesn’t fit all. For customers who want to bring Crunchbase data into their own databases, CRMs or even products, we offer customized integrations through our API. In the coming year, we’ll be releasing a new version of our API which includes powerful search functionality and faster response times.
Data expansion: Our data is the foundation for everything we do. That’s why we’ve invested in building a best-in-class data acquisition engine that’s powered by contributors, automation, teams of analysts, partners, and machine learning. We’re committed to maintaining the quality of our data and continuing to expand our coverage of companies from around the world.
“We are creating a global destination with best-in-class private company profiles, tools, and community,” McConnell said in a statement. “We will power the future of B2B deal making, starting with a better way to prospect for private company opportunities.” In a year, Crunchbase says it sees 55 million users accessing its data and 1.6 billion calls to the enterprise Crunchbase API. Its community, partners, and automated processes make 3.9 billion updates to the data set annually. Crunchbase has 4,000 data partnerships and syndication deals.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Zynga teams up with Alec Baldwin for 10th anniversary of Words With Friends | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/zynga-teams-up-with-alec-baldwin-for-10th-anniversary-of-words-with-friends"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Zynga teams up with Alec Baldwin for 10th anniversary of Words With Friends Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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Zynga and Alec Baldwin have been a good match ever since the actor got kicked off a plane for playing Words With Friends as the jet was about to take off.
So the San Francisco social mobile game publisher and Baldwin have teamed up to celebrate the game for its 10th anniversary.
Zynga has started a “creative collaboration” the with Emmy Award-winning actor, producer, and director. He will lend his signature wit to humorous video vignettes that will be released over the next several months.
“It’s incredible to think back to my early days playing Words With Friends,” said Baldwin. “From playing on sets between takes, with colleagues, filmmakers and crew, to now, with my daily matches with my father-in-law in Italy, the game has been a constant in my life over the past decade.” Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! “Alec Baldwin not only partnered with us on this campaign, but was a true co-collaborator, from the early creative planning to the shoot,” said Bernard Kim, president of publishing at Zynga, in a statement. “He didn’t just bring his chops as an actor to set, he worked with our team to develop the concepts, hone the dialogue and be a true creative force for this content series.” GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Zynga posts mixed results: Record bookings of $395 million, but short on profits | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/zynga-posts-mixed-results-with-record-bookings-of-395-million-but-short-on-profits"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Zynga posts mixed results: Record bookings of $395 million, but short on profits Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Empires & Puzzles comes from Small Giant Games, which Gregory Milken invested in.
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Zynga reported mixed results for the third quarter that ended September 30, beating revenue and bookings expectations but falling short on its profits after adjusting for one-time gains.
It’s a bit complicated to figure out, as Zynga is doing a lot better than it said it would, but for various reasons, it isn’t making as much profit as expected. But those who delve into the numbers would probably agree that the profit shortfall isn’t a bad problem. In after-hours trading, Zynga’s stock price is up 4.2% to $6.47 a share.
The San Francisco publisher of social mobile games reported its highest quarterly revenue and bookings in history ($345 million and $395 million, respectively), with mobile revenue up 54% from a year ago and mobile bookings up 64%.
Revenue is based on the change in deferred revenue and bookings. Accounting rules require Zynga to spread revenue received upfront from a user over the lifetime of that user’s engagement.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Above: Merge Magic is one of Zynga’s latest Merge game.
Despite the strong revenue growth from games like Empire & Puzzles and Merge Dragons, the company lost money on an adjusted basis in part because it had to pay a higher bonus to the companies it acquired (Small Giant Games and Gram Games) because they hit their incentive targets.
“We had a really good Q3. We actually hit a record in terms of our revenue and bookings highest in our, in our history from a quarterly standpoint,” said CEO Frank Gibeau in an interview with GamesBeat. “We delivered numbers that were above guidance and above consensus on the top and the bottom. It’s been so strong and with there’s so much momentum in the business that we’ve actually raised our guidance for the full year.” If Q4 goes as expected, then “it will be the biggest year in the history of Zynga in terms of revenue and bookings since the IPO” in 2011, Gibeau said.
Actual results Above: Zynga CEO Frank Gibeau is pumped for the fourth quarter’s potential.
Zynga posted GAAP net income of $230 million, thanks to a $314 million one-time gain from the sale (and lease back) of the company’s headquarters in San Francisco. If you exclude the one-time gain, Zynga had a loss of $84 million.
Analysts had been expecting bookings of $385 million (a number that Zynga beat with $395 million) and non-GAAP profits of 5 cents a share, or $46 million (a number that Zynga missed). Its deferred revenue balance is now $403 million, compared to $174 million a year ago.
“On a non-GAAP basis, it was a very strong profit quarter for us,” Gibeau said.
Overall performance in the quarter was driven by strong momentum across live services as well as initial contributions from recently launched titles.
In particular, Words With Friends, Zynga Poker and CSR2 were strong contributors in the quarter while Empires & Puzzles and Merge Dragons grew to new quarterly revenue and bookings highs.
“CSR and Words With Friends and Zynga Poker are delivering, and we are starting to see contributions from Merge Magic, which is off to a good start, as well as the Game of Thrones social casino game,” Gibeau said.
Zynga got its product pipeline going again with the launch of another new title — Merge Magic, which the company said is off to a great start. This comes on the heels of the recently launched Game of Thrones Slots Casino, which has become the fastest-growing slots title in its first full quarter post-launch.
Above: A look at Zynga’s catalog.
Zynga is raising its full-year 2019 guidance to $1.28 billion in revenue, up 41% year-over-year and an increase of $42 million versus prior guidance. The company is also raising bookings guidance to $1.55 billion, up 59% year-over-year and an increase of $46 million versus prior guidance.
Mobile revenue was $328 million, and it now accounts for 96% of revenues. Facebook desktop web revenue, once the core of the company, is now just 4%.
International revenue and bookings grew 67% and 89% year-over-year, respectively, and now represent 38% of total revenue and 41% of total bookings versus 34% of total revenue and bookings in the prior year period.
Gram Games and Small Giant Games continue to perform ahead of Zynga’s expectations, resulting in an increase in contingent consideration expense (the bonus for hitting targets) of $61 million in the quarter. This is one reason the company’s net income of $230 million fell short by $20 million of Zynga’s own guidance.
“The good news is they’re generating a lot of EBITDA (earnings before income taxes, depreciation, and amortization) and the accounting treatment of that means you have to book more of a reserve against it,” Gibeau said.
Zynga said that social slots were up 23% in mobile bookings from a year ago, and Zynga Poker grew bookings sequentially.
Going forward, Zynga is working on new games such as FarmVille 3, which is in soft launch, or limited release. Another title, Puzzle Combat, is also in soft launch.
Zynga’s ad revenue was $64 million in the quarter, down 3% from a year ago, as Zynga had some new accounts that kicked in a year ago. Advertising is expected to grow in the low double-digits in the future.
Player base Above: Zynga has added new Ferrari models to CSR2 in honor of the car maker’s 70th anniversary.
In Q3, the average mobile daily active users (DAUs) were down 1% year-over-year as the addition of Empires & Puzzles and audience growth in Merge Dragons were offset by decreases in older mobile and chat games, as well as in Zynga Poker and Words With Friends.
Our average mobile monthly active users (MAUs) declined by 13% year-over-year for reasons similar to mobile DAUs, with a greater impact from the decision to sunset certain chat games. Gibeau said the company shifted more of its messenger games from Facebook Messenger to Snapchat. In general, Zynga is generating more revenues from a smaller base of users.
The future Zynga is also working on new games including FarmVille 3, Puzzle Combat, CityVille, and licensed titles including Harry Potter and two Star Wars games.
“We’re in growth mode, we’re not in fixed mode anymore,” Gibeau said. “And it feels like our multiyear strategy is really unfolding. And as the new game pipeline continues to work, that’s the growth driver and, and we’re still in a position with $1.45 billion on the balance sheet. So we’re still very interested in acquisitions and we’ll look for the right teams and the right types of franchises to bring into the company.” Zynga has about 1,874 employees, down 144 from a year ago.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"You can now unlock WhatsApp for Android with your fingerprint | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/you-can-now-unlock-whatsapp-for-android-with-your-fingerprint"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages You can now unlock WhatsApp for Android with your fingerprint Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn WhatsApp has finally brought fingerprint unlocking to Android phones Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
Learn more.
WhatsApp is finally rolling out fingerprint unlocking to Android phones, some 10 months after the feature was first teased in an early Android beta build.
It’s worth noting that WhatsApp has already introduced biometric security to its iPhone app, having added support for Face ID and Touch ID back in February.
Touch ID, which involves using your fingerprint to authenticate an app, is available on the iPhone 5S to the iPhone 8 / 8 Plus, after which Apple replaced Touch ID with its facial recognition system.
So while we already knew WhatsApp was adding biometric unlocking, today’s announcement finally brings it to the masses. This is a notable development for WhatsApp, given that one of its core selling points is the security it offers through end-to-end encryption.
Fingerprint unlocking makes things even more secure as it encourages users to lock the app down even if the device itself is unlocked.
How it works To activate the feature, head to the app’s settings, then to “account” and “privacy.” Toggle the “fingerprint lock” switch and then choose when WhatsApp should automatically lock itself: immediately, after 1 minute, or after 30 minutes.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Users can also choose to view the messages in push notifications, which means anyone else would be able to view it, too, though they wouldn’t be able to open the WhatsApp app itself.
Above: Activate fingerprint unlocking on WhatsApp (Android) All that’s really missing now on Android is the ability to unlock WhatsApp using facial recognition technology. While Android phones have in the past offered “face unlock” features to unlock devices, Google’s new Pixel 4 takes things to the next level by allowing users to authenticate themselves in a handful of third-party apps, including password managers and banking services.
As more Android device makers add face unlocking smarts, we can likely expect WhatsApp to embrace this functionality in the future. However, a spokesperson told VentureBeat that they couldn’t comment on future plans.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
Discover our Briefings.
The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 review -- better than the best | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/xbox-elite-wireless-controller-series-2-review-better-than-the-best"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Review Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 review — better than the best Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2.
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Four years ago, I reviewed the Xbox Elite Controller.
I called it the best gamepad that I’ve ever used, and it maintained that title … until now. Microsoft is following up the Elite with the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 , and it is taking up the torch from its predecessor.
On November 4, Microsoft will begin shipping the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 for $180.
The expensive device looks and feels premium and is packing pro customization features.
I love it. You will love it. You probably don’t need it. But if you are someone who plays a lot of controller games on Xbox or PC, the Series 2 is definitely worth it. Here’s why.
What you’ll like Still feels amazing The Elite Series 2 is similar to the original, and that means it feels great in your hands. It has heft to it, but it isn’t actually heavy or bulky. The buttons are responsive and pop back into your finger. And the analog sticks are smooth and consistent.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! After years with the Elite and now with the Elite 2, I’m still in love with so much. Every button is begging for you to press them. The bumpers, a trouble spot on some early versions of the Xbox One gamepad, feel wonderful to press. And I break out the Elite 2 for retro games because its D-pad is everything I want from a controller.
Improved design and comfort But Microsoft has made some key improvements for the Elite 2. You can adjust the tension in the analog sticks, which works well. It has three settings that you select using a tool that slots away in the carrying case. The Elite 2 also has a wraparound rubberized grip and an even shorter actuation for the trigger buttons.
I’ve found that the back-side paddle buttons (which you can use in place of the face buttons) feel better than ever. They give a satisfying, chunky click when you press them. But they also stay out of the way when you aren’t using the controller. I always felt like I had to deactivate the paddles before setting original Elite down to avoid accidental presses. Those false presses don’t happen with the Series 2.
Microsoft even built in a profile switcher. You can set your customized settings to one of three profiles and then swap between them with the press of a button.
The Xbox designers obviously thought through everything for the Elite 2 and made upgrades wherever possible.
Above: For $180, it better look this expensive.
Bluetooth, rechargeable battery, and charging case The improvements extend to new features as well. Microsoft added Bluetooth, so now you can use the Elite 2 with Bluetooth-capable PCs, smartphones, and tablets. It also has a rechargeable battery where the original used regular double-As.
The battery can withstand multiple lengthy gaming sessions, but Microsoft also turned the carrying case into a charging stand. So as long as you put the controller away properly, it should always have plenty of juice.
What you won’t like Rubber grip is slippery The only issue I have with the Elite 2 is that the rubber on the handle grips feel a bit too slippery. They still grip, but not quite as much as I want. It’s a minor problem, and one that may go away as I break in the Elite 2 Conclusion I love the Elite Series 2. It only has one rival, and that’s the original Xbox Elite controller. But this followup has more than enough improvements and smart new features to put it ahead.
The only reasons not to get one is if you own the first Elite or would never spend $180 on a controller. And hey, I get it. But if you buy every video game you want, maybe tell Santa to pick this up for you.
If you do own the original, however, you don’t need to upgrade. The Elite 2 is unquestionably better, but it’s not so improved that it makes your current gamepad obsolete.
For everyone else, just get one. It can be the controller you take with you to a friend’s house for a game night. Be like the guy who brings his own pool cue to the billiards hall. Treat the Elite 2 well, and it’ll last you for years. And you’ll probably never come across a better controller until all that time … or Elite Series 3.
Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 is available November 4 for $180. Microsoft provided a sample unit to GamesBeat for the purpose of this review.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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"Ubisoft regroups for next gen as sales decline 9% | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/ubisoft-regroups-sales-decline"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Ubisoft regroups for next gen as sales decline 9% Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Ghost Recon: Breakpoint has caused Ubisoft to reconsider its entire release schedule.
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Ubisoft is having a rough financial year.
As the company warned last week , Ghost Recon: Breakpoint was a “disaster.” And now the publisher is reporting that its sales for the first half of its fiscal year were down 9.1% year-over-year to 697.5 million euros ($775.6 million).
Now, Ubisoft wants to regroup for the next-gen consoles.
The French publisher did have some bright spots, though, thanks to its impressive back catalog.
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey still has high engagement.
Rainbow Six: Siege is more popular than ever. And its PC business continues to grow.
Ubisoft chief executive Yves Guillemot emphasized the positives in a statement to investors. But he also reiterated the need to delay games to ensure every release is as strong as possible.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! “Our second-quarter performance demonstrates the solidity of our back catalog, which was fueled by the strong momentum of many of our titles,” said Guillemot. “[But] as illustrated by our announcement last week, we are continuing to take decisions in the interests of Ubisoft’s long-term future. It is as a result of this approach that we’ve been able to significantly and successfully transform our business model in recent years and create major shareholder value.” Ubisoft is regrouping until the next-gen consoles Ubisoft’s “decisions” include delaying almost all of its games. It now plans to release five blockbuster products next fiscal year. That means five games between April 2020 and March 2021.
The company will then have another three-to-four blockbusters for the following fiscal year. That period runs from April 2021 to March 2022.
So from the 2.25-year period from late 2020 through early 2022, players should expect a lot of Ubisoft launches. Those likely include a new Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry. It should also turn up known quantities like Gods & Monsters, Rainbow Six: Quarantine, and Watch Dogs: Legion. Maybe we’ll even get Beyond Good and Evil 2.
But it’s not just about new major releases on console and PC.
“Ubisoft’s prospects are particularly promising,” said Guillemot. “Our numerous growth vectors going forward include the arrival of the next generation of consoles, the opening up of the Asian market, and our partnership with Tencent for launching our franchises on mobile. All of these are strong value creation drivers for the medium term.” The company has a strategy to get back on track. And no one can deny that Guillemot is optimistic.
“Thanks to a very robust balance sheet, an unrivaled production capacity, development teams that are among the best in the industry, and a widely recognized ability to adapt and grow, we are looking forward to the future with confidence.” GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
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"Soar Adds China Siwei to Its Growing List of Satellite Imagery Partners | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/soar-adds-china-siwei-to-its-growing-list-of-satellite-imagery-partners"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Press Release Soar Adds China Siwei to Its Growing List of Satellite Imagery Partners Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–October 31, 2019– Digital mapping and imagery company Soar has announced a strategic partnership with the China Siwei Surveying and Mapping Technology Co. Ltd, which falls under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191031005663/en/ Featured image: SuperView takes a high-resolution image over the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX, September 19, 2019. (Photo: Soar) Soar, which already provides its end-users unlimited access to 10-meter and 30-meter resolution imagery via the European Space Agency’s Sentinel and NASA’s Landsat feeds, will now have access to two additional data streams capable of displaying imagery at an incredibly high resolution of 0.5 meter and 0.8 meters per pixel via the SuperView and Gaofen satellites, respectively.
Soar CEO Amir Farhand said: “Soar was created to be a world-first mapping platform capable of hosting imagery sourced from multiple sensors – be that satellites, aerial imaging providers and drone pilots.” “Partnering with China Siwei and CASC means we can now provide our users with an unprecedented enhanced level of Earth’s detail in near real-time. Where Soar users would previously be able to see larger landscapes such as forests and coastlines, we can now observe individual trees, roads and even cars. It’s a total game-changer and changes the application base of Soar to an entirely new audience.” The partnership comes as significant news for China Siwei, as it showcases the company’s ability to partner with an international, hypergrowth, tech startup – such as Soar – which otherwise would have been beyond reach. [1] [2] [3] Jun Zhao, Vice President of China Siewei added , “The collaboration between China Siwei and Soar showcases the evolution and development of the Chinese Space Program to now supply content to an international audience. We believe there is a bright future for this partnership and a ground-breaking significance for both companies to become world-class leaders in the satellite and mapping industry.” The announcement comes only a month since Soar’s public launch, in which it has seen unprecedented demand from enterprise users in the commercial sector and significant enhancements to its online platform.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191031005663/en/ Dan Edelstein InboundJunction PR [email protected] +972 545 646 238 VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"Samsung and Medtronic use app for Parkinson's disease patient therapy | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/samsung-and-medtronic-use-app-for-parkinsons-disease-patient-therapy"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Samsung and Medtronic use app for Parkinson’s disease patient therapy Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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At Samsung Developer Conference 2019 today, Medtronic and Samsung showed off a Galaxy smartphone app, Patient Programmer , that allows patients to manage their own therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Nearly a million people in the U.S. live with the disease, which affects the brain and produces worsening tremors, reduced movement, body stiffness, and cognitive changes.
To treat it, Medtronic partnered with clinicians 20 years ago to help develop deep brain stimulation (DBS) technology to alleviate symptoms. The Medtronic DBS therapy system involves implanting a neurostimulator device in the patient’s chest. Thin wires, called leads, extend from the neurostimulator to the brain to deliver electrical signals. Those electrical signals stimulate a part of the brain, helping to reduce tremors. And as you can see from the video embedded in this post, it can make a big difference for patients.
Medtronic worked with Samsung to create the Clinician Programmer in 2018. To help clinicians and patients better optimize the therapy, Medtronic sought user-friendly mobile devices to adjust the programming of DBS implants and to put more control into the patient’s hands.
Above: Samsung’s app for adjusting deep brain stimulation therapy for Parkinson’s disease.
The app was for physicians and it was built around a custom-configured Galaxy tablet, which connects to the DBS communicator via Bluetooth. The data was encrypted to protect patient data privacy. The tablet had a preloaded Activa application that allowed physicians to review patient programming history and usage, visualize neuronal activation, and optimize treatment through a more streamlined workflow.
Since the Clinician Programmer project was a success, the partners moved forward with the development of Patient Programmer, unveiled today at the Samsung Developer Conference in San Jose, California.
Above: John Curtis of Samsung (left) and Earl Slee of Medtronic at SDC.
The Patient Programmer app uses a Samsung smartphone to enable the patient to adjust their physician-prescribed DBS therapy between clinic consultations.
One patient, Susan Mollohan, a former high school administrator in Derry, New Hampshire, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2008. Prior to receiving surgery for DBS, she described Parkinson’s as a “living death.” She said, “You are still living but you’re watching things die off. I had to give up my job — that’s something that died off. My hand would be rigid up against my abdomen and my fingers were like a claw.” After she received the DBS therapy, Mollohan found her Parkinson’s tremors were greatly reduced and her movements freer.
“I have taken up the hobby of photography painting and drawing,” said Mollohan, who was in the audience at SDC. “Deep brain stimulation surgery has given me my life back.” The DBS therapy improves quality of life for patients with Parkinson’s disease. However, Medtronic sought to help physicians by making the implant programming process easier and help patients by putting more control over the physician-prescribed therapy into their hands. The company wanted user-friendly devices for both physicians and patients. And, for patients, they also hoped to find a device that allowed treatment to be more discreet. That’s where the smartphone app came in.
“It begins and ends with patients,” said Earl Slee, vice president of technology at Medtronic, onstage at SDC. “We can place an electrical wire in the brain where we modulate the abnormal electrical energy and improve the patient’s movement symptoms. We are not stopping there. In the near future, we will launch DBS devices with brain sensing capability. The Clinician and Patient Programmers, are the first of several building blocks in our innovative product portfolio.” In the future, he said, Medtronic can collect thousands of patient-years of data and help optimize the treatment for specific individuals based on that data.
Taher Behbehani, Samsung’s head of mobile B2B, said that readmission rates for cardiac patients is 15%, and that costs $41.8 billion in the U.S. But using Samsung Galaxy watches to monitor heart rates, physicians can review patient data via a dashboard and counsel patients from afar.
Kaiser Permanente tested this on 2,300 cardiac patients, and they found that 87% of patients using the watches stuck with their exercise routines, compared to 50% for those who didn’t use them. The readmission rates dropped to 2%, and now Kaiser is rolling the program out nationally.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"Nintendo Switch sales surpass 41 million | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/nintendo-switch-sales"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Nintendo Switch sales surpass 41 million Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Switch Lite helps maintain Nintendo's sales momentum.
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Nintendo’s operating profit saw a massive jump during its second quarter as Switch sales continue their momentum. The company reported an operating profit of 94,222 million yen ($871.18 million) for the first six months of the fiscal year. That is up 53.4% year-over-year. Net sales, meanwhile, were 443,967 million yen ($4.1 billion). That is up 14.2% over the same period in the previous period.
Over the previous two quarters, Nintendo sold 4.98 million Switch systems and 1.95 million Switch Lite devices. Nintendo chief executive Shuntaro Furukawa is still expecting to sell 18 million Switch systems for the year.
These hardware sales keep the Switch on a breakneck pace.
It has already outsold the Nintendo 64 and Wii U. And Switch should surpass the Super Nintendo’s worldwide hardware sales of 49.1 million by this holiday or soon after. If the Switch continues to sell at this rate, it should also easily catch up to Game Boy Advance and Nintendo 3DS.
Switch sales should continue to deliver for Nintendo Nintendo has a lot of experience at keeping up excitement for its consoles. For Switch, the company has already turned to its favored trick of revising the hardware.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! In August, Nintendo launched an update of its hybrid home/handheld console with significantly improved battery life and thermal performance. And then it released the smaller, dedicated portable Switch Lite in September.
Over the course of the 3DS’s life, Nintendo released six different models.
And it seems fair to expect similar treatment for the Switch. This strategy gives Nintendo’s most dedicated fans a chance to upgrade hardware every couple of years. It also enables those hardcore players to gift or sell their old devices to bring in new software customers.
And Nintendo’s operating profits should continue to climb as its future Switch revisions make the device more affordable to manufacture.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
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"Meet EDSFF: 1PB of flash storage in a single rack | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/meet-edsff-1pb-of-flash-storage-in-a-single-rack"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Meet EDSFF: 1PB of flash storage in a single rack Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
This article is part of the Technology Insight series, made possible with funding from Intel.
A petabyte isn’t what it used to be, thanks to this radical new SSD standard. And that’s good news for enterprises and data centers.
Back in 2012, one petabyte of storage occupied a full-sized server cabinet measuring more than six feet tall. It sold for $500,000. The 360 Serial Attached SCSI hard drives you had to cram into that rack needed seven kilowatts of power, and they were only capable of reading data at a little over 500 Mbs. (These days you get better performance, though not capacity, from the SSD in your laptop.) We’ve come a long way since then. Take Supermicro’s SuperStorage systems.
They support up to 32 flash-based drives, include a pair of redundant 1.6kW power supplies, can theoretically move data at a screaming 64 GB/s, and occupy as little as one rack unit (1U). Once Intel starts rolling out 32TB SSDs based on its 3D NAND technology, those Supermicro servers will condense 1PB of capacity into just 1U of space.
The key is the Enterprise & Datacenter SSD Form Factor (EDSFF). The rack-shrinking specification provides a foundation as a building block for modern data centers and has a promising roadmap. In this piece, you’ll learn: VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Why EDSFF is necessary and where 2.5″ form factors fall short How EDSFF is being implemented today, including the E1.L and E1.S form factors Where you can expect the standard to affect the thermal performance, power consumption, and serviceability of your servers How EDSFF is expected to evolve over the next several years What is EDSFF? Why should you care? Miniaturizing six feet of storage hardware and making it orders-of-magnitude faster is no small feat. It starts with a shift away from spinning platters. The latest solid-state drives employ advanced manufacturing to drive down their price per gigabyte, greatly strengthening the case for replacing hard disks with SSDs. But even then, there’s only so much flash memory you can fit into a legacy 2.5″ form factor. Enter EDSFF.
If you’re in the business of data generation and consumption, EDSFF makes it possible to put more information – your primary currency – into less space by completely redefining the physical dimensions an SSD occupies. And because EDSFF-based drives slide into connectors wired up for four-lane PCI Express links, those valuable bytes get where they’re going faster within the walls of your datacenter.
EDSFF was inspired by Intel’s “ruler” form factor and then backed by 15 different companies to create an industry standard that promises higher storage density, better efficiency through some cool mechanical optimizations, more capacity, and storage disaggregation via high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity.
Above: EDSFF offers a number of benefits compared to legacy 2.5″ form factors, including U.2.
Why do we need a new form factor, anyway? Today’s storage servers are all about packing more capacity into smaller spaces. While 2.5” and 3.5” drives reflect the physical demands of spinning disks, those form factors aren’t specifically relevant to solid-state flash memory. NAND chips can live almost anywhere. And the growing popularity of add-in cards and M.2 SSDs installed onto motherboards demonstrate the advantages of plugging flash directly into the PCI Express bus.
Of course, many SSDs are still built into 2.5” enclosures for compatibility with existing drive sleds. In the enterprise space, a lot of these employ a U.2 interface to plumb solid-state storage into four-lane PCI Express 3.0 links. U.2 is compatible with the legacy SAS connector and adds support for hot-swapping drives from the front of a server. However, the form factor it populates isn’t optimal for dense flash.
Although Supermicro does sell a 1U server with 32 hot-swappable drive bays for U.2 SSDs , the company had to perform some fancy footwork to fit them along the front. Two drive trays host 16 SSDs each. They’re stacked one on top of each other and four-deep, sliding out perpendicular to the server’s front edge as the tray is removed. As you might imagine, cooling SSDs packed so densely isn’t easy. Moreover, the cables, drive cages, and LED controllers add potential failure points.
Eventually, the industry was bound to relax its grip on legacy interfaces and turn to a form factor better suited to the realities of modern storage.
How does EDSFF improve flash in the enterprise? Before EDSFF could be all things to every IT decision-maker, it needed to satisfy the physical requirements of increasingly diverse storage workloads. Some servers are designed for capacity-oriented applications and dedicate lots of internal room to maximizing the terabytes-per-rack-unit metric. Others prioritize compute horsepower, memory, or expansion space for add-in accelerators. Because EDSFF was conceptualized with flexible flash memory in mind, the form factor is defined in two distinct lengths that share functionality but fit into a variety of profiles.
The first, referred to as E1.L (the L stands for long) is the same shape and size as Intel’s original “ruler” form factor.
That means it offers capacity unavailable from any other SSD configuration. An Intel SSD D5-P4326, for example, comes equipped with 15.36TB of 3D NAND rated for sequential reads of up to 3,200 MB/s over a four-lane PCIe 3.0 link. Multiplied out across 32 bays, that’s almost 500TB of high-performance storage from a 1U storage server. A future 30.72TB model will make it possible to flirt with the form factor’s promised 1PB per rack unit.
Above: E1.L drives enable unprecedented capacity, while E1.S improves on what’s currently possible with M.2, including higher capacity, hot-plug support, and greater density.
E1.S – that’s S for short – looks more like the M.2 SSDs used in a lot of today’s notebooks and desktop PCs. It’s a little taller to make more room for flash memory, which allows it to offer more capacity per drive. E1.S is also hot-pluggable, whereas M.2 is not. According to Intel’s EDSFF technology brief , “E1.S provides the best of U.2 and M.2. E1.S is a scalable, flexible, power, and thermally efficient SSD building block. This form factor was designed for high volume hyperscale, and allows system flexibility, increased storage density, modular scaling, improved serviceability, and more efficient cooling optimized for 1U servers.” Naturally, less depth means E1.S drives don’t have as much room for NAND chips. But even a 4TB SSD enables 128TB from a server measuring just 30” front to back.
EDSFF is a big step forward in thermal efficiency Even with the density advantages they enjoy, both versions of the EDSFF spec are optimized for thermal performance. They’re built around NAND chips, fitting into the most compact space possible to minimize wasted PCB real estate. In a server with spinning disks, or even U.2 SSDs, there’s not much room between drives. Worse, the backplane they connect to stands up vertically, creating an air dam.
“Thermals are one of the most important aspects of a ruler-type design,” noted Michael Scriber, senior director of server solution management at Supermicro. “The biggest challenge of designing a server with 2.5” drives is the backplane they plug into. It cuts across the very front of the server and blocks all the airflow. So, you punch as many holes into that as you possibly can to get air back to the CPUs, DIMMs, and network cards.” Above: The aluminum enclosure around a ruler-shaped SSD makes contact with the components underneath, drawing heat away for better thermal efficiency.
EDSFF solves this with a midplane that lays down flat. Connectors the width of each drive are mounted vertically where they don’t inhibit airflow at all. Air goes right between the SSDs and back through the system. This optimization’s impact can be substantial.
Scriber gave VentureBeat interesting data based on first-hand experience testing form factors. “Because I have U.2 and EDSFF versions of the same server, I can compare their thermals. To be specific, my U.2 server is limited to 140W processors. My ruler server supports 165W CPUs. I can handle the extra heat because the airflow is so much better.” Even the design of EDSFF drives is optimized for heat dissipation. According to Scriber, every component on the SSD’s PCB uses thermal paste to transfer energy into the aluminum casing, which becomes a large heat spreader.
Above: Data collected by Supermicro using EDSFF and U.2 versions of its SuperStorage systems shows that EDSFF requires less airflow to maintain similar operating temperatures with Intel SSDs.
When you add up EDSFF’s thermal efficiency improvements, Supermicro determined that it takes 55% less airflow, measured in CFM/drive, to maintain the same 37.5°C. That means chassis fans can run more slowly, generate less noise, and use less power. The total cost of ownership running the server drops, as its cooling subsystem doesn’t have to fight to push air through a backplane.
The future of EDSFF Today’s EDSFF drives employ a x4 connector, yielding a maximum throughput of roughly 4 GB/s over PCI Express 3.0. Better yet, the connector was designed to support PCI Express 4.0 and 5.0 as well, doubling and then quadrupling link performance in the years to come.
Bandwidth can also be multiplied through wider links. A x4 (E1) connector is great for today’s high-speed storage devices. However, EDSFF also supports x8 (E2) and x16 (E3) link configurations. In much the same way as you’d drop a x4 PCIe add-in card into a x16 slot, those wider connectors will have no problem accommodating four-lane SSDs.
The x4 and x8 connectors both fit into one rack unit, while the x16 connector fits into a 2U form factor. As the EDSFF ecosystem evolves, Supermicro’s Scriber expects the emergence of some interesting opportunities based on those dimensions. “I can see where they were planning ahead such that, if I have a 2U box, I could still fit 32 drives right up front. But if I use x16 connectors, I could just as easily slide a network device in that slot, or an FPGA, or a GPU.” The 16-lane E3 interface offers up to 70W of power, so there’s a limit to EDSFF’s scope. But a 2018 presentation given by Paul Kaler , advanced storage technologist at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, already introduced the concept of “compute in storage,” whereby an E3 slot might fit a mix of graphics and tensor processing units for AI applications.
“What about the folks looking at using accelerators to accelerate storage?” asked Supermicro’s Scriber. “It’d be convenient to put those right in the front of the box along with my storage. There are already people investigating that.” So clearly, there’s a lot more to EDSFF than just SSDs, especially when you start talking about next-gen PCIe and x16 links.
Bottom line: More capacity faster, less power and space For now, EDSFF gives us a way to pack unprecedented capacity into unbelievably tight spaces using less power at higher performance than ever before. Its benefits are already available through storage servers like Supermicro’s SSG-1029P-NEL32R. But because the form factor connects to a common PCIe physical layer, you can expect a lot more from it in the future.
In Part 2 of this post, we’ll look at EDSFF in action on new, leading-edge products.
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"Mainline Esports Tournament Company Lands $6.8M in Series A Funding to Grow Operations and Expand Technology Platform | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/mainline-esports-tournament-company-lands-6-8m-in-series-a-funding-to-grow-operations-and-expand-technology-platform"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Press Release Mainline Esports Tournament Company Lands $6.8M in Series A Funding to Grow Operations and Expand Technology Platform Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Mainline helps colleges and brands manage, monetize and market their esports programs Funding round led by Work America Capital and other strategic investors Customers include ESPN’s Collegiate Esports Championship, and major colleges and universities HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–October 31, 2019– Mainline , an esports tournament software and management company, today announced it raised a $6.8 million Series A funding round led by Work America Capital , alongside investments from individual investors in professional sports and other strategic backers. Mainline will use the funds to enhance its esports tournament software technology platform; increase its marketing presence; hire development, marketing and sales talent; and expand its event management customer base to additional major brands.
“The world of esports and gaming is exploding; however, continuity in tournament organization is lacking, keeping the sport from really taking off in other viable and exciting markets,” said Chris Buckner, Mainline Chief Executive Officer. “Mainline gives brands the tools they need to run powerful esports programs that will evolve the quickly maturing industry to the benefit of players, students and the greater esports ecosystem.” Mainline’s licensed, white-labeled tournament platform specializes in hosting and enabling entities to manage, monetize and market their esports programs. Formerly a subsidiary of Houston-based FanReact (now Truss), which was founded by Buckner, Mainline was spun off in 2016 to specifically serve the collegiate esports market. Mainline has now grown beyond collegiate esports to run thousands of online tournaments and live events for some of the biggest brands and gaming organizations in the world, including Dreamhack, PUBG Corp, and Clutch Gaming. Mainline also played a core role with ESPN on their inaugural Collegiate Esports Championship earlier this year.
“As with any industry that takes off like a rocket, problems arise that must be solved through innovation. Mainline is standardizing, organizing and optimizing the esports industry, paving the way for more players, more teams, more money and bigger, better tournaments,” said Mark Toon, managing partner of Work America Capital.
Mainline’s executives hail from NRG Esports, the Professional Esports Association, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Tespa, ESL, Dreamhack, ESEA, ELEAGUE, Blizzard and Twitch. Current partners and integrations include ESPN, Twitch and more.
Mainline’s Mandate to Streamline Esports Tournaments Collegiate esports is experiencing rapid growth. The largest collegiate esports tournament organizer Tespa has a membership of 850 schools, nearly 20,000 players and awarded more than $3 million in winnings. Globally, esports is booming as total industry revenue for 2019 is on track to hit $1.1 billion worldwide. As well, viewership for esports has increased from 335 million to 454 million total audience since 2017.
“The strategic vision of Mainline puts them in the driver’s seat with a consistent platform across amateur, collegiate and professional competitions. Given Mainline’s partnerships and customers, they have paved a way to grow quickly across all sports and into other markets,” said Toon. “We are excited to dedicate our time, resources and capital to the company.” About Mainline Mainline is an esports tournament software and management company focused on providing customers with their own esports offerings. Based in Houston, TX, Mainline helps colleges and brands manage, monetize and market their esports programs and tournaments. For more information, visit mainline.gg and twitter.com/mainlineesports.
1 Newzoo 2019 Global Esports Market Report View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191031005719/en/ Gina Manassero (512) 553-2387 [email protected] VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"Hackers used WhatsApp to spy on senior government officials in at least 20 countries | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/hackers-used-whatsapp-to-spy-on-senior-government-officials-in-at-least-20-countries"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Hackers used WhatsApp to spy on senior government officials in at least 20 countries Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg onstage at F8 conference in May 2018 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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( Reuters ) — Senior government officials in multiple U.S.-allied countries were targeted earlier this year with hacking software that used Facebook’s WhatsApp to take over users’ phones, according to people familiar with the messaging company’s investigation.
Sources familiar with WhatsApp’s internal investigation into the breach said a “significant” portion of the known victims are high-profile government and military officials spread across at least 20 countries on five continents.
The hacking of a wider group of top government officials’ smartphones than previously reported suggests the WhatsApp cyber intrusion could have broad political and diplomatic consequences.
WhatsApp filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Israeli hacking tool developer NSO Group. The Facebook-owned software giant alleges that NSO Group built and sold a hacking platform that exploited a flaw in WhatsApp-owned servers to help clients hack into the cellphones of at least 1,400 users.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! While it is not clear who used the software to hack officials’ phones, NSO says it sells its spyware exclusively to government customers.
Some victims are in the United States, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Mexico, Pakistan and India, said people familiar with the investigation. Reuters could not verify whether victims from these countries included government officials.
The revelation comes as more than a dozen Indian journalists and human rights activists said on Thursday they were also targeted.
NSO did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Previously it has denied any wrongdoing, saying its products are only meant to help governments catch terrorists and criminals.
Over the last several years, cybersecurity researchers have found NSO products used against a wide range of targets, including protesters in countries under authoritarian rule. The use of these tools to target high-profile politicians, however, is less understood.
An independent research group working with WhatsApp, named CitizenLab, said at least 100 of the victims are journalists and dissidents, not criminals.
WhatsApp has said it sent warning notifications to affected users earlier this week.
“It is an open secret that many technologies branded for law enforcement investigations are used for state-on-state and political espionage,” said John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher with CitizenLab.
Prior to notifying victims, WhatsApp checked the target list against existing law enforcement requests for information relating to criminal investigations, such as terrorism or child exploitation cases. But the company found no overlap, said a person familiar with the matter. Governments can submit such requests for information to WhatsApp through an online portal the company maintains.
WhatsApp did not identify the clients of NSO Group, who ultimately chose the targets.
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"Epic adds free Infinity Blade content to Unreal Engine Marketplace | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/epic-adds-free-infinity-blade-content-to-unreal-engine-marketplace"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Epic adds free Infinity Blade content to Unreal Engine Marketplace Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Infinity Blade was an early standout hit on iOS.
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Epic Games is passing on more of its art assets to the Unreal Engine development community.
The company previously made content from Paragon free for developers. Now, it is going to continue that program with a year of asset drops. This includes art and more from the Epic’s classic iOS Infinity Blade adventures.
On the first Tuesday of every month beginning November 5, Epic will roll out these content packs into its Marketplace. This is in addition to five new packs of Infinity Blade assets that include over 1,000 pieces of content. The new Infinity Blade packs are available now and join seven previous asset packs from that game. Epic claims that this represents over $4 million in investment that it is giving away to devs to use for free for their games.
Epic Games is best known as the company that produces the battle royale shooter Fortnite. But its primary business is creating the Unreal Engine development tool set. The company has worked for years to make Unreal appealing to both large and small developers. And part of that process includes adding free content to the marketplace for studios that don’t want to build all of their art assets from scratch.
In March 2018, after closing its multiplayer online battle arena Paragon, the company added over $12 million worth of assets from that game to the Unreal Engine Marketplace.
It later expanded that to $17 million and then also brought $3 million in Infinity Blade content to the service.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Developers are free to use the content in their own commercial games made in the Unreal Engine. This benefits Epic because it takes a cut of Unreal games sold on other stores. Or it can now even sell it through its own Epic Games Store.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Dropbox doubles Extensions support to include WhatsApp, Workplace by Facebook, Microsoft Teams, and more | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/dropbox-doubles-extensions-support-to-include-whatsapp-workplace-by-facebook-microsoft-teams-and-more"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Dropbox doubles Extensions support to include WhatsApp, Workplace by Facebook, Microsoft Teams, and more Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Dropbox app Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Dropbox is introducing a bunch of new integrations to its Extensions program today, as it looks to bake more functionality directly into its cloud storage service.
The San Francisco-based company first introduced Dropbox Extensions last November , designed to enable users to work with numerous third-party applications without leaving Dropbox. At launch, integrations included Adobe, Nitro, Vimeo, HelloFax, DocuSign, AirSlate, HelloSign, Pixlr, and SmallPDF.
Today, Dropbox is opening up its Extensions support to include WhatsApp, Workplace by Facebook, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and more. Dropbox is also touting Gmail as one of its new integrations; however, it was actually quietly added a few months ago with no fanfare.
What today’s news means, however, is that users will be able to send files stored in their Dropbox account — on the web or through the Desktop app — to double the amount of services as they could previously.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Above: Dropbox Extensions: New integrations Workplace growth This represents a notable evolution for Dropbox Extensions, given that Workplace By Facebook now claims more than 3 million paid users , Microsoft Teams has 13 million users , and WhatsApp is among the most popular apps in the world.
Other new integrations include Line Works, a Slack-like enterprise app from Japanese tech titan Line ; video-editing tools WeVideo and Clipchamp; graphic design tool Canva; expenses tracking software Freshbooks; and document workflow software DocSend and Notarize.
One notable absence here is in fact Slack, which is now used by 12 million workers globally , however it’s worth noting that Dropbox separately announced a much deeper integration with Slack back in June that goes beyond the more basic functionality of Dropbox Extensions.
* Dropbox also confirmed that it is planning to add more integrations via its Extensions program in 2020.
While Dropbox started life as a similar cloud storage tool, as it prepared for life as a public company it had to double down on its utility in the workplace. In other words, it couldn’t grow on consumer subscriptions alone. Indeed, Dropbox has been pushing tighter integrations with myriad business-focused services, including a partnership with Google that allows G Suite users to store their files in Dropbox.
For those who liked the simplicity of Dropbox for storing files , all these various updates and integrations add needless complexity to the mix and detract from its original appeal. But for those who need their cloud-based files to play nice with their enterprise tools, then today’s news will likely be greeted with open arms.
* Updated 11/01/19 with a clarification that Dropbox already integrates with Slack separate to the Extensions program.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"Clinigence Holdings, Inc. Goes Public via a Reverse Merger With iGambit, Inc. | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/clinigence-holdings-inc-goes-public-via-a-reverse-merger-with-igambit-inc"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Press Release Clinigence Holdings, Inc. Goes Public via a Reverse Merger With iGambit, Inc.
Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–October 31, 2019– Clinigence Holdings, Inc. (“Clinigence” or the “Company”) announced today that it has become a publicly-traded company via a reverse merger with iGambit, Inc. (“iGambit”) (OTC: IGMB), a fully reporting public company.
The combined company will be called Clinigence Holdings, Inc. and will trade on the OTC Markets under the symbol CLNH.
Clinigence is a pioneer in clinical quality reporting and population health analytics, and iGambit wholly owns HealthDatix, a healthcare technology company with a platform for optimizing annual wellness visits/health risk assessments (“AWV/HRA”) and chronic care management (“CCM”) as well as the BioDatix wearable device for remote patient monitoring.
The newly combined organization will be a leading publicly-traded healthcare information technology company which will be well positioned for the ongoing transition of U.S. healthcare from fee-for-service payments to value-based reimbursements. Our industry-leading cloud-based platforms allow our clients to leverage data from multiple sources to operate efficiently and to deliver the best possible outcomes for their patients.
The transaction was approved by the Board of Directors of both companies. Pursuant to the merger agreement, iGambit has issued newly-issued shares of common stock, on a fully-diluted pro rata basis, to the equity holders of Clinigence in exchange for 100% of the outstanding equity securities of Clinigence by means of a reverse triangular merger in which a wholly owned subsidiary of iGambit merged with and into Clinigence, with Clinigence continuing as the surviving corporation under the name Clinigence Health Inc. (the “Merger”). The former Clinigence equity holders own 85% of iGambit’s issued and outstanding common stock and the former iGambit equity holders own 15% of iGambit’s issued and outstanding common stock, in each case on a fully-diluted, as converted basis as of immediately prior to the Merger (including options, warrants and other rights to acquire equity securities of iGambit).
Jacob “Kobi” Margolin will continue as Chief Executive Officer of the combined company. Warren Hosseinion, M.D., will continue as Chairman of the Board of the combined company. Elisa Luqman, J.D., MBA, will continue as Chief Financial Officer of the combined company, and Lawrence Schimmel, M.D., will continue as Chief Medical Officer. The Board of Directors will consist of nine directors: seven directors (including five independent directors) are former Clinigence directors and two directors (including one independent director) are existing iGambit directors. The former Clinigence directors are Jacob “Kobi” Margolin, Lawrence Schimmel, M.D., Mark Fawcett, MBA, Mitch Creem, David Meiri, Ph.D., Martin Breslin and Warren Hosseinion, M.D. The existing iGambit directors are John Waters and Elisa Luqman, J.D., MBA.
“We are very pleased to announce the completion of our merger with iGambit to create one of the leading healthcare information technology companies in the nation,” stated Jacob “Kobi” Margolin, Chief Executive Officer of Clinigence. “The merger will create a platform with a comprehensive suite of solutions for health plans, independent physician associations/medical groups, management services organizations, accountable care organizations, hospitals and individual physicians. We see tremendous growth opportunities ahead.” “Becoming a public company is a key element of our growth strategy, and the completion of this merger is a significant accomplishment for Clinigence. A public listing will provide us with access to capital from the public markets, enable us to broaden our investor base, enhance our recruitment of additional key team members, and allow us to use our public equity to execute future acquisitions,” stated Warren Hosseinion, M.D., Chairman of Clinigence. “Our primary goal after the merger will be to seek to list our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market.” “We would like to thank our existing iGambit shareholders and welcome our new shareholders,” stated Elisa Luqman, Chief Financial Officer of Clinigence. “This merger is an important milestone as we continue to build shareholder value.” Reverse Stock Split iGambit has effected a 500-to-1 reverse stock split of its common stock. Beginning with the opening of trading on November 1, 2019, Clinigence’s common stock will trade on a split-adjusted basis. The reverse stock split affected all issued and outstanding shares of iGambit’s common stock, as well as common stock underlying stock options, warrants, other common stock-based equity grants and any other of iGambit’s securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of iGambit’s common stock, outstanding immediately prior to the effectiveness of the reverse stock split.
Trading Symbol The Company’s new trading symbol will be “CLNH”, although it is expected that the letter “D” will be appended to the Company’s current ticker IGMB for approximately 20 trading days following the effective date to indicate the completion of the reverse stock split. In addition, the common stock will trade under a new CUSIP number: 18727D105.
Advisors Shartsis Friese LLP acted as legal advisor to Clinigence. Dickinson Wright served as iGambit’s legal counsel.
A copy of the merger agreement in its entirety and the Form 8-K report may be accessed at www.sec.gov.
About HealthDatix Healthy, Longer Lives, that’s our mission. Within the population of any group or organization there are people who are healthy and those that are at risk. Our mission is to aggregate their data and deliver accurate reporting necessary to make vital decisions on a course of treatment or education for those at risk. We empower you with the data needed to negotiate future health costs. We’re helping to shape the future of our nation’s health care system, with robust leveraging of technology that delivers value-based healthcare and payment without extra staff or additional efforts on the part of the caregiver. Our proprietary data analytics management uncovers new opportunities for health wellness visits and 24/7/365 monitoring of people with chronic conditions. For more information, please visit www.healthdatix.com.
About Clinigence Holdings, Inc.
Clinigence Holdings is a leading healthcare information technology company providing an advanced, cloud-based platform that enables healthcare organizations to provide value-based care and population health management. The Clinigence platform aggregates clinical and claims data across multiple settings, information systems and sources to create a holistic view of each patient and provider and virtually unlimited insights into patient populations.
About iGambit, Inc.
iGambit (OTC: IGMB) is a fully reporting publicly-held company that wholly-owns HealthDatix. For more information, please visit www.igambit.com.
Information on our web-site does not comprise a part of this press release.
Safe Harbor: Certain statements and information included in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Federal Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words or phrases “will likely result,” “expected to,” “will continue,” “anticipated,” “estimate,” “projected,” “intends,” “primary goal,” or similar expressions are intended to identify “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to certain risks, known and unknown, and uncertainties, including but not limited to, economic conditions, dependence on management, dilution to shareholders, lack of capital, changes in laws or regulations, the effects of rapid growth upon the Company and the ability of management to effectively respond to the growth, demand for products and services of the Company, newly developing technologies, its ability to compete, conflicts of interest related to party transactions, regulatory matters, protection of technology, lack of industry standards, the effects of competition, the inability of the Company to obtain or maintain the listing of the post-acquisition company’s ordinary shares on Nasdaq following the Merger, and the ability of the Company to obtain additional financing. Such factors could materially adversely affect the Company’s financial performance and could cause the Company’s actual results for future periods to differ materially from any opinions or statements expressed within this press release.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191031005942/en/ Clinigence Holdings, Inc.
Jacob “Kobi” Margolin Chief Executive Officer Via email at [email protected] VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"Canalys: Global smartphone shipments rose 1% in Q3 2019, first growth in 2 years | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/canalys-global-smartphone-shipments-rose-1-in-q3-2019-first-growth-in-2-years"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Canalys: Global smartphone shipments rose 1% in Q3 2019, first growth in 2 years Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Samsung Galaxy A80 Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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Global smartphone shipments grew by 1% in Q3 2019, representing the first year-on-year (YoY) market increase in two years.
New figures from Canalys indicate that 352 million smartphones shipped last quarter, compared to 349 million in the corresponding period last year. The growth, while modest, bucks a trend dating back to 2017 that ushered in the smartphone industry’s first ever sales decline.
Digging down into the numbers, Samsung remains at the top of the pack, with a 2 percentage point market share increase compared to Q3 2018. However, China’s Huawei stole considerable ground from its South Korean rival, growing from 14.9% market share to 19% — just 3.4% behind Samsung.
Elsewhere, Apple’s market share fell from 13.4% to 12.3%, which translates to a 7% overall drop in smartphone shipments. This was largely due to weak sales of the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max, which launched last September.
Canalys notes that Apple’s numbers could have been lower if it had only launched two iPhones, as it normally does. It’s no secret that Apple’s iPhone sales have been declining, which is why the Cupertino company has been doubling down on its services revenue.
Above: Global smartphone shipments for Q3 2019 Samsung’s growth can be attributed to a number of factors, including more models and variety in its high-end devices — the Note10, for example, shipped with two screen sizes for the first time , in addition to a 5G version. According to Canalys, a “better price-to-spec” ratio in its mid-range Galaxy A devices also helped drive growth. This lineup included the A80, which sports a slide-up rotating camera.
Samsung also launched the A90 5G phone last month , further indicating that 5G will play a big part in manufacturers’ sales moving forward.
“5G is the next battleground for Samsung,” said Canalys research director Rushabh Doshi. “It is one of very few smartphone vendors to design its own chipsets and modems. It is not, therefore, restricted to the innovation cycle of a third-party component supplier like Qualcomm. If Samsung moves faster than Qualcomm, it can win the race to mid-range smartphones with 5G.” The trade ban Last December, Huawei made noises about catching up with Samsung by the end of 2019, and while the numbers above lend some credence to that claim, it’s unlikely to come to fruition. Last week, the Chinese company announced it had already passed 200 million smartphones in 2019, two months earlier than last year. But the full impact of the U.S. decision to place Huawei on a trade blacklist has yet to be realized. New Huawei smartphones will not be able to ship with Google’s version of Android, a restriction that will likely deter consumers from buying the devices.
Indeed, Huawei officially announced its new high-end Mate 30 series smartphone lineup last month , but the devices have yet to go on sale outside of China — a sign, perhaps, that Huawei is hoping it can somehow circumvent the ban on Google’s services.
It’s also worth noting that a knock-on effect of this trade ban has been an increase in Huawei’s domestic sales in China at the expense of rivals. So any international sales decline in the future could be offset to some degree by sales at home.
“Huawei is not out of the woods yet,” added Canalys senior analyst Ben Stanton. “Its shipments overseas in Q3 were focused on pre-Entity List models, with P30 Lite its best shipper, at close to 3 million units. But its post-Entity List models, like Mate 30, bring uncertainty because there is resistance from channels in critical overseas markets, like Europe, to support Huawei devices without Google Mobile Services.” VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"Werner Vogels: For IoT, security and privacy are top concerns | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/werner-vogels-interview-iot-privacy-security"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Werner Vogels: For IoT, security and privacy are top concerns Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Amazon CTO Werner Vogels speaks at the AWS Summit in San Francisco on April 4, 2018.
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Startups and tech giants alike are vying for a slice of the burgeoning internet of things (IoT) market, and Amazon is in pole position with an estimated 34% of IoT developer market share. Its lengthy list of IoT services includes IoT Core, which lets connected devices interact with cloud apps, and IoT Greengrass, which extends Amazon Web Services to edge devices so they can act locally on the data they generate. There’s also the analytics service IoT SiteWise; the application builder IoT Things Graph; and the cybersecurity suite IoT Device Defender, to name a few others.
To get a sense of the IoT landscape through Amazon’s lens just over two months out from the company’s annual AWS re:Invent conference, we spoke with CTO Werner Vogels earlier this week in a phone interview. Conversation topics ranged from the challenges involved in device deployment to the privacy concerns that arise as data from IoT devices is collected and processed.
Here’s a transcript of our interview, which has been edited for length and clarity.
VentureBeat: Could you talk the state of the IoT space today and why it’s such an important part of AWS’ business? It’d be great if you could address in your answer the hybrid cloud paradigm and some interesting use cases there, or relevant AWS services and customers you’d like to highlight.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Werner Vogels: Many of our customers literally deploy hundreds of thousands of sensors.
Woodside , a large energy company in Australia, has 200,000 sensors to support, [each of which] generates huge amounts of data. [Some are on] drilling platforms hundreds of miles out to sea, where connectivity is not always stable.
IoT Greengrass is often used for these scenarios, which is our IoT environment that can operate independently of the cloud. [Customers like Woodside] … can with AWS not only observe what’s happening now, but predict what’s going to happen a week in advance. For them, it’s really important to be able to anticipate maintenance on those manufacturing operations.
In these IoT scenarios, it’s not just a matter of IoT — it’s IoT plus intelligent processing so that machine learning can be applied to get insights that improve safety and efficiency. There’s a lot of processing that happens in the cloud because most of [AI model training] is very labor-intensive, but processing often happens at the edge.
If you look at the Amazon.com fulfillment centers, for example, we have over 200,000 Kiva robots running about. They can’t always rely on a centralized control to steer them around; they need to be able to be autonomous and operate by themselves.
Massive, heavy compute will [have a place] in the cloud for model training and things like that. However, their workloads aren’t real-time critical most of the time. For our real-time critical operations, models must be moved onto edge devices.
VentureBeat: I’m glad you mentioned the robotics use case because AWS RoboMaker [Amazon’s cloud robotics service for deploying and managing intelligent machines] has gained quite a lot of traction in just a few years. And Amazon internally has robots — fulfillment center robots, as you mentioned, but also Amazon Prime Air drones and even Scout.
Vogels: Yeah, the drones are a really good example. Amazon drones have a diversity of sensors, because as it turns out, certain [objects] can’t be detected with sonar. They need to be able to operate in complete autonomous mode — to arrive in somebody’s backyard in the place where they should be landing and detect potential hazards on device rather than in the cloud.
VentureBeat: You noted a second ago that some workloads have to be performed in the cloud because of the amount of data involved. AWS a while ago announced a product called Inferentia , an inference chip that delivers high inferencing performance and supports AI frameworks like Google’s TensorFlow and Facebook’s PyTorch. Can you talk about scenarios where a customer might want to use Inferentia? Vogels: Advancements in AI [research] have maintained lockstep with the development of [kits] and devices that can accelerate model execution, but we’ve also seen significant investments in software. For instance, AWS recently announced SageMaker Neo, which is targeted toward IoT devices that have a much smaller memory footprint.
It’s a combination of software and hardware that will [advance the state of the art]. Inferentia will play a role in that, but I think software like SageMaker Neo will drive things forward as well.
VentureBeat: That’s a great segue into the next topic I’d like to discuss, which is data privacy. Edge computing is one way to ensure a level of privacy, depending on the application and data involved. How can the average business ensure that data isn’t transmitted to a server people don’t want it transmitted to? Vogels: I always consider security on the one hand and privacy on the other. Privacy — what is acceptable to share, what is not acceptable to share — is often much more of a societal or individual decision.
On the subject of security, AWS IoT Device Defender is a platform is dedicated to managing all the given security capabilities of devices and the environment around them. That includes device encryption or data encryption, which I think is crucial. Corporations should have full control over where their devices can communicate … and make sure that their devices have strong identity.
The scenarios that we’ve seen in the past year — [compromised] home automation devices running a very open version of Linux — are scenarios that absolutely should not happen. That’s why Amazon FreeRTOS , our IoT operating system, offers very strong identity and encryption in combination with IoT Device Defender to provide control over where data can flow and where not.
VentureBeat: But is it fair to say that, were a company like Amazon to deploy, for example, an on-device English language model to Echo devices , it’d be a boon for privacy because processing would happen locally instead of in the cloud? Vogels: Consumer devices need very strong controls. In the Echo case we’re talking about, there is a mute button on top to disable microphones. With that, we need to make sure that the device has very limited capabilities in the data sense. We need to make sure it only listens for the wake word, and that the data that’s being collected and processed to improve the device is what the consumer wants to share.
It’s not just a matter of developers operating ethically or … things like that. Customers need to have control.
VentureBeat: Privacy is an important part of machine learning model training — not just inference at the edge, but training the models that run at the edge. Could you talk about Amazon’s approach with respect to privacy-preserving techniques? Do you offer AWS customers services that take advantage of, say, federated learning? Vogels: At Amazon from day one, security and privacy have always been a [top] concern. There’s no business without security to protect customers’ data, and we have very strong controls [around this]. Your data is your data, and we operate internally with a least privileged model, so we’re continually taking permissions from developers to see what’s the minimum set of privileges they actually need to do their job. No engineer can take the old-fashioned root privileges — they have limited or no access to customer data.
There’s a whole different area that’s still very much in the research stage at AWS and Amazon, and that’s [identifying] bias in machine learning. We want to move this area forward so our customers can ensure that both their data and models are fair. On a related note, there are GDPR conditions where customers can remove their data not only from storage, but also from models that have been built using that data.
VentureBeat: Right, and it depends on the type of data we’re talking about — you’d want particularly strong controls around health care data, for example. Transitioning a bit, I’d like to talk a bit about connectivity, which is another important piece of the IoT puzzle. Amazon not that long ago announced Sidewalk , a project to develop a wireless protocol that’s low power and low bandwidth but high range. Clearly you as a company are invested in this — could you explain its importance? Vogels: We have nothing to announce, but let me take another angle there without talking about protocols. One of the enabling technologies in IoT is 5G. That’s not only because of its higher speeds, but because of the massive parallel management it makes possible.
From my point of view, the important part isn’t necessarily the better bandwidth, but the fact that you can have so many more devices connected while maintaining the bandwidth. With the advent of 5G, I think what you’ll see is many more concurrent connections can be kept. And for all the smart IoT operations that have been built or that are being built, that’s extremely important.
VentureBeat: We’re running up against time here, but I did want to ask about AWS’ developer hardware business — specifically kits like AWS DeepLens.
Is this an area AWS still considers critical? It seems to be a burgeoning field, what with Google’s Coral and Nvidia’s Jetson Nano.
Vogels: Absolutely. We strongly believe in the notion that builders build , and for that they need to have the capabilities to build. Having a nicely encompassed device that easily connects to SageMaker is an enabler for customers to start focusing on the algorithms they want to build or the data they want to process, and what we’ve seen is massive innovation happen.
We’re looking at builders to make sure they have the right tools — not necessarily to build a production system, but to become really familiar with the capabilities. That’s the whole story behind SageMaker. It gave developers a really good machine learning pipeline that didn’t exist before.
The same is true of DeepRacer, the driverless car racing competition we’ve been running for a year. It’s all about reinforcement learning — basically, how the machinery itself decides to balance long- and short-term goals. Most developers don’t have access to an autonomous car, but a really small car can really help them think about what data they need. We also built a simulator, so that they can get these same capabilities … without having to procure a real-world track.
DeepRacer is important for another reason — autonomous cars are a scenario where compute is shifting from the cloud to the edge. It can’t always be assumed that autonomous cars will maintain a connection to the cloud, because that would risk lives.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"Watch Google's AI teach a picker robot to assemble objects | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/watch-googles-ai-teach-a-picker-robot-to-assemble-objects"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Watch Google’s AI teach a picker robot to assemble objects Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Manipulating objects in a range of shapes isn’t machines’ forte, but it’s a useful skill for any robot tasked with navigating the physical world. To advance the state-of-the-art in this domain, researchers at Google, Stanford, and Columbia recently investigated a machine learning system dubbed Form2Fit , which aims to teach a picker robot with a suction arm the concept of assembling objects into kits.
“If robots could learn ‘how things fit together,’ then perhaps they could become more adaptable to new manipulation tasks involving objects they have never seen before, like reconnecting severed pipes, or building makeshift shelters by piecing together debris during disaster response scenarios,” wrote research intern Kevin Zakka and robotics research scientist Andy Zeng in a blog post. “It helps to increase the efficiency with which we perform tasks, like assembling DIY furniture kits or packing gifts into a box.” As Zakka and Zeng explain, Form2Fit learns to recognize how objects correspond (or “fit”) to each other mainly through trial and error. One component — a two-stream matching algorithm — infers three-dimensional point representations that communicate not only an object’s geometry, but its texture and contextual task-level knowledge. These descriptors are used to establish relationships between objects and their target locations. And because the point representations are orientation-sensitive, they imbue Form2Fit with the knowledge of how an object should be rotated before it’s placed in its target location.
Two separate Form2Fit components generate valid pick and place candidates: a suction model and a planner model. The former ingests three-dimensional images of objects and predicts the success of the aforementioned robotic arm’s suction arm. As for the planner model, it takes in images of the target location and outputs predictions of placement success, after which it integrates the output of all three of Form2Fit’s components (including the matching algorithm) to produce the final pick location, place location, and rotation angle.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Above: Form2Fit learns to assemble a variety of kits by finding geometric correspondences between object surfaces and their target placement locations.
The team created a training data set through a concept they call time-reversed disassembly, where the sequence of disassembling a kit becomes a valid assembly sequence when reversed over time. This allowed them to train Form2Fit through self-supervision by randomly picking to disassemble a fully assembled kit, then reversing that disassembly sequence to learn how the kit should be put together.
After training the robot overnight for 12 hours, the researchers report that it learned effective pick and place policies for a variety of objects, achieving 94% assembly success rates with kits in varying configurations and over 86% success rates when handling completely new objects and kits. Even when a policy was trained to assemble a kit only in one specific position and orientation, it still managed to handle random rotations and translations of the kit 90% of the time.
“While Form2Fit’s results are promising, its limitations suggest directions for future work,” notes Zakka and Zeng. “In our experiments, we assume a 2D planar workspace to constrain the kit assembly task so that it can be solved by sequencing top-down picking and placing actions. This may not work for all cases of assembly — for example, when a peg needs to be precisely inserted at a 45 degree angle. It would be interesting to expand Form2Fit to more complex action representations for 3D assembly.” VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"RhythmNet uses AI to estimate your heart rate using your face | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/rhythmnet-uses-ai-to-estimate-your-heart-rate-using-your-face"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages RhythmNet uses AI to estimate your heart rate using your face Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
A wearable heart rate monitor is one thing, but what about a system that’s able to estimate a person’s heartbeat from footage of their face alone? That’s what researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences set out to design in a preprint paper published on Arxiv.org. In it, they describe RhythmNet, an end-to-end trainable heart rate estimator that taps AI and photoplethysmography (PPG) — an optical technique that detects blood volume changes in skin tissue — to address challenges in head movement and variations in lighting.
As the researchers explain, PPG-based HR estimation is made possible by the fact that skin light absorption varies periodically with the blood volume pulse (BVP). Chromosomes like hemoglobin in the microvasculars of the dermis and subcutis layers take in a disproportionate amount of light, such that tiny color changes occur as blood pumps through underlying veins and arteries. They’re invisible to the human eye, but they can be easily captured by RGB sensors like those embedded in wearables.
To train a RhythmNet, the team created a large-scale multi-modal corpus — VIPL-HR1 , which is available in open source — containing 2,378 visible light videos and 752 near-infrared videos of 107 subjects. Each clip was captured with a combination of webcams and infrared sensors as a well as smartphones, and contains variations in head movements, head poses (with annotated yaw, pitch, and roll angles), illumination, and device usage.
Above: RGB cameras capture skin color changes that can be used to estimate heart rate.
RhythmNet consists of several components, including a face detector that localizes upwards of 81 facial landmarks given a video of a person’s face. A separate component performs alignment and skin segmentation to remove eye regions and other non-face areas, and then generates spatial-temporal maps from video frames 0.5 seconds apart to represent heart rate signals. The maps are fed into a machine learning model trained to predict heart rate from the spatial-temporal maps, after which the estimated beats per minute is computed as the average of all the estimated rates from individual clips.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! The researchers evaluated their system on two widely-used databases in MAHNOB-HCI and MMSE-HR, as well as their own. They report that for most of the samples (71%) tested against VIPL-HR1, RhythmNet achieved a heart rate estimation error lower than 5 beats per minute and that it correlated well with the ground truth between 47 beats per minute and 147 beats per minute. Moreover, they say that error rates on MAHNOB-HCI and MMSE-HR didn’t exceed 8.28 beats per minute, outperforming the previous work to which the model was compared.
The team says it plans to investigate the effectiveness of its approach for the other physiological status measurement tasks, such as the breath rate and blood pressure measurement from videos. It also hopes to develop a more robust heart rate estimation model that taps distribution learning and multi-task learning techniques.
“Heart rate is an important physiological signal that reflects the physical and emotional status of a person. Traditional heart rate measurements usually rely on contact monitors, which may cause inconvenience and discomfort,” the paper’s coauthors wrote. “[Our] proposed [system] achieves promising heart rate estimation accuracies in both within-database and cross-database testing scenarios [from the face alone].” VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
Discover our Briefings.
The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Google launches TensorBoard.dev and TensorFlow Enterprise | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/google-cloud-launches-tensorboard-dev-and-tensorflow-enterprise"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Google launches TensorBoard.dev and TensorFlow Enterprise Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Google today announced the preview launch of TensorBoard.dev for sharing TensorBoard machine learning visualizations and TensorFlow Enterprise, a cloud service produced through a collaboration between Google’s TensorFlow and cloud teams.
“You’ll now be able to host and track your ML experiments and share them publicly, no setup required. Simply upload your logs and share the URL so that others can see the experiments and what you’re doing with TensorBoard,” Google VP of engineering Megan Kacholia said onstage today at TensorFlow World in Santa Clara, California.
TensorFlow Enterprise is made to deliver an optimized version of its open source machine learning framework TensorFlow for large businesses. It works with Google’s AI Platform and Kubernetes Engine as well as optimized versions of Deep Learning VMs and Deep Learning Containers. The service is made to supply up to 3x improvements in data reading — the result of changes to how TensorFlow reads and caches files — and up to 3 years of support for security patches and select bug fixes.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! “These versions will be supported on Google Cloud, and all patches and bug fixes will be available in the mainline TensorFlow code repository,” Google Cloud AI Platform director of product management Craig Wiley told VentureBeat in an email.
It can also come with direct support from Google Cloud and TensorFlow engineers for businesses to train and deploy AI systems.
“For customers on the cutting edge of AI, we offer a white-glove service. This includes engineer to engineer from both the Google Cloud and TensorFlow team to help with their challenges,” Wiley said.
In related news, last week, Google Cloud Platform introduced updates for AI Platform , a cloud-based software for collaboration between data scientists making AI models such as backend support for Nvidia GPUs to speed workflows. Last month, Google launched TensorFlow 2.0 with tighter Keras integration and eager execution by default.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
Discover our Briefings.
The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
All rights reserved.
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"Google Cloud launches celebrity recognition service | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/google-cloud-launches-celebrity-recognition-service"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Google Cloud launches celebrity recognition service Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Google Cloud’s AI can now recognize celebrities — for customers that meet the eligibility requirements, at least. The tech giant today debuted Celebrity Recognition for its Cloud Vision and Video Intelligence products, a tool that can recognize an “international roster” of popular actors and athletes.
The preloaded AI model is able to spot “thousands” of figures from around the world, based on licensed images. (In its updated terms of service, Google defines celebrities as “individuals whose primary profession involves voluntarily being the subject of public media attention.”) “The streaming era has brought about an explosion of video content … There’s just one problem: video is all but unsearchable without an expensive, labor-intensive tagging process. This makes it difficult for creators and platforms to organize their content, cater to the increasing demand for personalized experiences, or even fully understand the contents of their catalogs,” wrote product managers Parker Barnes and Andrew Schwartz. “[With Celebrity Recognition,] customers can now search professionally-produced content for celebrities.” Google says it took a “thoughtful” approach before launching Celebrity Recognition in limited availability, which is only available to media and entertainment customers or partners who must pass a manual review. It worked with the nonprofit organization Business for Social Responsibility to conduct an assessment of the tech’s potential impact on human rights, using the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as a framework.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Informed by this, Google notes that it’s restricted Celebrity Recognition’s use to “professionally-produced” video content like movies, TV shows, and sporting events. Customers can’t add people to the list even for private use, and celebrities who don’t wish to be recognized can opt out.
“We know the landscape is evolving fast, with skyrocketing demand for personalized, searchable video experiences putting unique pressures on industries like sports and entertainment,” wrote Barnes and Schwartz. “With [Celebrity Recognition], we’re helping our customers thrive in an era of change.” With the rollout of Celebrity Recognition, Google joins Amazon, which offers celebrity detection as a part of its Rekognition computer vision service. Amazon only allows customers to use celebrity detection in cases where a known celebrity is expected to appear in an image or a video, but it doesn’t require those customers to pass a review. Microsoft claims the computer vision component of its generally available Azure Cognitive Services can recognize 1 million celebrities from business, politics, sports, and entertainment. As for IBM, it previously offered celebrity detection in Watson Visual Recognition, but it retired the model in April 2018 “as part of [a] broader effort to provide more robust capabilities around face imaging.” Google previously brought celebrity detection to Google Lens, its AI-powered search and computer vision tool on smartphones and the mobile web.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
Discover our Briefings.
The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
All rights reserved.
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"DotData raises $23 million to automate data science tasks | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/dotdata-raises-23-million-to-automate-data-science-tasks"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages DotData raises $23 million to automate data science tasks Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
DotData , a San Mateo, California-based provider of automation tools that operationalize data science processes, today announced it has raised $23 million in a series A funding round led by JAFCO, with participation from Goldman Sachs. The fresh capital brings its total raised to $43 million, following a $20 million seed round in April 2018. CEO Ryohei Fujimaki said the funds will bolster the company’s ongoing sales, marketing, and product development efforts.
“We are pleased with the confidence our investors show in our vision, team, product, and ability to execute and expand market share,” said Fujimaki, who founded DotData in 2018 with Kusumura Yukitaka, Masato Asahara, and Yusuke Muraoka. “Our company’s rapid growth over the past 18 months signals a significant market demand for our unique data science automation platform. These funds will enable us to accelerate product development and innovation to continue bringing transformational value to our customers.” DotData, a spinoff of NEC, offers a no-code platform that leverages machine learning to clean, normalize, aggregate, and combine data sets while performing feature engineering. It autonomously transforms hundreds of database tables and billions of rows, expediting laborious work that would otherwise have to be undertaken manually. It furthermore generates AI scoring pipelines in production that integrate with existing workflows, ensuring repeatability. And it develops dotDataPy, a Python library that kicks off end-to-end workloads with only a few lines of code.
DotData hasn’t disclosed the names of any customers, but it claims its products are used by Fortune 500 companies “around the world” and that revenue grew 300% in the past year.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! “DotData offers the most powerful and broad machine learning automation solution, as far as we know. We are impressed with their passion to tackle the big challenge of automating the full-cycle data science process from raw data through feature engineering to machine learning in production to meet the globally increasing demand for solutions [and] help enterprises optimize value from their AI and machine learning initiatives,” said JAFCO partner Tomotake Kitazawa. “DotData is well-positioned to lead this growing AutoML market segment with its innovation. We are excited to partner with DotData as they continue to build a leading company in an exciting category.” DotData competes against startups like Datameer , which is developing an end-to-end platform for data prep and analytics life cycle management, and Dataiku , which offers a cloud-based big data analysis toolset. There’s also rival Unreal , a data operations platform developer addressing everything from data ingestion and migration to processing, not to mention hyperconverged analytics toolkit provider Incorta.
The big data as a service market is anticipated to be worth $51.9 billion by 2025, assuming the current trend holds.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"Defense Innovation Board unveils AI ethics principles for the Pentagon | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/defense-innovation-board-unveils-ai-ethics-principles-for-the-pentagon"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Defense Innovation Board unveils AI ethics principles for the Pentagon Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn U.S. Pentagon Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
The Defense Innovation Board, a panel of 16 prominent technologists advising the Pentagon, today voted to approve AI ethics principles for the Department of Defense. The report includes 12 recommendations for how the U.S. military can apply ethics in the future for both combat and non-combat AI systems. The principles are broken into five main principles: responsible, equitable, traceable, reliable, and governable.
The principles state that humans should remain responsible for “developments, deployments, use and outcomes,” and AI systems used by the military should be free of bias that can lead to unintended human harm. AI deployed by the DoD should also be reliable, governable, and use “transparent and auditable methodologies, data sources, and design procedure and documentation.” “You may see resonances of the word fairness in here [AI ethics principle document]. I will caution you that in many cases the Department of Defense should not be fair,” DIB board member and Carnegie Mellon University VP of research Michael McQuade said today. “It should be a firm principle that ours is to not have unintended bias in our systems.” Applied Inventions cofounder and computer theorist Danny Hillis and board members agreed to amend the draft document to say the governable principle should include “avoid unintended harm and disruption and for human disengagement of deployed systems.” The report, Hillis said, should be explicit and unambiguous that AI systems used by the military should come with an off switch for a human to press in case things go wrong.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! “I think this was the most problematical aspect about them because they’re capable of exhibiting and evolving forms of behavior that are very difficult for the designer to predict, and sometimes those forms of behavior are actually kind of self preserving forms of behavior that can get a bit out of sync with the intent and goals of the designer, and so I think that’s one of the most dangerous potential aspects about them,” he said.
The Defense Innovation Board is chaired by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and members include MIT CSAIL director Daniela Rus, Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, Code for America director Jennifer Pahlka, and Aspen Institute director Walter Isaacson.
The document titled “AI Principles: Recommendations on the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence by the Department of Defense” and an accompanying white paper will be shared on the Defense Innovation Board website , a DoD spokesperson told VentureBeat. Both will now be shared with DoD leadership for review for them to decide which if any of the principles it will adopt.
Going forward, the board wants the Joint AI Center charged with leading AI initiatives within the DoD to work with Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to put communication and policy orders in place to ensure the principles can succeed, make research investments in areas like reproducibility, strengthen AI testing and evaluation techniques, and create an annual AI safety and security conference.
The ethics principles were run through two red team exercises to consider how they might impact combat decision making and recognizes potential unintended consequences for AI. It also acknowledges existing documents that guide DoD ethics like the U.S. Constitution, 2015 DoD Law of War manual, and 1949 Geneva conventions.
Growing AI investment by China and Russia are highlighted in the ethics principle document.
“Within the high-stakes domain of national security, it is important to note that the U.S. finds itself in a technological competition with authoritarian powers that are pursuing AI applications in ways inconsistent with the legal, ethical, and moral norms expected by democratic countries. Our aim is to ground the principles offered here in DoD’s longstanding ethics framework — one that has withstood the advent and deployment of emerging military-specific or dual-use technologies over decades and reflects our democratic norms and values,” the report reads.
The principles released today are the product of a 15-month process to gather comments and insights from public forums and AI community leaders like Facebook chief AI scientist Yann Le Cun, former MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito, OpenAI research director Dr. Dario Amodei, and Stanford University former chief AI scientist Dr. Fei-Fei Li. Public comments were also welcomed.
In a public meeting attended by VentureBeat this spring in Silicon Valley , AI experts and people opposed to lethal autonomous robots shared their opinions about potential ethical challenges the Pentagon and U.S. servicemembers might face, such as improvements to object detection or weapon targeting systems. At that time, Microsoft director of ethics and society Mira Lane and others recognized the potential lack of moral hangups by U.S. adversaries, but that the U.S. military can play a big role in defining how and how not to use AI in the future. The notion of military leadership in AI ethics came up again today.
“It’s an opportunity to lead a global dialogue founded in the basics of who we are, how we operate as a country and as a department, and where we go from here,” McQuade said.
Speaking at a conference held by Li’s Stanford University Institute for Human-Centered AI earlier this year , Schmidt said the purpose of the AI ethics report and a national security commission on AI report scheduled to be delivered to Congress next week are intended to help the United States establish a national AI policy akin to the kinds that have been created by more than 30 other countries around the world.
Also discussed in the DIB’s meeting today at Georgetown University: how the Department of Defense and Joint AI Center can recruit and retain AI-ML talent; discussion of how the military is lacking in digital innovation; and recommendations to increase adoption of lean design, technical skills, AI education for servicemembers, and a campaign for an AI-ready military.
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"DeepMind's AlphaStar Final beats 99.8% of human StarCraft 2 players | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/deepminds-alphastar-final-beats-99-8-of-human-starcraft-2-players"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages DeepMind’s AlphaStar Final beats 99.8% of human StarCraft 2 players Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn A screenshot of match play involving DeepMind's AlphaStar Final.
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Alphabet subsidiary DeepMind — which famously developed AlphaZero , a machine learning system that bested world champions in chess, shogi, and Go — returned to the video game domain once again in January with AlphaStar, which tackled Activision Blizzard’s popular real-time strategy title StarCraft 2. It beat top player Grzegorz “MaNa” Komincz and teammate Dario “TLO” Wünsch in a series of 10 matches, but a paper today published in the journal Nature describes a more impressive feat: Further training boosted AlphaStar’s ranking above 99.8% of all active players and earned it the level of GrandMaster — a spot among the top 200 regional players — for all three StarCraft 2 player races (Protoss, Terran, and Zerg).
DeepMind says this latest iteration of AlphaStar — AlphaStar Final — can play a full StarCraft 2 match under “professionally approved” conditions, importantly with limits on the frequency of its actions and by viewing the world through a game camera. It plays on the official StarCraft 2 Battle.net server using the same maps and conditions as human players, and it’s able to continuously self-improve without human intervention, courtesy a combination of general-purpose machine learning techniques including self-play via reinforcement learning, multi-agent learning, and imitation learning.
“StarCraft has been a grand challenge for AI researchers for over 15 years, so it’s hugely exciting to see this work recognized in Nature ,” said DeepMind cofounder and CEO Demis Hassabis. “These impressive results mark an important step forward in our mission to create intelligent systems that will accelerate scientific discovery.” Setting the stage DeepMind’s forays into competitive StarCraft play can be traced back to 2017, when the company worked with Blizzard to release an open source tool set containing anonymized match replays. Subsequently, DeepMind launched the AlphaStar League, an AI model training environment that pits versions of AlphaStar against each other in a battle for supremacy.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! StarCraft 2 is a real-time strategy game, a simulation where players gather resources (e.g., bases, structures, units, and technologies) to outgun or defend against opponents. It’s a blockbuster genre, and StarCraft 2 is the cream of the crop — since its release in 2010, it’s been played by millions of people and thousands of esports professionals globally.
Above: A figure showing how each technique used in AlphaStar affected its performance.
StarCraft 2 players have the aforementioned three races from which to choose. Controllable worker units gather resources to build structures and create new technologies, which in turn unlock more sophisticated units and structures. Much of the gameplay map is initially concealed from players so that they’re forced to seek out their opponents’ moves, and throughout, players must balance short-term tasks like constructing buildings and controlling units with planning winning moves and managing resources.
The DeepMind team notes that StarCraft 2 provides a rich test bed for AI research, particularly because it lacks a single best strategy. Adding to the challenge is the fact that metrics like opposing unit strength are hidden from players, a feature known as imperfect information. StarCraft 2 also emphasizes long-term planning, such that early game actions won’t necessarily pay off for a while. And it requires that players perform actions (and permutations of actions) with hundreds of different units and buildings continually.
Above: A top-down view of AlphaStar’s units, resources, and buildings in a match.
Suffice it to say the system devised to master it is a bit more complex than the company’s seminal Deep Q-network , which learned to play 50 different Atari 2600 games directly from their pixels. “AlphaStar advances our understanding of AI in several key ways,” explained AlphaStar project lead Oriol Vinyals. “[Through] multi-agent training in a competitive league can lead to great performance in highly complex environments, and imitation learning alone can achieve better results than we’d previously supposed.” Self-play AlphaStar primarily “learns” the subtleties (and indeed the basic rules) of StarCraft 2 through the above-mentioned self-play, in which it plays against itself to continue improving. Normally, AI agents engaged in self-play run the risk of catastrophic forgetting, in which they forget how to win against previous versions of themselves upon learning new information. This often kicks off a cycle in which the agents perceive valid strategies as less and less effective compared with a dominant strategy.
One solution is fictitious self-play, or playing against a mixture of all previous strategies. But this wasn’t robust enough to train AlphaStar. DeepMind instead pursued a novel, general-purpose training approach that became the AlphaStar League. Rather than prime all agents to win, one set of agents — main agents — attempt victory among a group of agents while another set of agents — exploiter agents — expose the flaws of the main agents. Thanks to this and to imitation learning techniques and latent variables that represent a wide diversity of opening moves, AlphaStar is prevented from forgetting throughout training.
Above: A figure depicting the evolution of AlphaStar agents.
StarCraft isn’t child’s play. Roughly 10^26 (100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) possible actions are available to a single AlphaStar agent at each time step, and agents must make thousands of actions before learning if they’ve won or lost.
DeepMind imbued the agents with limited prior knowledge through imitation learning, during which AlphaStar agents received penalties whenever their actions differed from the supervised human demonstrations. Bolstered with techniques used for language modeling and a latent variable that encodes the distribution of opening moves from human games, the initial policy preserved and employed high-level strategies that beat 84% of active players. DeepMind reinforced those strategies by biasing exploration toward human strategies, and by tapping an algorithm for reinforcement leaning — an AI training technique that employs rewards to drive policies toward goals — that allowed the efficient updating of policies from older policies’ games.
Above: DeepMind’s AlphaStar competing against a human player.
“While AlphaStar’s strategies have at times differed from pro gamers’, in some respects it plays much like I do — like the delay it shows in noticing an action on the map,” said Wünsch, who participated in this latest study. “It was also exciting to see the agent develop its own strategies differently from the human players — like the way AlphaStar builds more workers than its base can support early in the game in preparation for later expansion. The caps on the actions it can take and the camera view restrictions now make for compelling games — even though, as a pro, I can still spot some of the system’s weaknesses.” Early in the course of training, main agents were beaten by exploiter agents that discovered a “canon rush,” a strategy where a Protoss player builds early weapons outside of an enemy base beyond their sight radius. As training progressed, new main agents learned to defend against canon rush exploiters while defeating earlier main agents with superior economic play, unit composition, and control.
Above: DeepMind’s AlphaStar engaged in self-play.
Each agent was trained over 44 days using 32 third-generation tensor processing units (TPUS), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) developed by Google specifically for neural network machine learning. Almost 900 distinct players were created during League training, DeepMind reports.
Compared with StarCraft 2’s built-in AI at the Elite difficulty, which achieves an estimated matchmaking ranking (MMR) of roughly 3,300 on average, AlphaStar Final managed 6,275 MMR for Protoss, 6,048 MMR for Terran, and 5,835 MMR for Zerg. A less-capable AlphaStar model — AlphaStar Supervised — reached roughly 3,699 MMR, placing it above 84% of human players.
“AlphaStar achieved GrandMaster level solely with [an AI algorithm] and general-purpose learning algorithms — which was unimaginable 10 years ago when I was researching StarCraft AI using rules-based systems,” said Vinyals. “I’m excited to begin exploring ways we can apply these techniques to real-world challenges, such as helping improve the robustness of AI systems.” Beyond games DeepMind’s endgame isn’t merely superhuman StarCraft 2 players, of course. As with AlphaZero, the goal is to use learnings from AlphaStar to develop systems capable of solving society’s toughest challenges.
DeepMind is to this end currently involved in several health-related AI projects, including a trial at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a model capable of forecasting acute kidney failure (AKI) and identifying a majority of the most severe cases. More recently, DeepMind’s AlphaFold — an AI system that can predict complicated protein structures — placed first out of 98 competitors in the CASP13 protein-folding competition.
Beyond AKI and protein folding, DeepMind-led work is underway at Britain’s NHS to develop an algorithm that can search for early signs of blindness.
The Alphabet subsidiary partnered with the Cancer Research UK Imperial Center at Imperial College London to refine AI breast cancer detection models, an effort that recently expanded to Jikei University Hospital in Tokyo. And in a paper presented at the Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention conference in September, DeepMind researchers revealed they’d developed a system that could segment CT scans with “near-human performance.” “The history of progress in artificial intelligence has been marked by milestone achievements in games. Ever since computers cracked Go, chess, and poker, StarCraft has emerged by consensus as the next grand challenge,” said DeepMind principal research scientist David Silver. “We addressed this challenge using general-purpose learning methods, rather than handcrafting a solution, and played under the same conditions that humans themselves face.” GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Customers will be all-in on bots in 2020 and other CX predictions (VB Live) | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/customers-will-be-all-in-on-bots-in-2020-and-other-cx-predictions-vb-live"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages VB Live Customers will be all-in on bots in 2020 and other CX predictions (VB Live) Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Presented by Bold360 by LogMeIn It’s time for a look at the biggest challenges and opportunities for customer service now, in 2020 and beyond. Join this VB Live event for a review of the CX landscape, and learn what to brace yourself for in the future, why Gartner is bullish on chatbots, and more.
Register here for free.
Customer service is the cornerstone of company success. It’s a key competitive differentiator: 89% percent of businesses now compete on the level of service they deliver to customers. It is directly tied to long-term customer value: After one poor service experience, 51% of customers will no longer do business with that company. That’s no joke: In the U.S., customers jumping to competitors because of a bad experience is costing companies $1.6 trillion.
It’s a trend that has resonated more and more with companies as they scramble to keep up with current customer service trends and jump on board the newest CX fads. But in 2019, simple choice was one of the biggest factors in customer satisfaction, says Katherine Hird, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Bold360 by LogMeIn.
“The way that we work and live and buy is evolving,” Hird says. “But you can improve the customer experience by making sure that you have the right variety of channels that work for both your business and your customers, to have them engage effectively and have an overall positive customer experience.” Consumers from every generation (not just Millennials) expect to be able to engage with a company in their preferred channel – and 85% percent of customers said they expect companies to offer a blend of both physical and digital communication channels.
But with an uptick in the number of channels that customers are using to contact companies, it’s important to remain focused on creating a consistent and branded experience across all of them, with a focus on non-creepy personalization to make them feel like they’ve always reached the right place, Hird says.
During customer engagements, it’s also essential to create seamless customer experiences across channels – for instance, if a customer starts out chatting with a chatbot, but that interaction needs to be escalated up to a live customer service agent, or given any kind of escalation to another level of service during an experience.
“Customers get frustrated when they interact with a business and they have to repeat themselves multiple times when they go from one channel to the next,” Hird says. “That especially applies when you’re moving from chatbot to human.” Companies especially need to take care in how they integrate their chatbot experiences, she says. They offer significant advantages for first-level customer service tasks such as requests for opening hours or return policies and other FAQ-style questions. But it should be easy for a customer to move from the chat experience to a live human, without any hassle.
But here in 2019, while chatbots, both AI-powered and rules-based , are becoming more prevalent because they’re both cost-effective and can level up the live service agent experience, some customers are still declining to see them as an effective customer service tool.
It’s called ‘fear of the bot,’ Hind says. It’s been declining over the years, but that worry still seems to be there. Consumers seem to be anxious about whether they’re talking to a human or a bot, and could they even tell the difference? Employees worry about bots taking over jobs and displacing them.
“As we transition into 2020, I expect that this fear will continue to subside,” she says. “I think what’s really important is focusing on the introduction of AI into the customer service experience overall, and emphasizing, both externally and internally, the fact that bots are not replacing humans – they’re helping make humans more efficient, and giving customers more efficient experiences.” For more on the biggest trends of 2019, a look at the hits, the misses, and the ways companies can learn from both, and a round of wild predictions about the future of AI, bots, and customer experience, don’t miss this VB Live event.
Don’t miss out! Register here for free.
You’ll learn about: The future of customer engagement The challenges, opportunities and trends in universal accessibility How digital technology and AI impacts in-store experiences Finding the happy medium of personalization Why privacy and security is a customer service issue Speakers: Ken Dodelin , VP Conversational AI Products, CapitalOne Prince Arora , Director Product Management, Albertsons Companies Katherine Hird , Senior Product Marketing Manager, Bold360 by LogMeIn The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Amazon's voice-based Alexa skill personalization is now generally available | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/amazons-voice-based-alexa-skill-personalization-now-generally-available"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Amazon’s voice-based Alexa skill personalization is now generally available Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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Skills built for Alexa can now respond uniquely to your voice. That’s thanks to Alexa skill personalization, a feature of the Alexa Skills Kit that enables developers to provide personalized experiences, greetings, and prompts for recognized users. Amazon launched skill personalization in preview in September, and today, it announced that it’s generally available.
“Until now, changing a skill’s behavior required a customer to configure Alexa household profiles and then manually switch between Amazon accounts,” wrote Alexa Skills senior product manager Mohit Mittal. “Personalization makes it simpler for [skill users] because now skill[s] simply [link]the person speaking to the correct account without switching profiles.” Skill personalization leverages voice profiles, which are created through the Alexa companion app and which carry across first- or third-party Alexa-enabled devices. (Amazon notes that customers can opt out of skill personalization if they so choose even if they’ve configured a voice profile.) Alexa sends an anonymized string of characters and numbers uniquely generated from a given voice profile to skills, which skills use to reference who’s talking and respond appropriately.
With skill personalization, a developer could personalize a game based on who’s playing or offer a customized exercise routine tailored to individual fitness goals. Moreover, voice-personalized Alexa skills could be combined with app-to-app account linking to help users discover skills and link accounts, and to deliver flows unique to their voice.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Amazon says that Uber is already using skill personalization to automatically figure out which account to use, while OneBusAway is tapping the capability to offer tailored bus commuting information. Other launch partners include Vodafone, 7-Minute Workout, Twenty Questions, SprachBox Abfrage, Vanity Planet, Intervallfasten, Party Craps, Jyanken, and Excite Horoscope.
Amazon first expanded Alexa’s use of voice-based personalization in May, when it launched a feature that automatically recognizes a user’s voice when they say “Alexa, play music.” Voice profiles also allow users to complete shopping transactions without the need to enter a four-digit pin code, and for personalized shopping results, news flash briefings, and calls and messages.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"It’s not too late to get biometrics right | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/security/its-not-too-late-to-get-biometrics-right"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Guest It’s not too late to get biometrics right Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Just last month, news broke that biometric data for more than a million people was exposed from a platform called Biostar 2 , a tool to control access to buildings and secure areas. This wasn’t the first time a biometric database had been compromised. Remember the OPM breach ? Over 20 million people who went through U.S. government background checks sure do — as do the Chinese hackers who now hold that data. How about India’s national identity database, Aadhaar ? The media coverage poured in, with naysayers warning us to be terrified of biometric authentication. “After all,” they said, “you can change your password but you can’t change your fingerprint.” This recent Biostar news merely added gasoline to a fire that has been building for years. Last month, a Wall Street Journal feature claimed, “biometrics have their own problems that might be worse than passwords.” Stories like this miss one crucial point, though, and it’s critical to set the record straight. The breaches here aren’t a biometrics problem, they’re a centralized biometrics problem. Specifically, the problems arise when biometrics data is stored in a centralized database.
Biometrics are inherently secure There’s a give and take in today’s networked economy between privacy and convenience. Want more convenience, be prepared to give up more of your personal data. But in the case of biometric authentication, it’s not just data, it’s our physical attributes at stake. Does the convenience of biometric authentication necessitate us ceding control of what may be one of the only things left that we can still claim as uniquely “us?” No, surprisingly, biometric authentication is one of the most secure and usable forms of authentication available today. If implemented correctly, biometrics can actually be one of the few technologies with no tradeoff, providing us with both convenience and security. And “correct” implementation means keeping our biometric data out of centralized servers and adhering to privacy best practices.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! It’s true that you can’t change your fingerprint, but passwords alone — still the most widely used form of authentication — are the absolute worst form of authentication available and the source for the vast majority of our data breaches. Biometrics can be one of our best options going forward and may even revive the stagnation of two-factor authentication adoption – but we can’t make the same mistake we did with passwords.
Look at the model: Passwords have lost their efficacy because the average consumer has over 90 accounts and, more often than not, uses the same password across more than one of them. They sit on a server somewhere, vulnerable to compromise, after which they are then easily used for password spraying, credential stuffing, and other attacks that let criminals into your accounts (and are costing billions of dollars per year in fraud).
Biometrics are secure, yes. But store them on a server and we’re back to where we started, but even worse because of that whole “can’t change your fingerprint” fact.
Instead of relying on servers, biometric data can and should only be stored locally on the user’s device. A lot of providers are already taking this approach – including the aforementioned platforms from Microsoft, Apple, and Google. Providers should be transparent about their approach to biometric data storage when it’s being used for authentication and not hide it in a TOS somewhere.
Biometrics can beat spoofing Aside from the biometric storage issue, biometric spoofing has also raised alarm bells. We’ve all seen the coverage around hackers creating sophisticated fingerprint molds with 3-D printers and successfully getting into a device. While it’s true that biometric modalities are vulnerable to presentation (or spoof) attacks, in practice they are.extremely difficult to implement and — most critically — they are prohibitively difficult to implement at scale.
Vendors are addressing this by coming out with new innovations in both the sensitivity of their sensors as well as adding new liveness detection capabilities. This involves having the user blink when using a face recognition system or having the fingerprint sensor read below the skin for characteristics that cannot be spoofed by a fake fingerprint, for a few examples.
The spoofing threat doesn’t mean we have to abandon biometrics, just that we need to be realists about the arms race being driven by hackers, and also to be sure to establish and follow biometric authentication best practices. In addition to only storing biometric data on the device, service providers need to take a second step, which is to leverage available technology that verifies the physical possession of the authorized user’s personal device every time the biometric is presented.
Take these two steps – store biometric data on the user’s device (and never let it leave) and require incontrovertible proof of device possession – and the threat of a large-scale breach of biometric data is gone. A criminal would need your biometric and your device to even attempt an attack. And if we know anything about hackers, we know that if it doesn’t scale, they aren’t going to bother.
By taking these steps we can embrace the convenience that biometric authentication offers with no tradeoff – and with no worries about losing the only pieces of ourselves that we have left.
Andrew Shikiar is executive director of FIDO Alliance.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"NTT Docomo's bullet train mmWave 5G test speeds past 1Gbps | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/ntt-docomos-bullet-train-mmwave-5g-test-speeds-past-1gbps"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages NTT Docomo’s bullet train mmWave 5G test speeds past 1Gbps Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn The Tokaido Shinkansen passes by Mount Fuji on its way to Shin-Fuji station.
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One of the few remaining questions regarding millimeter wave-based 5G networks is whether they’ll be able to deliver cellular service to fast-moving vehicles — such as cars, subway trains, and conventional trains. The answer is “yes,” suggests top Japanese carrier NTT Docomo, which today announced successful completion of an impressive stress test: a multi-base station handoff of 5G signals to a device on a next-generation Shinkansen bullet train.
Docomo’s test was noteworthy, thanks to the speeds of both the train and the 5G service. While the Shinkansen traveled at 283 km/h (~176 mph), the 5G signal delivered data speeds over 1Gbps, successfully transmitting 8K video from the network to the mobile device and streaming 4K video live from the mobile device to the network.
While engineers have been confident that various 5G technologies would make such a feat possible, actually making them work together is an achievement. Vendors are continuing to improve the practical distance and handoff techniques for millimeter wave hardware.
Calling its bullet train test a “world’s first,” Docomo used three 28GHz millimeter wave base stations with advanced beamforming and beam-tracking features capable of conveying and handing off ultra high-speed data signals while the train was in motion. If the test worked on one of the world’s fastest trains, that’s a good sign for millimeter wave 5G handoffs to cars and slower trains.
Japan uses bullet trains to facilitate transportation between major cities, such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, and will be commercially deploying the new N700S-model Shinkansen in 2020, just before next year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo , which is also expected to be a showcase for 5G cellular and 8K video technologies. The test took place between Mishima and Shin-Fuji stations, near where the country’s famous mountain Mt. Fuji can be spotted.
Despite a government ban on Chinese-made 5G network hardware , NTT Docomo kicked off early 5G services on September 20 and plans to offer 5G across all 47 Japanese state-sized prefectures by the end of June 2020. Rival SoftBank recently decided to accelerate its own 5G deployment plans in Japan by two years.
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"Amazon's Vesta no-show highlights the challenges of home robots | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/amazons-vesta-no-show-highlights-the-challenges-of-home-robots"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Amazon’s Vesta no-show highlights the challenges of home robots Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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You’d think Amazon would be the one to shake up a product category that has chewed up and spit out startups and corporate giants alike, but the company’s next flagship robot seemingly remains a work in progress. At a press event in downtown Seattle, some expected Amazon to preview a home robot that’s reportedly like a roving Echo Show, replete with wheels, microphones, and a display. But the announcement never came, and Amazon’s reticence might speak to the many challenges inherent to home robots — and indeed, robots at large.
Amazon’s robot — code-named Vesta, after the Roman goddess of the hearth — apparently packs far-field microphones and speakers that enable it to understand and respond to the thousands of commands Alexa recognizes. It’s said to be able to navigate through homes using computer vision and techniques like simultaneous localization and mapping, and select Amazon employees are reportedly piloting it ahead of a launch as soon as this year.
An unforgiving market Home robotics — and robotics generally — has proven a tough nut to crack for even the best-funded ventures.
In April, Anki — the San Francisco startup behind AI-imbued robotic toys like Overdrive, Cozmo, and Vector — closed its doors after raising close to $200 million in venture capital from Index Ventures, Two Sigma Ventures, J.P. Morgan, Andreessen Horowitz, and others. Anki claimed to have sold 6.5 million devices in total and 1.5 million robots last August alone, with revenue close to $100 million as of year-end 2017.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Anki’s demise followed that of Bosch-backed startup Mayfield Robotics, which was developing a larger, pricier ($700) home robot dubbed Kuri.
Robotics company Jibo , which engineered a social robot featuring a bespoke conversational assistant, shut down earlier in the year. Honda canceled its Asimo program. And in a somewhat related development, industrial robotics company Rethink Robotics was recently forced to cease operations after attempting unsuccessfully to find an acquirer.
But that hasn’t stopped others from forging ahead.
Temi , a startup headquartered in New York that’s developing a $1,500 telepresence robot with voice assistant integration, recently raised $21 million, in part from former Alibaba chief technology officer John Wu. Separately, wellness robots like Mabu and Diligent Robotics’ Moxi have found their way into hospitals, homes, and nursing centers, where they’re doubling as orderlies and symptom trackers for chronically ill patients.
Perhaps the best-known home robot success story is that of iRobot, which has sold more than 25 million units to customers around the world. Chief technology officer Chris Jones attributes the company’s success to its singular focus on housecleaning — and to perseverance in the face of logistical challenges.
“You have electrical, mechanical, software … and all that has to come together in a practical package that actually does something valuable, and getting those to work together efficiently and effectively is a challenge,” said Jones. He described the industry as an art rather than an exact science. “Every home is different — people interact with robots differently. It’s a tall order, and that’s why staying focused on practicality really matters.” More human Amazon’s home robot will have to overcome formidable barriers to success, chief among them a lack of emotional intelligence and customers’ sky-high expectations.
On this first point, Alexa AI chief scientist Rohit Prasad recently revealed that teams at Amazon are experimenting with systems to detect happiness, sadness, and anger from voice alone. The initial fruit of that labor, frustration detection, emerged this week.
Facial and object recognition are poised to play key roles in this as well, and Amazon has all the technical resources necessary to build a robust system. Its AWS DeepLens camera can run pretrained or custom AI models to perform sentiment analysis and detect a variety of activities, such as tooth brushing or guitar playing. AWS’ controversial Rekognition service can suss out sentiment and more. Amazon’s Echo Look taps computer vision to recognize clothes. And just this week, Amazon deployed an AI model to the Echo show that’s able to make out common pantry goods.
In a home robot, facial recognition could be used to record photos or videos around the house or enable the robot to greet kids when they return home from school. As for object detection, it might help personalize product recommendations and spot signs of a break-in, like Amazon’s Alexa Guard feature. Or it could work in tandem with services like Amazon Key to follow strangers around the room, paving the way for the remote installation of home furniture or appliances that can’t be simply dropped off on a doorstep.
Beyond the convenience of recognition features, emotional intelligence and contextual awareness can lead to interactions that feel more natural.
Studies have shown that people are predisposed to name and even ascribe motivations to robots, which indicates that they will need to be not only perceptive but communicative as well.
Teams like those behind Mayfield’s Kuri and Anki’s Vector have laid the cornerstones for paradigms of emotional expression. Kuri responded to nearly every turn in a conversation with animated expressions, including a confused “huh?” emoji if it didn’t understand something or a “got it” following a command. And Vector, a tiny handheld robot with dual treads and an articulated “head,” conveys feelings of nervousness, joy, panic, annoyance, excitement, and more with animations and sound effects.
“We explored putting third-party interfaces into robots and found that having to say a hotword [like ‘Alexa’ or ‘hey, Google’] felt awkward and mechanical,” Anki’s Mark Palatucci told VentureBeat in a previous interview. “We wanted [Vector] to feel more personal — more emotional.” Amazon’s robot would do well to follow their leads, perhaps with expressions, animations, or sound — and with music and activity recommendations tailored to users’ habits and sentiment. It’s a future Amazon inched toward with Alexa Hunches , which proactively recommends actions based on data from connected devices and sensors, and with a feature that takes into account the proximity of devices when Alexa responds to commands like “Alexa, turn on the lights.” Function over form Whatever form Alexa’s robot takes, its size and appearance will be key to mitigating the preconception problem. As Palatucci explained, there’s an uncanny valley in robotics: People expect larger and more human-like robots.
Aeolus is a prime example. The janitorial robot can identify objects, clean the floor with any off-the-shelf vacuum, and grasp drinks and other objects. The only problem? It moves at a snail’s pace. In a demo at CES last January, Aeolus took a full minute to pick up a stuffed animal and put it in a nearby bin.
Optimists like Misty Robotics CEO Tim Enwall firmly believe every home will have a highly capable robot within 20 years, while more cautious observers like Carnegie Mellon University professor of robotics Henny Admoni expect it’ll be five to 10 years before mass-produced robots can pick up after kids, tidy furniture, prep meals, and complete other domestic chores. As for folks like Jones and iRobot CEO Colin Angle, they predict that a family of machines — rather than a single robot — will work together to perform chores like folding clothes, washing the dishes, and assisting older or disabled family members.
“The home can handle several different types of robot. You’re going to be able to buy them incrementally, each specialized to do a purpose really well, and there’s going to be some things where combining functionality into one robot makes sense,” explained Angle.
That’s to say Amazon’s first home robot probably won’t fulfill the promises of a Jetsons future, and it will likely be the first of many models and designs to come. Of course, Amazon is no stranger to playing the long game. Just this week, it announced Sidewalk , a wireless internet of things (IoT) protocol with which it hopes to supplant standards that have had more than a decade head start. And it’s an open secret that Amazon lost a good chunk of change on early Fire tablet sales, which the company has long since recouped through sales of ebooks, Audible subscriptions, Amazon Prime Video rentals, and more.
When Bosch announced Mayfield’s shuttering last year, the company said it couldn’t find a “fit” to “support and scale” Kuri, a sentiment that resonated with Admoni. “I think [these companies] didn’t find a compelling use case,” he candidly told the Financial Times last year. Jones is of a similar mind — in an interview with VentureBeat at Amazon’s re:MARS conference last summer, he said robots that fail to catch on are those that fall short of marketing promises.
If Amazon doesn’t play its cards right, it risks repeating history.
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"'We can't wait' ... for Apple to hire new writers for its tedious keynotes | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/marketing/we-cant-wait-for-apple-to-hire-new-writers-for-its-tedious-keynotes"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages ‘We can’t wait’ … for Apple to hire new writers for its tedious keynotes Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Ann Thai "can't wait" for Apple Arcade to launch.
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Having sat through more of Apple’s butt-numbing product events than I care to admit, it’s hard to muster much joy when the next one rolls around. Strangely, I’m beginning to think Apple feels the same way.
Based on the writing and performances at the most recent keynote, Apple seems to be mailing it in, carrying on a tradition out of obligation rather than passion. Once a highly polished production that set the standard for every tech rival, these events have devolved into repetitive, listless, poorly written presentations that barely mask a sense of weariness.
The result is a carnival of cringe defined by the need to feign excitement over things that are not terribly exciting. One could argue that it’s a general sign of broader creative stagnation at a company whose business model now turns on over-hyping incremental updates or pretending that services like Apple TV+ are revolutionary breakthroughs instead of just another twist on streaming video.
Writing for the New York Times , Charlie Warzel mused that these “love letters to consumerism” had become ridiculously out of step with our deepening tech skepticism. Worried that they have devolved into parody, he declared it was “time to call it quits.” I don’t disagree with his analysis. But there’s no way Apple can or would stop because this lumbering production represents too much free publicity. Why give that up? Since Apple will continue to produce these events — and we will tragically watch them — the company needs to find a way to reinvent the format and save it from the malaise that has set in.
A good place to start is with the speakers. Each one appeared to have been coached to within an inch of their lives. The template goes like this: As you move into the power word or important descriptor — “MOST” or “WONDERFUL” or whatever — slow down a bit, maybe make a slight break, and then really lean into the word.
Just listen to about 30 seconds of Ann Thai as she hits words like “THRILLED” and “ONLY and ‘”GROUNDBREAKING” and says things like “no game service has … EVER … launched as many games at once.” The same goes for every speaker at the event, and the result sounds like an extended commercial for the Ronco Pocket Fisherman. I think the speech coaches in this case may have been the young Jerimiah (sic), Ben, and Levi from this classic (starting at 18 seconds): The resulting monotony isn’t helped by the writing, which seems even more half-hearted, with speakers declaring no less than 8 times that they “can’t wait” for something less than monumental.
“No game service has ever launched as many games at once,” Thai said. “We can’t wait for you to play all of them.” A few minutes later, Cook affirmed: “Thank you Ann. Apple Arcade is a gaming service unlike any other out there. We can’t wait to start playing when it launches later this month.” Cook also “ can’t wait for you to start watching Apple TV Plus,” while Stang Ng “ can’t wait for you to try” the “new always-on display” for the Apple Watch. Kaiann Drance “ can’t wait for you” to “take some awesome slofies” and also “ can’t wait ” to see “what else other developers will come up with with the A13 [Bionic chip].” Not pumped up yet? Sri Santhanam said he “ can’t wait for our customers and developers” to see the A13 in action, while Deidre O’Brien “ can’t wait ” for customers to see the refurbished Apple store in New York.
The lexical sludge accumulates, leaving speaker after speaker to slog through mounds of eyelid-drooping phrases.
Not only can’t Apple wait, but the company wants you to know it’s “excited.” Overall, Apple and its presenting partners were “excited” 21 times, not counting four “exciting” developments.
Sometimes they were “really excited,” other times “more excited” and occasionally even “incredibly excited.” Or in the case of Cook, doubly excited: “Today, I am so excited to share with you the worldwide premiere trailer for See ” he exults, later adding, “All, all of these incredible shows for the price of a single movie rental. This is crazy. We are so excited about Apple TV Plus that we wanted to do something really special.” But how does one take “excited” up a notch? What is verbal equivalent of turning it up to 11? Answer: “thrilled” — 6 times.
Naturally, “innovation” or “innovative” pop their heads up 6 times, as does “wonderful.” “Beautiful” takes a bow 13 times. “Most” gets flogged 44 times, followed by “amazing,” which takes one for the team 23 times. Our good friend “incredible” gets beaten to death 39 times (plus 3 uses of “incredibly” thrown in for good measure).
“Through the deep integration of hardware, software, and services, these products empower people to do incredible things every day,” Cook insists.
Apple, once renowned for its attention to detail, no longer seems to investing much energy in preparing its scripts. There must be rehearsals, and I imagine that at some point somebody must have wondered if they shouldn’t cut a “can’t wait” or two.
Instead, we are treated to the sad spectacle of people saying words out loud in the hopes that doing so will make them true. In the process, they are committing the most unpardonable of all Apple sins: They are boring us.
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"PlayStation studios boss Shawn Layden is latest exec to leave Sony | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/games/playstation-studios-boss-shawn-layden-is-latest-to-leave-sony"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages PlayStation studios boss Shawn Layden is latest exec to leave Sony Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Shawn Layden was one of the major faces of Sony Interactive Entertainment's executive team.
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PlayStation Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden is leaving Sony Interactive Entertainment.
The publisher announced the executive’s departure in a tweet on Monday evening. Here’s the official statement from SIE: “It is with great emotion that we announce that Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden will be departing SIE. His visionary leadership will be greatly missed. We wish him success in future endeavors and are deeply grateful for his years of service. Thanks for everything, Shawn!” I reached out to Sony for more about this major shakeup, but a company spokesperson said it does not have any additional info at this time. So Sony isn’t revealing what is happening with Layden’s role or if someone else is going to step into his job.
Layden is only the latest PlayStation exec to leave Sony This is the latest high-profile PlayStation executive to leave Sony. PlayStation head Jack Tretton left in 2014. In 2017, Andrew House, who was one of the long-time leaders of PlayStation, also left. Other executives like Adam Boyes, who was in charge of relations with third-party companies, left in 2016. And John Drake, who led business development for bringing games to the PlayStation VR, left Sony earlier this year.
And now Layden joins that list, and his departure is among the most stunning. He started working for Sony in 1987, which was years before the first PlayStation. In 1999, he moved to the London division of Sony Computer Entertainment. He then took on the role of president of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan until 2010. In 2014, he replaced Tretton as the president of Sony Computer Entertainment America. Then, in 2018, his job morphed into president of Worldwide Studios, which seemed like a step down at the time.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Layden’s absence leaves a handful of familiar names at the top of SIE. Jim Ryan, who took over as president and CEO of SIE in February , is still in that job. Shuhei Yoshida, who used to have Layden’s job and works within Worldwide Studios , is also still at the company.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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"All-Star eSports League's 17-year-old founder brings free esports competitions to high schools | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/esports/all-star-esports-leagues-17-year-old-founder-brings-free-esports-competitions-to-high-schools"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages All-Star eSports League’s 17-year-old founder brings free esports competitions to high schools Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Jordan Zietz runs All-Star eSports League.
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At 17 years old, Jordan Zietz might fit the typical profile of someone trying out for the All-Star eSports League, which brings esports competitions to high schools. But he’s not allowed to compete in the league. That’s because he started it, and he’s the CEO of the company.
Zietz recently announced that he raised funding with a seven-figure investment for All-Star eSports League from Eric Bensussen, president of game controller maker PowerA. All-Star eSports League wants to offer millions of dollars in scholarships, prizes, and more for its free high school esports league, which will offer game competitions in titles such as Fortnite, Overwatch, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
This kind of esports league, akin to football and basketball leagues, could serve as the feeder system for collegiate esports and ultimately the professional competitions that are now giving away $300 million in prizes a year. These leagues are also a way to get more students involved in some kind of sport. (Next week, I’m headed to the Esports BAR Miami event).
Above: All-Star eSports League “A vast majority of schools are saying how can we get our students involved in esports, especially because it’s pertaining particularly to the students who aren’t currently involved in other extracurricular sports,” Zietz said.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! He added, “Some people who are physically unable may not be able to reap the rewards of sports. I used to injure myself a lot in high school. I tried playing football, lacrosse, I tried rowing. And I broke both my knees, my ankles, my back, I’ve had about every injury you can imagine. And so I eventually decided these aren’t for me.” Zietz has expanded quickly in the last six months, and he says he has more than 5,000 registered teams. But he has formidable competition. Rival PlayVS announced a couple of weeks ago that it had raised $50 million, which in its last season held competitions for League of Legends. Another rival is High School eSports League. But Zietz said in an interview that PlayVS charges students for entering competitions, while his league allows students to play for free.
“They charge their students, whereas we do not because we believe this prevents talented individuals from being able to showcase their merit,” Zietz said. “As a student and a gamer myself, I firmly believe that everyone should be allowed to participate and PlayVS’ model discriminates.” Above: All-Star eSports League Zietz said he got the idea last year while trying to start an esports team at his school, Pine Crest School in Boca Rato, Florida. He realized that he should just start a league instead, as the current leagues cost several hundred dollars or more per year.
“We may not be the most funded esports league,” he said. “And that was never a problem in the first place. Because we’re a lot more efficient with our money. Because we understand the demographic, I mean, personally coming from a students gamer, myself, I actually I believe I understand the demographic. It makes more sense for it to be free, and all sorts of stuff that we’re really about growing.” Zietz’s family is familiar with entrepreneurship.
His older sister Rachel Zietz started her first company at 13 and she made it to Shark Tank. Zietz himself started his first company at 12, a video game rental company. He also started a virtual reality company before switching to the esports idea.
“I’ve always been passionate about sports and gaming, but I’m glad to be partnering with Jordan because he takes this same passion to the next level. He genuinely cares about what he’s doing, and I think it has constant positive spillover into the company’s success,” Bensussen said in a statement.
Zietz plans on utilizing the new round of investment to help publicize the availability of the league and expand participation amongst students nationwide. The funds will also be used to augment All-Star eSports League’s prize pool, which he said includes over $1 million in scholarships, computer and gaming equipment, and other rewards.
The company has 12 employees, including a mix of adults and high school students. Zietz said his parents have to co-sign documents such as non-disclosure agreements with him, since he is a minor.
“It’s challenging, but it’s definitely the kind of challenge I’ve learned to welcome,” Zietz said. “It combines all my passions and everything that I love to do into a productive thing. I constantly go to my parents, and my sister. And all the mentors. I’ve kind of assembled through my life, even some of my school teachers, for advice on what do you think about this.” Right now, the esports companies are in a rush to sign up teams and high schools.
“The main objective is the get as many high schools as possible,” he said. “And I say where the clear winner I mean, right now we do have the record.” GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"WeWork withdraws its ill-fated IPO | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/wework-withdraws-its-ill-fated-ipo"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages WeWork withdraws its ill-fated IPO Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn July 11, 2017. WeWork Offices Herzliya, Israel.
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( Reuters ) — WeWork parent The We Company on Monday filed to withdraw its initial public offering, a week after the SoftBank-backed office-sharing startup ousted founder Adam Neumann as its chief executive officer.
The withdrawal of its IPO prospectus formalizes the end of the New York-based company’s pursuit of a near-term listing and allows Neumann’s successors to proceed with the company’s financial turnaround without disclosing as much information publicly.
The company’s high-yield bond price slid to a record low after the move was announced earlier in the day.
The scrapping of the IPO marks the conclusion of a tumultuous few weeks for the office-sharing firm, which failed to excite investors who raised concerns about its burgeoning losses and a business model that involves taking long-term leases and renting out spaces for a short term.
Furthermore, experts pointed out that removing Neumann from the CEO role and addressing governance issues were not enough and that such a business model was unlikely to thrive during an economic downturn.
According to the IPO prospectus it filed earlier in September, We Company had cash and cash equivalents of roughly $2.5 billion as of June 30. However, while revenue doubled to nearly $1.8 billion in 2018, its losses also more than doubled to $1.9 billion.
The decision to scrap the public share sale will also put pressure on WeWork to secure alternative funding, given that a $6 billion loan deal with banks, agreed on last month, hinged on a successful share sale of at least $3 billion. Analysts have projected that WeWork will burn through several billion dollars over the next few years and thus needs to keep on raising fresh funds at favorable valuations.
According to two sources familiar with the matter, the company is currently looking to trim its workforce and slow down its expansion in order to burn through less cash and be less dependent on new funding.
The company is in talks to raise additional funding from investors, including SoftBank, the sources added.
SoftBank, which had been pushing WeWork to postpone its IPO and is currently attempting to raise its second $100 billion-plus Vision Fund, is under pressure to assuage key backers of the fund who have raised concerns over its long-term viability.
The decision to withdraw the IPO was no surprise, though. It was widely expected after the company postponed the share sale earlier in September, following push-back from prospective stock market investors over its widening losses and Neumann’s unusually firm grip on the company.
“We have decided to postpone our IPO to focus on our core business, the fundamentals of which remain strong,” WeWork’s newly appointed co-CEOs Artie Minson and Sebastian Gunningham said on Monday.
“We have every intention to operate WeWork as a public company and look forward to revisiting the public equity markets in the future,” Minson and Gunningham added.
The company does have publicly traded debt, however, and on Monday the $669 million junk bond it sold in April 2018 plunged to a record-low price. It was last bid at 84.5 cents on the dollar, down 2.5 cents on the day.
The price drop drove its yield to nearly 11.75%, and its benchmark spread — a measure of the added compensation demanded by investors to hold the risky paper relative to safer government securities — mushroomed to more than 10 percentage points, the widest ever.
SoftBank, which owns nearly a third of We Company, invested in the startup at a $47 billion valuation in January. But investor skepticism forced it to consider a potential IPO valuation of as low as $10 billion earlier this month, Reuters reported.
We Company had vowed to pursue the IPO and complete the share sale by the end of the year, after Neumann stepped down as CEO. However, sources had told Reuters last week that the IPO was unlikely to be completed this year.
WeWork’s doomed IPO marks a rough period for startups that have been going public in recent weeks. Last week, U.S. entertainment and talent agency company Endeavor Group Holdings pulled its IPO, while shares of Peloton, the fitness startup known for on-demand workout programs on its exercise bikes, slid as much as 7% in their market debut.
Earlier in September, teeth-straightening firm SmileDirectClub made an underwhelming market debut.
Uber and Lyft also went public with high expectations earlier this year, but their shares have since tumbled as investors fret over the steep losses the two ride-hailing companies have racked up.
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"We can't rely on venture capital to fuel moonshot innovation | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/we-cant-rely-on-venture-capital-to-fuel-moonshot-innovation"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Guest We can’t rely on venture capital to fuel moonshot innovation Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
For investors, fighting climate change or disease will not have the immediate link to profitability that let’s say, urbanization had. When Western nations needed to alleviate rural poverty, urbanization was a solution, and private capital was readily available to finance the industrial revolution. The free market was in this instance, pareto efficient.
Society had a problem, and privateers profited from fixing it.
But in today’s VC landscape, this isn’t the case. There is a disconnect between immediate profitability and societal needs — for example, fighting climate change, shoring up the food supply, or fighting fake news increases. The need for solutions to these issues is becoming increasingly urgent, yet private investors still flock to larger rounds for later-stage, profitable businesses, preferably future monopolies.
We’ve seen a collapse in the number of seed/early-stage funding rounds in recent years and a shift towards funding for sturdier, more mature later-stage ventures. According to research from Magister Advisors, the number of rounds at the Series A/Seed level is less than half what it was in 2013. At the same time, the volume of rounds for later-stage companies is increasing exponentially.
Last year $192 billion was invested into more mature businesses, an increase of 80% year-on-year.
The VC model has become risk-averse One subtle change I’ve observed as a tech CEO is a shift in the metrics that many VCs rely on. Investors no longer seem to focus solely on factors like total addressable market; instead, they spend more time examining potential EBITDA performance (earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortization) or on cash flow generation. While rational, this is the approach we expect from private equity firms not VC funds. VC is no longer about risk/reward, it’s about reliability.
These are all understandable shifts in funding behavior. After all, it isn’t in the interests of a General Partner at a VC fund to back an ultra early-stage venture in the name of pioneerism. Their interests lie in ensuring the viability of their funds and to ensure that the LPs who finance them are happy.
For society, though, this is an issue that needs addressing. A possible result of this shift is that cutting-edge medical, space, “tech for good,” or open-source technology firms miss out on funding. In health tech, for example, global deal volumes dropped by nearly 40% last year. This is particularly troubling because it is these health tech firms that will likely be responsible for the medical breakthroughs society desperately needs.
This is an example of market failure. Historically, there has only ever been one solution to this, and that’s government intervention.
Governments can step up without losing political capital Modern governments have a role to play in securing the next wave of innovation. Government-led funds that focus on societal gain are more of a fit for higher risk, “moonshot” projects where profitability can’t be guaranteed. Government projects have financed some of the greatest advancements of the last century, from developing the Internet and GPS, to putting man on the moon. Nokia, Qualcomm, and Symantec all received early backing from public funds, as did Bell Labs when it was still the big Bell.
In this age of populism, it could be quite easy for elected politicians to shy away from pushing for investment in potentially high-risk projects. However, in practice, we’re seeing the opposite happen. I head up SprinD, a public fund backed by Germany government to the tune of a billion euros (over the next decade), to invest in ideas that traditional VCs deem too risky. In the U.S., former Vice-President Joe Biden spent a significant amount of time in office on the Moonshot Cancer Initiative.
This initiative was given $400 million for 2019, and Congress granted the project over $1.8 billion to spend over the next seven years. In the UK, the small business grants offered by the British Business Bank (the UK’s state-owned fund) are predominantly for environmental or medical causes. Again, this was authorized by a fiscally-conservative government.
These are not big-ticket items for most governments. The level of funding that most moonshot projects will need requires just a re-appropriation of existing R&D money rather than a huge policy change that a government must go out on a limb for. Even in Trump’s America, ARPA-E , which funds early-stage energy projects, continues to receive federal funding. Likewise, DARPA has just announced it will be investing heavily in the US’s network infrastructure in the coming years. I’d argue that these are spending pledges most voters will not think twice about.
Public sector funding could create private sector dominance The economics of investing can favor government involvement. A “ supergiant ” VC fund is typically around the $1 billion mark. In contrast, the German government spends around 92 billion euros per year on R&D.
Softbank’s Vision Fund is set to spend around that over the course of a decade. In fact, the spend of smaller nations on research dwarfs even the largest of Sand Hill Road funds. Latvia, for example, spends 0.45% of its GDP on R&D, which is approximately $136 million per year. Ukraine spends approximately $600 million a year on scientific initiatives/R&D — again highlighting how “big money” for a VC equates to spare change for most governments. In the grand scheme of things, the cost of government intervention here could be minimal — re-appropriating public spending may ensure moonshot projects get the funding they need.
To play devils’ advocate, one may reasonably argue that this state R&D spend is best suited to go towards attainable, low-risk projects, rather than moonshots. But, if this is what VCs are now doing, what is the point of governments doing that as well? Governments are not “for-profit” in the way a VC is, and don’t have the same vested interests. I’d argue that their interests are much more aligned with what a moonshot stands for — curing an incurable disease, or finding solutions for the climate crisis.
This isn’t just about philanthropy or innovation. This is about sound economic policy. In a global marketplace where a few big technology firms are out-competing the rest of the field, it will take big, disruptive innovations to forge lucrative new markets that are aligned with societal interests. And the countries that bring these innovations to life stand to wield a lot of influence in the global economy over the next 30-40 years.
Trust in big tech is at a low We also need governments to pick up the mantle because we’re at a tipping point. Most people no longer trust Big Tech.
Today’s biggest privacy risk comes from companies who gather our information for legitimate purposes whilst also using it for their own advantage, and these are the kinds of businesses that private, traditional VCs have backed in recent years.
The Internet used to be an instrument for freedom (of expression, of innovation, of commerce), but now it is turning into an instrument for control, consolidation, and concentration of the global tech wealth in very few hands. Government R&D spend, in order to fund companies that users might have faith in, is a part of the solution to this dearth of trust we’re seeing.
We do not need more closed identity systems run by big corporations who are interested in gathering personal information to support and optimize their own dominant positions. We need systems that are open and federated, meaning users can pick whichever provider they trust. Governments are more likely to back these types of enterprises.
The call to action here is straightforward: Governments already spend significant amounts of money on R&D, and at present, there is a desperate need to fund moonshot projects. Without going out on an electoral limb, re-appropriating just small amounts of money from this R&D pool could solve the market failure we’re seeing in the VC ecosystem.
[ VentureBeat regularly publishes guest posts from experts who can provide unique and useful perspectives to our readers on news, trends, emerging technologies, and other areas of interest related to tech innovation.] Rafael Laguna, Founding Director of SprinD and CEO of Open-Xchange.
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"How to pay salespeople at an early-stage tech company | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/how-to-pay-salespeople-at-an-early-stage-tech-company"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Guest How to pay salespeople at an early-stage tech company Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Recently, my team needed to transition from a “growth team” (a scrappy mix of marketing and sales with fixed salaries) to a dedicated sales team with an incentive structure. While I didn’t have 20 years of tech-sales experience or a playbook to reference to define that structure, I did have the ability to run a nerdy mini due-diligence and come at the problem with fresh eyes.
I interviewed more than a dozen early-stage sales leaders and scoured the Internet for insight. In the end, I came up with a set of questions that any tech startup CEO or early-stage sales leader can ask to figure out how to pay their first sales hires.
While I can’t cover the full breadth of topics on defining a structure, I can cover two of the biggest issues: how to determine base versus variable compensation, and what actions should trigger commission. Answering these questions right sets the foundation for other key commission decisions.
1. Setting base versus variable compensation Commission serves as both a carrot and a stick, which can be an awesome tool for focus and motivation. There is a difference, however, between a salesperson thinking “I didn’t make quota, I shouldn’t get those sick new Beats EarPods” and “I didn’t make quota, I can’t make rent.” As such, the first question I tackled was degree of variability in our compensation structure. In the process, I developed a set of questions that will assist when determining the right base versus variable compensation model.
Do you know your customer segment, and do you have a repeatable sales model? This question evaluates whether your company is ready for a commission structure at all. In order for a salesperson to control their fate, they need to know the segment you are targeting and a baseline sales motion.
This question is deeply intertwined with assessing if you’ve attained the ever-elusive “product-market fit.” Without it, high variable compensation is more of a risk-share than an incentive.
How focused is your sales team? This question is particularly important for early-stage companies because commission sometimes stands in opposition to the concept of “all hands on deck.” Often, the best initial sales hires are the “Navy SEALS” of industry: ready for a cold call, a networking event, or a pricing negotiation. To compensate primarily on closing sales or scheduling new demos may dis-incentivize behaviors you must have early on in a tech startup’s lifecycle. In short, the more focused your team is, the more comfortable you can be with setting higher variable compensation.
How much control does the salesperson have in meeting their target? The more control the salesperson has, the higher the variable pay should be. For example, a grocery store cashier generates revenue but has little impact on how many people buy or how much customers spend. It wouldn’t be fair to pin their compensation on those metrics.
Variable compensation should be high only if the salesperson can control how many transactions they handle (e.g. by working an extra hour or scheduling an extra call).
2. Defining which actions trigger commission The trigger — or what action a salesperson is compensated on — ended up being the most important question I had to answer. At first glance, it appears to be an easy answer: Trigger commission when there’s a sale. But it’s often far more complicated in practice, particularly at early-stage tech companies.
In short, the go-to-market (GTM) model of your company should drive the trigger. Examples of GTM models include: high-velocity SMB sales and upselling or an enterprise deal with a long lead time. However, “What is your GTM strategy” is not an easy question to answer. Here, too, I developed a few big-picture thought-starters to set you down the right path.
What stage of the lifecycle generates (or or should generate) the most money? I recently spoke with a head of sales operations at a fast-growing SaaS company. The company’s primary means of generating revenue was post-sale, what is traditionally referred to as a “land and expand” model, where maintaining a relationship with the customer creates opportunities for upselling product add-ons. The sales account executives could not make quota unless they maintained a relationship with their customers. As such, incentives were more aligned with when the company made money, i.e. the post-sale.
However, many tech startups have built post-sale teams that are more focused on maintaining customer satisfaction than on upselling. In that case, the initial sale is still the focal point of the GTM model, which should be the focus of incentive triggers.
Are there other BIG objectives outside of revenue? Clear prioritization is necessary to equip a salesperson for success. Customer logos may be more important for a seed-stage company compared to the revenue the accounts represent. In these instances, the most important metric the salesperson controls is the number of companies brought in the door, and it would make sense to provide “commission” on the logos themselves. Additional incentives, sometimes called SPIFFS, can be a way to integrate other objectives into the commission structure.
In a few words, what does each role in your sales and sales support structure do? Don’t over-complicate the incentive structure. Force yourself to be reductive. In my case, our sales development representatives get qualified demos; our sales account executives close prospects; and our customer success representatives reduce churn and/or increase account size. Start here and iterate.
Final thoughts In the words of Bridget Gleason, vice president of sales at Logz.io, “Sales reps are not coin-operated at all. For something that is more cognitive, money is a factor, but there are other factors that are more important.” It is important to get your commission structure right, but it needs to be paired with human elements. Help your sales team grow as professionals, give them ownership, and paint a vision of how the companies goals align with their own. But also know how to pay them if they close a big deal.
Michael Tong is head of business development at Spoke.
He was previously with McKinsey, where he focused on tech strategy and customer experience. He also mentors at the prison entrepreneurship program.
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"Elon Musk unveils Starship rocket for Moon and Mars missions | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/elon-musk-unveils-starship-rocket-for-moon-and-mars-missions"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Elon Musk unveils Starship rocket for Moon and Mars missions Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn SpaceX said that Starship will "provide affordable delivery of significant quantities of cargo and people" for Moon bases and Mars cities Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
( Reuters ) — Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has unveiled the latest iteration of his space company’s newly assembled Starship, outlining a speedy development timeline for the centerpiece vehicle of SpaceX’s quest to launch humans to the moon and Mars.
Musk showed a crowd of space enthusiasts and reporters at SpaceX’s rocket development site late on Saturday in the remote village of Boca Chica, Texas, animations of Starship landing on the moon and Mars and predicted that the rocket’s first orbital flight could come in the next six months, followed by missions to space with humans aboard the next year.
“This is basically the holy grail of space,” Musk said, standing between a towering, newly assembled Starship rocket and Falcon 1 — the company’s first vehicle whose debut orbital mission was celebrated by SpaceX 11 years ago.
“The critical breakthrough that’s needed for us to become a space-faring civilization is to make space travel like air travel,” said Musk, who is also the chief executive of electric carmaker Tesla.
Starship, a shiny steel rocketship designed to ferry dozens of humans to the moon and Mars, is the top half of Musk’s colossal interplanetary rocket system that stands 387 feet tall (118 meters) as the latest addition to SpaceX’s lineup of reusable launch vehicles. Musk named Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa as Starship’s first private passenger in 2018.
The Boca Chica village, a few miles north of the Mexican border, is ground zero for SpaceX’s three-year experimental test program for Starship, whose rocket engine tests have rattled the nerves of residents living in a remote hamlet of roughly two dozen homes a mile away.
“I think the actual danger to the Boca Chica village is low but it’s not tiny,” Musk said during a question and answer session. “So probably over time it’d be better to buy out the villages, and we’ve made an offer to that effect.” Some residents have rejected SpaceX’s non-negotiable offer to buyout their homes for three times the market value.
A three-legged prototype of the rocket named Starhopper has test launched in the village twice since July, most recently flying as high as 500 feet (152 meters) and landing on an adjacent slab of concrete to trial Musk’s next generation rocket engine dubbed Raptor.
Musk’s mission to the moon aligns with NASA’s goal of sending humans there by 2024 under its Artemis program, an accelerated deep-space initiative spurred by the Trump administration in March that aims to work with a handful of U.S. space companies in building a long-term presence on the lunar surface before eventually colonizing Mars.
The space agency has tapped SpaceX to figure out how to land vehicles on the lunar surface and help develop a system for refueling rockets — like Starship — in space, an “important technology to aid sustained exploration efforts on the Moon and Mars,” NASA said in a release on Friday.
NASA has awarded SpaceX and Boeing Co (BA.N) a total of $6.8 billion to build competing rocket and capsule systems to launch astronauts into orbit from American soil for the first time since 2011. Development of both astronaut capsules have been beset by delays and testing mishaps.
“I am looking forward to the SpaceX announcement tomorrow. In the meantime, Commercial Crew is years behind schedule,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a Friday night statement. “NASA expects to see the same level of enthusiasm focused on the investments of the American taxpayer. It’s time to deliver.” ( Reporting by Joey Roulette in Washington; Editing by Lisa Shumaker ) VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Google's highly scalable AI can generate convincingly humanlike speech | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/dev/googles-highly-scalable-ai-can-generate-convincingly-humanlike-speech"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Google’s highly scalable AI can generate convincingly humanlike speech Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
A generative adversarial network (GAN) is a versatile AI architecture type that’s exceptionally well-suited to synthesizing images, videos, and text from limited data. But it’s not much been applied to the audio production domain owing to a number of design challenges, which is why Google and Imperial College London researchers set out to create a GAN-based text-to-speech system capable of matching (or besting) state-of-the-art methods. They say that their model not only generates high-fidelity speech with “naturalness” but that it’s highly parallelizable, meaning it’s more easily trained across multiple machines compared with conventional alternatives.
“A notable limitation of [state-of-the-art TTS] models is that they are difficult to parallelize over time: they predict each time step of an audio signal in sequence, which is computationally expensive and often impractical,” wrote the coauthors. “A lot of recent research on neural models for TTS has focused on improving parallelism by predicting multiple time steps in parallel. An alternative approach for parallel waveform generation would be to use generative adversarial networks … To the best of our knowledge, GANs have not yet been applied at large scale to non-visual domains.” The researchers’ proposed system — GAN-TTS — consists of a convolutional neural network that learned to produce raw audio by training on a corpus of speech with 567 encoded phonetic, duration, and pitch data. To enable the model to generate sentences of arbitrary length, the researchers sampled 44 hours’ worth of two-second windows together with the corresponding linguistic features computed for five-millisecond windows.
GAN-TTS couples the convolutional neural network with an ensemble of 10 discriminators that attempt to distinguish among real speech and synthetic speech. Some discriminators account for linguistic conditioning to measure how well the generated audio corresponds to the input utterance, while others ignore the conditioning and can only assess the audio’s general realism.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Here’s a sample generated by GAN-TTS: The researchers evaluated GAN-TTS’ performance on a set of 1,000 sentences, first with human evaluators. Each person was tasked with listening to speech up to 15 seconds in length and marking the subjective naturalness of a sentence, after which their scores were pitted against those reported for Google’s cutting-edge WaveNet model. Separately, the researchers evaluated GAN-TTS’ performance quantitatively using a newly proposed family of metrics.
In the end, the best-performing model — which was trained for as many as 1 million steps — achieved comparable scores to baselines while requiring only 0.64 MFLOPs (millions of floating point operations per second) per sample (WaveNet needs 1.97 MFLOPs per sample). The researchers say the results “showcase the feasibility” of text-to-speech generation with GANs.
“Unlike state-of-the-art text-to-speech models, GAN-TTS is adversarially trained and the resulting generator is a feed-forward convolutional network,” wrote the coauthors. “This allows for very efficient audio generation, which is important in practical applications.” VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"PayPal to be the first foreign online payment platform in China after acquiring 70% stake in GoPay | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/commerce/paypal-to-be-the-first-foreign-online-payment-platform-in-china-after-acquiring-70-stake-in-gopay"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages PayPal to be the first foreign online payment platform in China after acquiring 70% stake in GoPay Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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PayPal will become one of the first international companies to gain a payments license in China, after news emerged that the state-owned People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has greenlighted PayPal’s acquisition of a majority stake in local company GoPay.
PayPal, through one of its local China-based subsidiaries called Yinbaobao, will acquire a 70% stake in GoPay, according to a statement on GoPay’s website [in Chinese]. The deal is expected to close in Q4 2019.
GoPay, officially known as Guofubao Information Technology Co., was set up in 2011 as a joint venture between the China International Commerce Center (CIECC) and HNA Retailing Holding, a subsidiary of troubled Chinese conglomerate HNA Group.
Market The Chinese online payments market is substantial, with total transaction values more than doubling to 2,126.3 trillion yuan (roughly USD$200 trillion) in 2018 compared to five years previous. Other big-name players operating in the space include Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial, formerly known as Alipay, which overtook PayPal as the world’s biggest online payments platform back in 2010. Earlier this year, Ant Financial announced plans to acquire U.K.-based cross-border payments company WorldFirst as it sought to boost its global payments aspirations, which came after the U.S. blocked a similar move by Ant Financial for MoneyGram.
Today’s announcement, while a milestone moment for PayPal, doesn’t come as a complete surprise. Last March, the PBOC revealed that it would open up the domestic market to foreign payments companies to improve competition, with American Express later given approval to launch in China last November. But it seems that PayPal’s “first” claim today relates specifically to online payments.
“We are honored to become the first foreign payment platform to be licensed to provide online payment services in China,” PayPal CEO Dan Schulman said in a statement. “We look forward to partnering with China’s financial institutions and technology platforms, providing a more comprehensive set of payment solutions to businesses and consumers, both in China and globally.” It’s worth noting here that PayPal has previously partnered with Chinese payment companies looking to expand their own global reach — back in 2017, PayPal announced a tie-up with Baidu to target Chinese tourists abroad. As part of the deal, Baidu Wallet would be accepted by more than 15 million PayPal merchants globally.
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"Words With Friends player data allegedly stolen for 218 million users | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/words-with-friends-player-data-allegedly-stolen-for-218-million-users"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Words With Friends player data allegedly stolen for 218 million users Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Words With Friends Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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A Pakistani hacker claims to have hacked Zynga’s Words With Friends popular social mobile game, gaining access to a database of information on more than 218 million users.
The Hacker News reported that a hacker who goes by the online alias Gnosticplayers said he breached the game and got the player data, just as the hacker allegedly also gained access to a billion user records stolen from 45 online services earlier this year.
The alleged Zynga breach is serious because Zynga has so many players. More than a billion people have played the company’s games. The data breach allegedly affects all Android and iOS players who installed and signed up for Words With Friends before September 2, 2019.
In a statement, Zynga acknowledged the data breach. It posted the announcement on its customer support site on September 12, but news of the breach did not surface until yesterday.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! It’s been quite a while since Zynga had a security breach. Back in 2012, hackers disrupted the play of Zynga’s YoVille social game on Facebook.
The San Francisco company did not reveal the number of affected people. The hacker reportedly got access to names, email addresses, login IDs, hashed passwords, SHA1 with salt , password reset tokens (if ever requested), phone numbers (if provided), Facebook ID (if connected), and Zynga account ID.
The company said it is notifying users of any suspicious logins and is prompting them to change their passwords. Regarding passwords, Zynga said, “Zynga does not collect your passwords for Facebook, Android, or iOS, and we have no indication that this information was involved in the event.” Zynga said it has commenced an investigation and is using third-party forensics firms to assist. It has also contacted law enforcement. Zynga’s statement on September 12 said: Cyber attacks are one of the unfortunate realities of doing business today. We recently discovered that certain player account information may have been illegally accessed by outside hackers. An investigation was immediately commenced, leading third-party forensics firms were retained to assist, and we have contacted law enforcement.
Our current understanding is that no financial information was accessed. However, we understand that account information for certain players of certain Zynga games may have been accessed. As a precaution, we have taken steps to protect certain players’ accounts from invalid logins, including but not limited to where we believe that passwords may have been accessed. Zynga has begun the process of sending individual notices to players where we believe that notice is required.
The security of our player data is extremely important to us. We have worked hard to address this matter and remain committed to supporting our community.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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"Warface scores 13 million users on PS4 and Xbox One in a year | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/warface-scores-13-million-users-on-ps4-and-xbox-one-in-a-year"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Exclusive Warface scores 13 million users on PS4 and Xbox One in a year Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn My.Games' Warface title.
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My.Games ‘ first-person shooter online game Warface is celebrating its first anniversary on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One today, and the Russian company said it has 13 million players on the consoles so far.
That’s a solid addition to the Warface audience, which now numbers more than 80 million registered players. Made by Crytek Kiev, Warface first debuted as a free-to-play military combat game in 2013. Earlier this year, a team of developers from Crytek Kiev left to form Blackwood Games, which is now in charge of development for the Warface franchise.
I spoke with Ivan Pabiarzhyn, Warface franchise lead at My.Games; and Elena Grigoryan, marketing director of My.Games, about the latest on Warface. In the future, don’t be surprised to see a mobile version of Warface on iOS and Android.
Here’s an edited transcript of our interview.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Above: Ivan Pabiarzhyn, Warface franchise lead Ivan Pabiarzhyn: It’s been a year since Warface launched on PS4 and Xbox One. We’re amazed by the success of the project in this new market for our team. In the first three months, we acquired around 5 million [players], and we’re still growing. At present it’s about 13 million people. We’ve experienced a lot of interesting things about the console audience, about what they want from a first-person shooter. It’s been a very valuable experience for us.
GamesBeat: How has that fit into the larger overall userbase? Pabiarzhyn: The players coming to console were almost all new to us. They’d never played Warface on PC before. That’s been a big benefit to the franchise by itself. Talking about the total players, our player base for the franchise as a whole is around 80 million people overall, all over the globe. Console has become a way to acquire a new audience for our products. It speaks well for the community overall.
GamesBeat: How do people play? Is it on their own platforms, or do you have crossplay between console and PC? Pabiarzhyn: Currently we don’t have crossplay, but we’ve already had some communication with the teams at PlayStation and Xbox. They’ve provided us with documentation and relationships around cross play. Next year we plan to support cross play across both consoles, across Xbox and PlayStation.
How the consoles differ GamesBeat: As far as the different characteristics of the players on the platforms, what do you notice about the differences between PS4 and Xbox One and PC? Pabiarzhyn: There are some differences. But our game was released in 2013 on PC, originally. We have very well-optimized system performance in the game client. It runs very well on both PlayStation and Xbox One, on the basic versions and the pro versions as well. We don’t think it has affected the experience of the player base. The gameplay is very smooth.
Talking about the console markets, the behavior between the two platforms is the same. If you compare console to PC, there are some small differences in user behavior. For example, on PC, more players — around 60 percent — prefer to play [player-vs.-player] matches. On console it’s the other way around. The players tend to prefer to play [player-vs.-environment]. The percentage is about 60 percent PvE and 40 percent PvP.
Above: Warface stats on the consoles GamesBeat: Geographically, is there a considerable spread? I remember that Warface on PC was very strong in eastern Europe.
Pabiarzhyn: The console market has brought a lot of people from the United States. Around 40 percent of our console players are from the U.S., and we’re very pleased by that metric.
GamesBeat: What’s the most interesting data you’ve discovered from the first year of the console game? Pabiarzhyn: Many players are focusing on the classic modes in PvP — team deathmatch, free-for-all, and storm, the objective-based mode, which is a very popular mode around the globe by itself. What’s interesting for us, though, is that many players on console are preferring to play the storyline mode, special operations. That’s been a big part of attracting a new user base over the years, and it’s also helped bring back players who’ve left the game for one reason or another. Players who’ve been gone from the game for 30 days or more, when we provide new content month by month in that mode, it’s been a good way of making the game more interesting and bringing them back each month.
GamesBeat: Do you notice, as far as monetization goes, whether any one of the platforms has done particularly well for you? Pabiarzhyn: We can’t distinguish differences between platforms around the monetization. Everything seems very similar.
1 2 View All Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
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"Verizon acquires Jaunt XR's software and technology | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/verizon-acquires-jaunt-xrs-software-and-technology"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Verizon acquires Jaunt XR’s software and technology Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Jaunt's AR avatars can be streamed to mobile devices.
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Less than a year after a major restructuring that saw it lay off staff and shift its focus from virtual reality to augmented reality , Jaunt XR announced today that Verizon has acquired its software, technology, and unspecified “other assets” for an undisclosed amount. The deal will give Verizon access to volumetric video capture tools, which Jaunt has described as a good way to demonstrate the value of high-speed 5G networks.
Well publicized for its work in VR cinema, Jaunt began publicly pivoting to AR streaming last fall, showing off 360-degree human capture tools before acquiring volumetric 3D video streaming software Teleporter.
We reported in November that the company was seeking to sell off its VR business, and in a surprise move, company founder Arthur van Hoff joined Apple this April.
Over the past year, Jaunt has positioned itself as a leader in the “scalable creation and distribution of volumetric video of humans,” using machine learning to aid in the process of aggregating and distilling multi-camera feeds of people into 3D avatars that can be viewed on multiple devices. The technology could enable believable holographic representations of athletes, celebrities, or other people to appear within AR apps, either for one-on-one interactions or mass simultaneous viewing.
“We are thrilled with Verizon’s acquisition of Jaunt’s technology,” said Jaunt XR CEO Mitzi Reaugh. “The Jaunt team has built leading-edge software and we are excited for its next chapter with Verizon.” The companies expect to briefly work together in a transition for “select portions” of the software and technology.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Todd Harris interview: Smite grew bigger because of esports fans | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/todd-harris-interview-how-smite-became-an-esports-and-helped-the-game-grow"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Todd Harris interview: Smite grew bigger because of esports fans Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Smite draws the esports fans.
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If League of Legends is like the FIFA Soccer of esports, then maybe Smite is something like golf. The free-to-play online multiplayer online battle arena game has thrived for more than six years, and it has generated nearly $300 million in revenues from its 30 million players.
So golf is not a bad analogy, and it’s not such a bad place to be for a myth-themed game about gods and heroes in combat. Smite has a good demographic for its audience, and that audience has been growing in part because Smite has become an esport.
I talked with Todd Harris, the chief operating officer who cofounded Alpharetta, Georgia-based Hi-Rez Studios 14 years ago, about how Smite has prospered and what the company and its 450 employees — including 40 at the Skillshot division — are doing to make it into an everlasting professional esport.
I’ll be interviewing Harris on stage next week at the Esports BAR Miami event. Here is an edited transcript of our interview.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Above: Todd Harris is COO and cofounder of Hi-Rez Studios GamesBeat: Can you talk about how you got to where you are right now with Smite, as far as esports? Todd Harris: Personally, part of founding Hi-Rez Studios 14 years ago—I really had a passion for creating online games. Along the way we developed multiple titles. In terms of esports, the most successful title to date is Smite. Smite is in its sixth competitive season in terms of having a pro league and a significant world championship event. I feel like it’s a healthy title.
We wanted to share some of our observations from a publisher perspective, and also from a tournament organization standpoint, around Smite and the advantages of that league. We want to make the point that sometimes bigger is not necessarily better when it comes to esports.
GamesBeat: How many copies of Smite are out there, or downloads? Harris: The registered user base is over 30 million. We’ve publicly communicated that the property — the game itself, not esports — has grossed more than $300 million as a property.
Above: Millennials love esports.
GamesBeat: Did you feel there was a critical mass for esports at a certain number of users? Harris: It’s scalable in terms of the esports support that makes sense for a game. We started supporting competitive play in the first year of beta, because we thought it was informative to the game design team around just making a good, balanced game. Then it’s been pretty organic since then, as far as the amount of support we put behind it. It’s really in the last three years that we’ve partnered more closely with team orgs, versus having it be entirely grassroots. But certainly keeping the grassroots amateur element is important to us.
GamesBeat: What level is it at as far as how big the prizes are now? Harris: At this point, for what we’ll call the major league, which is titled Smite Pro League—there’s also minor league and amateur and college. It’s also one of only three titles that are approved at the varsity high school level. You probably saw the news with the PlayVS funding round. There are three titles approved and Smite is one of those. There’s a good pipeline from new development from high school and college.
But on the pro side, the players are all on a minimum salary. It’s not as high as some of the other leagues, but they’re all at at least $30,000, and then they can of course make money through streaming and sponsorship. This year there will be a million-dollar prize pool that they compete for in November.
Our evolution—probably five years ago, five to six years ago, we had the single highest prize pool of any game outside of Dota 2 at the time, entirely crowdsourced. But we intentionally migrated the investment to be more salary plus smaller prize events throughout the year, just to make it more sustainable for players. That’s worked pretty well. There are examples of even some of the folks that won that first championship six years ago who are still playing today.
Above: Smite is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena game.
GamesBeat: Do you have a guess at how many players can make a living from the game? Harris: There are currently 55 players that have all relocated to 30 miles from our studio to play professionally. At that highest level, those folks have taken it seriously enough where some of them have left school or other jobs and truly become pro. There are hundreds that are semi-pro, I would say. They’re complementing other forms of income.
GamesBeat: Did the amount of money change quite a bit, then, since maybe two years ago or five years ago? One of the publications said that the prize pools for esports altogether are crossing $300 million this year, versus $160 million the year before.
Harris: I would say ours has been a slight increase in overall comp earned. It’s just, again, moved more toward less of a single one-time event.
GamesBeat: When you think about what you’re doing or what you want to see happen to see this advance and grow bigger, what comes to mind? Harris: A big point for me is just getting more sophisticated as an industry around delivering value through data. We’re in the phase where we compare esports viewership to other mass-market products like traditional sports. But the value of esports, in my mind, is on digital platforms, where you have a lot of information about the audience and can segment and target. It’s really about evolving platforms and products from mass-market to more intelligent marketing. That’s what we try to do.
For a partner wanting to invest in an esports property, reaching 10 million might be better than reaching 1 million, but it might not. It depends on where those 10 million live and if they’re a fit with the partner’s goals, if you’re a brand. If those 10 million are in China or Russia and your product or service isn’t available there, that’s not a great fit. We’re trying to continue to be on the forefront of using data to help partners understand each audience. At the conference I’ll talk a lot about the Smite audience, but as a tournament organizer we serve other games as well.
GamesBeat: It must be gratifying that it’s gotten this far, looking back on the expectations.
Harris: The fact is, there are 450 people at Hi-Rez now. We started with four. It’s really just based on building multiplayer games that people want to play and then growing those with esports. It’s been super valuable.
Back to the data, one of the other pieces we plan to share at the conference is something that not a lot of publishers talk about, which is the value publishers get from esports. Again, there’s talk generically about supporting the community or driving higher engagement, but some of the data that we’ll share in Miami will be very explicit on exactly the lift that we saw in a particular controlled case around the cohort of Smite players that viewed esports, compared to another cohort that did not.
They had similar play and spend patterns before, and so we have as close as possible to an apples to apples comparison that supports the intuition publishers have, that watching esports drives more engagement and spending in the game. But it’s not obvious that that’s the case. It could have been the case that watching means I have less disposable time, and now I’m playing less. I’m substituting consuming that passive media for actively playing. But at least in the case of the Smite audience, we did not find that to be the case. We’ll be sharing some of those insights in detail.
Above: A Smite esports match GamesBeat: Are you getting some of this data tabulated and ready for this thing? Harris: Yeah, definitely. The two data sets we’ll share, again—one is very directly the value to the publisher for doing Smite esports. What the increased spend in the game was, what the increased playtime in the game was. Second, because we’re doing this panel together with Johannes from FanAI — that’s another partnership we have going back to data — where we can show potential sponsors a lot more detail about the Smite audience.
People may be aware that it overindexes in the United States, because it’s playable on the Xbox and PlayStation and Switch as well as the PC. It’s free to play on all those platforms. It’s cross play on all those platforms, which just got over the hump last week with Sony. That was the holdout there for a bit. We’re pleased, because that’s super player-friendly. But again, with the FanAI partnership, we can go much deeper and give insights not on any personal data, but as an overall group on the Smite audience and where they’re likely to spend.
If we bring in sponsors that are not a fit with the audience, nobody wins. The community will not see that as a positive, and of course the sponsor wouldn’t see it as a positive. But if we can use that data to inform the right brand sponsorships, then that adds a lot of value to the whole ecosystem.
GamesBeat: I don’t think I’ve seen people measure the impact esports has had in a tangible way on games like that.
Harris: Yeah, they haven’t, not from the publisher standpoint.
GamesBeat: If it’s measurable, it’s a lot more than theoretical. It’s something that you can point to as a fact.
Harris: For me it’s always about, what’s the return on investment? Our intuition, our hunch as gamers was that it was going to be good for the community. We see high participation. But if we can measure it and quantify it, that helps justify continued investment. It’s the same sort of thing we talk about with brand sponsors. If we can help them not just put their logo on it and see a generic number on Twitch or Mixer watching it, but let them know more about the audience, that’s very helpful. All these things help esports grow.
GamesBeat: Is there a strategy that starts out with “We’re not Fortnite, but …”? Harris: Yeah, there is. [ Laughs ] We’re going to try harder. We’re going to be a little more value-oriented in our pricing. We’re going to overdeliver. Again, data is a lot of the way we do that. Smite is also fortunate to be brand-safe. Some esports are, but others, depending on the brand—these days they’re something they might not want to be associated with as far as gunplay and things like that.
GamesBeat: It seems like there are opportunities to do things like become the golf of esports. We may not have the biggest audience, but our players spend the most money.
Harris: That’s exactly right. It’s not the biggest audience, but it’s the audience you care about. Just because of our perspective, because we’ve been living in this for 15 years—we’re not, I would say, desperate for any sponsorship. It’s more around finding long-term partners. It’s true that our players are highly monetizing. But whether they monetize and are likely to buy in a particular category is something where we use data, again, to make sure it’s going to be a long-term fit. It starts with something like “We’re golf,” but it moves into, “Let’s really understand your brand goals and if it’s a fit with your audience.” If it is, then we expect it to be a multi-year partnership.
GamesBeat: What sort of sponsor-type companies have come forward based on where you are in the market? Harris: We’ve had some of the usual suspects in terms of consumer goods. We’ve done quite a few world championship viewing parties with Coca-Cola. Some of that is geographical, because they’re based here in our backyard, in Atlanta. We’ve partnered with them in the past to have viewing parties all over the U.S., and also in Europe, in Coke theaters.
One of the strongest ongoing partnerships has actually been in the B-to-B category, rather than B-to-C, which is maybe a little unusual. The company INAP, Internap, they provide data servers and cloud services. They power a lot of the redundancy of our esports product – instant replays, not letting the servers go down, all those kinds of enterprise-level features that keep the product up. They’re in the business of selling data servers to IT managers at gaming companies and other Fortune 500 companies. They’ve been a partner for five years as a sponsor, and a vendor partner of ours for more than 10 years.
Above: Hi-Rez Studios has formed Skillshot to create esports content.
GamesBeat: How have you handled some of the issues around managing this as a business, managing the leagues and all that? What sorts of decisions did you make along the way there? Are there vendors in place that you can use for a lot of that? Harris: We built up a lot of internal capability. We have 40 full-time people, a 16,000-square-foot production studio separate from the development studio. We’ve gone more the other way, in that this capability, we’re now using it to help other publishers. It operates under the name Skillshot. We’re now running the qualifications and broadcast for the mobile game Brawl Stars. We’ve done CS: GO. We’ve done Halo. We supported the Atlanta Reign of the Overwatch League with their homestand event.
Across PC, console, and mobile, we’re using internal capabilities around league management and ticket promotion and events and live broadcast as a service to the marketplace. We’ve seen a ton of appetite for that.
Above: Hi-Rez Studios and Skillshot know how to put on a show.
GamesBeat: As far as this notion—I think there’s a common criticism of esports, that the games come and go. You never know which one is going to be dominant for a long period of time, or players just move from one game to the next and all this could be temporary. Are there signs that suggest you can argue against that, that this will be around for a while? Harris: Well, both things are true. The only thing I don’t think is true is that this is a fad, and that esports in general is going to go away. The macro trends around the number of people playing games and watching games are just too strong and compelling to be denied. I do think it is the case that some games will be more flashes in the pan and have a compelling year or two, while others will last for multiple decades. It’s an interesting angle to the horizontal as far as Skillshot, esports as a service. That business can serve all boats as the tide rises, basically.
Going back to Smite, which is the first-party owned property that we have the most experience with, going into year seven—this past year will be its most successful one yet as far as revenue and the strength of the esports scene. It’s one of the few titles being played at the high school and college level right now, and that’s a positive as far as a new pipeline of players.
From an investment standpoint, I think it is somewhat risky to bet on a particular game. But betting on esports to rise, I think, is a good one.
Disclosure: The organizers of Esports BAR Miami are paying my way to the conference. Our coverage remains objective.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
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"Ocugen and CanSinoBIO Enter Strategic Partnership for Gene Therapy Co-Development and Manufacturing | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/ocugen-and-cansinobio-enter-strategic-partnership-for-gene-therapy-co-development-and-manufacturing"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Press Release Ocugen and CanSinoBIO Enter Strategic Partnership for Gene Therapy Co-Development and Manufacturing Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Partnership to develop OCU400, Ocugen’s orphan drug designated gene therapy candidate in its modifier gene therapy platform MALVERN, Pa, & TIANJIN, China–(BUSINESS WIRE)–September 30, 2019– Ocugen, Inc.
, (NASDAQ: OCGN), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative therapies that address rare and underserved eye diseases, has entered into a strategic partnership with CanSino Biologics (“CanSinoBIO”)(6185.HK) on Ocugen’s gene therapy pipeline product candidates for inherited retinal diseases, which are currently in development with Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
Under this strategic collaboration, CanSinoBIO will provide all CMC development and clinical supplies for the development of OCU400, Ocugen’s first gene therapy product candidate in its modifier gene therapy platform. CanSinoBIO maintains the option to support commercial manufacturing for Ocugen. The agreement also provides commercialization rights to CanSinoBIO in Greater China.
“We believe our modifier gene therapy platform, and OCU400 as its first product candidate, has the potential to treat many inherited retinal diseases with one product,” said Shankar Musunuri, Ph.D., MBA, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Ocugen. “A reliable manufacturing partnership is critical for gene therapy clinical trials and commercialization. Partnership with CanSinoBIO, with their state-of-the-art facilities and world class team, provides us a clear path to advance our development and manufacturing processes to reach the clinic.” OCU400 has received two different orphan drug designations (ODD) from the U.S. FDA. The first, for the treatment of NR3E3 mutation-associated retinal degeneration and, most recently, for the treatment of CEP290 mutation-associated retinal disease.
“We are delighted to partner with Ocugen as they advance their portfolio of AAV-based gene therapies for rare retinal diseases”, said Dr. Xuefeng Yu, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CanSinoBIO. “Our expertise in viral vector platform technologies, product development and manufacturing capabilities will play critical roles to advance OCU400 to the clinic and ultimately to serve patients in desperate need for retinal disease therapies.” About OCU400 OCU400 is a novel gene therapy with the potential to be broadly effective in restoring retinal integrity and function across a range of genetically diverse inherited degenerative retinal diseases. OCU400 is the first program that Ocugen is advancing based on its novel modifier gene therapy platform, developed by Neena Haider, PhD, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and Associate Scientist at the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, from which Ocugen obtained an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize ophthalmology products based on the platform. Consisting of a functional copy of the nuclear hormone receptor (NHR) gene NR2E3 , OCU400 is delivered to target cells in the retina using an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector. As a potent modifier gene, expression of NR2E3 within the retina may help reset retinal homeostasis, stabilizing cells and potentially rescuing photoreceptors from degeneration.
About Ocugen, Inc.
Ocugen, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing a pipeline of innovative therapies that address rare and underserved eye diseases. The Company offers a robust and diversified ophthalmology portfolio that includes novel gene therapies, biologics, and small molecules and targets a broad range of high-need retinal and ocular surface diseases. Ocugen is leveraging its groundbreaking modifier gene therapy platform to address genetically diverse inherited retinal disorders and dry AMD, based on nuclear hormone receptor genes NR2E3 (OCU400) and RORA (OCU410), respectively. OCU400 has received two orphan drug designations (ODD) targeting two distinct IRDs. Ocugen is also developing novel biologic therapies for wet-AMD, DME and diabetic retinopathy (OCU200), as well as for retinitis pigmentosa (OCU100). The Company’s late-stage Phase 3 trial for patients with ocular graft versus host disease (oGVHD)(OCU300) leverages Ocugen’s patented OcuNanoE – Ocugen’s ONE Platform™ technology to enhance the efficacy of topical ophthalmic therapeutics. OCU300 is the first and only therapeutic with ODD for oGVHD, providing certain regulatory and economic benefits. For more information, please visit www.ocugen.com.
About CanSino Biologics Inc.
Incorporated in 2009 in Tianjin, China, CanSinoBIO (6185.HK) commits to research, development, production and commercialization of innovative vaccines for China and global public health. It possesses four integrated platform technologies including viral vectors, conjugation, protein design and recombination and formulation. As of today, it has established a robust pipeline of 15 candidate vaccines covering 12 diseases, including a globally innovative Ebola virus disease vaccine approved for emergency use and stockpile in 2017. For more information, please visit www.cansinotech.com.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We may, in some cases, use terms such as “predicts,” “believes,” “potential,” “proposed,” “continue,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “may,” “could,” “might,” “will,” “should” or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to numerous important factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from the Company’s current expectations. These and other risks and uncertainties are more fully described in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including the risk factors described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Histogenics’ Registration Statement on Form S-4 (Reg. No. 333-232147), as amended, filed with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements that the Company makes in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190930005236/en/ Ocugen, Inc.
Kelly Beck [email protected] +1 484-328-4698 VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"Nintendo resurrects Brain Age on Switch | VentureBeat"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Nintendo resurrects Brain Age on Switch Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn A new Brain Age for the Nintendo Switch.
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Nintendo is going to bring back one of its biggest franchises on the hybrid Switch handheld/home console.
No, it’s not F-Zero or Style Savvy. The company revealed in an announcement today that Brain Training is coming to the Switch in Japan on December 27.
Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day was a major success on the Nintendo DS in 2005 and beyond. It was part of the publisher’s efforts to appeal to an audience of players beyond core gamers. Nintendo designed the games based on the research of Japanese neuroscience expert Ryuta Kawashima. The idea is that people can ward off some of the mental decline of aging through simple brain-teasing exercises.
Now, the game is returning and taking advantage of the Switch. The original Brain Age and its sequels used the DS’s touch functionality, microphone, and more. It used hand-writing detection to understand numerical input, for example. The Switch version features many of those same exercises and technologies. But Nintendo is also using the infrared camera in the base of the right Joycon to recognize hand gestures.
I’ve reached out to Nintendo of America to ask about the potential of the game launching in the West. I’ll update this post with any new information about that release.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Brain Age for Switch returns to a different world In the absence of Brain Age, which didn’t really have much presence on Nintendo 3DS or Wii U, brain training has grown in popularity.
Companies like Luminosity have begun offering Web-based cognitive training to help sharpen people’s minds.
Many people believe that brain training can fight off dementia/Alzheimer’s.
But more recent research has begun to question the value of such cognitive tests.
A 2016 study claims that regularly doing arithmetic in fast, short bursts only really helps improve your performance in arithmetic. Those exercises, however, don’t have far-reaching mental-health benefits.
Here’s how the researchers explained it in their peer-reviewed paper: “We find extensive evidence that brain-training interventions improve performance on the trained tasks, less evidence that such interventions improve performance on closely related tasks, and little evidence that training enhances performance on distantly related tasks or that training improves everyday cognitive performance. We also find that many of the published intervention studies had major shortcomings in design or analysis that preclude definitive conclusions about the efficacy of training, and that none of the cited studies conformed to all of the best practices we identify as essential to drawing clear conclusions about the benefits of brain training for everyday activities.” Doubts surrounding the science of brain games led to the Federal Trade Commission looking into the industry in 2015.
It’s possible that those legal concerns could convince Nintendo to avoid bringing the Switch game out in the United States.
Nintendo probably isn’t worried about the research Nintendo has played up the potential health benefits in the past. It often brings up the game’s relationship to Dr. Kawashima and his work on aging at Tohoku University. Kawashima was even your coach in Brain Age and Brain Age 2. And the publisher is once again invoking his name for the Switch update.
But the company has stopped short of making direct claims itself. It says Brain Age takes inspiration from Kawashima. It doesn’t call the Brain Age games a medical treatment.
I’m someone who really enjoyed the Brain Age games. And even now, with knowledge of the skepticism around the science, I’m still interested. Even if it was a Placebo effect, the games made me feel sharper. So I’ll give this new game a chance if it gets an English version.
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"Microsoft's Windows Virtual Desktop hits general availability | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/microsofts-windows-virtual-desktop-hits-general-availability"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Microsoft’s Windows Virtual Desktop hits general availability Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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Microsoft today announced that Windows Virtual Desktop has hit worldwide general availability. As a result, you can deploy and scale your Windows desktops and apps on Azure “in minutes,” the company said today.
Think of Windows Virtual Desktop as a tool for deploying and scaling Windows desktops and apps on Azure with built-in security and compliance. The Azure-based service provides a virtualized multi-session Windows 10 experience and Office 365 ProPlus virtual desktop on any device. The Windows Virtual Desktop client is available on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and HTML 5. Windows Virtual Desktop also supports Windows Server Remote Desktop Services (RDS) desktops and apps in a shared public cloud.
Microsoft announced Windows Virtual Desktop in September 2018, but only in private preview. In November 2018, Microsoft acquired app-provisioning startup FSLogix.
That platform’s strength was reducing the resources, time, and labor required to support desktop and app virtualization. FSLogix technologies in Windows Virtual Desktop enable faster load times for non-persistent users accessing Outlook or OneDrive, plus support for client and server RDS deployments. Windows Virtual Desktop hit public preview in March , with a promise of a full rollout in the second half of this year. Today the company has delivered.
Windows 7 end of support Windows Virtual Desktop also includes free Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESU) until January 2023. Because Windows 7 will hit end of support on January 14, 2020, Microsoft is strategically offering the almost decade-old operating system via Windows Virtual Desktop. This will be useful for any company that still needs to support Windows 7 legacy applications while migrating to Windows 10. (Windows 10 commands over 50% market share , but Windows 7 is a close second with just under 30%.) VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Furthermore, Microsoft has tapped its partners to extend Windows Virtual Desktop. Starting today, Citrix includes support for Windows 10 multi-session, Windows 7 with free Extended Security Updates for up to three years, and Windows Server 2008 R2 with free Extended Security Updates on Azure. VMware will follow suit later this year.
To deploy and manage your virtualization environment, you’ll need an Azure subscription — you can optimize costs by taking advantage of Reserved Instances and by using multi-session Windows 10. You will not be charged more for accessing Windows 10 and Windows 7 desktops and apps if you have Microsoft 365 F1/E3/E5, Windows 10 Enterprise E3/E5, or Windows VDA. You will also not be charged more for using Windows Server desktops and apps if you’re a Microsoft RDS Client Access License customer.
Microsoft said today that “general availability is just the beginning” and to expect more desktop and app virtualization features “in the coming months.” VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"Instagram's launch notifier alerts you the moment a product drops | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/instagrams-product-launch-notifier-alerts-you-the-moment-a-product-drops"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Instagram’s launch notifier alerts you the moment a product drops Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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Instagram’s aggressive push into the ecommerce segment looks unlikely to reverse anytime soon. This morning, the Facebook subsidiary announced the launch of a new feature that pops up a notification when upcoming products become available. Via new stickers in Stories and tags in the Instagram feed, users can set reminders for a launch date and preview the product’s details ahead of time.
Instagram has the reach to more than justify such shopping ventures. More than a billion people use the network every month, with over 500 million using it every day. And according to some third-party studies, more than a third have used their smartphone to purchase a product online, making them 70% more likely to do so than non-users.
“With more of … shopping moments happening on Instagram, we wanted to make it easier for people to discover and follow upcoming product launches from brands and creators they love,” wrote Instagram in a blog post. “Brands and creators connect with shoppers eager to have those products the instant they’re available. The convergence of these activities make Instagram the place where collaborations and limited releases happen.” The feature is currently in beta, with a limited number of brands participating. Here’s the full list: Adidas Anastasia Beverly Hills Balmain Benefit Chinatown Market Fresh Prince H&M Highsnobiety Huda Beauty JE11 Levi’s MAC Michael Kors Mr. Porter NARS Net-A-Porter NYX Outdoor Voices Revolve Soul Cycle Warby Parker The product notifier complements Instagram Checkout, which launched earlier this year. With Checkout, users can view products from a brand’s past shopping post, select from various options such as size or color, and proceed to payment without leaving Instagram. The app saves relevant info like names, emails, and shipping addresses, and it helpfully delivers notifications about shipment and delivery.
Instagram more recently debuted Shop the Look from creators , which enables users to tag products in their posts. Both creators and tagged brands receive shared insights within the social network, including detailed analytics about the performance of shopping posts.
Prior to the launch of Checkout, Facebook published a report indicating that 87% of users take action after seeing product information on Instagram and that 83% discover new products or services through it. Furthermore, it suggested a whopping 46% of those people subsequently make a purchase online or off.
In any case, the market opportunity is far larger than that of Instagram’s current bread and butter — display advertising. In 2018, U.S. retail ecommerce sales totaled $513.6 billion, up 14.2% year-over-year. On the other hand, U.S. ad sales were about half that, totaling $207 billion in 2018.
Instagram is evidently making inroads. As of 2018, it reported that 200 million users visited one of the 25 million business profiles on Instagram at least once per day.
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"HP Spectre x360 13: 2.8-pound laptop with double the performance of previous model | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/hp-spectre-x360-13-2-8-pound-laptop-with-double-the-performance-of-previous-model"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages HP Spectre x360 13: 2.8-pound laptop with double the performance of previous model Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn HP Spectre x360 13 HP is refreshing its convertible 13-inch Spectre x360 laptop with new quad-core processors that make it more energy-efficient and double its performance.
The 2-in-1 hybrid laptop and tablet has a near-borderless design with a 90% screen-to-body ratio and intuitive security features.
The laptop weighs 2.8 pounds, offers 22 hours of battery life, and is 13% smaller than the previous generation. With Wi-Fi 6, it also has 2 times the throughput connectivity.
HP said its surveys show six in 10 consumers are concerned about privacy being compromised on laptops. So this model includes the HP Webcam Kill Switch, a dedicated mute microphone key, and optional HP Sure View display, which prevents people from peeking at your screen from the side.
“Premium consumers desire beautiful, highly mobile devices that adapt to their on-the-go lifestyle,” said Kevin Frost, vice president and general manager of consumer PCs at HP, in a statement. “The HP Spectre x360 13 combines the cultivation of innovative design and mobility, along with thoughtful security and performance capabilities that allow customers to pursue their passions without constraint.” Above: You can use the HP Spectre x360 13 as a slate.
The laptop has an optional 400-nit display, HP’s first 4K OLED 13-inch diagonal display with True Black HDR for a 100,000:1 high-contrast ratio 9, and boasts perfect blacks, anti-reflection display for outdoor viewing, and factory color calibration for a 30% wider color range.
The body features a gem cut and dual chamfer angular design, with high-precision aluminum CNC.
Cord management is improved thanks to integrated functionality with USB-C port placement angled in the right corner, while the power button on the left corner of the device helps avoid accidental power shut-offs.
The laptop also uses a quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core processor with Iris Plus Graphics and fits within the specification and key experiences of Intel’s “Project Athena” innovation program.
The HP Spectre x360 comes in Natural Silver or Nightfall Black with Copper Luxe accents and Poseidon Blue with Pale Brass accents.
Above: The HP Spectre x360 13 starts at $1,100.
The HP Spectre x360 13 is expected to be available in October via HP.com, with a starting price of $1,100.
Two models will be available at BestBuy.com : one in Nightfall Black with 16GB of RAM, a 4K OLED display, and 1TB SSD with 32GB Optane and another in Natural Silver with 8GB of RAM, an FHD display, and 512GB SSD with 32GB Optane.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"How VR can help enterprises with training, beyond firing Barry | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/how-vr-can-help-enterprises-with-training-beyond-firing-barry"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages How VR can help enterprises with training, beyond firing Barry Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Virtual reality training company Talespin caught a lot of attention for a VR demo that taught employees how to sensitively fire an older employee named Barry. It was received with mixed emotions.
Some thought it was teaching employees how to do something inherently cruel. Others thought it brought sensitivity to an emotionally difficult task. But Kyle Jackson, CEO of Talespin , said it was a very small part of what the company can help enterprises do with VR training.
I interviewed Jackson at Oculus Connect 6, Facebook’s VR event in San Jose, California, last week. We talked in a section of the exhibit area dedicated to Oculus for Business, which is one of the markets where VR is gaining traction.
Talespin is combining VR training simulations with artificial intelligence to create a virtual human platform that can be adapted for a wide variety of training scenarios. Over time, as VR hardware tracking gets better, such virtual humans will be able to gauge your engagement, emotions, and reactions — and then adapt to them. At OC 6, Talespin showed a simulation in which Farmers Insurance teaches claims adjuster trainees how to look for water damage.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Above: Kyle Jackson, CEO of Talespin, at OC6.
Here’s an edited transcript of our interview.
VentureBeat: Where are you based? Kyle Jackson: We’re in Los Angeles primarily. We have four offices. Los Angeles and the Netherlands are our two primary offices, and then we do our mixed reality stuff in Seattle, and our backend team is in Ottawa.
VentureBeat: When did you get started? Jackson: We started the company in 2015. The first two years were focused on entering the enterprise space, anywhere they wanted to start. We were going and listening to everyone, whether it was a marketing use case, a training use case, a data visualization use case. We built more than 75 experiences in the first two years. That gave us the conviction to look at the verticals we’re looking at and build the platform we’ve been building ever since. Farmer’s was one of the first big customers we started working with.
Today we’ve bucketed the platform back into three big types of learning. We focus on object-based learning, which is the parts of things, if you think about it simply — the parts of a home, the parts of a car. Then process-based learning, which is what we’ve been doing a lot of with the insurance industry. And then interpersonal conversational skills. You probably saw the “firing Barry in VR” press that got out in front of us in the last month or so. That came out of a number of enterprise clients pushing us toward interpersonal skills and giving people a safe place to try that stuff.
VentureBeat: Did you guys create that? Jackson: Yeah, we’re the developer. Everything’s in-house. We’re nearing 90 people now, between the four offices.
VentureBeat: What was that a part of? What was the context? Above: Sorry Barry, you’re terminated.
Jackson: It’s not something we actually sell. What we were trying to prove was that you could have an emotional experience with a virtual human. We wanted something that was really broadly applicable. Anybody who sat in it could empathize, whether they had been one one side of the table or the other. It’s uncomfortable and awful every time. If that experience translated into something that was impactful for you — you got sweaty hands, you felt uncomfortable — then we knew we had something that could be broadly applied for training use cases.
The actual platform, the modules being built and sold now, are more around manager feedback. Difficult conversations. You can think about businesses where customers have a bad experience and you have to try to rebuild the trust in that relationship. How do you practice that before you’re in the line of fire? There’s a long list of them — HR use cases, leadership use cases, and then use cases specific to the business unit.
We showed Barry to clients about a year ago, originally. For the last year, we’ve been building bespoke use cases for companies that have about 1,500 to 2,000 initial trainees that they wanted to focus on. Now we’re going toward a whole list of off-the-shelf modules based on that platform that will be broadly applicable and available.
VentureBeat: What’s your assessment of where the enterprise VR market is right now? Is there a place where there appears to be the most spending happening now? Is it on the scale of what people had originally been hoping for? If consumer VR has been slow to take off, enterprise VR seemed like a nice place to pivot. Is that materializing? Jackson: Yeah, yeah. We started there pretty early on. In 2015, we were singing the praises of enterprise use cases. That’s where we wanted to go. The origin of why we’re doing what we do is [that] we looked at the landscape of how fast jobs are going to change with other technology innovation that’s happening — machine learning, computer vision, AI, robotics, automation, the gig economy. All the stuff that’s happening all that once. That’s impacting large enterprise clients.
We went and talked to them about that. We said, “Is this hitting you? How painful is this? What are you doing about it?” In insurance, it’s already there. It’s about three to five years ahead of a lot of other verticals, because of the workforce demographics.
Above: Talespin believes in VR training.
VentureBeat: Is it a question of how much it costs to train people and tie up a veteran doing that? Jackson: It’s even more macro than that. How are we even going to deliver this service in the future? In insurance they had an imbalance of supply and demand for talent. It was a very attractive field for a lot of years, because you could build up a book of business, and then it folded over on itself. You had a nice residual–it was a very entrepreneurial thing to do 20 or 30 years ago. You have a lot of baby boomers that have done extremely well.
Over time, though, it’s become viewed as stale, boring, whatever industry. You don’t have a lot of young people who are interested in that work. They have a real talent crisis and imbalance. We’re hearing that not just in insurance, but in telco, utilities. A bunch of industries are following the same thing. While that goes on, they’re also trying to rapidly insert AI and other algorithms to start eating away at some of the work. Instead of the basic data entry or data processing, they’re using drones and computer vision to do the first pass on a claims process. They have a people problem.
While all those things are going on, our thinking was, all this just means we need to accelerate learning. People are going to be moving in and out of new positions faster, or work is going to change and evolve so fast that they’ll always be reskilling. That was the 2015 hypothesis. We went out and tested that with a couple of key verticals to start.
The driving factors for us to select verticals were–companies that already historically had large distributed work forces, and that they operated in environments that they don’t control. If it’s not retail or hospitality, something like that, it becomes incredibly costly and difficult to train. When you have those two dynamics, the pain point is real. We focused there, which is why we ended up in insurance and telecoms.
Above: Talespin believes enterprise will adopt VR in a big way.
Since then it’s just been expansion. About 50 percent of the business today is in the insurance sector. We launched an industry-wide platform at InsureTech in Vegas earlier this week, which was basically–after Farmer’s talked very publicly about our work in 2017, we got all of the major insurers reaching out to us. They all had “different” use cases. But as we started to distill it down, though, we realized that they were all very similar. We started building a platform and a product that addressed those common use cases.
VentureBeat: What’s being shown here? Jackson: One of the most important things for us is obviously removing barriers. Controllers are a barrier, especially if you’re looking at reskilling a generation that’s not used to–they’re not the console generation, the gamer generation. We’ve been pushing on the idea of using only voice and gesture for your inputs. Our conversational, our virtual human platform, only uses your voice and gaze. The next step was to get rid of the controllers and go to hand tracking.
VentureBeat: Is this Quest only? Jackson: Yes, it’s Quest only. We worked with the Oculus team for the last year.
Above: Training is expensive and inefficient.
VentureBeat: Is there a reason you wouldn’t want to use the hand tracking in the Rift? Or is the Quest just more intuitive? Jackson: They brought it to the Quest first, to the SDK. That was where their focus was, because of scale. In terms of our R&D focus, we started there.
In this use case, you’re going into a residential home and you have to spot issues. There are some red herrings. It’s built for a demo space, so it’s not very deep. You don’t have to really know the job to get a good experience.
VentureBeat: You have a fire hazard here, that sort of thing? Jackson: Yeah, yeah. You walk around and you’re like, “Ah, that’s something I need to tag.” You use your hands to open cabinets and close them and touch things. You tag different hazards. It’s very intuitive, very simple, which was obviously a huge part of what we were trying to prove. You can completely get rid of the friction at that point.
What we’ve seen is that with going to conversational, and now I’m sure with hand tracking, this becomes even less scary for that older generation that’s having to reskill. You’re not actually having to learn new interfaces. You’re using the things you know how to use — your voice, your gaze, your hands. We think that will become a huge acceleration for broader adoption of VR training.
VentureBeat: Is anybody telling you some good numbers about what they save? Jackson: We do have a bunch of data there. Each client is very sketchy about letting that go out publicly, of course.
VentureBeat: I liked that virtual surgery one I saw today. Something like 82 percent no longer need to be hand-held in their surgery training? Jackson: That was mind-blowing. I got goosebumps when she said that. In that use case you also have another factor, which is the actual training environment is extremely expensive for downtime. We have a different issue here, which is you don’t have any access to the training environment. The environment is damaged homes, or in a telecom use case it’s a corporate office park where you’re going to install fiber. You can’t replicate enough use cases to have meaningful training. What they used to do is try to build mock use cases, and then you’d travel there and train. This gives you the ability to go infinite in terms of the number of use cases.
When you A/B the learner populations from ones that used the old learning modality and the ones that had VR involved, once you put them out into the field, they saw more than 20 percent increase in decision accuracy. That’s meaningful when your average claim cost is between $7,000 and $10,000.
Above: Talespin is creating virtual humans.
VentureBeat: Is there anything like firing Barry in the insurance setting? Jackson: [laughs] Those use cases are obviously more intangible. When you get into the soft skills stuff, it’s really hard to measure. If you think about the old way of doing it, you’d have different facilitators come and give role-play at different offices. You’d have no commonality as far as how good or bad they were. You’d hope they were all good, but they facilitate differently. You’d have anecdotal measurement at best.
The idea of using simulation, soft skills simulation, is that one, you have a safe place to do it. You’re practicing by yourself. You’re not doing it in a group of peers. A lot of people aren’t good actors, especially in front of groups of peers. It’s uncomfortable. If I really want to practice a soft skill that I want to improve, that’s not the right environment. On top of that, there’s no consistent measurement.
Obviously here it’s a realtime engine. We can measure anything, from your sentiment to your gaze to what you said and how you said it. What conversational paths did you open up, or not open up? We’re getting new data. That starts to bubble up all sorts of additional performance conversations that they weren’t able to have before until it was too late.
You can also practice against a variety of virtual humans. We’ve seen some interesting data already where the same scenario with different virtual humans–if you go in and try to sell a male CEO services, and you go and do the exact same scenario with a younger woman CEO, we see people acting differently. You can confront them about that. It opens up a discussion around bias. There are these intangible, weird benefits that come out of this type of learning modality.
Above: VR training is more engaging.
VentureBeat: What else is a good vertical for you guys, besides insurance? Jackson: The virtual human stuff is going across. That’s HR-focused. It’s going across everything. We’ve done some stuff in health care. We just did a really big study in the professional consulting world, where they put 2,000 learners through a leadership bias module. That’s going to be published later this year. They did that for the purpose of seeing whether or not this was effective at scale. The data looks really good. We’re about a week away from finishing that, so we have a pretty good idea.
We launched a platform for the whole insurance industry. The goal there was to go from this bespoke development model, which has been what’s going on in the enterprise space for the last while, to broadly applicable solutions. We’re trying to demonstrate that across an entire vertical. We started launching off-the-shelf solutions last week. We’re working with three of the top 10 carriers already, and we’re growing. Once we’ve proved that works, the virtual human stuff is helping us expand horizontally at the same time.
VentureBeat: Did you raise any money at all? Jackson: We raised a Series A, or a first round, of $5.2 million. That was last year. We operated the company profitably for the first couple of years. We acquired a mobile game studio in the Netherlands in 2017, and then we raised in 2018.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"How to get your brand ready for voice search | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/how-to-get-your-brand-ready-for-voice-search"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Guest How to get your brand ready for voice search Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Five years ago, former Chief Scientist at Baidu, Andrew Ng, predicted that by 2020, 50 percent of all searches are going to be through images or speech. This statistic has been widely misrepresented in the tech press, as Ng was only referring to China , a country that currently accounts for 52 percent of global smart speaker growth.
Still, smart speaker and voice assistant usage has continued to see healthy growth in the U.S. and other markets.
A July 2019 survey from Voicebot found that almost 60% of U.S. adults say they have used voice search , and a broader global study by Microsoft Bing Ads found 72% of respondents used voice search through a digital assistant. These studies provide evidence that consumers are embracing voice for search.
And if Amazon’s just-announced Alexa-powered glasses, rings, and earbuds catch on, we could see an even bigger surge in voice search in the coming months.
This means brands that have invested heavily in SEO in the past need to rethink their search strategies. Specifically, you need to know where voice assistants get their answers from and how you can ensure that any answers relating to your business are answered correctly.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! There are three methods you can use in a voice-first world to optimize your brand’s visibility and make sure it’s accurately represented. Let’s take a look at them.
1. Voice SEO When a user launches a voice query, the resulting content (voice-optimized web content) can come from a variety of sources. Typically, answers are drawn from web pages that feature conversationally written content, often using natural language modifiers with keywords, such as questions alongside concise answers. If you want to produce answers that will be picked up by smart speakers, you should be creating a “ featured snippet ” to give your content the best chance of surfacing. Generally, content should aim to be in the top 10 of SERP on Google and Bing to be selected as an answer by voice assistants.
While there is a lot of inexact science being circulated about how to win voice SEO, it is best to start with a landscape analysis to understand what you are up against. For some industries and question types, dominant sites such as Wikipedia may be hard to topple, but in many cases we’ve seen third-party sites with limited authority being surfaced over brands themselves. If this is happening withyour brand, make sure your brand content is voice ready. It’s not just a matter of rewriting content to be voice-friendly; you need to think through a number of consumer inquiry types that may arise.
2. Voice experiences If you are building a voice application today, it would be wise to incorporate content and answers to questions you could expect your consumers to ask. Although experiences are not surfaced through native voice search inquiries nearly as often as optimized web content, Alexa and Google Assistant will still offer them as recommendations for some queries. Both companies have also rolled out features that make it easier for developers and brands to have their applications discovered in this way ( CanFufillIntent and Implicit Invocations , respectively).
Regardless of whether your experience surfaces every time a consumer searches on a voice-first device or not, if you are promoting your presence on voice and driving usage of your application(s), it’s important to have answers easily accessible. A consumer’s interest in answers doesn’t stop once they enter your application; in fact, it may very well increase. Perhaps more importantly, once a user enters your voice experience, the amount and level of data you can receive about their interactions significantly increases from the relative black box of the native platforms. Even if you have a small number of users at first, the data you capture around their queries and intents will be qualitatively valuable, so you’ll want to use that data to inform your larger voice SEO strategy.
3. Knowledge graph and database partnerships Another area you need to be mindful of is the ever-changing landscape of knowledge graphs and data partnerships that big tech companies are using with their voice assistant AIs. Two notable graphs that the assistants turn to regularly are Wikipedia and Yelp, since they are highly trafficked sites where consumers look for answers. If there’s information about your company on these sites, make sure everything is represented properly.
Other behind-the-scenes partnerships will focus on filling knowledge gaps for the AIs in areas with agreed-upon factual answers or that depend on reliable real-time data. For example, Amazon Alexa uses Wolfram Alpha to answer difficult computational questions, and Samsung Bixby partners with theScore for sports scores and news. Alexas also gets help from Yext on local search results.
The bottom line As more and more people use voice assistants, the major players in voice technology today such as Amazon and Google – and young voice technology companies that are on the horizon – will have their own ways of providing answers. Brands and other organizations will need to learn how each of those options operates so that they can make sure they’re being properly represented.
Although the process and sources may evolve as the voice industry matures, the best practices are likely to remain the same. Brands can benefit from updating their content and ecosystems to position themselves as an authority in their category. If we’ve learned anything from traditional search it is that once someone has been deemed a “winner” by the search engines, they are hard to shake. Voice presents an opportunity to reshape your presence, and brands have the opportunity to take advantage of voice search now to be ahead of the technology in the future.
Will Hall is Chief Creative Officer at RAIN.
Matt Lang is Strategy Director at RAIN.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"How ILMxLab built the Vader Immortal: Episode II virtual reality experience | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/how-ilmxlab-built-the-vader-immortal-episode-ii-virtual-reality-experience"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages How ILMxLab built the Vader Immortal: Episode II virtual reality experience Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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I can never get the folks at ILMxLAB to acknowledge that their Vader Immortal virtual reality experience is actually a game. They call it an “experience.” I call it a game. I suspect it has something to do with the legal deal between Disney and Electronic Arts. The latter gets to make Star Wars games, while Disney’s divisions like ILMxLAB have to make, uh, experiences.
Whatever you call it, Vader Immortal is one of the more interesting creations for Facebook’s Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift VR headsets. ILMxLab and Oculus released the surprise Episode II of Vader Immortal on the Oculus Store during a keynote speech on Wednesday at the Oculus Connect 6 event in San Jose, California.
Above: Vader Immortal: Episode II unveiled at OC6.
You play a kind of padawan, or trainee, for Darth Vader. I stepped into the role and did some training in the Lightsaber Dojo II. It was better than the first episode because I could use Force Push powers to get rid of the enemies flying around me. And I got to hear the hissing breath of Lord Vader himself, who seems to take an interest in my ability to manipulate some rocks.
It’s a tantalizing addition to Star Wars. And while the experience is on rails, where you teleport from spot to spot on a predefined path, it really makes you feel like you’re in the presence of Darth Vader himself.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! I talked with the folks at ILMxLAB and Facebook about this: Jose Perez III (supervisor, creative development and experience design) and senior producer Alyssa Finley, as well as Colin Slevin, Facebook’s head of media, AR/VR experiences.
They have one more part to go in their VR trilogy. Episode II is available now on the Oculus Store for $10.
Here’s an edited transcript of our interview.
Above: Left to right: Jose Perez III, Alyssa Finley, and Colin Slevin GamesBeat: You have Vader Immortal: Episode II is out. How long have you been doing that now? Alyssa Finley: They planned out the story as a story that had chapters built into it. That’s really helped us, because it’s been a foundation to lay the whole thing on. We’ve been able to do a bit of getting some people started on one episode while the previous one is finishing up. We’ve been able to intertwine the development in a way that’s been helpful for the team. We learned a lot from finishing the first episode, and we were able to bring those lessons into Episode II.
Jose Perez III: Episodic development is like a relay race. The people at the start of the second episode are picking up the baton from the people at the tail end of the first one.
GamesBeat: Can you explain more about the storyline and where it’s going in Episode II? Finley: You start out in episode one and you learn that you have some importance to Darth Vader, which is a pretty special feeling from the start. Then, at the end, he says, “You’re going to need the Force in order to survive the path ahead.” Episode II picks up from that moment exactly, picking up with him teaching you to use the Force. What a teacher Darth Vader is. [ Laughs ] From there you get set loose in the area underneath his castle, and you have to use the tools you’ve picked up in order to make it through the story.
Perez III: Plus giant monsters, which is obviously an important part of this.
GamesBeat: Giant monsters on your side, or on somebody else’s? Perez III: I don’t think she’s very friendly to you in this thing. I’d like to think in maybe a different setting you could be friends, but here she’s definitely hungry and upset.
GamesBeat: I’m still figuring out who’s my friend here. Darth Vader asks me if I can do something with this rock thing, and I think, “Why should I help out Darth Vader?” Perez III: It says a lot about the power of the character. When you’re in there, you’re already questioning the motivations, which is fantastic.
Above: Vader Immortal: Episode II GamesBeat: So you want me to think about that? Perez III: I want you to have fun and think about whatever it is that you’re doing. [ Laughs ] GamesBeat: As the player, do you develop some kind of agency at some point, to make your own decision here as opposed to just doing what Darth says you do? Perez III: The Vader Immortal series is definitely a narrative-first experience. It’s about telling a story and pulling you through that. The combat does open up a bit, so there’s definitely some agency in the choices there throughout the story. The dojo is all about agency. Do I want to use the Force? Do I want to hold the lightsaber? Do I want to throw the lightsaber? Am I using traps around the world to squish things? We get the best of both worlds, I think.
GamesBeat: My thought about the dojo before — could you develop that more into something that people could spend a long time with? The episode itself is only about 45 minutes or so.
Perez III: The first episode was about 45 minutes, yeah. If you spent enough time in the dojo, it really does ramp up. We’ve seen people spend hours in that. The new dojo is a lot more accessible, I think. It’s easier to jump into, especially because you can attack from a distance now. The first one was a lot about waiting there and feeling it out. It could get really intense. This one, we made it a bit easier, just because you’re so much more powerful. We’re hoping that people enjoy it and that does extend their time with the series.
Finley: You can also really pick your style in the new dojo. Dojo one was all lightsaber, and beautifully so, but now you can really–you can bring a lot more of yourself to the gameplay. For me, that made me want to try harder and get better, get to those end levels that were super hard.
Perez III: It’s fun to see the different styles come out. Some people will light up the lightsaber and then just put it away and use the Force as much as they can. Other people will hold it old-school. I throw it like crazy.
Above: The Darkghast Bomb Battle in Vader Immortal: Episode II.
Colin MacKie: All I do is throw it.
Perez III: I’m just, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! It’s too fun.
GamesBeat: Does it have an ending to it, the dojo? Perez III: The dojo is really just about having that experience, having fun with the toys of Star Wars. This one has 50 rounds in it, and the 50th round is definitely not easy to complete, but we have a reward structure throughout. You unlock new lightsaber hilts, a bunch of the iconic ones, from Mace Windu to Darth Vader. Now we have gloves as well that you can unlock. As you progress through it, you’ll unlock a bunch of fun rewards, and with Oculus Home on Rift you get some fun things that show up there as well.
Finley: And all the rewards from the first dojo. I can get my purple kyber crystal, which I quite enjoy.
GamesBeat: Are you still calling this an “experience” rather than a game? Finley: Yeah.
MacKie: It’s a fine line.
GamesBeat: Have you settled on how many episodes you want to do? Finley: We’ve announced three episodes. That’s the way we built the story from the get-go, to be a three-episode arc — a beginning, a middle that you’ve just seen, and a pretty awesome ending.
Perez III: Star Wars loves trilogies.
Above: Working out in the Lightsaber Dojo II in Vader Immortal: Episode II.
GamesBeat: Does the third one have a date yet? Finley: We’re here to talk about Episode II. [ Laughs ] Episode I was in May, day and date with Quest.
GamesBeat: Does the story pull anything into itself from other Star Wars storylines, or is this all completely original? Perez III: It’s definitely an original story within Star Wars. The nature of working in Star Wars is that it’s this huge mosaic where you’re constantly building things off of it. We’re respecting all of that. Anywhere we have cool story hooks we’ll bring it in, but this is really an original story for this platform. For us, that’s super exciting. We’re not just retreading other stuff. We’re crafting a new story here.
GamesBeat: One of the criticisms of the first episode was that you’re mostly doing two movements. It got to be fairly predictable. Are you trying to get away from that, expand on that? Perez III: I think you’ll find the combat in this one is a lot more active than the last one. And it definitely is more organic, the way that you’re dealing with that.
MacKie: You literally have more dimensions. You’re dealing with the Force and you’re able to throw the lightsaber.
Perez III: You can push, pull, pick up things, throw things. You can grab rocks and chuck them at the little robot faces. You can smash them into each other. And in the dojo you can do all of that with the lightsaber. You can pick up a droid, throw the lightsaber to stab it there, pull it back, and then throw it at another droid. It’s madness.
Finley: There are a lot more types of enemies this time around, too. With the Force it opened it up to lava nymphs, to the dargast, to a bunch of new characters that would have been–with the lightsaber things had to come to you, like you were saying. Now you can go to them. It gives you more opportunities to be super powerful.
Above: ZO-E3 and Vylip in Vader Immortal: Episode II.
GamesBeat: They were getting behind me, too. Do you get a bit more exercise in this one? Perez III: I feel like I’m getting really fit working on this project. [ Laughs ] My right arm, for sure. This is just all muscle at this point.
GamesBeat: Is this one about the same length as the last one? Perez III: It’s a pretty similar length for the story experience, yeah. I think the dojo in this one might go a little bit longer, though. It’s just more waves.
GamesBeat: Does that have to do with the comfort level people have in VR? Perez III: I think it’s more that that we felt that was about the length that was comfortable for the story. I definitely think there’s a world where you could expand it over hours and hours, but for what we’re making now, we felt like this was a nice, clean drop for each one.
MacKie: I think so, too. We’ve found–we have a lot of these sorts of biases. “Oh, people like 15-to-20-minute thresholds for the time they spend.” But what we’ve found is that when it comes to something like Vader Immortal or other experiences we’ve helped people with, 45 to 50 minutes, an hour, people will stay in there that long if the experience is good. If it’s comfortable and exciting and interesting, they’ll stay in.
Perez III: We had a friend go through the other day. They came out thinking it was only 15 or 20 minutes, because they were so into it. “You were in there for an hour, dude.” MacKie: One of the anecdotal metrics we use a lot is when someone takes off the headset and says, “How long was I in there?” They literally don’t know. When time dilates for people, that’s a good sign.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"How feedback fuels innovation that customers actually care about | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/how-feedback-fuels-innovation-that-customers-actually-care-about"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Sponsored How feedback fuels innovation that customers actually care about Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Presented by SurveyMonkey There are a lot of terms floating around Silicon Valley these days that describe a new path to success. Incubator, accelerator, bleeding edge, decacorn (a unicorn worth $10B), bootstrapping, growth hack: these are real, actual things around here, where both start-ups and enterprises believe that given the right idea and enough funding, anything is possible.
We have stopped counting the Teslas and have more apps for food delivery than can fit on our home screens. We accept that a good algorithm can change lives, and possibly the world. We absolutely believe we have the ability to define new markets and create new products that consumers didn’t even know they wanted.
The problem is, sometimes this blind faith results in things people don’t want. History shows that 95 % of new products fail, and we have our share of missteps (also called “pivots” in the Valley) to prove it. For every Tesla and Alexa, there’s a Solyndra or Theranos to remind us that big ideas and deep pockets don’t always equate to success. Sometimes, trying to guess what people want can become a distraction for delivering what they really need.
All this doesn’t mean that companies can’t dream or that pursuing innovation is destined for failure. It might just mean that instead of defining innovation as a moonshot, companies should think about innovation as a collaborative process that solves real-world problems. Instead of being “disruptive,” maybe innovation is driven by feedback from real people and can provide insights that result in real change throughout the entire organization — this is how savvy companies are transforming cultures and markets within the Feedback Economy.
We got curious about this idea of innovation and its correlation with feedback data. So, we conducted our own research and asked 500 consumers and 1,200 business professionals what they thought about innovation: where it comes from, how valuable it is, and how can companies tap into feedback to drive innovation that leads to success.
We learned a lot, and most of it was good news. Because what we learned is that innovation is accessible for every stakeholder at every company. And that most companies care about what people — their customers and employees — think.
Read on to get our key takeaways about innovation.
1. Customers are key The most powerful insight that came out of our research was how feedback has the potential to drive innovation. Ninety percent of consumer respondents said “listening to customers” is the most important way companies can fuel innovation.
Consumers are also a practical group that care about their own needs over breakthroughs. In our research, the #1 goal of innovation for consumer respondents is to “solve a need.” Further, when making a purchase, consumers rank the attribute that a product is innovative as only “somewhat important.” For companies, customer needs also rank high. Forty-one percent of business respondents said “understanding customer needs” drives innovation, which was the #1 response. That’s good news, because the majority of the consumers we surveyed believe companies should fuel innovation by listening to their buyers and customers. But it’s also interesting to note that the 90% of consumers who believe that far outweigh the 41% of businesses whose innovation is driven by understanding customer needs.
2. Everybody owns it It’s seems like it would be easy to crack the code on innovation if you’re a Steve (Jobs, Woz), Jeff (Bezos), or Anne (Wojcicki). But, as most companies have found, it takes a village — not a lightning rod — to deliver on the promise of innovation. To that end, both business and consumer respondents spread the responsibility for innovation across the organization.
Sixty-two percent of business respondents say innovation is either always or usually a part of the conversation. And, while 74% believe leadership owns innovation, customer success (47%), operations (46%), and sales and marketing (44%) were practically tied for second place.
Business respondents also seem to grasp that innovation can make an impact in virtually every area of a company. When asked what makes a company innovative, product development led with 58%, but other categories also ranked high: branding and marketing at (44%), process improvement (35%), and service and support (33%).
Consumers believe companies should do their homework to own innovation. In order of importance, talking to customers, conducting research, asking employees, and using their own experience all rank above hiring a team of experts.
3. Think small(er) It’s the little things that count. While there are amazing ventures springing up all over the world delivering life-altering solutions, a business doesn’t have to be a disruptor to be considered innovative.
In fact, for consumers, disruptive might be a dirty word. The lowest ranked attribute of innovation for consumer respondents is a product that “changes how I behave.” When asked to describe innovation, both business and consumer respondents ranked products that are “futuristic or “a first” last on the list.
What do consumers care about? Ranking right under “solves my needs,” was “provides better value for my money”, and “improves my life.” And while “new and unique” ranked second, “uses the newest technology” was near the bottom of the list.
One final word about data Because, again, we’re a data company, we also asked what “data” was the most important to business people. Not surprisingly, the #1 answer was customer feedback data with 78% of the respondents choosing that option.
Employee data , product usage data , and market research ranked 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, respectively.
The next question we asked might provide some insights into why big ideas often don’t gain traction. Seventy-three percent of business respondents said that the hardest part of using data to drive innovation was finding reliable data. Seventy-two percent said accessing the right people for feedback was a roadblock.
The good news So, where do we stand? We feel good about the fact that people value innovation and investments that are focused on solving real problems. And, that companies recognize the importance of their customers’ voices — that’s the Feedback Economy in action.
We’re also glad that our data shows that any company can harness innovation to drive growth and find a competitive advantage. And, that innovation can be applied to everyday business challenges; from launching products to meeting sales goals or stopping employee attrition.
But, in all cases, the starting point is feedback. And luckily for most businesses, the answers might be found in the voices of customers, potential customers, employees, and partners, who are just waiting for someone to ask.
Dig deeper: Learn more about feedback for business.
Samantha Bufton is Vice President of Product at SurveyMonkey.
Sponsored articles are content produced by a company that is either paying for the post or has a business relationship with VentureBeat, and they’re always clearly marked. Content produced by our editorial team is never influenced by advertisers or sponsors in any way. For more information, contact [email protected].
The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Cuphead surpasses 5 million copies sold | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/cuphead-surpasses-5-million-copies-sold"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Cuphead surpasses 5 million copies sold Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn The Forest Follies level in Cuphead.
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After looking forward to Cuphead for years, it’s wild that we live in a world where it came out two years ago. But the stylish, run-‘n’-gun shooter didn’t just stumble out — it skyrocketed to massive success.
Studio MDHR revealed in a tweet yesterday that Cuphead has hit 5 million copies sold across all platforms. And it is celebrating that milestone with a discount and more.
“Cuphead turns two today, and we’re so humbled to announce: It has officially gone five-times platinum,” reads Studio MDHR’s tweet.
“Starting now the game is 20% off on all platforms for a full week. And stay tuned because we have five days of fun and giveaways planned to celebrate 5 million copies sold.” That 5 million copies sold figure is impressive for just about any game of any scope. But it is especially significant for a smaller development team. It reveals that Cuphead achieved breakthrough appeal to a wider audience.
As for the “five days of fun,” MDHR hasn’t provided any details yet. But fans can likely catch any information about that celebration on the company’s Twitter feed. And if you’ve held off on purchasing the game, you can get it on Xbox One, PC, or Switch for $16 through this week.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Play Cuphead while you charge your Tesla In addition to its two-year anniversary and huge sales numbers, MDHR also revealed last week that it is partnering with Tesla. As part of the latest Tesla update, Model S, X, and 3 automobile owners can play Cuphead on their dashboard system.
The idea is that you’ll play the game while charging the Tesla’s battery, which is a process that often takes more than 20 minutes. So yeah, welcome to the future.
Cuphead: Tesla Edition includes the first level for free. And honestly, it doesn’t even need more than the first few jumps of the tutorial to keep GamesBeat lead writer Dean Takahashi busy for hours.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
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"Atari: Antstream Arcade to bring thousands of retro games to Atari VCS console | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/atari-antstream-arcade-to-bring-thousands-of-retro-games-to-atari-vcs-console"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Exclusive Atari: Antstream Arcade to bring thousands of retro games to Atari VCS console Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Atari VCS is targeted for launch in March 2020.
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Atari revealed today that Antstream Arcade will to bring thousands of retro games to Atari VCS console when the system launches in March 2020.
The Atari VCS will sell for $250 as a modern Linux-based game console that can play a lot of classic retro games. It’s one of the big moves that New York-based Atari is making to revive the Atari brand name for mainstream consumers, and Atari is making sure they will have more than enough content for players, said Michael Arzt, chief operating officer at Atari, in an interview with GamesBeat.
The partnership with Antstream Arcade will enable an enhanced and exclusive “Atari Edition” of Antstream’s game streaming service to the upcoming Atari VCS home gaming and entertainment system.
“We’ve been working on this for a while with a number of different initiatives for content,” said Arzt. “We have made a splash about the capabilities of our sandbox mode, which is leveraging the side of the box that is a multimedia PC. This is the first of several planned announcements, and this is about content that sits inside the walled garden.” Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! The exclusive Atari VCS edition of Antstream Arcade unlocks an instantly-accessible collection of classic video game titles. In addition to an existing library of 2,000-plus officially licensed games, the exclusive Antstream Arcade Atari VCS app will include the largest collection of Atari games available on demand, in both original and enhanced edition formats, curated from across the brand’s many arcade, home, and handheld platforms.
Accessible from the Atari VCS system dashboard at launch, the Antstream Arcade app for the Atari VCS will offer a 30-day free trial, with subscription options available for $10/month or $8/month (total $95.88) for a yearly subscription.
“We are very excited to put thousands of games onto the box, right from the start,” Arzt said.
Above: Atari VCS is a retro console.
“Antstream is thrilled to partner with Atari to deliver the magic of the Antstream Arcade service to Atari VCS users,” said Antstream CEO Steve Cottam. “Our exclusive Atari VCS edition of the Antstream app puts us one step closer to fulfilling our mission of making every classic game all the way back to Pong available for retro gaming fans with a modern twist.” Antstream Arcade on the Atari VCS will exclusively offer 50 classic Atari titles at launch for new and existing Antstream Arcade users, with additional games added on a steady basis.
Antstream Arcade titles will be compatible with the Atari VCS Classic Joystick and Atari VCS Modern Controller, including rumble and LED lighting effects. Enhanced game editions with new functionality such as multiplayer and “pure” unmodified versions of classic Atari games will be available. In addition, Atari and Antstream Arcade will deliver a constant flow of all-new creative social challenges to engage and incentivize fans to experience their favorite retro games in unique ways.
“If you are an Atari fan, the best way to experience Antstream and Atari on Antstream is through the Antstream app on Atari VCS,” Arzt said. “It’s an exciting collection and it is going to be pretty comprehensive.” Arzt said that some Atari games are being modified so that they can be used with the modern game controller, which has a “rumble” force feedback feature.
Above: Modern Atari VCS controller Popular Atari titles appearing via the Atari VCS Edition of Antstream Arcade include standalone retro classics — such as Adventure, Night Driver, Pong, Tempest 2000, and Yars’ Revenge — and full Atari compilations from PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms.
The Atari VCS home gaming and video computer system is aimed at transforming the TV-centric home entertainment experience. Users will enjoy an ever-expanding Atari world of all-new games, classic and remastered favorites, streaming media, and personal apps, or they can easily make their own.
The system has an AMD Ryzen processor featuring Radeon graphics to deliver 4K HDR streaming. The Atari Classic Joystick and Atari Modern Controller make everything easy and fun. Switching to the unique Atari Sandbox Mode unlocks an expandable multimedia PC for freedom and versatility you can’t get with other home game systems — meaning users can also play Windows or Linux games on their Atari VCS.
The system will not have cartridges, as you’ll get your games through an internet connection.
“This device is like a modern-day Mini Cooper, with modern technology under the hood,” Arzt said. “There will be native Atari games. There will be future content announcements that are coming and we will be making first-party Atari games. There’s a lot of things going on.” Atari will have competition from a variety of other retro consoles, including the Intellivision Amico , coming in 2020 with a focus on couch play with friends. That system will focus on bringing back family-oriented classic gameplay.
“I think what they are doing is interesting,” Arzt said. “They are going for a very family-oriented play, which is great. We’re trying to do something that is uniquely Atari by focusing on what is our heritage, by making a box that is very much hackable, like a hot rod, with the ability to upgrade the RAM and storage and play around with it. We wish them luck.” Atari is also not trying to go head-to-head with Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, Arzt said.
“What’s most exciting for me is when this box gets into people’s hands, into the hands of creative people, you never know what you are going to get,” he said. “It’s interesting to see how people are going to work with the tools we’re giving them.” Above: Atari VCS’s classic controller sure looks familiar.
The whole lineup of Atari VCS systems, bundles, and peripherals are available for preorder now at GameStop.com, Walmart.com, and AtariVCS.com, for shipments starting in March 2020. Pricing starts at $250 for the Atari VCS 400 (4GB) Onyx Base model and goes up to $390 for one of three Atari VCS 800 (8GB) “all-in” system bundles that include the Atari VCS Classic Joystick (available separately for $50) and Atari VCS Modern Controller ($60), which were created in partnership with PowerA. Atari will announce international presale dates soon.
Arzt said everything is on track for March 2020. The first 10,000 units will go toward the Indiegogo crowdfunding fans, who will get their consoles starting in December. He said fans can look forward to additional product updates and announcements about new games and entertainment content, streaming, software development, distribution, and more in the coming months.
The Antstream Arcade, founded by Cottam in 2013, is a streaming service that allows users to play retro video games, directly from the cloud with no downloads or installs, on modern devices through an affordable monthly subscription.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
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"Google’s VersaillesVR is a hyper-real tour of the famous French palace | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/arvr/googles-versaillesvr-is-a-hyper-real-tour-of-the-famous-french-palace"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Google’s VersaillesVR is a hyper-real tour of the famous French palace Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Famously opulent and sprawling, the Palace of Versailles is one of France’s top tourist destinations, and fully worth the brief train ride from Paris. But if you have a Steam-compatible VR headset, you can now view the Palace from home — with a better tour and more detail than you’d get in person, thanks to Google’s new VersaillesVR app, subtitled “the Palace is yours.” Much like the recent Il Divino: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel in VR , VersaillesVR offers a virtual experience that goes beyond the limitations of a typical visit to the site. Google’s VersaillesVR site and an explanatory video note that photogrammetry provides up-close access to palace artwork, in some cases at the distance of a “visible fleck of paint.” Multiple objects from 24 rooms of the palace can be spun around in 3D and examined up close, with full descriptions, and you can teleport from room to room at will. Google says it captured 36,000 square meters of space, including walls and roofs, which matters given that even Versailles’ ceilings have been decorated with incredible art.
Anyone who has experienced the actual Palace knows that while the huge, elaborately decorated rooms are stunning in person, tourists aren’t able to peek around cabinets or see the views from the beds of the King and Queen. Google’s access to the rooms and antiques makes this possible. You also get a personal, uninterrupted view of normally crowded rooms, such as the famous Hall of Mirrors, and you can explore Versailles’ gardens, Chapel, and Royal Opera House, including a view from the King’s private box.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! VersaillesVR is available now as a free download from Steam and works with Valve’s Index, HTC’s Vive, and Oculus Rift headsets. The experience requires a Windows 10 PC with 20GB of available storage and at least a Nvidia GTX 1060 GPU. French, English, and Chinese language text is included.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
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"IBM's AI generates high-quality voices from 5 minutes of talking | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/ibms-ai-generates-high-quality-voices-from-as-little-as-five-minutes-of-speech"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages IBM’s AI generates high-quality voices from 5 minutes of talking Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Training powerful text to speech models requires sufficiently powerful hardware. A recent study published by OpenAI drives the point home — it found that since 2012, the amount of compute used in the largest runs grew by more than 300,000 times. In pursuit of less demanding models, researchers at IBM developed a new lightweight and modular method for speech synthesis. They say it’s able to synthesize high-quality speech in real time by learning different aspects of a speaker’s voice, making it possible to adapt to new speaking styles and voices with small amounts of data.
“Recent advances in deep learning are dramatically improving the development of Text-to-Speech (TTS) systems through more effective and efficient learning of voice and speaking styles of speakers and more natural generation of high-quality output speech,” wrote IBM researchers Zvi Kons, Slava Shechtman, and Alex Sorin in a blog post accompanying a preprint paper presented at Interspeech 2019. “Yet, to produce this high-quality speech, most TTS systems depend on large and complex neural network models that are difficult to train and do not allow real-time speech synthesis, even when leveraging GPUs. In order to address these challenges, our … team has developed a new method for neural speech synthesis based on a modular architecture.” The IBM team’s system consists of three interconnected parts: a prosody feature predictor, an acoustic feature predictor, and a neural vocoder. The prosody prediction bit learns the duration, pitch, and energy of speech samples, toward the goal of better representing a speaker’s style. As for the acoustic feature production, it creates representations of the speaker’s voice in the training or adaptation data, while the vocoder generates speech samples from the acoustic features.
All components work together to adapt synthesized voice to a target speaker via retraining, based on a small amount of data from the target speaker. In a test involving volunteers asked to listen and rate the quality of pairs of synthesized and natural voice samples, the team reports that the model maintained high quality and similarity to the original speaker for voices trained on as little as five minutes of speech.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! The work served as the basis for IBM’s new Watson TTS service, which can be heard here.
(Select “V3” voices from the dropdown menu.) Here’s a sample: The new research comes months after IBM scientists detailed natural language processing techniques that cut down AI speech recognition training time from a week to 11 hours. Separately, in May, an IBM team took the wraps off of a novel system that achieves “industry-leading” results on broadcast news captioning tasks.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Google researchers train AI to distinguish 9 Indian languages | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/google-researchers-train-ai-to-distinguish-9-indian-languages"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Google researchers train AI to distinguish 9 Indian languages Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
The world speaks thousands of languages — roughly 6,500, to be exact — and systems from the likes of Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon become better at recognizing them each day. The trouble is, not all of those languages have large corpora available, which can make training the data-hungry models underpinning those systems difficult.
That’s the reason Google researchers are exploring techniques that apply knowledge from data-rich languages to data-scarce languages. It’s borne fruit in the form of a multilingual speech parser that learns to transcribe multiple tongues, which was recently detailed in a preprint paper accepted at the Interspeech 2019 conference in Graz, Austria. The coauthors say that their single end-to-end model recognizes nine Indian languages (Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Gujarat) highly accurately, while at the same time demonstrating a “dramatic” improvement in automatic speech recognition (ASR) quality.
“For this study, we focused on India, an inherently multilingual society where there are more than thirty languages with at least a million native speakers. Many of these languages overlap in acoustic and lexical content due to the geographic proximity of the native speakers and shared cultural history,” explained lead coauthors and Google Research software engineers Arindrima Datta and Anjuli Kannan in a blog post. “Additionally, many Indians are bilingual or trilingual, making the use of multiple languages within a conversation a common phenomenon, and a natural case for training a single multilingual model.” Above: A comparison of conventional ASR system architectures to that of Google’s end-to-end model.
Somewhat uniquely, the researchers’ system architecture combines acoustic, pronunciation, and language components into one. Prior multilingual ASR works accomplished this without addressing real-time speech recognition. By contrast, the model proposed by Datta, Kannan, and colleagues taps a recurrent neural network transducer adapted to output words in multiple languages one character at a time.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! In order to mitigate bias arising from small data sets of transcribed languages, the researchers modified the system architecture to include an extra language identifier input, an external signal derived from the language locale of the training data. (One example: the language preference set in a smartphone.) Combined with the audio input, it enabled the model to disambiguate a given language and learn separate features for separate languages as needed.
The team further augmented the model by allocating additional parameters per language in the form of residual adapter modules, which helped to fine-tune a global per-language model and improve overall performance. The end result is a multilingual system that outperforms all other single-language recognizers, and that simplifies training and serving while meeting the latency requirements for applications like Google Assistant.
Above: Chart of training data for the nine languages Google’s AI model recognizes.
“Building on this result, we hope to continue our research on multilingual ASRs for other language groups, to better assist our growing body of diverse users,” the coauthors wrote. “Google’s mission is not just to organize the world’s information but to make it universally accessible, which means ensuring that our products work in as many of the world’s languages as possible.” The system — or one like it — is likely to find its way into Google Assistant, which in February gained multilingual support for multiturn conversations in Korean, Hindi, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and Dutch. In related news, Google introduced Interpreter Mode for translations in dozens of languages and nine new AI-generated voices.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
Discover our Briefings.
The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Google launches TensorFlow 2.0 with tighter Keras integration | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/google-launches-tensorflow-2-0-with-tighter-keras-integration"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Google launches TensorFlow 2.0 with tighter Keras integration Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn TensorFlow and Keras Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Google open source machine learning library TensorFlow 2.0 is now available for public use, the company announced today. The alpha version of TensorFlow 2.0 was first made available this spring at the TensorFlow Dev Summit alongside TensorFlow Lite 1.0 for mobile and embedded devices , and other ML tools like TensorFlow Federated.
TensorFlow 2.0 comes with a number of changes made in an attempt to improve ease of use, such as the elimination of some APIs thought to be redundant and a tight integration and reliance on tf.keras as its central high-level API. Initial integration with the Keras deep learning library began with the release of TensorFlow 1.0 in February 2017.
It also promises three times faster training performance when using mixed precision on Nvidia’s Volta and Turing GPUs, and eager execution by default means the latest version of TensorFlow delivers runtime improvements.
The TensorFlow framework has been downloaded more than 40 million times since it was released by the Google Brain team in 2015, TensorFlow engineering director Rajat Monga told VentureBeat earlier this year.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! The news was announced today ahead of TensorFlow World, an inaugural conference for developers set to take place October 28-31 in Santa Clara, California.
In other recent news, Google AI researchers have rolled out a series of natural language understanding breakthroughs, like a multilingual model trained to recognize nine Indian languages.
Last week researchers shared news they created ALBERT , a conversational AI model that now sits atop the SQuAD and GLUE performance benchmark leaderboards.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
Discover our Briefings.
The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"DataRobot launches AI Catalog to enable enterprise team collaboration | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/datarobot-launches-ai-catalog-to-enable-enterprise-team-collaboration"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Exclusive DataRobot launches AI Catalog to enable enterprise team collaboration Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Machine learning and RPA company DataRobot today announced the latest release of the DataRobot Enterprise AI Platform, which includes the changes for automated feature engineering and the debut of AI Catalog, a service that lets enterprise teams search customer data in order to build and deploy AI models or make predictions.
AI Catalog utilizes tech from Cursor , a company acquired in February by DataRobot for an undisclosed amount. Cursor was born out of experiences at LinkedIn, where Cursor cofounder and DataRobot VP of product management Adam Weinstein led an analytics team. The challenge at that time was helping data scientists and engineers find scattered data in a large organization and then understand how to make data searchable and sharable to enable team collaboration.
AI Catalog will seek to achieve the same goals.
The update will also include automated feature engineering, which creates features that enable the enhancement of RPA by sharing related or secondary data sets. Automatic feature generation will grow more powerful with the growth of AI Catalog, Weinstein told VentureBeat.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! “We actually don’t want you to even have to do that [identify secondary data sets] in the long run. [Today] I think there’s sort of this chicken and egg problem, but once users start using the catalog and the data is populated there, we can actually look to that catalog, automatically identify those data sets, and do the whole thing without any user assistance,” he said.
Automated feature engineering can help enforce governance within organizations to implement common standards and definitions like, for example, ensuring a common definition of customer churn.
Data scientists will also be able to use the Enterprise AI Platform with Apache Spark SQL to combine multiple data sets from Hadoop, disparate text, or other sources in an AI Catalog.
“I can actually combine all those within DataRobot without leaving the platform, using Spark SQL. And then we’ll emit a new data set that you can then use for projects to create new models or create predictions,” Weinstein said.
The platform update also includes MLOps, a service introduced last month that takes existing DataRobot services for AI and combines them with tools from machine learning operations company ParallelM, which was acquired by DataRobot in June. The service operates with Apache Spark and Kubernetes and comes with tools designed to help organizations deploy models in production — such as a dashboard for automatically identifying systems that need to be retrained to improve performance.
Despite heavy investment in AI talent and many insisting that we now live in an AI world, most businesses still struggle to deploy AI in production. According to a November 2018 PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, only 4% of business executives reported successfully deploying AI systems.
Earlier this month, DataRobot raised a $206 million funding round, bringing its total funding raised to more than $400 million.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
Discover our Briefings.
The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Cylance is golden: BlackBerry's new cybersecurity R&D lab is all about AI and IoT | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/cylance-is-golden-blackberrys-new-cybersecurity-rd-lab-is-all-about-ai-and-iot"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Feature Cylance is golden: BlackBerry’s new cybersecurity R&D lab is all about AI and IoT Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn A photo from the BlackBerry Network Operations Center in Waterloo, Canada, where BlackBerry Labs will be located.
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BlackBerry has announced a new business unit dedicated entirely to cybersecurity research and development (R&D).
The BlackBerry Advanced Technology Development Labs (BlackBerry Labs) will “operate at the forefront” of cybersecurity R&D, according to BlackBerry. The unit will be spearheaded by BlackBerry chief technology officer (CTO) Charles Eagan, who will lead a team of 120 researchers, security experts, software developers, architects, and more.
Machine learning will be a major focus at the start, with BlackBerry exploring ways to leverage AI to improve security in cars and mobile devices, among other endpoints in the burgeoning internet of things (IoT) sphere.
“Primarily, the purpose of this new division is to integrate emerging technologies into the work we’re currently accomplishing,” Eagan told VentureBeat. “We’re now looking at applying machine learning to our existing areas of application, including automotive, mobile security, and so on. As new technologies and threats emerge, BlackBerry Labs will allow us to take a proactive approach to cybersecurity, not only updating our existing solutions, but evaluating how we can branch out and provide a more comprehensive, data-based, and diverse portfolio to secure the internet of things.” VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Though the new cybersecurity R&D business unit is now operational, the lab space itself — which will be based at the company’s operations center in Waterloo, Canada — is still being built.
Transition BlackBerry’s transition from phonemaker to a company specializing in software and services is well documented, though its brand still lives on some smartphones through a licensing deal. The company never quite recovered from the dawn of the modern smartphone era, when its shares spiked at nearly $150 in mid-2008 (when it was still known as Research in Motion) before dropping by around two-thirds in the space of six months. It’s worth noting that this reversal of fortune roughly coincided with Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android starting to gain a foothold.
Over the past eight years, BlackBerry’s shares have hovered at around the $10 mark, and last week they fell to a four-year low after the company missed its Q2 revenue estimates with a net loss of $44 million — due in part to weak enterprise software sales. Today, BlackBerry’s focus is on the B2B realm, where it offers software systems for the automotive industry, including infotainment and autonomous vehicles , as well as medical devices, industrial automation, and more.
Many of these applications seek to address security concerns — safeguarding connected devices in a world full of threats — and BlackBerry is looking to reinvent itself by leveraging AI and machine learning.
“The next generation of connected products [is] going to come online sooner than we think, and we’re going to use machine learning to better understand and manage the policies and identities of these connected devices,” Eagan explained, “to create a safe environment that will allow us to collaborate better, faster, and smarter across great distances and in all areas of application.” Above: BlackBerry CTO Charles Eagan Enter Cylance Last November, BlackBerry announced it was buying AI-powered cybersecurity startup Cylance for $1.4 billion , with the deal closing in February.
In a nutshell, Cylance is an AI-powered endpoint protection platform designed to prevent advanced threats such as malware and ransomware.
The Cylance acquisition was entirely in line with BlackBerry’s effort to become “the world’s largest and most trusted AI-cybersecurity company,” as CEO John Chen put it at the time. The deal was all about securing endpoints for enterprise customers and was specifically designed to boost BlackBerry’s enterprise-focused IoT platform Spark and its UEM and QNX products.
The integration of Cylance into BlackBerry’s core product is expected to be complete in early 2020. And the new cybersecurity unit is effectively setting a foundation on which Cylance — or BlackBerry Cylance, as it’s now known — can flourish.
“Primarily, my role [in BlackBerry Labs] is to make sure that we’re making the most of the Cylance acquisition and that we have connectivity between all the different business units,” Eagan said. “We’re really focusing on the importance of integrating BlackBerry Cylance’s machine learning technology into BlackBerry’s product pipeline. However, it’s not just about creating an ecosystem of machine learning-based solutions, but rather smartly and strategically adopting machine learning into the work we’re accomplishing each day. My role is primarily helping to bridge the different teams and create this connectivity and cross-pollination between the various business units.” Above: Cylance dashboard Barely a day goes by without some form of data breach , hack , or security lapse hitting the headlines, in part due to the growth of cloud computing and connected devices. And the growing threat presented by the sheer number of connected devices permeating homes and offices has created an opportunity for companies that offer tools to protect these various endpoints. The global cybersecurity market was reportedly worth around $152 billion in 2018, and it’s expected to grow to $250 billion within a few years.
Endpoint protection is a hot area in cybersecurity, with the likes of CrowdStrike recently hitting the public markets with a bang , SentinelOne closing a $120 million funding round , and Shape Security raising $51 million at a $1 billion valuation as it prepares for its own IPO. There are a number of bigger players in space too, of course, including Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, Trend Micro, and many others. And it’s against this backdrop that BlackBerry is trying to reinvent itself by investing in new cybersecurity technologies.
“BlackBerry Labs is an intentional investment into the future of the company,” Eagan said, noting that initial personnel estimates for BlackBerry Labs quickly escalated from 20 to 120. “The investment of the people we’ve put into BlackBerry Labs is significant, as we’ve handpicked the team to include experts in the embedded IoT space with diverse capabilities, including strong data science expertise.” Notably, BlackBerry is also setting up dedicated hardware labs at its offices in Waterloo and Ottawa, where BlackBerry Labs personnel can test new products. Eagan also said the company is looking to partner with six universities on some of its R&D efforts.
In the more immediate term, Eagan said BlackBerry Labs will focus on automotive-based applications for machine learning in cybersecurity, particularly relevant given the expected growth of connected cars in the coming years. The connected car market was pegged at $63 billion in 2017, a figure that could rise to more than $200 billion by 2025.
With CES 2020 on the horizon, Eagan said BlackBerry will be using the annual Las Vegas tech extravaganza to demonstrate how its machine learning smarts can improve security in connected cars.
“As vehicles become connected, we need to ensure a cybersecurity operations center is running diagnostics within the car at all times to facilitate a monitored environment,” Eagan explained. “This is something BlackBerry Cylance does extremely well, and we’re planning to tangibly bring it into the automotive sector in the upcoming months.” Above: A photo from the BlackBerry Network Operations Center in Waterloo, Canada, where BlackBerry Labs will be located Shortfall At a time when every company is effectively becoming a software company, the need to run a watertight ship is greater than ever. However, much has been written about the cybersecurity workforce shortfall and the fact that it isn’t showing any signs of improving, which is why companies are investing in automated tools to circumvent the need for physical hands-on decks.
“As the threat landscape expands, enterprises cannot rely on the same incident reaction-based model that may have been effective in the past,” Eagan said. “They need to scale quickly with solutions that leverage AI to help them prepare for attacks and address vulnerabilities in an automated and anticipatory way — it’s the only way they’ll be able to scale to meet their security needs.” That said, automation is only part of the solution. Skilled personnel are still very much required, which is one of the reasons BlackBerry shelled out north of $1 billion to acquire Cylance — it was as much a talent grab as a product acquisition. And this combination of cutting-edge technology and top talent could help BlackBerry lure others on board.
“The addition of the BlackBerry Cylance team has given us an influx of talent that has proven a real boon for our company’s plans to better understand and adopt AI-based technology,” Eagan continued. “Implementing and integrating AI-based solutions, like those pioneered by BlackBerry Cylance, is certainly a focus for our team moving forward, but we remain committed to growing and hiring talent that will work alongside automated processes to ensure the best result possible for all users and organizations.” VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"Why doesn’t Facebook simply filter out politics? | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/social/why-doesnt-facebook-simply-filter-out-politics"
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As the adage goes, don’t discuss politics or religion at the dinner table. Facebook’s genesis was for friends and family to share what was going on in their lives. Yet over the past couple of years, many Facebook newsfeeds have turned into “Trumpbook,” with a stream of outrage-focused political posts fueling Facebook interactions , especially during election cycles.
Facebook first claimed that its fake news issue was “crazy” , then repeatedly stated that its algorithm could discern fake news , and has since changed its tune — it has a war room where armies of contractors analyze ads and posts for validity.
But with recent advancements in machine learning, it is now possible to algorithmically filter out political news and advertisements using off-the-shelf machine learning tools. Topic categorization algorithms have been successfully identifying content for years and have become increasingly sophisticated and turnkey.
So given these advancements, why doesn’t Facebook offer an option to filter out political posts? Our circle of “friends” has expanded The first reason is that because our Facebook social networks have expanded far beyond actual friends and now encompass casual acquaintances , people are sharing fewer and fewer posts that are meaningful and personal. Posts have devolved into prompted interactions, with “tell me how you met me” chain letters, fundraisers, personality quiz results, fake events, birthday posts, and restaurant recommendations. People are increasingly sharing drivel.
Zuckerberg’s law of social sharing , which said people would double their sharing every year, started turning in 2016 and only accelerated as Facebook users have run out of things to post about and begin to worry about privacy. Attempts to get people to post live video to spice it up a bit did not get traction. One interesting point of traction is Facebook Memories , where people can recycle older, more interesting posts.
But in the end, Facebook is a media company that needs to capture attention, and media has to be interesting to do that. People’s lives are generally repetitive, and now that we’re in the tenth season of everybody’s personal reality show, politics are taking a role by filling the gap.
Facebook needs the political traffic and advertising A second reason is that Facebook needs the political traffic and advertising. Facebook has to maintain the news gravy train until something else can make up for the traffic. The small tweaks that Facebook made in Q1 to promote meaningful social interactions and well-being over news posts led to a big dropoff in pageviews , culminating with a massive Q2 slowdown and the largest stock market loss in history.
So now the news posts and page views are back. Facebook is even attempting to maintain the flow and quality of news by allowing users to rate news sources and adding context around news posts.
Election years are a boon to media advertising , and Facebook is no exception — though its advertising capabilities provide functions that differ from those of traditional media. Where traditional media offers broad granularity of audiences and some level of accountability. Facebook encourages tight micro-targeting of specific audiences, which the 2016 Trump campaign deployed with Cambridge Analytica.
For this election cycle, Facebook started with forced ad labeling , but now only three weeks before the midterms, the company is starting to clamp down on these micro-targeted “dark ads.” There are reports that Facebook did in fact consider banning all political advertising, but backed off because the ads reportedly bring in substantial revenue, although it’s less than 5% of overall ad revenue according to Reuters.
Attempts for new types of content have failed A lot of Facebook’s early traction was in addictive social gaming, but that began to fall off of a cliff as users tired of the games.
Since then, Facebook has cast about for new products that can maintain viral loops. There’s a litany of attempted product offerings including Deals, Gifts, Marketplace, Gaming Video, Pinterest-like Sets, etc.
Facebook is even attempting to go up against YouTube with a comprehensive premium video platform for advertisers. However, the end user experience is inferior and over-monetized. For example, viewing a video in full screen mode takes the viewer to a landing page that features other videos, there are painfully inserted midroll ads, and another video starts automatically after finishing the first one. It provides a seriously subpar experience that attempts to extract every last cent out of a user — reminiscent of Yahoo towards its bitter end.
Facebook’s biggest problem as it tries to broach new markets is that its continual user account breaches and the founding “move fast and break things” ethos has left users with little trust.
As Facebook tries to enter lucrative new markets like online dating , it has to convince its users to share even more intimate details about their lives.
Onwards to thoroughly monetizing the acquisitions Facebook is starting to recognize that meaningful posting is increasingly taking place on its acquired properties such as Instagram and Whatsapp. These properties are all growing fast and have very constrained posting, such as Snapchat-inspired “stories,” which are hard to game algorithmically. Whether story-style posting can be backported into the core Facebook property remains to be seen — but it appears that Facebook may be using political ad as a revenue bridge as it begins to monetize Instagram and Whatsapp.
Thoroughly monetizing Instagram and WhatsApp, however, would require significant changes. WhatsApp founder Brian Acton says he left due to disagreements with Facebook about ads and the user analytics that power ads. Instagram founder Kevin Systrom won’t say why he recently left Facebook. However, Systrom is well known for product purity, and the ad load on Instagram has spiked.
In the meantime, Facebook will continue to monetize political posts, even if it’s to our national detriment.
I’ll be posting this article to my Facebook feed.
[ VentureBeat regularly publishes guest posts from experts who can provide unique and useful perspectives to our readers on news, trends, emerging technologies, and other areas of interest related to tech innovation.] Peter Yared is founder and CEO of InCountry , a regulatory technology company that provides data residency-as-a-service. He has founded six enterprise software companies that were acquired by Sun, Oracle, Citrix, VMware, Sprinklr, and Prograph. Previously, he was CTO/CIO of CBS Interactive, where he was responsible for bringing CBS into the cloud. At Sun, Peter was the CTO of the Application Server Division and the CTO of the Liberty federated identity consortium that designed SAML 2.
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"Twitter is investigating CEO Jack Dorsey’s account being hacked | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/social/twitter-is-investigating-ceo-jack-dorseys-account-being-hacked"
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Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey had his Twitter account hacked earlier today. Twitter is investigated the compromise of Dorsey’s personal account, the company said in a tweet, and later said the hack was the result of a “security oversight by the mobile provider.” A group called the Chuckle Gang used the account to send tweets to Dorsey’s 4 million followers to promote a Discord server and use racial slurs.
Those tweets were erased, but it appears they were sent from an app called Cloudhopper, an SMS service acquired by Twitter in 2010.
The phone number associated with the account was compromised due to a security oversight by the mobile provider. This allowed an unauthorized person to compose and send tweets via text message from the phone number. That issue is now resolved.
— Twitter Comms (@TwitterComms) August 31, 2019 Hackers that managed to break into accounts for Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also got a hold of Dorsey’s Twitter account in July 2016.
Imagine getting hacked on your own app — known (@idkalx) August 30, 2019 In 2012, Dorsey said he hacked an email server to get his first job.
VentureBeat reached out to Twitter for further information but a spokesperson declined to provide additional information.
Updated 8:55 am August 31 to include additional explanation from Twitter.
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"Trevor Noah's advice to tech leaders: 'They are now the man that they were trying to disrupt' | VentureBeat"
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Trevor Noah is the comedian, writer, and political commentator perhaps best known for hosting The Daily Show.
Noah spoke today about technology, education, gaming, VR, and his foundation that helps children in the U.S. and South Africa. And, of course, there were plenty of jokes.
But it was Noah’s advice to tech leaders that arguably stood out most onstage at Pluralsight Live in Salt Lake City, Utah. Tech companies today are seeing an unprecedented backlash from governments, advocacy groups, and consumers. For that exact reason it makes sense to look beyond the tech industry for an outside opinion.
Noah lamented that we can securely do so much on our phones, whether with blockchain or two-factor authentication, and yet we can’t vote without physically going to the ballot box. Meanwhile, elections are being influenced and decided by what people consume on social media.
Advice to tech leaders Pluralsight CEO Aaron Skonnard asked onstage, “What advice would you have for all the tech leaders here about our responsibility?” Trevor Noah responded: Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! I think one of the biggest things tech leaders really, really, really need to reckon with is … a responsible acknowledgement of the power of technology. We’re seeing that today in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley was this, I think, … very idealistic place. It started out as this world of like, a few guys in hoodies trying to change the world. And that was a great idea to begin with. But what really has frustrated me is now a lot of those people refuse to accept that they are now the world. They are now the man that they were trying to disrupt. They are now the behemoths that they were looking to shake up.
And so I look at all of them, the Jack Dorseys, the Mark Zuckerbergs, etc. They seem to try to maintain this image. No.
You are what GE used to be. You are a giant, massive corporation that’s just in a different space. And so just as those other corporations had to reckon with the effects of what they do, tech leaders have to be careful and responsible with the technology that they create. It doesn’t mean people shouldn’t create. But what people should try to do is think of all the ramifications of what they create can do.
You have to think of how people will keep up with your technology. You know, the same way that the tobacco industry was forced to reckon with its addictive properties is the same way social media companies have to be talked to. They have to figure out how to deal with their addictive properties. Yes, we don’t have the tools right now to measure how much it affects our brains or minds negatively, but there will come a time.
The same way with cigarettes, when we look back, and we’re like ‘What? People used to smoke on planes, pregnant women were allowed to smoke. This was a normal thing?’ We’re going to look back on this age now and say, ‘Wait, we just let kids go on social media. This was a thing? Your child could be on Facebook? Your child could be on Instagram?’ It’s going to be wild when we look because we did not look at the ramifications of what we created. And I think that’s part of what tech is supposed to be doing.
On technology Noah also talked a little about how his career took off in South Africa. What began with burning CDs turned into his friend pitching him as the first DJ that “uses a computer.” That turned into a full-fledged business.
“This is the wonderful world about business in tech,” Noah professed. “It always starts off small. And over time it grows. And you start to realize the needs, and as you realize the needs, you expand your consumer base. And as you expand your consumer base, you have to expand your base as well. And so one of the biggest things I had to do was figure out how to expand.” Noah went from being a DJ to people wanting a DJ and the equipment. So he would also bring speakers, amplifiers, and music. Then he realized he could contract that out. Soon a troupe of dancers was needed because there was new music “people didn’t know how to dance to.” That meant transportation was required. Successful parties led to more gigs. And suddenly multiple people were benefiting from a business that started off with pirating music.
At a young age, Noah was able to leverage a skill that no one else around him was able to acquire. And he managed to monetize it through all its iterations.
“I feel like that’s all tech in business is,” said Noah. “Finding a really simple idea or a simple need that people have and then take you into it. What tech has done is given a lot of us opportunity to reach out to individuals and provide a very niche fulfillment of needs on a wide-scale stage. Before, it was very much like you had to give everyone everything. Whereas now you can say no, I just provide this to all of these people. And everyone can just get that one thing from you. And I think that’s what I learned very early on with regards to tech is how it gives you the ability to find your consumer and your consumer the ability to find you.” On his mother pushing him into tech Noah credits his mother with getting him into tech. “My mother always lived in a world where she possesses a mind that strives to break boundaries in terms of what she can do, what she shouldn’t do, and what people tell her are the limits of what she can do. And that’s how we got into computers,” he explained. “My mother took a typing course in South Africa at a time when black people couldn’t be hired in front office positions. But she was like, ‘I want to learn how to type.’ And when I ask her now in hindsight, ‘Why did you do that? It made no sense,’ she says, ‘Yes, I know it made no sense to learn how to type because I would never have gotten a job as a secretary. But in my head, I thought to myself, I would rather have the skill if the time comes, than to not have the skill when the opportunity shows itself.'” Noah now reflects on this mentality. “That’s a really crazy, interesting way to think,” he said. “Why would you do anything unless you see the opportunity in front of you? But I guess in many ways that is the only way you should think, is to be prepared for every single opportunity. And that’s why we study fundamentally, that’s why we try to create, and that’s why you try to innovate. It’s the hope that the opportunity presents itself. That’s why you create a software. ‘I will create the software first, and I hope that then there will be an opportunity to grow and create something.'” His mother brought a computer home one day from a store that was closing down. She had no idea what it was, but she got it because people were saying it was the future. Trevor’s family would use it, just typing away even when there was no software available for it. “Just even that idea is what propelled us forward as a family,” Noah said.
On education and computer literacy Noah believes he inherited his mother’s yearning to learn. “She was always trying to expand her mind. And so I found that in my life, I try and do the same thing. As soon as I feel an itch, it means I need to learn something new.” Noah also got into building computers and selling gaming rigs. Eventually, he wanted to learn programming. But there was a cost involved. His mother offered to pay half.
“And I started working, to get the money to learn how to pay for that,” Noah explained. “And I haven’t stopped working ever since. And so, unfortunately, I never got the opportunity to learn how to program. And that’s why I try to afford that opportunity to other kids now, because I realized that little hurdle — that cost that stops people — can be the one thing that changes their lives forever.” Enter the Trevor Noah Foundation.
“Being born in America is a lot better than being born in Syria, right now. You can’t deny that. Yes a Syrian person can get here and can do well, but where you begin largely defines how far you can get. So what I’m trying to do with the Trevor Noah Foundation is create an environment where kids just have that leg up to be at a place where other kids are in the world. Be in a place where computers aren’t a crazy idea. Just being in a place where it’s normal. [Otherwise] it’s completely a death sentence for your family. It’s going to define your earnings for a generation.” On gaming and VR “I think video games have done a fantastic job of constantly evolving, constantly learning, constantly engaging with the people they’re trying to engage. If you’ve played video games, as many of us have — it doesn’t matter if you’ve played on a mobile phone or if you’re an avid gamer that has a rig or a console — you know that one thing games do really well is they evolve with you. They evolve with the technology. And the learning curve is really fantastic. A game will hold your hand at the level that you are at. Nine out of 10 games can bring you in, having never played that game before. And it will teach you how to play the game, how to become proficient in the game. And then with difficulty settings, it can get you to a place where you are now excellent at the game. And that’s one thing I will always love about gaming.” Noah said he’s fascinated with what is happening behind the scenes and how powerful gaming can be as a tool. He touched on how he has been able to play golf on every golf course in the world, thanks to video games. In this way, video games can be a way around all the barriers to entry for a sport like golf.
“I think gaming is only scratching the surface of informing and teaching us as human beings. If we can combine the addictive nature of gaming with the stickiness of gaming, and with the right tools, education, and learning, I think we can, as human beings, know so much more. The possibilities are infinite if we can just harness those tools.” As for VR, Noah believes we’ll get to a point where the technology is ubiquitous once it becomes completely accessible in terms of cost. He mentioned that Oculus and HTC have done “a great job” of showing what’s possible. And companies like Google and Samsung have come up with low-end devices ( although that was largely a failure ). But the headset is still the main barrier.
“Once we can get to a world where you can truly just pop a little thing onto your face, sunglasses probably in the next 5-10 years, you can do and see everything,” Noah said. “A lot of the time that’s the only thing that separates people from one thing or another. Imagine a world where you can go to any university, you can go and spend every evening in Paris learning French in VR, you can go hang out with your friends in Spain. I think the possibilities are truly exciting, because I don’t even think we know how far it’s going to get.” Disclosure: Pluralsight paid my way to Salt Lake City. Our coverage remains objective.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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"Google expands security rewards to more Android apps, launches bug bounty program for data abuse | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/security/google-expands-security-rewards-to-more-android-apps-launches-bug-bounty-program-for-data-abuse"
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Google, which has already paid security researchers over $15 million since launching its bug bounty program in 2010, today increased the scope of its Google Play Security Reward Program ( GPSRP ). Security researchers will now be rewarded for finding bugs across all apps in Google Play with 100 million or more installs. At the same time, the company launched the Developer Data Protection Reward Program ( DDPRP ) in collaboration with HackerOne.
That program is for data abuses in Android apps, OAuth projects, and Chrome extensions.
Bug bounty programs are a great complement to existing internal security programs. They help motivate individuals and hacker groups to not only find flaws but disclose them properly, instead of using them maliciously or selling them to parties that will. Rewarding security researchers with bounties costs peanuts compared to paying for a serious security snafu. Today’s updates come after Google increased rewards for hacking Chrome, Chrome OS, and Google Play last month.
Google Play Security Reward Program GPSRP has paid out over $265,000 in bounties so far. Adding more popular apps makes them eligible for rewards even if their developers don’t have their own vulnerability disclosure or bug bounty program. In these scenarios, the security researcher discloses identified vulnerabilities to Google, which in turn passes them on to the affected app developer. As a result, security researchers can help hundreds of organizations identify and fix vulnerabilities in their apps. If the developers already have their own programs, researchers can collect rewards from them and from Google.
This isn’t a one-way street. Google also uses this vulnerability data to create automated checks that scan all Google Play apps for similar vulnerabilities. Affected app developers are notified via the Play Console. The App Security Improvement ( ASI ) program provides them with information on the vulnerability and how to fix it. In February, Google revealed that ASI has helped over 300,000 developers fix over 1,000,000 apps on Google Play.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Developer Data Protection Reward Program DDPRP is a new bug bounty program for identifying and mitigating data abuse issues in Android apps, OAuth projects, and Chrome extensions. The goal is to recognize security researchers who report apps that are violating Google Play, Google API, or Google Chrome Web Store Extensions program policies.
If you can provide verifiably and unambiguous evidence of data abuse, you could get paid. In particular, Google is interested in situations “where user data is being used or sold unexpectedly, or repurposed in an illegitimate way without user consent.” Google didn’t provide a maximum reward amount, but said that “depending on impact, a single report could net as large as a $50,000 bounty.” Android apps and Chrome extensions with data abuse will be removed from Google Play and the Chrome Web Store. If a developer is found to be abusing access to Gmail restricted scopes, their API access will be removed.
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"GTA Online and NBA 2K are turning into social casino games | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/gta-online-and-nba-2k-are-turning-into-social-casino-games"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages GTA Online and NBA 2K are turning into social casino games Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn GTA Online is a social casino now.
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I usually ignore the social casino game genre , but that may prove more difficult soon. Social casino games have players gambling fake currency on glitzy digital slot machines and other games of chance. They are especially popular on mobile where top games like Slotomania generate millions of dollars a day. But since I spend most of my gaming time on Steam, Epic Games, and Switch, I’ve found it easy to overlook Bingo Blitz, Jackpot Party, and the rest. It’s more difficult to avoid the social casino games called GTA Online and NBA 2K.
Traditional game publishers have clearly begun to take notice of the social casino space. These games are very lucrative.
Slotomania is the No. 5 top-grossing app on the Google Play store.
So if hardcore players aren’t going to social casino apps on mobile and Facebook, then developers are going to bring them us.
This is already happening. Rockstar launched Red Dead Online with Blackjack and Poker. In July, Rockstar then added the Diamond Casino to GTA Online.
This introduced slots, cards, craps, roulette, and more to the open-world crime game.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! And then this week, 2K Games highlighted a number of casino-style mechanics coming to NBA 2K20 in a bizarre trailer.
Basketball fans will get a chance to unlock player cards for the MyTeam mode in pachinko, slots, and a giant spinning wheel.
For many gaming fans, social casino is already here. And it’s probably going to start showing up in more games.
Social casino in GTA Online and NBA 2K is only the beginning Maybe you noticed that NBA 2K, Red Dead Online, and GTA Online all have the same publisher. Take-Two Interactive Software owns 2K Games and Rockstar.
In early August, Take-Two chief executive officer Strauss Zelnick told CNBC’s Jim Cramer that it is deliberately pursuing this space.
“Social casino is a big part of the interactive entertainment business,” said Zelnick. “It’s great to be in the social casino business now through Red Dead Online and GTA Online.” Maybe Zelnick is on to something because players seem like they are embracing social casino. The first day and week that Diamond Casino launched both set records for the most players in the game’s history.
And it’s not like GTA Online is rebounding from some kind of a low point. It was continuing to grow right up to the launch of the casino features.
“In five of the last six months, GTA V has been a top-10 title,” Zelnick said. “And GTA Online set a new record in the first quarter for revenue. That’s before the launch of the casino pack, which has been huge.” And if players like it, expect Take-Two and other publishers to continue capitalizing on casino. Designers have spent decades perfecting the appeal ( read: addictiveness) of slots and similar gambling staples. And if that keeps players coming back to a game, and — more important — if it encourages them to spend more, then this trend is only going to expand in the future.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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"Destiny 2 gets a premium progression battle pass | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/destiny-2-gets-a-premium-progression-battle-pass"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Destiny 2 gets a premium progression battle pass Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Season of the Undying for Destiny 2.
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Loot boxes aren’t dead , but many developers now favor the premium progression pass instead.
Destiny 2 is the latest game to adopt one of these digital Skinner boxes. But as Bungie director Luke Smith explains in a blog post , this isn’t going to change how you play the game. Instead, it’s about giving more people a way to feel like they are progressing.
Destiny 2’s first Season Pass is called Season of the Undying. You can get included with the Shadowverse expansion for $35 or you can purchase it separately for $10. In the future, each season will sell for $10. In addition to a variety of rotating activities and challenges, players will earn seasonal experience points that will go toward a season rank. As your rank improves, you unlock loot pre-determined loot.
Bungie is also including a free progression pass, but it won’t include nearly as many items.
Season of the Undying has 100 ranks, and Smith said it took him about an hour of playing to unlock one level. But if playing Destiny 2 for 100 hours (or more) during the three months of a season seems like a lot, you can pay more to catch up. Bungie is going to enable players to buy levels, but it’s only going to open that up in the last two-to-four weeks of Undying.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Destiny 2’s battle pass is for busy players This progression-pass system isn’t a new idea. It’s something that Valve first brought to prominence with its annual Compendium pack for Dota 2. Since then, games like Fortnite have made blockbuster levels of cash using the same method.
Now that Bungie is no longer working with publisher Activision, having a new way to generate revenue is probably part of the appeal of a battle pass. But Smith says the team is trying to design it for people who have too much going on in their lives.
“The ranks help our friends in the community who have families and/or full time jobs, or who are deep in finals territory at college,” reads the director’s blog. “Sometimes you just want to log in, grab some bounties, shoot some aliens or Guardians, earn XP, and chill with your friends.” This is the specific reason that you rank up in the season pass by doing anything in Destiny 2. Games like Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds put a lot of emphasis on finishing challenges to progress in their battle passes. Bungie doesn’t want players to feel like they’re wasting their time if they’re not maximizing their efficiency.
“You’ll make progress by earning XP doing the things you’re already doing in Destiny — defeating monsters and completing bounties and activities,” reads Smith’s blog. “This is about a new additive layer of predictable rewards for just playing the game.” And if you are one of the most hardcore Destiny 2 players, Bungie doesn’t want you to worry. The season pass isn’t going to negate your efforts. You’re still going to find the best gear in random chests when you defeat the toughest enemies.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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"Control's performance issues are getting a fix | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/controls-performance-issues-are-getting-a-fix"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Control’s performance issues are getting a fix Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Control from Remedy Entertainment.
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Control sounds like a lot of fun.
I’m going to start it at some point today. I would have started it last night, but my PC and TV were disagreeing about the HDR setting. If only I would have known that Control doesn’t support HDR, and probably never will. But while that’s the bad news, developer Remedy Entertainment is addressing many of Control’s performance issues on PC and consoles.
In a blog post today on 505 Games’s website , the publisher and the developer say they’re aware of the problems people are encountering. Remedy also already has some fixes ready to go or in the works. If you are having problems with the Nvidia RTX features on PC, for example, you probably just need to update Windows 10 to version 1903. And the studio is going to add toggles to turn motion blur and film grain on and off in mid-September.
But the biggest problem for many players is that Control doesn’t run well on consoles or on non-RTX graphics cards. Remedy and 505 say they’re working to fix that.
“Right now, the team [is] looking at possible ways of improving console optimization in Control,” 505 Games producer Antonela Pounder wrote in a blog post.
“But as you can hopefully understand, these things do take time and don’t happen at the press of a button — as much as we wish they did.” Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Remedy won’t add HDR as it focuses on Control’s performance issues Remedy doesn’t plan to add support for HDR displays into Control. This high-dynamic-range feature enables certain televisions and monitors to display brighter whites and darker blacks simultaneously. And it’s something that Control might benefit from given its excellent use of RTX ray-tracing tech. But the studio is prioritizing other work instead.
“Early on in Control’s development, it was decided that HDR would not be implemented in-game,” reads Pounder’s blog. “This is a decision based on the fact that development resources are limited, and we need to allocate what we have in a certain way. Moving into post launch, we prefer to use the resources we have to focus on future free content for Control like the Photo Mode. We realize this may disappoint some players, but we hope the additions we plan to bring to Control more than make up for the absence of HDR.” In a post on Twitter, Remedy communication director Thomas Puha explained that the company is trying to do its best with what it has.
Update on @ControlRemedy https://t.co/BGI5utQCdX I have to reiterate how small our dev team is and that the game has been out for three days. We are working on updates as fast as we can, but in a sensible way.
— Thomas Puha @ PAX West 2019 (@RiotRMD) August 30, 2019 And if no HDR means the team can work on that additional content without having to overwork themselves to death, then that seems like a fair sacrifice.
“We want to take this opportunity to make it clear that this is just the beginning,” reads Pounder’s blog. “Next week, we hope to provide our players with an update on future content plans, something we know many of you are very keen on.” GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Skype adds message drafts and a photo and video preview panel | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/skype-adds-message-drafts-and-a-photo-and-video-preview-panel"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Skype adds message drafts and a photo and video preview panel Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Skype Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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Skype users, good news: A raft of new features are heading your way. Microsoft today announced the rollout of message bookmarks and message drafts, the latter of which allow you to save incomplete replies without sending them. Additionally, the Seattle company took the wraps off of a new preview window that shows photos, videos, and files before they’re sent, and a revamped flow for displaying multiple media sent at once.
Message drafts in Skype are denoted by a “[draft]” tag, and they behave much like you’d expect. You’re able to leave off at any point and finish drafts later, and they’re preserved even when you close and relaunch Skype.
Message bookmarks are equally straightforward. A right-click or long-press of a message and a click or tap of the Add bookmark button sticks a shortcut to the selected message in Skype’s Bookmarks screen, along with other messages you’ve bookmarked.
Above: Message drafts in Skype.
As for the new photos, videos, and files preview experience, they’re now displayed in a preview panel before they’re sent, enabling you to delete them or add a last-minute description to them. And from the recipient’s perspective, pics and clips will appear in chat as an album that can be swiped through or clicked between at leisure.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Last but not least, Skype’s split view, which lets you put your contact list in one window and each conversation you open in separate windows, has graduated from Windows 10 to all versions of Windows, Mac, and Linux on the latest version of Skype.
Above: Previewing media files before sending them in Skype.
“At Skype, we’re driven by the opportunity to connect our global community of hundreds of millions, empowering them to feel closer and achieve more together,” wrote Microsoft in a blog post. “As we pursue these goals, we’re always looking for new ways to enhance the experience and improve quality and reliability. We listen to your feedback and are wholly committed to improving the Skype experience based on what you tell us.” The improvements come after the rollout of a major Skype for Web update, which introduced high-definition video calling and a streamlined notifications panel. More recently, Microsoft debuted screen sharing for supported Android and iOS devices, and a mobile calling experience redesigned with simplicity and ease of use in mind.
Skype, which has an estimated 1.55 billion users worldwide, competes with Facebook Messenger (which had 1.3 billion monthly active users worldwide as of September 2017) and to an extent Tencent’s WeChat (which has more than a billion users). The Skype team’s efforts to stand out from the crowd haven’t been universally well-received — its Snapchat-like ephemeral stories feature and third-party extensions for Gfycat, YouTube, and UpWorthy were widely derided on social media. But other enhancements have achieved some success, like the integration of Microsoft’s Cortana intelligent assistant and support for real-time captions and subtitles.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Scape is 3D-mapping 100 cities to precisely anchor AR objects | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/scape-is-3d-mapping-100-cities-to-precisely-anchor-ar-objects"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Scape is 3D-mapping 100 cities to precisely anchor AR objects Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
Learn more.
Earlier this year, UK-based startup Scape Technologies previewed a potentially exciting new augmented reality technology for smartphones, promising to use a device’s camera to automatically determine its location. Now the company’s larger plan is coming into focus, and it’s exciting — using vast, accurate 3D maps to enable city-scale augmented reality applications.
Scape’s pitch is as simple as the enabling technology is complex. While some companies have mapped individual landmarks, buildings, or roads for narrow AR applications, Scape is now mapping entire cities. Already live in London and San Francisco, its 3D maps are underway for 100 cities, it told PCMag , thanks to data gathered by cameras with computer vision. The company’s technology creates a server-side “shared understanding” of environments that client devices can tap into — along with AR overlays — as they navigate the spaces.
Since other companies are in the early stages of delivering similar results in small areas , it’s not surprising that Scape is promising users GPS-beating location accuracy, as well as persistent AR content that can be placed by one user before being accessed by others at the same time — sometimes also known as the “ AR cloud.
” The novelty here is in the complete city scope of Scape’s maps, which would enable a restaurant to create custom AR signs on streets to guide you towards its location, or urban planners to overlay virtual changes in existing areas to see how they’d look.
Scape’s maps will have instant appeal to AR developers, but the company believes that it’s building a 3D map infrastructure that will connect multiple industries — drones, robotics, and AR — such that devices and humans will both tap into the same shared understandings of environments. The company says that it’s using a combination of geo-coordinates and Euclidean space coordinates to improve location placement and measurement precision.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Both positive and negative implications of augmenting public spaces with shared digital assets are on display in Holoscape, a multiplayer AR game Scape is using to demonstrate the technology. A preview video shows a public square transforming into a drone- and shield-laden FPS combat zone for multiple players equipped with smartphones, while non-players continue walking through the areas. After multiple mass shootings in the U.S., one can only hope that the threats stay virtual, and real world public spaces remain safe for everyone to enjoy.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"ProBeat: Google may want to save Huawei's Mate 30 launch | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/probeat-google-may-want-to-save-huaweis-mate-30-launch"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Opinion ProBeat: Google may want to save Huawei’s Mate 30 launch Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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Huawei is expected to launch its Mate 30 smartphones, successors to the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro , on September 18 in Munich, Germany. The unveiling will not be just another smartphone event. The launch will directly test the unintended consequences of the U.S. government’s ban on Huawei products.
There are three possibilities here. Huawei could launch the Mate 30 with Android and Google apps, with Android but no Google apps, or without Android. The first option is unlikely without some sort of intervention — the U.S. government announced a temporary reprieve last week, but it apparently does not apply to new products, according to Reuters.
The second option would be great for the small number of users who want Android, but aren’t fond of Google apps and all their related tracking. Huawei could include the open source version of Android, but it’s not clear many users would buy a phone that would require jumping through hoops to install apps from Google Play.
The third option would be a disaster, for Huawei and for Google. Remember: Google doesn’t make money directly from Android, but it does make money off the Android ecosystem. Ditching Android would likely doom this set of devices. More importantly, though, it would push Huawei away from Google for good.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Google is the biggest loser “Huawei will continue to use the Android OS and ecosystem if the U.S. government allows us to do so,” a Huawei spokesperson told Reuters. “Otherwise, we will continue to develop our own operating system and ecosystem.” In other words, Huawei is saying: “If we can’t use Android, that’s fine. You’re forcing our hand, but we do have Hongmeng.
” Huawei’s own operating system — called HarmonyOS in English — is a contingency plan. It’s not ready yet. The company’s alternative is set to ship in China this year and globally in 2020. But even if that goes smoothly, for years HarmonyOS will be a new operating system with no ecosystem. Huawei would obviously prefer Android on its flagship devices, especially ones being unveiled in just three weeks.
The decision is even more crucial for Google. Huawei will continue selling smartphones regardless of what happens with the Mate 30. Google meanwhile stands to lose the world’s biggest smartphone maker — Huawei sold 15% of smartphones in Q2 2019.
It’s not clear what exactly Google can do to save Huawei’s Mate 30. But you can bet the American company is pulling at every string it can find to help its Chinese partner. The Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro will either be just another set of Android smartphones, or the first of many Huawei phones that hurt Google’s business.
ProBeat is a column in which Emil rants about whatever crosses him that week.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Oculus CTO Carmack downplays consumer AR, calls Magic Leap overhyped | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/oculus-cto-carmack-downplays-consumer-ar-calls-magic-leap-overhyped"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Oculus CTO Carmack downplays consumer AR, calls Magic Leap overhyped Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Oculus CTO John Carmack speaks on Joe Rogan's podcast about the current state of AR and VR.
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In the world of mixed reality hardware and software, few people have the expert-level credibility of Oculus CTO John Carmack , whose pioneering 3D work at id Software broke new ground on personal computers years before he turned his attention to bringing VR hardware to life. While Oculus’ owner, Facebook, recently suggested that the future of its Insight and Guardian motion-tracking technologies is in all-day wearable augmented reality glasses, Carmack is underscoring that this future isn’t immediately on the horizon, and that other companies in the space — particularly Magic Leap — have been underdelivering on their early hype.
The core issue, Carmack said on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast (via Next Reality News ), is that technology still hasn’t advanced to the point where AR glasses can be made small enough for people to wear around all day. Right now, he says, Oculus could make a “sort of a shoebox-sized thing” that people could wear into the world, but it wouldn’t be socially acceptable in most places. Even if Oculus could cut the size down by three quarters into a swim goggle-sized wearable, he doesn’t believe that people would want to wear it for long periods, and “we haven’t built it,” he notes.
Carmack also struggled to define realistic consumer applications for the technology, noting that he was “skeptical of the broad utility” of a lot of the “little demos” that initially seem interesting. While Microsoft has found enterprise uses for its HoloLens AR technology , including training and collaborative engineering work, he said that Magic Leap oversold “what the actual capabilities are,” and suggested that average people aren’t going to spend thousands of dollars for AR headsets with limited fields of view and not-great gaming experiences.
Even companies that have recently come up with AR sunglasses aren’t quite there yet, Carmack insists. “There are a few companies that have made things that are sunglasses form factor that can do some little things with the display,” he said, “but they run out of battery very quickly.” The end goal, he suggests, is that “I grab my augmented reality glasses and then they do something useful for me for 16 hours.” Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Given Carmack’s deep ties to the mixed reality community and work at one of the industry’s largest AR/VR engineering companies, his skepticism as to the current state of AR technology is noteworthy: The comments confirm that Facebook isn’t ready yet despite all of its efforts, and if a rival such as Apple is closer than Facebook to unveiling a viable consumer AR product, he seems as likely to be surprised as anyone. Check out the full video to hear his thoughts on AR and related technologies in greater detail.
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"Microsoft's AltspaceVR social space hits Oculus Quest on September 12 | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/microsofts-altspacevr-social-space-hits-oculus-quest-on-september-12"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Microsoft’s AltspaceVR social space hits Oculus Quest on September 12 Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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Social VR is expected to eventually become of virtual reality’s major selling points, but hasn’t taken off quite yet, as evidenced by the ups and downs of pioneering app AltspaceVR.
Now owned by Microsoft, the multi-person shared space experience is expanding next month to another platform — Oculus’ increasing popular standalone headset Quest — in its drive to connect more VR users to one another.
AltspaceVR lets users choose been multiple “ worlds ” as backdrops, notably including a “Mega Church,” a cruise ship, a lost city, and improbably even the main castle from Super Mario 64, each providing the ability to meet up with friends or strangers in virtual form. Avatars are decidedly cartoony and fairly basic to enable headsets to render crowds of people at once, supporting both large group “ events ” and smaller gatherings. Multi-player games are also supported.
Oculus Quest users will be able to join the fun on September 12, the company said in a tweet , which, given strong user interest in Quest apps , could quickly add quite a few new users to the existing pool. As of today, Microsoft’s Windows Mixed Reality supports AltspaceVR, as do HTC’s Vives, Samsung’s Gear VR, and Oculus’ Rifts. There’s also a 2D mode available in a free app for Windows PCs ; an Android app has been discontinued.
It remains to be seen whether any company will become truly dominant in the social VR space. Popular cross-platform app Rec Room came to the Quest earlier this year, while Facebook most recently brought one of its shared experiences — Oculus Venues — to the Quest, and Mozilla is offering a web-based alternative called Hubs.
Each of the apps faces the challenge of building and maintaining enough of a community to serve as a critical mass for shared events.
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"IHS 5G phone teardown reveals high costs of early millimeter wave parts | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/ihs-5g-phone-teardown-reveals-high-costs-of-early-millimeter-wave-parts"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages IHS 5G phone teardown reveals high costs of early millimeter wave parts Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn A chart compares the costs of five 5G phones' RF front end solutions, only the last of which uses millimeter wave antennas.
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If you’ve wondered why many 5G smartphones have launched with $1,000 U.S. price tags while similar devices start at only $700 elsewhere in the world, a new IHS Markit teardown report provides an explanation: Early millimeter wave (mmWave) components are adding considerable expense to the fastest U.S. 5G phones, while non-mmWave 5G devices are substantially less expensive to produce and sell.
Three of the four top U.S. carriers began by launching mmWave-based 5G networks, relying on “small cell” towers that can deliver upwards of 2Gbps speeds when located at relatively short distances from phones. Though some mmWave-compatible devices are now available, the challenge of deploying enough mmWave small cells to cover entire cities has led all of the carriers to embrace slower but longer-distance 5G service using non-mmWave, “sub-6GHz” towers to blanket larger areas.
IHS’s new report builds on its previous 5G teardown findings , in which the firm found that Qualcomm’s early 5G chips were dramatically more space-, power-, and resource-efficient than rival Huawei’s — and similar to Samsung’s — after tearing down a collection of Huawei, Qualcomm OEM, and Samsung devices. This report focuses solely on five 5G phones built with Qualcomm modems and radio front ends, looking at the comparative costs of their radio transceivers and antennas.
As between mmWave and non-mmWave 5G devices, the component cost differences are stark. The four non-mmWave phones needed $12 or less of 5G parts, versus nearly $55 of 5G parts in a Samsung Galaxy S10 5G with millimeter wave hardware. IHS describes the price difference as coming at “a staggering twice the cost” of existing LTE radio front end components, which already contribute around $25 to the bill of materials for that phone. OEMs individually decide how much of these costs to absorb or pass along to consumers, though retail and distributor markups multiply each new dollar when choosing the latter option.
Multiple mmWave antennas are partially responsible for the expense. Samsung uses three separate QTM052 antennas to connect to U.S. mmWave 5G towers, an engineering decision that enables its S10 5G to avoid “you’re holding it wrong” attenuation by switching to whichever antenna is exposed at a given moment. The antennas are placed at the top, left, and right edges of the phone, with none at the bottom where a hand is most likely to grip the device in portrait orientation.
While attenuation won’t disappear in second-generation 5G devices, IHS says, smaller and cheaper mmWave components are certainly coming. Qualcomm currently leads all global OEMs in millimeter wave technology, and is preparing a new generation of parts that will be easier to integrate into phones. IHS notes that other vendors such as Samsung, Huawei, and Apple (through its Intel acquisition) are all trailing Qualcomm to market with viable mmWave solutions, a situation that may well continue as Qualcomm continues to build on its early lead and expertise.
One alternative for smartphone vendors and carriers would be to solely support non-mmWave 5G, using devices that can connect only to sub-6GHz towers. Early 5G rollouts outside of the United States have focused almost exclusively on sub-6GHz frequencies with plans to support mmWave 5G later, while U.S. carriers mostly focused on mmWave 5G with second-stage plans for sub-6GHz support. It presently appears unlikely that most U.S. carriers will omit millimeter wave support simply to cut phone costs.
A notable exception is Sprint, which now has a nine-city 5G network in the U.S.
based entirely on sub-6GHz towers, and just launched the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G — an $840 smartphone with no millimeter wave hardware, but the ability to achieve 500+Mbps speeds at a lower price than recent flagship 4G smartphones.
Sprint’s network is likely to be absorbed into T-Mobile’s , however, and their future devices are expected to include support for both mmWave and non-mmWave 5G frequencies.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"Playful Studios raises $23 million for spectator-enabled games | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/media/playful-studios-raises-23-million-as-it-moves-into-spectator-enabled-games"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Exclusive Playful Studios raises $23 million for spectator-enabled games Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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Playful Studios , the maker of the Lucky’s Tale series of games, has raised $23 million in funding from a wide variety of individual investors as it moves into a new stage of making games enabled for the spectator era.
The McKinney, Texas-based studio will use the money to go beyond virtual reality games and focus on more traditional platforms — but with the twist of bringing spectators into the action of a video game, said CEO Pau Bettner in an exclusive interview with GamesBeat.
Playful was able to raise its new round in a nontraditional way, just as it raised $25 million from a wide group of investors in 2015 to make virtual reality games like Lucky’s Tale.
Bettner had hoped that VR would be the next big medium, but it took off more slowly than many expected. Lucky’s Tale was a bundled launch title for the Oculus Rift headset in 2016. But after that slow takeoff, Playful pivoted, publishing a refashioned game for the consoles under the name Super Lucky’s Tale.
Above: Playful’s team in McKinney, Texas.
That title debuted on the Xbox One game console in 2017, and it is coming soon to the Nintendo Switch. That strategy of taking an intellectual property developed for VR and selling it across other platforms has helped Playful generate more revenues. Bettner said that the company’s ability to control its fate and its IP is one reason it was able to take Lucky’s Tale across so many platforms.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Instead of using banking institutions or venture capitalists, the Playful team decided to reach out to its own network of supporters around the world to spread the word about its private offering. In turn, those individuals reached out to others, and over the course of 9 months, Playful met with over 300 potential individual investors. Bettner said they met “one living room at a time.” He added, “Almost all of those relationships turned into personal relationships. Working with institutional investors can feel a little bit distant. We believe if we can capitalize this way, it gives us the authority over the work that we are doing and the ability to make long-term decisions. We can say we are going to do a thing not because it makes sense this quarter but because it makes sense for the long-term future of this franchise.” Above: Playful’s headquarters in McKinney, Texas.
“We get to be completely transparent about our goals and why we are doing this,” said Mark Stanley, president and chief business officer at Playful Studios. “The reason why we do it this way is because we capitalize ourselves in this manner and we can work on the games that we believe in.” Playful’s history To-date, including a private common stock offering in 2013 and this year’s Series A preferred offering, Playful has privately raised a total of $48 million. This allows the company to build and nurture franchises, while planning IP strategy across a decades-long term horizon.
Playful, which now employs over 100 developers, most at its new 58,000-square-feet headquarters in McKinney, Texas, has gained extensive experience developing content for disruptive platforms such as the Nintendo Switch, mobile and VR platforms, and next-gen console/PC hardware. Playful is currently working on its next generation of products which they believe will help define the upcoming horizons in interactive entertainment.
Bettner and his brother David worked at Ensemble Studios, maker of the Age of Empires games. Microsoft acquired that company, and the Bettners went on to start New Toy in McKinney in 2008, at the dawn of the iPhone age. They created the hot game Words With Friends, and Zynga acquired them in 2010 for $53.3 million. Paul Bettner went on to start the VR game studio Playful in 2013.
Above: Inside Playful’s headquarters.
“When we started the company, my wife and I put our money in,” Bettner said. “Then my friend saw what was happening to my bank account. He said he had real estate friends and thought they would be really interested in hearing my story. One meeting turned into more, and that turned into a larger number of investors. Having gone through that experience, when we were looking again, after looking at the success we had with Oculus and Microsoft, we decided to raise money again in the exact same way.” He added, “Even going back to Newtoy, we were always trying to combine two simple things. We wanted to build a beloved IP. And we were always in a rush to the frontiers of the industry where gaming and technology is causing a change, or an evolution in the definition of what games can be. Playful is always going to be defined by that, seeking out that kind of technological disruption and then trying to build something on that frontier.” Spectator games And that bring us to the new reason that Playful has raised a new round.
“We have turned to a new frontier that we are very excited about,” Bettner said. “It differs from anything we worked on before. We’re working on a large project. It’s about the fact that video games are becoming a spectator sport. We see in our own audiences that we have more people watching people play our games on any given day than are actually playing them. I fundamentally believe that what we are saying with Twitch is the birth of a brand new platform for video games, a new way to enjoy interactive entertainment.” The company isn’t describing exactly what it is working on.
Above: The Lucky’s series is coming to the Switch in November.
“And when I see somebody sitting back on their couch, not touching a controller, but watching someone else play a game, I don’t see somebody who’s going to become one of my customers in the future, I see somebody who is already a customer of that, of that experience,” Bettner said. “Those folks, whether they install the game or not, are our customers and our players from the minute that they tuned in to start enjoying. It’s like the beginning of the iPhone. It’s a second wave, a second generation of products. We began working on this two years ago.” The company is still working on VR games because it still believes in mixed reality. But that content will depend on when the market takes off.
“I was never unrealistic [about VR]. And I’m super happy about the work that we did with Oculus because it was on the frontier, that we got this incredible exposure for it,” he said. “But then, as the reality I think settled in with other folks and with the market around this is going to be a long term journey that we have multiple iterations before we’re going to get to a truly mass market kind of iPhone like experience. That wasn’t a surprise to us. Like that was that was always something I believed in for the very first time I saw you Palmer handed me the headset with duct tape, it was like check this out. Like this is incredible. I think we’re probably several generations away from the iPhone version of this.” GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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"Castle Crashers: Remastered busts up Nintendo Switch on September 17 | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/games/castle-crashers-remastered-busts-up-nintendo-switch-on-september-17"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Castle Crashers: Remastered busts up Nintendo Switch on September 17 Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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Color-coded knights, rejoice! Indie developer The Behemoth announced today that Castle Crashers: Remastered will be coming to Nintendo Switch on September 17.
Castle Crashers first debuted back in 2008 for the Xbox 360, becoming one of the most popular indie games of the era. The four-player action game takes inspiration from the classic beat-em-ups of the 16-bit age. After Castle Crashers, The Behemoth went on to developer 2013’s BattleBlock Theater and 2018’s Pit People.
The remastered version first came out in 2015 for Xbox One and PC. It adds technical improvements like an increased frame rate and better textures.
Castle Crashers: Remastered is also coming to PlayStation 4 this year, although The Behemoth has not specified a release date yet for that platform.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
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VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Baton Systems raises $12 million for blockchain-inspired bank payments infrastructure | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/commerce/baton-systems-raises-12-million-for-blockchain-inspired-bank-payments-infrastructure"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Baton Systems raises $12 million for blockchain-inspired bank payments infrastructure Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Baton Systems , a three-year-old Fremont, California-based provider of bank-to-bank payments infrastructure modeled on blockchain technology, today announced that it’s raised $12 million in series A funding from Trinity Ventures, with participation from Alsop Louie and Commerce Ventures.
Founder and CEO Arjun Jayaram said the capital will bolster Bolton’s distributed ledger-based system, which enables on-demand payments without the need for prefunding of margin requirements (the percentage of stocks, bonds, and other securities investors must cover with their own cash). “This investment provides us with the strategic support and firepower to scale our bank-to-bank payment solution for the world’s leading financial institutions even faster and more effectively,” he added. “Speed to market is critical in an industry that is crying out for modernization while at the same time facing a daunting global regulatory environment.” Baton’s hybrid cloud platform acts as a gateway between bank ledgers for real-time reconciliation, the accounting process that confirms whether money leaving an account matches the amount that’s been spent. Using a shared and permissioned ledger, clients can clear and settle asset classes and currencies in real time and gain visibility into the flow of funds across banks and exchanges, all without disrupting existing ledgers.
Baton asserts its system is redundant across geographic regions and that the underlying architecture — which autoscales to handle bursts in transaction traffic — is highly robust and customizable. To this end, APIs and functionality sets let customers create custom workflows for settlement while leveraging Baton’s platform for transactions.
It’s worth noting that Baton isn’t the only firm with legacy ledger systems in its crosshairs. Blockchain-inspired bank Secco is built around a database distributed among customers’ phones, while Sila’s solution connects to existing payment systems with smart contract functionality on the Ethereum network. Separately, a report published by the World Economic Forum earlier this year found that several dozen different central banks are exploring, researching, or actively experimenting with in-house blockchain technology.
But Baton has made substantial inroads into the $2 trillion payments market, with a pilot involving the Bank of England and a client base that includes three of the world’s top 10 global banks. The company says its network currently processes more than $12 billion each business day in payments between market participants and clearinghouse counterparties.
“We’ve been a firm believer in the potential of what Baton is doing for the payments industry since day one,” said Gilman Louie, partner at Alsop Louie. “Since those first conversations, Arjun and his team have rapidly moved from concept to reality with a top-tier set of initial clients, and advanced discussions taking place with the A-list of central banks and global financial institutions.” Trinity Ventures general partner Schwark Satyavolu, who’s also a member of Baton’s board, added: “Bank-to-bank settlement today is slow and manual, trapping billions of dollars that could instead be used to grow businesses. Baton is completely transforming the global bank payments infrastructure, leveraging the best of blockchain’s potential while mitigating its key concerns. Arjun and his team are the ideal visionaries and practitioners capable of turning this tremendous need into reality — and are already doing so for their many top-tier banking clients.” VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
Discover our Briefings.
The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"VRGO Mini is a VR controller that you sit on | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/vrgo-mini-is-a-vr-controller-that-you-sit-on"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages VRGO Mini is a VR controller that you sit on Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn The VRGO Mini is a balance board controller for VR. You control it with your butt.
For the longest time, I was a 3DRudder snob.
Why add yet more clutter to already complicated VR setups, right? But the VR balance board’s release on PSVR proved its value, especially for gamers wanting more precise locomotion when using two Move controllers. It’s a niche product for sure, but still a welcome antidote to the headset’s current limitations.
Now the VRGO Mini wants a piece of that pie.
The original VRGO was an egg-shaped stool you could lean back and forth on to move around in-game. It aimed to provide an immersive, comfortable means of movement without the need for room-scale space. The idea was sound but it was bulky, expensive and not the most fashionable piece of interior decor. The VRGO Mini, meanwhile, is a much more compact disc you place on top of another chair or couch. It connects to devices wirelessly via Bluetooth.
The kit’s has launched on Kickstarter , hoping to raise $24,350. Its creators expect to start shipping units around six months or so after the campaign’s closure. If you’re looking to use it on PSVR you’ll need a game controller converter. They won’t ship with one themselves. VRGO recommends the Cronus Max or Titan One.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Indeed, I was startled by how much more convenient the Mini is compared to the original. There’s a special raised mat you can lay down to use the kit on couches and armchairs (which costs extra), though I tried it on a swivel stool. Smartly, the choice of demo was Skyrim on PSVR, perhaps one of the most damning examples of Move’s lack of analog sticks. The kit does support basically every other headset (including Quest) and any other game (through the use of a controller converter on PSVR), but this is where I see it getting the most attention.
Initially, I found the VRGO Mini to be wobbly and unwieldy. Trying to balance the Move’s many buttons in my head while literally keeping my balance as I leaned from side-to-side was dizzying. Leaning forward was fine, if a touch too sluggish, but going in the opposite direction had me worrying I was going to fall off of my chair. Obviously, if you were in a chair with a back you’d be less worried about that, but then you wouldn’t be able to lean back as easily. With these extra concerns on my mind, I started to actually find myself more flustered than if I had just been using the Moves.
Having said that, the more I played the more I found myself getting adjusted to the experience. Mini’s cushioned seat is very comfortable, making long play sessions viable. There’s also controller-like vibration, though this was pretty heavy-handed in my demo (and made a loud rattle on the stool). VRGO says it’s still fine-tuning this element, however. There will also be two SKUs, with a cheaper one ditching the haptics.
Ultimately I’m still not convinced that leaning to walk is a more natural means of locomotion than controller-based alternatives. But I’m also conscious of the fact that not everyone can handle that sort of VR locomotion. This is a device aimed at a specific group of enthusiasts that want an immersive way to play while seated. The more I became acclimatized with the VRGO Mini, the more I could see that, I’d just rather stick to standing as it is. It’s down to you whether you find the idea of tilting your feet or leaning your body as the best way to move while seated in VR.
If you’re interested in getting one I suggest you act fast; Super Early Bird prices start at £119 (about $145) without haptics and £149 (about $182) with. The longer Kickstarter price is £199 ($242) without haptics and £229 (about $279) with. Afterwards, the kit will cost £269.99 (about $328) without haptics and £299.99 (about $365) with.
This story originally appeared on Uploadvr.com.
Copyright 2019 VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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"These Sleepless Nights mixed reality exhibit addresses homelessness in the U.S. | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/these-sleepless-nights-mixed-reality-exhibit-addresses-homelessness-in-the-u-s"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages These Sleepless Nights mixed reality exhibit addresses homelessness in the U.S.
Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn These Sleepless Nights is viewable in Venice, California.
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These Sleepless Nights is a mixed reality documentary that uses cutting-edge spatial computing technology to allow visitors to listen, connect, and engage with those who are homeless.
The exhibit, viewable through Magic Leap augmented reality glasses and eventually through VR and on smartphones, is meant to draw attention to those on the frontline of America’s eviction crisis. The creators such as Magic Leap’s Gabo Arora and Fable’s Edward Saatchi support The Next Amendment , or an effort to change to the U.S. Constitution that calls for housing as a fundamental right. The exhibit debuted at the 76th Venice International Film Festival.
The process of eviction involves the collision of home life, the law, the market, along with America’s fraught history of racial and economic injustice, the creators said.
These Sleepless nights enables one to explore in-depth the experiences of those who have intimate experiences with these collisions, be it as memories from childhood, being bored at work or trying to be a mother when you can’t pay the rent.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! “The right to shelter is the Next Amendment,” said Saatchi, executive producer of the project and cofounder of Fable, in an interview with VentureBeat. “As public art, this will be accessible. People can experience what it’s like to live experience somebody else’s life. We know that empathy is a big part of understanding the issue. But it’s only a very small percentage of people who get to experience that.” (I interviewed Saatchi this week while I was inside Disneyland, the happiest place on Earth).
Making use of augmented reality and spatial computing, one is able to navigate their own journey through these stories and conduct their own experience. It brings nuance and a new perspective on a situation we can no longer keep sleeping through.
The eviction numbers Above: These Sleepless Nights The exhibit notes that 2.35 million eviction cases were filed in 2016, and 2.3 million people were evicted, or 6,349 people per day, according to the EvictionLab.
“The state has the responsibility to extend shelter from the elements to all citizens,” said Saatchi.
A proposed solution The right to shelter and the proposed Next Amendment raises the lowest that a citizen can fall. The goal is to start a trial for the right to shelter in five U.S. cities. The group wants a bipartisan result, and so it proposes working with conservative think tanks on how to inexpensively and efficiently implement a right to shelter nationally.
“We trying to raise the lowest to which you can fall,” Saatchi said. “We want to talk to conservatives so that it becomes something that we’re all together on. If you want it to be an amendment to the Constitution, you need them. How can we do it in the most efficient way?” It hopes to use the information gathered from trials and proposals to right to shelter laws in a state constitution. Then it wants to gather enough data and best practices that voters and lawmakers are comfortable voting for a right to shelter to be added to the Constitution.
The Next Amendment commissioned These Sleepless Nights to raise $1 million for local action networks providing Housing First solutions from Oakland to the Bronx.
To get involved, you can send an email to [email protected]. You’ll eventually be able to get a Next Amendment app and donate money.
“We were inspired by the Housing First movement. Instead of trying to deal with everything at once — mental illness, housing, addiction, special behavior — this could stabilize people’s lives and the other things get better and improve once you have that stability,” Saatchi said.
Above: These Sleepless Nights The credits for These Sleepless Nights go to director Gabo Arora, executive producer Edward Saatchi, musician Philip Glass, audio designer Lauren Hutchinson, producer Barry Pousman, creative producer Nicolas Roy, project manager Laurie Caron, experience designer Maude Thibodeau, and builders Josquin Zabka, Zachary Labrosse Rémillard, and Louis Thériault-Boivin.
Other credits go to Johns Hopkins University Immersive Storytelling and Emerging Technologies Lab, 371 Productions, DPT, Unfurl Productions, Magic Leap, and the Institute for the Future.
The process of eviction involves the collision of home life, the law, the market, along with America’s fraught history of racial and economic injustice. These Sleepless Nights enables one to explore in-depth the experiences of those who have intimate experiences with these collisions, be it as memories from childhood, being bored at work or trying to be a mother when you can’t pay the rent.
Making use of augmented reality and spatial computing, one is able to navigate their own journey through these stories and conduct their own experience. It brings nuance and a new perspective on a situation we can no longer keep sleeping through.
The mixed reality installation and documentary, in partnership with Magic Leap, was inspired by Matthew Desmond’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book Evicted.
These Sleepless Nights will become a public art installation in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Milwaukee to raise funds for a right to shelter, accessible as an app on iPhones.
Saatchi said that one example of efforts to fight homelessness include the Tuff Shed home project in Oakland, California.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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"Tech Will Save Us unveils Arcade Coder for kid programmers | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/tech-will-save-us-unveils-arcade-coder-for-kid-programmers"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Tech Will Save Us unveils Arcade Coder for kid programmers Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Tech Will Save Us has created the Arcade Coder.
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Tech Will Save Us has unveiled its new flagship product, the Arcade Coder , via a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.
The Arcade Coder is an educational product that is a tactile, programmable game console. It helps kids become confident game designers.
It’s another new way to play and invent games and ignite kids’ imaginations and transform family game night.
Not just for the kids The Arcade Coder is a 12-inch by 12-inch board with 144 multi-colored LED buttons that are all fully programmable and controllable.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! An evolution of the traditional board game, the Arcade Coder teaches kids ages six and up (and their parents) easy-to-learn block coding and how to design their own games.
Kids also learn the foundation of game mechanics, like speed, levels and point systems. They can customize games using pre-coded projects or invent brand new ones, totally from scratch. By putting their coding skills into practice, they can even experiment with LED animations.
No need to know programming Those who have never coded before can establish and build their coding and creative-thinking skills by experimenting with the board and Games Studio iOS app. This seamless physical and digital experience means families who took part in user testing never viewed the Arcade Coder as screen time.
The more families play, the more they learn, the company said. The free Games Studio iOS app allows players to access step by step video and animation based tutorials to complete, and new projects and challenges are unlocked along the way.
Each level is more challenging than the next, which means coding and creative problem-solving skills are tested at every turn. Once all of the skill badges have been collected, you’ll be crowned Master Game Designer. A subscription with new games, add-ons and activities is also in the works.
Above: Tech Will Save Us has launched a Kickstarter campaign.
The next generation of game designers Testing with kids is core to London-based Tech Will Save Us’s product development process. From workshops and research, the team at Tech Will Save Us knew that gaming as a theme was appealing to children of all ages and an amazing way to introduce valuable learning outcomes in a fun and creative way.
According to research compiled by WePC, there are more than 2.5 billion video gamers worldwide. The number of kids playing video games is on the rise too.
91% of kids aged 2 to 17, approx 64 million, are turning to video games to entertain themselves. While it’s evident video games are rising in popularity year on year, Tech Will Save Us’s aim was to create an experience that would unleash creativity and teach kids the design process behind the game rather than continue to fuel the trend for passivity.
Further exploration identified a need in both children and parents for tactile digital experiences that offered more than just a screen and encouraged spending time together as a family enjoying them. According to the 2018 Lego Play Well report, 95% of parents said play builds stronger family bonds.
“Tech toys tend to lean into harder skills like maths and coding,” said Chris Catton, head of product design at Tech Will Save Us, in a statement. “However, we recognize that skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity are more important for children to master for their future working lives. Understanding how games are designed and mastery of the tools to build new ones provides a unique way to deliver these learning outcomes within a fun and social setting.” With the Arcade Coder, coding = creativity In addition to teaching kids game mechanics, the Arcade Coder also offers an exciting creative outlet — Painter Mode. In this mode, kids “paint” pictures with illuminating, multi-colored LED lights and animate them with those newfound coding skills. With this tool, kids get to express themselves creatively and artistically.
Getting started with the Arcade Coder is easy. You download the iOS game studio app for iPad and connect via Bluetooth. It comes with a rechargeable battery and a range of ready to play games for up to four players.
This way, kids become comfortable with the Arcade Coder, the app and gain an understanding of how the games work before they start designing their own. Kids choose to play solo or let family and friends join in — the Arcade Coder is specially designed for hours and hours of quality time.
Above: Arcade Coder The Arcade Coder will launch on Kickstarter on Friday 30th August with Super Early Bird pledges starting at $96 offering a 25% discount off the regular selling price.
“The most exciting thing about the Arcade Coder for me personally, is we believe that this will drastically change how people are spending family time because it is not just an individual gaming experience on a screen, but a multiplayer gameplay experience for friends and family,” SAID Bethany Koby, CEO and cofounder of Tech Will Save Us, in a statement.
Cofounders Koby and Daniel Hirschmann founded Tech Will Save Us in 2012 with a mission to inspire kids by combining the power of play with the possibilities of technology through toys. The company has 28 employees.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Sexual misconduct allegations hit half-dozen game developers | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/sexual-abuse-allegations-hit-half-dozen-game-developers"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Sexual misconduct allegations hit half-dozen game developers Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn 2017 crowd at Melbourne International Games Week and PAX Aus.
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Jeremy Soule. Alec Holowka.
Alexis Kennedy.
Luc Shelton. Michael Antonov. Marc Ten Bosch. Vlad Micu. These are some of the men facing allegations of abusive behavior as the #MeToo movement comes to games.
This deluge of accusations began on Monday when developer Nathalie Lawhead wrote a blog post to accuse The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim composer Jeremey Soule of rape. As an act of solidarity with Lawhead, fellow developer Zoe Quinn posted an allegation of abusive behavior about Night in the Woods co-designer Alec Holowka.
But to ensure that we are tracking and documenting these accusations, I am collecting them here. I am also including accusations made publicly by a named individual or individuals. As game developer Jessica Price explains , anonymous allegations are worth considering, but we are going to follow up on those before entering them into the record.
Jeremy Soule In addition to Lawhead, vocalist Aeralie Brighton also accused Soule of inappropriate and abusive behavior. Brighton has worked on Minecraft and Ori and the Blind Forest , but back in 2014 she alleged that Soule sent her a video of him masturbating, according to a post on her Facebook page. When she told him that wasn’t what she wanted, she alleges that he blocked her from working on a project.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! About Brighton, Soule told Kotaku that he doesn’t agree with her characterization. The composer also denied Lawhead’s accusations.
“These 11-year-old allegations are false,” Soule told Kotaku.
“I am shocked and saddened that these outrageous claims have been made.” Alec Holowka In their tweets, Quinn alleges that Holowka abused them physically and emotionally. Holowka has not posted any response, and I have not been able to reach him.
But the team that developed Night in the Woods with him has posted a statement on Twitter.
This week, allegations of past abuse have come to light regarding Alec Holowka, who was coder, composer, and co-designer on Night In The Woods. We take such allegations seriously as a team. As a result and after some agonizing consideration, we are cutting ties with Alec.
— Night In The Woods (@NightInTheWoods) August 28, 2019 As part of cutting ties with Holowka, Night in the Woods co-creators Scott Benson and Bethany Hockenberry say they are canceling a followup project they were also working on with Holowka.
Update on August 31 : Holowka’s sister says he committed suicide.
Alexis Kennedy Updated on October 18, 2021: Kennedy has denied all of the accusations against him.
And in the years since this story posted, Kennedy has had his studio Weather Factory reach out to GamesBeat to further protest the representation of the allegations against him.
Weather Factory director and Alexis Kennedy’s partner, Lottie Bevan, requested that we clarify that Kennedy had never been accused of sexual harassment. Instead, he was only accused of using his power to leverage sexual relationships from women trying to get their start in the industry.
In a thread , game designer and writer Meg Jayanth accused Kennedy, who is one of the cofounders of Failbetter Games. Game writer Olivia Wood backed up those accusations. Wood claimed that Kennedy used his position to prey on her and other young employees for sex. And then when those relationships would end, Wood alleges that Kennedy would use his position to belittle her and other women.
Bevan notes that she is one of the women that Wood is referring to, and she provided the following statement: “I categorically refute her statements about Alexis’s character, my own treatment by him, and his treatment of women in general at Failbetter Games.” In his denial, Kennedy said that he had only consensual relationships, and he is calling the cops about what he calls a “campaign of harassment.” In response to this, Failbetter posted a statement on Twitter.
We believe and stand with everyone who has come forward to speak out about Alexis Kennedy tonight.
— Failbetter Games (@failbettergames) August 28, 2019 Bevan added that Failbetter Games has never provided evidence to support the allegations against Kennedy.
Luc Shelton In a tweet, Adelaide Gardner said that Splash Damage developer Luc Shelton physically and emotionally abused her.
Gardner said that he hurt her during sex and wouldn’t stop even when she asked him to. She also alleged that he would text her about how she was not allowed to take photos of his home. And when she stayed with him, she said he wouldn’t give her a way to get back into his home when he wasn’t around. She said if she left, she would end up locked outside for hours.
Shelton has not posted any public statement, and he has not responded to my requests.
Michael Antonov Antonov is one of the cofounders of Oculus VR.
In a thread on Twitter , Autumn Rose Taylor alleges that Antonov took her to a hotel room to show her demos of VR games. But while in VR, she claims that Antonov began putting his hands up her skirt.
Antonov no longer works at Oculus or Facebook. I have reached out to him for a comment, but he has not responded to my requests.
I also reached out to Oculus because Taylor says that this assault happened at one of the company’s events.
Marc Ten Bosch In her own Twitter thread , game developer Carrie Witt alleges that Bosch aggressively harassed her over multiple days of an industry event. She says that he would touch her and put his arm around her.
What made all of this worse is that no one around her stepped in to end the harassment. And when she did bring it up, people laughed it off. Witt says she tries to avoid industry events now because of this experience.
Bosch is an indie developer. He has not returned my requests for a comment. And he has not made any public statements.
Vlad Micu In the wake of the other #MeToo stories, game developer Mina Vanir resurfaced her Facebook post from October 2018 about Vlad Micu.
Vanir claims that Micu continued attempting to initiate sex even after she told him “no.” On top of that, when she tried to explain that his behavior wasn’t OK, he blamed her for not being clear enough. During that alleged conversation, Micu also brought up how he attempted to assess her willingness by rubbing his erection on her.
Micu is a business developer at Data Realms. He has not returned my requests for a statement. He has not publicly addressed the accusations.
Apology: In my original post, I misgendered an individual. I have corrected this, and I’m sorry.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Norway unveils energy-positive building showcasing smart city potential | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/norway-unveils-energy-positive-building-showcasing-smart-city-potential"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Norway unveils energy-positive building showcasing smart city potential Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
A new office building being unveiled today in Norway follows a template that its partners hope will spark greater momentum for a smart city movement designed to slow climate change.
Powerhouse Brattørkaia will be the latest and biggest energy-positive building in Norway. Located in the city of Trondheim, which has already been recognized as one of Norway’s most technologically advanced cities, the building will generate more power over its lifetime than it consumes.
The move to reinvent buildings is seen as an increasingly critical step toward fighting global warming.
A 2018 report by the United Nations estimated that buildings’ “construction and operations accounted for 36% of global final energy use and nearly 40% of energy‐related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2017.” Boosters have long advocated the idea that the Internet of Things, driven by greater connectivity and ubiquity of sensors, has the potential to transform cities by making them far more energy efficient.
But realizing that potential has often proved elusive.
That’s where the backers of the Powerhouse concept are hoping to change things. Powerhouse is the result of a collaboration between real estate company Entra, construction and development company Skanska, environmental organization ZERO, Snøhetta architects, and the consulting company Asplan Viak.
The group has completed four smaller projects using this approach. But the new office will be by far the largest.
The attention to environmentally friendly design starts with selecting and tracking the creation of all building materials. The exterior of the building is packed with solar panels, including a sloping roof that faces south for maximum exposure.
Inside, special concrete helps regulate the temperature, and the floors and offices are designed to efficiently circulate hot and cold air. The building is also situated along the waterfront, and sea water will also be used to cool the building.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x43YDfKCXIg&feature=youtu.be Smarter mobility Throughout the course of the year, the building will generate more power than it uses. So part of the concept is to make that excess power available to nearby users.
One of the use cases being demonstrated at the event is a partnership between Jaguar Land Rover and IOTA, a German foundation focused on research and development of new distributed ledger technologies.
Jaguar is incorporating “smart wallet” technology into vehicles that uses the IOTA Tangle distributed ledger. Using the wallet, a connected vehicle can both earn money and make micropayments for services.
For instance, the car’s sensors could spot and report potholes to an urban agency, which earns some money. It can be also used to automatically pay tolls.
In this case, the smart wallet can also track purchases of electricity from the Powerhouse building in part to also certify that the car is using green energy. The companies said this would be the first live demonstration of the JLR IOTA ewallet.
In addition, they also announced that France’s Engie Lab and Entra are now participants in this smart energy project.
While this just marks one small step toward reducing the energy usage of buildings, the Powerhouse concept points to a way forward. And if the concept is embraced, its impact could ripple into other areas, such as mobility, that could further reduce strain on the environment.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Nielsen: How to properly measure the impact of esports for brands and advertisers | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/nielsen-how-to-properly-measure-the-impact-of-esports-for-brands-and-advertisers"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Nielsen: How to properly measure the impact of esports for brands and advertisers Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Esports can fill stadiums for big events -- but is that enough? Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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Analysts predict esports should be a very big business in the future , and it is already amassing huge audiences. Brands and advertisers want to dive into it, but first the business has to be properly measured and understood.
And that’s the job of Nicole Pike, the managing director of Nielsen’s global esports business. I spoke with her about the challenges of properly measuring esports audiences for brands and advertising clients, and understanding the unique nature of esports fans. We talked about the trends and the hype.
Pike is going to be a speaker at the upcoming Esports BAR Miami event on October 1 to October 4. She has been following the game industry for a dozen years and in the past few years she has been consulting with key players in the sports business and measuring the impact of sponsorship campaigns with esports audiences.
Here’s an edited transcript of our interview.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Above: Nicole Pike is managing director for esports at Nielsen.
GamesBeat: When did you start getting focused on esports yourself? Nicole Pike: I’ve been in the gaming research and consulting space for going on 11 or 12 years now. As esports grew in terms of its influence in the gaming space, I started to get more involved through all the gaming clients we’ve worked with. As they were looking at esports and what their strategy around it was, my team helped to provide them with data and research on fans, helping to look at some initial strategy.
Nielsen, in mid-2017, decided to form a dedicated esports vertical that went deeper into the subject matter and really built a team that was 100 percent dedicated to working on esports across research and the sponsorship and measurement side of things. That’s when I started leading our global esports practice here.
GamesBeat: Those 11-12 years, was that all as an analyst at Nielsen, or were you in other roles? Pike: I started out in more of an analytical role. The crack that I helped to start in Nielsen around gaming—it started out being driven by consumer survey research. We started out with a lot of work with gaming clients around the launch of new games and gaming products like consoles, peripherals, that kind of thing. Both in terms of understanding consumer appeal and helping forecast sales, as well as helping them determine what to communicate about the products they’re offering and how to target fans. It was very specific to fans and new product initiatives, and very deep in the survey side of things.
From there we built a bridge into the same type of data in esports, and then supplemented that with a focus specifically around the sponsorship angle of esports, bringing in a lot of what our Nielsen sports practice does in the traditional sports space.
GamesBeat: How would you describe Nielsen’s main interest? Is it measuring the space in terms of brands and sponsorship and advertising in order to enable advertising commerce to happen? Or would you describe it in a different way? Pike: That’s a good description of a big part of what we do, or maybe even one step higher in terms of our overall initiative and mission and why we felt like Nielsen had a place in esports. We want to provide trusted data and measurements coming from a trusted third party in the esports space, to help companies, players, and investors across the ecosystem make smart decisions about how and if they should become involved in esports, and be able to measure how effective those decisions are.
With that in mind, a big part of it is, like you said, the brands and advertising element of things, looking at sponsorship and advertising investments. Measuring and providing data and information to inform the right decisions before they happen. But also we do a lot of work and research on the esports fan to help understand who they are and why they’re engaged with esports, which ultimately in a lot of ways ends up tying to that first goal, which is to provide more data and insight into the who, so that people make the right decisions about how to play in the space.
Above: Alienware and Riot Games have teamed up.
GamesBeat: Was it different in some way in terms of coming up with the right things to measure, compared to other kinds of media? Nielsen pioneered a lot of surveys for television watching. I don’t know if this is drastically different from what used to happen.
Pike: Part of it touches on the fact that there are a number of different parts and groups within Nielsen who measure different parts of the sponsorship and media ecosystem. You’re right on the traditional media and advertising side of things. Esports is a very different model in terms of it being digitally driven, high ad blocker usage rates. When digital ads are served they’re sometimes not received by the viewer. That landscape is very different.
However, on the sponsorship side of things, like I mentioned, our sports business does a lot of work tracking and measuring brand exposure from a sponsorship standpoint within the broadcast environment for live sports events, on social media, that sort of thing. That type of methodology, even if it’s mostly on digital versus linear TV for traditional sports, is actually very similar at the core in terms of what to measure, the dynamics and components that go into it. Obviously there are different broadcast sources we measure, different types of access that are activated in esports, but foundation of what and how to track is very similar and consistent from traditional sports to esports.
It’s one of the ways that we’ve been able to build a competitive advantage in the esports space. We can use and compare the metrics across sports and esports, which is very similar to how brands are thinking about their investments in esports.
GamesBeat: How many different kinds of reports are you doing? Are you doing them quarterly, or once a year? What’s the cadence? Pike: That depends on the product and what we’re looking at. From a free white paper standpoint, we’ve generally been doing—we launched our Playbook series, our Nielsen Esports Playbook, not too long after we launched our vertical, in late 2017. Then we expanded that into an Asian version in early 2018. We’ve more or less been averaging one really big thought leadership piece a year that tends to be a combination of fan data and our syndicated sponsorship measurement tool, which is called Esports 24. That tracks a number of different events throughout the course of a calendar year and looks at all the brand exposure that’s happening across the different assets and activations within that broadcast environment.
That’s our big thought leadership piece, but obviously, from a data collection standpoint, we’re collecting data ongoing for the sponsorship side of things throughout the year, as well as running survey work in a number of countries. Generally the surveys are annual, but we pace out the countries and who we’re interviewing when across the course of the year. That ends up being an ongoing data collection process with some other thought leadership pieces we put out to the public. Certainly we do a lot of custom projects and reporting for clients in the background as well.
GamesBeat: It sounds like a lot of this is hard to measure. You have to come with new ways to measure some things.
Pike: Again, it’s been an art and a science. We have the general framework for how we do things, either in traditional sports or in traditional media, and some components of that translate well to esports. There’s actually an advantage in using those, so we have that methodology across.
But yeah, there’s also a lot of complications and idiosyncrasies in esports that make it a bit more complicated. One is just the broadcast dynamics in esports, where you’ll often have—esports content is broadcast globally, number one, so you may have something happening where you can measure and look at brand exposure on Twitch, but it’s on a totally different broadcast environment in China.
That becomes two different sources of data, sometimes different times that things are aired, and then you also have in many cases non-exclusive broadcast rights. The same program could be broadcast in eight different places all over the world. Being able to understand whether those broadcasters are all the same or not, and all the viewership op—obviously there’s potential for overlap in viewers from one source to another. That dynamic itself is extremely complicated, and definitely something that’s different from what traditionally has been the case in sports. We’re starting to see sports move that way as well, with more OTT platforms and so on.
Above: Mastercard is embracing esports as well as traditional sports.
GamesBeat: I’m curious about women in esports, that side of things, and whether you’ve seen anything very interesting happen there. Recently, Riot Games settled their sexual harassment lawsuit with their employees. There’s been a lot of different controversies related to sexism in esports. For someone like Nielsen, does that show up on the radar in some way? Pike: The biggest way that we’ve looked into or collected data on women in esports tends to be centered around the fans. I certainly think that from a fan standpoint, we’re seeing, year over year, when we look at new entrants into the fanbase, more women are represented, relatively speaking. There’s a higher percentage of women in the newer fanbase than the legacy esports fanbase. That’s exciting. It shows that esports is attracting a more diverse audience over time, though it’s still definitely skewed male.
In terms of sexism and that sort of thing, we’ve certainly, from some survey data we’ve collected, we know it’s top of mind for women, and it’s also something that men recognize is happening. Even through conversations I’ve had across the industry in the past six to nine months, I’m bullish and excited about a lot of people in the industry looking at ways to combat that, and really understanding the value of the female audience, which has been largely untapped. They’re making a concentrated effort to do something about that, both in terms of grabbing the opportunity and running with it, as well as just being good citizens in the esports space.
I also think more and more brands are starting to put that pressure on esports. So many brands these days are concerned about—they want to make sure their investments are supporting diversity and equal play. As more and more brands have the money to spend in this space, and they’re asking about these things, the industry is going to realize it’s important. Ultimately they’ll see the benefit from that and that cycle will continue, which I’m pretty excited to see.
GamesBeat: There was also that Kotaku story about the overhyping of esports that ran recently. People threw out numbers that were just too optimistic. Did you see any fallout from that? Pike: Within that article, obviously, I was quoted and interviewed. Nielsen’s take on things has always been that we’re here to provide trusted, unbiased data. The clients that have already been working with us come to us for that. I certainly don’t think we saw anything from a client engagement standpoint. If anything, I think people realized, from that article and the discussion that has happened in and out of the industry as a result, the value of a company like Nielsen being in the space and what we can do to provide confidence based on data that’s rooted in the broader entertainment ecosystem.
When we look at esports, it’s one of a lot of different areas of entertainment that Nielsen plays in. We certainly can’t be biased toward esports, because that directly impacts all the other clients we have across the company. We have an obligation not only to the industry, but also to our clients, to make sure that we’re being fair and transparent. The value of that really shows through in some of the conversation that happened based on the Kotaku discussion.
Above: Twitch esports fans are proving to be enthusiastic.
GamesBeat: From your point of view, was there too much optimism, too much hype, or people getting ahead of themselves? Is there some kind of cycle that has gone along with that? Pike: First of all, I think my take is—certainly as Nielsen has looked at being in the esports space, the pattern and the growth trajectory of esports is very clear in terms of the growing fanbase and how esports is aligned with broader trends in media entertainment, which is going more digital. People want more choice. They want to be more interactive with their media content. From that standpoint, I certainly don’t think that the momentum that people are seeing and the growth people are seeing out of esports is inaccurate or misrepresented at all.
In terms of the actual numbers around the industry and things like that, Nielsen hasn’t ourselves put out any specific numbers. I have been, in different venues, outspoken about the viewership side of things, using different metrics that are not how other forms of media are talked about and measured. Being compared to the standards of TV measurement, which obviously Nielsen puts out. One of the big things that I really support and take away is making sure that the numbers that are put out—of course, that they’re accurate, but also that they’re being compared in an accurate context to other forms of entertainment, the things that people are putting them up against.
I do think we’ve seen that not happen as much in esports, and it’s been across the ecosystem, across a number of different players. That’s something I advocate for, and I think more and more people across the industry are pushing for it, which is great. It’s going to make everyone a lot more confident in the numbers that are coming out in the space, which is very healthy for the industry in the longer term.
GamesBeat: Are there some stats that you’re most interested in, or that you think people don’t notice as much, that stand out in some way? Pike: I think of a few things that get me excited, especially when we talk to brands about esports. A lot of times people are looking at the growth of esports and they focus on the western world, the more developed countries, just because that’s where a lot of the news comes from. When people ask if esports growth is going to continue—you see so many countries, and we as Nielsen have a global footprint through so many of our offices around the world.
There are so many countries where esports is just coming on the radar, both from a media consumption standpoint and brands realizing that there’s an opportunity, or wanting to put some money toward it, or they’re actually starting more local or regional initiatives where it makes sense for them to do that. From that standpoint we certainly see a lot of growth potential on that side. Global in general, there are a number of countries around the world where esports is just starting to get momentum, and we’ll continue to see that in a number of other places.
The other thing—we as Nielsen talk to so many brands, and have long-standing relationships with a number of clients. We’re still having conversations with companies that are extremely established, that have been around a long time, that are just starting to look at esports in a more serious way. Another question I get a lot is, “Is the potential, the opportunities, tapped out?” I think there’s still a ton of opportunities to get brands that have just dabbled involved in a deeper way, or even get brands that have not really looked at esports in a major way in terms of their investment in sponsorship and advertising. That’s an exciting thing to think about as well.
Above: Esports is on the rise.
GamesBeat: Are there any particular things you’re going to talk about at Esports Bar in Miami? Pike: What we’ve talked about today foreshadows a lot of it. You mentioned the Kotaku article. There’s a lot of discussion in the industry around transparency in numbers, and the idea of how important data is in esports, in driving the further potential of esports. That’s something the organizers at Esports Bar have asked us to get into a bit more. That’s going to be one of the big things I talk about: what type of data we’ve developed, how we’ve seen that make a meaningful difference for clients, and how, in the longer term, that can be supportive and help the industry, even if it doesn’t always necessarily mean that we’re putting out the biggest numbers. It doesn’t take really big numbers to show effectiveness. We’re going to walk through some cool examples of what success in esports means and how data can show that.
GamesBeat: As far as the measurement space goes, do you feel alone in what you do, or do you feel there’s a group of competitors here that help reinforce these general impressions related to the measurement that happens? Do you get some external reinforcement of your own measurements? Pike: There are certainly a number of different companies out there that are measuring esports – sometimes in similar ways, sometimes in different ways. The movement toward that is exciting, because three or four years ago, there was very little measurement happening in esports. Just seeing that, seeing brands ask for it, is exciting, and again really helping the industry propel forward.
We certainly see other companies out there where—there’s a couple places where I think we feel like the angle we’re taking is unique compared to the competition out there. One of those is having that true unbiased—we’re in esports, but we’re in just about every other form of media and entertainment out there. That’s unique and different with Nielsen.
We look at ROI and sponsorship effectiveness in a number of different ways. We’re not compartmentalized just in logo measurement or just in large global research studies. One of the reasons clients work with us is because we can do end to end. We can look at all the ways sponsorship affects things, whether it’s through social media, looking at fan conversation, looking at a really cool story around what fans are talking about around specific esports activations and brand partnerships, to understanding the value of logos, piping that into marketing mix modeling, and then layering survey research on top to look at the purchase funnel and how people go from being aware of a logo to buying a product because of esports.
That combination of things is where the story around esports shines. It’s not always going to be the media type with the highest reach, but it’s going to have cool engagement opportunities between fans and brands. You can’t get that from just coming at one component of it. But there’s a lot more to it, and we’re excited to be able to look at all those different aspects for our clients.
Above: Esports teams are getting more brand sponsorships.
GamesBeat: As far as the comparisons people make to traditional sports, it seems like there’s a certain advantage esports have with things like—anybody can aspire to be an esports star. It’s a wider potential base than just physically fit people. But also, it’s got the disadvantage of—the games come and go. They’re not as established as physical sports are. How do you think about that, and whether esports is overcoming some of this or not? Pike: First of all, I think the aspirational aspect of things is one of the coolest things about esports. It’s one of the reasons fans are so into it. When we do research with fans and ask why they like esports, the number one reason that they follow is consistently because they want to be better gamers themselves. You don’t get that with the majority of people watching the NFL or MLS or whatever it may be. They may have played at one point, but it’s hard for them to get out and play football now.
Gamers of all skill levels are still doing that and watching esports to interplay with that personal gameplay, which is super cool. It makes it feel like you’re a little closer to where that professional is, because you can be playing the same game as them at the same time as them. That doesn’t happen in the traditional sports space at all. I definitely think that’s a cool aspect.
As far as games coming and going, if you look at it strictly through the traditional sports window, it does feel like a challenge. Certainly we talk to a lot of brands that are concerned about that. On the flip side, you can think of it as an opportunity, a really cool aspect of esports. If you look at someone like Twitch building Twitch Rivals, that’s really taken that aspect of things and made an entire model based on that. Twitch Rivals wouldn’t exist if everyone was consistently into the same games. The publishers would have the lease and that would be it. But Twitch Rivals is attracting a ton of viewers, and it’s using that idea of, “A new game is coming in, people are excited about it, let’s get everyone watching it and do something around it.” One of the things we tell brands is, you certainly have to be comfortable as a brand with change and evolution, but that evolution doesn’t feel weird to fans and gamers. They’re the ones driving that in some ways, because they’re going from one game to the next. That’s what they want to see. If you can be a brand that accepts that and be willing to evolve, that can be a good thing with fans. They’ll see you as relevant. As long as you’re activating in a way that communicates with them and not just jumping on as each new trend hits, but doing it in a way that’s meaningful, that can be a really cool opportunity for brands that fit that model.
Again, it’s not something that the fans are fighting against or they’re frustrated with. They get it. If you, as a sponsor, really want to connect with fans, you just accept that as a part of the industry and find ways to work with it instead of against it.
Disclosure: The organizers are of Esports Bar Miami are paying my way to Miami. Our coverage remains objective.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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"Netmarble's Simon Sim on Hollywood licenses, mobile's future, and cloud gaming | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/netmarbles-simon-sim-on"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Netmarble’s Simon Sim on Hollywood licenses, mobile’s future, and cloud gaming Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn BTS World Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
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Netmarble has a knack for coming up with mobile game hits, including titles such as Lineage 2: Revolution , Marvel Future Fight, and BTS World.
It is updating those games constantly, and it is launching new titles such as Rich Wars and The King of Fighters Allstar. Lineage 2 has more than 30 million players and generated more than $1 billion in revenue, and that’s one reason why Netmarble is worth more than $6.5 billion in the stock market. The company has more than 4,000 developers, mostly in South Korea, and they’re focused on both original titles and licensed games.
I spoke with Simon Sim, the president of Netmarble U.S., about the growth of mobile gaming, the use of licenses in mobile games, why the company chose to invest in the BTS K-pop group as it was going global. We spoke about the future of mobile games, big licenses, the aborted Nexon deal, mobile graphics quality, and cloud gaming at the GameDaily Connect event this week in Anaheim.
Here’s an edited transcript of our interview.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Above: Simon Sim is president of Netmarble U.S.
GamesBeat: What was your talk focused on today? Simon Sim: The topic was how we deal with IP, and how to meet the expectations of the fans of each IP. I talked about Netmarble’s approach and the lessons we’ve learned.
GamesBeat: Is BTS one of the big ones there? Sim: Yes, BTS is a big IP of ours. I also explained examples like Marvel Future Fight, and how Lineage II: Revolution is a different genre. Marvel fans have different expectations. They love action and collecting the Marvel heroes. We tried to meet that audience when we launched Marvel Future Fight. Lineage II: Revolution is based on a PC MMORPG, so we made a true MMORPG on mobile to meet those fans’ expectations.
BTS, as you know, is a very popular K-pop idol group. It’s an artist IP. But the fans are very casual gamers, mostly, or non-gamers. We made our game BTS World a very casual game mechanically, something that’s easy to play, and focused on collaborating with the music side. We have a soundtrack release. The game works together with the music.
GamesBeat: What’s the scale of investment in those games? How many developers work on each of these things? Sim: I need to check the actual number of developers. But my understanding so far is that in Korea, where we have our first-party studios, more than 4,000 people are developing games. These are large-scale games. We need lots of human resources over there. It depends on the genre and the scale of an individual game, though.
Above: Netmarble’s Marvel Future Fight is a huge hit.
GamesBeat: Does it feel like any one of those three is the biggest effort for you? Sim: As far as the most investment — it’s hard to say. If you look at our track record at Netmarble, we’ve tried to diversify. Lineage II: Revolution is a true MMORPG. That’s a big scale of investment. Blade and Soul is another true MMORPG. Those kinds of games need a lot of human resources. At the same time, other genres — Marvel Future Fight is an action-RPG, but we need to put a lot of content in there. It’s hard to say which one is the biggest effort. It depends on the genre.
GamesBeat: I know you put actual investment into BTS. That seemed very unusual, and very complicated.
Sim: Yes, we invested in 25 percent of Big Hit Entertainment. We think there’s a good opportunity to diversify our game genres and reach a broader audience that way. That was the thinking behind that investment. We’re looking for a lot of synergy there.
GamesBeat: You benefit every time they do a concert.
Sim: [laughs] It’s the same with the Marvel games. Marvel Future Fight, whenever Marvel brings another movie out, we have an opportunity for synergy between Marvel and us. We do a lot of content updates alongside the movies. BTS is the same. We update with a lot of new content. We expect a similar synergy in the future between the activities of BTS as a group and our game.
GamesBeat: There are a lot of K-pop groups that have become very popular. Did you catch BTS as they were going global, or before that? Was it already obvious that they were going to be a global phenomenon? Sim: When we started work on the BTS game, that was more than two years ago. It wasn’t easy. At the time BTS had already become popular. We expected them to become more popular, but we didn’t expect the kind of scale they’ve reached. It’s hard to predict. But again, it’s the same when we approach other genre. We watch the trends and we have a focus team that develops expectations as far as which IP and genres we should work in.
GamesBeat: Was there anything you could compare BTS to? Did you look at things like Kim Kardashian’s Hollywood and other celebrity games? Sim: We definitely looked at that genre, at other games featuring celebrities. We played a lot of games and benchmarked their performance. At the same time, the fans are different. BTS is more about music. A big chunk of their fans aren’t gamers. We referenced existing games, but at the same time, we knew we needed to deliver the right style and mechanics to meet those fans’ expectations.
Above: A friendly Orc in Lineage 2: Revolution.
GamesBeat: It’s a big opportunity. They just seem to be getting bigger and bigger.
Sim: Day by day, they’re becoming more popular. We’re very excited about it.
GamesBeat: I’ve become more aware of them lately. One of my daughters is a big fan. She plays the game.
Sim: As I say, we tried to make BTS World a very casual game. We went for a generous model of monetization. Also, we make a lot of content. We have more than 10,000 photos and more than 100 videos. You can tell your daughter there’s more coming. [laughs] GamesBeat: When you’re updating BTS World or doing live operations, is it very different from when you do that with Marvel and other games? Sim: The approach is similar. Whenever a Marvel movie is coming, we do content updates and new character releases or costume releases. We try to find synergy and market opportunities between what Marvel’s doing and what we do. That’s how we’ve kept Marvel Future Fight popular around the world. In our experience with BTS World, we have a similar approach. We try to find synergy in our updates and marketing activity. The IP holders are very different, though. In some respects we think differently.
GamesBeat: A deal between Netmarble and Nexon never happened. Were some people disappointed? Sim: I can’t talk about that. [laughs] GamesBeat: It seemed like a big false alarm. “We’re going to sell… No, we’re not going to sell.” Sim: I don’t know. I don’t think our company has any comment about that.
GamesBeat: It does feel like the deal-making space is very active in gaming.
Sim: True. These days there’s a lot of investment going on. We’ve seen that too.
GamesBeat: Eric Goldberg says there’s something like 17 game-focused VCs working right now. You have Apple, Google, and Amazon. There’s more money than ever being invested in games.
Sim: We think so too. We’re proactively looking for investment opportunities. We’ve become the largest shareholder in Jam City, and we acquired Kabam. Big Hit was another case. We’ve invested in some studios that we’re going to announce later. We’re also looking in the western market for potential investments, to extend our genre portfolio and our presence on a larger scale.
GamesBeat: Is mobile still going to be your main market? Sim: Yes, mobile is still our main market. At the same time, we’re also trying to extend our games. A couple of weeks ago we announced a publishing deal with an HTML5-based MMORPG. We keep watching the trends. We’ll try other approaches beyond mobile.
Above: Blade & Soul is one of Netmarble’s hits.
GamesBeat: Does esports feel like an opportunity for you? Sim: Yes, esports is an important topic for gaming in general. We’ve already launched King of Fighters: All Star in Korea and Japan. It’s a popular fighting IP, and we’ve made a beat-em-up with RPG features. We’ve had tournaments in Japan and Korea. Lineage II: Revolution also has realtime PvP features, and we’ve held massive tournaments in Korea. Some of our games, we’ve tried to experiment with esports features. We keep looking for the right genres and the right games that are more esports-friendly. We’ll keep trying.
GamesBeat: As far as growing more in the west, what does that mean for you? Sim: We recently announced our earnings for the second quarter, where 40 percent of our revenues came from North America and Europe, including revenue from Jam City and Kabam together. The west is already a big market for Netmarble. We’ll keep bringing strong IP, more western-friendly IP, like King of Fighters, within this year. We’ll also keep looking for investment opportunities.
Our approach to the western market is very important, through both investment and launching our own IP to western audiences. We have a very strong lineup for the rest of this year and early next year. We’ll be showing you more games once we’re ready.
GamesBeat: I got a good look at Black Desert on mobile at Gamescom. They had an interesting decision to make about taking a really beautiful PC game to mobile and optimizing it for mobile hardware, versus bringing something like Black Desert Online to Google Stadia and then having it be playable on mobile devices that way. Both approaches would work, but they decided that optimization for mobile would work a lot better. The best way to play that kind of game was with a build that was made for that platform.
Sim: We’ve had a similar experience already with Lineage II: Revolution. We customized a lot of features from the Asian version when we developed the western version. An Asian-friendly male warrior, for example, isn’t as popular with western gamers. We changed a lot of things about the visuals, UI, and UX. The content balance and playtime per day is different between Asian gamers and western gamers, too. With just one build it’s hard to match different behaviors. That’s why we made the decision to separate the builds.
Content consumption-wise, the Asian market is very interested in growing toward the goal of endgame content. In Lineage II: Revolution, the end content is realtime massive-scale battles. Western gamers, though, they don’t as often get to the endgame content without dropping partway through. We put in a lot of smaller-scale PvP content during the journey to the endgame. We’ve learned a lot doing culturalization, learning how to fit the two markets. The user behavior is very different, especially in MMORPGs, which call for so much time and effort.
Above: Simon Sim is head of Netmarble US GamesBeat: If Stadia comes along, do you think you’d have to build something just for Stadia, if you wanted to work with Stadia? Sim: We haven’t talked about our strategy with Stadia or other cloud-based platforms yet. But we’ll keep discussing and thinking about what will be the right way to go. Once we’ve made a decision, we can share more with you. But we have a couple of options we can consider.
GamesBeat: Is there anything else you’ve been paying close attention to? Sim: King of Fighters: All Star is coming soon. We’re trying to make a more western-friendly game. The IP is already popular across North America, and even Latin America. We’re very excited about that.
Another topic I talked about during a previous session, we’re trying to embrace games based on our own IP. Everybody’s Marble has been very successful across Asia, and so has Seven Knights. We’re trying to build franchises around them, to extend that IP across a bigger fanbase. There are two approaches we’re working on now. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you updated.
Disclosure: The organizers of GameDaily Connect paid my way to Anaheim. Our coverage remains objective.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
All rights reserved.
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"Microsoft's Icecaps toolkit makes multiple-persona conversational AI with multitask learning | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/microsofts-icecaps-toolkit-makes-multiple-persona-conversational-ai-with-multitask-learning"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Microsoft’s Icecaps toolkit makes multiple-persona conversational AI with multitask learning Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Microsoft Artificial Intelligence and Research Group executive VP Harry Shum prepares to speak onstage at Build, a Microsoft developer conference held in Seattle in May 2017.
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Icecaps , an open source toolkit for neural conversational networks from Microsoft Research, made its debut today. Icecaps is an acronym that stands for Intelligent Conversation Engine: Code and Pre-trained Systems, and it uses multitask learning to do things like give conversational AI systems multiple, different personas.
A combination of personality embeddings and word embeddings is key to Icecaps’ ability to personalize personas. Using such an approach, AI assistants could speak in different ways based on the person they’re talking to or to match specific scenarios.
“Several of these tools were driven by recent work done here at Microsoft Research, including personalization embeddings, maximum mutual information-based decoding, knowledge grounding, and an approach for enforcing more structure on shared feature representations to encourage more diverse and relevant responses,” Microsoft researchers Vighnesh Leonardo Shiv said today in a blog post.
Pre-trained models for developers to build upon or use immediately will be released in the coming months, starting with stochastic answer networks and personalized transformers.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! “We had hoped to include these systems with Icecaps at launch. However, given that these systems may produce toxic responses in some contexts, we have decided to explore improved content-filtering techniques before releasing these models to the public,” the Icecaps GitHub page reads.
The Icecaps library uses the TensorFlow machine learning framework and SpaceFusion , a way to inject regularization into multitask learning environments and improve efficiency.
A cohort of a dozen members of Microsoft Research published a paper today on ACL with more details about the making of Icecaps.
In May, Microsoft also used multitask learning to create MT-DNN , an NLP model derived from Google’s BERT currently ranked third on the GLUE language understanding benchmark leaderboard behind Facebook’s RoBERTa and Google’s XLNet.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview with tablet and recovery improvements | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/microsoft-releases-new-windows-10-preview-with-tablet-and-recovery-improvements"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview with tablet and recovery improvements Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
Learn more.
Microsoft today released a new Windows 10 preview with tablet and recovery improvements. The update bumps Windows 10 from build 18965 (made available to testers on August 21) to build 18970. These builds are from the 20H1 branch, which represents the Windows 10 update that will arrive in the first half of next year.
Windows 10 is being developed as a service , meaning it receives new features on a regular basis. Microsoft has released seven major updates so far: November Update , Anniversary Update , Creators Update , Fall Creators Update , April 2018 Update , October 2018 Update , and May 2019 Update.
This build introduces a new tablet experience for 2-in-1 convertible PCs. The new experience lets you enter tablet posture without interruption. There are a few changes, though: Spacing between Taskbar icons increases, the search box collapses into an icon, File Explorer switches to touch-optimized layout, and touch keyboard auto-invokes when you tap text fields. There are also a few small changes to the tablet section in Settings.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Reset this PC now provides users a new choice to download Windows or use local reinstall. Until now, Reset this PC was only able to do a local reinstall from existing Windows files. The cloud download option will reinstall the same build, version, and edition that is currently installed.
Bug fixes This 20H1 build includes the following bug fixes and improvements: Fixed a DWM memory leak that was impacting the previous two flights.
Fixed an issue resulting in some WSL distros not loading ( Issue #4371 ).
Fixed an issue impacting a small number of Insiders, involving a lsass.exe crash and resulting in a message saying, “Windows ran into a problem and needs to restart.” Fixed an issue resulting in WIN+(period) closing if you tried to search for an emoji when focus was set to a text field in an Electron app.
Fixed two issues that could result in Settings crashing when interacting with options on the Search page.
Improved the launch performance of Settings when the Settings header is visible.
Fixed an issue resulting in some Insiders experiencing a bug check with BTHport.sys in recent flights.
It’s important to periodically back up your data. Starting in recent Insider builds, Windows Home and Pro users without a first party backup solution will now see a friendly reminder to consider setting up a backup option that is included with Windows. If you’d prefer to turn this off, there’s an option to do so in the notification.
Addressed feedback about the acrylic in certain surfaces not appearing immediately. In this build, it’s fixed for Start menu, the volume flyout, the network flyout, the clock & calendar flyout, and notification toasts.
Some bug fixes and improvements to Magnifier reading capabilities.
Improved Magnifier performance when moving the mouse around the screen.
Resolved an issue where Control + Alt + L would not put Magnifier into Lens mode.
Squashed several of them related to the new text cursor indicator. Text cursor indicator now appears and disappears more reliably. Text cursor indicator preview in settings no longer changes size when text scaling was on.
Improved Magnifier reliability.
Fixed an issue where the File Explorer search suggestions weren’t being read out by Narrator.
Fixed an issue in Narrator where it would speak “unknown” if you had the “Header Status” column enabled within Outlook as you arrowed between different email messages.
Fixed a couple Narrator dialog reading issues. Narrator would sometimes speak “empty document” or stop the dialog reading too early.
Fixed an issue where Narrator would not always speak the group name of a radio button on web pages.
Fixed an issue with Narrator and Excel not speaking the column header when arrowing between cells in a table.
Fixed an issue where Narrator would only speak “item” when navigating by table cells in an Outlook email instead of reading the entire cell’s contents.
Narrator will now read webpages from the top of the page and not at the main landmark with a fallback to find a paragraph. Thank you for your feedback! Narrator now supports the aria-haspopup property.
Improved Outlook performance and stability when reading mail messages in Outlook.
Improved Narrator reliability.
Changed Narrator input learning, so you just have to press Narrator + 1 once to turn input learning off.
Fixed an issue when a user navigated to a webpage in Edge, Narrator would read just the URL field and not the webpage.
Fixed an issue when a user was replying to an email in Outlook, Narrator was automatically reading the message while the user was trying to type.
Known issues This build has seven known issues: There has been an issue with older versions of anti-cheat software used with games where after updating to the latest 19H1 Insider Preview builds may cause PCs to experience crashes. Make sure you are running the latest version of your games before attempting to update the operating system.
Some Realtek SD card readers are not functioning properly.
The minimize, maximize, and close title bar buttons aren’t working for certain apps. Alt+F4 should work as expected to close the app if needed.
Text on Devices pages in Settings for “Bluetooth and Other Devices” and “Printers and Scanners” isn’t rendering correctly.
Search isn’t working for Insiders using certain display languages, including Polish. If you are impacted by this, switching your display language to English then back to your preferred display language should resolve it.
As always, don’t install this on your production machine.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
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"Homeworld 3: Blackbird Interactive's next space real-time strategy game raises money on Fig | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/homeworld-3-blackbird-interactives-next-space-real-time-strategy-game-raises-money-on-fig"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Homeworld 3: Blackbird Interactive’s next space real-time strategy game raises money on Fig Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship.
Learn more.
Gearbox Software and Blackbird Interactive showed a trailer today confirming that Homeworld 3 is in development. They also said that Blackbird is raising money for the game on the Fig crowdfunding service.
Blackbird’s founder is Rob Cunningham, the original art director for Homeworld. Relic Entertainment developed this sci-fi real-time strategy game in 1999, and Sierra published it. Homeworld 2 came out in 2003, and Sierra published it as well.
Gearbox Software, the maker of Borderlands 3 , now owns the intellectual property, and it will be the publisher.
Homeworld has always been about real-time space battles with huge numbers of fighters and capital ships, sort of like the Battle of Endor at the end of Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi.
The new game will have everything from tiny interceptors to large capital ship battles, along with massive dreadnaughts that dwarf a fleet.
In a post on Fig, the companies said that “Homeworld 3 is the true sequel to the legendary space-faring RTS.” The game will return “the series to its roots with a gripping continuation of the story, fully 3D combat, and the classic RTS elements you expect.” Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! The game is already in preproduction, and preorders are available on Fig. Blackbird said the project is “incredibly early” and so fans have a chance to impact the game’s development. The company made the announcement ahead of PAX West, the big fan event in Seattle.
“This is your chance to tell us what you expect of Homeworld 3, including its features, priorities, and even what the collector’s edition will include,” Blackbird said. “We’ll share the data we’ve received from you throughout the game’s development and show how its influenced the scope and priorities of Homeworld 3. It’s a unique experience that only Fig can offer and we’re excited for the most open development process in both Blackbird’s and Gearbox’s history. Of course, because it’s Fig, there’s the unique opportunity to invest in Homeworld 3’s success. You don’t just get the game. You get a chance to profit too. If you’re not into it, no worries. We’ll see you at launch later down the line.” The latest game follows the two 2015’s Homeworld Remastered Collection and 2016’s Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, the well-received prequel to the original game.
Cunningham was an original founding member of Relic Entertainment and was the art director for the original Homeworld game in 1999 and its sequel Homeworld 2 in 2003. He went on to be the Relic creative director working on the Dawn of War and Company of Heroes franchises. After leaving Relic in 2007, Cunningham turned his attention towards forming a new game studio with the singular goal of creating world-class, immersive, compelling and stylish interactive games. With this vision as a proverbial guidestone, he is ecstatic to finally be bringing the long-awaited Homeworld sequel to old and new fans alike.
Rory McGuire, chief creative officer, began his career at High Moon Studios where he designed the Darkwatch and Bourne Conspiracy games. He spent a number of years at Sony Online working on titles including Planetside 2 and DC Universe Online. After joining Blackbird, McGuire led the design efforts on Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak combining Homeworlds epic storytelling with fast paced terrestrial RTS action. After the release of DoK, he has led the studios business development efforts and oversees the design of all BBI projects as studio creative director.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"CERN scientists join Zenuity machine learning for autonomous vehicles initiative | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/cern-scientists-join-zenuity-machine-learning-for-autonomous-vehicles-initiative"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages CERN scientists join Zenuity machine learning for autonomous vehicles initiative Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Are you ready to bring more awareness to your brand? Consider becoming a sponsor for The AI Impact Tour. Learn more about the opportunities here.
Zenuity, a joint venture between Volvo and Autoliv, today said it plans to work with European Organization for Nuclear Research (aka CERN) to speed machine learning for autonomous vehicles.
Based near Geneva, Switzerland, CERN works with scientists from 23 EU member states and is best known as maker of the Hadron Particle Collider, a 16-mile underground loop that pushes subatomic particles close to the speed of light.
Zenuity said it’s working with CERN to address big-data challenges introduced by autonomous vehicles. Cars that compute quickly can reach decisions faster and potentially avoid accidents.
“Addressing these issues is crucial for the development of safe autonomous driving (AD) cars and is a key part of Zenuity’s long-term ambition to speed up the development of vehicles that will completely eliminate car collisions and associated injuries and fatalities,” a Zenuity blog post said.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Between cameras and lidar sensors that generate megabytes of data each second and GPS, radar, and other sensors that continuously generate data, Intel predicted in 2016 that autonomous vehicles will grow to generate 4,000 gigabytes of data each day by 2020.
Given the great compute resources needed to power the particle collider and its nuclear research, CERN is experienced with working with large amounts of data.
“I think it says something important about the collaborative nature of science that an organization like CERN that conducts high-energy particle collisions can work with a company that is dedicated to completely eliminating collisions … in traffic,” said Zenuity CEO Dr. Dennis Nobelius in a statement.
Along with TPUs and GPUs, FPGAs are part of the acronym alphabet soup of hardware that enables machine learning acceleration such as Microsoft’s Project Brainwave.
FPGAs are also used in high-performance computing operations and datacenters. For example, Azure uses FPGAs for encryption and compression in all its datacenters, and Intel’s Agilex line of chips that focus on datacenter operations released its first chip today.
Zenuity and CERN want to use FPGAs as part of the goal to better handle big data, but also to reduce memory consumption and runtime needs of deep learning algorithms.
Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, Zenuity currently has more than 600 employees in China, Germany, Sweden, and the United States.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact.
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The AI Impact Tour Join us for an evening full of networking and insights at VentureBeat's AI Impact Tour, coming to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles! VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Beat Saber's Jaroslav Beck wants to invest in other studios | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/beat-sabers-jaroslav-beck-wants-to-invest-in-other-studios"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Beat Saber’s Jaroslav Beck wants to invest in other studios Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Beat Saber has been a huge hit on VR.
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Jaroslav Beck recently stepped down from his role as CEO of the company behind Beat Saber to “fully focus on our music roadmap and future opportunities.” Now he’s looking to invest in “supporting new developers.” Time to give something back. If you're VR developer and need some support to finish your awesome idea, play this video.
pic.twitter.com/2Z8VLKMwE4 — Jaroslav Beck (@JaroslavBeck) August 22, 2019 Beck is the mind behind the incredibly catchy music of Beat Saber which helped cement its status as worldwide hit by giving players satisfying songs to dance-slice their way to the top of the scoreboard. Beat Games is the Prague-based company behind Beat Saber and it is currently led by Vladimir Hrincar, who co-created the game with Jan Ilavsky.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! Beck, meanwhile, is apparently working to chart the company’s course through the entrenched players of the music industry. At Gamescom this year he said he saw a number of new VR games and decided “it would be great to put a bunch money together and start supporting new developers who are creating games or applications for VR and who are thinking a little bit more out of the box, because I believe that VR desperately needs new directions in game mechanics and overall approach.” Beck says it is a personal project. I reached out to him after he posted the above video to see what kind of a response he’s getting. He said he’s a bit overwhelmed by that response, but still interested in seeing more VR projects and providing advice or financial investment. Beck’s direct messages on Twitter are open.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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"Asmodee Digital launches The Lord of the Rings card game on Steam | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/asmodee-digital-launches-the-lord-of-the-rings-card-game-on-steam"
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"Artificial Intelligence View All AI, ML and Deep Learning Auto ML Data Labelling Synthetic Data Conversational AI NLP Text-to-Speech Security View All Data Security and Privacy Network Security and Privacy Software Security Computer Hardware Security Cloud and Data Storage Security Data Infrastructure View All Data Science Data Management Data Storage and Cloud Big Data and Analytics Data Networks Automation View All Industrial Automation Business Process Automation Development Automation Robotic Process Automation Test Automation Enterprise Analytics View All Business Intelligence Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Statistical Analysis Predictive Analysis More Data Decision Makers Virtual Communication Team Collaboration UCaaS Virtual Reality Collaboration Virtual Employee Experience Programming & Development Product Development Application Development Test Management Development Languages Asmodee Digital launches The Lord of the Rings card game on Steam Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Asmodee Digital goes Tolkien.
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Asmodee Digital has launched The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game on the Windows PC and Mac via Steam.
The first adventure card game set in the fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game lets players face epic challenges during solo and cooperative adventures.
The game is inspired by the cooperative Living Card Game, The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. Combining a strong immersive narrative experience with rich deck-building strategies, The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game will put players’ skills to the test.
Above: Asmodee Digital has launched The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game.
Adventure card gaming Players can experience the only card game that lets them play an adventurer in Middle-earth. They will craft their own stories in the rich world of J.R.R. Tolkien by engaging in solo card-based battles or in collaborative campaigns with a friend in co-op mode.
Event GamesBeat at the Game Awards We invite you to join us in LA for GamesBeat at the Game Awards event this December 7. Reserve your spot now as space is limited! A new story in Middle-earth Gamers can develop and discover new stories in the world depicted in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. They can build a Fellowship of heroes from some of the most iconic characters and wage battle in the most famous locations of the Third Age of Middle-earth.
A unique way of delivering new content Players can obtain full expansion packs that provide both campaigns with new quests and hero packs with thematic cards, forging their adventures in Middle-earth.
Above: Asmodee Digital’s The Lord of the Rings card game is out on Mac and PC via Steam.
Unique game mechanics Players build custom decks, each based around three heroes with unique abilities. They draw upon an ever-growing pool of cards based on the distinctive spheres of the selected heroes. Players can then challenge themselves along with friends to complete quests.
They progress through their story by defeating the forces of Sauron in combat, and by using willpower to resolve objectives. Willpower can also be added to the fate pool, used to trigger contextual abilities during a quest. In turn, the threat meter displays the increasing danger from Sauron, triggering roadblocks that can disrupt player strategies.
The latest Encounter 3: Gundabad Awoken is also included, allowing players to venture deep into the Orcish stronghold of Gundabad. Every step of the way, Sauron will unveil dynamic new abilities, including new Event, Shadow, and Treachery cards that will put players’ Fellowships to the test.
Thanks to the feedback provided by players during its Early Access phase on Steam, The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game features a tuned user interface, a comprehensive tutorial, as well as refined gameplay mechanics.
All Early Access players will be offered the OST for free on Steam as a reward for their involvement in improving the digital version. To celebrate the game’s launch on Steam, a 50% discount is available for the Shadow’s Fall campaign until September 9.
During autumn 2019, The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game will be released on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. The game costs $20, and the Shadow’s Fall campaign is available for $5 until September 9, and then $10 afterward.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
Discover our Briefings.
Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
VentureBeat Homepage Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS Press Releases Contact Us Advertise Share a News Tip Contribute to DataDecisionMakers Careers Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2023 VentureBeat.
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Subsets and Splits
Wired Articles Filtered
Retrieves up to 100 entries from the train dataset where the URL contains 'wired' but the text does not contain 'Menu', providing basic filtering of the data.