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"Facebook's huge drone completes second test flight without crashing | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/facebooks-huge-drone-completes-second-test-flight-without-crashing"
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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’s huge drone completes second test flight without crashing Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Facebook Aquila drone in flight.
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Facebook’s big, solar-powered drone has taken flight once again. The social networking giant said Thursday that it’s Aquila drone completed its second test flight on May 22 at the Yuma Proving Ground, a U.S. military facility, in Arizona.
The drone, which has the wingspan of a Boeing 737, flew for 1 hour and 46 minutes and “landed perfectly on our prepared landing site,” wrote Martin Luis Gomez, Facebook’s director of aeronautical platforms.
The fact that the drone landed correctly is noteworthy considering that last summer’s test flight had a rocky ending, with strong winds and turbulence leading to technical errors in its autopilot system and the drone’s right wing snapping off.
Last summer, Facebook said the first test flight was a success and did not reference the crash. A few months later, however, Bloomberg News reported that the National Transportation Safety Board was investigating the accident , which ultimately led to the NTSB releasing a public report of the crash.
In case anyone had doubts about the latest test flight, on Thursday Facebook also showed a short video of the drone landing without smashing in an open field.
Gomez outlined a couple ways ensured that Aquila’s second flight would be smoother than the last, including outfitting the drone with more sensors to gather additional aerial data, tweaking the autopilot software, and “installing a horizontal propeller stopping mechanism to support a successful landing.” The purpose of this flight appeared to be whether Facebook’s new safety and anti-crashing techniques would work.
Facebook debuted its drone project in 2015, and pitched it as a way for the company to eventually beam the Internet down to areas in the world where people lack web-connectivity. The ultimate goal is for Facebook to fly large fleets of these drones that will hover in the air for days at altitudes of 60,000 to 90,000 feet. From there, the drones will connect to one another and distribute the web down to the earth like a sort of makeshift data center in the high skies.
Aquila reaching an altitude of 3,000 feet for its second test flight is a sign that Facebook is likely years away from reaching its intended goal.
But the company has competition. Chinese media reported in June that the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics, a China-based research institution, successfully flew a solar-powered drone over 65,000 feet in the air. The China Daily report did not say how long the flight was, just that the drone “took off in the morning and flew back to the airport late at night.” 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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"Corpse of U.S. IPO market showed slight pulse in Q2 | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/corpse-of-u-s-ipo-market-showed-slight-pulse-in-q2"
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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 Corpse of U.S. IPO market showed slight pulse in Q2 Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn It seems reports of the U.S. IPO market’s death may be slightly premature, as the number of companies going public and the amount they raised reached two-year highs in the second quarter.
To be clear, it’s not exactly going gangbusters. But according to the latest report from Renaissance , there’s no need to send the patient to the morgue.
The firm notes that the 54 IPOs in Q2 raised $11 billion, more capital over six months than companies raised in all of 2016. However, that is in part a reflection of what a catastrophe 2016 was for IPOs.
For Silicon Valley, there’s more good news. Tech offerings led the way, along with health care. And on the whole, those tech IPOs did well, with eight of 10 trading up. That’s a solid performance in the first quarter since the mega Snap IPO, which has sputtered as the stock dipped to $17.89 on Thursday, from a previous high of $27.09 just after trading began.
Still, it’s not exactly time for venture capitalists along Sand Hill Road to be dancing on the rooftops.
There were seven VC-backed tech IPOs, which has been the steady average since 2010. Those IPOs did well, trading up 28 percent on average, with most rising at least 20 percent on the first day. Some of these decided to go public despite raising down rounds or issuing stock below their unicorn-ish private valuations.
Renaissance said this could be a sign that over-valued companies are finally deciding they need the cash, even if it comes with the risk of accepting a lower valuation.
Despite the relatively rosy tech numbers, the quarter ended on a bit of a downer for tech. Among the notable tech names that went public in Q2 was Blue Apron , which raised $100 million but was forced to drop its offering price to $10 from the original $15 to $17 range. Coming on the heels of Amazon’s Whole Foods acquisition seems to have dampened enthusiasm for the IPO, with the stock hovering around $10.
The largest IPO of the quarter came from cable provider Altice USA. Altice raised $1.9 billion, the biggest U.S. telecom IPO since the go-go days of 2000.
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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5,415 | 2,017 |
"AWS launches turbocharged cloud virtual desktop | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/aws-launches-turbocharged-cloud-virtual-desktop"
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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 AWS launches turbocharged cloud virtual desktop Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Amazon Web Services stickers.
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Amazon Web Services has launched a new cloud virtual desktop offering that provides users with a turbocharged machine they can access over the internet. The WorkSpaces Power bundle offers users four virtual CPUs, a whopping 16GiB of RAM (1GiB is roughly 1.074GB), and 275GB of total storage.
The bundle is meant for developers, data analysts, and other people who want compute- and memory-heavy lifting to get their work done. As you might expect, the bundle commands a premium price.
Users will have to pay $78 per month for a Power bundle WorkSpace running in AWS’ US-East region in Northern Virginia. That’s $43 more per month than a Standard bundle, which offers 2 virtual CPUs, 4GiB of memory, and 130GB of total storage. (Customers can also choose to pay $19 per month and 68 cents an hour for a Power bundle, if they don’t expect to use the WorkSpace very frequently.) It’s part of the company’s continued expansion of WorkSpaces, a popular product that enables companies to hook employees up with virtual Windows machines that only exist in an AWS data center. The new Power bundle means that cheap, slow machines can behave like high-powered laptops that cost much more — provided they have a high-speed connection to AWS’s cloud.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! One of the other key benefits to these machines is that they have low latency access to data stored with AWS. For example, it’s possible to use a WorkSpace to do quick analysis on large amounts of data stored in the AWS Simple Storage Service, since a machine running in an Amazon data center can access that information much more quickly.
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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5,416 | 2,017 |
"After trimming price, Tintri closes up 4% and raises $60 million | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/after-trimming-price-tintri-closes-up-4-and-raises-60-million"
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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 Analysis After trimming price, Tintri closes up 4% and raises $60 million 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.
Following a pattern set by earlier IPOs in the enterprise cloud sector, Tintri’s stock rose nearly 4 percent on its first day of trading in the wake of a stock offering valued well below its previous round of private financing.
Tintri debuted its stock on Nasdaq at $7 a share, below the range of $10.50 a share and $12.50 a share that it had initially proposed. The stock closed Friday up 3.9 percent at $7.27, after rising as high as $7.75 a share.
Tintri’s offering , which raised $60.2 million for the company, closes out a disappointing week for tech IPOs. Yesterday, Blue Apron priced its offering at $10 a share, also below its initial pricing range, and closed Friday down 6.6 percent at $9.34. Tintri had also hoped to debut its stock Thursday but changed its plans.
Tintri’s offering valued the company at $216 million, below the reported $785 million valuation at Tintri’s last round of private financing in July 2015.
Above: Tintri cofounder and CTO Kieran Harty Tintri’s enterprise cloud platform uses flash storage systems to offer companies public cloud capabilities on their own systems. The company has more than 1,300 customers, including Chevron, UnitedHealthcare, Sony, Toyota, and Comcast.
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’re allowing customers to deploy an AWS-like cloud in their datacenter,” said cofounder Kieran Harty in an interview with VentureBeat. Tintri is planning to use proceeds to help expand its technology to include integration of on-premise data centers with the public cloud, as well as new analytics and backup features.
Harty also said the proceeds will help push the company to become cash-flow breakeven and eventually profitable. In its last fiscal year, Tintri posted a negative cash flow of $70.4 million and burned through another $19 million in its most recent quarter. The company had $49 million in cash on hand at the end of April.
Like many startups in the enterprise-cloud space, Tintri is seeing strong revenue growth but also substantial losses. Its revenue rose 33 percent year over year in the three months through April to $30.4 million, while its net loss stayed roughly flat at $30.5 million. Last year, revenue grew 45 percent to $125 million, while net loss grew to $106 million from $101 million in 2015.
“We view it as being a good house in a tough neighborhood,” Harty said. “There are some negative experiences that people have had in the enterprise infrastructure space.” Other cloud IPOs have gone public at a discount to their earlier, private-round valuations. Cloudera, for example, went public at $15 a share in April, valuing the company around $2 billion — below its $4.1 billion valuation back in 2014.
On the other hand, this year’s class of cloud IPOs are trading above their offering prices. Cloudera is up 5 percent from its offering price, while Alteryx is up 49 percent and Appian is up 53 percent.
Morgan Stanley and BofA Merrill Lynch served as lead underwriters on Tintri’s IPO. The company’s largest investors following the IPO are New Enterprise Associates, which owns 16.9 percent; Silver Lake Kraftwerk, owning 15.1 percent; and Insight Venture Partners, owning 14.9 percent.
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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5,417 | 2,017 |
"Wearable AI is the next hot tech trend | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/wearable-ai-is-the-next-hot-tech-trend"
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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 Wearable AI is the next hot tech trend Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn The Apple Watch Series 2.
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It wasn’t long ago that personal computers were the height of technology. While significantly smaller than the industrial-sized mainframes of the past, modern desktop PCs are still bulky objects that take up a lot of space. Laptops and notebooks are considerably more portable, but even these are becoming a hassle for the on-the-go minimalist.
If you’re in that crowd, you might want to take a look at some of the latest in wearable technology.
Most popular wearable: Smartwatches Smartwatches are quickly becoming the preferred option for those who want to enjoy the latest in IT without having to lug around a laptop computer. Industry analysts are predicting 18 percent growth in the smartwatch market by 2021. This amount of growth, according to the experts, is a result of increasing smartwatch functionality as well as lower prices across the board.
App developers are even starting to turn away from traditional smartphones in favor of smartwatches. Researchers with the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at MIT recently engineered a Samsung smartwatch with next-gen AI, effectively giving it the ability to provide social coaching to those who suffer from severe anxiety or Asperger syndrome.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Although the utility is currently limited to a very specific model of watch, the MIT team hopes to make the app available on other popular market options.
Kiwi, a new tech startup that specializes in AI, recently developed an app known as Cue.
Designed to help users quit smoking , the tool provides a program that works over the course of time. By sensing exactly when and where you engage in the habit, Cue makes it possible to set your own goals and keep track of your progress toward quitting smoking for good.
Although the number of cigarette smokers in the U.S.
is at an all-time low, the marriage of wearable tech and highly useful apps can help reduce these figures even further.
And smartwatch apps aren’t just for consumers.
The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport launched a trial to explore the usefulness of smartwatches within their day-to-day operations. They’ve outfitted their entire janitorial team with wearable tech that gives them instant alerts when an area needs cleaning or servicing.
The app being used, called TaskWatch , is coupled with Bluetooth sensors in the restrooms that count the overall number of guests. An automated alert is sent to the janitorial team after 150 customers have passed through. Janitors who respond to the alert will earn points that can supplement their income. The airport hopes for an official rollout of the technology in 2018.
Wearable tech and cloud computing Enterprises across the globe are forecasted to spend over $140 billion on cloud services by 2019.
Representing a massive increase from the $70 billion spent in 2015, the top cloud providers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are set to see substantial profits in the next few years.
As smartwatches and many other tech devices support cloud connectivity, we’re even seeing companies that are interested in moving entire data centers to the cloud. Not only would this make it easier for consumers to integrate wearable tech data into infrastructure like the cloud and the Internet of Things, but cloud-based data centers would also make it easier to automatically collect, track, and collate enterprise data. The collected data could be used to ensure the performance of individual staff members or entire teams, forecast timelines for future projects, and reward achievements to top-performing employees.
But there are some considerations to make before investing in the cloud, either as a business or an individual. With three different cloud platforms to choose from, including private, public, and shared options, it’s not always easy to find the one that best meets your needs.
Private cloud frameworks are often best suited for large-scale corporations and global enterprises. As the name implies, the files stored within the cloud are viewable only by you. The public cloud lives up to its label by making all of your files available to anybody on the cloud. Shared cloud servers let you control who has access to your data.
You’ll also need to pick a cloud service provider. As mentioned earlier, Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud are among the most popular options for enterprises and corporations. Services like Dropbox, iCloud, and Mega are included among the most popular providers for personal cloud storage.
The future of wearable tech Nobody can deny the progress that mobile technology has made, and it’s done so in a remarkably short amount of time. With smartwatches among the most popular options in wearable tech, other devices, including smart eyeglasses , are just on the horizon. Exactly what we’ll see next in the form of wearable IT is anybody’s guess, but the innovation is certainly here to stay.
Kayla Matthews is a technology and energy IT writer whose work has appeared on Motherboard, MakeUseOf and Triple Pundit.
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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"Cannes Lions festival offers mix of AI and AR -- with a few surprises | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/cannes-lions-festival-offers-mix-of-ai-and-ar-with-a-few-surprises"
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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 Cannes Lions festival offers mix of AI and AR — with a few surprises Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Flex Logix raised a second round of $5 million.
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An annual festival of creativity occurred this month, and it’s a celebration of technology.
Cannes Lions is more known among creative types than technology people, although Google, Facebook and Twitter have been the most prominent brands on the beach for some years. This year, big consultancies like IBM and Accenture claimed the spotlight as technology, platforms, and more recently AI and VR/AR keep raising their profile in the creative sphere.
While some still perceive creativity and machines at loggerheads, it was delightful to see the high level of technological sophistication in the winning work and most discussed talks. Here are the three most interesting themes and ideas, with comments from Dominique Delport, global managing director of Havas Group and chairman of Vivendi Content, whom I interviewed at the festival.
1. Smarter platforms Machine learning and AI were huge themes at the festival, as expected.
A.I.Men — built for the Young Pope TV series — is a pious AI that scans social media for sinners and replies with verses from the big book. The candy brand Snickers uses aggregate social sentiment with the Hungerithm algorithm to gauge a neighborhood’s “hangryness index” — and lowers Snickers prices at nearby 7-Elevens accordingly. The bot world darling Reply.AI won a Silver LIon with its conversational bot builder BotBot.
Brand safety, ad fraud, ethics, and opaqueness of agencies and media have been front and center during the past year. Havas’ Jason Jercinovic hosted a panel on Ethics of AI with the Venerable Tenzin from the Dalai Lama Center of Ethics. Fellow Havas representative Delport spent the week showcasing the intelligent Client Trading System (CTS) that, he says, is “already working hard at building trust back to the industry. CTS makes things 100 percent visible and transparent, moving power from the black box to the fingertips of marketers.” VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! AI was hard at work also on the health sector.
Chat Yourself and Know You Again are both aimed at improving the lives of Alzheimer sufferers. The former provides a chat solution for recording and recalling things, while the latter powers smart glasses that recognize people for the patient.
The Family Way combines an add-on smartphone lens with a sophisticated visual analysis app for testing male fertility at home.
And machine learning was busy solving societal problems too. Headspace’s browser plugin Reword uses AI to detect bullying from context and syntax and suggests more constructive phrases, while AI Buddy consoles kids whose parents are either killed in or deployed at war. Chinese messaging company QQ has built QQ Alert , an AI that extrapolates people’s adult faces from their childhood photos and helps find lost kids, even after decades.
2. Deeper content With the explosion of formats, being a creative today is both exciting and challenging. Snap, Facebook, and YouTube showcased social VR and AR; Fox introduced YouTube’s 6-second format for TV; and Jeffrey Katzenberg talked about WndrCo, his 10-minute “New TV” format.
Among VR wins, Google’s Tilt Brush won two golds, and is sure to be a creativity powerhouse for the virtual world. Audi’s Enter the Sandbox took playful creation to car buyers, with a physical sandbox and a VR cockpit enabling people to drive inside their own creations. VR was in use for health too, as VR Vaccine distracted shot-fearing kids with a game-like experience.
In the AR world, Faber-Castell charmed with Never-Ending Forest , which turns its new colored pencils into magical creatures. Deutsche Telekom went a step further with Magenta Unleashed , which harnesses practically every magenta-colored surface for augmented brand celebration. By soliciting Snaplications, McDonald’s showed how AR can work in recruiting.
Delport is enthusiastic about new opportunities mixing brands, agencies, technology and entertainment. “Cannes Lions introduced Media and Entertainment categories last year, and this year Universal Music Group’s CEO Lucian Grainge was awarded Media Person of the Year. This shows how these industries are closing in on each other.” He also reflected on the “New CTR”: “to realize the opportunities now possible with new technology, we need to focus on Creativity, Transparency and Relevance, instead of metrics that are too narrow or one-dimensional.” This year’s winners mixed game worlds with other worlds, both the real world and other game worlds.
Los Santos Pride was a clever mod for GTA V online with custom Pride goodies and an indestructible Pride parade.
Hostile Takeover saw Call of Duty’s Infinite Warfare game invade their Black Ops world for special content, a messenger tie-in, and extra quests.
3. Better futures After a tumultuous 2016, Cannes Lions 2017 was expectedly abuzz with talks and work that revolved around the rights of minorities. Similarly elevated were themes of creating real solutions for people, communities, and the planet.
The Grand-Prix winning intelligent system, named the Aland Index , calculates a person’s environmental impact from their credit card purchases. It already has Mastercard, with its 2 billion card carriers, interested. After crunching masses of data, Whirlpool unearthed novel insights about the relationship between clean clothes and school attendance. Bringing washing machines to schools with its Care Counts initiative, the company aims to improve poor kids’ academic performance.
Pocket Patrol is Samsung’s AI-powered mobile app that spots and indicates rip tides and other beach water hazards through augmented reality. Designed to save lives in India’s notorious traffic, Roads that Honk use visual recognition to alert drivers coming into blind curves. In Australia, Aami Smartplates use machine learning and weather data, among other things, to gamify and personalize driving instruction for best possible results.
Delport took the stage with futurist and designer Alex McDowell to talk about World Building.
McDowell developed the method for the film Minority Report , but it has since been used for brand narratives, service innovation, environmental education, and even language studies. According to Delport, World Building “makes us rethink how we see ourselves as professionals, companies, and an industry — as creators of better futures, not just better content.” Sami Viitamaki is the executive director for digital at Havas , an advertising firm.
Above: The Machine Intelligence Landscape. This article is part of our Artificial Intelligence series. You can download a high-resolution version of the landscape featuring 288 companies by clicking the image.
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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"Alibaba's reportedly preparing to launch an Amazon Echo clone for Chinese market | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/alibabas-reportedly-preparing-to-launch-an-amazon-echo-clone-for-chinese-market"
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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 Alibaba’s reportedly preparing to launch an Amazon Echo clone for Chinese market Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn The Alibaba Group office in San Francisco.
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(Reuters) — Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba would launch a product mimicking Amazon.com Inc’s “Echo” next week, according to a source familiar with the matter.
“Amazon Echo”, launched in 2014, is a speaker which one can leave on all day and give voice commands to, similar to Siri on an Apple Inc iPhone.
Alibaba’s new product would be made available only in China and speak only Mandarin, the source told Reuters.
Apple and Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc, have unveiled products similar to Echo with the HomePod and Google Home.
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 Information, a technology website, was the first to report the news on Thursday.
Alibaba did not immediately respond to a request for comment, outside business hours.
(Reporting by Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru and Peter Henderson in San Francisco; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta) 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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"AI Weekly: Facebook cannot please all the people all the time | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/ai-weekly-facebook-cannot-please-all-the-people-all-the-time"
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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: Facebook cannot please all the people all the time 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.
Facebook’s flawed approach to censorship reveals a challenge faced by AI. According to leaked documents, human censors at the social network have devised well-intentioned guidelines for removing posts containing hate speech or other offensive content. In practice, however, they create a confusing, often contradictory set of practices.
As ProPublica reported , a post from U.S. Representative Clay Higgins in which he called for the slaughter of radicalized Muslims was permissible. “ Hunt them, identify them, and kill them,” he wrote. “Kill them all. For the sake of all that is good and righteous. Kill them all.
” Meanwhile, a post by Didi Delgado, a Black Lives Matter activist, was removed: “ All white people are racist. Start from this reference point, or you’ve already failed.
” As these two examples reveal, striking a balance between free speech and hate speech from a universal set of guidelines is fraught with peril. Applying such a framework for one country’s audience is difficult, and attempting to do so for a global audience — Facebook has two billion users, is even more difficult. What is acceptable to one group, will offend another.
It doesn’t matter if it’s humans or an AI that perform the censorship.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Irwin Gotlieb, chairman of GroupM, raised this topic in a conversation with Stephen Wolfram, founder of Wolfram Research, and me this spring. Gotlieb described the scenario of one AI-car carrying one passenger and another carrying several passengers; if only one vehicle could be saved, how would an AI system determine a response? “At the moment there isn’t one solution for the world, and different parties will put different rule sets against it, with different objectives,” Gotlieb said.
“This question of ‘Can we invent one perfect set of mathematical principles that will determine the AIs for all eternity?’ — the answer, I think, is no,” Wolfram replied.
While our conversation was about car safety, the same challenges can be found in Facebook’s approach to censorship. As Abraham Lincoln famously said, “ You can never please all of the people all the time.
” Facebook may be doing a lousy job, but it’s a nearly impossible task.
For AI coverage, send news tips to Blair Hanley Frank and Khari Johnson , and guest post submissions to John Brandon — and be sure to bookmark our AI Channel.
Thanks for reading, Blaise Zerega Editor in Chief P.S. Please enjoy this video, “AI and Machine Learning – Technology Frontiers,” from MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy.
From the AI Channel Adobe launches voice analytics for Siri, Alexa, and other intelligent assistants Adobe Analytics Cloud can now track the performance of voice-enabled intelligent assistants like Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, and Samsung’s Bixby, marking the company’s first foray into voice analytics and conversational computing. Adobe chose to enter the voice space now, Adobe Analytics Cloud director of product management Colin Morris told VentureBeat, because improvements in speech recognition […] Read the full story Facebook’s hate speech rules ignore justice by chasing equality Facebook’s methods for detecting hate speech are being criticized today for the way in which they protect some groups and ignores others. In a ProPublica report published today, leaked internal documents used to train teams that review questionable content with help from the AI-trained algorithm are told to protect white men over black children or women […] Read the full story Salesforce adds natural language support to its AI services for developers Developers building on top of Salesforce’s platform have new AI services at their disposal. The company announced today that it is launching a trio of services focused on natural language understanding and object recognition as part of its Einstein portfolio. Apps will be able to integrate an Einstein Sentiment service that will take in a […] Read the full story Bonsai now lets customers bring their own AI models EXCLUSIVE: Bonsai unveiled a new feature today that’s aimed at helping data scientists run machine learning models created outside its platform. Called Gears, the system is supposed to take independently developed models and bring them onto Bonsai’s platform for easier execution and monitoring. When users upload a model that includes a Gear to Bonsai’s platform, the […] Read the full story Ex-FBI advisor raises $12 million for cybersecurity startup JASK JASK, which provides companies with software to monitor cyber threats, came out of stealth today and announced funding of $12 million in a round co-led by Dell Technologies Capital and TenEleven Ventures. Existing investors Battery Ventures and Vertical Venture Partners also joined. The San Francisco-based startup deploys software sensors on customer networks to monitor threats […] Read the full story The information age is over, welcome to the machine learning age I first used a computer to do real work in 1985. I was in college in the Twin Cities, and I remember using the DOS version of Word and later upgrading to the first version of Windows. People used to scoff at the massive gray machines in the computer lab, but secretly they suspected something […] Read the full story Beyond VB When AI Becomes the New Face of Your Brand In the world of marketing, brand anthropomorphism can be a powerful mechanism for connecting with consumers. It’s the tactic of giving brand symbols people-like characteristics: Think of Tony the Tiger and the Michelin Man. Today some companies are taking brand anthropomorphism to a whole new level with sophisticated AI technologies.
(via Harvard Business Review) Read the full story MIT and Google researchers have made AI that can link sound, sight, and text to understand the world If we ever want future robots to do our bidding, they’ll have to understand the world around them in a complete way—if a robot hears a barking noise, what’s making it? What does a dog look like, and what do dogs need? (via Quartz) Read the full story How HBO’s Silicon Valley built “Not Hotdog” with mobile TensorFlow, Keras and React Native The HBO show Silicon Valley released a real AI app that identifies hotdogs — and not hotdogs — like the one shown on season 4’s 4th episode (the app is now available on Android as well as iOS!) (via Medium) Read the full story The Real Threat of Artificial Intelligence What worries you about the coming world of artificial intelligence? Too often the answer to this question resembles the plot of a sci-fi thriller. People worry that developments in A.I. will bring about the “singularity” — that point in history when A.I. surpasses human intelligence, leading to an unimaginable revolution in human affairs. Or they wonder whether instead of our controlling artificial intelligence, it will control us, turning us, in effect, into cyborgs.
(via The New York Times) Read the full story Subscribe to AI Weekly and receive this newsletter every Thursday 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 Apple CarPlay radically improves this small sport utility vehicle | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/transportation/how-apple-carplay-radically-improves-this-small-sport-utility-vehicle"
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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 Apple CarPlay radically improves this small sport utility vehicle 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.
Simplicity in design. That’s what has made Apple the powerhouse it is today. Things just work.
Not every product lives up to this lofty ideal (don’t get me started on the Apple Watch), but many of them do, including the iPhone, the MacBook, and the iPad.
One of the somewhat overlooked product segments where Apple has played a big role recently is with CarPlay , the syncing technology it provides to automakers like Ford and GM. When you connect your iPhone using a USB cable, you see a series of icons on the car display. You can quickly select from your music library, activate Siri, and check your text messages by voice.
Recently, I tested CarPlay in a small sport utility vehicle, the redesigned 2017 Chevy Trax.
This nimble compact SUV, similar to the Honda CR-V, has a base price of $21,000. It’s designed to fit into small spaces, like the parking spot I found at Barnes and Noble and in my own garage.
I’ve tested CarPlay before, but not with quite so many passengers.
I took three people on a spin around the Twin Cities, demonstrating all of the features so they could give me their impressions. None of them knew anything about CarPlay, but they are all iPhone users. They didn’t realize you could talk to Siri and play an artist by speaking the name. In many cars over the past 10 years or so, that doesn’t always work. You say “Coldplay” and the car hears something completely different. What makes CarPlay and Siri so effective in this particular vehicle is that it’s more of an entry-level vehicle — Chevy makes no bones about that. At $21,000, it’s not supposed to be a luxury SUV. That means you do hear road noise.
Yet, in multiple tests all day, Siri never missed a command. I asked about destinations several times, and the car understood me perfectly every time. I also asked about a place to eat for lunch (Green Mill’s pizza is the best) and had no problems. When I had a passenger in the backseat try it, asking about directions back to an office, it also worked.
In many ways, accuracy is a safety issue. When a car can’t understand you, it get frustrating and you get distracted. When you know it will work, you keep your eyes facing forward, hands on the wheel. You punch a button on the steering wheel (long press to activate Siri) and it works without any complications.
Everyone liked the easy nav as well. During one trip, we were able to play music off my iPhone 7 Plus and could still hear the turn prompts easily. One tap on the 7-inch screen, new for this model year, and the voice guidance stopped so we could use visual cues.
I had no trouble browsing my music (including recently additions), listening to my text messages, replying to them by voice, and even streaming Pandora from my phone. CarPlay worked so well it made the Trax more enjoyable to drive and even safer during my day trip. For a lower-priced vehicle, it made an even bigger impact in terms of making technology easier to use.
Above: VB Profiles Connected Cars Landscape. (Disclosure: VB Profiles is a cooperative effort between VentureBeat and Spoke Intelligence.) This article is part of our connected cars series. You can download a high-resolution version of the landscape featuring 250 companies by clicking the image.
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 dangers of hacking back | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/security/the-dangers-of-hacking-back"
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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 The dangers of hacking back 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.
Last Thursday, Representative Tom Graves (R-GA) unveiled an updated version of proposed legislation to empower the private sector to hack back. He had previously asserted that such a bill could have prevented the recent WannaCry hack and empowered “individuals and companies to fight back basically and defend themselves during a cyber attack.” WannaCry is actually the poster child for why hacking back is a bad idea. (And we’ll get to that in a minute.) That does not mean we don’t need legislation — in fact, WannaCry is just the latest example of why the United States needs a coherent and comprehensive cyber policy — but it does mean that Graves’ proposed legislation isn’t the answer.
In the new discussion draft of the Active Cyber Defense Certainty Act (ACDC Act) proposed by Graves, victims still are allowed to access an attacker’s network and undertake measures to disrupt unauthorized activity. As in the previous version , while victims are still not allowed to destroy any information they don’t own and are restricted from any action that could cause injury, they are still allowed to perform a wide range of activities while accessing unauthorized networks. Perhaps the biggest change in the new draft is that victims must notify the FBI before using these cyber defense measures. Greater information sharing and collaboration with the government is important, but the new draft only requires notification, not necessarily approval.
The introduction of ACDC 2.0 reflects the reality that sophisticated attackers are continuously targeting the private sector and will continue to do so as long as attacks occur without recourse. However, hacking back is not the solution. In speaking to a House Armed Services Committee, Admiral Mike Rogers shared his concern that this bill will be putting “more gunfighters out on the street in the Wild West.” Not only will these reciprocal attacks fail to meet an organization’s objectives, they are also likely to prompt many unintended, and dangerous, consequences.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Let’s consider the WannaCry attack from a technical perspective and apply a hacking-back mindset toward countering it. WannaCry is a worm unleashed via unknown means that propagated rapidly to unpatched victims. Recent speculation has tied the WannaCry attack to North Korean operators based on technical similarities in the malware with past tools attributed to North Korea. But attribution based on tools alone is dangerously error prone. Malware dumps like Shadow Brokers and Vault7, combined with commercial threat reporting, have made code readily available. It’s relatively simple for someone with moderate skill to bring code tied to a nation-state actor into their malware, knowing that researchers will grab onto that thread, pull it, and begin to draw conclusions. We’re not saying that’s what happened here, but deception and framing within code is plausible.
Let’s say it was North Korea, though. As WannaCry made extremely evident, too many organizations struggle with basics like maintaining patch updates. Most organizations lack the talent to go deeper with incident analysis and internal incident response and cleanup. Effective hacking back takes a whole separate set of skills and tools. Even assuming that talent is readily available or brought in via contracted expertise, how would one go about targeting North Korean cyber actors in this case? WannaCry didn’t include command and control or exfiltration servers, which leaves a lot of ambiguity regarding who or what to hack back. Because of this, any claim that ACDC would have helped prevent WannaCry is highly questionable.
Let’s put that aside and consider a more general case. Assume this was a targeted attack with command and control and exfiltration servers, and upstream compromise of an intermediary computer is achieved. Then what? In cases involving data theft, the likelihood of destroying or rendering inoperable the only copy of your own data (which the ACDC draft seems to allow) is extremely low.
An additional distinction in ACDC 2.0 is the prohibition of any activity beyond reconnaissance “on an intermediary computer to allow for attribution.” An intermediary computer is defined as one that is not under the control of the attacker. However, what does control truly mean? Does that imply they legally own the computer or that they have “pwned” it? What about leased or ephemeral infrastructure in the cloud? Also, many attacks contain additional nodes that often serve as decoys and hinder attribution. How far back can the private sector entity go? There is no way the entity hacking back will know they’ve entered territory authorized by the act until they are there, and even then, it may not be obvious.
In short, the results of hacking back seem at best ineffective and at worse could lead to shaking up the hornet’s nest and potentially overstepping the ACDC, likely leading to more severe consequences than the original hack.
Attribution is not only a technical problem, but a geopolitical one too, which could be extremely asymmetric in favor of the attackers. An organization — even one with significant resources devoted to security — has little chance against North Korea’s Unit 180 , Russia’s Apt 28 , or China’s PLA Unit 61398.
Instigating tit-for-tat retaliation with such a group is a losing proposition.
Moreover, cyber attacks are just one form of digital response that these groups could use in response to a hack back. As we saw last year, cyber attacks can be very successful when part of a larger information campaign that includes disinformation, automated social bots, as well as data theft, dump, and manipulation. When a company hacks back, even if they’ve accurately attributed the source of the attack, they risk triggering retaliation not just from cyber warriors but also trolls , which can inflict widescale brand, reputational, financial, and even physical damage. And that doesn’t even touch upon potential responses outside of the cyber domain, such as targeted economic punishment or escalation of interstate tensions.
WannaCry certainly will not be the last cyber attack, and with each attack come new, reactive policies. These policies should not include arming the private sector with offensive capabilities; instead, they should encourage deterrence by denial within the private sector, including everything from strengthening defenses to incentives for adherence to secure frameworks to streamlining collaboration with the federal government.
As Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has frequently demanded, and most recently noted in his opening statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee, “the lack of a strategy and policy continues to undermine the development of meaningful deterrence in cyberspace.” WannaCry epitomizes why the ACDC Act is not this policy. Until a comprehensive policy and strategy are put forth, we will likely continue to see more reactive policies that may actually undermine security.
Andrea Little Limbago is Chief Social Scientist at Endgame.
Mark Dufresne is Director of Threat Research and Adversary Prevention at Endgame.
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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"Gmail enterprise users get earlier phishing detection, malicious link and external reply warnings | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/security/gmail-enterprise-users-get-earlier-phishing-detection-malicious-link-and-external-reply-warnings"
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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 Gmail enterprise users get earlier phishing detection, malicious link and external reply warnings Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Gmail 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.
Google today announced an update to Gmail aimed at businesses. Three security features are rolling out to the email service: early phishing detection using machine learning, click-time warnings for malicious links, and unintended external reply warnings. The first two already exist for Gmail users and are now being made available to enterprises, while the last one is completely new.
Gmail already uses machine learning to block spam and phishing messages from showing up in your inbox — “with over 99.9 percent accuracy,” Google claims. Early phishing detection is a dedicated machine learning model that selectively delays messages to perform rigorous phishing analysis and further protect user data from compromise. For those worried about Gmail delaying too many emails, Google is promising that “less than 0.05 percent of messages on average” will be affected and that the delay will be no more than four minutes.
The detection models use Google’s Safe Browsing service , which provides lists of URLs that contain malware or phishing content to Chrome, Firefox, and Safari browsers, as well as to internet service providers (ISPs). By leveraging techniques such as reputation and similarity analysis on URLs, Gmail can generate new URL click-time warnings for phishing and malware links, adapting more quickly than manual systems ever could and improving over time, Google promises.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Lastly, with the goal to help prevent data loss, Gmail now also displays unintended external reply warnings to users. If you try to respond to someone outside of your company domain, you will receive a quick warning to make sure you intended to send that email. Using contextual intelligence, Gmail will not display these warnings to recipients that are existing contacts or someone you interact with regularly.
Gmail is also getting new built-in defenses against ransomware and polymorphic malware. Putting all of the above together, Google estimates that Gmail will now block “millions of additional emails that can harm users.” 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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"Pathfinder: Kingmaker launches $500,000 Kickstarter for extra content, not the base game (update) | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/pathfinder-kingmaker-launches-500000-kickstarter-for-extra-content-not-the-base-game"
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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 Pathfinder: Kingmaker launches $500,000 Kickstarter for extra content, not the base game (update) Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Pathfinder: Kingmaker.
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Owlcat Games made a lot of tabletop role-playing game fans happy with its announcement of Pathfinder: Kingmaker last week. The upcoming RPG for PCs will be the first that uses the Pathfinder system, itself a decade-old take on Dungeons & Dragons ‘ fantastic 3.5 Edition rules, and accomplished RPG writer Chris Avellone (Planescape: Torment, Pillars of Eternity, Torment: Tides of Numenera) is in charge of the story.
But the studio buried the lede when it didn’t share one important component of this project: It’s coming to Kickstarter. Owlcat is seeking $500,000 from fans of Pathfinder and old-school role-playing games like Icewind Dale II to add more to the base game, which the studio is making for My.com, the publisher of online games like Warface. GamesBeat was told that the Kickstarter was going live this week, but Owlcat has now pushed it back to “early June.” This Kickstarter, to be clear, isn’t to fund Kingmaker — it’s to add to it. Owlcat hopes to increase the number of companions (and give them more depth), classes (Pathfinder as a number of roles for characters to play), dungeons and other areas to explore, events, and new quests that aren’t part of the published Kingmaker adventure path. The effort will also include goals for music and voice-overs.
“The game will happen,” an Owlcat representative said. “But the team wants to make it larger than the current secured budget allows so they are reaching out to the Kickstarter community.” 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 an exclusive interview with GamesBeat last week, Owlcat head of game development Oleg Shpilchevsky and creative director Alexander Mishulin spoke to me about the Kingmaker (which follows the tabletop RPG adventure path of the same name ), the scope of the Kickstarter, the environment for crowdfunding video games in 2017, and working with Paizo, Inc. on Pathfinder.
Here’s an edited transcript of the interview.
GamesBeat: From what I understand, you want to talk about a Kickstarter project? Oleg Shpilchevsky, Owlcat head of game development: Yes. Not only Kickstarter, but one piece of important information is that we’re going to launch a Kickstarter campaign next week. Right now we’re aiming at the beginning of June, starting on [June 1 or June 2], for the public launch.
GamesBeat: What’s the Kickstarter going to be? Will it be for special content, additional goals? It’s not just Kickstarting the full game, correct? Shpilchevsky: Luckily, we have some money from our parent company that’s allowed us to build a solid prototype. Right now we have a good-enough quality sample of gameplay that we can go to show for the first time at PaizoCon. It’s a convention that will be held at the end of the week in Seattle. Once again, we’re lucky enough to have the money to complete a solid game. We’ll be able to ship that to our players.
But there’s a big temptation to add a lot of new features and content to the game. The universe is very big, with a lot of reach and depth to it. We can’t squeeze the entire wishlist into the budget we’re currently on. We’d like to ask Pathfinder fans and RPG fans to support us on Kickstarter, which will let us add a lot of additional features. We’ll have more companions, more depth to the companions, more dungeons and wilderness to explore, … and more new quests and content by famous Pathfinder authors and RPG authors.
GamesBeat: Is the base game going to be on Kickstarter, or is that already funded? Shpilchevsky: The base game might be considered funded. We’ll be asking for money for additional content.
GamesBeat: How much money are you asking for on the Kickstarter before you start reaching stretch goals? Shpilchevsky: The initial goal starts at $500,000.
GamesBeat: It’s higher than I’ve seen for a lot of other RPGs lately. Are you worried about meeting that number? Shpilchevsky: You’re right. The majority of Kickstarter projects are starting at a lower level. But we’re making a game on the same level of quality and content as something like Obsidian’s [Pillars of Eternity] and Larian’s [Divinity: Original Sin] games. Their Kickstarter campaign started at over $1 million. To be honest with you, we’re certainly concerned about the money. Nobody knows, at the beginning, whether something like this can be successful or not. But we hope this initial goal is quite reasonable. We’re really trying to put a lot of interesting things in the first stretch goals. There’s a lot of content and resources we can pull in to work that out.
Above: Putting the Ogre (or whatever this beast is) before the cart here.
GamesBeat: So the additional content is characters and dungeons. Will there be additional items as well? Shpilchevsky: Yes, everything you mentioned and a lot more. Starting with our unique selling point feature, the Kingdom. That’s one reason why we chose the Kingmaker adventure path, because it has a very unique and interesting feature where you can build and develop a kingdom of our own. Despite the fact that the base kingdom will be included in the game, we want to be able to develop this and make this a really great feature. Our initial stretch goal on Kickstarter will be devoted to the kingdom system.
GamesBeat: Are the characters going to be from that adventure path, or are they going to be some of the other iconic characters other Pathfinder projects? Alexander Mishulin, creative director: We have Amiri, the iconic barbarian. She was present in the adventure path, and she’s present in our game. But most of the characters are our own. We’ll probably add some more iconic Pathfinder characters as NPCs, and maybe even as companions. That’s under discussion right now. But we’re certain that Amiri will be a companion, with a lot of backstory and events happening around her throughout the game.
GamesBeat: You’re doing this just on Kickstarter, correct? Not Fig or Indiegogo.
Mishulin: Yes. We’re planning to go on Kickstarter.
Shpilchevsky: We’re aiming at Kickstarter because it’s a tried method. It’s brought us a lot of RPGs so far. We’ve decided to go that way.
GamesBeat: There’s been a lot of Kickstarter fatigue, but because you’re only really Kickstarting additions, do you think that players and fans will be more receptive to this model of Kickstarter? Shpilchevsky: Just to make it clear, the game isn’t finished yet. Right now I can say we’ve more or less completed a vertical slice. We’re going to show that at PaizoCon. It’ll just be a small part of what we’ll eventually have at the end. The overall gameplay time of what we have is about four hours. The final game will have about ten times more. That’s our goal.
It’s essential for us to get support from gamers, because then not only will be able to add more features and content to the game, but it’ll show that there’s demand for this type of game. There’s interest among gamers. So it’s a different level of motivation. With Kickstarter money, we may add a lot of stuff that reveals all the depth and richness of the Pathfinder world and help us kick its epicness — right — to the stratosphere. But we want to be honest at this point. If we have support from our parent company, it would be unfair to also tell potential backers that we need their money to make the game too.
Above: Stolen Land is the first part of the Pathfinder Kingmaker adventure path.
GamesBeat: Will Kingmaker include every part of the adventure path: Stolen Land, Rivers Run Red, Varnhold Vanishing, Blood for Blood, War of the River Kings, Sound of a Thousand Screams? Or are you starting with one part and adding the rest as goals or episodic content? Mishulin: No, it will be the whole game — the complete story is present in the base game. It’s based on the adventure path, so you can expect some twists and turns, some expanded content. Chris [Avellone] is really helping us with fleshing out the whole story and building up on it. But the whole original story is here.
Shpilchevsky: The base game that we would, all that — it’s not something that we have all of right now. But it’s something that will be completed if the Kickstarter campaign is successful.
GamesBeat: How involved is Paizo? Is its staff helping you adapt the story? Mishulin: We’re working in close contact with Paizo. We exchange dozens of emails every day. We’re very glad that they’ve chosen to be so involved in development, because we’ve gotten tons of interesting ideas and suggestions from them. The main reason they’re so closely involved is to preserve the feeling of Pathfinder in our game. Fans of the game can be sure that the quality of the story will be intact.
GameBeat: Why did you want to make a game in the Pathfinder universe? Mishulin: We’ve played a lot of tabletop RPGs throughout the years, starting from the ’90s, when there wasn’t very much material in Russia, and we’d all gather around in our dorms and stuff like that. Pathfinder is great. On one side it’s very familiar, but on the other side it’s a completely new world with very interesting kingdoms. We’re reading about each kingdom, and they’re mentioning all the stories and adventures behind them. Paizo is great at writing campaigns, their adventure paths. It’s just what we play, and what we really wanted to make as a computer game. It reminds us of the games we played in the past.
GamesBeat: Are you making your own game engine? Shpilchevsky: We’re making our own engine. We considered — it’s based on Unity, to be clear. A lot of people have assumed we might use the Infinity Engine, that a lot of old RPG games were based on, but that’s not what we’re doing. We’re using Unity and building some of our own infrastructure on top of it.
GamesBeat: What character classes can people play? Are you adding any extra classes as part of the Kickstarter? Mishulin: Pathfinder is very big, of course. It’s enormous in its scope. We’re starting with all the classes in the core rulebook. We’re also adding a couple more classes from other sourcebooks.
Shpilchevsky: We’re keeping that secret right now. We have a couple of more classes coming, but we’ll reveal that as part of the Kickstarter campaign.
Mishulin: Also, there will be some classes as part of the stretch goals.
GamesBeat: How are you liking developing for the Pathfinder rule set so far? Mishulin: It’s great fun. First of all, every member of our team is playing the campaign. We have several campaigns running. A lot of designers and writers, everybody. They know the systems quite well. We’ve all been playing for a very long time in various RPG systems, like Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder and others.
Shpilchevsky: We became legends on another development team because we can play Pathfinder during our work time.
GamesBeat: For each of you, what’s your favorite class to play in Pathfinder? Mishulin: It’s a bit difficult to answer for me. Usually I’m the game master, so that’s my favorite class. But if I’m playing as a player, it’d be cleric.
Shpilchevsky: He’s a very ruthless game master. Just a month ago he killed off our whole party. As for me, I like the alchemist. It’s a really crazy class. You can kill both your enemies and your friends that way.
Update, 1:59 p.m. Pacific: Owlcat first told GamesBeat that the Kickstarter was going live this week, but after the story posted, the studio said the crowdfunding effort would now begin in “early June.” Correction, 3:25 p.m. Pacific: My.com publishes Warface, not Warframe. GamesBeat regrets the error.
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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"Overwatch's new map colonizes the moon | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/overwatchs-new-map-colonizes-the-moon"
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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 Overwatch’s new map colonizes the moon 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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Blizzard wants to take its players to the one place that capitalism hasn’t corrupted: space.
Or, more accurately, the moon.
Overwatch , a game where beautiful people smooch each other between rounds of colorful violence, is getting the new Horizon Lunar Colony map (no relation to PlayStation 4’s Horizon: Zero Dawn). It takes place on the Earth’s only natural satellite in a research station that served as the home of the game’s ultra-smart gorilla character Winston (that Winston came from the moon! … I’m sorry). The map is available now on Overwatch’s public test region server, and Blizzard said it is “coming soon” to the general servers on PC and the consoles.
As with all maps and characters, Blizzard is rolling out Horizon Lunar Colony at no additional cost for anyone who owns the game. The developer does this to keep players engaged and coming back, which could convince some players to spend more money on superfluous cosmetic items like custom skins and emotes. This has the benefit of not splitting the player base among various map packs while also enabling wealthy players to spend as much money as they want.
Horizon Lunar Colony falls into the assault class of Overwatch maps, which means it will have a payload that one team must push and the other must stop through multiple checkpoints. Blizzard introduced this new setting in a story trailer where Winston talks about growing up on the moon before escaping due to extreme circumstances.
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! As for details about the map, the video pans over various areas of the colony. We see Winston’s room, a playground with tires swinging from ropes, and workstations for the research scientists. But you can try out the map now, and it should show up in your standard playlists soon. Blizzard doesn’t take a long time between putting content on its test server and launching it for the wider audience. So expect Horizon Lunar Colony to hit Overwatch proper in the next couple of weeks.
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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"Obsidian's Pathfinder Adventures is the latest mobile game to journey to PC | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/obsidians-pathfinder-adventures-is-the-latest-mobile-game-to-journey-to-pc"
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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 Obsidian’s Pathfinder Adventures is the latest mobile game to journey to PC Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Pathfinder Adventures is coming to PC.
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Obsidian Entertainment is bringing its mobile release to PC, a platform it has plenty of experience with.
The developer announced today that Pathfinder Adventures is coming to PC and Mac on June 15. The adaptation of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game (itself an adaption of a pencil-and-paper role-playing game) came out for mobile last year as a free-to-play app with in-app purchases. The iOS version is the No. 403 ranked card game in the Apple App Store, according to App Annie.
Gamers best know Obsidian for PC and console role-playing games like Pillars of Eternity and Fallout: New Vegas. This move for Pathfinder Adventures could make it available to Obsidian’s core fan base.
“With Pathfinder Adventures we are bringing the magic of the award-winning tabletop card game to your PC, letting you easily play any time you want,” said Obsidian Entertainment chief executive officer Feargus Urquhart in a press release sent to GamesBeat. “I’ve always loved the way Pathfinder Adventure has brought what I enjoy in tabletop RPGs to card games, and I am very proud of how we have captured the depth of the game, while adding in options to expand upon the experience for both newcomers and lovers of the tabletop game alike.” 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! Obsidian is also working on Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire , which earned more than $4 million on crowdfunding site Fig. The RPG sequel is set to come out in 2018.
Adventures isn’t the only upcoming video game based on the Pathfinder brand. Owlcat Games is working on a full-blown computer role-playing game based on the franchise called Pathfinder: Kingmaker.
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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"NCSoft takes on League of Legends with action MOBA Master X Master | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/ncsoft-takes-on-league-of-legends-with-action-moba-master-x-master"
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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 NCSoft takes on League of Legends with action MOBA Master X Master 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.
Riot Games’ League of Legends seems pretty invulnerable at this point in the $19.8 billion multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) market.
But that’s not stopping South Korea’s NCSoft from giving it a try.
The company is launching Master X Master as a free-to-play, third-person action MOBA on June 21 on the PC. I played a couple of rounds of the science-fiction game at a preview event to get a feel for it. And it’s not clear to me if gamers are going to go for this one.
NCSoft has revealed a couple of dozen Masters so far, and it is showing the cinematic trailer that reveals some of the story today. It is a high-quality experience, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to pull players away from League of Legends, Dota 2, or Heroes of the Storm.
Above: Master X Master The game sets itself apart by allowing you to switch between two different Masters at any given moment. You can use your mouse wheel to switch from one Master to another. When you are losing and are about to die, you can switch to the other Master to get a fresh character. Dubbed the Tag mechanic, it’s like tag-team wrestling where you can swap out wrestlers during a match. The unused Master can regenerate health while not in use.
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 feels good to save your life by swapping a character or bringing in a new character for the kills,” said Sean Orlikowski, brand manager for the game at NCSoft, during a press briefing. “We want to make fast and fun game modes. The longest you’ll play is 25 minutes. You know what you are getting into when you play it.” Above: Master X Master lets you swap out one character for another.
If your character dies, it takes a while to regenerate, and you are reborn at your base, far from the action. So it can be costly if you make the mistake of reaching too far with your character. There are fast game modes. I played the 5-versus-5 mode, and it also has a three-versus-three battle arena. You can play player-versus-the-environment as well.
Each Master has four special abilities, including a particularly powerful move. You have to make sure your character is within range of its ability to do damage to an enemy. Some of the pistols, for instance, have a very short range. I found it hard to strike a balance of bringing my character within range of the enemy or pulling out to a safe distance. I also had to decide whether to go for the weaker minions or the stronger player characters.
Orlikowski said the company wants to explore esports opportunities for the game. But that will come after the launch.
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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"Kerbal Space Program has a new owner: Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/kerbal-space-program-has-a-new-owner-grand-theft-auto-publisher-take-two"
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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 Kerbal Space Program has a new owner: Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Kerbal Space Program in action.
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The point of a rocketry program is to launch yourself so far away from your planet that you never have to come back. That is also the story of one of the best games about building rockets.
Publisher Take-Two Interactive, best known as the parent company of Rockstar Games and 2K Games, has acquired the rights to Mexican developer Squad’s Kerbal Space Program game. In a blog post on the Kerbal website , the sim’s development team said that this won’t mean a lot of sweeping changes. Instead, the team, which moved to Take-Two as part of this deal, is promising to continue support for its space-flight simulator. In Kerbal, you design and launch space ships, landers, and rovers either in a sandbox mode or as part of a series of missions. Its physics engine is so robust and realistic that Kerbal has actually won over some fans like engineers at NASA and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
Kerbal has more than 1.7 million owners on Steam, according to data-tracking site SteamSpy — and it still peaks at around 10,000 concurrent players at any one time.
“Squad and the current development team is still here and we’re hard at work on KSP and its future updates,” reads the development team’s blog. “But now we are fortunate enough to do so with the help of an experienced publisher like Take-Two, and we couldn’t be more excited and happy to see where our joint collaboration will take KSP forward.” Kerbal Space Program first debuted as an unfinished game in 2011, and it caught on with a dedicated group of fans before finding a wider audience as part of a release on Steam’s Early Access portal for incomplete projects. In April 2015, Squad published the 1.0 version, and it has since kept up with regular updates. Kerbal also made the leap to consoles in July 2016 with versions for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox 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! The development team is now trying to reassure fans that Take-Two isn’t planning to spoil the game, and the studio touched on some of its future plans.
“Right now, we’re still focused on the Kerbal Space Program: Making History Expansion and we’ll continue to keep you updated on our progress,” the team wrote in its blog. “And yes, we’re keeping our promise of free DLC for everyone who purchased KSP through April 2013! We’re continuing to work closely with Blitworks on the updated version of KSP for consoles, which will be available on the Xbox and PSN digital stores when it is complete. This will be a free update for anyone who already owns KSP on Xbox or PS4.” 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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"Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig will design the politics in online game Seed | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/harvard-law-professor-lawrence-lessig-will-design-the-politics-in-online-game-seed"
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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 Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig will design the politics in online game Seed Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Klang's game Seed will have a political framework created by law professor Lawrence Lessig.
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Lawrence Lessig has spent his career studying constitutional law, and he has been helping new democracies to form the legal frameworks for governance. Now he is lending his expertise to Berlin-based independent game developer Klang to build the political framework for the upcoming massively multiplayer online game Seed.
While many games pay special attention to in-game economics, the politics, or a system that enables players and developers to govern the virtual world, have often been ignored. Klang hopes to differentiate its game through the political system, and that’s why it tapped a top legal mind to design the game’s political framework.
Seed is an online multiplayer world that will also have a lot of artificial intelligence, and it uses the SpatialOS for cloud games from Improbable, an online games infrastructure company that recently raised $502 million from Japan’s SoftBank. Klang itself has raised an undisclosed amount of money from Greylock Partners, MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito, and Unity founder David Helgason.
Above: Lawrence Lessig Lessig happened to meet Mundi Vondi, CEO of Klang, and start talking about games.
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 talking for a while, we moved on to how they were going to govern these places, the structure for governing,” Lessig said in an interview with GamesBeat. “It was clear that no one had really thought through that much. That’s what began our conversation about whether there was something fun to experiment with here.” Seed is a continuous, persistent simulation where players are tasked with colonizing an exoplanet through collaboration, conflict, and other player-to-player interaction. Using unique gameplay based on managing multiple characters in real-time, communities are built even when players are logged off, allowing the world of Seed to be a living, breathing entity.
“We’re building a virtual world filled with vast, player-created communities where every player-action has a repercussion in the game world,” Vondi said in a statement. “For example, a player might chop down a tree, which affects the planet’s ecosystem. This wood can then be sold on, which has an impact on the economy, and if the player chooses to, use the money to bribe another player, which affects the balance of power. We create and provide the tools and incentives to build these communities…the rest is up to the players.” Also joining Klang and Lessig on the project is the renowned 3D animator, Eran Hilleli, who will be leading the art direction of Seed. Working on a variety of projects, Hilleli has earned acclaim for his signature art and elegant animation style.
Klang will use the money to grow the studio and complete the development of the first internal release of Seed. The previously mentioned investors also join Klang backers London Venture Partners (LVP), and Adalsteinn Ottarson (Riot Games).
“We’re extremely proud to have the backing from some of the best investors. This funding, along with their valuable experience, will be crucial to making this project a reality,” said Vondi.
Klang can build Seed to accommodate a massive number of players because it leverages Improbable ‘s SpatialOS, an operating system for cloud games that enables massive simulations such as virtual worlds at a far greater level of scale and complexity than previously possible.
Along with that, the game will have a unique political structure.
“Obviously the game they’re building isn’t a governance game, but what everyone realizes is that, especially when you invest such an incredible amount of your time and energy into building places for playing a game like this, you need some confidence about how the place will evolve,” Lessig said.
He added, “What we’ve been talking about are ways to give people in the game options for how they’d like that governance to happen. The options range from the simplest, most minimal—basically, from as little government as possible, to things like monarchy or different forms of democracy. You can randomly select people for office. We want to enable, in the lowest-cost way possible, the lowest number of cycles, to enable these different options, and see how these worlds evolve. Which ones work well? Which ones cohere with the kind of gaming that’s happening?” Klang plans to start opening up an external playable version of Seed in early 2018. In the meantime, MMO fans candiscover more about Seed via the project’s website: seed-project.io.
Lessig is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Association, and has received numerous awards, including the Free Software Foundation’s Freedom Award, Fastcase 50 Award and being named one of Scientific American’s Top 50 Visionaries.
Vondi founded Klang in 2013 as an independent game development studio in Reykjavík, Iceland. The company moved to Berlin. Its other founders include ex-CCP Games developers Oddur Magnússon and Ívar Emilsson. In 2016, the company launched the mobile game ReRunners: Race For the World for iOS and Android.
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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"How ReMarkable's targeting writers and sketchers with a $529 tablet that replicates paper | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/how-remarkables-targeting-writers-and-sketchers-with-a-529-paper-tablet"
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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 ReMarkable’s targeting writers and sketchers with a $529 tablet that replicates paper 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.
Tablets transformed the personal computer market after Apple unveiled the iPad back in 2010, but with reports suggesting tablet popularity is waning — and Apple alone recently shifting the fewest iPads in a single quarter since the device’s inaugural year — it’s easy to raise an eyebrow at any company entering the tablet fray in 2017.
But that is exactly what ReMarkable is doing. However, the Norwegian startup isn’t bringing another dull Android-powered “ me too ” device to market; instead the company is focusing on writers, sketchers, and doodlers with a “digital paper” tablet that strives to replicate the physical paper experience.
The Oslo-based firm first debuted its machine last November, bypassing Kickstarter to open preorders through its own website. The ReMarkable was offered to early adopters for $379, including a special pen and case, but until now the device hasn’t been given a public airing.
Above: ReMarkable A few weeks back, however, VentureBeat managed to grab a little hands-on time with a final prototype version and garner a sense for where things are at.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! But first, here’s a quick recap on exactly what the ReMarkable tablet promises.
The paper killer Above: Writing on ReMarkable Ultimately, ReMarkable sees its main competitor as the humble A4 notepad. It’s “an elegant tool for thinking in the digital age” and will be appreciated by those who “cherish the simplicity and power of working on paper,” according to the company’s marketing lingo.
Importantly, the ReMarkable doesn’t offer web access — you can’t read tweets, argue with people on Facebook, or get directions to the pub. Instead, the device is for reading, writing, and drawing — everything you can do with standard paper.
Above: Sketching on ReMarkable In terms of documents and ebooks, the ReMarkable supports PDF and EPUB formats, with users able to annotate across existing text, a feature that is aimed at professionals, such as lawyers, or at students wishing to make notes next to their academic reading material.
For the product, ReMarkable worked closely with E Ink Holdings — the Taiwanese company behind many of the world’s popular e-paper products, including e-readers — to develop a proprietary “CANVAS” display that is as close as possible to paper, but without screen glare and with a higher-friction surface than you’ll be used to with standard tablets.
The 10.3″ display, with a 1872 x 1404 (226 PPI) resolution, doesn’t have an on-board light — after all, neither does paper. It’s also worth noting here that ReMarkable is touting its cross-platform credentials, with syncing available via the cloud through mobile and desktop apps.
The competition ReMarkable is far from the first company to offer an e-paper device for readers and writers. Sony is among the more notable brands in the space, and a few years back it launched the Sony Digital Paper DPT-S1 , a 13.3″ device that started at around $1,100. Sony recently announced a joint venture with E Ink to develop new e-paper products, while just this week the electronics giant announced that a second generation of its e-paper tablets would arrive in the U.S. in June for $700.
Where ReMarkable is really looking to set itself apart from others in the space is through lower latency — that is, the time it takes between a user attempting to make an impression on the tablet and the mark actually showing up. For it to replicate real paper, the latency has to be super low, and ReMarkable claims to be able to drive its latency down to 55ms, though the model we tested was around 65ms.
“Every other device we have tried has had much slower latency than this, usually upwards of about 100ms, which gives the feeling that the ink is chasing the pen,” a company spokesperson told VentureBeat.
Though we weren’t able to carry out a thorough latency test during our brief hands-on earlier this month, our doodling and writing did reveal a more or less undetectable gap between putting pen to “paper” and the mark appearing. It really did feel as though we were working with paper, including the friction between the pen and the tablet.
The story so far During the preorder phase, ReMarkable shifted more than 27,000 units, which amounted to over $11 million in sales.
Though the ReMarkable has been available on preorder for six months already, the company has now confirmed that the full pricing for the device at launch will be $529, while the pen will set you back $79. Given that the tablet relies heavily on the pen, it is a little odd that the company would provide pricing for the ReMarkable without a pen, though it did confirm that it would be announcing a separate bundled price at a later date. It does seem that the company envisages people buying a unit purely for reading purposes, even though there are better and much cheaper e-readers on the market already.
As things stand, ReMarkable expects to begin shipping the first preorder units in late August, and anyone ordering from today can expect their order to arrive in October.
Though it’s far too early to say whether the ReMarkable will hit the sweet spot among the world’s writers and doodlers, part of me thinks that its price point will discourage many prospective buyers — beyond a hardcore niche group — from investing in one of these tablets. At around $600 for the tablet and pen, it’s not the sort of device someone would buy as a present for a friend or family member, and those who already own a scanner may decide to stick with their trusty ballpoint pen and notepad.
That’s not to say that the ReMarkable doesn’t offer a significant number of add-on features for the digital age, it’s just that $600 is perhaps a little too pricey for what may ultimately prove to be more of a luxury item than a necessity for many.
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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"Adobe launches free document scanning app for Android and iOS | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/adobe-launches-free-document-scanning-app-for-android-and-ios"
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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 Adobe launches free document scanning app for Android and iOS Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn An illustration shows Adobe Scan running on an iPhone.
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Adobe is getting into the mobile scanning game with a new free iOS and Android app aimed at providing users with high-quality images of physical content they want to capture digitally.
It’s called Adobe Scan, and it works similarly to a bunch of other apps already available. Users point their smartphone cameras at whatever document, white board, or presentation screen they want to capture, and the app automatically crops the image to just pick out a document.
The clearest difference between Scan and other apps, like Microsoft Lens, is that the app integrates with Adobe Document Cloud and automatically performs optical character recognition on the PDFs it generates. Users can then copy and paste text from those documents into other files.
But Adobe also put in a lot of work on building machine intelligence into Scan from the ground up, according to Akhil Chugh, a senior product manager for Document Cloud. The app uses a variety of machine learning and image processing algorithms to help deal with the myriad issues that arise with mobile scanning, like trying to differentiate a document from a similarly colored background and figuring out which areas of a document warrant optical character recognition.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! “Our goal has been to create a digital document that’s as good as you would get from a flatbed scanner, or as good as the real document,” Chugh said.
Specifically, Adobe is using genetic algorithms (so named because they’re generated by simulating natural selection) to handle document boundary detection. For differentiating text from images, Adobe is using tree- and logistic regression-based classifiers. Those machine learning tools are a part of Sensei, Adobe’s name for its internal ML framework and features.
Adobe is counting on its document expertise and machine learning capabilities to boost Scan in a crowded market. The app is free for people to use, but it requires the creation of a Document Cloud account. Scanned files are stored in Document Cloud automatically but can also be saved to other services.
While it’s possible for Scan to capture images without a network connection, all of the OCR work is handled in Adobe’s cloud. That means text recognition requires sending images of the document over the internet, which may not be an appealing option for some sensitive content.
The launch of Scan is a significant milestone, but Adobe plans to further refine the app over time as part of its Document Cloud portfolio. The company has invested a great deal in handwriting and font recognition, for example, so it’s possible features like that could show up in Scan going forward.
On the machine learning front, the team is investigating how to best implement deep learning in Scan and across Document Cloud. It’s also looking into using generative adversarial networks, which are designed to help create content.
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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"Taylor Freeman, digital ghosts, and the future of reality -- VB Engage | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/marketing/taylor-freeman-digital-ghosts-and-the-future-of-reality-vb-engage"
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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 Taylor Freeman, digital ghosts, and the future of reality — VB Engage 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 week, Travis and Stewart discuss the latest AI startups, including Replika, a spinoff of the Luka bot that creates a “digital ghost” of your friends. We also talk about DemandBase’s new (massive) round of funding and Twitter’s new ad units that put a bot in your DMs.
We then interview Taylor Freeman of Upload, who tells us all about the future of VR, AR, and every other kind of reality you can think of. In fact, we had so much fun with this week’s guest, we don’t want to return to actual reality.
And remember the Huawei MediaPad M3 giveaway? Well, the competition is now closed, and if you join Travis and Stewart live on the VentureBeat Facebook page later this week, you’ll find out who our winner is! 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! Welcome to VB Engage Episode 54! [0:10] Starting next week, VB Engage is going live on Facebook! Make sure you follow VentureBeat’s Facebook page.
[02:00] We received over 1,400 entries for VB Engage’s first ever competition. Stay tuned and we will be announcing the winner on FB Live! [03:30] Twitter launched a new ad format to allow bots in DMs.
They also launched a new way for advertisers to boost chat experience by use of Promoted Tweets. [05:15] Jon Cifuentes , a former research analyst for VB Insight, cofounded All Turtles , an AI studio that has backed eight startup companies. [07:10] Replika , a new company and subsidiary of Luka , is going beyond assistance and working towards essence of a person or digital ghosts. Cofounded by Eugenia Kuyda after she wanted to resurrect her friend Roman Mazurenko, who died in a car accident.
[08:45] Wouldn’t it be nice to have an AI-powered Mastermind Group with John Lennon? Travis can’t wait. [10:10] DemandBase raised $65 million in a round of funding led by Sageview Capital and Silver Lake Waterman. They are offering a marketing platform that helps you target specific people from specific companies by aligning IP addresses with company information. [12:00] Please welcome our guest, Taylor Freeman, founder and CEO of UploadVR.
[13:30] Upload’s mission is to unify all the resources of the VR professional community — a place where they can get access to the hardware that they need, or a place where they can connect with mentors and corporate partners. [14:30] The company has grown into an academy for VR developers and creatives, with different types of developer trainings. [15:05] We are only a little bit away from the hardware being as good as it needs to be, but all of this is going to die unless we can continuously provide engaging content. [15:55] 2017 is going to be the era of content. For the past two years, there has been a massive presence from Oculus and other companies showcasing their hardware. The industry is definitely recognizing the need for great content, especially at conferences like E3 and GDC.
[17:05] What are some of the things that are out now that wowed you? [18:30] Taylor only had three “aha” moments: trying VR, using the configuration utility of the Oculus Developer Kit, and six degrees of freedom. [19:45] Six degrees of freedom within VR is what gives it the real feeling. [20:15] This year and next year will solidify architecture, and engineering will be using VR more frequently. [20:50] Looking at education, VR is more like having a real experience. Kids who are 4-5 years old actually remember going to a baseball game that was only a VR experience.[21:10] VR is such a powerful medium that it needs to monitored so that companies don’t do nefarious things with it, like subliminal messages, etc. [21:50] Mobile phone-based augmented reality is going to be HUGE. [22:40] 360-degree screen with whatever is all around you, natural gestures, and eye-tracking. It’s going to blow your 4-inch screen away. [23:20] The construction industry is doing some cool things with AR and hard hats. [24:00] Robert Scoble and Travis went to Shanghai Disney back in August of 2016, and Scoble mentioned that it was the first amusement park to be built 100 percent in VR before being physically built. [24:45] There is going to need to be a cultural shift before people can handle some of this technology. [25:30] VR took 50 years to become an overnight success. [26:10] Let’s talk “Glassholes” and Scoble’s shower picture. [27:00] Over time, societal expectation will shift, and the public will expect this technology exposure. [27:10] 5X-20X efficiency gains by being in a 3D world over a flat-screen. [27:45] Voice interaction and eye-tracking will be huge in VR. [28:05] AR glasses will be as popular as smartphones in first world countries. [28:35] Kickstarter had a set of AR glasses recently called Vue , which has bone-induction speakers in the ear pieces. [28:55] Travis took his son to Upload SF and had more fun there than in the city itself. [29:25] We will all be taking mid-afternoon “VRacations” or enjoy a “VRay-Dream” and chill out on a beach during the day. Stewart hates VRacations. [30:20] VR developers studied awe as a means to help develop content for VR. [31:30] 13 years old is a good age to start getting on VR, due to how your brain reacts to the visual and spatial area. [32:10] Is there a watchdog group around VR to protect the consumers? [33:15] There needs to be guidelines in place around age restrictions around content. The subconscious mind is a powerful thing. [34:20] The McGurk Effect shows how some media can trick the mind, and that is just 2D. Some media could really twist your brain in a negative way, if not careful. [36:10] Connect with Upload at Upload.io and if you want to up-to-date on VR news, check out UploadVR.com [37:35] Next week, we interview TJ Leonard, the CEO of Video Blocks.
We discuss how he has grown his startup and how he engages his community here in the 21st century.
If you missed last week’s episode , we interviewed the awesome Kristian Segerstrale of Super Evil Mega Corp, who gives us the lowdown on how to create amazing communities, and how to sound like an evil genius.
As always, thanks for tuning in. Don’t forget to follow VentureBeat over on Facebook where you’ll be able to find out — live — who won the amazing Huawei MediaPad M3 in our first ever giveaway! We’ll also announce the winner on next week’s episode.
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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"Mobile advertisers are falling in love with 'playable ads' | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/marketing/mobile-advertisers-are-falling-in-love-with-playable-ads"
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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 Mobile advertisers are falling in love with ‘playable ads’ Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn AdColony's survey says playable ads are on the rise.
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Mobile advertisers are warming up to “playable ads,” or mobile advertisements that allow a player to experience part of a game immediately. That’s one of the findings of AdColony ‘s app install marketing survey.
AdColony found that 71 percent of advertisers find playable ads to be effective. Forty-five percent said that playable ads were what they are most excited about in 2017, though only 4 percent of budgets are currently going to playable ads. But just 31 percent of advertisers have found meaningful effectiveness so far with these ads. (That means the market is promising, but small at the moment). Startups serving the space include mNectar.
Above: Losers include traditional media.
The report identified the advertising formats that are on the rise and those on the wane. Several years ago, app commercials during the Super Bowl suggested that traditional media would benefit from mobile ad spending. But advertisers are shifting to formats that enable better tracking and reporting and have measurable outcomes.
As a result, 58 percent of advertisers say they are reducing their spending on TV ads. Sixty-eight percent are reducing spending on out-of-home ads, such as billboards. Seventy percent are reducing money spent on radio, and 70 percent are reducing money spent on print ads.
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 survey is the seventh of its kind since 2013. It provides insights, benchmarks, and trends from the top 250 grossing app developers. About 75 percent of respondents to the survey were game developers, while 21 percent were makers of non-gaming apps. The remaining 4 percent are publishers who develop both gaming and non-gaming apps.
Above: The winners ad campaigns include video ads and new channels.
The winners in the ad campaign battle include video ads, which account for 50 percent of all campaign spending. Full-screen video is ranked as the most-effective ad format.
“Top advertisers understand that there’s nothing more powerful than sight, sound, and motion to captivate a consumer’s attention and drive quality installs,” said Brian Buskas, chief creative officer at AdColony, in a statement. “That’s why video accounts for three of the four most effective app install formats listed by advertisers, and it’s why video now accounts for 50 percent of their total advertising spend.” Teams that work on driving app installs are growing. The number of 10-person teams among the 250 top-grossing app developers has nearly tripled since last fall, and nearly 70 percent of app install marketers are on teams of four or more.
As teams grow, campaigns are being optimized more frequently. Forty-nine percent of teams optimize their campaigns at least once a day, compared to only 30 percent two years ago. And as campaigns become more global (66 percent), competition for installs has increased. Advertisers are increasingly turning to outcome-driven key performance indicators.
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.
All rights reserved.
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"Lean data: Trusted brands, financial performance, and politics (VB Live) | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/marketing/lean-data-trusted-brands-financial-performance-and-politics-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 Lean data: Trusted brands, financial performance, and politics (VB Live) 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.
Trust isn’t just a warm fuzzy feeling. For companies that know how to add trust to their brand attributes, they can see their work show up in a graph, a trendline, and an upside in performance.
Trusted brands and the stock market Each year, Fortune magazine releases a list of various business rankings , including the Fortune 100, which many of us rely on as the 100 largest public and privately-held companies in the U.S. ranked according to market cap and valuation.
In 2016, SurveyMonkey sorted the Fortune 100 in a different way : from highest to lowest in terms of consumer “trust” metrics. To follow that thread, my team measured the difference in stock-price performance between the S&P 500 and the Fortune 100 Most Trusted. We thought that there might be a performance difference between those two cohorts. We were right but what we found was even more interesting.
I was shocked to learn of a massive difference in performance between the top 15 and the bottom 15 of the Fortune 100 most-trusted companies. The top 15 Fortune 100 most-trusted performed at 26 percent greater the bottom 15 Fortune?! Wow. Wait.
We crunched the numbers again.
Yep. 26 percent higher.
This stock performance happened at the same time that Edelman’s 2016 Trust Barometer showed 50 percent of respondents have lost trust in businesses because of their lack of contributions to “society’s greater good,” and 62 percent of earned-brand respondents said they will not buy from a brand that fails to meet its societal obligations.
And in 2017, it’s not getting any more trustworthy out there. The 2017 Edelman Trust Index reports that customer trust is now “imploding” after a year of “unimaginable upheaval.” Trusted brands and politics In these politically charged times, consumers now expect corporations and businesses to take a firm stand and act on what they believe in. Conscious Consumers want to know, not just how brands handle their business decisions, but also where they put their socio-political influence.
Global Strategy Group reported in Forbes that 56 percent of Americans believe corporations should engage in dialogue surrounding controversial social-political issues.
But speaking up on controversial issues has risks. Another study quoted in the same Forbes article says 8.1 percent of Americans are more likely to purchase from a company that shares their opinions and nearly equally, but 8.4 percent are less likely to purchase from a company that doesn’t share their opinions. That’s a big 16 percent swing. But there’s more to this when it’s broken down by age groups.
Middle-aged Americans (36 to 55) are the least likely to consider corporate social advocacy in their purchasing decisions, regardless of whether or not it aligns with their own beliefs. Put simply, when consumers hit their late 30s, they get set in their ways for a few decades.
However, Boomer-aged consumers over age 55 are 16.2 percent less likely to purchase from companies they disagree with. Older consumers stop buying, and often they stop buying from companies whose social stance they disagree with.
On the other end of the age spectrum, we see young consumers who are only just beginning to buy from companies they agree with. Of 18- to 25-year olds, 8.1 percent are more likely to buy from companies that align with their personal political beliefs. And the biggest leap happens with 26-to-35 year-old consumers, who are 21.1 percent more likely to buy from companies they agree with! That’s what we mean when we say Conscious Choosers have a “Millennial mindset.” Their purchase decisions are still expanding and they are exploring to add companies that align with their worldview to their purchase considerations. They haven’t yet settled in their ways or started to withdraw from companies they don’t agree with in the same way as their parents or grandparents.
And there are 750 million of them across the globe. And growing.
The rise of the political brand The Guardian reported in its “ Women In Technology ” column in mid-2015, “A third of U.K. consumers claim to be very concerned about issues regarding the origin of products. A study from YouGov and the Global Poverty Project revealed that 74 percent of those surveyed would pay an extra 5 percent for their clothes if there was a guarantee workers were being paid fairly and working in safe conditions.
“If you’re thinking that 5 percent doesn’t sound like a lot, consider the fact that the fashion industry could take a staggering 125 million people out of poverty by adding only 1 percent of its profits to workers’ wages.” As a connected movement of people that believe in the purpose of things, Conscious Choosers see a world where we can control where we get our food. We can’t fully control water shortages (or floods, for that matter), but we can change how we use water — how we think about water. We can create shelter that minimizes energy costs and toxic materials. Conscious Choosers understand system relationships.
People can shift their individual purchases from unconscious mass consumption to conscious consumerism. When they do, the difference in fair trade opportunities, responsible materials use, and expanded human rights occurs in an interwoven, connected relationship that circles the globe.
And it boosts the consumer, too, because it makes people feel good to make a “good” purchase decision. It gives them a small amount of control over something much larger than themselves, at least conceptually. When these consumers all join in a movement, that’s when they take control on the larger scale.
Conscious Consumers expect brands to take a public stance. They want to hear how the company relates to a particular political value, community, and movement. Perhaps they want to know the brand more like a candidate and worldview they are voting for, rather than a product and features they are buying.
As Jeremiah Owyang wrote in “Rise of the Political Brand” , “A new professional category will emerge: agencies, consultants, authors, speakers will emerge that tie together political and brand strategy that aids the CMO — and achieves bottom line growth….
“Brands will politically poll their customers, partners, prospects and competitor base to ascertain the political bent of their constituent base. Some bold brands will publish these polls in public.” As our political process in the U.S. and elsewhere tears along scored ideological lines, the younger Conscious Consumer segment is only just now beginning to take shape. They are not yet winning (or, apparently, showing up ) in the political voting booths, but they are going to start winning in the brand consumer market as they begin to move into their 30s.
Research suggests that we align on trust issues early in our lives, and we manifest that trust in purchases and brand affiliations that continue once established well into our later years. The future of business belongs to brands like Starbucks that can state their purpose and back it up with actions young Conscious Consumers can rally behind.
Jascha Kaykas-Wolff is Chief Marketing Officer at Mozilla.
Here more from Jascha in our recent VB Live event discussing lean data for marketers.
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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"Appy Pie launches its VR and AR app builder for startups and small businesses | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/marketing/appy-pie-launches-its-vr-and-ar-app-builder-for-startups-and-small-businesses"
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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 Appy Pie launches its VR and AR app builder for startups and small businesses 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.
VR and AR are on the tip of everyone’s tongues these days. Well, VR certainly is. AR still has a way to go before it becomes part of the mainstream psyche.
But barriers remain for marketers who want to take advantage of the latest trends in VR, 360-degree video, and AR. How — especially when you have a startup or a small business — do you get into this exciting and engaging new field without spending a very real fortune? Today, Appy Pie — producers of cloud-based mobile app builder software — has launched its VR and AR product to solve this exact problem.
The solution includes an easy-to-use design platform that allows you to create VR and AR apps that let you promote 360-degree still images, 360-degree video, and AR solutions. The AR apps are similar, in many ways, to those you’ve seen that overlay geographical data on the real world, showing points of interest, which makes them particularly useful for events and companies that have a brick-and-mortar presence.
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! “To garner interest and enhance customer experience, it is crucial for small to medium-sized businesses and startups to take action with the various types of technology that are out there,” Abhinav Girdhar, CEO at Appy Pie, told me. “The main issue is that incorporating technology such as AR and VR is costly, which is why I wanted to feature it in our DIY app platform and allow users to have the same capabilities as bigger companies so they can leverage the competitive playing field.” By adding VR and AR features into its do-it-yourself platform, Appy Pie gives startups and smaller businesses a chance to add immersive experiences into their iOS and Android apps. And the platform is available to everyone, regardless of whether the marketer has coding experience or not.
“Businesses need to keep up with their competitors to stay relevant,” Girdhar said. “After companies saw how successful an app such as Pokémon Go was with its AR feature, they jumped on the opportunity to reach their customers better. It is imperative for SMBs to do the same.” The AR option features image recognition and tracking that gives app users the ability to scan and recognize everyday real-world objects, track positions, and augment the display of the object, while the VR solution provides users with panoramic and 360 videos for real-world experiences in a virtual world from anywhere and at any point in time.
App creators can add any 360-degree video, 3D models, images, and entire HTML snippets, either by uploading them to the Appy Pie platform or by inserting the link of a 360-degree YouTube video.
Appy Pie customers can start using the new AR and VR app builder here.
The new features are built into the existing Appy Pie app maker, and pricing varies, with a basic option starting at $15 per month.
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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"Edgybees mashes up video games and real drones for a futuristic new racer | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/games/edgybees-mashes-up-video-games-and-real-drones-for-a-futuristic-new-racer"
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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 Edgybees mashes up video games and real drones for a futuristic new racer 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.
While Amazon is busy figuring out infrastructure for its Prime Air drone empire, augmented reality startup Edgybees has launched Drone Prix AR, an AR racing game for drones.
Edgybees in fact draws from Amazon’s talent pool; Menashe Haskin, a former manager at the Amazon Prime Air office in Israel, helped cofound it in 2016. Fellow founders CEO Adam Kaplan and vice president for research and development Nitay Megides come from data virtualization and robotics backgrounds respectively.
Even as regulations have ramped up for commercial drones, they garnered some time in the limelight at the Mobile World Congress earlier this year. Industry revenue is estimated to reach more than $6 billion in 2017 and exceed $11.2 billion by 2020, according to market researcher Gartner.
The Consumer Technology Association thinks that 2017 will be a big year for drones on the consumer side, estimating a 40 percent increase to 3.4 million drones bought by hobbyists, increasing the audience for drone-based games and apps.
Drone Prix creates an AR race course that overlays whatever environment the drone is in, generating collectable prizes and obstacles for the player to avoid. In a partnership with drone creator DJI and Epson, Drone Prix is optimized for DJI drones and uses the Epson Moverio BT-300 Drone Edition smart glasses. Players can stream a first-person view from their drone’s built-in camera using DJI controllers with a video screen or via their smartphones with the DJI GO app. However, the Moverio Drone Edition glasses can also provide a more seamless heads-up display.
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! Others have tried to create AR racing games for drones, such as Drone n Base , which sought $70,000 on Indiegogo in 2015 to create its own drone as well as the corresponding game for players’ mobile devices. The project ended up raising only about $25,000, but it nevertheless moved forward with manufacturing and released its iOS app in beta earlier this year in January.
Drone Prix is single-player game for now, though it does feature a leaderboard, and comes with 30 obstacle courses in various levels of difficulty. It’s too early to say whether the game will take off, since it seems that most people are using their drones to make films or take selfies.
But if the Drone Racing League is any indication, there’s interest in more applications, which Edgybees is likely counting on. According to CNBC , 28.2 million viewers watched DRL’s first season on ESPN last year, and the second season which airs this June will be broadcast in 75 countries.
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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"Drifter Entertainment unveils fast-action sci-fi shooter Gunheart for VR | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/games/drifter-entertainment-unveils-fast-action-sci-fi-shooter-gunheart-for-vr"
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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 Drifter Entertainment unveils fast-action sci-fi shooter Gunheart for VR 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.
Drifter Entertainment , a Seattle-based virtual reality game studio, has unveiled its first VR title, Gunheart, a multiplayer sci-fi shooter for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive VR headsets.
The title is the first from a team that includes veterans from Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games. I played a three-player co-op session of Gunheart, and it left me sweaty and spent from all of the shooting. It shows that VR games are getting more intense and console-like, in terms of how the experience is evolving for the second year of the high-end VR platforms.
Gunheart has been designed to take full advantage of motion controls and 3D spaces within VR. It runs on Epic’s Unreal Engine 4, and it will be coming to Oculus Rift and HTC Vive this summer and PlayStation VR later in the year.
Ray Davis, cofounder of Drifter Entertainment, said in an interview with GamesBeat that Gunheart combines the fun of summer sci-fi blockbuster movies with the polished genre-defining gameplay of Gears of War and Halo. Players are futuristic bounty hunters, linking their minds and hearts with robotic killing machines across the galaxy.
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: Gunheart has flying creatures that you have to swat out of the sky.
The game handles movement using the familiar teleport system, which helps to get rid of the nausea associated with movement in VR. Players teleport quickly through levels, engaging alien enemies with a variety of weapons, which can be held in either hand. You can teleport to vertical spaces, gaining an advantage on the aliens below.
I quickly came to favor teleporting to high spaces so that I could get an advantage on the aliens we were shooting. But the aliens adapt quickly, as it would be too easy if you could simply teleport and land right behind an alien every time.
“It’s a challenge because it is hard to follow your co-op friends when you can teleport all over the map,” Davis said.
The aliens were bug-like creatures armed with their own weapons. Once in a while, they cornered me and brought me down. My colleagues had to revive me. While I got shot once in a while, I was able to get the most kills out of the group in my first session with the game. That means it was easy to play the game.
The game has level that can take a while to get through. It’s not simply an experience where you play for 15 minutes and then you’re done, Davis said. There’s a loose campaign narrative to tell you why you’re fighting. There are a lot of weapons, ranging from crossbows to assault rifles. The crossbow was easier to shoot, but it reloaded more slowly. I reloaded the gun by pointing the gun downward and then flipping it upward in a physical gesture.
Above: Gunheart is a three-person co-op science fiction shooter in VR.
If you put your hands together, you can transform your guns into a single, rapid-fire gatling gun. We talked to each other on voice chat, telling each other where we were and what our objectives were.
Gunheart has 12 people. The founders include Davis, Kenneth Scott, and Brian Murphy. Davis recently served as general manager for the Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4. He was also a chief technology officer at Microsoft on the HoloLens project, and he was the lead programmer on Gears of War and Gears of War 2.
Scott spent 15 years as an art director in Triple-A games at places such as id Software and Microsoft Game Studios. He worked on titles such as Quake 3, Doom 3, Rage, and Halo; most recently, he worked in VR with a team of veteran developers at Oculus.
“After working on the Bullet Train demo , I am doubly excited to work on immersive VR games,” said Davis. “We see a real marriage of active play and VR.” Murphy spent the last decade as a designer and creative director at Microsoft. Murphy helped take several major platforms and games from incubation all the way to ship, including Xbox One, Microsoft HoloLens, and the Xbox Kinect. Most recently, he helped create the virtual travel experience Holo Tour for HoloLens.
“It’s been nonstop, hiring people and building the game as fast as we can,” Davis said. “We didn’t want to go super dark. We wanted to make something beautiful. There’s something magical about VR, where you are transported to another world.” Above: Gunheart has a three-person co-op shooter mode.
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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"ReadyUp unveils platform for managing esports teams | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/esports/readyup-unveils-platform-for-managing-esports-teams"
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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 ReadyUp unveils platform for managing esports teams Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn The ESL esports finals for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in Katowice, Poland.
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ReadyUp is coming out of stealth mode today to announce it is creating a platform for esports team management.
The platform will advance the company’s vision to advance the cause of both amateur and professional esports athletes. San Francisco’s ReadyUp has created tools for roster management, scheduling, and communication. Those tools will enable esports athletes to efficiently manage and optimize their teams, allowing them to focus on competition and player development.
The platform will launch in the fall of 2017. Roderick Alemania serves as the CEO of ReadyUp. He previously held executive roles at IGN Entertainment/Fox Interactive Media, Vudu, Six Apart, and Tapjoy.
“With hundreds of millions of global esports enthusiasts, we believe esports’ scale and fragmentation now warrants a comprehensive set of team management tools,” said Alemania, in a statement. “ReadyUp will bring the best practices in traditional sports that have been successful at providing structure and efficiency from running recreational teams to managing large sports organizations.” 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: The ESL esports finals for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in Katowice, Poland.
Cofounder Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel, a pioneer among esports stars, will represent the company as its chief gaming officer. Wendel became the first full-time professional gamer in 1999, winning 12 World Titles, and he was later awarded a lifetime achievement award from esports for his contributions to competitive gaming.
“Whether you’re an entry level amateur or seasoned pro, competition takes intense dedication, discipline and time,” said Wendel, in a statement. “By taking on day to day team management tasks that take teams away from gaming, ReadyUp allows for structure which will help the gamer to utilize its time more efficiently to become their best.” Sean Allen will serve ReadyUp as chief technology officer. A 15-year veteran of the gaming industry in the online services space, Allen has patents in the fields of cloud gaming and big data systems.
ReadyUp advisors include Steven Roberts, executive chairman of ESL NA; Mike Vorhaus, president of Magid Advisors; and Glenn Chin, former global brand lead for Nike+, Nike Basketball, and EA Sports. ReadyUp has three employees.
“Esports growth has been meteoric. In terms of both competitors and fans, esports has now hit a scale on par with traditional sports,” said Roberts, in a statement. “But a strong ecosystem needs an underpinning of world-class tools and technology platforms to reach its full potential. ReadyUp provides an immense opportunity for athletes and teams at all levels ” 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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"YC’s Continuity Fund leads $20 million investment in Lob’s mail service | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/ycs-continuity-fund-leads-20-million-investment-in-lobs-mail-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 YC’s Continuity Fund leads $20 million investment in Lob’s mail 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.
The postage business may seem antiquated in the year 2017, but physical mail is still kicking. In fact, it’s a $1.4 trillion dollar industry , according to the USPS.
Lob has bet on this market with a service to help companies manage and send mail, and today the startup announced a $20 million round led by Y Combinator’s Continuity Fund.
“You can think of Lob as Amazon Web Services for physical mail,” wrote Lob cofounder and CEO Leore Avidar, in an email to VentureBeat. Companies send Lob an API request by providing an address and content in the form of HTML, which can originate from any application, script, or user action. Lob then prints and mails the letter, postcard, or check to the desired address on behalf of the customer.
Lob primarily sends mail through USPS but occasionally uses FedEx or UPS for overnight mail. The startup’s print delivery network automatically routes the mail to the closest postal facility based on the destination. Customers are then provided with analytics on tracking information.
The San Francisco-based startup offers customers different pricing tiers, depending on the amount of mail sent and usage of the platform. Avidar claims that to date Lob has sent mail to one in nine U.S. households through hundreds of its customers, which include Counsyl and Couchsurfing.
Today, Lob also announced its new address verification API, which will provide customers with access to more than 156 million domestic addresses to avoid improperly addressed mailings. “Cleansing addresses and preparing mail for sending is a tedious and difficult process,” wrote Avidar. “Our API is CASS certified by USPS, which means that companies who use it can qualify for automation and presorted discount postage rates.” A graduate of YC’s summer 2013 batch, Lob has raised a total of $29.4 million to date. Existing investors Polaris Partners, Floodgate, First Round Capital, and Initialized Capital joined YC’s Continuity Fund in today’s round. According to Avidar, this is YC Continuity’s fourth investment since launching in 2015 , which YC confirmed. Ali Rowghani, former COO of Twitter and YC partner, will be joining Lob’s board of directors.
The startup says it plans to use the fresh money to expand its print delivery network, build more robust UI tools, and release complementary APIs “that further assist our core users in automating tedious back office workflows,” wrote Avidar.
Founded in 2013, Lob currently has 45 employees.
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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"VentureBeat is hiring a Heartland Tech editor | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/venturebeat-is-hiring-a-heartland-tech-editor"
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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 VentureBeat is hiring a Heartland Tech editor 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.
We’re looking for an experienced editor to serve our readers with news and analysis around one of the most important issues of our time: the role of tech in creating — and destroying — jobs in America’s heartland.
The 2016 presidential election laid bare a chasm between technology companies and the rest of the country, namely the so-called flyover states and the region often derided as the Rust Belt. Yet new ecosystems of venture capital, innovation, and entrepreneurship are forming across the country. What can be done to bridge the divide between Silicon Valley and the heartland? As VentureBeat’s Heartland Tech editor, you’ll help define our daily coverage of this urgent issue. You’ll solicit guest posts from stakeholders and experts, find articles from other outlets to syndicate, and develop a small stable of regional freelancers to tell this story with a local perspective. Finally, you, too, will write regularly on the topic, weighing in with smart analysis and original reporting. Linked to this editorial mission, we’ll be kicking off an event series called BLUEPRINT, to be held in Reno in September.
We’re looking for someone who is passionate about innovation, understands major technology trends, and is intrigued by how technology impacts jobs and is affected by politics. Our ideal candidate will have five or more years journalistic experience. Location is unimportant; this is a contract position. Lastly, it would be great if you love to read VentureBeat. Seriously, though, you should already read VentureBeat! If you’re as excited as we are, please send a resume, desired compensation, and cover letter containing three links to your best clips to [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.
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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5,441 | 2,017 |
"Kik's new Kin currency is no revolution: It's about chasing China | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/commerce/kiks-new-kin-currency-is-no-revolution-its-about-chasing-china"
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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 Kik’s new Kin currency is no revolution: It’s about chasing China 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.
Last week, Kik, the messaging app popular with teenagers, announced that it would be entering the digital currency game with the launch of its own cryptocurrency, Kin. Are you wondering why a messaging app needs a bitcoin-esque component? Well, what we are seeing here is an attempt to emulate the success of China’s hugely popular messaging apps, which include built-in payment services. Expect more Western messaging apps to follow Kik’s lead.
As a company, Kik has never rested on its laurels. Over the past few years, it has experimented with video chat, group chat, and chat bots. The Kin virtual currency is the next step in Kik’s evolution — a strategic step based on Kik’s analysis of how messaging apps have grown in other markets.
Through Kik’s relationship with China’s Tencent, one of its primary investors, the company has had the opportunity to learn how messaging apps like WeChat evolved in Eastern markets. Kik is able to apply these learnings to its development in the West — the key lesson being that the most successful messaging services in China go beyond messaging and have slowly transformed into full platforms.
We’ve survived the mobile app boom and are now experiencing the industry’s consolidation. The average number of apps a regular mobile user has on their phone has gotten smaller and smaller, with consumers utilizing a singular app in order to perform more functions. We’ve seen these changes due to both storage limitations and convenience, and the smartest companies are taking note.
In the Chinese market, users are already accustomed to doing everything from online dating to finding transport to ordering food delivery from within one mobile app, and we will see this trend catch on in North America, with Kik driving the adoption. But while most Asian messaging apps offer an easy in-app payment method (normally the app’s name with the world “pay” after it), these services don’t have a proprietary cryptocurrency. By deploying its own Kin currency, paying users in Kin for their loyalty, and laying down the foundation for a full-fledged digital economy that exists solely inside of Kik with no need for out-of-app technology — or even a credit card — Kik is ensuring users will be tied in to the app.
Messaging apps are uniquely positioned to transform the entire mobile industry. Messenger, WhatsApp, Kik, and others are currently on the phones of almost 80 percent of mobile users. Messaging apps also have a high frequency of use, with consumers interacting with the app multiple times a day. By incorporating additional uses within their apps, messaging companies can provide a more convenient experience for users and encourage them to spend more time within the application. Kin will allow users to make purchases without ever leaving the app, meaning users will spend more time on the platform and are less likely to be distracted by other solutions.
But the strategy won’t end with digital currency. We are going to start seeing more and more utilities within messaging apps. This will culminate with messaging apps being a one-stop-shop for all mobile needs, including browsing. Within a single messaging app, users will be able to communicate with other mobile users, purchase goods, consume news, and look up information. Messaging apps will continue to drive this consolidation and will start eating up smaller apps that only perform one task until users only have a handful of individual apps on their phones. This isn’t a grand prophecy. It’s already happening.
WeChat, Line, and KakaoTalk, all extremely popular Asian messaging apps, are already benefiting from this consolidation. By expanding each platform to include payments, games, and other functionalities, these companies are engaging users in more frequent and holistic ways, driving growth and new revenue streams.
If the digital currency catches on with Kik users, we will see users forgo other payment methods (like Venmo) and pay back their friends for brunch inside the same application they used to plan the brunch. Kin will also give Kik users traveling internationally an easy way to purchase items without dealing with foreign currency. Not only are the possibilities endless for Kik, but no one should be surprised to see other messaging apps begin developing similar technology to keep up.
Ran Avidan is CTO and cofounder of StartApp.
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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5,442 | 2,017 |
"Vuforia's Project Chalk lets people communicate in augmented reality | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/vuforias-project-chalk-lets-people-communicate-in-augmented-reality"
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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 Vuforia’s Project Chalk lets people communicate in augmented reality Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn You can annotate someone's environment remotely with Project Chalk.
Internet of Things and augmented reality technology provider PTC announced that it is working on an application that lets people make ink-like virtual marks on AR images they can view using AR goggles. The Project Chalk technology could be a very important applications in moving augmented reality into mainstream use, said Jay Wright, president of PTC’s Vuforia division, in an interview with GamesBeat.
Wright is unveiling the technology in a talk at the Augmented World Expo , a big AR trade event this week in Santa Clara, California. With Project Chalk, you can wear a variety of AR headsets (or even AR applications in smartphones) and use your fingers to draw on the space that you see before your eyes. Someone else wearing AR goggles can also view what you write.
“Project Chalk is a new form of communication,” Wright said. “It enables remote presence.” Above: Remote maintenance is a lot easier with Project Chalk.
As an example, an expert on a piece of machinery could remotely mark up a knob that a maintenance technician should turn during a repair session. The markers could be used freely during a video call, in which one person can digitally annotate another’s physical environment. That means that one person can provide guidance to another from a remote location with effectiveness similar to being in the same physical space.
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! “These are exciting times for augmented reality,” said Wright. “We want to democratize AR, and we have focused more recently on the computer vision problem. We think this is a very important part of the problem.” Wright said that Project Chalk could enable people of all ages complete unfamiliar or challenging tasks with guidance from friends, family, colleagues, and professionals. For example, busy parents can assist children with homework or projects at home, do-it-yourselfers can get assistance from each other or a local handyman, and families can provide aging members with guidance to overcome everyday challenging tasks.
Above: Project Chalk makes it easier to give someone directions remotely.
Early on, Project Chalk will enable a wide range of mobile workers — from service technicians to sales personnel — to troubleshoot and solve problems with increased ease, speed, and accuracy.
“We see Project Chalk as a fundamentally disruptive form of remote communication that will be well received across multiple sectors and for multiple use cases,” said Eric Abbruzzese, principal analyst at ABI Research, in a statement. “We envision this capability being used beyond the enterprise on everyday devices across platforms.” Developers will be able to use Project Chalk capabilities in existing Vuforia-powered applications for iOS, Android, and Windows using Vuforia software development kit (SDK). Additionally, Project Chalk will be made available as a standalone application via app stores. The application will support a freemium model with plans for both personal and business use.
Vuforia Project Chalk will be available for developers in Vuforia SDKs, and for consumers and businesses via app stores in fall 2017. Launched in 2011, Vuforia has more than 350,000 developers and partners. More than 40,000 applications are available on the Vuforia platform. Vuforia apps have been installed 425 million times.
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.
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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"Oblong Industries introduces a series of Mezzanine enterprise visual collaboration tools | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/oblong-industries-introduces-a-series-of-mezzanine-enterprise-visual-collaboration-tools"
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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 Oblong Industries introduces a series of Mezzanine enterprise visual collaboration tools Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Oblong's Mezzanine 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.
Oblong Industries believes it has come up with a way to improve visual collaboration, and now it’s launching a series of products under its Mezzanine brand to increase adoption by enterprises.
Los Angeles-based Oblong raised $65 million in funding to build technologies that will make collaborative work much easier. Oblong is combining spatial, immersive, and gesture technologies — developed by company CEO John Underkoffler, who was the science advisor for the Tom Cruise film Minority Report.
(He was also a speaker on future user interfaces at our recent GamesBeat Summit 2017 event.
) Underkoffler helped create the gesture controls and “data gloves” in the sci-fi film Minority Report in 2002. He founded Oblong Industries in 2006 and launched Mezzanine (a version of the Minority Report gesture controls for enterprise collaborators) in 2012.
Oblong makes the Mezzanine product for immersive visual collaboration and data visualization, and it does so on an “architectural scale,” meaning it works with your building design and uses its unique “g-speak” technology. G-speak software enables multi-machine, device-agnostic spatial operating environments with simultaneous gesture and touch inputs.
Above: John Underkoffler has high hopes for the user interfaces of the future.
And now the company is launching an expanded range of products under the Mezzanine name. Those hardware and software products will drive the entry price point for a full Mezzanine solution below $50,000.
Mezzanine offers high-performance collaboration for rooms of all sizes, from small and medium-size teamwork spaces to the largest executive briefing centers. New nomenclature makes it easier for customers and integrator partners to zero in on the most appropriate Mezzanine solution for their particular use case, team composition, workflow needs, and physical space. Full details will be revealed at Infocomm 2017 , the largest audio visual conference in the U.S.
The products range from the Mezzanine 200 at the low end to Mezzanine 650 at the high end.
“We take pride in our culture of continual innovation and responsiveness to our customers’ needs,” said Underkoffler, in a statement. “To meet the demand for more flexible solutions, we’ve evolved the Mezzanine product family to provide a full range of offerings to the market. We’re especially excited to introduce the 200 Series and its more accessible price tag, as well as features like Mezzanine platform integration with Skype for Business. The newly expanded Mezzanine portfolio enables more people in the workplace to benefit from Oblong’s technology and become more creative, collaborative, and productive.” Oblong’s customers include NASA, PwC, IBM, Fujitsu, and Accenture, along with other forward-thinking Fortune 500 companies.
A commissioned study by Forrester found that Mezzanine pays for itself in less than eight months and offers a return on investment (ROI) of 226 percent in 3 years.
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"Miso Happy augmented reality app sticks your face on AR cartoons | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/miso-happy-augmented-reality-app-sticks-your-face-on-ar-cartoons"
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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 Miso Happy augmented reality app sticks your face on AR cartoons Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Miso Happy! 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.
Miso Happy is a new augmented reality app that captures a cartoon version of your face and sticks it on a cartoon character in an AR environment.
The app is the brainchild of Futurefly , a Helsinki-based startup whose mission is to create light-hearted apps that go viral. Miso Happy extracts a 3D version of your face from a selfie, and then the AR app puts your face on animated characters that perform antics in the real world. It’s not so different from putting cat ears on a person in Snapchat, which has proven to be enormously popular.
Available on iOS (with an Android release scheduled for later in 2017), Miso Happy creates a fully animated 3D face after snapping just one front-facing selfie. Users can then select from a collection of animated stickers (that will now have their 3D face on them) and capture photo or video of themselves performing in the real world. Created scenes can be further decorated with 2D stickers and text before sharing on any messaging or social media channels.
You can become anything from a Glam-Rock guitarist to a shy Anime Schoolgirl. Futurefly will add more animated characters, which will appear in the app automatically, without the need of an update.
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! You can also point your phone’s camera anywhere and capture photo or video of your surroundings, with your animated character performing in it. Users fully control their characters and can position them using pinch, zoom, or rotation on their 3D axis. Miso Happy also lets you decorate captured scenes with 2D stickers and text and allows users to share these creations to SMS, Snapchat, Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, save to the camera roll, and so forth.
Oskari “Ozz” Häkkinen, founder and chief product officer at Futurefly, said in a statement, “Miso Happy has been a super fun, but very challenging project. We’ve been trying to crack the face-tech thing for a while now. With each version we thought we were there, but testers weren’t happy enough with the results. But, we did it finally and managed to solve the challenge of your face in AR, which is essential for content to feel relevant and worth sharing. This is just the start, Miso Happy opens the doors to now do much more in the augmented reality and holographic content space.” 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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"Microsoft's Draft helps developers adopt Kubernetes | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/microsofts-draft-helps-developers-adopt-kubernetes"
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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 Draft helps developers adopt Kubernetes Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Microsoft office sign.
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Microsoft is making it easier for developers to get started with Kubernetes, the open source container orchestration tool. On Wednesday, the company launched Draft , which is designed to streamline the setup of a containerized application.
When a developer first invokes Draft from the command line, the tool will analyze an application’s code, detect what language is being used, and then automatically generate the source files needed to get it ready to run on a Kubernetes cluster. It’s meant to enable developers who have no knowledge of Docker or Kubernetes to get started with those tools early in their development workflow.
That’s a key problem to address, because while savvy pilot teams are able to get up and running with containers easily, it’s hard to scale that knowledge out to an entire organization.
“This stuff is way too hard,” said Gabe Monroy, a program management lead at Microsoft. “The conceptual barrier is way too difficult, and people don’t know how to get started with it.” VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Once Draft is set up, developers just have to run the draft up command to have their application deployed to a Kubernetes cluster. While it’s possible for devs to target a cluster running on their personal computer, the power of Draft is its ability to deploy an application on a remote cluster running in the cloud or an on-premises datacenter.
Containerization allows developers to build more portable and scalable applications, which is important for operating in modern cloud environments. However, tools like Kubernetes (which help with the deployment and management of applications that use multiple containers) can have a steep learning curve. That’s where Draft is supposed to come in.
Draft is the brainchild of Deis, a company that Microsoft acquired earlier this year to help simplify the use of containers. It also shows the extent to which Microsoft is willing to support Kubernetes, a tool that originated with Google and has rapidly gained popularity. In addition to the Deis acquisition, Microsoft also employs Brendan Burns, one of the co-creators of Kubernetes.
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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"Hilton's bringing the gym to your hotel room | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/hiltons-bringing-the-gym-to-your-hotel-room"
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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 Hilton’s bringing the gym to your hotel room Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Hilton: "Five feet to fitness" kiosk 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.
Hotels can be a lonely place for business travelers at the best of times, but forays into the bar or fitness center serve as potential conduits to meeting fellow human beings. Hilton, however, has just announced a new initiative that gives guests one less reason to venture outside their temporary dwellings.
In what Hilton is calling “five feet to fitness,” the hotelier is bringing the gym directly to guests’ rooms, with more than “eleven different fitness equipment and accessory options,” according to a statement issued by the company.
Some rooms will now have a Wattbike exercise bike and a training station with a range of apparatus and accessories.
Above: Hilton: In-room gym At the center of the in-room gym setup is a touchscreen “fitness kiosk” that delivers tutorials and workout routines, with hundreds of fitness videos across cardio, endurance, strength, yoga, stretching, and more.
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: Hilton: Yoga The rooms also feature a meditation chair, blackout shades, Biofreeze pain-relieving gel, and a range of protein drinks.
Though it’s not unheard of for hotels to include some fitness equipment in guest rooms, Hilton is adamant that its offering is unprecedented in terms of how the rooms have been created with gym equipment in mind.
“A guest room that combines a sleep and fully integrated fitness experience delivers an impressive new dimension of convenience and personalization — an industry first,” explained Hilton senior director of global wellness, Ryan Crabbe. “Five Feet to Fitness has been thoughtfully engineered to serve as a guest’s personal wellness stage, complete with sports performance materials and best-in-class gym accessories. Guests will quickly realize we have gone much further than simply placing a piece of equipment in a room.” Anyone who has attempted home exercise will know that motivating oneself to perform a full workout on the living room floor can be a challenge. It is often easier to leave your familiar domestic surroundings and run in a park or go to the gym. But there are undoubtedly some people out there who would rather exercise in private, away from the prying eyes of work colleagues.
“We know that no matter how determined people are about making healthy decisions while at home, the ability to replicate those choices is often not as accessible as it should be while traveling,” added Crabbe. “We’re creating choice and control for guests to drive their own fitness experience.” Hilton’s fitness-focused guest rooms are currently available at Parc 55 San Francisco and will be arriving at additional hotels in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Austin, and San Diego.
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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"Google is first to offer Intel's Skylake processors in the cloud | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/google-is-first-to-offer-intels-skylake-processors-in-the-cloud"
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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 is first to offer Intel’s Skylake processors in the cloud 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 has become the first major cloud provider to start offering virtual machine instances using a new generation of Intel Xeon processors powered by the chipmaker’s Skylake architecture. The company launched those instances in beta a few months ago, and they’re generally available as of Wednesday.
It’s a move by Google to better compete with other cloud providers like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, which have yet to launch their own Skylake infrastructure products. AWS announced a set of Skylake-powered C5 instances for its Elastic Compute Cloud last year, but those have yet to launch.
In addition, Google has made several other updates to its Compute Engine infrastructure-as-a-service offering. Virtual machine instances running in GCE can now support up to 64 vCPUs and 455GB of RAM. Using a drop-down menu, developers can choose their minimum preferred processor architecture for a particular Google Cloud region. The company offers a variety of Intel Xeon E5 processors , ranging from Intel’s Ivy Bridge architecture up to Skylake.
As of Wednesday, developers can finally run workloads on Broadwell chips in every Google Cloud region, though not every data center within those regions support 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! Skylake instances are available in three of Google’s eight cloud regions: Western US (Oregon), Western Europe (Belgium), and Eastern Asia Pacific (Taiwan). The company says that it plans additional geographic availability soon.
For the first 60 days of general availability, Skylake instances will be priced the same as their older counterparts. After that, users will be charged a premium price for using them — roughly 6-10 percent above the non-Skylake price, depending on the instance configuration.
Google has also lifted restrictions on how much memory can be connected to a single virtual CPU for customers who choose to customize their virtual machine instances. Customers can now elect to use as much as 455GB of memory with their VMs, no matter how many vCPUs those machines have.
Previously, developers were restricted to only using 6.5GB of RAM per vCPU, which meant workloads that need a lot of memory could end up requiring more processing power than they needed. Using more than 6.5GB of RAM per vCPU will incur an extra surcharge, however.
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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"GETcorp Raises Top Tier VC Round To Build Wireless Power Networks for Drones | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/getcorp-raises-top-tier-vc-round-to-build-wireless-power-networks-for-drones"
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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 GETcorp Raises Top Tier VC Round To Build Wireless Power Networks for Drones Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn WOODLAND, Wash. & MOSCOW–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 31, 2017– Global Energy Transmission Corporation (“GET”), a provider of long distance high power wireless power solutions for industrial applications, has raised a $2.5M seed round.
The new investment round is a landmark cross border Russian-US joint technology venture investment, led by IP Fund (Russia) and Draper Associates (US). IP Fund participated in this transaction via PapayaFIN Ltd. which became the new shareholder. The new funds will be used to develop GET’s industrial wireless power charging system and deploy wireless power networks across major cities worldwide.
“GET has developed a suite of high performance wireless power transmission technologies and is currently focused on introducing its large area solutions for the commercial drone industry,” said Leonid Plekhanov, GET Founder and CEO.
GET announced and demonstrated its first prototype Distant Wireless Power System drone charging solution in June 2016. It enables the first continuous wireless powered electric drone flight over a large area. The system can continuously deliver enough energy to power heavy drone flight by wirelessly recharging onboard batteries for commercial parcel delivery services and other applications.
“Since electricity can travel wirelessly, we won’t need wires. GET can potentially replace every electric wire on the planet with their wireless solution,” said Timothy Draper, Founder of Draper Associates/DFJ.
“Despite several transactions structured for last year in Russia and Europe, this is the first transaction of our fund in the USA. The fund is aimed at investments into the startups proposing infrastructure hi-tech solutions based upon transactional model and able to gain income from transactions in system. The GET project completely corresponds to this strategy, and we believe in its success,” said CEO of IP Fund, Dr. Econ. Sci., Prof. Artem Genkin.
“During last years it became highly important to get rid of wires – to be free with any gadget we use either smart phone, music station or making land views with drone. We are absolutely sure in development of wireless power solutions and are glad to be part of this growing high-tech industry,” said Dmitry Panursky, Director of PapayaFIN Ltd.
GET also presented its wireless power network plan for a series of power hot spots for drones to recharge as they complete deliveries across a region. With this approach, there is no longer need to land the drone precisely in order to recharge it. It can be done while airborne or simply landing within the wide-area power hot spot. GET plans to deploy a power hot spot network for drones, with light-weight antenna receivers available for mounting on drones, which can be registered to the GET Wireless Power Network (WPN) with subscription service.
The technology is safe and friendly for the environment, and well within the World Health Organization guidelines. Importantly, the GET WPN does not interfere with existing communications transmissions at all. Authorized drones with access to the GET WPN can safely grab enough energy in seconds to fly payloads across the charging network to stay aloft indefinitely for use in surveillance and other applications, or reach their delivery destinations with parcels.
About Global Energy Transmission GET is US-based company with engineering center in Russia. The company owns a strong IP portfolio in wireless power charging solutions. The company is focused on solving the short battery lifetime issue with commercial drones. GET Wireless Power Network (WPN) subscription service will enable millions of drones to receive power from a network of power hot spots to deliver packages to customers throughout cities. The technology is enabling for drone parcel delivery services and other drone-based services including inspection, surveillance, mapping, agricultural monitoring, rescue operations and others. To learn more, visit www.getcorp.com About the IP Fund IP Fund is a Russian investment fund founded in July 2016 and focused on high-yield investments in dynamically growing companies in IT, disruptive technology, education and healthcare. The fund invests in projects in Russia, the United States and Europe. The fund’s investments are designed to help accelerate companies and increase their efficiency. To learn more, visit http://ipfund.ru About PapayaFIN PapayaFIN has supported projects in various aspects of the start-up and operating companies and provided such services as business planning, strategic development planning, holding structure optimization and incorporation of the companies, IT core operational software implementation, choose of optimal IT infrastructure and IT security solution.
About Draper Associates Draper Associates is a premiere brand in early-stage venture capital. The entrepreneur-centric firm has built a reputation for venture capital that encourages entrepreneurs to drive their businesses to greatness, to transform industries with new technologies, and to build platforms for extraordinary growth, jobs, and wealth creation. To learn more, visit www.draper.vc 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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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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"Even if Bixby was ready on time, Samsung set the bar too high | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/even-if-bixby-was-ready-on-time-samsung-set-the-bar-too-high"
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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 Even if Bixby was ready on time, Samsung set the bar too high Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Samsung's Galaxy S8 is one of Google's ARCore platforms.
You’d think that multiple appliances literally on fire would slow the tack of a global brand like Samsung, but think again.
It’s been more than two months since Samsung launched its flagship Galaxy S8 phone , and despite record S8 preorders , the device still has no Bixby virtual assistant. Sources say the assistant, initially delayed until late May, will now launch in late June, Wall Street Journal reported today. The assistant is reportedly having trouble understanding English.
Overpromising and underdelivering doesn’t work, especially since in the fall the South Korea-based company had to deal with the flaming Galaxy Note 7 , exploding washing machines , and the arrest of heir and de facto leader Lee Jae-yong.
Prior to the release of Bixby, Samsung bragged that Bixby-enabled apps could accomplish virtually any task, and would have the ability to understand users even if they provide incomplete information, statements that prompted me to write in March, back when people thought Bixby would launch with the Galaxy S8, that Bixby was already setting expectations too high.
Listen to product managers at tech giants like Google or Microsoft talk about their bots and assistants today and more than once you’ll hear the word “expectation” enter the conversation.
When the world believes intelligent assistants and bots should embody the intelligence of the talking machines from the future we’ve been told would exist one day, the management of expectations is key to the success of a product.
Even better than listening to product managers, watch any person interact with a bot. It’s true that chat app and voice interfaces can seem pretty simple, but users — either by their own error or a shortcoming of product design — always manage to make mistakes or get stuck.
People are still only beginning to get used to voice interfaces, and the field is growing with new entrants like Bixby and Andy Rubin’s new Essential Home.
Take Facebook Messenger bots or Siri, for example: People got the idea these bots could do a fair deal when they were first made available, only to be disappointed at the lack of smarts or features.
Underperformance from those promises leads to dissatisfied customers, something Samsung doesn’t really need after its products have literally been banned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
In both the shipping of Bixby and user interaction, things go wrong, but telling people things will be amazing then missing the delivery date means you better hit the mark once that product does become publicly available. Because expectations remain high, especially since Samsung said “Bixby will be gradually applied to all our appliances,” it’s about more than one smartphone.
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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"Concord Announces $3.7 Million Series A and New Executive Hires | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/concord-announces-3-7-million-series-a-and-new-executive-hires"
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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 Concord Announces $3.7 Million Series A and New Executive Hires Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 31, 2017– Concord , a leading contract management platform, today announced $3.7 million in additional funding to continue solving the challenge of reconciling speed and compliance for hyper-growth and enterprise-level companies like Just Eat, Crédit Mutuel, and Stanford University. The investment will be used to scale the marketing and sales organizations.
The round was led by Alven Capital and also included previous Concord investors Streamlined Ventures, Bruno Deschamps, and Thibault Poutrel. Other investors in Concord include Cota Capital and Tien Tzuo, CEO and Cofounder of Zuora.
“Concord has achieved a high growth velocity due to its innovative platform and being the first to define a market that’s been neglected for 30 years. I’m incredibly excited to see how that takes off even further with this investment,” said Raffi Kamber, partner at Alven Capital.
Ryan Ward, formerly Head of Enterprise Sales at Signifyd, and Travis Bickham, formerly Head of Enterprise Marketing at Tradeshift, have both joined the executive team following the round as Director of Sales and VP of Marketing.
“What most companies miss is that contracts aren’t documents, they’re relationships and they need to be managed for their entire lifecycle as such. This is a massive untapped market and our immediate traction speaks volumes to this. We’re pleased to continue working with investors who recognize this opportunity and bring decades of SaaS expertise. And we’re thrilled to be bringing on proven leaders like Ryan and Travis, who’ve continually produced massive commercial success in their previous roles,” said CEO Matt Lhoumeau.
The announcement comes on the heels of rapid growth for Concord, where the user base has expanded 400% in the 19 months since seed funding to 80,000 companies globally.
About Concord: Founded in 2015 and headquartered in San Francisco, Concord is a leading contract management platform that enables 80,000 companies around the globe to connect all of their people, processes, and contracts on one platform. It’s built with intuitive features, like online negotiation and editing, deadline alerts, and approval workflows, to give users everything they need, all in one place–making growth and compliance synonymous.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170531006272/en/ Concord Travis Bickham, +1 844-693-7446 [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.
Discover our Briefings.
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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"7 takeaways from Mary Meeker's 2017 Internet Trends report | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/7-takeaways-from-mary-meekers-2017-internet-trends-report"
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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 Analysis 7 takeaways from Mary Meeker’s 2017 Internet Trends report Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Kleiner Perkins partner Mary Meeker at the Code Conference.
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.
Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends report has become an annual ritual for Silicon Valley. It’s as if the tech industry had an annual physical exam and received a health report in the form of a 355-page presentation.
As in years past, Meeker’s 2017 report contained a few notable trends in its firehose of data points, which are interesting in how they show the tech industry evolving. Here are some of the key takeaways.
Growth in Internet population is slowing, but growth in online ads is accelerating.
The number of global users on the Internet reached 3.4 billion in 2016, equal to 46 percent of the world’s population. That’s more than double the figure in 2009, but the growth rate has flatlined around 10 percent a year for the past five years.
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! Meanwhile, growth in online advertising is accelerating, at least in the U.S. Digital advertising rose 22 percent to $73 billion last year, up from 20 percent in 2015 and 15 percent in 2014. Unsurprisingly, the growth is coming from mobile ads, which is growing fast enough to more than offset a decline in desktop ads.
Meeker said that the amount of money spent on digital ads will surpass spending on TV ads sometime in the next six months.
Ecommerce growth is also accelerating.
That online-retail sales is growing year after year is a given. But the pace of growth has been accelerating for the past three years, rising steadily from 14 percent in 2013 to 15 percent last year.
Credit Amazon, of course, but Walmart is also seeing new online growth in the wake of its purchase of deep-discount site Jet.com. Meanwhile, physical retailers are expected to close nearly 1,700 shops in the U.S., the largest number in 20 years, the report says. Those closings have more to do with unwise overexpansion in recent years than Amazon or ecommerce in general.
Gaming continues to lead and shape the online experience.
Another unsurprising insight concerns the growth and popularity in gaming, but it’s interesting to see the figures Meeker has collected to show that growth.
Meeker estimates that there are 2.6 billion gamers around the world, up from 100 million in 1995. The gaming industry generated $100 billion in global revenue last year, with nearly half of that, $47 billion, coming from Asia. Games are central to defining the overall online experience. In her presentation, Meeker speculated that they may be preparing society for the rise of human-computer interaction.
Revenue in the music industry is rising again.
The Internet has not been kind to the music recording industry. For the past 16 years, revenue has declined by an average of 4 percent a year. The rate of decline had slowed in the past several years as downloaded and streaming music began to offset the vanishing sales of CDs.
Last year, overall music revenue grew by 11% to more than $12 billion, its highest figure since 2009. Subscription and streaming revenue made up more than half of the total figure for the first time.
Digital health care is approaching an inflection point.
Health care is at once a data-driven industry and one that is perhaps the worst at managing data. Meeker says health care “is at a digital inflection point,” one of those terms that act as red meat for investors because it signals strong growth ahead.
The rise of fitness trackers and health apps are collecting more user data than ever, while hospitals are sharing more health care information with patients. The average hospital holds 50 petabytes of health care data, and the total amount of that data is growing by 48 percent a year, Meeker says.
The bottleneck to analyzing that data is patient privacy. Health care data can be used to the benefit and the detriment of patients. A survey of consumers asking which tech companies they’d share their health data with shows 60 percent trust Google and 56 percent trust Microsoft. Less trusted are Amazon and Facebook — only 39 percent of consumers would share health data with them.
China is growing as a tech rival to the U.S.
The biggest market caps in tech belong to none other than the Big Four: Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Facebook. Together, they are worth a collective $2.4 trillion. But seven of the next 16 on the list are Chinese companies like Tencent and Alibaba. Those seven are worth $929 billion in aggregate.
U.S. companies may still dominate the money invested in tech, but China’s rivals are quickly catching up.
Immigrants are core to the Valley’s DNA.
The story of Silicon Valley is in good part the story of immigrants who have played a part in building and shaping its technology. Meeker looked at the 25 most highly valued tech companies and found that 15 of them had founders who were first- or second-generation Americans.
The shift in the Trump Administration’s “America first” stance on work visas may put that in jeopardy. To underscore the importance of foreign workers and founders in tech, Meeker showed that half of the most highly valued private tech companies were founded by first-generation immigrants. Those companies — including Uber, SpaceX, and Slack — have created 48,000 jobs.
The full report can be found here [slideshare id=76530316&doc=internettrends2017report-170531162415] 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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"Is Andy Rubin's Amazon Echo competitor doomed to fail? | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/is-andy-rubins-amazon-echo-competitor-doomed-to-fail"
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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 Is Andy Rubin’s Amazon Echo competitor doomed to fail? 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.
What if you didn’t have to fiddle with gadgets all day? That’s the promise of ambient computing, a combination of AI and sensing technology in the future home and beyond. Imagine this scenario. You’re out with friends and you notice the weather has turned hot and sunny. That’s not a good thing for your new garden. Fortunately, a sensor triggers the sprinkler system, even though you didn’t set up a watering schedule.
When one device in your home communicates with another, using AI to trigger events that help you (or at least give you an option to activate an event), that’s ambient computing. It depends on “sensing” in that the devices can act or prompt you for certain behaviors.
Recently, Andy Rubin (known as the creator of Android, even though he says it was a team effort ) announced a new product called Essential Home. It’s not a terrible product name, although “Essential” is a generic food brand and “Home” is the name of a similar Google product.
The circular device runs on the new Ambient OS — or, I should say that it will run on the OS.
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 no firm plans for when the product will ship, and the Essential site appears to show mock-up renders. That said, it looks like an interesting device. It resembles the Amazon Echo Dot a bit (as it’s shaped like a hockey puck) and functions like the Amazon Echo Show (since it has a screen).
According to Essential, the device can sense other products on the same network, and — presumably using some open source trickery — offer to connect that device. There’s no technical explanation about how that will work. Rubin has also said the device could use the personal assistants from Amazon, Apple, or Google. If that’s anything like running the Google Assistant on your iPhone, where you can’t say “OK, Google,” it could be a problem.
We want ease of use and ease of functionality.
Still, the concept makes sense (ahem). We want smarter, more proactive devices. We want them to “just work” and sense other gadgets, regardless of whether they have a Samsung logo on the box or are only available from Lowe’s. Frankly, there are too many brands to worry about, too many apps, and not enough hours in the day. Last summer, when I installed a new security system, it didn’t connect to my thermostats or garage door openers. I don’t care about brand loyalty, I just need to park my car and turn on the air conditioning. The end user cares about utility.
This is where AI plays such an important role. Sensing depends greatly on machine learning — a computer that thinks like a human. It has to be immensely powerful to work. If the Essential Home device senses my connected garage door openers and pre-conditions my house so it’s nice and cool by the time I drive up the road, it won’t matter to me which products or software were involved. I’ll be too tired after working all day to care.
Now, I’m a little skeptical about all of this. Computers respond to the commands we write for them. The smart home uses software and apps that are branded and coded to work with certain hardware devices. If a Chamberlain garage door doesn’t work with a Nest thermostat, that’s not something Essential will be able to resolve on its own. It will need to get those two companies to work together, and open source software only helps to an extent. I’ve tested many of these products. When they are incompatible, there’s not much you can do.
This is an uphill climb, but maybe Rubin and team can make it all work. The massive market share for Android is one indication of the team’s potential for success.
We’ll know more when Essential releases more details about the product, hopefully soon.
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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"Executives and entrepreneurs debate the challenges of enterprise AI | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/executives-and-entrepreneurs-debate-the-challenges-of-enterprise-ai"
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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 Executives and entrepreneurs debate the challenges of enterprise AI 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.
“Enterprise users don’t know the difference between algorithms and logarithms,“ jokes Marco Casalaina, VP of product management at Salesforce Einstein , during an enterprise AI event Topbots recently hosted for executives and entrepreneurs in San Francisco.
Sadly, he’s right. Despite non-stop media hype about “artificial intelligence” and “deep learning,” very few people even know what those terms mean, much less how the technologies work. Casalaina’s had stints as a product and technology leader at the biggest names in enterprise — Oracle, SAP, now Salesforce — and years of experience designing and selling complex business solutions. His biggest pet peeve? When people don’t clearly convey product benefits and resort to meaningless marketing speak, like “actionable insights” or “predictive analytics.” “Entrepreneurs talk about ‘democratizing data science,’ but then in a pitch the first words out of their mouth are ‘we have this new auto-feature-engineering tool’,” complains Casalaina. “There are 20,000 people in the world who understand what feature engineering is. Once you say that, you’ve lost your audience.” Casalaina’s keynote was followed by a panel of enterprise A.I. experts, ranging from entrepreneurs and investors, to designers, marketers, and engineers. I asked them a few tough questions to spark some lively debate.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Where is the highest potential ROI for AI in enterprise? Brand engagement, says Eva Steele-Saccio, writer and conversational designer at PullString.
She shares an incredible statistic: Only 1 percent of people click through in email ad campaigns, but she sees 90 percent click-through rates on PullString’s chatbot messages on Facebook.
Nikhil Balaraman, director of product marketing at Infer , stands by his statement that “lead scoring is maybe the highest ROI, and the ROI is measurable,” directly disagreeing with Casalaina’s view that the space is overcrowded. Ayush Agarwal, head of enterprise products at Facebook , agrees on the potential of ROI in lead scoring, but emphasizes that we need to look “at the whole business process and build a clean system,” rather than just apply AI to a narrow task.
What’s your biggest challenge in selling AI to customers who don’t understand AI? Steele-Saccio emphasizes that many companies assume chatbots can chat about anything, but creating a truly great experience entails focusing on the right use cases for the brand and their users. “Keeping the focus tight can be a challenge,” she warns.
Nathan Ross, cofounder and COO of Radbots , says he’s been most successful by giving customers a small piece of AI they can use immediately, then demonstrate how to scale the value. According to Ross, “If we can show them a way to save 5 percent of their time for one task, that opens the floodgates.” How do you approach building AI? Agarwal suggests that prior to writing code for chatbots, you should act out the interactions and conversations with other humans. “We get a person to pretend to be the bot, so we can test, iterate, and evolve instantly — all without damaging our customer relations during concept development.” John Forrester, CMO of Inbenta , agrees. “You can’t go too fast on the technical side. You need to make sure that the systems, the data, and the integrations are ready. The groundwork really determines the success of the pilot.” Do you have any funny stories about customers misusing bots? Turns out bots that have avatars inspire far more… interesting conversations. Forrester reveals that “if you have an avatar, 30 percent of the chats aren’t about the product or company and are not politically correct at all.” Steele-Saccio adds that “you really have to prepare your chatbot to respond appropriately to profanity.” Customers don’t always abuse bots. They sometimes fall in love with them. Ross shares how one customer’s chatbot was based unofficially on the Baby Groot character in Guardians of the Galaxy. Even though the chatbot only said “I am Groot,” people kept engaging and built a relationship with it, just like they would a talking stuffed animal.
What are the most common mistakes in enterprise AI? “It’s critical to educate your customer,” said Agarwal. “Especially when they have the misconceptions that your AI will send revenues through the roof. Customer retention will be a problem if you set expectations too high, but I see this happen a lot. Lower expectations and give them concrete value.” Forrester adds that companies are often ingrained in Silicon Valley culture without realizing they’re in a bubble. “We must understand Middle America and different countries and design experiences for them.” In five years, what will be possible with AI that isn’t possible now? “We all hate the amount of email we get. Booking a simple meeting can take five messages,” Agarwal points out. “My prediction is: In five years, we will have cracked email, calendaring, and team communications.” Sara Ahmadian, CEO of Seamless Planet , believes chatbots will be ubiquitous. Ross agrees and is actively building a product called Network that connects chatbots to all your IoT, smart car, and computing devices. The vision is to enable intelligent agents to track and manage all aspects of your life.
What shouldn’t be delegated to AI? Ross believes everything should be delegated to AI, so we can focus on the next step of human evolution. Agarwal isn’t so sure, suggesting he might not want a judge in a legal system to be an AI robot.
Balaraman points out that previous software used for sentencing turned out to be incredibly biased, largely because the machine learning was based on historical human judgments, which were flawed.
Casalaina concludes: “For as much as we want to automate everything, we can’t. We still need people.” You can watch the entire enterprise panel discussion in the video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0XV7NwlmbM Mariya Yao is the Head of Research & Design at TOPBOTS.com , a strategy & research firm for applied artificial intelligence.
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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"Amazon's Alexa can now add events to your iCloud calendar | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/amazons-alexa-can-now-add-events-to-your-icloud-calendar"
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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 Alexa can now add events to your iCloud calendar Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Amazon Echo Dot 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.
Amazon today announced that owners of Amazon Alexa-enabled devices may now speak with the AI-powered assistant to add events to their Apple iCloud calendar.
This iCloud addition follows an ongoing effort to allow Alexa to access major calendar services. Since March, tens of millions of G Suite , Outlook, and Office 365 account users have gained access to add events or check their calendar with Alexa.
To link an iCloud account with Alexa, go to the Settings tab in the Alexa app. Once its enabled, you can say things like “Alexa, what’s on my calendar today?” or “Alexa, add brunch with Rick Ross at 11 a.m. to my calendar.” If you haven’t been back to the Alexa app recently, it’ll probably look a lot different. That’s because a series of new features for the intelligent assistant has launched in recent weeks.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! Earlier this month, owners of Amazon Echo and Echo Dot gained the ability to make phone calls and send messages to people using the iOS or Android Alexa app. Push notifications are also coming soon.
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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"Why Waymo's self-driving car test in Phoenix is such a big milestone | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/transportation/why-waymos-self-driving-car-test-in-phoenix-is-such-a-big-milestone"
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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 Why Waymo’s self-driving car test in Phoenix is such a big milestone Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Waymo 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.
Artificial intelligence is not the savior of mankind.
All of the intelligence we program into an interface — a speaker like Amazon Echo, the chatbot you use at work, or a car that drives on its own — has to be tested in the real world by actual human beings, and until those tests are perfected, it won’t be saving anyone. Even then, this computer entity is really an extension of the human mind, isn’t it? An AI is only as smart as the humans who create and program it — nothing more and nothing less.
That’s why autonomous cars are so important. They won’t be the savior of all mankind, but the AI in cars will certainly save a few lives — perhaps even millions.
That’s why the recent news that Waymo (the sister company of Google) is using a fleet of 500 test vehicles — the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, outfitted with LIDAR sensors and other tech to keep the car on the straight and narrow — is so important. No autonomous car will ever reach full production standards at larger automakers like Chrysler and GM until there are real people sitting in the vehicle — including kids, as Google’ s Waymo has explained.
Here’s why that is.
Every expert in the auto industry knows there are millions of variables when it comes to driving, and an AI has to collect and analyze all of that data. That’s why it is called machine learning, not machine learned. A cat and a dog run into the road at the same time; what does the car need to do? Five cars swerve around an object on a highway. Why? At high speeds, wind comes up from a valley and sweeps over the road, but at the same time, there’s a draft from a storm on the other side — one that happens once every year. How should the car react? Self-driving cars need the full force of a major tech company in order to discern how an AI will function in all of these conditions. Have you met any government regulators? They are not going to let cars drive on their own in every state on every road anytime soon, although Las Vegas and San Francisco seem fairly open to the idea in some areas. Tesla is beta-testing autonomous cars with real drivers, but Tesla is a tiny startup compared to Ford. There’s a risk of reputation, not from the handful of self-driving cars Ford might release a few years from now but to the millions of cars they sell without that tech.
And there’s this fact. Early adopters all have one thing in common: They are a small minority. The major automakers don’t want to sell to a small number of early adopters, they want to sell to your Aunt Judy who drives to work in a Honda Civic today. Mass production of AI-enabled vehicles requires mass testing with hundreds or even thousands of drivers. There’s a lesson there for anyone creating a chatbot or AI-enabled software: Test it for Aunt Judy. Your AI should have so much data to analyze, go through so many rounds of usability testing, and work with an incredible number of users at all levels of technical ability that it’s almost foolproof.
What happens when you don’t test in the real world? An AI will crash and fail. It will lose market share. It will become Microsoft Tay. Google and Waymo are testing 500 minivans because they are thinking about production scale artificial intelligence in cars. That’s the real goal.
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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"Tesla to complete Model S brake fix before regaining top safety rating | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/transportation/tesla-to-complete-model-s-brake-fix-before-regaining-top-safety-rating"
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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 Tesla to complete Model S brake fix before regaining top safety rating Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn A Tesla Model S promotional photo.
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(Reuters) — Tesla Inc needs to complete fixing its Model S sedan emergency braking system to regain Consumer Reports’ top safety rating, the magazine said on Friday, noting that a recent update by the luxury electric car maker was not enough.
The magazine, which provides an annual rating of vehicles sold in the United States, said on Wednesday the sedan had lost its top ranking in the ultra-luxury car category for failing to install the feature that it had promised to owners as standard equipment.
The Model S fell to third place in Consumer Reports’ ratings behind the Lexus LS made by Toyota Motor Corp and the BMW 7 Series.
Consumer Reports said both Tesla models previously came with standard automatic emergency braking (AEB), a feature that helps reduce accidents. The software issue affects more recent vehicles built since late October 2016.
The magazine said Friday that the Model S sedan it owns had received an automatic emergency braking software update Thursday, but the new version only operates up to 28 miles per hour (45 km).
That is far less than the current 90 mile per hour limit for the prior Tesla AEB system included on vehicles built before late October.
The magazine cited a statement from Tesla that “over the next several weeks” the car maker would increase the speed limit “until it is the most capable of any vehicle in the world.” The California automaker last week recalled 53,000 Model S and Model X vehicles to fix an unrelated parking brake issue.
Earlier this month, Tesla briefly edged out General Motors Co to become the most valuable U.S. car maker.
(Reporting by Nick Carey; Editing by Richard Chang) 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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"ProBeat: No, self-driving cars don't need special smart lanes | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/transportation/probeat-no-self-driving-cars-dont-need-special-smart-lanes"
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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: No, self-driving cars don’t need special smart lanes Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Bright Box's self-driving car solution.
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As VentureBeat’s News Editor, I don’t have time to read every single one of our guest posts. My focus is on breaking stories and everything that stems from them. Every once in a while though, I check out what some of our contributors have written. Sometimes I learn something new and sometimes I’m vehemently opposed. This is a case of the latter.
Technology entrepreneur Umberto Malesci argued this week that highways should isolate self-driving cars in special smart lanes.
This is absurd.
The goal is to create a self-driving car, not a car that can drive by itself only on certain roads.
Anywhere you can currently drive, a self-driving car should be able to drive as well, but better.
That includes everything from the dirt road connecting two remote villages to the busiest highways.
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 realize the original story talks about highways specifically, but that hardly simplifies things. Are you really going to build another road beside every highway, including tunnels and bridges? From the article: So are we stuck with only humans as drivers for years to come? I don’t think so.
Agreed.
But if we want to take our hands off the wheel anytime soon, we should stop focusing exclusively on the car. Instead, we should build smart lanes in highways dedicated exclusively to self-driving cars, far from any erratic human behavior.
Oh, hell no.
Let’s assume for a second that this solution works. After we’re done with modifying every highway in the world, are we going to replace all roads with smart roads? The argument being made is that self-driving cars are not coming along quickly or safely enough to be allowed on the roads. This is ridiculous. Of course there are going to be accidents. But we’re not moving from an accident-free world to one that suddenly has accidents. Self-driving cars are already significantly safer than cars with drivers. That doesn’t mean they’re perfect, or better in every single situation, but the only way to get there is to have them out on the road where they, and their human engineer counterparts, can learn and improve the system for every scenario.
What the author apparently doesn’t realize is that this problem is already being worked on from multiple angles. There are self-driving cars being built from scratch, existing cars being equipped with self-driving technology, and everyday cars sold today that are gaining “smart” features to help drivers perform partial driving tasks, including everything from parallel parking to driving on the highway.
Then there are ridiculous statements like “Today’s intelligent cars will not be able to handle urban roads and unpredictable humans for years to come.” Nobody is suggesting we replace all cars with today’s intelligent cars.
Another one: “But tech slogans like ‘move fast and break things’ work a lot better with social networking apps than with the physical world, where the breakable things are humans.” Facebook is not building a car. Even if it was, the company employs some of the brightest people in the world. They could certainly create a system that doesn’t get drunk, doesn’t do drugs, doesn’t get road rage, doesn’t fall asleep at the wheel, and reacts faster than a human can.
Self-driving cars are in their infancy, and already the results are ridiculously promising. There is so much room for improvement the suggestion to give up on cars and rebuild all our roads absolutely boggles my mind.
Don’t get me wrong: Infrastructure should also be updated. But we can’t forget that the weakest link are human drivers. Most car accidents are caused by humans, not shitty roads.
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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"3 tech features on this sports sedan that push the envelope | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/transportation/3-tech-features-on-this-sports-sedan-that-push-the-envelope"
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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 3 tech features on this sports sedan that push the envelope 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.
Sports sedans are the exact opposite of a self-driving car.
You hold on for the ride — you would never let a computer control your steering.
And yet, in a recent test of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, it became obvious that there is more tech under the hood, in front of the fascia, and in the rear exhaust than any Toyota with a few LIDAR sensors. If you’re even mildly interested in technology and innovation, this is a car to study, to dissect, and to appreciate — from behind the wheel or standing next to it in a parking lot. There’s so much going on that I could only pick three major highlights.
1. Electronically controlled splitter Everything in cars will be electronically controlled someday — the steering, the brakes, the destination. However, for now, we can still drive cars and benefit from some adaptations. A splitter in the front will open and close automatically depending on where and how you drive. On an open road, punching it from a stop sign, the splitter will close to make sure the car pushes forward easily. Brake or hit a curve, and the splitter will open to provide downforce. Driving the car for a few days, I noticed how it had a mind of its own (in a good way), adjusting the splitter to make sure there are no impediments when you punch it and slowing the car on curves.
2. DNA switch Many cars allow you to adjust between a few simple modes — economy or sport mode, for example. The Giulia Quadrifoglio has four modes, and they are all designed to provide more robust driving mechanics. The first three modes, which you select using a dial in the center console, are for DNA: Dynamic mode opens up the exhaust and provides better handling; Natural is for normal driving around town; Advanced Efficiency helps you save fuel. Then, Race mode turns off traction control and really opens up the exhaust. It’s great for fine-tuning.
3. Owner’s manual in the app One last perk worth mentioning — the Giulia Quadrifoglio app for iOS and Android includes a full owner’s manual, which is a bit unusual. You can read about the splitter I mentioned, the DNA switch, and how all of the settings in the dashboard interface work. I liked being able to read about all of the finer details and adjustments you can make, especially the ones for lane-departure warnings, blind spot, and the forward collision warning.
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"Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey snaps up shares worth about $9.5 million | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/social/twitter-ceo-jack-dorsey-snaps-up-shares-worth-about-9-5-million"
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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 CEO Jack Dorsey snaps up shares worth about $9.5 million Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Jack Dorsey, CEO of Square and CEO of Twitter, speaks during an interview November 19, 2015.
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(Reuters) – Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey snapped up more than half a million of the company’s shares for about $9.5 million, a regulatory filing on Friday showed.
Dorsey bought 574,002 Twitter shares in multiple transactions at prices ranging between $16.47 and $16.74 per share, according to the filing.
That adds to the roughly $7 million worth of Twitter stock Dorsey bought earlier this year, bringing the total number of shares he has purchased this year to 1 million, the CEO said in a tweet.
According to the filing, Dorsey now owns about 16 million Twitter shares, which equates to a stake of about 2.2 percent in the company he co-founded.
Dorsey’s disclosure comes a day after Twitter reported better-than-expected user growth for its first quarter, following several quarters of stalled growth.
Twitter’s shares rose 1 percent to $16.65 after the bell on Friday.
The stock closed up nearly 5 percent in regular trading on Friday, adding to a gain of roughly 8 percent on Thursday when the company reported its results.
(Reporting by Narottam Medhora in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D’Souza) 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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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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"Turkey blocks Wikipedia | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/security/turkey-blocks-wikipedia"
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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 Turkey blocks Wikipedia Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Wikipedia for iOS 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.
Turkey has blocked access to Wikipedia.org for at least 12 hours in a crackdown on free speech, the BBC reports.
Closely following Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s latest power grab — the controversial referendum victory Trump more or less endorsed — the country cut off access to Wikipedia over accusations that the site was “running a smear campaign against Turkey in the international arena” and “supporting terror.” Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales rebuffed Turkey’s request to remove certain articles from the online encyclopedia on Twitter , saying “access to information is a fundamental human right.” Turkey has a lengthy history of silencing dissent: In recent years, the country has repeatedly censored social networks, including Twitter and YouTube in 2014 and Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube in 2016. Turkey also attempted to cut off access to Minecraft in 2015.
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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"Team Liquid's Steve Arhancet tells us how to run an esports team | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/team-liquids-steve-arhancet-tells-us-how-to-run-an-esports-team"
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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 Team Liquid’s Steve Arhancet tells us how to run an esports team Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Tom Arhancet, co-CEO and co-owner of Team Liquid.
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Steve Arhancet, also know by his alias LiQuiD112 , has seen esports grow from its infancy over the past decade. A former professional gamer, he is now co-CEO and co-owner of Team Liquid , one of the most successful esports teams in the industry.
Esports is expected to grow from $696 million in 2017 to nearly $1.5 billion by 2020, according to market researcher Newzoo. And Arhancet is positioning Team Liquid to be one of the leaders.
In September, 2016, Team Liquid was bought by Axiomatic, a company owned by Golden State Warriors owner Peter Guber and former AOL executive Ted Leonsis. Arhancet is co-owner and co-CEO of Team Liquid with Victor “Nazgul” Goossens. All told, the team has more than 60 athletes playing games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Halo, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, League of Legends, StarCraft II, Super Smash Bros., Street Fighter, and Overwatch.
We talked with Arhancet about Team Liquid’s rise and how to run an esports team. 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: Newzoo says esports revenue could hit $1.5 billion by 2020.
GamesBeat: Do you have some history you can fill us in on as far as Team Liquid? Steve Arhancet: Team Liquid is an esports organization. We started about 10 years ago. It was founded by Victor Goossens. He’s based in the Netherlands. It was born out of a need for creating a community around StarCraft, which was one of the most popular esports of its time. It continued to grow from there.
I’d been running a League of Legends team and a Counter-Strike team. I merged those teams and the contracts I had with the LCS and the leagues we operated with into Victor’s brand and some of the other players he had. That was a few years ago. Since then we’ve continued to add teams and players. We now have two facilities – one in the Netherlands, where we boot camp and have office space, and another 20,000 square feet in Santa Monica where we house and train our athletes. We have 60 athletes and about 20 full-time staff, plus a number of other contractors.
We’ve consistently produced results in pretty much every major esport. We’re the third largest streaming network on Twitch. In July of last year we decided to do a strategic partnership with Ted Leonsis, the owner of the Wizards and the Capitals, as well as Peter Guber, the owner of the Golden State Warriors, and a number of other influential strategic partnerships with Magic Johnson, Steve Case, and executives from the Warriors. Since then we’ve been adding value to Team Liquid in a number of ways. That’s helped us stay one of the most competitive esports teams in the western world.
Above: Team Liquid coach with players.
GamesBeat: Have you tallied up how much prize money your teams have won over the years? Arhancet: I do not know that number off the top of my head, but I imagine it’s pretty significant. Most recently our DOTA team did pretty well last year, and the money there is significant. Our CS team last year did phenomenally well. At the CS: GO majors we were the most sought-after sticker in the game, with the highest prize value. I’d have to go research the exact number, though. In the millions, certainly.
GamesBeat: I would guess that’s only part of the revenue that comes in, right? You have other ways of making money.
Arhancet: Most people I speak with think esports teams just make money off their tournament winnings, and yes, that’s not the case. It’s actually a low percentage of our total revenue as a team. The first is the revenue we generate from the leagues we participate in. Just like the 49ers participate in the NFL, or the Warriors in the NBA, we participate in the various leagues represented by the games we’re in – League of Legends, DOTA, CS, Smash, Street Fighter, and so on.
What’s complicated—if we’re contracted with 10 different leagues, each of those leagues has varying types of contracts that share in the media rights and sponsorships generated at the league level. The NFL sells the rights for games to be broadcast on television, as well as digitally, and the revenue from that contract gets shared with teams and players. The same is true of our sports.
Then, after that, it’s partnerships we have with companies that do advertising on our jerseys, or through digital media, social media campaigns around our teams and players. We produce a ton of content – video, graphics – that features those products and services. We also distribute that through the streaming communities like Twitch. Between all of that, those partnerships and marketing activations make up a substantial portion of our revenue. After that comes prize money, in-game items – people buying Team Liquid stickers or skins for characters – as well as physical merchandise like hats and T-shirts.
That all makes up esports team revenue. One of the main reasons why things have blown up—the thinking is that the contracts teams have with leagues they participate in will yield, one day, the kind of revenue that you expect from other professional sports. It’s like beachfront property. A certain number of teams can get in each league. It’s hard for a league to add teams after they franchise.
Above: Multiple revenue streams will generate a total of $696 million for esports in 2017.
GamesBeat: What are some of your observations from being at this for more than 10 years? How has it grown, and what level of maturity do you think it’s at? Arhancet: Esports has come a long way. I remember anxiously waiting to go to the computer lab when I was a kid so I could play Oregon Trail. The days of early video games. After that, signing up for Blockbuster events, where I’d go to the video store and try to get high scores so I could get to regionals and play in these competitions that were run by MLG. During that whole time, it was a kind of underground-ish ecosystem. A lot of people played video games, but you didn’t yet have a lot of people watching other people play video games.
What ended up happening was video games went from being mostly single player to multiplayer. They started being played online. The cost of bandwidth went down and the technology in games advanced. That yielded fun competitive multiplayer games that could be played online, and also broadcast online for other people to see in HD. When you had the convergence of all those things, you had a spectator sport. People enjoy watching a game as much as they do playing it.
Once that happened, then you saw the financial support to sustain an ecosystem around competitive video gaming. Now you had broadcasts of game tournaments that were being seen by millions of people. More people than watch the NBA or NHL finals. It was all just being broadcast online for free. You had these massive numbers and everyone was saying, “What is this? Is this even real?” It got to a point where you had so many people watching that you got advertisers and marketers coming in. You had advertising on pre-roll and mid-roll and custom activations and teams and sponsorships. All this funneled into an ecosystem around successful titles that became competitive esports.
1 2 View All Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
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"Sound BlasterX's mouse-and-keyboard are a fine complement to its audio equipment | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/sound-blasterxs-mouse-and-keyboard-are-a-fine-complement-to-its-audio-equipment"
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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 Sound BlasterX’s mouse-and-keyboard are a fine complement to its audio equipment Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn The Sound BlasterX Vanguard and Siege keyboard and mouse from the company's Weapons Crate.
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You know the PC gaming-peripheral market is booming when everyone is making a mechanical keyboard and a mouse with a bunch of extra features.
Like Razer, Kingston, and others, Creative Labs wants to capture the attention (and the cash) of people who play a lot of games on PC. To do that, the company already has a handful of excellent speaker systems and external USB sound cards, but now it also has a keyboard-and-mouse set to go along with its other products. The Vanguard K08 keyboard ($140) and Siege M04 mouse ($70) are available now, and they provide a satisfying, reliable experience that looks especially pretty when you pair them with Sound BlasterX audio equipment running the company’s RGB LED lighting system.
What you’ll like High-quality look and feel The Vanguard and Siege have a striking appearance. I think Sound BlasterX’s lighting is starting to win me over compared to the other LED RGB options on the market, and a big part of that is the consistency between the products. Setting up the lighting to work in unison between the keyboard, mouse, and speakers (like the 2.1 Kratos system) creates a cohesive visual package that I find highly appealing.
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! But it’s not just the lighting that makes this set so attractive. The Vanguard keyboard has a nice matte-black finish on a solid piece of rubbery plastic for the plate beneath the keys. The keycaps themselves use a shinier material that more closely matches the Siege mouse’s arching palm rest. On the edges of that device, you’ll again find a matte material — only this time it’s a fully rubber material that leads me into the ease of use.
The textured grips surprised me, as they’re quite useful. The Siege has a more traditional mouse design than some of the more ergonomic models on the market, but I always had a confident grip on it because the inside edge of my thumb, and the tip of my pinkies always dug pleasantly into the rubber.
As for the keyboard, the Omron switches aren’t my favorite. Pressing them down is too mushy for me, but that never hurt the Vanguard’s performance. I do love the way the Omrons seem to explode back into their default position after actuation.
During gaming, the Siege and Vanguard do the most important thing I want from a gaming keyboard-and-mouse: they melt into my hands and into the desk. I forget about them and am able to focus entirely on the game instead.
Lots of extra features The Vanguard has everything that I want from a gaming keyboard. On the left side, it has the Macro keys that I can set to whatever task I want using the Sound Blaster Connect software. On the top it has media keys and a rolling volume bar that is excellent to fiddle with. And along the top edge, it has a passthrough USB port for power and data.
The Siege is also packed with features. You can manually set different DPI levels how you want, but it also has a dedicated “sniper” button that will drop the DPI down even further when you’re in particular circumstances. This is so useful for shooters, and I’m going to want it on all of my mice going forward.
What you won’t like Wristrest is flimsy While Creative Labs did a fine job producing a high-quality product, I hate the Vanguard’s wristrest. It detaches from the keyboard too easily, and I don’t like the way it feels even when it is attached. It looks nice, but I much prefer the faux-leather rests Razer has started including with its products.
Siege often gets caught on mouse pad The Siege isn’t without flaws. The feet on the bottom that enable it to slide smoothly across most surfaces have a harsh ridge that gets caught too easily. If you move the mouse over the edge of its pad, you’ll probably get hung up trying to bring it back onto the play surface. Obviously, the answer to this is to get a bigger pad, but it’s still a design flaw that others have fixed by adding a roundness to those skates.
Conclusion The Sound BlasterX Vanguard and Siege are more than serviceable. They are genuinely easy to use and enjoy, and I recommend them — especially for anyone with Sound BlasterX audio equipment. Matching all of your components like that is part of the fun of customizing your rig, and Sound BlasterX did a great job of ensuring that visual cohesion works and is pleasing.
Creative Labs provided GamesBeat with a sample unit for the purposes 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.
Discover our Briefings.
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"Nintendo won't have an E3 press event again, but plenty of others will | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/nintendo-wont-have-an-e3-press-event-again-but-plenty-of-others-will"
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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 won’t have an E3 press event again, but plenty of others will Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima..
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Nintendo chief Tatsumi Kimishima announced last night that the Japanese game company will not hold a large-scale press conference again at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June in Los Angeles.
That’s par for the course for Nintendo, which also didn’t have a large in-person press event last year. I think it’s a little sad and probably a bad move, considering it has a new console this year in the Switch, and all of its competitors are going to do their events. If Nintendo does the same as last year, it will keep its booth on the E3 show floor. It also had a Smash Bros. tournament during E3 last year.
Starting in 2013, Nintendo started skipping theater events and going with Nintendo Direct and livestreams.
So far, Electronic Arts has pulled out of the show floor, and it will have a fan event in Hollywood. EA will livestream that event starting earlier than anyone else. It will start EA Play at 12 p.m. on Saturday, June 10.
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: Bethesda E3 showcase Bethesda, meanwhile, just said it will do a press event in at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, June 11, in downtown Los Angeles. Bethesda mixes both fans and press in the same event. Microsoft has scheduled its press event for 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 11.
Sony hasn’t set its press event time yet.
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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"How Facebook plans to make esports and game videos more social | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/how-facebook-plans-to-make-esports-and-game-videos-more-social"
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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 Facebook plans to make esports and game videos more social Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Stephen Ellis (left) and Guy Cross of Facebook gaming at F8.
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At its recent F8 annual developer event in San Jose, California, Facebook doubled down on its gaming initiatives, announcing the progress it has made with Instant Games , Gameroom , and Gaming Video.
That’s all part of its vision to become the place where people play, watch, and share games.
The numbers it shared show that Facebook remains a massive platform for gamers. It said that gamers had played Instant Games 1.5 billion times in the past 90 days, and that there are now more than 800 million people playing games on Facebook or playing while logged into Facebook, up 23 percent from 650 million a year ago.
Now Facebook is going after esports and the gamers who create things and then stream to audiences. I spoke about the trends in making esports and game videos more social with Guy Cross, strategic partnerships for the Americas, and Stephen Ellis, strategic partnership manager, both at Facebook. Here’s an edited transcript of our conversation.
Above: Guy Cross (left) and Stephen Ellis of Facebook gaming.
GamesBeat: Tell us what you do.
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! Guy Cross: We’ve been doing announcements and releasing products around video for a while, for the past year. This is to provide some foundational context about how we see the ecosystem evolving, how we see us playing a role in it and where we’re going.
I’ve been at Facebook about seven years. I’ve been on the games team almost the entire time. Prior to that I worked on video partnerships with TV and film companies. I’ve worked on video on and off for some time.
Stephen Ellis: I’ve been at Facebook about a year, working alongside Guy’s team, focused on gaming video. Before that I have a background in esports. I played professionally. I captained two of the most prominent western teams for about four years and competed in world championships for League of Legends. I’m not anywhere near as good as I was, though, so don’t hold me accountable for 1v1 or anything. [laughs] GamesBeat: So gaming video is big? Cross: Obviously gaming video is already a big experience in the industry. 665 million people watching gaming video of various types around the world. It’s fueled by a bigger gamer community, though, who aren’t just players. They’re content creators. Their content is consumed voraciously.
Video is becoming more central to our partnership work, and so given the trends and the importance of video to our community and our partners, we set out to learn the space. It was, at first, a pretty foreign area for us. We wanted to make sure we spent time learning. We spent a good deal of our team talking with leaders, partners, augmenting our team with some experts from the industry, talking to our community.
Basically there are three principal lessons we learned along the way. These have become the guiding principles for our platform strategy. It’s all around thinking about and serving the individual constituencies that make up the ecosystem. We need to make video easier for people, and make it more rewarding. We think success is going to be determined by how well we facilitate community – for gamers, for esports organizations, for everyone in the mix.
Gaming video is very different from other forms of video entertainment. It grew up on the internet. That’s important, because real time interactivity was baked into the experience from the start. That changes the dynamic and the relationship between the people who make the videos and the people who consume them. But that same rich interactivity and the rampant growth that digitally native led to also introduced a lot of complexity. There are so many different people and groups – what we call constituencies – that are all broadcasting, playing, and interacting for different reasons. Likewise, if you’re a viewer, trying to piece together all the gaming content and social experiences across all the available platforms today—it’s hard to do that in a satisfying way.
We were wrestling with how we can make a more cohesive experience, improve the community around video. We realized that coming at this with a one-size-fits-all approach wouldn’t work. We started to break things into different constituencies.
Above: Mark Zuckerberg at F8.
GamesBeat: How do you look at all games? Ellis: This is a framework, based on the concept of a pyramid, which helps us address different motivations and needs, all the different constituencies in the ecosystem. As Guy was saying, we couldn’t take a one-size approach, because it wouldn’t work.
At the very top here you have esports. There’s a common misconception within the gaming industry that gaming video is all about esports. It’s not. There are other constituencies. You’ve seen a lot of buzz around esports in the last few years, of course – it represents about 14-31 percent of live gaming consumption across platforms – but there are all these other constituencies to address. Developers are making trailer drops and things like that, or making community-based content to interact with their players.
Cross: More and more, their videos are being used outside of gameplay to connect and engage with their communities. It’s a powerful form of storytelling, and also a very powerful marketing tool. Their goals are, in many cases—when they think about marketing they’re trying to get people to install and play and buy their games. Video can be an important vehicle to do that. And then there’s also the entertainment side.
At Facebook we’re trying to enlighten the executive ranks about how big this is and could be in the future. We’ve embarked on this set of field trips – we take executives to esports events and other gaming community events to get them excited, get them to understand this is bigger than they might have originally thought. It’s centered on community.
You heard a lot about community in Mark’s keynote. We’re excited about this on the game team. We’ve been talking about community for a while, ways we can improve the Facebook experience – pages, groups, Messenger, events – for our gaming community. Now the whole company’s getting behind this. It’s helping put a lot more support behind what we’re doing. It’s aligned with what they want. It’s a fun time for games right now.
Ellis: Talking about entertainment, as I was saying, it’s not just about esports. There’s a massive constituency of creators – we call them entertainers – people who just go live for a living. We’ve been working a creator that goes by StoneMountain64 to shape the future of gaming video on Facebook. I’m not even a fan of the games he plays all the time, but he makes them really funny, if you tune in and watch. People like him need different things. They need us to help them grow an audience and provide interactivity tools.
These guys can’t just go and get a drink of water and leave their audience. The audience can just disappear. It’s a genuine concern. I used to do this in my downtime as a professional player. I’d stream back when I was at home in Scotland. There are all these challenges and intricacies that you don’t think about at first. You think it’s all rosy when you’re just sitting there playing video games and talking to people, but it’s not. We need to be cognizant of the challenges. That’s one of the lessons we learned as we’re building the future of game video.
1 2 View All Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
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"Heroes of the Storm's 2.0 update is about rewards, not changing the game | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/heroes-of-the-storms-2-0-update-is-about-rewards-not-changing-the-game"
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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 Heroes of the Storm’s 2.0 update is about rewards, not changing the game Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Zul'jin in action.
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Blizzard has rebooted Heroes of the Storm without actually rebooting it.
The developer has made a big to-do about Heroes of the Storm 2.0 , effectively relaunching its free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) for PC. It launched earlier this week, introducing a new rewards program that takes a lot of cues from Blizzard’s hit team-based shooter, Overwatch.
And why wouldn’t Blizzard want to spread some of Overwatch’s appeal to Heroes of the Storm? Overwatch has over 30 million players since launching in May 2016, and it mentions players numbers some of its other games. Meanwhile, Blizzard doesn’t release player numbers for Heroes of the Storm, and the silence is telling us that it doesn’t have anything to boast about.
Above: Genji in Heroes of the Storm.
Blizzard was going to have a hard time in the MOBA market when it launched Heroes of the Storm. League of Legends and Dota 2 dominated the scene before its game came out in 2014. And those MOBAs remain on top of the category. Blizzard tried to differentiate Heroes of the Storm by making it an easier to get into than the others. It doesn’t include some of the complexities of LoL or Dota 2, like having to kill your own minions to deny the enemy team extra money and experience points.
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, Heroes of the Storm is more straight-forward, instead adding variety with its maps. LoL and Dota 2 games mostly take place on the same stage, a forested map with two bases on opposite corners connected by three lanes. The object is to destroy the other team’s base.
Heroes of the Storms maps have different layouts and different objectives. Sometimes you have to collect items across the map to weaken the enemy’s fortresses, or you need to capture control points that fire lasers at the other team’s towers.
These objectives make comebacks more possible, since capturing an objective can give the losing team some momentum. But it is different, and that alone has caused some hardcore MOBA players to turn their noses up at Heroes of the Storm.
Above: Wrecking buildings in Heroes of the Storm.
And nothing in Heroes of the Storm 2.0 fixes that problem. Dota 2 and LoL fans will still think of Heroes of the Storm as a dumbed-down MOBA. So Blizzard’s best hope is to bring in new players who feel intimidated by other MOBAs or fans of its other games, like World of Warcraft and Overwatch. Heroes of the Storm features a roster made up of characters from all of Blizzard’s big franchises, and the studio often gives players goodies for its other game if they play its MOBA.
But that’s been the strategy for nearly two years now. But now Blizzard is doing just about as much as it can to bring more players in. Anyone who logs in gets to pick between one of four bundles that includes 20 free heroes. A free-to-play game like this makes money by selling new characters, but Blizzard is gambling than such a generous offer can bring people in and get them hooked.
But will the changes hook them? I have doubts. Heroes of the Storm 2.0, despite its newfound generosity, is still the same game. A rush of new players can’t elevate it Overwatch-levels of stardom. If it was going to be a breakout hit, that would have happened in 2015.
But 2.0 may increase the game’s revenues, if only momentarily. But this feels like a desperate card to play, one that Blizzard may not be able to top.
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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"Blizzard: Overwatch passes 30 million players on PC and consoles | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/blizzard-overwatch-passes-30-million-players-on-pc-and-consoles"
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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 Blizzard: Overwatch passes 30 million players on PC and consoles 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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One of 2016’s biggest games is still growing.
Blizzard Entertainment revealed today that Overwatch , its class-based team shooter, has surpassed 30 million players since launching in May of last year. The game has caught on with a huge audience on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 thanks to its dynamic combat and fascinating characters, and Blizzard has kept a huge chunk of that audience coming back by regularly updating the game. It also doesn’t hurt that the core mechanics of Overwatch are so strong that it earned GamesBeat’s Game of the Year for 2016.
Overwatch hit 30 million players after Blizzard announced 25 million for the game in January.
That’s a healthy growth rate for a 12-month-old game.
https://twitter.com/PlayOverwatch/status/858002935820582912 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! Blizzard recently introduced a new, limited-time cooperative mode where players have to work together to take on waves of enemy robots. But the Uprising event didn’t just bring new gameplay to Overwatch — it also delivered new skins and other items for players to collect.
Beyond continuous updates, however, Blizzard is also growing Overwatch through esports. The shooter has caught on with a huge crowd in pro gaming, and the studio is feeding into that scene by organizing its own, official tournaments and leagues. At its BlizzCon fan event, for example, Blizzard has held the Overwatch World Cup where teams representing various countries competed for gold.
Overwatch League is the culmination of Blizzard’s esports efforts. This new competitive-gaming organization will have teams based in cities , which is just like traditional professional sports associations. This could help keep fans engaged with Overwatch as people begin rooting for their local team and get the urge to do some damage as Reaper themselves.
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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"Acer's G-Sync HDR 4K 144Hz gaming monitor means 2017 is the year to upgrade | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/acers-g-sync-hdr-4k-144hz-gaming-monitor-means-2017-is-the-year-to-upgrade"
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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 Acer’s G-Sync HDR 4K 144Hz gaming monitor means 2017 is the year to upgrade 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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Acer already makes some of the best high-end gaming monitors , and now it’s planning to push its screens forward in 2017.
Above: Asus’s similar 4K G-Sync HDR 144Hz monitor.
The company revealed the new Predator X27 yesterday. This is a 27-inch 4K display that features a refresh rate of 144Hz as well as G-Sync HDR. That short spec list should make this one of the most impressive-looking monitors you can buy for gaming. With the X27, Acer joins Asus and its ROG Swift PG27UQ in making 2017 one of the best years yet for upgrading your monitor.
While Acer and Asus dropped multiple gorgeous-looking 4K G-Sync displays last year, they were missing some key features. Most notably, HDR and 144Hz are huge additions in the latest models. In my opinion, the wider color gamut and faster refresh rate are more important than 4K in some cases. And by getting those features all packed into one monitor, Acer is doing a lot more to justify the inevitably high price of the X27.
In January at the Consumer Electronics Show, Acer revealed its plans for a 4K monitor running at 144Hz. But now it’s adding G-Sync with the X27. This means that the company’s newest display is capable of an ultra-high resolution while simultaneously refreshing 144 times per second. G-Sync ensures that screen tearing is at a minimum even if your processor is struggling to render 4K scenes at 144 frames per second. And finally, HDR will enable high-dynamic-range colors and illumination on Acer’s newest panel.
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 the Acer and Asus monitors are due out later this year, but neither company has announced a price or release date. But with all of this technology, you should probably expect to spend roughly a mortgage payment or more to get one of these futuristic displays.
But the high-end gaming monitors were already more than $1,000 last year, and you were missing out on features like HDR that are going to make an immediate and significant impact on picture quality. So while the amount of money you’re probably going to have to pay isn’t going to change, buying a monitor in 2017 will get you a noticeably better return on that investment.
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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"Environmental protesters swarm outside White House | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/offbeat/environmental-protesters-swarm-outside-white-house"
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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 Environmental protesters swarm outside White House Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Demonstrators march down Pennsylvania Avenue past the White House during a People's Climate March, to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's stance on the environment, in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Theiler 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) – A sea of protesters swarmed in front of the White House on Saturday to voice displeasure with President Donald Trump’s stance on the environment and demand that he rethink plans to reverse the climate change policies backed by his predecessor.
The Peoples Climate March, the culmination of a string of Earth Week protests that began with last Saturday’s March for Science, coincides with Trump’s 100th day in office, the end of the traditional “honeymoon” period for a new president.
As temperatures rose above 90 degrees Fahrenheit under hazy skies in the nation’s capital, tens of thousands of people marched from the grounds of the U.S. Capitol and passed the White House en route to the Washington Monument for a rally.
Many of the protesters carried signs with slogans such as “The seas are rising and so are we” and “Don’t be a fossil fool.” As the procession passed the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, marchers booed and chanted “shame.” While a good-natured mood prevailed and there were no signs of violence, many demonstrators said they were angered by the prospect of Trump carrying through on his vow to roll back protections put in place by his predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama.
“We’re going to rise up and let them know that we’re sick and tired of seeing our children die of asthma,” said Rev. Leo Woodberry of Florence, South Carolina, who spoke during a press conference before the march. “We’re sick and tired of seeing people with cancer because of coal ash ponds. We’re sick and tired of seeing sea-level rise.” Trump’s administration is considering withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, which more than 190 countries including the United States signed in hopes of curbing global warming. Trump has also proposed deep cuts for the Environmental Protection Agency and the elimination of many environmental regulations.
In his campaign, Trump called climate change a hoax. Last month he kept a promise to the coal industry by undoing climate-change rules put in place by Obama.
Tom McGettrick, 57, an electrical engineer who drove up from the Florida Keys to attend the march, said his main concern is the weakening of the EPA.
“Forty years of environmental protection has done wonders for the environment, especially in the Midwest,” said McGettrick, who spent most of his life in Michigan.
“When I was a teenager and went to Lake Erie, it was one of the most polluted bodies of water in the country,” he said. “Now when you go to Lake Erie it’s really beautiful.” The Washington event, which coincided with Trump’s 100-day milestone, followed an exclusive interview with Reuters in which the president reflected wistfully on his life as a billionaire real estate developer that he left behind after his Jan. 20 inauguration.
“This is more work than in my previous life,” Trump told Reuters. “I thought it would be easier.” Saturday’s march was part of an effort to build support for candidates with strong environmental records in the run-up to next year’s midterm elections and the 2020 presidential race, organizers said.
“We’re using this as a tactic to advance the strategy of building enough power to win on climate over the course of the long haul,” said Paul Getsos, national coordinator for the Peoples Climate Movement. Sponsors of Saturday’s events include labor unions, the Sierra Club and civil rights groups.
As a side theme, marchers will protest Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants and other issues he has championed.
Since Trump’s inauguration, there have been national protests focused on issues ranging from abortion rights to immigration and science policy.
Myron Ebell, a climate change skeptic at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a libertarian think tank, said the march would have little impact on the administration.
“The real decisions are made in this country in elections, and we have now a president and a House and a Senate that are determined to pursue a pro-energy agenda,” he said by telephone.
Environmental activists believe public opinion is on their side. A Gallup poll this month showed 59 percent of Americans agreed environmental protection should take priority over increased U.S. energy production.
Trump representatives had no immediate comment on the protest.
Dozens of “sister” marches are planned for other North America locales, from Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, to Dutch Harbor in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. Overseas, about three dozen events range from a protest in Vienna to a tree-planting event in Zambia.
(By Lacey Johnson and Ian Simpson. Writing by Frank McGurty; Editing by Franklin Paul, Bernard Orr) 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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"Growing panes: Smart glass could kill off your curtains | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/growing-panes-the-rise-of-smart-glass-and-how-it-could-kill-off-your-curtains"
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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 Growing panes: Smart glass could kill off your curtains Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Kinestral Technologies: Tinting Glass 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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Smart ovens are now a thing , as are intelligent beds , connected doorbells , and internet-enabled fridges.
Everything, it seems, is now “smart” and “connected” — and soon the windows in your home or office could be hit with the smart stick too.
There has been a flurry of activity in the smart glass realm over the past few months, and two Californian companies in particular are knuckling down to bring self-tinting windows to companies and residencies en masse.
Last week, San Francisco-based Kinestral Technologies (“Kinestral”) announced the inaugural installation of its Halio electrochromic smart-tinting glass at the San Francisco offices of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, a real estate investment trust. Halio is touted as “the most responsive smart-tinting glass on the market,” according to the company’s own marketing blurb, with an innate ability to switch from clear to dark in seconds, delivering its darkest tint in less than 3 minutes.
It basically negates the need for blinds or curtains, as the glass automatically dims and brightens to suit the outdoors light conditions — this is useful in controlling a room’s ambience and temperature, while also reducing a building’s energy needs. Users can also manually control the tint settings through wall switches, mobile apps, and if recent tests go according to plan, your voice. Yes, Kinestral wants to integrate Amazon’s Alexa voice-activated technology into its smart windows.
The glass isn’t designed purely for use on exterior facades, though. It can be used anywhere inside a building so that light from one room can travel through to other rooms when required, or be (partially) blocked if the situation requires it. For example, Kinestral replaced the existing glass in a central skylight above the employee lounge at Alexandria’s San Francisco hub, while Halio was also added to two meeting rooms, creating glass walls that served as opaque partitions when needed — to improve the clarity of a wall-mounted LCD TV, for example, or simply to create more privacy. The windows can be undimmed whenever light or visibility is needed.
Above: Alexandria Smart Glass Installation “We see applications for Kinestral’s Halio smart-tinting glass in both interior and exterior glazing locations,” explained Greg Gehlen, senior vice president of construction and development at Alexandria. “In exterior locations, the glass can limit glare in the dark state without blinds while allowing clear vision in the clear state. In interior locations, we are using this for variable privacy in conference rooms.” Kinestral has raised almost $100 million in funding since its inception back in 2010, the biggest chunk of which came via a $65 million round just a few months back.
But seven years is a long time from inception to product launch, so what’s been going on behind the scenes? “Our founders were determined to solve the challenges of electrochromic glass,” explained Craig Henricksen, marketing VP at Kinestral, in an interview with VentureBeat. “They were not going to go out with a product that was only incrementally better. Solving the color issues, the tinting speed, and uniformity during tinting was extremely important to them. It took dozens of scientists to solve the problems, and fine-tune the chemistry and processes to make a product viable.” And so after years of development and iteration, over the past couple of years Kinestral has built a production facility in Hayward, California, while back in March Kinestral inked a $100 million deal with Foxconn subsidiary G-Tech Optoelectronics Corporation (GTOC) to convert an existing LCD touch panel manufacturing facility in Taiwan to produce Halio at scale.
Also based out of California is a more established smart glass player called View , which was founded in 2007 and has raised a gargantuan $550 million in funding across a number of big rounds , including $100 million back in February.
View’s glass-tinting smarts adopts a model-based control system that uses algorithms to automatically adjust tint levels based on a number of factors, including a building’s location, design, layout, orientation, time of day, and even the weather conditions outside, explained Erich Klawuhn, View’s VP of product, in an interview with VentureBeat. “Light sensors and real-time weather feeds inform the system of current and upcoming weather conditions, including cloud cover, and adjusts the tint levels accordingly,” he said. “Via a small electrical voltage, View Dynamic Glass transitions seamlessly between multiple tint states either automatically or by personal preferences programmed through tablet or smartphone apps.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udGysRbR0e4 View says that over the past year it has doubled the number of installations of its electrochromic Dynamic Glass, which is made of the same kind of material as Kinestral’s. View now counts more than 300 complete commercial installations with another 150 in the works, and it was enlisted to retrofit Netflix’s new Los Gatos offices with self-tinting glass.
“Our mission is to create delightful human environments, free of glare and unwanted heat,” added Klawuhn. “By providing the right amount of natural light and optimizing the views of nature, View Dynamic Glass enhances the productivity and wellness of building occupants, as well as providing sustainability for the planet.” Through the looking glass The concept behind smart glass is nothing new, and there have been various versions of the technology over the years, some less smart than others.
Thermochromic glass essentially uses the heat from sunlight to tint the windows — the hotter it is, the darker the room becomes, allowing properties to regulate their own heat. But everything is automatic and there is no manual control.
Then there are liquid crystal windows, which use technology similar to that found in many digital wristwatches. A thin layer of liquid crystals is positioned in between two transparent electrical conductors on plastic films, which in turn is sandwiched between two layers of glass. The collective term for this kind of technology is PDLC, or “polymer dispersed liquid crystal,” and it uses electrical voltage to control the transparency — however, a constant power supply is required for completely transparency, else the glass turns translucent. The level of translucence depends on the voltage applied, and the technology is largely used to enhance privacy indoors, for example in conference rooms or on shower doors.
Then there’s electrochromic (EC) glass, like what View and Kinestral are pushing to market, which changes state when it’s exposed to an electrical charge. There are a number of advances to EC smart glass, for example it’s more durable, the level of “tint” can be manually controlled, and power is only required during its transition between shades.
One of the first major entrants to the EC smart glass market was a company called Sage Electrochomics, which was acquired by French building giant Saint-Gobain back in 2012, and then there’s also Gentex , which launched self-dimming rearview mirrors for the automotive industry way back in the 1980s that alter based on the lighting conditions. In the years since, Gentex has branched out into other verticals, including aerospace, where it has partnered with PPG Aerospace to replace those hard-plastic pull-down shades on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Gentex’s dimmable window system, marketed as “ Alteos Interactive Window Systems ,” gives flight attendants and passengers more control over their lighting simply through pressing a button.
Above: Alteos Interactive Window Systems As a company publicly traded since 1981, Gentex shares are currently riding on the crest of a wave, steadily climbing from a then record-high of just over $8 in 2014 to an all-time high of almost $22 last month — the company’s share value hasn’t fallen below the $20 mark in four months. Business is looking good for Gentex.
Applications The best time to consider installing smart glass is during a building’s construction; however, retrofitting an existing building is perfectly doable. As we saw with View’s recent Netflix work, it just needs a little more effort given that each window requires a wire to be run into the wall or through the ceiling. Kinestral, however, is focusing on new constructions in the short term. “[It’s] mainly because it allows us to work directly with architects and general contractors to optimize the overall system design from scratch, but we see the retrofit market as an important long-term focus,” said Henricksen.
The application of electrochromic smart glass in business environments is an obvious one, given that many modern office blocks are constructed nearly entirely of glass. With hundreds or thousands of people working all day and often into the evening, optimizing indoor light and temperatures organically, as opposed to relying on expensive air conditioning or electric lights, could save companies big bucks in the long term.
But away from corporate facades, View already has a large roster of clients from other areas using its smart window technology, including the San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium, South Irving Library in Texas, NASA’s Sustainability Base in Mountain View, Humber River Hospital in Toronto, and a bunch of other facilities including schools, universities, and government buildings.
While the less smart thermochromic windows are already being used in residential buildings, how close are we to seeing electrochromic glass installed domestically? Well, according to View, it’s already happening.
“As dynamic glass continues to achieve mainstream adoption, its use is beginning to gain traction in residential real estate as well, especially in the construction of high-rise multifamily projects,” explained Klawuhn. “Whether at work or home, more and more people are realizing that the benefits of productivity, wellness and sustainability from dynamic glass are everywhere. View has completed multiple multifamily (high- and low-rises) [installations], and has several residential projects in progress.” Commercial buildings may still be the main market for EC glass for now, but we’re seeing a steady shift toward smart glass adoption within the residential realm. And this is something Kinestral hopes to capitalize on in the future too.
“Those who have been in this market have focused on commercial buildings because they tend to be larger scale projects,” continued Henricksen. “We are certainly targeting those as well, but from the start, we always had residential installations in mind because Halio is so beautiful and easy to use. Maybe it’s timing, but everyone who sees Halio in person tells us about rooms in their homes where they’d love to have Halio. Since we announced Halio in December, we have been getting calls from consumers who want the product in their homes. We think residential will be big for us.” Above: How Kinestral could look in a residential mountain cabin With companies such as Gentex already infiltrating the automotive and aerospace industries with its smart glass technology, this helps to highlight a whole world of opportunities for emerging companies such as Kinestral. “Transportation, including cars, planes, and yachts, would definitely benefit from Halio technology — you can be sure that this is an area we are looking at closely,” added Henricksen.
Looking further into the future, there are other potential use cases for the same chemical process that powers EC smart glass — and it may involve materials other than glass, according to Kinestral. But when asked to elaborate, Henricksen said: “We can’t give specifics on future products at this stage.” Challenges Where opportunities lie, challenges are normally not far behind. A world in which the word “curtains” evokes a similar nostalgic reaction to that of the typewriter today is still some way off, but long-standing players such as Sage and Gentex have been laying the foundations for smart glass for a while, and more recent entrants such as Kinestral and View will strive to push the technology to the next level in terms of reach.
A key factor in reaching true scale with any fledgling technology is price. Neither View nor Kinestral publish their pricing, but it’s fair to say that it will be significantly more expensive than standard double-glazing, meaning this is at least one obstacle to growth. According to Kinestral, there is a premium associated with its Halio glass compared to conventional glass, but it’s envisaging being able to push the cost down as it ramps up production. “We have not announced pricing yet, but we will be competitive with other complete solar control solutions,” said Henricksen.
A key point worth noting regarding smart glass is that it’s pitched as an all-in-one solution to an extent — you don’t need to pay for windows and window coverings such as fancy blinds. “Today you must have glass, blinds, drapes, and, depending on the building, automated shades that try to make it easier for users to have control of the sunlight coming into buildings,” he continued. Then there are other potential longer-term savings, such as air conditioning and other electricity-consuming contraptions typically used to regulate a room’s temperature.
To get the technology into “every home and building,” as is Kinestral’s stated goal, it needs to reach a sensible cost structure, which means it has to become a large-scale operation quickly. This can also put a lot of pressure on young upstart companies, which is why partnering with existing giants of the manufacturing world will help advance the smart glass cause, in terms of avoiding “rookie mistakes” and also giving it a leg up into lucrative industries. Japanese glass manufacturing giant Asahi Glass Co ( AGC ) led Kinestral’s previous funding round, while Foxconn, via its GTOC subsidiary, is helping Kinestral create a “world-class manufacturing facility.” Such deals will prove vital for the fledgling smart glass movement.
“We are continuing to forge partnerships with the goal to quickly allow us bring Halio to as many people as possible, while learning from our partners what NOT to do in building a global supply chain,” explained Henricksen.
When any new technology comes to the fore, hesitation or resistance to change from within big industry is often a key obstacle to its adoption. And although View already has hundreds of installations under its belt already, getting companies to embrace smart glass and its advantages is one barrier to growth it has identified.
“The biggest challenge we face for even more widespread adoption is a building and construction industry that is slow to adapt to change,” said Klawuhn. “For the most part, the ecosystem of key stakeholders in the industry — building-owners, developers, and architects — is accustomed to standard clear glass, and see dynamic glass technology as a luxury rather than a necessary feature that carries valuable benefits. But with dynamic glass, seeing — and experiencing — is believing. When people experience our dynamic glass for the first time, they instantly realize its value and wonder how they tolerated the cumbersome glare and discomfort of unwanted heat from standard clear glass for so long.” Smart glass remains a niche, but it’s clear, if you’ll pardon the pun, that early-stage mainstream adoption is happening, with the likes of Netflix, San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium, and other well-known brands adopting the technology. And this could serve as a seed that will help drive uptake — some of the companies using smart glass employ hundreds or thousands of people, and these people at some point will talk to those in the building and construction industries, or decide they want smart glass in their own homes. We could see a snowball effect, where demand for smart glass grows, which leads to more companies entering the smart glass industry, which in turn drives up production, thus leading to lower costs.
Twenty years from now, your children or grandchildren may very well ask you: “Did people really used to drape large pieces of cloth over their windows to keep the light out?” 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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"Tilt Brush update brings pro features and a social platform | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/media/tilt-brush-update-brings-pro-features-and-a-social-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 Tilt Brush update brings pro features and a social platform 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 Tilt Brush dev team has been quiet these last few months since they pushed the last major update, which is unusual considering the team used to roll out a major update every few weeks. But today we learn why, Google is releasing the biggest Tilt Brush overhaul yet.
Custom environments, lighting controls, modular workspaces, a Tilt Brush oriented social media platform, and ton of other small improvements. There’s a lot to unpack, let’s slow ride through it all.
Environmental settings This is one of those features that people have been asking for since last summer. The old fixed lighting system used to make it pretty tricky to get a scene’s mood just right since lighting can drastically alter everything. But with the new lighting panel, users can now set the color, intensity, and position of a key, secondary, and fill light.
There’s also a new environment panel that allows users to customize a scene’s sky and fog settings. Currently skybox images can’t be imported into a scene, but a custom environment can be mixed with a default environment like the snowman scene, or space. This means that you can make space purple while keeping the stars in the scene, or give the standard mountain scene a bright blue sky.
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! These panels also make for great color correction tools. In the image below, I combined six snapshots of the same scene with six different environmental settings. Number one represents the colors I painted with, but I personally like the augmented colors of number four better.
These new panels are reasonably easy to interact with and understand. To move a light, users don’t have to create a light object then place it into the scene, they can just spin a small representation of the light around an orb that simulates the lighting of a scene. It is admittedly tricky to grasp how to best use the lights and fog, especially for someone with minimal experience in lighting, so here’s a quick break down.
Key Light: The main light source. When black, the lights are off. I’d recommend setting all of the lights to black when first approaching lighting, and then start turning up the key light.
Secondary Light: This light will never be as bright as the key, it’s good for coloring shadows and balancing colors Fill: When this is set to white, there won’t be any shadows in the scene. This is best used to shift the hue of an entire scene Fog: Unlike with lights, when using the fog color palette, only focus on the fog’s color, not brightness. Use the slider to change the brightness / intensity.
When used correctly, these new settings can really breathe new life into a piece.
Customizable workspace With so many panels at our disposal now, it’s hard to create one system for everyone. So any of the panels that were stuck to the menu hand can float by themselves now. This is a HUGE workflow improvement, because now users only need one hand to select something instead of pointing one hand at a menu on your other hand.
It’s also possible to re-arrange the panels that are still stuck to the menu hand, and new ones can be added to the mix. I’ve started to develop my own workspace flow where I start with my panels out in front of me, and then I stack them all onto my hand after about 15 minutes of working on a painting.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to save preferred panel set ups, so if things get mixed up during a session, everything will have to be pieced back together manually Tilt Brush social website The concept of the new website is that users can upload sketches to it straight from Tilt Brush without having to mess with rendering settings like Sketchfab. Once a piece is titled and published, anyone can use any device to tumble around it in 3D, “like” it, and then “remix” it in Tilt Brush.
When you like a piece on the site, it’s automatically added to a liked folder within your personal Tilt Brush through your Google account. From that folder you can open the piece in VR, change it, or add to it however you like. Afterwards you can re-upload it to the site so the original artist can view your changes.
It’s a great concept that solves Tilt Brush’s biggest problems: how do you share a Tilt sketch to someone, how can they easily open it, and where can people admire all the new art that’s being made? But it’s also missing some winning features, such as an artist follow button, or the ability to comment on art pieces (other than remixing).
Regardless, it’s a great start. But what do you think? Were these the features you were waiting for? How do you plan to utilize the new site and environmental settings? 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 timeline of the tweet storm around Oculus founder Palmer Luckey | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/games/the-timeline-of-the-tweet-storm-around-oculus-founder-palmer-luckey"
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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 The timeline of the tweet storm around Oculus founder Palmer Luckey Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Palmer Luckey, Oculus VR founder.
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It’s not often that we go back and analyze “tweet storms,” those controversies that spin out of control on Twitter and the rest of the Internet after somebody steps their foot in a big pile of crap.
Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus VR and the modern virtual reality movement, got caught in such a storm.
Along with a $500 million judgment in a copyright-and-theft lawsuit by Bethesda, the controversy led to his departure from Oculus. But a document that captures the tweet storm shows how it escalated and spun into something worse than it was at its beginning.
The issue arose again after news surfaced that Luckey, through a Californian limited-liability corporation called Wings of Time, gave $100,000 to President Donald Trump’s inauguration fund in January, according to official records (and first reported by MotherJones and Washington Post reports ).
It all started back on September 22, when The Daily Beast published “Palmer Luckey: The Facebook billionaire secretly funding Trump’s meme machine.” To Harris, the idea of fake news starts with a misleading or inaccurate headline, often with a sexy headline. Then it spews through social media, energized by outrage, support, or concern.
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 Daily Beast article was followed by Ars Technica’s “ How your Oculus Rift is secretly funding Donald Trump’s racist meme wars ” and Boing Boing’s “ Facebook ‘near-billionaire’ Palmer Luckey secretly funding racist pro-Trump hate meme machine.” Luckey called it the “social media assassination of Palmer Luckey (and his girlfriend).” Above: Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus The document was compiled by Blake J. Harris, who is writing a book for HarperCollins about the modern VR industry. Harris took the trouble to deconstruct what happened in the tweet storm line-by-line, and his conclusion is that Luckey didn’t get a fair shake in the controversy. He also included his own commentary and why he thought certain posts were important in the timeline.
“We rarely take a step back and reflect on stories from a few news cycles ago, especially when those stories were inaccurate, misleading, or outright false. It’s easier to just make a small correction or two, or perhaps even none at all, and move on to the next piece,” Harris wrote in an email. “It’s somewhat understandable why this happens—we’re busy, readers have already lost interest, etc. etc.—but ignoring these things leads to a sort of systematic problem: a lack of accountability, which is incredibly concerning to us all. Both as readers and as writers.” He added, “It’s somewhat understandable why this happens—we’re busy, readers have already lost interest, etc. etc.—but ignoring these things leads to a sort of systematic problem: a lack of accountability, which should be incredibly concerning to us all. Because, in retrospect, it’s easy to see how this dynamic becomes fertile ground for ‘fake news.’” Harris said he is not a Trump supporter, nor does he want to come off as a Luckey apologist. But he said he is bothered by the fairness of the press’ treatment of Luckey, as he believes that the headlines weren’t true.
Above: Nimble America’s anti-Hillary billboard.
In mid-September 2016, Palmer Luckey donated nearly $10,000 to a recently formed pro-Trump nonprofit organization, Nimble America. At the time of his donation, the entire body of Nimble America’s work consisted of putting up a single billboard in the Pittsburgh area that suggested Hillary Clinton should be in jail. Going forward, Nimble America planned to put up more billboards in battleground states (hence the organization seeking donations).
Here’s the facts as Harris saw them: Nimble America was not responsible for creating or spreading any memes online.
Nimble America’s goal was to take meme-like images, like the billboard above, and put them into the real world (via billboards, T-shirts and stickers).
There is no evidence—nor, based on my research, do I see any reason to believe—that this organization promoted any sort of racist, sexist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic or white supremacist agenda. Neither is there any evidence of Nimble America engaging in any sort of trolling, harassing or “astroturfing.” Milo Yiannopoulos had no affiliation with Nimble America other than to endorse the cause and, in his capacity as a moderator of the The_Donald subreddit, verify that there was indeed a wealthy backer [Luckey] who had donated to the organization [a little less than $10,000].
“The part that makes me sad (and angry) is the lack of accountability. Palmer Luckey no longer has his job. Meanwhile, every reporter who covered the story still does. I’m not at all saying they should lose their jobs, but I do think there ought to be a better way to handle these situations,” Harris wrote. “Oh, and the other thing that really kills me (which I believe is in that timeline): one week later, the Cards Against Humanity founder posted that 90 foot anti-Trump billboard in Chicago. The media loved that one.” We haven’t made any judgment of our own in this case. But we’ll post this document for everyone to read. Harris provided the tweet document below, but for timing reasons, we have not provided the links to the actual tweets.
Timeline of Reporting for PL/NA Story Below is a timeline of how the story was reported and the ripples that ensued.
SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 [note: all times are Pacific] 6:00 PM The Daily Beast (Gideon Resnick, Ben Collins) Palmer Luckey: The Facebook Billionaire Secretly Funding Trump’s Meme Machine Excerpt: “Palmer Luckey—founder of Oculus—is funding a Trump group that circulates dirty memes about Hillary Clinton.” Above: The Oculus Rift.
6:10 PM @websterandrews2: guess I won’t be buying an oculus rift 6:13 PM @rillawafers: eat my entire ass 6:15 PM @anildash ✔ : One reason every political hashtag on Twitter is filled with racist trolls? The founder of Oculus is funding them 6:16 PM @blackholetalos: Rich kids who think fking America is funny. The age of overnight millionaires, reality TV sensations and Twitter bullies.
6:18 PM @jezzerat: It’s so weird that someone named @PalmerLuckey could turn out to be a douchebag 6:18 PM @anildash ✔ : This guy, @PalmerLuckey, put some of his billion FB dollars toward explicitly funding white supremacy. Peter Thiel approved the acquisition.
6:19 PM @DukeOfVinings: what a sad man you must be.
6:23 PM @ablington: I curse his immortal soul for funding the meme industry. Fuck this guy.
6:25 PM @BrowningStephen: Sad that such a talented guy has gone to the dark side. There’s got to be a more constructive way to create, pal.
6:28 PM @CodyBrown ✔ : Holy fuck @PalmerLuckey. You’re using your @Oculus fortune to back a pro-Trump org w/ [Milo Yiannopoulos]? Plz tell me this is VR 6:34 PM @anildash ✔ : Next $FB earnings call is November 2. I want this to be the first question that comes up.
6:43 PM Kotaku (Luke Plunkett) Oculus Rift Founder Palmer Luckey Funding Trump Shitposters “ Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus Rift, has been keeping busy since he sold the company to Facebook in 2014. One thing he’s done to pass the time, as reported by The Daily Beast, is to financially back (and be named Vice President of) a company dedicated to alt-right meme shitposts.” Above: John Riccitiello of Unity and Palmer Luckey of Oculus.
6:45 PM @rbottoms: @anildash You just broke the biggest story of the year concerning people of color in tech. Thank you.
6:46 PM @JohnLeguizamo ✔ : why are you trying to undo our democracy by funding anti-Hillary memes? Do you want #trump 2 b our president? What’s wrong w u 6:46 PM @ScrutaGames: Until @PalmerLuckey steps down from his position at @oculus, we will be cancelling Oculus support for our games.
Note: With this message, Scruta Games became the first developer to publicly announce they would no longer be working with Oculus. A handful of other developers would follow in the days ahead.
6:52 PM @maladamus: His anger toward women is obviously obvious.
6:52 PM @HumanityPlague: You obviously won’t care but you’re a wretch of a human being.
6:56 PM @anildash ✔ : Story is all @GideonResnick & @oneunderscore__ , I’m just happy to amplify.
6:58 PM @joanmbird: so you’re a White Nationalist? Wow, must be difficult to work with others. Poor thing. Hope sales don’t tank even more.
6:59 PM @Toadsanime ✔ : You blew it, man.
7:04 PM Boing Boing (Xeni Jardin) F acebook ‘near-billionaire’ Palmer Luckey secretly funding racist pro-Trump hate meme machine “Luckey is funding a pro-Donald Trump “shitposting” tactical team that churns out racist, sexist, hatey anti-Hillary Clinton memes and works to make them go viral.” 7:05 PM @brant ✔ : Bigot 7:09 PM @josefkstories: Hey @PalmerLuckey did you ever consider curing malaria or polio with that money or was funding racist trolls the first thing you thought of.
7:10 PM @ironicaccount: that Oculus Rift kickstarter sure had weird stretch goals 7:21 PM @CodyBrown ✔ : The amazing part of this is @PalmerLuckey didn’t invent core VR tech. FB deal enabled by ‘borrowed’ Valve prototypes 7:29 PM @carmencolborne got a compassionate bone in your pudgy body? Didn’t think so 7:35 PM @jasonschreier ✔ : Hooooooolllllyyyyyy shit 7:39 PM @rbottoms: @PalmerLuckey Make me sick to my stomach. Bad enough to think racist AltRight Neo-Nazi scum run… 7:40 PM @rbottoms: …Silicon Valley and the failure to make any progress in diversity is accidental.
7:41 PM @rbottoms: This basically shows that a lily-white tech nirvana is a feature, not a bug.
7:49 PM @pixelatedboat: *puts on VR helmet* *Palmer Luckey appears* “Welcome to libertarian paradise. No taxes. All money is bitcoins. Murder is legal. GOD IS DEAD” 7:53 PM @HonestWilliam ✔ : Hey. My name is @PalmerLuckey and this… Is Jackass.
7:56 PM @DanaHoule: Revenge Of The Racist Asshole White Supremacist Racist Asshole Racist Sexist Asshole Nerds 8:08 PM Business Insider (Ben Gilbert) Oculus Rift creator Palmer Luckey is financing a pro-Trump meme group “He may be most closely associated with the kinds of anti-Clinton Facebook memes that even strident Donald Trump supporters roll their eyes at…with a focus on viral, anti-Clinton memes.” 8:09 PM @TTLabsVR: Hey @oculus, @PalmerLuckey’s actions are unacceptable. NewtonVR will not be supporting the Oculus Touch as long as he is employed there.
8:11 AM @samfbiddle: this guy turned out to be an immense shithead? no way 8:11 PM @kimmaicutler: @PalmerLuckey’s girlfriend.
@nikkimoxxi: I’m at the Trump rally in Anaheim! Love the diversity of people here! Note: When later asked about that tweet, Nicole Edelmann (aka @nikkimoxxi) replied, “I definitely meant it sincerely! I met so many great people from all different races, ages, and backgrounds.” Regardless, her Twitter feed would soon become so inundated with threats of rape and violence that, by the following morning, she disabled her account.
8:14 PM @Cheryllynn512: #Shameonyou 8:23 PM @Papapishu ✔ : My HTC Vive review: Good immersion Comfortable headset Not invented by an obscenely rich pissbaby edgelord 8:19 PM @LeftWingMilitia: The French Revolution 2.0 is coming & we’ll see your head fall into basket of deplorables.
8:22 PM @NickH725 : whomp whomp, I wish you good fortune in the flame wars to come 8:26 PM @Papapishu ✔ : Excited for the new PlayStation VR slogan “VR….Without The Holocaust Memes” 8:46 PM @LukePlunkett ✔ : Musk: let’s go to Mars! Luckey: whitesupremacistmeme.jpg 9:03 PM @GhostofGhostDad: Will I catch racism if I try on an Oculus headset? 9:35 PM @markhaverty: @PalmerLuckey once called a plumber about a big shit clogging his toilet. The plumber tried to drag him out of the house.
9:36 PM @MimasAgency: guess your career is over…RT 9:45 PM @AndyWarrenStein: @PalmerLuckey is a singularly bad person.
9:27 PM @minliangtan: Oh wow, I thought the pro-Trump Palmer Luckey story was satire the first time I read it. Just realized it’s true.
10:11 PM @MelWebster: L-O-S-E-R Above: Oculus founder Palmer Luckey at CES 2016. I think Palmer’s pr person hated this picture.
10:13 PM @sherylmaloney: Zuckerberg gives billions to fight disease @PalmerLuckey gives millions to spread racism. The latter is everything wrong with the valley.
10:17 PM @Vahn16 ✔: sure was considerate of palmer luckey to bring vr to the masses so they can escape the nightmare terror world he hopes to usher in 10:33 PM @CalebTRB: I am so appalled to have ever given you a dime.
11:34 PM @Rockmstr99: I will never, NEVER buy an oculus.
11:35 PM @yldcatz: @PalmerLuckey watch your back 11:45 PM @BenKuchera ✔: It’s going to be tricky to get devs and press excited about Oculus Connect 3 until this whole “funding white supremacy” thing is addressed.
1 2 3 View All Join the GamesBeat community! Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.
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"Nintendo Switch meets VR: Yep, somebody made it happen | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/games/nintendo-switch-meets-vr-yep-somebody-made-it-happen"
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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 meets VR: Yep, somebody made it happen 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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The Nintendo Switch has been out for over a month now, and it’s still going strong. I play mine almost daily, even after finishing the full main story in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. New games are coming out every week, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe this Friday, and the portability and versatility make it easy to pick up and play in tons of situations. But the one big thing Nintendo doesn’t have their toes in yet that the rest of the gaming world appears to have embraced is virtual reality.
Late last year the company patented a VR headset that appeared to be designed to hold the Nintendo Switch tablet, but naturally people questioned its feasibility. Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima also went on record earlier this year as stating that if comfort issues with prolonged play are resolved for VR, then the company “will do it.” Presumably they’re already testing it.
In the video below (also embedded at the top of this article), YouTuber Nintendrew decided to leapfrog past Nintendo’s R&D team and use some workaround solutions to see what the screen looks like inside of a VR device. Using a tablet-focused VR headset called the Durovis Dive 7 , he found that the Nintendo Switch actually fit just perfectly. From there, he recorded his own footage of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D from the Nintendo 3DS and displayed it back as side-by-side footage on YouTube. Then, he just had to slide his way into the Switch’s web browser , pull it up on YouTube, and he was good to go.
It’s not ideal by any means. Based on his test, the screen width for each eye is only about 500 pixels wide and the overall resolution of the screen in general isn’t very good. The tablet is also a bit bulky and heavy when compared to something like a smartphone. All that being said though, it seems that it’s absolutely 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! If the only real barrier between the Nintendo Switch and exciting new VR games from The Big N is Nintendo’s own willingness to develop them, it’s a good sign. Hardware limitations haven’t stopped them in the past, I’m sure if anyone can design around them for VR then Nintendo can.
Last month we got a glimpse of what an officially crafted Switch VR headset might look like from industrial designer Antoine Beynel and the possibilities (teased above) are quite exciting. What do you think about the feasibility of the Nintendo Switch as a VR device? Which games would you want to see on Switch VR? Is the resolution issue and size of the screen too much of a problem, or could Nintendo work around it? 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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"GamesBeat Summit's lightning round will focus on disruption | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/games/gamesbeat-summits-lightning-round-will-focus-on-disruption"
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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 GamesBeat Summit’s lightning round will focus on disruption Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Robin Hunicke's teams are working on Wattam, Woorld, and Luna.
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It’s time to introduce our lightning round session at our upcoming GamesBeat Summit 2017: How games, sci-fi, and tech create real-world magic. This session will feature five speakers talking in lightning-fast five-minute sessions.
GamesBeat Summit 2017 will take place on May 1-2 at the historic Claremont resort hotel in Berkeley, Calif., just a short distance from San Francisco. You can secure your seat here.
Register today and receive 20 percent off current ticket prices. Use the code Deantak.
Tom Emrich, partner at Super Ventures, will moderate the session with an iron fist. (Well, maybe not). He is an investor at Super Ventures, a fund and incubator focused on augmented reality. He is also founder of We Are Wearables, and a co-producer of Augmented World Expo. We were inspired by this session at the Migs conference in Canada.
Our speakers include Robin Hunicke, cofounder of the independent game studio Funomena.
which creates experimental games for console, PC, VR and AR platforms ( Luna , Woorld and Wattam) in San Francisco. A game designer and producer by training, she has a background in Computer Science, Art and applied Game Studies. She has been designing, making and teaching about games for over 12 years ( Journey , Boom Blox, MySims, TheSims2). Her passion is for making games that explore new feelings, ideas, and modes of interaction.
Robin is an outspoken evangelist for increasing the participation of women and under-represented minorities within the Arts, Games & Tech. She is an Associate Professor of the Arts Division at UC Santa Cruz, and Director of the Art, Games & Playable Media BA program. She supports a broad range of initiatives including: Amplifying New Voices , the annual Experimental Gameplay Workshop , PlaySFMOMA , the Lexus Design Award , Google Made with Code , Girls Make Games , and the CS For Al initiative.
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: Ravi Belwal of Samsung.
Another speaker is Ravi Belwal, business development leader for mobile games at Samsung. Ravi identifies relevant global business partners and negotiates win-win deals; turns products into solutions for partners; Negotiates complex strategic mobile games development and distribution deals with global and Indie partners.
Also speaking is Raheel Hasan is a cofounder and CEO of 1APP, which hopes to disrupt the app stores via apps that you can play instantly on any device. He started 1APP four years ago. It uses proprietary cloud-based mobile operating system (OneOS) to make makes apps instantly available on mobile devices.
Above: Deanna Terzian, president of Curriculaworks.
Deanna Terzian is president of Curriculaworks and its sister company Tutorworks. For more than 15 years, she has led the creation of digital products and direct services that provide effective and fun learning experiences in challenging educational and operational environments. Tutorworks has served more than 20,000 struggling students in 700 schools using a motivational learning approach that blends digital learning and traditional academic tutoring. Through a five-year partnership with the Office of Naval Research, Curriculaworks created Project Azriel, a first-person-shooter-zombie-themed-video-game-cognitive trainer designed to improve fluid intelligence. She’ll talk about “Gaming the system: Why the military embraced game-based learning and the classroom has not.” And our final lightning round speaker is Justin Bailey, CEO of Fig. He will talk on “The cure for sequelitis.” Bailey founded Fig in late 2014 to do equity crowdfunding for games. His work in video games includes experience funding and publishing a variety of premium, free-to-play, and mobile games, including Broken Age (formerly known as Double Fine Adventures), Massive Chalice, Hack ‘n’ Slash and Middle Manager of Justice. Bailey previously served as the chief operating officer of Double Fine Productions, where he established a new independent publishing label called “Double Fine Presents.” The session will take place during the morning of May 2. We hope you can attend.
Other speakers include Michael Chang of NCSoft; Amitt Mahajan of Presence Capital; Sean Lee of Wargaming; Phil Sanderson of IDG Ventures; Jazy Zhang, former CFO at Giant Interactive Group; James Zhang, CEO of Concept Art House; Lisa Cosmas Hanson, managing partner of Niko Partners; Jim Ying, senior adviser at CV Capital; Kim Pallister of Intel; Austin Grossman of Magic Leap; Adam Gazzaley of UCSF; Listen.com founder Rob Reid; Tim Chang of Mayfield Fund; science fiction writer Eliot Peper; tech writer Violet Blue; Thomas Geffroyd, brand director at Ubisoft; Michael Condrey and Glen Schofield, founders of Sledgehammer Games; Rod Chong, chief commercial officer of Slightly Mad Studios; and Laszlo Kishonti, CEO of AImotive.
And still more include Ted Price, CEO of Insomniac Games; Mike Gallagher, CEO of the Entertainment Software Association; John Underkoffler, CEO of Oblong Industries and science advisor for Minority Report ; Gary Whitta, the screenwriter for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ; Richard Marks of Sony PlayStation; Akshay Khanna of the Philadelphia 76ers; Greg Richardson of Team Dignitas; Megan Gaiser, CEO of Spiral Media; Guy Bendov, CEO of Side-Kick Games; Rami Ismail, cofounder of Vlambeer; Asra Rasheed, executive producer at Disney; Asi Burak, founder of Power Play; Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games; Owen Mahoney, the CEO of Nexon; Rich Hilleman of Amazon Game Studios; Chris Roberts, CEO of Roberts Space Industries; and Jamil Moledina of Google Play.
Above: Chris Roberts of Roberts Space Industries.
Inspiring moments lead to disrupting the worlds of gaming, tech, and entertainment. Who hasn’t been influenced by great novels like Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash , which gave us virtual worlds, or Tom Cruise’s data gloves and gesture-controlled computer in Minority Report ? Now those things have become real, and we want to see what’s coming next.
Our theme is about what inspires game developers, executives, and investors to be creative. Part of the event will focus on the inspiration cycle that is accelerating as the walls between science fiction, video games, and real-world technology come down. We don’t think there’s another conference that focuses on the seams between these industries.
This event will focus on inspiration and creativity. So much of what used to be science fiction is coming true, and it is inspiring even more accelerated visions of the future in games and other entertainment. We hope to inspire you by taking you to the moments that led to great ideas across multiple industries. You’ll leave refreshed and ready to change the worlds of gaming, technology, and more.
We think this conference will offer a rare chance for cross-pollination and networking between high-level people in different industries, and we believe that insights in one place can lead to inspirations in another.
This conference is for high-end gaming executives, startup CEOs, developers, investors, publishers, marketers, tech experts, entertainment industry professionals, sci-fi experts, AR and VR executives, and other professionals. I should also point out that this is where we try to create an actual GamesBeat community with our supporters, readers, and attendees. We gather the right people in the room and encourage everyone to get to know each other.
Join us.
If you’re interested in sponsoring, message [email protected]. Thanks to our sponsors Samsung, Intel, Gazillion, Vungle, the Canadian consolate, Concept Art House, Wargaming America, MindMaze, and Blackstorm.
Breakout sessions Intersection of sci-fi, games, and tech Monetization: How to acquire and retain your user base Deals: Follow the money Esports and community Is the gaming world flat? Platforms: Where to place your bets? VR, AR, and more Advisory board Sam Barlow, game developer of Her Story and creative director at Interlude Michael Chang, senior vice president at NCSoft Daniel Cho, chairman at Innospark Jay Eum, managing director, Translink Capital Clinton Foy, chairman of the Immortals and managing director at Crosscut Ventures Megan Gaiser, co-CEO at Spiral Media Lee Jones, global business lead Google Ads Perrin Kaplan, principal at Zebra Partners Roy Liu, general manager at Linekong USA Wanda Meloni, executive director of the Open Gaming Alliance Jamil Moledina, game strategic lead at Google Play Adam Orth, founder at Three One Zero Mihai Pohontu, vice president of emerging technologies at Samsung Mike Sepso, cofounder of MLG and senior vice president at Activision Blizzard Mike Vorhaus, president of Magid Advisors Margaret Wallace, CEO of Playmatics Marco DeMiroz, cofounder, The Venture Reality Fund I’ve been writing about our theme for a while — the accelerating cycle of inspiration between tech, games, and science fiction.
I interviewed Shane Wall, HP’s chief technology officer , about the connection between sci-fi and tech. The Westworld TV show also explored the seams between artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and video games.
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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"This is the time to bet on enterprise tech | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/this-is-the-time-to-bet-on-enterprise-tech"
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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 This is the time to bet on enterprise tech 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.
Recent history alone should be enough to prove that enterprise tech is a far more stable, profitable category than consumer tech. Take for instance the dozens of successful exits (either through acquisition or IPO) in the U.S. enterprise tech space in just 2016 and 2017. By contrast, the U.S. consumer tech space has seen only a handful of successful outcomes over the same time period.
Above: 2016 and 2017 acquisitions and IPOs of U.S. based companies without previously successful exits. Acquisitions include companies sold for more than $400 million.
The disparity between enterprise and consumer tech companies (using financial outcome as the marker) comes primarily from the many exit options that exist for the former well beyond an IPO. By contrast, acquisitions that provide investors with outsized returns in the consumer tech space can really only be made by a handful of companies – typically just Google, Facebook, and Amazon. In 2016, I count roughly 70 U.S. technology exits and acquisitions of more than $100 million. All but six were enterprise tech. The table above gives you a sampling, displaying companies that were acquired for at least $400 million.
When technology companies – either consumer or enterprise – do go public, the market has traditionally favored enterprise companies because they have a clear path to delivering shareholder value.
Nine out of 10 enterprise tech IPOs in 2016 ended the year in the black – the basket finished 39.8 percent above where it debuted. The one recent consumer tech IPO, Snap, dropped nearly 7 percent in a day after Facebook announced copycat features.
On the other hand, enterprise companies like Acacia Communications were profitable at IPO or plan to be profitable within two years of going public. Snap reported losses of $514 million compared to revenue of just $404 million in 2016 and warns it may never be profitable.
Over the years, entire consumer categories have gone up in smoke. Flash sales (Gilt), couponing (Groupon), localization (Foursquare), and social media (Twitter) have shown themselves to be categories fraught with euphoric highs early in life, but they languish as the novelty wears off and competitors emerge and land grab.
On the other hand, SaaS dollar retention rates are often at or above 100 percent, which means many enterprise companies could actually turn off all sales and marketing spend and still continue to grow! This stability comes from a high cost of switching providers and the low price sensitivity of many buyers.
Meanwhile, much of consumer tech lives and dies by ad revenue (think Google, Facebook, Snap, Twitter), making it more susceptible to market turns and changes in user behavior. Consumer tech verticals where revenue is driven by consumer spend (food delivery, for example) have struggled, too, because of low retention. With VCs falling over themselves to win deals in this space, competitors abound, which further drives down the costs of switching providers. This phenomenon (both exuberance from VCs and lack of brand loyalty from consumers) is evident in countless consumer markets like ridesharing, on-demand services, and dating sites.
But it’s not just the stability and clear path towards success that make enterprise tech a sure bet. There’s also a unique community that’s emerged in the enterprise tech space, and participants have both the ability and the willingness to share best practices across companies since, unlike in consumer tech, moats in the SaaS space can be maintained relatively well. In the marketing automation space, for example, there’s been room for HubSpot, Marketo, Eloqua, and Pardot to all have successful outcomes since these companies focus on particular market segments with distinct value propositions. And HubSpot contributes to the industry’s success by funding inbound.org , an online community of 200,000+ marketers. The same thing has happened for eCommerce platforms, business intelligence, and many other categories.
This knowledge sharing also allows for benchmarking across companies, which helps everyone identify gaps and areas of improvement. A rising tide lifts all boats as they say. For these reasons enterprise tech is more of a sure bet than ever.
Kyle Poyar is Director of Market Strategy at OpenView , an expansion stage VC firm.
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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"Surge in startups and capital could be bad news | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/surge-in-startups-and-capital-could-be-bad-news"
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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 Surge in startups and capital could be bad news 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.
Startup numbers have surged, and so have VC investments, according to data released earlier this month by Dow Jones VentureSource. But that’s not necessarily good news.
I’ll get to the downside in a minute. First, let’s take a look at the data and the causes for the surge. According to the VentureSource data, in January 2004, there were just 5,350 venture-backed companies in the U.S. By March 31, 2017 that number had ballooned to 16,064. While I expected an increase, the magnitude surprised me.
I did some digging and found the following factors contributed to what we now see.
Explaining the wild growth of VC-backed companies Venture capital overhang : Between 1999 and 2001, venture firms raised $182 billion to invest into startups. This created a large venture capital overhang (too much cash chasing too few deals) just before the Dotcom bubble burst.
This cash was invested over the next 10 years, which is the typical VC fund life cycle.
Fewer IPOs and M&As : Driven by the aftermath of the Dotcom crash and financial crisis, this century has, so far, seen low IPO and M&A activity. This trend means we’re seeing more and more companies in the pre-exit venture-backed pool.
Lower startup costs : The cost of starting a technology company has plummeted. The use of on demand resources in areas like cloud computing, software, social networks, and marketing has reduced the capital required to prove concepts and start companies. The result has been a wave of angel investing that created even more companies, which have gone on to raise venture capital.
The App Economy: The introduction of platforms such as iOS and Android have fueled the app economy, led to a mobility revolution, and opened up new investment opportunities related to cloud computing, mobility, privacy, and security. From January 2004 to March 2017 the number of software companies grew from 1,523 to 3,588 During this period investment grew from $29 billion to $67 billion.
Tech-enabled companies: Technology has had an impact on numerous previously distinct industries, such as financial services, insurance, health care, and transportation. This trend will continue with the advent of AI, machine learning, and other cutting-edge technologies. The result has been a significant increase in the number of companies in the products and services categories from nearly 1,500 at the start of 2004 to 6,931 as of March 31, 2017.
And capital too The amount of capital invested has also grown significantly. At the start of 2004, $135 billion was invested into venture-backed companies. By the end of March 2017 the sum had surged to $410 billion. The products and services categories, which encompass most tech-enabled companies, grew from $37 billion to $171 billion during these 13 years. The trend goes beyond technology. During this time period, the number of health care companies nearly tripled, going from 1,163 to 3,248. Related capital investments followed a similar trajectory, growing from $28 billion to $98 billion.
Here’s why that may be bad news The data tells us several things. First, company creation has surged in the past 13 years — probably more than many industry insiders expected. Venture capital exists to fund innovation, and most will agree that, thanks to mobility and the tech enablement of companies discussed earlier, we have seen an explosion of innovation. Since you can’t predict when innovation will occur, investors must be in touch with the market to help entrepreneurs capitalize on opportunities. But as the amount of capital tied up in companies reaches unprecedented heights, investors’ liquidity is low. This does not create the healthy, balanced ecosystem we need. The private company overhang and resulting surge in investment levels presents challenges for the venture asset class. More liquidity is needed to reduce the levels of private investment so it can be returned to its limited partners and recycled.
Second, while many of the companies discussed here don’t directly compete with each other, they do so indirectly, competing for talent, customers (enterprises can only buy so many new solutions a year), and space — as prices climb, access to attractive locations that enable companies to scale are becoming harder to find. They also compete for the best and brightest service providers. While capital still flows, most companies are limited by the finite supply of qualified advisors, including board members, to help them grow.
So while I have been optimistic about the state of venture capital, this data concerns me. We often hear investors and entrepreneurs say we need more liquidity, and this data indicates why. If the surge of venture-backed companies and dollars continues, it will impede companies’ ability to break away from the pack and generate meaningful returns for their investors. And those returns are what make venture-backed companies special.
Jeff Grabow is head of Ernst & Young Venture Capital.
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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"Startups: Should you incorporate as a Public Benefit Corporation? | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/startups-should-you-incorporate-as-a-public-benefit-corporation"
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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 Startups: Should you incorporate as a Public Benefit Corporation? 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.
Incorporating your business as a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) means you can include public good as part of your company charter in addition to maximizing shareholder profit. Today, there are almost 4,000 Public Benefit Corporations (PBCs) across the U.S., including well-known brands such as Patagonia, Kickstarter, and This American Life. This corporate structure exists across 31 U.S. states , with California introducing the option just five years ago, allowing businesses to focus on both profits and benefits for society. And startups are increasingly showing interest in this business structure.
We’ve witnessed the growth of PBCs first-hand. In fact, six of the 38 early-stage companies we’ve incubated are PBCs. Yet, in our experience, many founders do not understand how they actually work. So to set the record straight, we’ve compiled a list of the five most common misconceptions about PBCs.
Myth 1: Public Benefit Corporations and Certified B Corps are the same.
Many entrepreneurs treat the decision to become a PBC and a Certified B Corp as one and the same. However, they are very different creatures.
PBC is a legal incorporation status (like a C Corp or LLC). PBC documentation encourages a corporation to consider the interests of multiple stakeholders (society, workers, the community, and the environment) in addition to shareholders when making decisions.
Certified B Corporation or “B Corp,” on the other hand, is a third-party certification similar to Fair Trade or LEED. B Lab, a non-profit, administers this credential and independently assesses companies based on social and environmental criteria. Companies typically pursue certification because of the additional credibility brought by third-party review.
While some PBCs are not Certified B Corps and vice versa, many are both. Several companies, including Patagonia and AltSchool, hold both labels. It should be noted that if a Certified B Corp goes public, B Lab requires that company to reincorporate as a PBC within two to four years (Etsy, the first Certified B Corp to go public, is dealing with this deadline now).
Myth 2: Public Benefit Corporations are nonprofits.
By definition, all PBCs are for-profit companies. However, nonprofits and PBCs are often confused because their charters both explicitly mention a socially beneficial purpose. Specifically, nonprofits are driven by a stated “charitable purpose” and PBCs spell out a “public benefit” purpose. In spite of this similar language, nonprofits and PBCs are completely different types of companies. While a nonprofit’s sole mission is pursuing its charitable purpose, PBCs must balance their benefit to the public with the financial objectives of their shareholders.
There are two other key differences. The first is that nonprofits are tax-exempt by the IRS, while PBCs are taxed like any other for-profit company. The second is how these entities generate income. Besides grants and donations, nonprofits are allowed to self-fund through earned income to a limited degree. But if nonprofits engage in “ more than an insubstantial amount of unrelated business activity ,” they can jeopardize their tax-exempt status. As for-profits, PBCs can raise cash from operations as well as investors and use that money to scale.
For example, HandUp – an online platform for direct giving to people experiencing homelessness – decided to become a PBC (rather than a nonprofit) to generate revenue as well as raise equity funding.
Myth 3: Public Benefit Corporations have trouble raising venture capital (VC) funding.
Some entrepreneurs worry that becoming a PBC will scare away venture capital money. But, in reality, PBCs have had many large-scale fundraises from VC investors.
For example, in 2015, AltSchool, a PBC focused on personalized ed-tech, raised $100 million from investors including Andreesen Horowitz, Founders Fund, and Mark Zuckerberg. That same year, Cotopaxi, an outdoor gear e-commerce PBC, closed a $6.5 million Series A from Greycroft Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Forerunner Ventures, and others. Ultimately, VC firms that have invested in PBCs include a “who’s who” list: First Round Capital, Foundry Group, Sherpa Ventures, Union Square Ventures, and many more.
There is also a growing number of PBCs with successful exits: Plum Organics reincorporated as a PBC the same year it was acquired by Campbell’s Soup, and Laureate Education became the first PBC to IPO a couple months ago.
Myth 4: Public Benefit Corporations can be sued by the public.
Another misconception among entrepreneurs is that incorporating as a PBC exposes a company to additional liability. Specifically, founders are afraid they could get hit with lawsuits from the public saying the company has not pursued its “public benefit” mission vigorously enough.
In fact, only shareholders can bring lawsuits to enforce public benefit goals. And, to take that action (via a specialized proceeding ), the threshold is high. In most states, a minimum of 5 percent of shareholders is necessary to launch a proceeding.
Additionally, the PBC structure can potentially act as a shield from lawsuits. Company directors can be protected when prioritizing “public benefit” over immediate shareholder interests. For example, Patagonia’s decision to donate all 2016 Black Friday sales ($10 million in total) to mission-aligned nonprofits is far more defensible due to the company’s PBC status.
To justify a decision that may sacrifice profits, PBCs including Patagonia must simply be able to show that they considered multiple viewpoints.
Myth 5: It doesn’t matter where you incorporate your Public Benefit Corporation.
Some entrepreneurs assume that it doesn’t make a difference where incorporation takes place. If they are located in California (or anywhere), why not incorporate there? But the reality is that state jurisdiction matters.
If a business is incorporating as a PBC and expects to seek VC financing, many startup lawyers will recommend incorporating in Delaware.
First and foremost, Delaware is familiar. Most VC-backed startups are incorporated as C Corps in Delaware. The Delaware PBC model shares similar investor-friendly terms to the Delaware C Corp, so incorporating there can make investors more comfortable.
Second, Delaware offers maximum flexibility for entrepreneurs. Most states’ PBC legislation requires a company to complete annual public benefit reporting and to make their reporting publicly available. However, in Delaware, such reports must only be published every two years and need not be made publicly available.
So if your company is considering becoming a PBC, make sure your decision is based on facts and not myth.
Disclaimer: This article does not constitute legal advice. Consult a legal professional before making any decisions regarding your incorporation status, pursuit of third-party accreditations, etc.
May Samali is an Associate at the Urban Innovation Fund.
She was previously Director at Tumml.
Charlie Kannel is Portfolio Advisor at Tumml , a startup hub for urban tech in San Francisco.
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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"European tech is heading into its best days | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/entrepreneur/european-tech-is-heading-into-its-best-days"
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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 European tech is heading into its best days 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 biggest economic story in Europe right now has nothing to do with populism, Brexit or Trump. It’s not something that’s happening in the boardrooms of our multinationals, and it’s not something happening in the political corridors of power.
The most interesting story in Europe right now is happening in the coworking spaces and coffee shops of our leading tech hubs. It’s the untold story of the pan-European technology boom, and it’s going to be one of the key drivers of Europe’s economic future over the next five years.
Why aren’t we celebrating this? Put simply, its narrative is interspersed with competition: London competing with Berlin, Berlin competing with Lisbon, the list goes on. We tend to focus on the stories of individual cities and risk missing the bigger picture. It’s time we start talking about the “European story.” A decentralized network European technology was initially concentrated in a few major centers – namely London, Berlin and Paris. But as Europe’s tech sector has matured we have seen a more decentralized network appearing, with a number of strong, smaller cities, specializing in different sectors.
We’re now seeing regional cities or smaller capitals developing names for themselves in tech subsectors – the recent Slush and Atomico State of European Tech report highlighted that Munich, Zurich, Lisbon, Madrid, and Copenhagen in particular, will be ones to watch over the coming years.
The best kind of technology is borderless, and Europe’s tech companies are exploiting that, finding new regions and tech hubs in which to start up, many of which have low rents, good quality of life, and a well-educated, highly experienced workforce. European governments have woken up to this and are doing all they can to create the very best environment for young companies. The Estonian government has gone even further – its e-residency is redefining what citizenship means in a digital world, whilst the Portuguese government has made Lisbon one of the globe’s most attractive places to start a tech company, including significant tax breaks for investments in the sector.
This increasingly borderless attitude has also had a noticeable knock-on effect on the companies themselves. European tech startups have internationalization built in from day one – a unique quality. It’s much easier to get a truly international workforce with a global outlook when you’re recruiting from a diverse pool of talent.
Tech founders based across Europe can also get by without speaking German/Portuguese/Estonian, etc. The vast majority of European tech companies operate in English, meaning that working together across borders has never been easier.
A shared culture Europe’s history of innovation is exceptionally strong and our collective cultures, though so different in many ways, share some fundamental values. It may seem like a generalization but the European “way” is highly iterative. We don’t look for that big breakthrough, the fabled “light bulb moment.” Instead we work hard to make small incremental improvements as we improve gradually. It’s our shared engineering heritage and our focus on continuous learning and continuous improvement that sets us apart. It might not be headline-grabbing, but it’s working.
Take Booking.com. It’s a shining light of European iterative and continuous improvement. At the end of 2015 it reported, for the first time, that it had more than 21 million bookable rooms. This is an astonishing figure, that has been achieved over a number of years (Booking.com was founded in 1996). Skift, a travel news publication, reported that the Dutch company is “a much larger lodging provider than Airbnb by just about every measure.” But if you were to take a straw poll over which company is perceived to be more “innovative,” you can bet Airbnb would win every time.
We share the same philosophy at Trivago. Rather than launch new products or services with a big fanfare, we look to carefully test and learn. We release new technology slowly, we test relentlessly, and the ones that work, we keep and continue to refine and improve. It’s the European way, and it works.
Funding is getting better So Europe’s tech fundamentals are only getting stronger. But we’re still dwarfed by Silicon Valley when it comes to availability of capital, which is crucial for young companies. The good news is that the VC funding in Europe is growing dramatically.
A Tech.EU report showed that funding in 2016 has grown 11.7 percent by value year on year, with the number of deals up 32 percent. U.S. firms are increasingly investing in European companies, but European VC firms are starting up across the continent in droves. As with many things in tech, VC funds go where the momentum is. And the momentum is increasingly coming from Europe.
So our continent has a bright future and one that is becoming more reliant on the success of its broader tech sector and less reliant on one particular city. The decentralized network, with a strong focus on internationalization, means startups across Europe are exceptionally well positioned to succeed. We may not shout the loudest, but I’m confident that Europe is evolving in the right way.
Rolf Schroemgens is CEO of Düsseldorf-based hotel-booking site Trivago.
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"Here's what Amazon's new stores will look like | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/commerce/heres-what-amazons-new-stores-will-look-like"
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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 Here’s what Amazon’s new stores will look like 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.
Amazon is an undisputed leader in digital retail, but soon the online giant will venture into the realm of physical stores.
This isn’t so much a choice for Amazon as it is a necessity if the company plans to remain a leader in retail. Modern retailers need an omnichannel strategy that understands and caters to every channel that customers shop in.
So what will these physical stores look like? I predict they’ll be clean cut in the front and a bit hectic in the back — call it the Amazon mullet.
By that, I mean stores will have a showroom up front with a limited selection of inventory and engaging multi-touch displays, while the distribution center will take up real estate in the back. The storefront showroom will be stocked with products chosen purposefully by data mining Amazon customer purchases for the surrounding micro-geography. The distribution center in the back will hold the less-sexy, repeat purchase products that local customers could want for instant delivery — or instant pick-up. And why not a drive-thru window for your Amazon order? Retail is moving towards this model already You’ve probably already seen this “mullet” concept in the wild. The most notable example is Service Merchandise (remember them?), a jewelry store turned full retailer. It translated a tactic of its early beginnings (keeping jewelry securely in storage, save for a showroom model) where shoppers browse and get a hands on experience of products without having to lug them to a cash register. In the pre-smartphone era, customers received a paper ticket at checkout that they’d redeem by driving to a pickup area behind the store. This proved to be a hassle for many consumers, and Service Merchandise shut its doors in 2002.
It was an unlikely retail pioneer before its time. Then, of course, big box retailers took over.
More recent examples that have aped this mullet-like strategy include brands like Advance Auto Parts, which has leveraged its distribution strategy to enhance customer experience (and increase sales, to boot). Then there’s the rise in BOPIS (Buy Online, Pickup In Store) shopping among consumers. Retailers like Home Depot have embraced this, nurturing the omnichannel experience with great success that’s resulted in 40 percent of online purchases being picked up in store. And finally, glancing at trade journal headlines reveals several top retailers that are reorganizing store strategies to better take advantage of distribution while enhancing the store experience.
How Amazon’s stores will differ Amazon first tiptoed into branded stores with the launch of its first physical bookstore in November 2015, with several more locations being announced earlier this year. More recently, the company revealed its checkout-less convenience store (c-store) in downtown Seattle as well as a pair of AmazonFresh Pickup locations for grocery (produce) orders. So any way you look at it, Amazon has been planning a physical store strategy for a couple of years now at the very least. If you think the company is content to stop with books and c-stores, you’re crazy.
It’s too early to say exactly what products Amazon’s stores will carry or how those stores will be positioned as competitors to specialty shops. But there are plenty of observations you can make if you keep one important retail trend in mind: the attempt to merge the experience customers have online with one they’re physically interacting with.
Amazon stores will be the physical equivalent of an app.
We’ve already seen some of the more newsworthy elements of this approach, such as Amazon Books products having no pricing label (since prices change in real-time) or not having to wait in a checkout line to make a purchase at the concept c-store. These things harken back to the online Amazon shopping experience, where prices do change often and purchases can be made with as little as one click. It’s ‘Buy now with 1-Click’ in real life.
Warehouses and distribution will be very flexible.
Customers who prefer to make purchases online that will be picked up in store can do so more efficiently — as Amazon can either instruct customers where the item is available or ship it directly to a particular location from a warehouse. It’ll be about expanding options to customers. From a distribution standpoint, Amazon’s sales and customer data should help make sure the most in-demand products are available based on location.
The sales floor will be a showroom.
You’ll likely see a sales floor geared toward showrooming , and an ability to purchase items in-person from the back distribution portion more easily. However, when something isn’t in stock, you won’t need things like paper “raincheck” vouchers that contain an estimated date when the item will be available. Instead, you will be able to make the purchase and wait for it to be shipped directly to your home. All of those purchases will be delivered the next day — whether or not you’re a Prime member.
We’ll see a new kind of sales associate.
Amazon will have no problem hiring sales associates. Prior retail experience will not be relevant, only excellence in online shopping. Associates will be trained on two things only: the ability to greet the customer well and being the best Amazon sifter of ratings and reviews. That’s it. Amazon store associates will, of course, encourage customers to browse products on their mobile devices. And only the products with the most stars in their product reviews will be shown on the big in-store screen.
Stores will feature localized customization.
For Amazon, it should be easy to customize inventory and sales initiatives for specific locations since the company will have sales and behavioral data that is far more focused than other retailers.
Amazon’s long-game strategy for physical stores: waiting Why hasn’t Amazon kicked off this strategy already? The most plausible explanation is that it’s simply waiting for the right time — even delaying the public opening of Amazon concept stores. And that’s the smartest move.
Amazon is essentially able to create a chain of stores from scratch, giving it time to choose ideal locations, refine technology that will enhance store experience, and determine what areas of brick-and-mortar retail will best serve its business overall. At the same time, there may be additional elements to consider, such as the widely reported rumors of Amazon creating a parcel delivery arm on par with UPS and FedEx.
Eric Feinberg heads marketing strategy for customer experience analytics company ForeSee.
He is a frequent speaker on customer experience analytics and marketing best practices. He is also a board member of the Digital Analytics Association (DAA) and an adjunct professor of mobile marketing at the University of California, Irvine Extension.
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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"What I learned about building serverless apps | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/what-i-learned-about-building-serverless-apps"
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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 What I learned about building serverless apps 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 term “serverless architecture” is a recent addition to the technology lexicon, coming into common use following the launch of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Lambda in 2014. The term is both paradoxical and provocative: In fact, there really are servers backing “serverless” technology, but the term illustrates one of IT’s biggest headaches, server administration. Serverless architecture offers the promise of writing code without the worries of ongoing server administration.
But is the reality as sweet as the promise? The agency I work for recently put this question to the test when we deployed an app in production using a serverless architecture.
For our project, we opted for a serverless architecture using AWS Lambda, API Gateway, S3, and DynamoDB to power a website and chatbot application for a major entertainment company. A serverless approach was a natural fit because the app was expected to receive a significant amount of traffic during the initial few months, likely tapering off thereafter. Relying on AWS-managed components meant we could achieve scalability and high-availability without the cost or complexity of setting up redundant, load-balanced, auto-scaled, EC2 instances. More importantly, it meant the client only paid for actual compute time.
The end result was fantastic: The deployed application ran flawlessly. The journey to get there, on the other hand, was a bit more challenging.
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 are five key lessons for building a serverless app in the real world.
1. Allow sufficient time for Lambda and API Gateway configuration The first thing to be aware of when building a serverless web app is that there is a lot of configuration involved with each Lambda function, including: Uploading the code Configuring the Lambda function Creating the API endpoint (e.g. specifying which HTTP methods it listens to) Setting up the IAM security role for the function Configuring the behavior of the HTTP request (e.g. how the request variables are received and transformed into Lambda function arguments) Configuring the behavior of the HTTP response (e.g. how return variables are sent back to the caller and transformed into an HTTP/JSON format) Creating the staging endpoint Deploying the API It’s critical to factor in configuration time for each function when mapping out your project schedule. But as annoying as the amount of configuration may seem, remember that Lambda functions are nanoservices, and their configuration is part of the deployment process itself. It wouldn’t seem strange to spend this amount of time configuring and deploying an API microservice. And on the flip side, it makes life real easy for IT operations.
2. Documentation is light, so be prepared for some detective work The real challenge is less about the number of configuration steps per se and more about the lack of documentation in general. Error messages are often cryptic and the number of configuration options is large, making diagnosis time-consuming. Making matters worse, documentation and community support is still immature, so there isn’t a huge corpus of community knowledge to draw from. This situation will undoubtedly improve over time as serverless technology gains popularity.
3. Find the right balance between tight cohesion and loose coupling One of the more difficult questions we faced was how to structure the application itself. Prior to the advent of serverless architecture, functions were assumed to exist within a larger cohesive application with shared memory and a call stack. In contrast, there is a notable dearth of published design patterns for serverless applications. Even Lambda’s close cousin, the microservice, operates much like a traditional application internally with shared memory and a call stack, so the design patterns for microservices didn’t provide much help either. With AWS Lambda, you are literally deploying a single function, outside the context of a larger application. So how do you live without the things we take for granted every day like shared functions and common configuration settings? One option is to take nanoservices to the extreme and expose every function as a Lambda. While this approach might sound good at first blush, in practice it’s a nightmare. It does solve the shared code problem, but it creates a ton of configuration busy work, and the performance of your application will crawl to a grinding halt since every function invocation will be an out-of-process call.
At the other end of the spectrum, you can deploy a single Lambda function that acts as a controller for the entire application, using parameter values to handle the request appropriately. While this solves the shared code problem, it creates another one: complexity. With this approach, the controller function can quickly become bloated and unmanageable.
For our project, we landed on the Goldilocks approach (not too hot, not too cold) and created a limited set of Lambda functions that mapped logically to how client callers would consume them. This felt like the right solution, although it still left us with the problem of dealing with shared code and configuration.
4. Establish an efficient development workflow The development workflow for a serverless app is different from your typical project. First of all, technically speaking, there is no “local” development environment, since everything runs on cloud-hosted components. Another idiosyncrasy of serverless development is that the process scope of each Lambda function is isolated, yet the functions exist within the logical context of a larger parent application. This means there is a need to access shared code across Lambdas but no good way to share it.
Our solution was simple but effective. First, we created a separate directory for the shared code outside the directories containing the code for each Lambda function. The shared code was updated in this parent folder. Then, we wrote a simple bash script that copied the shared code from the parent directory into each of the Lambda function directories. The script also used the AWS CLI to update the Lambda functions in AWS, deploying to the appropriate staging environment based on a command line argument. Using this approach, we were able to kill two birds with one stone: It allowed us to rapidly deploy and test our Lambda functions in AWS, and it gave us a way to update shared code in one location while ensuring it was used consistently across all Lambdas.
While this wasn’t the most elegant solution, it worked extremely well in practice. For the next project, we’ll be keeping an eye on the progress of the Serverless Framework , an open source project designed to ease some of the development workflow problems associated with serverless architecture.
5. Automate serverless infrastructure with CloudFormation Given the complexity of the configuration of an AWS serverless application, automating the creation of the app’s infrastructure is a must. It’s challenging enough to configure a serverless application in a development environment, and you certainly don’t want to manually redo these steps in QA, staging, and production – it’s just too easy to miss something. To solve for this, we wrote a parameterized CloudFormation template to create the full application stack, including the DynamoDB database and all of the API Gateway and Lambda configurations.
When you use CloudFormation to script the infrastructure, be prepared for tight coupling between the application code and the infrastructure scripts. Because you’re deploying individual functions, you’ll need a CloudFormation resource for each Lambda and its corresponding API Gateway endpoint. This means that low-level changes to the application code can require changes to infrastructure scripts. As such, your developers have to be involved with updating the CloudFormation scripts as they add and edit Lambda functions.
Also, make sure you clearly understand the security model for Lambda functions and API Gateway endpoints before you create your CloudFormation script. There are some security settings that AWS makes invisibly in the background when you create an API Gateway endpoint in the AWS Console that you’ll need to recreate programmatically in your CloudFormation script. Specifically, you need to grant the API Gateway permission to invoke each Lambda function.
Including this CloudFormation snippet once for each API Gateway endpoint that calls a Lambda function will save you some potential head-scratching: "APIInvokePermissionForMyLambdaFunction": { "Type": "AWS::Lambda::Permission", "Properties": { "FunctionName": “MyLambdaFunction”, "Action": "lambda:InvokeFunction", "Principal": " apigateway.amazonaws.com " } } Is serverless worth the effort? So is serverless architecture all roses and rainbows? Sadly, it is not. Like any new technology, it has some warts and a few kinks that need to be worked out. Although you don’t have to do much (if any) server administration, you do have to perform quite a bit of service configuration. So the real question is: Is serverless architecture worth it? To answer this, it’s important to remember why you would choose a serverless architecture in the first place. Its primary benefit is not that it streamlines work during development but that it reduces the burden of administration after development. The value that serverless architecture provides is its support for rapidly building scalable and highly-available applications with minimal maintenance or operational support. This is a huge benefit that cannot be overstated. In fact, this benefit is so great that it justifies the additional time spent during development, especially if you can reduce this inefficiency over time as your team learns and adapts. The bottom line is that serverless architecture provides enormous business value, and it will only continue grow in adoption.
Jake Bennett is CTO at Seattle-based agency POP.
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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"This week's top Indian tech news | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/this-weeks-top-indian-tech-news"
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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 This week’s top Indian tech news Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn 1. Amazon chief Jeff Bezos is optimistic about the company’s prospects in India , a $16 billion e-commerce market. Amazon has already committed $5 billion to grow it’s presence in the country, and Bezos called out the performance of its India business at its earnings call last Thursday. He said that the company’s website is the most visited and fastest growing marketplace in India. While the company’s international business lost $481 million on the back of increased spending in geographies like India, Amazon is already at work to make its India business profitable at a unit level.
2. More sexual misconduct allegations emerge against Indian VC Mahesh Murthy , one as late as 2016. Less than a week after FactorDaily ran its story on sexual misconduct allegations against Murthy, a partner at venture capital firm Seedfund, dating back to 2003, several other women have come forward with accusations that he continued with inappropriate conduct until at least last year.
3. One97 Communications, which owns payments and ecommerce company Paytm is about to close $1.9 billion in funding.
Japanese conglomerate SoftBank and others are likely to invest in this mammoth round, valuing the company at $9 billion, reports said. This leaves India’s ecommerce sector with three major players: Flipkart, Amazon, and Paytm. Among other things, Paytm also launched a “digital gold ,” offering that will allow users to buy and sell gold on the app.
4.
Google India on Tuesday announced a new set of products and features for Indian languages. Google Translate will now use Google’s new Neural Machine Translation technology to support English translation for nine widely used languages. India has 234 million Indian language users online compared to 175 million English users, so Google is betting heavily on Indian language users.
5. Bill Gates targeted comments at India in a blog post this week.
He said India is winning the war on human waste and praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cleanliness mission. “Nearly three years ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made one of the boldest comments on public health that I have ever heard from an elected official. It’s still having a big impact today,” he wrote. Only a few days ago, The New York Times reported that the Indian government blocked foreign donors, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, from donating to one of the largest nonprofit public health organizations in the country.
Jayadevan PK is managing editor at Indian tech blog FactorDaily.
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.
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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"These were the 10 biggest European tech stories this week | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/these-were-the-10-biggest-european-tech-stories-this-week-18"
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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 were the 10 biggest European tech stories this week Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Happy Friday! Here’s an overview of the 10 biggest European tech news items for this week: 1) Spotify has acquired US blockchain startup Mediachain Labs , though no terms were disclosed. Mediachain Labs, headquartered in Brooklyn, has created a solution called the Mediachain protocol, via the blockchain, that links a creator’s content online with information about the creator.
2) Uber is offering more security for UK drivers who rely on its app to make a living, with an insurance plan that gives cover if they’re sick or injured.
Drivers who have completed at least 500 Uber journeys to date can pay £2 a week, or £104 a year, for the benefits package, which covers them if they’re sick, injured or on jury duty.
3) Germany’s Delivery Hero, the food delivery marketplace, has announced its latest revenue figures which show a 71% increase in revenue in 2016 , with the company tipped for an IPO.
4) Rocket Internet increased sales and shrank losses at some of its biggest startups, bringing the company closer to a target of having three of its main investments break even by the end of this year.
5) French spend and procurement management software company Ivalua has raised $70 million from private equity firm KKR.
6) LoveCrafts, a social platform for crafts, has raised £26 million in a round led by Scottish Equity Partners (SEP) with participation from previous investors Balderton and Highland Europe.
7) UK medtech startup Babylon Health has raised $60 million for its AI-based medical advice app.
The investment comes from NNS holdings, Vostok New Ventures, and existing investor Kinnevik.
8) UK EdTech startup Gojimo has been acquired by the Telegraph Media Group for an undisclosed sum. The startup, founded by George Burgess at the age of 17, had raised $3 million in funding to date.
9) UiPath, a Romanian-founded automation software firm, has announced a $30 million Series A round led by Accel.
Earlybird Venture Capital, Credo Ventures, and Seedcamp also participated in the round.
10) Fintech startup Token has announced a Series A round of $15.7 million for its banking platform that helps financial services stay in line with EU regulations. The funding round comes from Stockholm’s EQT Ventures, London’s Octopus Ventures, and Helsinki’s OP Financial Group.
Bonus link: Tech.eu has released its combined European Tech Funding and Exits Report for Q1 2017 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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"The drone industry takes two steps forward | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/the-drone-industry-takes-two-steps-forward"
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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 The drone industry takes two steps forward Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn On Thursday the FAA released an entirely new kind of map that will open up controlled airspace for drone pilots. To date, controlled airspace was a broad five-mile radius around an airport that restricted drone flight. The new three dimensional grids are less draconian. Instead of indiscriminate five-mile circles around an airport, actual flight paths and neighborhood boundaries are taken into account. Operators will still need authorization to use the airspace, but the new maps remove some ambiguity and will result in more commercial drone flights — from inspections to drone deliveries — in thousands of neighborhoods around the country.
Drones operate in an airspace that, for the first 75-some years of its existence, the FAA didn’t have to expend a lot of time or resources on. This week’s news represents a huge step forward.
And earlier this month, at the FAA UAS Symposium in Virginia, the agency sent another strong signal that changes are coming for drones: It announced that third-party developers will soon be able to communicate with FAA systems. The interface will move from phone calls and filling out forms to integrations with the tools and applications operators already use in their drone operations.
Let’s take a closer look at these two developments.
The new maps Commercial operators are the ones most affected by the new airspace maps. These operators are the most risk-averse and dependent on operating in urban areas. As a rule of thumb, many chief pilots that I’ve spoken to in the past have said they simply will not operate in controlled airspace due to the risk of a violation. This blocks vast numbers of potential commercial drone flights from ever taking off.
Knowing the airspace you’re going to operate in is a key first step of any flight, but it’s probably the one that is most confounding to drone pilots without a traditional aviation background. If you’re 4.9999 miles away from an airport, it makes sense that you should be allowed to fly 50 feet above a house to take some pictures, and that day is coming imminently.
In moving from the simple circle with a five-mile radius to the new smart grid, the FAA “crowdsourced” airports. It asked what an acceptable flying height would be, assuming that all runways were fully operational. 100-foot vertical separation may be impractical for traditional manned flights, but these are game changing chunks of airspace for nimble UAVs.
Granular airspace and maps will make it easier and faster for responsible operators to obtain authorization and fly in controlled areas. By providing a flight path, the grid system will allow for structured, automated approvals based on the rules of the grid — rather than relying on a tower operator who probably doesn’t want to deal with drone pilots in the first place.
The first maps released are grids that display 100-foot increments of operational airspace for more than 200 airports around the country. Naturally, takeoff and approach paths will remain highly restricted, but much of the traditionally controlled airspace is now clear to 100-200 feet within a mile or two of busy airports — more than adequate to enable meaningful commercial drone operations.
Above: A side-by-side view of the new and old map styles. Left is the new map with it’s more granular grid view. Right is the old-style map.
Granular airspace maps are the first step of (hopefully) many toward a more business-friendly regulatory environment. Large industries like shipping, real estate, and security are reluctant to bear the risk of investing in cutting-edge technology. With the right regulatory environment, businesses that touch consumers directly will be able to throw their weight into drones.
Letting developers in More and more responsible operators are making their way to the FAA’s website and battling through archaic forms and submissions. However, the only way the FAA is going to get the majority of operators registered and submitting waiver requests is to let the tech industry do the heavy lifting. Industry can operate unfettered with the tried-and-true UI, UX, and customer development techniques that it excels at. Furthermore, private companies can apply those skills to informing and enabling the millions of drone pilots who truly want to operate in a safe and responsible manner.
The FAA has done a great job defining rules to operate in traditional airspace, but industry and regulators will need to go further for drones to deliver on their transformational potential. Drones won’t live up to their potential until airspace is fully democratized.
The airspace is changing and evolving through the careful combination of regulation, technology, and data. I think we’re all excited to see what happens next.
Jon Hegranes is CEO and cofounder of Kittyhawk.io.
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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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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"Sorry, Zuck: AR & VR won't replace TVs or phones | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/sorry-zuck-ar-vr-wont-replace-tvs-or-phones"
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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 Sorry, Zuck: AR & VR won’t replace TVs or phones Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Mark Zuckerberg shows off the Oculus Rift at Facebook's F8 event in 2016.
Last week’s F8 conference is still generating a boatload of excitement, especially over CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of an era without smartphones or televisions.
While Zuck is right to believe AR and VR will have an important place in tomorrow’s ecosystem, he may be missing where their replacement value will be. Even worse (and this is uniquely ironic, coming from the world’s largest social network), Facebook is completely missing the intrinsic social need that drives adoption of most high tech products.
The numbers behind virtual reality don’t add up Zuckerberg hinted at his vision for a post-iPhone, post-TV future by unveiling Facebook’s plans for augmented reality at F8 and was even more explicit in an interview with USA Today , saying, “We don’t need a physical TV. We can buy a $1 app ‘TV’ and put it on the wall and watch it.” “We all want glasses or eventually contact lenses that look and feel normal but let us overlay all kinds of information and digital objects on top of the real world,” he explained at the keynote, which I was fortunate enough to attend. But while everyone in the audience around me nodded enthusiastically, I squirmed in my chair, resisting the urge to facepalm. There’s little to no evidence many people want augmented reality glasses (let alone contacts!), and copious evidence to the contrary. Consider: 3D movies, which require glasses, are declining in interest and admissions.
3D televisions, which also require glasses for the full effect, were a giant bust.
The audience for televisions continues growing every year , locking consumers into a legacy, still-expensive technology.
Despite heavy promotion and media hype, Facebook’s Oculus Rift and other VR headsets are selling poorly , and their combined sales won’t total the installed base of a single major video game console for many years (if ever).
Do I even need to mention the utter disaster of Google Glass? To be sure, Samsung Gear VR, which uses Oculus technology, is doing fairly well. However, many of its 5 million+ shipped units were given away for free, and 5 million is still a fraction of the 100 million or so Samsung smartphones the headset was designed to work with. While Snapchat Spectacles attracted much initial buzz, it’s way too early to know if they actually attract mass market sales. (And being sunglasses, they are explicitly designed for a narrow range of use cases — mainly, while outside — and aren’t ready examples of the omnipresent AR glasses Zuckerberg describes.) 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! How device replacement actually works Even if VR and AR devices see mass growth, it’s a mistake to assume they will replace smartphones and televisions. Sure, those devices may one day be replaced in the future — but only by similar devices. Generally speaking, new technology only exerts a replacement draw when it’s similar in functionality, form factor, and convenience to what currently exists. I’m writing this essay with my Mac, so clearly smartphones haven’t replaced laptops. However, they have largely replaced pocket cameras and digital music players, because smartphones are more convenient and easier to use for those purposes and, just as important, do not significantly change the underlying human interaction behavior.
Compare that with televisions: Primarily seen as an entertainment appliance, we often watch them with our brains set to off. We watch from different positions, from slouching across a couch to a standing yoga pose. Just as often, we watch without fully watching, doing chores or other activities while occasionally glancing at the screen. VR/AR, by contrast, typically requires our full attention, interacting with content from a very specific sitting, standing, or even moving position.
With that in mind, it’s more likely that VR/AR headsets will replace work-based desktop computers. They’re a great benefit for multitasking in multiple screens and for use in 3D enterprise applications, such as AutoCAD. Even more key, we’re literally paid to use desktop work PCs while sitting at full attention.
It’s possible Facebook conducted market research indicating a burning consumer desire for augmented and virtual reality, but it’s still outweighed by inconvenient sales numbers from actual reality. Interest in VR/AR may finally gain some traction with lower prices, better content, and less intrusive devices. None of that, however, can solve a more fundamental challenge.
Media consumption wants to be social To assume that AR and VR will somehow supplant our existing devices is to ignore the social aspect of media consumption that has existed since the mass production of motion pictures and radios and that hasn’t categorically changed even with the rise of smartphones. We want to enjoy the media that’s important to us together. We create new or strengthen existing social bonds with that consumption. When we hear music together, watch videos together, our enjoyment (or distaste) is echoed and enhanced by experiencing the reactions of the people around us.
It’s why so many of our media habits are built around social contexts — TV watched with loved ones, movies and concerts enjoyed in large auditoriums, sports games watched in crowded bars, podcasts listened to with a driving companion. Smartphones have bent but not broken this social aspect of media, because while they allow us to enjoy different kinds of content while together, they’re still portable enough for us to easily enjoy together.
I suspect Zuckerberg knows all this, which is why he’s invested so much in Facebook Spaces, enabling social experiences in virtual reality. However, judging from poor VR headset sales, not to mention niche usage of MMOs and virtual worlds, socializing together through cartoonish avatars is not what most of us crave.
If I’m right that the social aspect of media is essential, VR and AR creates more problems than it solves. And in the end, any value from consuming content through headsets or glasses is outweighed by what we lose in the process: Seeing the expressions on each others’ faces. And with respect to Zuck, I think nothing in the world can replace that.
Balaji Krishnan is a Cupertino-based entrepreneur and engineer. He is founder and CEO of DabKick , a live media watching experience, and was also founder of Cruxle, an AI-driven recommendation engine, and Snapstick, a mobile-to-TV streaming technology acquired by Rovi.
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"Oculus will skip E3 2017: It's not you, it's me | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/oculus-will-skip-e3-2017-its-not-you-its-me"
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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 will skip E3 2017: It’s not you, it’s me Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Oculus won't have a booth at E3 2017.
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Attendees at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles will notice that a familiar structure has faded from the show’s sweeping skyline of corporate booths. The familiar black monolith bearing the Oculus logo will not be making an appearance at E3 2017.
Oculus has confirmed that it will not have a booth at E3 this year. This marks the first time since 2014 that Oculus will not be hosting a booth at one of the year’s biggest international trade shows, with the size of its structure roughly doubling every year since. It joins EA in skipping the event.
2016’s booth was a wonder of show-floor engineering featuring multiple levels, glass showrooms and plenty of places to demo the Oculus Touch controllers that would go on to release in December of that year.
Even though it will not be incurring the expense of a dedicated booth at E3, Oculus could still have an impact at the convention. Partner developers will likely be using the event to showcase their upcoming Rift games. We are working to bring you a complete list of these exhibitors as soon 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! The decision to avoid an E3 booth this year makes more sense for the Oculus of 2017, which has gone through some dramatic changes since last year’s event took place. Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey was a huge presence at 2016’s Oculus E3 booth. This year, however, he has departed the company under ambiguous circumstances.
Last year, Oculus was poised to release a brand new hardware platform in Touch along with a full slate of launch titles to support it. This year, there is no new hardware on the horizon that would mandate such an aggressive push.
E3 itself is also in transition. This year, the show opened up ticket sales to the general public for the first time in its history. This is likely to combat declining interest from major exhibitors in incurring the massive expense and hassle of running a physical booth. Instead, many of the industry’s most notable companies, such as EA, Disney Interactive and Activision, have opted to either host their own off-site press conferences, or else release their news via the internet.
Oculus representatives emphasize that, despite not having an E3 booth, the team will have plenty of games and announcements to offer as the year progresses.
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"Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview with My People features | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/microsoft-releases-new-windows-10-preview-with-my-people-features"
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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 My People features Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Windows 10 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 released a new Windows 10 preview for PCs, ahead of its May 2 event next week.
The main addition is My People, a feature the company originally talked about in October 2016 when announcing the Creators Update , but ultimately delayed to later this year.
Windows 10 is a service , meaning it was built in a very different way from its predecessors so it can be regularly updated with not just fixes but new features , too. Microsoft has released many such updates, including three major ones: November Update , Anniversary Update , and Creators Update.
The goal of My People is to “bring the people you care about most to the center of your experience.” To try the new feature, open the Windows Store and make sure you have the latest updates for Skype, Mail, and People apps. Then click on the People icon in the taskbar and follow the setup instructions.
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! Microsoft is highlighting three My People features in this build: Pin people to the taskbar (up to three for now), view multiple communication apps together and filtered to each person on the taskbar, and choose your chat app. This is still very early days, but My People is based on your contacts from the aforementioned three apps.
Not specific to this build, but Windows Insider should know that Microsoft is improving Windows 10 Mail and Calendar for Gmail users.
In short, features such as Focused Inbox, travel reservations, and package deliveries that were previously only available to Outlook.com and Office 365 email address are coming to Google accounts.
The desktop build includes the following bug fixes and improvements: Fixed an issue where night light could get stuck in a disabled state.
Updated Start to use the improved XAML scrollbar style.
Fixed an issue from recent flights where dragging an app from Start’s All apps list into the tile grid would result in Start crashing.
Fixed an issue for those using Windows in Japanese, where on first login after an upgrade certain apps would unexpectedly appear at the bottom of the Start’s All apps list for an hour or until being launched, instead of the normal sorted position.
Since the preview picture in Start Settings only previewed background and theming changes, which are already available to be previewed on their corresponding Settings pages, it has been removed.
Improved the loading performance of the Notification Settings page.
Some audio drivers have an “encoding Audio Processing Object” feature; this is commonly known as “Dolby Digital Live” or “DTS Connect.” This takes the output of the Windows audio engine mix, encodes it (as Dolby Digital, DTS, or some other format) and sends it out over a S/PDIF optical link for decoding by an external audio receiver. An issue was introduced which resulted in this feature no longer working, which is now fixed.
Fixed an issue from recent flights resulting in Photos crashing if you opened a picture from the Collection page and then pressed the back button in the title back.
Fixed an issue resulting in Counter Strike Global Offensive hanging or freezing during game play on the latest builds (16176+).
Fixed the issue where pressing F12 to open the Developer Tools in Microsoft Edge while F12 is open and focused may not return focus to the tab F12 is opened against, and vice-versa.
Today’s update bumps the Windows 10 build number for PCs from 16179 (made available to testers on April 19) to build 16184.
This build has nine known issues: Some Insiders have reported seeing this error “ Some updates were cancelled. We’ll keep trying in case new updates become available.
” Double-clicking on the Windows Defender icon in the notification area does not open Windows Defender. Right-clicking on the icon and choosing open will open Windows Defender.
Surface 3 devices fail to update to new builds if a SD memory card is inserted. The updated drivers for the Surface 3 that fix this issue have not yet been published to Windows Update.
exe will crash and restart if you tap any of the apps listed in the Windows Ink Workspace’s Recent Apps section.
Insiders who use Simplified Chinese IMEs or the Traditional Chinese Changjie or Quick IME to input text will find that the candidate window doesn’t appear when typing into certain apps. If you press space, the first candidate will be finalized. Using the number keys will not finalize any other candidate. If the candidate you need is not the first one, for now you will have to enter your text into an app where the candidate window appears, such as Notepad, and copy it into the desired text field.
Navigating to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update may crash Settings app. You can simply re-open the Settings app again and it should work again.
The Save dialog appears to be broken in several desktop (Win32) apps. The team is investigating. This will break things such as Chinese IME, etc.
Localized apps on localized x64 Windows 10 Insider Preview builds will not work.
The Action Center isn’t opening as reliably in recent builds.
If you’re OK with the above and want to get build 16184 now, head to PC Settings, select “Update and recovery,” then “Preview builds,” and then click the “Check Now” button.
Microsoft also released a new Windows 10 Mobile build today. Given the continued losses of its Phone division , we’re not sure why it’s still bothering.
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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"HTC Vive will get a $220 plug-and-play eye-tracking aGlass device in May | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/htc-vive-will-get-a-220-plug-and-play-eye-tracking-aglass-device-in-may"
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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 HTC Vive will get a $220 plug-and-play eye-tracking aGlass device in May 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.
Eye tracking is one feature that could could benefit the performance and affordability of high-end virtual reality headsets. The HTC Vive should become the first mainstream headset to put that theory to the test.
A Chinese startup known as 7invensun (pronounced seven-in-ven-sun) is announcing it will be releasing a new eye tracking module for the Vive next month. The module is called the aGlass and it will be available for “limited pre-order sales” next month, according to HTC. The company is referring to this first roll-out as a developer kit, but preorders are open to anyone.
According to HTC, the system will cost about $220 and will release first in China next month before rolling out towards Q3 in the west.
Unlike other eye tracking solutions that require hardware to be installed at the manufacturer level, the 7invensun devices are modular in nature. The thin plastic overlays can be placed manually inside the Vive headset by the average VR user, according to the company. The eye trackers are designed to be wired directly to the headset over USB. Two separate USB chords are connected to each of the aGlass devices. The two chords are then joined by a USB combiner and fed into the Vive’s single port.
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 aGlass consists of two separate trackers built specifically to fit alongside the lenses of the Vive. Each tracker has a halo of IR lights combined with sensors that can track the movements of each of your eyes and eyelids. It is said to support customized lenses depending on the specific vision concerns of the individual customer.
This type of tech can have a variety of use cases but the most immediate is foveated rendering.
Foveated rendering is a process that combines eye tracking and software to adjust the way a VR experience is rendered in real time. With foveated rendering, the PC running your Vive only has to render the greatest detail in the small area on which your eyes are directly focused. This dramatically lowers the cost of the hardware required to successfully show a convincing VR experience. According to 7invensun spokespeople, this tech could allow Vive to run on older generation graphics hardware.
Currently, VR demands graphics cards and CPUs that are among the most powerful that the various manufacturers can provide. With foveated rendering, however, users can lower the workload demanded by their Vives and run VR on older, cheaper hardware from NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, etc.
The aGlass comes with custom software allowing you to manually apply foveated rendering to any HTC Vive experience and the amount of the effect being applied. In a demonstration, we saw the device running with NVIDIA’s VR Funhouse experience with a performance jump from 45 frames-per-second to 90 with the foveated rendering applied. This functionality will only be available with NVIDIA graphics cards at first, according to the company.
According to a spokesperson for Vive, the release of aGlass ties into the team’s stated goal for 2017 which is to “expand the ecosystem” for the headset by providing cutting edge peripherals like this, the TPCast wireless VR system and the Vive Tracker. To that end, Vive is officially referring to the aGlass system as an “upgrade kit” for the Vive.
7invensun is a member of the Vive X accelerator’s second class. This is Vive’s in-house startup incubator that previously gave rise to TPCast and other VR-specific startups.
The aGlass will only work with the Vive upon release. HTC emphasizes that they are not making that a requirement for 7invensun, which has full freedom to develop this hardware for other headsets 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.
Discover our Briefings.
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"How to set up the best features in Cortana | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/how-to-set-up-the-best-features-in-cortana"
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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 to set up the best features in Cortana 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 era of digital assistants is upon us. If you don’t use it already, it seems only a matter of time until you’ll want to know how to direct Windows’ Cortana.
Cortana promises to outshine other digital assistance suites by delivering exceptional compatibility with third-party apps. That means we’re not witnessing the full power of the blue-hued digital assistant just yet, but there are still some basic things everyone should set up to get the most out of Cortana.
Configure settings in Notebook Most of the Cortana program’s essential settings can be configured in Windows 10’s Notebook. Notebook is available from the Start menu when Cortana is running. To access it, start Cortana, click the Windows icon in the bottom left to expand the start menu, and then click the notebook icon, which is located below the home icon on the left of the menu.
The Notebook has two sections in addition to the settings menu. These are About Me and Connected Accounts. In the About Me section, you can configure your personal user settings, such as what Cortana will call you and the GPS coordinates to use for your home.
Go through each of the settings here to make sure they’re correct. This way, other Cortana features will work as intended.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! You will also want to connect Cortana to your Microsoft Office account if you have one. Click Connected Accounts from the Notebook section of the start menu. Office should appear automatically, along with other programs that Cortana can sync with, which you can choose if you want.
The final thing you should do here is enable and configure the “Hey Cortana” feature , which will listen for your voice or respond to anyone’s voice in general. This will allow you to give Cortana verbal commands without clicking or tapping.
Run a web search Searching the web using voice commands seems to be the wave of the future. Microsoft is already bragging about how popular searching using voice commands seems to be with people, and a full quarter of searches submitted to Bing today are already performed using voice.
Cortana is happy to oblige. Just use “Hey Cortana” and then ask your question. She’ll pull up the best results from Bing and show you what was found.
Track your travel plans or incoming shipments Cortana makes a great travel companion , particularly if you use Microsoft’s built-in tools to manage your travel arrangements. Tell her to check the status of your flight using the flight number, and she’ll follow up with you shortly with a full report.
Cortana can also let you know where your packages are in a similar fashion. Just let her know the tracking number of the package for an update about where it’s currently located and how much longer you’ll need to wait.
Find and answer emails There are a number of different ways you can use Cortana to reach inbox zero.
In addition to simply finding an email quickly with Cortana, you can also use Cortana to compose a new email or set reminders so you don’t forget to respond to messages in your inbox.
Check the weather Cortana can give a 24-hour or 5-day forecast at your behest. Traveling somewhere with different climate conditions? Ask her what the weather’s like there — she shouldn’t have any trouble letting you know.
Convert numbers and make translations Those pesky English to metric conversions are confusing no matter what clever website you use to do them. Cortana lets you do away with all that. Just let her know you want to convert inches to millimeters and she’ll do all the math for you and deliver an answer.
Curious about how to translate an English phrase to German? Cortana has a built-in translation feature. It’s probably not a good idea to put your life on it, but for small things and quick questions , it’s quite helpful. Where was all this stuff when I was in school? Today’s youth have it good! It’s been roughly a year since Cortana became an integrated part of Windows. Integration with the world’s most widely used operating system could be the perfect way to kick-start Cortana’s growth into an extremely capable digital assistance suite. Only time will tell.
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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"Facebook’s AR Studio blows the market wide open | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/facebooks-ar-studio-blows-the-market-wide-open"
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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 Facebook’s AR Studio blows the market wide open Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Mark Zuckerberg on stage at f8 -- from the Skinome YouTube video.
Last week at Facebook’s F8 conference, Mark Zuckerberg went all in on augmented reality (AR). Since then his announcement has been praised as a great thing for the AR developer world and panned as an attack on Snapchat.
See it here in full: https://youtu.be/CchpWBIA_S4 As a longtime AR developer, I can tell you the announcement didn’t come as a surprise for its content but for the speed and breadth of its potential capabilities: What Facebook announced is a vertically integrated AR development and distribution platform at Facebook scale.
So why does that matter? 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 exceptionally hard to build mobile AR technology Mark made a great point: AR developers have traditionally had to first build a camera and get a lot of people to use it.
When he says “build a camera,” he’s not talking about physical hardware. He’s talking about the software behind the mobile camera that can understand the environment through depth, tracking, and object recognition.
To do that you need a deep understanding of computer vision and machine learning techniques and the ability to optimize those techniques to work on smartphones (or heads-up display systems).
You also need to create applications and tools that draw a lot of users into them and keep those users engaged.
Saying those are hard things is really an understatement, and when we look briefly at what goes into those efforts it’s pretty clear why … What’s (probably) in the box? If we analyze for a moment what was introduced during the talk, the technologies that are inside this new platform are probably the following: Cross platform monocular SLAM.
This is what gives you the ability to walk around an object placed in the environment.
Monocular structure from motion.
This builds a 3D representation locally of some portions of the real world inside the phone, allowing you to do things like occlusion (putting virtual things behind real things).
Robust loop closure.
When Mark talked about “leaving notes” for others, robust loop closure is what you need to enable that. Effectively it lets the system “remember” where these notes are left simply by looking at the environment.
Object recognition.
Understanding what objects are in the real world and then allowing you to give contextual data around them.
Authoring and development tool.
This is the biggest piece of the puzzle and would potentially allow anyone to create AR experiences with a very low bar of entry.
For any group of developers, any one of these tasks is monumental but tractable with the right team, funding, and partnerships. But rolling out all of these tasks in a seamless package that can work at scale is nearly impossible.
Impact on AR developers If Facebook can deliver what it announced at F8, then it will have effectively taken the hardest part out of creating AR experiences: the tough engineering. That’s great for new creators but potentially devastating for anyone who specializes in developing these VERY difficult technologies.
More than likely, Snap, Apple, Android, and Microsoft will follow suit with their own consumer mobile AR developer platforms.
Mark is wrong, though, that “no one has built [an AR platform for developers] yet.” Metaio did , Layar did , we at Pair have. But what he was getting at is right: No single AR platform has captured a significant portion of the market and stayed independent. It takes tens of millions of dollars in development and distribution to do that — and even if you have it, timing is everything.
Brands and consumers will flock to FB AR Everyone in the industry feels that AR technologies are going to reshape the consumer experience for nearly everything, and we’ve seen some indications of that happening already. But the Facebook AR platform could supercharge that thesis with rocket fuel.
I have been saying for a long time that smartphone-based AR will beat heads up display AR in the consumer market for the foreseeable future while laying the groundwork for heads-up based AR. It seems Facebook agrees with this.
If Facebook is the primary platform for AR experiences, then Facebook entities are going to be the dominant places where people first experience AR shopping, games, navigation, etc. After all, that is the company’s intention. It’s hard to overstate the pent up demand in commerce for this level of integration, and I expect it will push retailers and brands into AR faster than ever.
Not only that, the information Facebook will get from evaluating a user’s environment visually from AR experiences will outstrip everyone else. It’s well known that Facebook has the best computer vision team on the planet. So retargeting, focusing content, and feeding users ads will become magnitudes more precise and tailored.
That also means it will be increasingly hard to compete with Facebook in the AR and commerce space for any type of interaction or behavior, as the company has a significant first mover advantage and the ability to iterate quickly.
There is one major caveat to all of this, though: These experiences will only be available through Facebook-owned properties. And there will likely be people who don’t want to work with Facebook for personal reasons.
Leading to AR glasses: Bootstrapping a global map Some critics of this move by Facebook say that it’s a half measure for AR and that it’s a disappointment because it doesn’t do everything the Sci-Fi world told us AR would do. I think that’s a silly way to look at it, and doesn’t take into account the reality of incremental progress, even though Facebook’s move is a pretty big leap in and of itself.
Even then, it’s well known that Facebook is quietly developing consumer AR glasses.
However there is a lot of ground work that needs to be laid to make such a head-mounted display work. Everything from user awareness and social comfort to hardware improvements.
A seamless AR device must have a map of the world around you to effectively enable AR everywhere. If Facebook is successful with its mobile AR platform rollout, it will be able to bootstrap this map through mobile AR usage and use its robust loop closure system to provide a seamless experience by the time its glasses launch.
This is the biggest potential advantage Facebook has right now, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. The company has more opportunity to own this market than anyone else.
Challenges remain Facebook and the AR community still have a lot to do to prove that people will buy into the AR ecosystem for commerce, entertainment, and productivity at the billion user scale.
The company is grabbing low hanging fruit by helping developers create and users interact with the popular “lenses” effect.
That’s a low threshold and easy to get into for most people. Certainly not far behind, however, are all of the applications that go beyond silly things and into productivity, commerce, navigation, health, and entertainment.
New opportunities in the AR market While some may think the number of billion dollar startup opportunities in AR is going to shrink as a result, I think the opposite. What has traditionally been a fairly wide-open playing field (which has scared corporate and venture money to date) is now one where there is serious competition, validating the model.
New opportunities for studios and publishing will sprout from this announcement, meaning that content creators will boom and will inevitably look for other platforms to deploy onto. The pace of innovation for consumer head-mounted displays will increase, and adoption of AR technologies will accelerate. Importantly, 3D content creation will also boom, which enables AR for all kinds of activities.
Bottom line I’m cautiously optimistic about the impact Facebook AR Studio is going to have on the AR world. While it might have a negative short-term impact on hard AR developers, in the end it will serve as impetus for the AR market as a whole to grow. We should be cautious about one player having dominance in AR and all that goes with it but excited about what such a big move signals across the market.
Andrew Kemendo is founder and CEO at Pair Inc.
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"Corporate CEOs have failed to engage with startups | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/corporate-ceos-have-failed-to-engage-with-startups"
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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 Corporate CEOs have failed to engage with startups 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 time for corporate boards to add “startup engagement” to their CEOs’ job descriptions.
CEOs know it’s important to engage with startups, but startlingly few seem to do it themselves. Too often this critical responsibility is shrugged off to other company departments, including innovation, business development, marketing, and PR. This is just not enough.
Startup engagement needs to be taken seriously at the very highest levels of every corporate organization.
Why corporates need to collaborate with startups Engaging with tech startups is no longer an optional nicety for corporates – if it ever has been. It is literally a case of work with tech startups or die.
Many CEOs will say they are already engaging – and the figures, at first blush, bear this out. The number of non-tech corporates buying up tech companies is rising fast. The total value of transactions of non-tech companies acquiring tech companies more than doubled from $54 billion in 2015 to $108 billion in 2016, according to EY.
In addition, according to a survey by MassChallenge , four in 10 corporates say they use resources for accelerator or incubator space for startup interactions. One in two say they use staff to interact with startups.
But, look a little closer and you’ll see that much of this is PR veneer. The statistics show that, shockingly, only one in 10 corporations say their senior executive team has any explicit responsibility for startup interactions.
More often than not the responsibility for talking and engaging with startups is farmed out to innovation, R&D, technology, strategy, business development, and marketing departments. It is, of course, critically important that these departments also play a role in startup engagement – but this cannot be to the exception of the company’s leadership.
Why it needs to come from the top It is not enough for startup engagement to remain siloed in technology departments for a number of reasons.
First, we know that tech, innovation, and R&D departments themselves do not have enough exposure to the top team. In fact, only 34 percent of CIOs report directly to the CEO, according to the latest survey from Harvey Nash/KPMG.
Secondly, the real value of startup engagement is that it gives the leadership team of an organization some visibility into what the future holds for their industry. It gives them a snapshot of the challenges and competition they may face, as well as guidance on how their organizations will need to change in response. This type of information is best absorbed first-hand and by exploring these issues directly with the startups themselves – unpicking their insights, motivations, and missions.
Finally, savvy corporations also know that to survive, at some point they will have to invest in the ecosystem. For example, with Ford’s recent investments and acquisitions of technology companies including NuTonomy and Argo AI. These strategic investments in tech companies help corporates get a hand on potentially important technology, or on a team, and allow them to steal a march on competitors. This is why we’re seeing an uptick in M&A activity.
But to be successful, corporates must remember that most startups will only want to be acquired by companies that can demonstrate a genuine interest in the value, and possibilities, presented by their business, team, and technology.
The current situation is hurting many companies And that is why this situation – where CEOs pay lip service to innovation but don’t take any personal responsibility for it, or aren’t seen talking to startups at all, may actually be hurting corporates.
These corporates risk sending the wrong signal to the startups they’re courting. They risk giving the impression that they don’t take innovation seriously enough; that it’s a “nice to have”; that company transformation can wait; or, even worse, that all their talk about tech is nothing more than a PR smokescreen. And these corporates shouldn’t fool themselves that writing a big check will make a massive difference when it comes to acquisitions.
Many young tech startups left safe corporate jobs because they were passionate about their new business and their ideas. They wanted to change the world. It’s almost never about the money – and, in fact, the best startups have their pick of funding sources. The funding landscape is competitive, and corporates need to set themselves apart. Startups want to change the world – they want to partner with investors and companies who can really add value and who share the same vision as them.
Boards need to hold their CEOs accountable If corporates want to have their pick – or at least a better pick – of the best startups for investment or acquisition, which can be transformative, they need to lead their engagement activity from the very top. CEOs needs to be seen engaging with startups themselves. And they need to be seen doing it sincerely.
Ford is one of the companies taking a lead in this area. In fact, its CEO, Mark Fields, recent told Business Insider, “To me it was really important to be part of the ecosystem there — for our people to be rubbing elbows with somebody in line at the Starbucks and striking up a conversation and saying, ‘Hey, I’m working on this,’ and ‘I’m working on that.'” He is clearly getting himself out talking to, and about, startups.
Leading this engagement from the top will not only give these corporates a better view of the opportunities out in the market, but it will also give them the credibility – and relationships – they need to approach and negotiate investments and acquisitions with startup targets.
Corporate boards and shareholders need make sure that their own CEOs are taking this seriously. The best way to do that is to add “Startup Engagement” to your CEO’s job description. And then make sure that they do it.
Paul Cuatrecasas is CEO of Aquaa Partners , a London-based investment bank.
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"Cloudera ends first day of trading with $2.3 billion market cap, 44% lower than 2014 valuation | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/business/cloudera-ends-first-day-of-trading-with-2-3-billion-market-cap-44-lower-than-2014-valuation"
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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 Cloudera ends first day of trading with $2.3 billion market cap, 44% lower than 2014 valuation Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Cloudera at the New York Stock Exchange.
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Open source big data company Cloudera is now, finally, a public company. Today the company traded for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) , after filing to go public last month.
In 2014, when Intel made a major investment in Cloudera, the latter was reported to boast a $4.1 billion valuation. Other investors include Greylock Partners and Accel Partners.
Today, after the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) closed, the company’s stock price settled at $18.10 — up 1.7 percent from today’s $17.80 opening price — giving the company a $2.3 billion market cap.
In other words, investors think the company is worth a bit more than half what other investors did three years back, when the company was bringing in considerably less revenue.
The 9-year-old company originally focused on outdoing startups in the then-burgeoning big data category — particularly emphasizing the Hadoop collection of open-source software for storing and processing lots of different kinds of data — and has increasingly targeted database software and cloud service providers. Competitors include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Databricks, Hortonworks, IBM, MapR, Microsoft, Oracle, and among others.
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"5 Alexa skills to try this week - 4/29/17 | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/ai/5-alexa-skills-to-try-this-week-29-april2017"
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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 5 Alexa skills to try this week – 4/29/17 Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Amazon Echo Dot 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.
Below are five Alexa skills you ought to try this week, selected from the Trending, New, Top Enabled, and Customer Favorites This Week categories from the Alexa Skills Store.
In Alexa news this week, Amazon announced the release of Echo Look , an Alexa-enabled device with a camera that can recommend what clothes to wear. Alexa skills makers were also given new voice app features for Alexa to speed up, slow down, or whisper.
Consumer Reports New this week, this skill gives you access to the 4,000 thorough reviews done by Consumer Reports, covering car seats for babies, electronics, dishwashers, and a range of other appliances. The skill can point you to the top-rated appliance for more than 4,000 categories.
VB Event The AI Impact Tour Connect with the enterprise AI community at VentureBeat’s AI Impact Tour coming to a city near you! NBA Also new this week, the National Basketball Association (NBA) released an Alexa skill that delivers NBA playoff score or schedule updates.
This follows the release last week of the Warriors Facebook Messenger bot for the playoffs, announced at the annual F8 developer conference earlier this month.
DineTime This skill will tell you about line wait times at popular restaurants and even hold a place in line for you at participating restaurants.
1-2-3 Math This game teaches basic addition, subtraction, division, and other forms of math. Though it’s new to the skills store, 1-2-3 Math is already growing popular and is similar to other educational skills out there, like Magoosh Vocabulary Builder and Brainy Bee.
Smack Talker Not every personality made for intelligent assistants or voice apps is a courteous butler type. This skill was made to talk trash to your friends. It’s also equipped with a fair number of “Yo mama” snaps.
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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"Iron Man IRL: Gravity and Red Bull unveil personal jetpack | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/transportation/iron-man-irl-gravity-and-redbull-unveil-personal-jetpack"
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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 Iron Man IRL: Gravity and Red Bull unveil personal jetpack 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.
British aeronautic engineering startup Gravity unveiled a new human flying suit today. It’s a six-engine jet-propelled personal flying apparatus that the company says will take regular humans to superhero heights at several hundred miles per hour.
At the moment, flights are limited to just a few feet above the ground: The suit includes six miniaturized jet engines, two of which are worn on each of the pilot’s arms, and two of which can be mounted on the feet, or, in later incarnations of the suit, low on the pilot’s back. Each of the jet engines gets fuel from a backpack.
While Gravity hasn’t spun up the suit to its full capabilities just yet, that’s coming, says founder Richard Browning: “The suit has enough power to achieve many hundred of miles per hour,” he said in an email. “But safety is the first priority. We have developed the suit to be reliable, stable, and highly capable at low altitude, running pace speed and able to execute precise maneuvers. However, we are rapidly developing every aspect of the system toward some extraordinary, audacious goals.” While we’ve seen tethered water-powered jetpacks and massive shoulder-mounted jet-powered flying suits, we haven’t seen anything like the foot- and hand-powered flight of Iron Man’ s fictional Tony Stark, who directs flight via jets in his iron suit’s feet and palms. The Gravity production isn’t exactly like Iron Man , but it is a lot smaller than previous jetpack systems. Plus, it is attached to the pilot’s arms, and — in some iterations — feet.
Gravity says the human body is “the airframe” and that your arms and legs serve to both direct and control thrust.
Browning says that he’s serious about real-world innovation here and has plans to extend the suit’s applications well beyond the movies, or the company’s early tie-up with Red Bull.
“We’ve already had a few comparisons to Tony Stark, but this is real-world aeronautical innovation,” Browning said in a statement. “We are serious about building a world-changing technology business. We stand at the very beginning of what human propulsion systems will do.” The full suit, visible at the end of the company’s demo video above, incorporates a sunglasses-style heads-up display that tells the pilot how much fuel he or she has left, as well as a variety of safety and performance indicators. It also incorporates Wi-Fi for ground monitoring and data streaming.
And, presumably, for live-streaming your rocket flight to Facebook.
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"Twitter ditches default profile photo in bid to reduce anonymity | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/social/twitter-ditches-default-profile-photo-in-bid-to-reduce-anonymity"
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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 ditches default profile photo in bid to reduce anonymity 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.
Twitter users who have resisted uploading a profile picture will start to see a change today as the company is ditching its default egg image in place of something less creative. After seven years, Twitter wants you to be more expressive in your profile, while perhaps subtly reducing the number of people who troll the service anonymously. Long gone is “Larry the Bird,” and in place of the egg is something that appears to be a silhouette of a non-gender specific individual.
Above: Twitter ditches its default egg profile picture for something less unique.
In a blog post, Twitter claimed this refresh was done for several reasons: First, to tie in with a brand update that was launched last year with the goal of highlighting “the diversity and expressiveness of the people around the world who make up the Twitter community, in all its color and vibrancy.” Secondly, perhaps surprisingly, some people found the default egg image to be cute and decided to keep it around. “We want people to use this space to show us who they are,” the company explained. “The new default image feels more like an empty state or placeholder, and we hope it encourages people to upload images that express themselves.” Lastly, the egg image was becoming an unintended symbol of harassment, which was starting to stereotype new users who hadn’t yet personalized their profiles. People using the default egg photo were automatically viewed with suspicion right from the start.
https://twitter.com/design/status/847841048487276544 The new default avatar may be more conspicuous now. Perhaps when you see it, it might motivate you to add a profile photo versus that cute egg. But some might think of this as sidestepping the real problem Twitter has been trying to deal with in the past months. Is simply changing the photo going to do much to curb abusers and harassers? If viewed by itself, no. But also take into account fact that the company has been more aggressive in its approach towards user safety, such as upgrading its reporting functionality , expanding its mute option to the timeline , and more.
One could hope that new users, when they see this new default photo, will be inspired to upload a replacement image right away. Doing so could reduce one aspect of anonymity and, in a way, strip away another screen for trolls and harassers to hide behind. Will people be so bold as to berate others if people can see who they are? It’s not outside of the realm of possibility, but reducing the use of default images is part of a bigger plan by Twitter to reform itself so it’s no longer viewed as a place where harassment runs rampant.
Now, will the new default photo receive a warm welcome, or will it be viewed with skepticism like Twitter’s recent update where it removed usernames from the 140 character count in replies? 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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5,494 | 2,017 |
"Snapchat launches search for stories, rolling out now in select cities | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/social/snapchat-launches-search-for-stories-rolling-out-now-in-select-cities"
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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 Snapchat launches search for stories, rolling out now in select cities Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Snapchat now lets you search across stories.
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The battle over Stories continues with Snap releasing an update for its ephemeral messaging app that now lets you search across stories.
Rolling out city by city, the company claims it has built a way to “understand what’s happening in Snaps that are submitted to Our Story, and to create new Stories using advanced machine learning.” To date, more than 1 million stories have been created.
When enabled, you can query based on keyword, such as game, concert, or party. Previously, the only stories you had access to were either the ones from your friends or those that were professionally curated by Snap. But now with a search feature, you’ll be able to peek at other people’s stories, at least those who are willing to share it publicly and that have some relevancy to the topic.
So with Major League Baseball’s 2017 season set to begin soon, it’s feasible that if you’re interested in seeing what’s happening around the United States, you can query “baseball” and Snapchat will display stories from various ballparks. How exactly this works is unknown, but one could speculate that Snap is using image recognition, geotagging, and whatever text is on stories to identify when and where a Snap is taken and place that into a story.
The way Snap curates stories professionally isn’t going to scale because there are too many events going on around the world for it to keep track of. There may be instances that you think are a big deal, but Snap doesn’t — it happens. Having a search feature could make things more accessible. Plus this could open up opportunities for brands interested in finding out what people are saying about them — could you query by Coca-Cola, United Airlines, or McDonald’s to find out sentiment? Search will also help with getting people to stay on the site longer, and with more engagement, the better it is for advertisers. Snap will be able to display more sponsored snaps throughout people’s experiences, which in turn will help the newly public company grow its revenue.
Hitting 1 million stories is a significant milestone for Snap, but it needs to accelerate that growth as Facebook has all but lifted everything good about the app, bringing the story feature to not only Instagram, Messenger , and WhatsApp, but also its flagship app.
But to its credit, Facebook has acknowledged Snap’s role in the media format, calling Snap a “pioneer.” The new search feature is rolling out now, but Snap declined to specify which cities will benefit from this tool initially.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyqQtm4wETA 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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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 will change the look of its sign-in pages in the next few weeks | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/security/google-will-change-the-look-of-its-sign-in-pages-in-the-next-few-weeks"
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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 will change the look of its sign-in pages in the next few weeks Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn The new look for signing in to Google on the web, coming soon.
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Google today confirmed that it has begun informing people about a redesign of the sign-in pages for its web services — like Gmail. Google will be drawing from the style of the user interface it uses for adding accounts on Android and using that for the sign-in experience in Chrome and other browsers.
People will still need to type in their email address or phone number and then their password — and then use any two-factor authentication system that they’ve previously enabled. So functionality will not change. But the experience will look different in a few weeks, Google product manager Rodrigo Paiva told VentureBeat in an interview. Google started showing people a notification about the change at the bottom of the sign-in screen yesterday to prevent users being surprised by the new look, Paiva said.
Google started using the new look at the operating-system level — through Settings > Accounts > Add Account > Google on Android, and through the Google App on iOS — a few months ago, and the company has been testing it in browsers internally in recent weeks, Paiva said.
The new system has a responsive design, meaning that its appearance will change based on screen size and orientation, and it will work on the mobile web and on desktop, Paiva 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! The change comes a few months after people were reported to be using a Google-like sign-in page for phishing attacks that could steal Google account holders’ passwords. That attack involved sending an innocuous-looking email with an attachment that, when clicked on, brought people to a fake sign-in page. But the page didn’t have the usual URL; instead, it had unusual characters at the beginning.
Google services like Gmail, Play, Search, and YouTube have more than 1 billion active users. So it does make sense that Google wants to be up front early on about any changes to the sign-in flow that many people have become accustomed to.
Update on April 3: Today Google formally announced the change, saying the new look will be rolling out starting on April 5.
Update on April 6: Google says it is delaying the introduction of the new look until April 10. Additionally the option to stay signed in will go away for some G Suite users, Google said in a blog post.
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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"Unity 5.6 launches with support for Vulkan graphics, Nintendo Switch, and more | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/unity-5-6-launches-with-support-for-vulkan-graphics-nintendo-switch-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 Unity 5.6 launches with support for Vulkan graphics, Nintendo Switch, and more Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn SnipperClips is a Unity-based Nintendo Switch game.
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One of gaming’s most popular development tools is getting a ton of improvements as the company responsible prepares for the future.
Unity 5.6 is now live , and developers can expect a lot of changes from this latest update. Unity Technologies has also reconfirmed that this is the end of the Unity 5 “cycle.” Moving ahead, the company is switching to a different version-numbering system that will instead incorporate the year. Unity 2017 updates will begin rolling out soon.
As for the 5.6 update, developers can expect the Unity tools to provide a much better experience for adding lighting and particle effects into games. Unity is also getting an overall performance update as well as support for the Vulkan graphics API, which is the power-efficient followup to OpenGL.
“Vulkan support brings increased speed while reducing driver overhead and CPU workload,” reads the Unity blog. “This leaves the CPU free to do additional computation or rendering and saves on battery life for mobile 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! The update also introduces a 4K video player with the capability of running 360-degree videos for virtual reality. Unity is also bringing in native support for new platforms. Developers can export their games for Facebook’s Gameroom service, Google’s Daydream VR headsets, and — most notably — Nintendo Switch.
Studios have already released Unity games for the Switch. Those include Super Bomberman and Snipperclips, which both used Unity 5.5. Now, with native support, developers will have an easier time building and optimizing their play experiences for the hybrid home/handheld Nintendo Switch device.
Unity has pumped a ton of other upgrades into 5.6 including stabilized multiplayer, better iOS crash reporting, new features for physics in 2D games, and more. You can read a full, detailed changelog on the official site.
Looking ahead, the company also explained why it is changing to Unity 2017.
“After Unity 5.6, we will introduce a new version numbering system starting with the 2017.x cycle for all releases in 2017,” reads a company blog post.
“We’ve made this change to clearly mark the end of the Unity 5 cycle, and align with our release cadence. With Unity 2017 we will continue shipping new versions regularly, to ensure a steady stream of new tech and improvements. We think a date-based version numbering system better reflects this approach to ship and iterate faster.” 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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"Total War: Warhammer II hits PC this year to follow up the breakout original | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/total-war-warhammer-ii-hits-pc-this-year-to-followup-this-breakout-original"
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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 Total War: Warhammer II hits PC this year to follow up the breakout original 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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One of Sega’s best games from last year is getting a sequel, but the company still doesn’t plan on giving it the name it deserves.
Total War: Warhammer II (yes, it’s still not Total Warhammer) will hit PC this year, according to Sega and developer Creative Assembly. Like the original , which debuted in May, the sequel will feature the setting and creatures of Games Workshop’s Warhammer table-top games. Like the other Total Wars, Warhammer and Warhammer II are about micromanaging large-scale platoons in epic skirmishes. This time around, however, the game will focus on new races from the The Old World, a mysterious continent to the west of the events of the first game.
Expect to play as the High Elves, Dark Elves, and Lizardmen in Warhammer II. Creative Assembly is also planning to keep the fourth race a surprise until a future date. The Old World will also feature landscapes that include islands, hinterlands, swamps, and jungles.
“We’re thrilled to see the sequel to last year’s smash hit Total War: Warhammer coming later this year,” Games Workshop licensing boss Jon Gillard said in a statement. “Sega and The Creative Assembly continue to astound us with their ability in crafting the Warhammer Fantasy Battles world in further glorious pageantry, with races never realized on this scale before in a video game. We are proud to be in partnership with them on this next great step in the franchise.” 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! If it seems like a quick turnaround for Total War: Warhammer II to so quickly follow the original, that’s because Creative Assembly, Sega, and Games Workshop were always planning this as a three-part saga.
“Total War: Warhammer II represents the next step in our trilogy, our vision for the most incredible fantasy strategy series ever made,” Total War: Warhammer II director Ian Roxburgh said. “The success of the first game has increased our ambition; we’re not only going to deliver a thrilling campaign in the sequel but also an additional combined campaign, the biggest so far, for owners of both.” That combined campaign will launch for free for anyone who owns both games.
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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"Rocket League is about family now -- 'The Fate of the Furious' DLC pack is coming soon | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/rocket-league-is-about-family-now-the-fate-of-the-furious-dlc-pack-is-coming-soon"
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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 Rocket League is about family now — ‘The Fate of the Furious’ DLC pack is coming soon 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 live my Rocket League matches a quarter mile at a time, and if you’re a cop, you have to tell me.
Developer Psyonix is adding the Ice Charger vehicle that Vin Diesel’s character Dom Toretto drives in the upcoming film The Fate of the Furious to Rocket League. For $2, you can grab the car along with a variety of custom items as part of the The Fate of the Furious downloadable content pack that hits the megapopular car-soccer game April 4. This is the latest brand tie-in add-on for Rocket League, which also features cars related to Batman and Back to the Future.
Psyonix has partnered with both Universal Pictures and Dodge for this sponsored content. Universal is the studio responsible for the series of Fast and Furious action films, and Dodge makes Toretto’s signature muscle car.
No word on whether or not driving around in this car in Rocket League will cause The Rock or Jason Statham to hunt you down, but I’d keep your head on a swivel.
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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"Is it OK that Splatoon 2 is just more Splatoon? GamesBeat Decides | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/is-it-ok-that-splatoon-2-is-just-more-splatoon-gamesbeat-decides"
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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 Is it OK that Splatoon 2 is just more Splatoon? GamesBeat Decides 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 are a squid now. You are a kid now. You are my friend now — if you subscribe to this podcast about Splatoon.
Listen to the GamesBeat Decides podcast Subscribe on iTunes , Google Play Music , or Stitcher GB Decides on Facebook Watch live on Twitch Watch on YouTube Subscribe to the RSS On this week’s episode of the GamesBeat Decides podcast — a show where we determine what all of the biggest news in gaming means so you don’t have to — host Jeffrey Grubb and co-host Mike Minotti discuss Nintendo’s inky shooter. The publisher held a global testfire demo over the weekend for Splatoon 2 before its summer debut, and the guys came away loving it while also noting that it isn’t all that unchanged from the first game. But does that even matter? Additionally, we discuss whether the Switch could beat PlayStation 4 or Xbox One at a mid-cycle upgrade and Persona 5.
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! Disagree with something we said? Have a comment or question? Email the podcast here at: <a href=”mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]</a>. Or tweet at us: @GBDecides.
Listen to the audio version right here or watch the video above: 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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"Hearthstone: Journey to Un'Goro is launching on April 6 | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/hearthstone-journey-to-ungoro-is-launching-on-april-6"
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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 Hearthstone: Journey to Un’Goro is launching on April 6 Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Welcome ... to Un'Goro Crater.
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Hearthstone’s dinosaurs are just a few stomps away.
Blizzard announced today that the next expansion for its digital card game behemoth, Journey to Un’Goro, is launching on April 6 for PC and mobile. The set will add 135 cards with a primeval theme, unleashing dinosaur-like creatures to Hearthstone.
In 2016, Hearthstone earned $394.6 million in revenue, according to research firm SuperData.
Expansions give players a reason to buy new card packs, and they have a huge impact on the game. New cards open up new strategies, changing the kinds of decks that players use against each other.
This expansion also brings the start of the Year of the Mammoth. This rotation in the standard cycle removes cards from older sets from ineligibility in many of Hearthstone’s competitive modes. This will have just as much of an impact on deck-building strategies.
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! Journey to Un’Goro introduces new mechanics. Quest cards are new spells that you can play on your first turn. They give you a difficult task, but fulfilling it during the game nets you a big reward.
Above: Give me a quest! Meanwhile, the Adapt mechanic allows you to choose buffs for your minions. Like the Discover mechanic, you can pick one of three random bonuses.
Above: Flexible! Journey to Un’Goro is the first of three Hearthstone expansions Blizzard has planned for the year.
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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"Game pioneer Brenda Romero receives special award from U.K.'s Oscars | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/game-pioneer-brenda-romero-receives-special-award-from-u-k-s-oscars"
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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 Game pioneer Brenda Romero receives special award from U.K.’s Oscars Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Brenda Romero has won a special recognition award from BAFTA for her contributions to gaming.
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Brenda Romero has worked on 47 games in a game career that has spanned more than 36 years, and she’s getting recognition for that today with a special award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
BAFTA’s special award is like the equivalent of a lifetime achievement Oscar in the U.S. Brenda Romero, formerly known as Brenda Brathwaite, is getting the award for her creative contribution to the game industry, her advocacy for the art and the creative process behind game making, and her commitment to encouraging the next generation of talent in games. She is known for her work on the Wizardry series and a host of other titles.
Brenda Romero said in an interview with GamesBeat that she was grateful for the award, and it helped put her career in perspective. She is married to John Romero, the co-creator of Doom and Quake, and she said that his contribution is akin to creating the icons of games. But she appreciated that BAFTA saw in her work “lots of small things that added up” to a real body of work.
Brenda Romero said it took her a while to figure out that the award wasn’t a joke, at least until she saw that the BAFTA logo’s font looked authentic. She said that the family cheered when they heard about the award, as they are all immersed in a life of games.
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: You have to feed hungry people tacos with mutant-based fillings.
The Romeros recently completed their most recent game together: Gunman Taco Truck.
The zany post-apocalypse title was designed by Donovan Romero-Brathwaite , the 12-year-old son of the Romeros. Romero said that effort took a team of a half-dozen people about a couple of years to do, and it recently debuted on Steam on the PC.
“It has paid for his college, at least at a European college,” Brenda Romero said.
She said that she enjoys being surrounded by a family that is focused on games. She is currently program director at the University of Limerick, teaching in game design and development. And when she comes home from work, they talk about games and play games.
“We haven’t watched a basketball game together in a while,” Brenda Romero said. “This is life, immersed in games. I can’t imagine any other way to live.” Above: Brenda Romero’s Train Brenda Romero is an inspiring and gifted speaker.
I remember a talk she gave at the Game Developers Conference in 2013 in San Francisco. It was about a board game called Train, one in a series of six board games that Romero calls The Mechanic is the Message.
The challenge she created for herself in designing those games was to capture and express difficult emotions with game mechanics. In Train, the players read typewritten instructions. The game board is a set of train tracks with box cars, sitting on top of a window pane with broken glass. There are little yellow pegs that represent people, and the player’s job is to efficiently load those people onto the trains. A typewriter sits on one side of the board.
The game takes anywhere from a minute to two hours to play, depending on when the players make a very important discovery. At some point, they turn over a card that has a destination for the train. It says Auschwitz. At that point, for anyone who knows their history, it dawns on the player that they have been loading Jews onto box cars so they can be shipped to a World War II concentration camp and be killed in the gas showers or burned in the ovens.
The key emotion that Romero said she wanted the player to feel was “complicity.” “People blindly follow rules,” she said. “Will they blindly follow rules that come out of a Nazi typewriter?” The player is part of a system, and Romero says that all “human-on-human tragedy has a system.” Train is not so much a game as a system. The typewriter represents the efficiency of the Nazi bureaucracy. And if you look at the key for the numeral “5,” you see that the shift key is for the Nazi SS symbol. Everything crystallizes. The broken glass is a symbol of Kristallnacht , or the Night of Broken Glass, when the Nazis launched a series of coordinated attacks against Jews throughout Germany and Austria in 1938.
When the players find out that the train is going to Auschwitz, there is a clear sense of shame. Sometimes they cry. Sometimes they feel hate. One man said he saw the Nazi typewriter and said, “I just want to fucking smash it.” Sometimes people are grateful. Sometimes they walk away.
She closed the talk with a focus on one man who stuck around by himself after two other players left. Romero watched him for about 20 minutes while he moved the characters and rolled the die. She asked him what he was doing.
“He said, ‘I can’t walk away.’ He had to free every person,” she said. “To me, that was the most beautiful ending I have ever seen.” Above: John Romero and Brenda Romero at the DICE Awards.
Brenda Romero received a standing ovation when she finished describing Train. The distance between Train and Gunman Taco Truck is enormous, and it shows the range.
She first started working on Wizardry in 1981, and she also worked on games in the Jagged Alliance, Ghost Recon, Dungeons & Dragons, and Def Jam franchises. Siochán Leat (The Irish Game) which is presently housed in the National Museum of Play. In 2015, she won the coveted Ambassador’s Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards. In 2014, she received a Fulbright award to study Ireland’s game industry, academic and government policies. In 2013, she was named one of the top 10 game developers by Gamasutra.com and Develop magazine listed her among the 25 people who changed games in 2013.
With her husband, Brenda Romero co-owns Romero Games based in Galway. But beyond making games, she has also found it inspirational to teach people how to make games.
Brenda Romero also wants to celebrate the range of people in the game industry, and to increase the variety of people who are making games.
She spoke about that at the GDC in 2014 , and again drew rousing applause for her arguments for inclusion. As for young aspiring gamers, she suggests they try to break into the industry by learning how to code “right now.” And where should people look for their inspiration? She said, “Follow your curiosity.” Of course, making games isn’t all fun. Brenda Romero is working on an unannounced title. And she said the family was trying to chase down a difficult bug in one game. And when she has a chance, she takes time out of her day to play Sony’s The Last Guardian.
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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"All of Google's jokes for April Fools' Day 2017 | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/offbeat/all-of-googles-jokes-for-april-fools-day-2017"
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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 of Google’s jokes for April Fools’ Day 2017 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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April Fools’ Day is upon us, and like every year, Google is doing its best to outdo itself. The restructuring that put Google under the new Alphabet parent company didn’t have an impact on last year’s gags, so we’re expecting the usual: Jokes ranging from ridiculously lame to very clever, spanning the simple blog post or video to the elaborate gag or new feature.
Google’s various divisions always create more practical and impractical jokes for the holiday than any other tech firm, and it’s simply hard to keep track of them all. As a result, we have put together our annual roundup.
Ms. Pac Maps Pac-Man in Google Maps was so popular in 2015 , a Google spokesperson told us, that this year the company is introducing Ms. Pac-Maps. The game is available on Google Maps for Android and iOS, and should also be rolling out on the desktop. Compared to the previous version, the scoring system has been updated, you can now save your score by signing in, the game is much easier to find on Android and iOS (right above the compass), and the fruit are different from the Pac-Maps variation. The game will be live until April 4.
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! Waze expands to Mars Waze has been “ approached by a leading extraterrestrial exploratory organization to build a more thorough and informative map of the fourth rock from the sun.” The Google-owned company is leaning on its leading map editors from the U.S., Russia, and Italy to help map out Mars. And don’t worry, your service won’t be affected, since Waze has fired up a “special space-focused server” on its web-based Waze Map Editor platform for this small group. “So far, landing sites are simply marked as Places, dust storms/volcano activity are Major Traffic Events, and broken-down Rovers [are marked] as potential road hazards.” Google Cloud Platform also expands to Mars It’s like this company hasn’t heard of any other planets. Google Cloud Platform is adding a new region: “We’re looking to the future cloud infrastructure needed for the exploration and ultimate colonization of the Red Planet.” The company’s first interplanetary data center , nicknamed “Ziggy Stardust,” will open in 2018. It will power “a dedicated extraterrestrial cloud region” that will serve as “an important node in an extensive network throughout the solar system.” The whole thing started as a 20 percent project with the “Google Planets team,” which found a suitable location in Gale Crater, near the landing site of NASA’s Curiosity rover. Best of all, Google Cloud Storage (GCS) is launching a new Earth-Mars Multi-Regional location so users can store planet-redundant data across Earth and Mars.
Google Wind Google Netherlands has huge ambitions. Because it rains so much in the country (about 145 days a year), the Cloud Platform team has decided controlling the weather is a great idea. By leveraging machine learning and weather patterns, Google Wind controls the network of windmills across the country to disperse clouds when it’s about to rain. They can already provide sun and clear skies for everyone in the Netherlands, and maybe the rest of the world one day.
Google Gnome If Google Home is for the home, then Google Gnome is for the backyard. The voice-activated, hands-free tool is really just a rip-off Google Home that can tell you what animal is in your bushes, use proprietary high-intensity lasers to trim your hedges, inform you which way the wind is blowing, and really tell you anything else you want to know about the outdoors. Oh, but don’t ask it indoor questions. Google Gnome doesn’t like that.
Haptic Helpers Virtual Reality is too dependent on visual and audio experiences. Google’s Haptic Helpers take VR to the next level by simulating more than 10,000 unique experiences: “Smell the roses. Listen to the ocean. Feel a fluffy dog!” Bubble Wrap Keyboard The Google Japan input team has a modern twist on sending Morse Code: Use bubble wrap! To use it, pop specific bubbles on a bubble wrap sheet and then feed it through a bubble wrap reader to send the message.
Chromebook Accessories Chromebooks have Android apps now, but Google has accessories that make you really appreciate the integration of the two platforms. There’s a Groupie Stick that helps you take large selfies using your Chromebook, a Cardboard for Chromebooks so that you can be immersed in VR via your laptop by using “any large appliance or pizza box,” and a Workout Armband to “really go big with your workout.” Google for pets Google is no longer limited to just humans. On the Google app for iOS, you can now select “I’m Feeling Meow” or “I’m Feeling Woof” to let your cats and dogs find the info they care about. That includes looking up squeaky toys, bowls of milk, squirrels, rawhide bones, frisbees, fishbowls, birds, and scratching posts. In fact, Google Play for Pets takes things a step further with a new category of Android apps and games.
Google Translate adds Heptapod B The Google Translate has added its 32nd language: Heptapod B.
The Word Lens feature in the Google Translate app now deciphers circular logograms. Google’s neural machine translation system employs an encoder/decoder system that internally represents sentences as high-dimensional vectors, which then map well to the non-linear orthography of the Heptapod language. It can be interpreted into English, Chinese, Danish, Japanese, Urdu, Russian, French, Spanish, and Arabic. It even works offline.
Google Assistant This one isn’t a joke, but here’s what happens when you ask Google Assistant about the day.
When it comes to April Fools’ Day, Google seems to have a bottomless pit for a marketing budget. We will update this post as the company launches more jokes.
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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"Twilio now lets apps programmatically send and receive faxes | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/twilio-now-lets-apps-programmatically-send-and-receive-faxes"
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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 Twilio now lets apps programmatically send and receive faxes Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn A sign showing Twilio's logo.
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This isn’t an April Fools’ joke: Twilio now works with fax machines. The cloud communications company announced on Friday the launch of Programmable Fax , a service to lets apps send and receive faxes. It might seem strange to some, but there are businesses in various industries that still rely on fax machines. Twilio’s offering bridges the gap between these companies’ desire to modernize and the workflows they’re restricted to.
“This is about listening to customers and having them guide our roadmap,” explained product manager Patrick Malatack, in an interview with VentureBeat. “They’ve been asking for fax capabilities for a while now.” He cites the on-demand economy as an industry that could benefit the most from this, since it involves businesses that are integrating apps with legacy workflows and equipment. Developers can incorporate Programmable Fax into their apps so that when customers send communications, they can be received by recipients via fax. So if you have to return a signed mortgage application, it could be done with your finger, but then the bank or lender would be provided a facsimile copy that is considered legal.
“Businesses have been taking orders over phone and fax for 20 years, that’s the way they want to do their business,” Malatack said. “[With Programmable Fax], they get to bridge the world of software with what hasn’t been addressable [before].” 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 addition of fax allows Twilio to provide developers tools to target regulated industries, as well as more choices in how to reach customers. Twilio already offers solutions around voice , text messaging, chat , MMS , and more. This variety could open up new and possibly creative opportunities for developers working on making the process more convenient for customers.
When the feature is implemented, faxes can be sent using a POST request to Twilio. You’ll need the fax-enabled Twilio number, the recipient’s number, and a web address where the media can be found — currently only PDFs can be transmitted.
Those interested in receiving faxes through their app will need a Twilio-enabled fax number that is forwarded to Twilio, or ported over. When a fax is sent to the number, Twilio will connect with a pre-specified web address and provide a converted PDF. These fax numbers will initially only be available in the U.S. and Canada, though more will be released on a rolling basis.
Twilio’s Programmable Fax costs $0.01 per page, along with any applicable connectivity costs.
“We want to automate legacy workflows,” Malatack said.
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"SoundCloud for iOS gets Chromecast support | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/soundcloud-for-ios-gets-chromecast-support"
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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 SoundCloud for iOS gets Chromecast support Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn SoundCloud 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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SoundCloud has updated its iOS app with support for Google Chromecast. The company previously only allowed casting through its Android app but has extended this feature to its iOS app and added new features.
“With SoundCloud and Google Chromecast, you can stream everything you want, the way you want, through your TV and speakers,” SoundCloud wrote in a blog post.
Now that the iOS app is on par with the Android version, all SoundCloud listeners can enjoy audio tracks and recordings on their computer or mobile device as well as on a bigger screen, which may have better speakers or, in some cases, be hooked up to a more sophisticated sound system.
You can now do more than before with the app, as the company has also enabled share playback to allow multiple users to control what’s playing. Additionally, SoundCloud Go+ subscribers are able to stream entire catalogs to their television sets. These additional features are available on both iOS and Android.
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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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: Samsung bravely gives the Galaxy S8 a headphone jack | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/probeat-samsung-bravely-gives-the-galaxy-s8-a-headphone-jack"
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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 ProBeat: Samsung bravely gives the Galaxy S8 a headphone jack Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn If Apple had “ courage ” last September to announce the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus without a headphone jack, then Samsung this week was brave to unveil the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ with a headphone jack. In short, Samsung didn’t copy Apple just for the sake of copying Apple.
By removing the headphone jack, Samsung could have kept its phones the same thickness as Apple did or even shaved off a few precious millimeters. Instead, the company made the S8 and the S8+ slightly thicker than their predecessors.
By removing the headphone jack, Samsung could have launched a line of wireless headphones and then sold them separately like Apple did.
Instead, the company included $99 AKG by Harman earbuds in the box.
By removing the headphone jack, Samsung could have told customers that wireless is the future, like Apple did.
Instead, the company is apparently including a feature that allows streaming music to two headphones at once.
Samsung wants to “ overcome Apple ” — but it’s not going to do it by making decisions that inconvenience its customers.
Smartphones should shed the headphone jack when a superior alternative has emerged. Apple is showing that it believes the way to get users to embrace alternatives is by removing the original functionality. Samsung is showing it believes in offering alternatives alongside the original functionality and letting the best option win.
Apple tells customers what they want. Samsung listens to customers and overdelivers.
Nothing lasts forever, but there’s more than one way to usher in the future.
ProBeat is a column in which Emil rants about whatever crosses him that week.
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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"Mobile app Memoji turns your face into an emoji | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/mobile-app-memoji-turns-your-face-into-an-emoji"
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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 Mobile app Memoji turns your face into an emoji Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Memoji with Facetune 2.
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Lightricks has created Memoji from Facetune to blend cartoon-like emojis with an image of your face so you can turn your own selfies into emojis.
Memoji uses artificial intelligence and cutting edge image-processing technology to naturally reshape and animate any image to reflect a specific feeling or emotion.
Jerusalem, Israel-based Lightricks made the selfie-editing app Facetune 2.0 , which lets you make glamorous selfies.
“Emojis have become a part of everyday conversation and guide the way we chat and share our emotions, but the overall reach and impact of this important technology is limited,” said Nir Pochter, chief marketing officer of Lightricks, in a statement. “As emoji connoisseurs, we knew that the next level of societal emojification was letting it guide the photo editing process from the very start. People want more than to just send emojis, they want to be emojis. While the world is busy applying AI to silly ventures like autonomous vehicles and data analysis, we’re taking it to where the need is greatest – making us more sophisticated emotional beings — emojis.” Above: Memoji with Facetune turns your selfie into an emoji.
Memoji will give users the ability to instantly morph any selfie to reflect the emotion in a selected emoji. If someone wants to truly express how shocked they are, or how funny they found something, the image can be instantly adjusted and animated to reflect the proper emotion.
Additional features include the ability to instantly turn an individual into a unicorn. Lightricks’ unique formula of easy functionality and powerful editing capabilities have driven Facetune’s rise in a highly competitive mobile photo editing market.
“I don’t smile in pictures,” said Zeev Farbman, CEO of Lightricks, in a statement. “So when my girlfriend showed me a picture of me smiling in a photo we took on a hike, I was dumbfounded and scared. I’d spent years cultivating an image of Spartan focus and strength and this one photo threatened to ruin decades of consistency. Thankfully, we had already developed Memoji from Facetune and I was able to instantly click on the frowny face emoji to bring order and decency back into my life.” Users can send their edited selfies as a GIF, video, or image. Memoji from Facetune is available for iOS and can be downloaded for free on the App Store.
Lightricks is an Israeli startup founded by five entrepreneurs with a track record in both academia and industry, four of whom hail from backgrounds as computer science PhD students.
In August 2015, after being self-funded for two years, Lightricks raised $10 million in its first external funding round, led by Carmel Ventures. Lightricks continues to deploy state-of-the-art technology to create the next generation of creativity tools for the mobile era.
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"Chinese mobile giant Huawei reports slowest annual growth since 2011 | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/chinas-huawei-reports-flat-profit-for-2016-revenues-slow"
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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 Chinese mobile giant Huawei reports slowest annual growth since 2011 Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Huawei P9 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 ) — Chinese telecom equipment and smartphone maker Huawei Technologies said on Friday that net profit edged up just 0.4 percent last year, its slowest annual growth since 2011.
Huawei, the world’s No. 3 smartphone maker behind Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, said net profit rose to 37.1 billion yuan ($5.3 billion).
Strong competition in China’s smartphone market from previously little-known domestic rivals OPPO and Vivo cost Huawei its top spot as the biggest vendor in the domestic market last year.
Global revenue climbed 32 percent to 521.6 billion yuan, slightly slower than 35 percent growth a year earlier.
Revenue from its consumer business group rose 44 percent to 179.8 billion yuan ($26 billion), but lagging the company’s forecast of $30 billion made a year ago.
It shipped 139 million phones last year, up 29 percent last year compared with a flat global smartphone market. That just missed an earlier target of 140 million.
Revenue from its carrier business group, which competes with Sweden’s Ericsson for the top spot globally for telecommunication equipment, rose 24 percent to 290.6 billion yuan thanks to demand for 4G communications equipment.
Revenue from its enterprise business group climbed 47 percent to 40.7 billion yuan. Spending on research and development reached 76.4 billion yuan.
(Reporting by Sijia Jiang; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree and Edwina Gibbs) 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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"BlackBerry beats expectations with Q4 earnings as revenue jumps 12% | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/mobile/blackberry-beats-expectations-with-q4-earnings-as-revenues-jump-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 BlackBerry beats expectations with Q4 earnings as revenue jumps 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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( Reuters ) — Canada’s BlackBerry Ltd. reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings on Friday, as operating costs nearly halved, and said it expects to be profitable on an adjusted basis in 2018.
The company’s U.S.-listed shares were up nearly 5 percent at $7.29 before the bell.
BlackBerry has shifted away from making its once-iconic smartphones to building a software business, which includes mobile device management products and the QNX industrial operating system.
The company’s adjusted revenue from software and services rose 12.2 percent to $193 million in the fourth quarter ended Feb. 28, from the preceding quarter.
BlackBerry said it received more than 3,500 enterprise customer orders in the quarter.
“Looking ahead to fiscal 2018, we expect to grow at or above the overall market in our software business,” Blackberry Chief Executive John Chen said in a statement.
Chen said BlackBerry expected to be profitable on an adjusted basis and generate positive free cash flow for the year ending February 2018.
The Waterloo, Ontario-based company’s net loss narrowed to $47 million or 10 cents per share in the fourth quarter, from $238 million or 45 cents per share, a year earlier.
The prior-year quarter included a loss of $127 million related to the sale of certain assets.
Excluding one-time items, the company earned 4 cents per share. Analysts on average had expected the company to break even, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Operating expenses fell about 49 percent to $229 million.
Revenue fell about 38 percent to $286 million. On an adjusted basis, revenue was $297 million, beating analysts’ average expectation of $289.3 million.
(Reporting by Vishaka George and Narottam Medhora in Bengaluru; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar) 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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5,509 | 2,017 |
"SuperAwesome lets brands decipher what content captures kids' attention | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/media/superawesome-lets-brands-decipher-what-content-captures-kids-attention"
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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 SuperAwesome lets brands decipher what content captures kids’ attention Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Awesome Content Targeting figures out which content is great for ads aimed at kids.
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SuperAwesome , a kid-tech company that set up a kid-safe mobile advertising platform, has announced Awesome Content Targeting (ACT): a cross-platform tool that provides deeper understanding of exactly what content kids are engaging with.
Used by the biggest brands and content-owners in the global kids entertainment market (including Cartoon Network, Hasbro, and LEGO), SuperAwesome reaches more than 300 million kids every month with ads that are COPPA compliant, which means they comply with the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act in the U.S.
For kids content creators and developers, ACT provides a new way to monetize content. By analyzing billions of pieces of kids content, SuperAwesome’s ACT provides a rich, contextual map of the content that kids are really engaging with.
The engine generates a layered picture of the digital kids’ media landscape, which matches kid-appropriate advertising with specific, relevant pieces of content across the digital content landscape. This provides safe new revenue streams for kids app developers.
Above: SuperAwesome targets appropriate ads at kids.
SuperAwesome’s ACT ensures that children will only ever see appropriate brand imagery with content they’re viewing and that children remain anonymous online. Because it uses a contextual content approach, the technology can make sure that ads are never targeted to the wrong content, an issue which has become increasingly sensitive for brands.
Joshua Wohle, chief product officer at SuperAwesome, said in a statement, “This is the next step for the kids digital media sector. Our Awesome Content Targeting technology provides the greatest intelligence on the kids content landscape ever available. It shows what content they are really engaging with, while increasing the standard for kids digital safety across the board.” As kids TV viewing has continued to decline, brands have been shifting tens of millions of dollars into digital channels to engage the centennial audience. Analysts estimate that almost 10 percent of kids and family advertising is now being spent digitally, a figure which is likely to quintuple in the years to come as the sector catches up with other audience markets (where 50 percent digital ad spending is normal).
Industry sources expect kids digital spending this year to reach almost $1 billion across English-speaking markets. However, data privacy laws in the U.S. and Europe have led to growing fines for many players in the market — for illegally using platforms or technology that capture personal data on kids. This has led to the emergence of the “kidtech” space: compliance-driven technology companies providing platforms for safe kid engagement.
The company has offices in New York, London, Los Angeles, Singapore, and Sydney.
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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5,510 | 2,017 |
"Twitch releases trailer for its competitive Big Buck Hunter documentary, Ironsights | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/games/twitch-releases-trailer-for-its-competitive-big-buck-hunter-documentary-ironsights"
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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 Twitch releases trailer for its competitive Big Buck Hunter documentary, Ironsights 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.
Even hunting virtual animals can get you a following online.
Twitch today released the trailer for Ironsights , the company’s first in-house mini-documentary. Twitch is a live-streaming site that attracts more than 100 million users a month. Now, it is creating these documentaries to showcase its community. The full film will debut on Twitch on April 7.
“There are a lot of amazing stories to tell about the Twitch community, which rarely get the attention they deserve,” said Marcus “djWHEAT” Graham, director of Twitch Studios, in a press release sent to GamesBeat. “With Twitch Studios, we are looking to shine a light on these stories and celebrate our community. A great example of this is Ironsights , which is how Sara Erlandson, one of our community members, made a name for herself in the highly competitive Big Buck HD scene.” Big Buck HD is an arcade hunting game. The Big Buck Hunter series started in 2000 and has become a fixture in arcades and bars.
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 22-year-old Erlandson was a bar owner herself in Wisconsin. The 22-minute documentary is about her traveling to the Big Buck World Championship in Austin, Texas.
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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"THQ Nordic acquires the retro action-platformer Rad Rodgers | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/games/thq-nordic-acquires-the-retro-action-platformer-rad-rodgers"
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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 THQ Nordic acquires the retro action-platformer Rad Rodgers Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Rad Rodgers.
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THQ Nordic has once again expanded its portfolio.
The publisher announced today that it has purchased the assets of Slipgate Studios, which developed the action-platformer Rad Rodgers for PC. THQ Nordic now owns the series.
THQ Nordic specializes in acquiring gaming IP, including franchises from its namesake, THQ (which the former Nordic Games GmbH bought in 2013). That added franchises like Darksiders and Destroy All Humans to its catalog of IP.
Rad Rodgers received crowdfunding on Kickstarter last year, raising $81,861 in October. Slipgate then released Rad Rodgers: World One on Steam in November. The game is a throwback to PC action-platformers from the ’90s like Jazz Jackrabbit and Commander Keen. THQ Nordic is now working on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions.
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! “Rad Rodgers was a game we had a lot of fun developing. Beginning with the successful crowdfunding campaign, which motivated us extremely, through to the loads of responses and praise we got from fans of the game,” Frederik Schreiber of Slipgate Studios said in a press release sent to GamesBeat. “It was a great experience for us, and now, we are happy to let THQ Nordic take over this, as we have the feeling they do not just buy games but do take good care of them, too.” 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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"GamesBeat weekly roundup: Our first look at Destiny 2 and Palmer Lucky leaves Facebook | VentureBeat"
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"https://venturebeat.com/games/gamesbeat-weekly-roundup-our-first-look-at-destiny-2-and-palmer-lucky-leaves-facebook"
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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 GamesBeat weekly roundup: Our first look at Destiny 2 and Palmer Lucky leaves Facebook Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Destiny 2.
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Welcome to another GamesBeat weekly roundup! This time, we reviewed Persona 5, the classic Planescape: Torment is getting a remaster, and we looked back on the 15 best games available for the Oculus Rift after its first year.
Enjoy, and have a great weekend! Pieces of flair and opinion The DeanBeat: Why I do what I do Tech pioneer Tony Parisi wants VR to change the world Top 15 games for Oculus Rift after its first year Can Switch pull off a mid-cycle upgrade better than PS4 Pro or Xbox One Scorpio? GamesBeat Decides Here’s a Zelda player soaring over most of Hyrule without ever touching the ground Game pioneers Jason Rubin and Ted Price discuss the lessons of early VR games Above: Thimbleweed Park is a retro adventure game.
News 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! Game pioneer Brenda Romero receives special award from U.K.’s Oscars Ex-Samsung exec Mihai Pohontu takes CEO job at Romania’s Amber game studio Crowfall shows how its players will create their own lands and towns Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds tops King of the Kill as Steam’s latest flavor of the month Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey leaves Facebook Thimbleweed Park point-and-click adventure game launches for Xbox One and PC Destiny 2 is coming to PC: Here’s the first trailer Gwent: The Witcher Card Game is getting a beta weekend on PlayStation 4 ADVR unveils AR and VR discovery marketing platform Call of Duty studio heads to speak on inspiring creativity at GamesBeat Summit 2017 AOC introduces a more affordable 32-inch 4K monitor for gaming The Overwatch World Cup returns in 2017 Twitch starts streaming 1080p video at 60 frames per second Xbox One’s big Beam broadcasting update starts rolling out Heroes of the Storm’s 2.0 update will add Overwatch’s loot system Fallout Shelter is now available on Steam and gets new quests High Fidelity uses Limitless VR to enable users to create 3D avatars Windows 10 Creators Update comes with Game Mode and Beam gameplay broadcasting Minecraft gets Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers skins — including its real heroes, Bulk and Skull Intel will depend on rivals like ARM for its contract chip manufacturing business Planescape: Torment gets an Enhanced Edition from the remaster masters at Beamdog Twitch’s digital games and downloadable content store is coming soon NHL 17 hits EA Access vault just in time for the playoffs Guitar Godz VR launches Kickstarter campaign to be Rock Band’s virtual reality rival Intel puts two chips in a single package more efficiently Warframe hits a Steam record of concurrent users following Octavia’s Anthem’s release Intel: Moore’s Law isn’t slowing down Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare calls in Method Man for a rap attack in multiplayer SuperData: Digital sales continue to grow thanks to consoles, PC, and mobile Razer’s new Blade Pro gaming laptop gets updated display and faster memory 2K launches Faster, Baby! DLC for Mafia III and free game demo Lego City Undercover is the latest game to struggle with Nintendo Switch’s publishing costs Blizzard announces Hearthstone Global Games team rosters Bungie teases Destiny 2 with fiery image Hearthstone is giving away free cards as it preps for Journey of Un’Goro’s launch HTC will be VR partner for Steven Spielberg’s ‘Ready Player One’ film HTC adds 30 more companies to its virtual reality accelerator Blizzard unveils StarCraft: Remastered for nostalgic fans Splatoon 2 uses about 150MB of mobile data per hour while tethering Mobile and social Mobile app Memoji turns your face into an emoji SuperAwesome lets brands decipher what content captures kids’ attention Space Ape Games’ Fastlane: Road to Revenge will star 20 YouTube influencers Hitcents launches NBA Life mobile game to celebrate a star’s lifestyle Koukoi Games to make Ferdinand movie’s mobile game Cut the Rope creator unveils C.A.T.S. vehicle combat game Club Penguin moves its Island to where kids are: mobile Mobike strikes Tencent deal to bring bike-sharing to WeChat users in China Pirates of the Caribbean plunders the mobile game-film tie-in with Tides of War SpinMagic lets you draw on augmented reality images on your iPhone Vainglory’s spring championships to take place at London’s O2 Above: Turn-based combat at its finest in Persona.
Reviews, previews, and interviews Persona 5 knows it’s one of the most special role-playing games of all time My Arcade’s wireless NES Classic controller is excellent Toast’s PlayStation 4 Pro wood paneling is a time-warp to the Atari 2600 Hands-on with the Samsung Gear VR controller Ultigesture lets you control toy cars with a wave of your hand Watch us slither along on Switch’s Snake Pass Watch how Has Been Heroes’ zany lane-based combat works Hands-on with Wilson’s Heart psychological thriller for the Oculus Rift 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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