CES: Magic Leap 2 Exhibits Impressive Dimming Capabilities

The most impressive feature of the Magic Leap 2 demo at CES 2023 involves Global and Segmented Dimming. Global Dimming is a feature that dims the entire display without dimming digital content to make text and images more solid and precise. Segmented Dimming dims specific portions of the display to enhance legibility and clarity of selected content, and can also be used to focus attention to areas or components of interest. Both of these features produced outstanding visual results during our CES demo. Segmented Dimming produced very bright digital objects in front of a well-lit room, while Global Dimming could be used for VR immersion. Continue reading CES: Magic Leap 2 Exhibits Impressive Dimming Capabilities

CES: Crypto Leaders Weigh Benefits of Wallets, Self-Custody

CoinDesk managing editor Toby Bochan, who moderated a CES panel on “How to Keep Control of Your Crypto” noted the industry is in a “crypto winter” in the aftermath of the FTX meltdown. Panelists pinpointed crypto wallets and other self-custody technology to create trust and ease-of-use for wary customers. Bitski head of product Jasmine Xu noted that newbies face unfamiliar phraseology and uncertainty about the security of their crypto assets. Exchanges are intimidating and untrustworthy for many considering crypto. Xu’s company stores keys in a digital wallet, she said, to “give consumers the safety they need.” Continue reading CES: Crypto Leaders Weigh Benefits of Wallets, Self-Custody

CES: Mobile Game Execs Talk About Impact of Emerging 5G

According to a group of game experts, 5G will likely skyrocket the reach and power of mobile games. IQ Labs founder Julian Mitchell moderated a conversation with Activision Blizzard vice president Jonathan Stringfield, Niantic director of product management Tom Emrich and THNDR Games chief executive Desiree Dickerson on the current and future prospects of mobile gaming. Emrich pointed to Niantic’s Campfire that gives players a place to connect. “The industry outside gaming has embraced it as the new social network,” he said. “Games are more than games — they’re synonymous with the metaverse.” Continue reading CES: Mobile Game Execs Talk About Impact of Emerging 5G

GitHub Is Testing New Security Tools for Open-Source Code

Cloud-based code hosting service GitHub wants to make open-source material more secure. The Microsoft service is expanding safety features with two new offerings in beta. Secret scanning alerts are now free for all public repositories while push-notifications for custom secret patterns are also being made available. Open-source code is now incorporated into a whopping 97 percent of applications, according to Synopsys, which says 90 percent of organizations rely on it to varying degrees. Yet the very access that contributes to its popularity also leaves it vulnerable to malicious actors, as emphasized by the SolarWinds, Log4j and other breaches. Continue reading GitHub Is Testing New Security Tools for Open-Source Code

Google Introduces End-to-End Encryption Features for Gmail

Select Gmail users are getting expanded access to a beta test for new end-to-end encryption features from Google. Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Plus and Education Standard can apply to join the beta test until January 20, 2023. “Using client-side encryption in Gmail ensures sensitive data in the email body and attachments are indecipherable to Google servers,” the company says, adding that customers will retain control over encryption keys. Users will be able to activate the additional encryption by clicking the padlock button in Gmail. Activating the extra security will disable features like emoji and signatures. Continue reading Google Introduces End-to-End Encryption Features for Gmail

Microsoft Goes All-In on Teams Integration with HoloLens 2

Full Microsoft Teams integration has come to HoloLens 2 headsets, which are now able to make calls, browse and view calendars or join group meetings, among other things. Microsoft is also combining its key Dynamics 365 Mixed Reality Apps Teams and OneDrive to existing integrations with the Azure cloud and Power Platform. “No matter where they are,” HoloLens 2 users can “summon an array of holographic windows with a Teams call or chat, a Power BI dashboard, a Word document, a PDF or video, their OneDrive folder, or their calendar and operate in an immersive, 3D experience,” the company says. Continue reading Microsoft Goes All-In on Teams Integration with HoloLens 2

Amazon and Crystal Dynamics to Publish New ‘Tomb Raider’

Amazon Games and Crystal Dynamics are teaming on a new multiplatform installment in the “Tomb Raider” franchise. Crystal Dynamics is producing the title, which Amazon Games will publish globally. The as-yet-untitled project will mark Amazon Games’ first single-player narrative, following multiplayer titles including “New World” and “Lost Ark.” Crystal Dynamics plans to use Unreal Engine 5 to take gameplay and storytelling to the next level, according to Amazon, whose games VP Christoph Hartmann called the franchise “one of the most beloved IPs in entertainment history,” following the adventures of British archaeologist Lara Croft. Continue reading Amazon and Crystal Dynamics to Publish New ‘Tomb Raider’

Cloud Deal: Microsoft Buys Stake in London Stock Exchange

Microsoft is entering the finance market in a 10-year partnership with the London Stock Exchange Group. As part of the deal, Microsoft has acquired nearly 4 percent of the UK bourse operator and teed-up its executive VP, Cloud and AI Group, Scott Guthrie, to be appointed a non-executive director of LSEG, which in January 2021 completed its acquisition of leading investment data firm Refinitiv. “Together we look forward to empowering the future of financial markets by delivering next generation data, analytics and workspace solutions,” Microsoft said of the agreement. Continue reading Cloud Deal: Microsoft Buys Stake in London Stock Exchange

Apple Introduces New iCloud Encryption to Prevent Hacking

Apple is adding a new end-to-end encryption option for iCloud data that will further protect backups, photos and notes. Called Advanced Data Protection, it will shield even Apple from seeing some of the most sensitive data users store on its servers. The change reportedly makes it impossible for Apple to provide law enforcement with the contents of encrypted files. The company says the security enhancements will help protect its customers from the most sophisticated hackers. The feature rolls out this week for those participating in Apple’s Beta Software Program. Continue reading Apple Introduces New iCloud Encryption to Prevent Hacking

Innovative Tech, Industry Leaders Celebrated at HPA Awards

A sold-out crowd celebrated Hollywood’s top technical achievements at the HPA Awards 2022, where FotoKem’s David Cole took top feature film honors in color grading for Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Batman” and Picture Shop’s Steven Bodner was recognized for the “How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?” episode of Amazon Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Amazon Web Services’ Color in the Cloud was one of four corporate efforts to take home a coveted Engineering Excellence Award. The technology is capable of lossless image quality using JPEG XS over AWS Direct Connect, AWS VPN or the open Internet. Continue reading Innovative Tech, Industry Leaders Celebrated at HPA Awards

Microsoft, Nvidia Partner on Azure-Hosted AI Supercomputer

Microsoft has entered into a multi-year deal with Nvidia to build what they’re calling “one of the world’s most advanced supercomputers,” powered by Microsoft Azure’s advanced supercomputing infrastructure combined with Nvidia GPUs, networking and full stack of AI software to help enterprises train, deploy and scale AI, including large, state-of-the-art models. “AI is fueling the next wave of automation across enterprises and industrial computing, enabling organizations to do more with less as they navigate economic uncertainties,” Microsoft cloud and AI group executive VP Scott Guthrie said of the alliance. Continue reading Microsoft, Nvidia Partner on Azure-Hosted AI Supercomputer

Industry Experts to Convene for Virtual Production Workshop

As part of the upcoming Infinity Festival 2022 — “where Hollywood meets Silicon Valley” — production and tech experts will gather for a special one-day workshop covering numerous elements of on-set virtual production. The event, slated for 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on November 5 at Goya Studios in Los Angeles, will showcase an LED volume for hands-on demos related to the virtual art department, on-set operations, and shooting and directing. The workshop is presented by Nvidia and Z by HP in association with ETC@USC. It is produced by Erik Weaver of ETC and co-hosted by Rick Champagne of Nvidia. Visit Infinity Festival for tickets and more info (use code Weaver25 for a 25 percent discount). Continue reading Industry Experts to Convene for Virtual Production Workshop

New Microsoft Security Suite Focuses on Cloud, Ransomware

Microsoft put the emphasis on security at Ignite 2022, launching Defender for DevOps and Defender Cloud Security Posture Management in public preview. The two offerings protect software development with runtime security across multicloud and multiple-pipeline environments. The company also touted improved protection tools for Windows and Office, beefing-up anti-ransomware capabilities for Microsoft 365 Defender, which now automatically repels attacks immediately on detection. To combat increasingly pervasive conditions like “tool sprawl” and “alert fatigue,” Microsoft combined six product lines into a single security portfolio. Continue reading New Microsoft Security Suite Focuses on Cloud, Ransomware

Microsoft Integrates DALL-E 2 into Designer and Creator Apps

Microsoft announced it is integrating OpenAI’s DALL-E 2 into its new Microsoft Designer app, as well as its Microsoft Edge browser and the Image Creator tool in its Bing search engine. Microsoft provides cloud computing services to OpenAI and has partnered with OpenAI in AI commercialization efforts including the Azure OpenAI Service, now in preview, and GitHub Copilot. The Designer web app can be used to create designs for posters, presentations, invitations and other graphics that can be printed and used for display or shared on social or business media. Continue reading Microsoft Integrates DALL-E 2 into Designer and Creator Apps

New GPUs Showcased at Intel’s Innovation Developer Event

Intel announced the consumer GPU brand Arc last year, which the company now says will begin delivering in Q4. The Arc A770 Limited Edition desktop gaming card will be available October 12, starting at $329, “the sweet spot of desktop graphics,” according to CEO Pat Gelsinger, who said the GPU “delivers 65 percent better peak performance versus competition on ray tracing.” Intel says other new GPU models, including the Arc Pro A30M for mobile unveiled last month at SIGGRAPH, will also come to market by the end of the year. The new GPUs feature built-in ray tracing hardware, machine learning capabilities and industry-first AV1 hardware encoding acceleration. Continue reading New GPUs Showcased at Intel’s Innovation Developer Event