DJ Henderson – Page 170

No Wifi? No problem: The traveler’s guide to eSIMs

Apps, distract / DJ Henderson / March 13, 2023

The reasons you’ll want to stay connected while traveling are pretty obvious: unless you’re planning an Into the Wild style off the grid experience, you’ll probably want to be able to use your data to find your way around, buy tickets, upload photos onto social media, fire up that local dating app, or whatever you like to do while abroad.

But, international data and calling rates can place a hefty burden on your travel budget, not to mention roaming fees which vary with every border you cross. That’s why buying physical SIM cards has been the option of choice for many travellers, until now.

Today, we’re finally entering the age of electronic SIM cards, better known as eSIMs, that store your phone’s data in the cloud and can be installed and switched virtually. Basically an eSIM is a SIM card that’s embedded directly into your device and can connect to any operator offering eSIM services. For travellers, this is good news because it means you can also buy prepaid cards for any country or region you plan to visit online before your trip. And there are now a number of options available such as Holafly eSIM.

We’ve compiled this handy guide with everything travellersneed to know about eSIMs in 2023:

The pros of eSIMs vs physical SIM cards

1. Convenience

First and foremost, the biggest benefit to eSIMs is that you don’t have to go to a physical store or even be in the country to purchase your data. Instead, you can shop online, choose a provider, and install it directly onto your phone (more on that later). This means that the moment you hit the ground you’ll be connected, making it easier to order an Uber, find your way through a complex tube system, or just find the nearest bar with a happy hour.

Then, once you’re back home, you can just switch back to your local eSIM in a few clicks (don’t worry, we’ll share tips on that too).

2. You can use multiple eSIMs

This is also a convenient option if you travel between countries often. iPhones that support eSIM allow you to have multiple cards and even use Dual SIMs, meaning you can have two activated at the same time.

For example, if you’re crossing borders back and forth on a regular basis, having Dual SIMs activated would allow you to automatically use whichever SIM is locally connected, without having to change your settings. You can also buy an eSIM for an entire region, for example, buying an eSIM for Europe will cover a number of different countries.

3. A future without SIM trays?

iPhone 14 is planning to axe its SIM tray in the US, meaning iPhones now and in the future won’t be able to carry physical SIMs.

Although, of course, Apple isn’t the only brand for devices, it won’t be surprising if others follow suit and slim down future smartphone models even more. So, cutting SIM trays could become a wider market trend.

4. Don’t lose your data

With an eSIM, there is no physical SIM card that can be lost or damaged. So if your phone does get stolen, lost, or broken while on vacation, you can still access your data via the cloud and transfer it to your new phone.

5. Sustainability

Finally, if you’re looking to cut down on plastics as much as possible, why bother with physical SIM cards?

And yes, SIM cards are super tiny, but it’s like quitting the use of plastic straws: every bit counts.

The cons of eSIMs vs physical SIM cards

Of course it’s not all sunshine and daisies in eSIM land. There are some drawbacks to consider before going for this option:

1. Compatibility

Although eSIMs are a growing trend, not all devices or cellular carriers are up to speed yet. While most carriers have adopted eSIM, some still haven’t or don’t support all devices yet.

For example, if you’re headed to Spain, keep in mind that Yoigo doesn’t support eSIMs for Apple Watch. However, as mentioned before, it seems the general trend is moving towards eSIMs so we’ll see more carriers introduce plans to adopt this technology in the near future.

2. Location tracking

As eSIMs are installed virtually onto your phone, you can’t remove them from your device like a physical SIM. This means you also can’t avoid the possibility of being tracked by mobile carriers/governments. If this is a concern for you in the country you’re traveling to, then you might want to avoid this option.

How to check your phone’s compatibility with eSIM

Before making any decisions, you first need to check if your phone is compatible with eSIM. Follow these steps:

Check the phone’s specifications or manual to see if it supports eSIM.
Check if your phone has an eSIM tray or if it has an embedded eSIM chip.
Check if your phone’s operating system supports eSIM technology. For example, iPhones running iOS 12.1 or later support eSIM.
Confirm with your carrier if they offer eSIM service and if your phone is compatible.

Or simply check out this eSIM supported phones list which is regularly updated with all eSIM compatible phones and devices.

One thing you need to keep in mind is that, just like with physical SIM cards, your phone also has to be unlocked to use an eSIM. If you’ve bought your device directly from the producer, it’s likely it’ll be unlocked. But, if you bought it from a carrier, it might not be.

If you have an iOS 14 or later, here’s how you can check if its unlocked:

1. Going to Settings

2. Click “General”

3. Go to the “About” section

4. Scroll to “Carrier Lock” or “Network Provider Lock.” If you see “No SIM restrictions,” your iPhone is unlocked. If not, then it most likely means your phone is tied to a specific carrier.

If you don’t have an iPhone, try putting a SIM card in and seeing if it works. This will tell you if your phone is locked. Last but not least, give your provider a ring and they can tell you whether your phone is locked.

Driving in a car with phone navigation on — Photo by Isaac Mehegan on Unsplash

How to install an eSIM on your phone

Ok, if you’re still reading, it seems you’re sold on getting an eSIM. The question now is, just how easy is it to set it up on your phone?

The first thing you’ll need to do is add the new data plan by going to:

Settings > Mobile Data > Add data plan (steps may be different depending on your device)

Most eSIM providers will send you a QR code which will guide you through a number of steps. Here are some guides to setting up an eSIM on the most popular devices:

iOS

Android

Samsung

Note: If you buy a temporary eSIM plan for your travels, it’s best to set it up just before you leave as your plan will start on the day you activate it.

Want an even easier option for your upcoming trips? The European provider Holafly eSIM recently launched an eSIM app that allows you to install, activate, and verify data consumption in more than 130 countries around the world. Unfortunately, the installation app is only available for iOS at the moment, but non-Apple users can still use Holafly’s eSIM services.

The company offers regular data plans in over 130 countries and unlimited data plans in over 45 destinations for less than $1,50 per day including region-wide plans for Europe. They also have 24/7 support in more than 5 languages.

How to switch between eSIMs and share data

Remember, if you’re traveling around the world, you can use multiple eSIMs but you can only have one or two (for iOS) activated at a time. To switch between eSIMs when entering a new country, use the following steps:

1. Go to: Settings > Cellular/Mobile Data

2. Select the eSIM you want to use (under “Cellular Plans”)

3. Click “Turn on this line”

Wanna share data between different devices or with your travel companions? Just go to:

Settings > Mobile data/Cellular

Then select: Personal Hotspot

Selecting local providers and unlimited data options

Most of the major carriers now offer eSIMs, so you’ll likely have plenty of options to choose from, however, local carriers often charge high roaming fees while you’re abroad. To avoid that, another option is to choose a prepaid international eSIM which may offer more affordable prices.

If you take that route, you’ll need to consider how many GB you’ll need to last you the length of your stay. Of course, this totally depends on how much you’ll be using your data. If you just plan to use it for Google Maps and the occasional search for local restaurants, you may not need as much as a newbie travel influencer looking to upload videos and stream content everyday.

Here’s a handy table by Holafly with some calculations on average data usage to help you out:

Table with average data usage for different activities on your phone

The good news is, there are also some unlimited data options, particularly if you’re traveling to the US. Just keep in mind that you won’t be able to share or transfer data with others on this type of plan.

So if you’re ready to take off on your next trip, getting an eSIM can be a hassle-free option to keep you connected, whether you’re going on a multi-country adventure or a simple business trip abroad.

No Wifi? No problem: The traveler’s guide to eSIMs Read More »

FitXR Workout Classes: New Pop Music Collection to Add Variety to Your VR Fitness Routine

featured, fitness, FitXR, News, Sports & Fitness, virtual reality, VR Apps / DJ Henderson / March 13, 2023

It is no secret that music makes exercise routines fun, but it actually does more than that. In fact, music has been scientifically proven to improve the quality of workouts. One research shows that music is particularly helpful during endurance and high-intensity exercises. It also shows that a faster tempo increases energy demand during exercise. Aside from promoting metabolic efficiency, upbeat music has also been found to be effective in increasing endurance as it distracts people from discomfort.

The VR fitness app FitXR understands the key role music plays in fitness. So the team continues to expand and diversify music content on its platform to cater to individual preferences. FitXR workout classes across five distinct studios are constantly updated with new music collections to give users more motivation to achieve their fitness goals.

New Pop Music Collection Amps Up FitXR Workout Classes

Recently, FitXR launched a new pop music collection that gives users more music options in all workout classes across its five studios—Box, Dance, HIIT, Sculpt, and Combat. It features hits from the best pop, hip-hop, and rock artists. Whether you’re in the mood for a high-intensity boxing class or a beginner HIIT session, you can definitely find the right workout for you.

There’s a whole collection of workout classes with smash hits from Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X, Megan Thee Stallion, and other popular artists. Let Pink and Lady Gaga set the mood and inspire you to finish the 11-minute “Get This Party Started” HIIT class for beginners. Groove to the beat as you do a quick 4-minute workout in the intermediate boxing class “Green Day Blitz.” You can choose from a variety of classes based on your fitness level and time availability.

“FitXR is all about making fitness fun, and music is so often what fuels a workout, and makes it an enjoyable experience,” said Kelly Cosentino, Director of Fitness at FitXR, in a press release shared with ARPost. “This is just another way we’re showing our commitment to creating experiences unique to each member’s personal preference and motivators!”

The new pop music collection is just another addition to FitXR’s already extensive music offerings, which include top billboard artists, independent artists, and international artists. With the app’s wide range of classes and music options, there are no excuses for skipping a workout.

Committed to Elevating Immersive VR Workout Classes

FitXR’s new pop music collection is a testament to the app’s dedication to creating unique and engaging fitness experiences for its users. Continuously adding new music and themed studios to its already robust offerings shows its commitment to making fitness more fun and accessible for everyone.

FitXR workout

Leading the way to the future of fitness, we can expect to see more additions and innovations on the platform. These will allow beginners and seasoned fitness enthusiasts alike to personalize their fitness journey and enhance their overall workout experiences.

FitXR Workout Classes: New Pop Music Collection to Add Variety to Your VR Fitness Routine Read More »

Open World Cyberpunk Adventure ‘LOW-FI’ is Coming to PSVR 2 This Year

blair renaud, HTC Vive Game, iris vr, low-fi, low-fi release date, lowfi, News, Oculus Rift Game, PSVR Game, SteamVR Game, Valve Index Game, VR Game, Windows Mixed Reality Games / DJ Henderson / March 10, 2023

IRIS VR, the studio behind TECHNOLUST (2016), announced that its long-awaited open world cyberpunk adventure LOW-FI is slated to launch sometime this year on PlayStation 5, PSVR 2, and PC VR headsets via Steam and the Meta PC platform.

Update (March 10th, 2023): It’s been nearly two years since IRIS VR announced a PS5 version was coming, which initially was set to arrive sometime in 2021. Now studio head Blair Renaud says in a tweet that LOW-FI is officially coming to PS5 and PSVR 2 this year. You can wishlist it on the PlayStation Store here.

The still in-development game has been available for purchase on PC and PC VR headsets for some time via the game’s itch.io, however Renaud also says we should expect to see it on Steam and the Meta PC platform in 2023 as well. You can wishlist it on Steam here.

If you haven’t followed along with the project, here’s a description courtesy of IRIS VR:

As the player, you are “low-fi”, the street name given to those who cannot merge with the platform, a ubiquitous virtual reality simulation where most of the population now live their lives. You are a police officer and have been transferred to a particularly crime ridden section of city-block 303. The only inhabitants of note in your jurisdiction are other low-fi, and the human intelligence (or lower) artificial life forms who have remained among the citizens after the AI singularity.

The original article announcing LOW-FI’s PS5 availability follows below. We’ve also included the latest trailer below this update:

Original Article (June 12th, 2020): A successful Kickstarter campaign late last year helped get LOW-FI off the ground, having garnered IRIS VR over $80,000 USD. At the time, it was pitched as a VR-native game intentionally built from the ground-up for PC VR headsets and “next-gen PSVR.”

The game’s developer, Blair Renaud, says that anyone can pre-order the PC version now, which gives you early access on SteamVR headsets. At the time of this writing the pre-release PC VR version costs $35 USD.

And it’s certainly an ambitious undertaking, boasting a massive, non-linear open world, “hundreds” of crimes and stories to solve and explore, branching narratives, and dialogue from what the studio says will be “photo-realistic NPCs.”

While the game’s creator seems fairly certain of LOW-FI’s 2021 launch window (see update), Sony hasn’t actually released word on when a next-gen follow-up to the PSVR is set to arrive.

We do however know that the current PSVR will be compatible with PS5 when the console launches holiday 2020, so upcoming VR releases for PS5 don’t necessarily indicate any implied time frame for a prospective PSVR 2.

Open World Cyberpunk Adventure ‘LOW-FI’ is Coming to PSVR 2 This Year Read More »

Rokid Max Gets Release Window

AR glasses, featured, News, rokid / DJ Henderson / March 10, 2023

AR smart glasses company Rokid just announced the release date for their next consumer product, “Rokid Max.” Shipping isn’t scheduled to start until the end of April, but here’s everything that we know about the glasses so far from a shared press release and user manual.

The Specs

Like most consumer AR glasses on the market today, Rokid Max is presented exclusively as a virtual screen for mirroring a smartphone. That can mean online content, downloaded movies, games, or any productivity apps. Users can also switch to a “3D mode” for viewing 3D content in an app or WebXR experience.

As viewers, they have some solid specs. The lenses themselves offer a 1080p micro-OLED display for content running at a 120Hz refresh rate. They clock in at a 50-degree field of view (which lands solidly between the two main competitors – Nreal’s Airr and Light models). The resulting virtual screen is comparable to a “215-inch boundaryless display from [19 feet] away.”

The glasses also offer manual diopter adjustment via a dial over each lens. According to the release, this can be used by non-glasses-wearing users to sharpen the image, or by those users who normally need prescription lenses. Users can also adjust audio settings which include noise cancellation for maintaining privacy and sound quality.

The total hardware itself is no wider than a pair of glasses and just under three-quarters of an inch thick, though it’s unclear whether that includes an optional nose pad and a “blackout cover” for over the lenses. They weigh in at less than a fifth of a pound. The glasses do fold, and come with a carrying case.

Rokid Max AR glasses

As the glasses do not have their own onboard battery, they do require a hard connection to the streaming device, similar to other consumer AR glasses. Rokid Max will be available for preorder from the manufacturer starting March 21, for $399.

How Does Rokid Max Square Up?

Rokid Max is an interesting product. The glasses have their biggest competitor in Nreal Air, so we can hold them up to each other to understand Rokid’s position in the market.

Nreal Light has a few things going for it. First, it’s slightly cheaper. Second, it can connect to gaming consoles and laptops as well as mobile phones. Nreal Air also has a limited but promising 3DoF AR input system. Something like that might be true of Rokid as well, but none of the materials shared with ARPost mention it.

Rokid Max hits back in a couple of key areas. It has a slightly larger field of view, which is a pretty big deal when comparing what are essentially media viewers. Further, Rokid has a lot of cool modular components.

Manual diopter controls are a big deal, particularly for people that need glasses. Nreal offers corrective lenses for their glasses, but it’s a paid accessory so if you need glasses, Nreal’s lead in the price category disappears immediately. The removable nose pad is also a cool option.

AR glasses Rokid Max

Finally, the blackout cover is a really cool play, particularly for productivity. AR glasses tend to be “sunnies” because blocking light from the outside improves immersion and viewing comfort and quality. In entertainment applications, there aren’t really any drawbacks to that, but in productivity settings, it can make it harder for you to see your environment as well as the display.

There’s one potential concern I have about this. Darkening the environment also means that the display doesn’t have to run as bright, which saves battery and reduces heat. If the light blocker is optional, that may mean that the display is working harder than it has to, which could have negative effects on the battery life and some other elements.

We’ve Got Our Eyes On You

We wish Rokid Max the best. We have to. We’re still so early on in the field of consumer AR glasses that every new entry is a winner. But, more than that, while there are some things that we could ask of Rokid, the glasses introduce a lot of killer innovations that certainly set it apart.

Rokid Max Gets Release Window Read More »

‘Rec Room’ is Putting on Its First-ever ‘Rec Rocks’ Music Festival This Weekend

News, rec rocks, rec room, rec room music festival, Social Virtual Reality, Social VR, social vr platform / DJ Henderson / March 9, 2023

Tokyo Machine & Ethan Bortnick to headline

Rec Room, the popular social VR platform, is putting on its first in-game music festival this weekend, suitably dubbed ‘Rec Rocks’.

The immersive concert experience is set to take place this weekend, March 11th & 12th, and feature headliners Tokyo Machine (EDM) and pianist/singer/songwriter Ethan Bortnick.

Check out the full list of artists below:

Tokyo Machine – EDM
Ethan Bortnick – Alt-Pop
Haven – Pop
Charlie Curtis Beard -Rap
Suzy Shinn – Rock
The Royal Foundry – Alt
Akintoye – Rap
Clinton Kane – Pop

Rec Room says its free two-day music festival will let you explore virtual stages set in the environment of an open canyon, with Tokyo Machine kicking things off on the mainstage on March 11th with his electrifying beat, which will also include some new tracks too.

“The first time I played Rec Room 6 years ago I was blown away by how immersive the games like laser tag and ping-pong could be”, said Tokyo Machine. “I’m super pumped to be a part of Rec Rocks and will be premiering a whole set of unreleased songs with a performance that will be unlike what my fans have seen before!”

Ethan Bortnick will take the main stage on March 12th where he will perform fan-favorite tracks. Bortnick previously hosted an in-game prom for the Rec Room community last spring after he missed out on his in-real-life prom due to COVID-19.

“Rec Room will be the first stop on my 2023 tour,” said Bortnick. “As the technology in Rec Room continues to advance, that allows for even more elaborate lighting, staging and the entire set is crazier and showcases everything I can’t do in a real live setting”, Bortnick said.

The Royal Foundry | Image courtesy Rec Room

The free music festival is set to include exclusive artist merch, and Community Creator Booths where festival-goers can buy in-game inventions and merch from the creator community.

Check out the full schedule of the music festival here to see when performances are set to kick off. To attend Rec Rocks, make sure to download and setup your Rec Room account across your chosen device, which includes iOS, Android, Steam (flstacreen), SteamVR headsets, Meta Quest, Meta PC VR, PlayStation 4/5, PSVR, and Xbox.

‘Rec Room’ is Putting on Its First-ever ‘Rec Rocks’ Music Festival This Weekend Read More »

Here’s how media outlets are using generative AI in journalism

Corporates and innovation, Future of Work, Insider, Next Featured / DJ Henderson / March 9, 2023

Generative AI is entering the media — and hacks are getting worried. Except for your loyal correspondents at TNW, of course, as automated output can’t compare with our flair and reporting. (At least, that’s what I’m telling my overlords.)

Other journalists, however, aren’t as blessed. Last week, the owner of Britain’s Daily Mirror and the Express became the latest media magnate to add bots to the newsroom.

The publisher, Reach, has posted several AI-written articles on the local news site In Your Area. According to Reach CEO Jim Mullen, they include a listicle on “7 things to do with visitors to show off Newport.”

“That is responsible use of AI.

Unsurprisingly, Mullen told human journalists they have no need to worry. He said his own reporters had suggested using the AI system — called Scribe — and that the tool would allow them “to focus on stuff that they want to do.”

“It was based off of content from our journalists, and the decision to run it was made by the editor: that is responsible use of AI,” Mullen added.

His words, however, are unlikely to allay the concerns of his employees. Reach, which owns hundreds of national, local, and online publications, was already planning extensive job cuts.

The company is far from the only media brand to bring AI to the pressroom. Here’s how other outlets are experimenting with automation.

The Associated Press

One of the earliest exponents of AI in reporting was the Associated Press (AP). In 2014, the company began automatically generating summaries of earnings reports.

A year later, AP said the system was producing around 3,000 of these stories every quarter — a tenfold increase over what AP reporters and editors created previously.

MSN

In 2020, Microsoft announced that it was replacing pesky humans in its news division with shiny AI. The workers had been curating and editing stories for the homepages of MSN and the Edge browser. The Cupertino company sacked the journalists despite warnings that substituting them for software was risky.

The warnings proved prescient: MSN went on to run a range of bogus stories. Highlights included Bigfoot sightings, Mermaid captures, and Grimes suing Elon Musk.

CNET

Tech site CNET was recently caught posting machine-written stories. The company never publicly announced the move, but came clean after an outcry from critics.

CNET described the initiative as a mere experiment. And like many experiments, the results were unpredictable.

The text generators were making “very dumb errors,” according to Futurism. CNET was forced to add lengthy corrections to some of the articles.

BuzzFeed

In January, the Wall Street Journal revealed that BuzzFeed will use AI to enhance its quizzes and personalise some content. The move came after another round of redundancies at the struggling publisher.

The initiative is a collaboration with ChatGPT creator OpenAI. In what will surely reassure BuzzFeed staff, ChatGPT recently claimed that AI “will never entirely replace human journalists.”

The Next Web

Much to my chagrin, even your favourite tech site has dabbled in AI-generated content. Most famously, our erstwhile colleague Satoshi Nakaboto produced automated reports on cryptocurrencies. Mercifully, the loathsome Nakaboto was laid off years ago.

More recently, AI has been producing images for the superlative TNW newsletter. Undoubtedly, this is a far more fitting role for automated media — but then, I would say that.

Here’s how media outlets are using generative AI in journalism Read More »

3 women-led tech companies that are hiring right now

Future of Work, Startups and technology / DJ Henderson / March 8, 2023

Call it an “old boys’ club” or “brogrammer culture,” there’s no denying the tech world is still dominated by men. Much has been written about the industry’s lack of diversity, of course. Most tech companies are run by men, and female role models are few and far between.

According to a report by The World Bank, women make up less than a third of the world’s workforce in technology-related fields. In the European Union, they make up just 17% of the ICT (information and communication technology) sector.

This gap grows further at the executive level, where women hold a mere 11% of leadership positions. To add insult to injury, Atomico’s State of European Tech report revealed the proportion of funding raised by women-only teams has dropped from 3% to a paltry 1% since 2018. And, those who do receive funding, get less than male-led teams and mixed men and women-led teams. Sigh.

Grim statistics

The statistics remain grim, even though countless studies show the most diverse tech companies consistently outperform homogenous ones. In a global analysis of 2,400 companies conducted by Credit Suisse, organisations with at least one female board member yielded higher return on equity and higher net income growth than those that did not have any women on the board.

And when VCs invest in women-led companies, they also make more money. Research shows that female leadership impacts business performance and overall growth. A survey conducted by BCG and Mass Challenge found women-run businesses deliver higher revenues—more than twice as much per dollar invested.

The following three women—Anne Boden, founder of Starling Bank; Victoria van Lennep, co-founder of lending platform, Lendable; and Dr Loubna Bouarfa, founder and CEO of OKRA Technologies—are living proof that women-led companies are ready to disrupt, innovate, and elevate the tech world. Better yet, all three are currently hiring.

1. Starling Bank

Anne Boden is quite the glass ceiling breaker. When Starling Bank gained its banking licence in 2016, she became the first woman in history to start a British bank. Since then, she has led her team to launch the UK’s first mobile current accounts, entered a partnership with the Post Office, raised over £300 million in funding, and opened three offices. Now, Starling employs more than 2,000 people and has over three million accounts.

“The vast majority of people in this industry are men in their early thirties, with beards. People don’t expect a fintech entrepreneur to be me,” said Boden, in The Times. “I think it’s harder when you stand out, but I’d much rather stand out by being the only woman who’s started a bank in the UK.”

Sound like the kind of leader you’d like to work for? Starling is looking for an Infrastructure Engineer to join its bank in London. Open-minded when it comes to hiring, Starling cares more about aptitude and attitude than specific experience or qualifications. It’s very open about how it delivers software. It believes in clean coding, simple solutions, automated testing and continuous deployment. If you care enough to find elegant solutions to difficult technical problems, Starling would love to hear from you. Find out all you need to know about this exciting role here.

2. Lendable

Just as Starling Bank won plaudits when it announced in 2020 that it was profitable after just three years, leading AI-powered consumer finance platform, Lendable, was quietly generating money with earnings well-ahead of most European unicorns.

Launched in 2014, and co-founded by Victoria van Lennep, its mission was to undercut traditional banks by offering competitive rates and fast-tracking applications. Now, it approves a new loan every 30 seconds, employs over 200 people, and has appeared in The Sunday Times Top 10 in Tech, ranking by fastest-growing sales.

Lendable is hiring a new Senior Data Scientist for its team. This role sits at the heart of the brand’s USP, developing the credit risk models to underwrite loan and credit card products. If successful, you will have access to the latest machine learning techniques, combined with a rich data repository to deliver the best in market risk models. Is your interest piqued? Read all about the role here.

3. OKRA Technologies

OKRA Technologies is a leading provider of AI-driven analytics for global life sciences. The company was founded by Dr. Loubna Bouarfa in 2015, with the vision of moving the healthcare industry towards a future of personalised medicine powered by explainable AI.

Dr. Bouarfa’s goal has always been to ensure that AI makes us more intelligent as humans, and empowers us to make better decisions. She has been instrumental in building the OKRA Explainability Engine which empowers users by providing explanations behind the outputs of AI systems.

Last year, OKRA made the 2022 Deloitte Tech Fast 50 list for the fastest-growing technology companies in the UK, and it also beat 70 startups from 20 different European countries to claim the prize for Best Female-Led Startup at the StartUp Europe Awards.

The company is currently looking for a Junior/Senior NLP Data Scientist to join its Leiden team in the Netherlands. As an NLP Data Scientist at OKRA, you’ll play a critical role in designing and building solutions using the leading AI engine for healthcare and life sciences.

You will build new capabilities that can be leveraged to capture insights in unstructured free-text data to drive appropriate actions and desired outcomes. In this role, you’ll be working closely with the executive team, who have experience implementing machine learning tech in real-world applications for over 15 years, turning research into commercial reality. Sound like your kind of role? You can apply here.

Find your ideal job on the House of Talent Job Board

3 women-led tech companies that are hiring right now Read More »

Darktrace’s plan to protect critical infrastructure: think like an attacker

Data and security, Government and policy, Next Featured / DJ Henderson / March 8, 2023

Cyber attacks on critical infrastructure have become a growing concern since war broke out in Ukraine.

After the 2014 annexation of Crimea, a sustained barrage by Russian-linked groups pummelled infrastructure in Ukraine. The next year, the country endured the first confirmed hack to take down a power grid.

The attacks have continued since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. According to a recent report from Google’s Threat Analysis Group, Russia’s military intelligence agency has repeatedly used destructive malware to degrade Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

Analysts are now increasingly worried about the threats spreading across the globe. In November, a general who commanded US Army forces in Europe from 2014 until 2017, said cyber protection had become as important as missile defence systems in the defence of German ports.

The EU is also expressing growing alarm. Last month, a watchdog for the bloc warned members to improve their defences due to heightened risks of hacks by foreign states.

To mitigate the threats, cybersecurity firms are experimenting with various defensive methods. Darktrace, one of the UK’s biggest tech companies, has elected to apply AI to a natural mindset: thinking like an attacker.

This approach is embedded in Prevent/OT, a new product that identifies routes adversaries take to target critical infrastructure.

The software visualises potential pathways to the assets. Defenders can then harden their environments to prevent attacks before they can happen.

“A lot of industry folks lose sight of what they need to do on a day-to-day basis.

A crucial component of the product is Darktrace’s self-learning AI, which detects deviations in assets that point to cyber-threats. The company says the software allows overstretched staff to prioritise the needs of their unique environments.

“It’s really maximising the value of their time and implementing controls,” Jeffrey Macre, Industrial Security Solutions Architect at Darktrace, told TNW.

“A lot of folks in the industry are so focused on what the next major attack will be that they lose sight of what they need to do on a day-to-day basis to implement really good cybersecurity.”

The new capability is part of Darktrace’s operational technology (OT) product family. According to the firm, the solutions are already used by hundreds of critical infrastructure companies.

Those numbers were recently bolstered by several new deals. Darktrace said these include the business’ largest contract to date with a critical infrastructure organisation.

The announcements arrive during a challenging period for the FTSE 250 firm. The company recently cut its revenue forecasts amid declining customer growth, and had to deny a short-seller’s allegations of fraudulent accounting.

There are signs, however, that the new product is already improving Darktrace’s business. Analysts at investment bank Jefferies said the firm is now making progress despite the short-seller’s attack — and that the launch of Prevent/OT has helped attract new business.

Darktrace’s plan to protect critical infrastructure: think like an attacker Read More »

The 2023 Polys WebXR Awards Recap

AR/VR events, augmented reality, Events, extended reality, featured, virtual reality, webXR / DJ Henderson / March 8, 2023

The third Annual Polys WebXR Awards took place this weekend. The show was bigger than ever thanks to the first-ever in-person awards and a special event saying farewell to AltspaceVR. However, despite some new categories, the overall category list was shorter this year as a number of previous awards were combined.

A Very Special Polys

The Polys launched during the height of the pandemic. Fortunately, not being in person has a way of not greatly hindering an event that’s already dedicated to WebXR.

The event took place in a bespoke AltspaceVR world, with watch parties on YouTube as well as other remote platforms. However, this time, people were able to get together in person but they did it in a very “metaverse” way.

The Polys 2023 WebXR Awards

In-person hosts, producers, presenters, and an audience gathered at ZeroSpace, an XR stage and motion capture studio in Brooklyn. Their actions on the stage were volumetrically captured and displayed in The Polys’ AltspaceVR environment, similar to the launch of Microsoft Mesh. Polys Director Ginna Lambert said that this was the first award show to use the technology.

Further, while winners and honorees had previously received their Polys Awards as NFTs, the team worked with Looking Glass Factory so that this year’s Polys can be presented in a physical frame. This is as physical as The Polys can get, seeing as Linda Ricci designed the award to defy physics.

A Funeral for AltspaceVR

In lieu of a half-time show, Big Rock Creative CEO, co-founder, and producer Athena Demos held a eulogy for AltspaceVR. Virtual attendees lined the aisle to a pulpit adorned with flowers and candles in a ceremony that was heartfelt and a little macabre. Following mourners down the aisle was a coffin containing one of the iconic robot avatars that AltspaceVR used at launch.

“AltspaceVR will always hold a special place in our hearts,” said Demos. “While we say goodbye to the platform that brought us together, we will always remember the connections that we made here.”

AltspaceVR funeral - The 2023 Polys WebXR Awards

While the WebXR team has used AltspaceVR to host The Polys Awards and numerous other town hall events and summits over the last three years, Demos and her team have been using it to bring Burning Man into virtual spaces. There is also a farewell party scheduled by Big Rock Creative to last until the moment that AltspaceVR servers shut down later this week.

The Polys Awards

Where last year’s Polys saw 15 awards categories (not counting personal honors of Lifetime Achievement, Ombudsperson of the Year, and the Community Award), this year’s show had eight categories. That includes some new categories reflecting the advancement of immersive technology even over the last few months.

“We in this community are ahead of a massive shift that we call the fourth industrial revolution,” said host Julie Smithson. “We’re here to celebrate the progress made in WebXR in the year of 2022.”

Julie Smithson at The Polys WebXR Awards

Entertainment Experience of the Year

When popular culture looks at “the metaverse” they typically equate it with irresponsible escapism – something that people use to avoid the challenges of life. XR producer and director Kiira Benzing pointed out that positive escapism – using XR to take a break from life rather than to neglect it – is one of the medium’s greatest strengths.

“With the immersive medium, you get the opportunity to step into an experience,” Benzing said in presenting the award for Entertainment Experience of the year.

The award went to Project Flowerbed, an immersive gardening experience by the Meta WebXR team. The same project was nominated for Experience of the Year.

Innovator of the Year

Futurewei Technologies Senior Director for VR, Metaverse, Mobile, Apps, and Services Daniel Ljunggren presented the award for Innovator of the Year – previously “Innovation of the Year.” The award went to Sean Mann, CEO and co-founder of RP1, a “persistent, seamless, real-time platform with limitless scalability.”

“To be amongst this many pioneers and innovators in one space is amazing. I think we’re all winners,” said Mann. “I’m super excited to be a part of this.”

Developer of the Year

“Being on the frontier of the immersive web is a pioneering effort,” Yinch Yeap said in presenting this award. “It still feels like the Wild West.”

And, like in the Wild West, many of the biggest names are pseudonyms. This is certainly the case for this year’s winner, known only as “Jin.” Jin appeared as a similarly anonymized avatar to accept the award.

“I am a huge believer in WebXR,” said Jin. “I stand on the shoulders of giants. I am very humbled and I owe this to everyone building the immersive web.”

Game of the Year Award

“Game of the Year” is a broad category as most WebXR experiences are arguably “games” – and that’s what makes the award so important according to presenter Rik Cabanier, a software engineer at Meta. The award went to the mini golf game Above Par-Adowski by Paradowski Creative.

Above Par-Adowski VR game

Accepting the award was Paradowski Creative Director of Emerging Technology James Kane, who called WebXR “the best expression of the metaverse there is.” Kane was also a nominee for Innovator of the Year.

“I want to thank our team,” said Kane. “And thanks to the Meta team for creating an amazing WebXR platform as well as for directly supporting us.”

AR Passthrough Experience of the Year

“Where, for the past years AR experiences were mainly relegated to phones, now passthrough devices are everywhere,” said presenter Lucas Rizzotto. This allows more passthrough experiences on devices available today, but it also allows more impactful development of experiences for future AR devices.

The award went to Spatial Fusion by PHORIA and Meta, an experience which sees players repairing a damaged spaceship. Ben Ferns, a consulting developer, was one of those accepting the award.

“Huge thanks to the entire team – it was a huge team effort,” said Ferns. “It’s just exciting to see the promise of WebXR and passthrough.”

WebXR Platform of the Year

In presenting the award for WebXR Platform of the Year, Prestidge Group founder and CEO Briar Prestidge pointed out that every WebXR platform has strengths and weaknesses – something that she learned a lot about while famously spending “48 hours in the metaverse” for a documentary.

The award went to Croquet, “the operating system of the metaverse,” which also took home the Startup Pitch Competition Auggie Award last year. The award was accepted by The Polys on behalf of the organization.

Education Experience of the Year

The “digital divide” describes accessibility differences exacerbated by the benefit of technology only being available to those who can afford the required hardware or programs. WebXR is vital to the future of education because it lowers the cost of access for immersive experiences, according to Silicon Harlem founder Clayton Banks in presenting this award.

Banks presented the award to Prehistoric Domain, an immersive tour that brings learners up close and personal with virtual representations of dinosaurs and other extinct species. Accepting the award was creator Benjamin Dupuy. Prehistoric Domain was also nominated for Experience of the Year.

“WebXR opens so many possibilities – it’s very exciting,” said Dupuy in accepting the award. “We are all pioneers of the immersive web here and I think we’re at the beginning of an era where the line between illusion and reality is very thin.”

Experience of the Year

Demos returned to the stage – this time in volumetric capture instead of in her AltspaceVR avatar – to present the award for Experience of the Year to Spatial Fusion.

This was the experience’s second win of the night. The experience was also a nominee for Entertainment Experience of the Year. Ferns returned to accept the award and pointed out that the code has been open-sourced.

“I’m really excited to see what other people do with this now that it’s freely accessible,” said Ferns. “It’s an exciting time for trying out all of these new UX opportunities.”

This Year’s Honorees

In addition to the nominated awards categories, there are three honors categories. The honoree in each category is named by the previous year’s recipient rather than by a panel of judges.

Community Honor

Last year’s community honoree Trevor Flowers named Evo Heyning for this year, specifically for her work with the XR Guild, the Open Metaverse Interoperability Group, and [email protected].

“Whether it’s exploring AR, exploring 3D objects and NERFs, exploring interoperability of avatars and [email protected] specifically, being a part of these experiences with [Sophia Moshasha], with Ben [Irwin], with Julie [Smithson], with everyone – it’s meant so much to me,” Heyning said in accepting the honor.

Ombudsperson of the Year

The Ombudsperson of the Year Honor is specifically set up to recognize people working on the social and human aspects of WebXR. Last year’s honoree, Avi Bar-Zeev said that he was “honored to hand off the title” to Brittan Heller, a lawyer who introduced the term “biometric psychography” to describe mental and emotional profiling through an XR user’s personal data.

Brittan Heller at The Polys WebXR Awards

“I’d like to thank Avi, Kent [Bye], and everyone at the XR Guild and the Virtual World Society, and everyone in the XR community,” said Heller. “I appreciate how everyone here is so involved in making the community so welcoming to everyone.”

Bye, referenced by Heller in her acceptance speech, is a leading XR ethicist, a strong speaker in the nascent field of biometric psychography, and the first-ever recipient of this award.

Lifetime Achievement Honor

Last year’s Lifetime Achievement Honoree Brandon Jones selected Patric Cozzi for this year’s honor. Cozzi is the CEO of Cesium, but he was selected for this award because of his work co-creating glTF as a contributor to the Khronos Group.

Patric Cozzi at The Polys WebXR Awards

“I’m really honored for glTF and the community,” said Cozzi. “It was a grassroots effort for years.”

Looking Forward to the Future

This was the last year that The Polys WebXR awards will be hosted in AltspaceVR, but the team is still looking forward to next year’s event. While they haven’t yet said what platform (or platforms) it will take place on, there’s a full year to figure that out. And a year is a long time in this industry. If you missed this year’s ceremony, you can find the recording here.

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Pimax Aims to Attract VR Devs with 100% Revenue Share & $100K Game Fund

News, Pimax, pimax 12k, pimax crystal, pimax portal, pimax store / DJ Henderson / March 7, 2023

Users of Pimax’s wide field-of-view (FOV) PC VR headsets have always relied upon third-party stores like Steam for VR content. Now the company is looking to incentivize VR developers to publish their games on the new Pimax Store.

Pimax quietly launched its PC VR content store in September 2022, ostensibly in preparation for the yet-to-release “Reality 12K QLED” headset, and standalones Pimax Cystal and Pimax Portal hybrid.

At the time, the company kicked off its store by advertising a program that would award its top 50 indie developers with cash incentives, along with a “choose your own” approach to revenue split for those top 50, which would let those developers “determine how much you would like to contribute to the store’s success and what proportion you need for your own success.”

Following a $30 million Series C1 funding round announced earlier this month, the Beijing-based VR headset company has upped the ante by announcing a 100% developer revenue split of Pimax Store content.

For contrast, Valve takes a 30% revenue cut from Steam, while Meta takes 30% from the Quest Store, and 47.5% from content published through its online Horizon Worlds platform.

The company also announced it’s earmarked a $100K fund for the stimulation of VR games, and is giving away 1,000 Pimax Portal dev kits, a standalone hybrid headset which can convert between a Nintendo Switch-style handheld and a 6DOF VR headset.

“We’re a hardware manufacturer in the first place, which you could argue Steam and Meta aren’t, so this makes it easier for us to accept a lower margin, but we also want to promote the whole VR market, as technology is advancing fast,” said Pimax’s Carol Yuan. “There should also be more high-quality VR content available. Not only do we think that, but also many users online think this is holding back VR.”

Pimax says its app store caters exclusively to the company’s fleet of headsets, making sure that games support higher FOV and displays resolutions. The Pimax Store also bakes in customization settings for hardware, effectively replacing the company’s Pi Tool.

– – — – –

We’ve reached out to Pimax to find out the duration of the revenue split and, provided it has a definite end point, what its default percentage is. We’ll update this article when/if the company responds.

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Spain has launched a digital nomad visa — here’s how to get one

Future of Work, Government and policy, Next Featured / DJ Henderson / March 7, 2023

Sunny weather, a reasonable cost of living, delicious food, stunning landscapes — Spain has it all. And with some of the best internet speeds in Europe, the Mediterranean nation has become a popular destination for expats and remote workers.

The newly-launched digital nomad visa has made the country an even more appealing option. The scheme has been in force since January, as part of the recently approved Startup Law, which aims to make the nation a frontrunner in attracting investment, innovative entrepreneurship, and talent.

While other EU countries such as Greece, Portugal, and Croatia have already introduced similar schemes, Spain’s digital nomad visa introduces another competitive offering.

Who is eligible?

The visa is open to non-EU/EAA nationals who are working remotely, either as self-employed freelancers or employees. They are required to be working primarily for non-Spanish companies, with Spanish firms only accountable for a maximum of 20% of their total income.

Prospective digital nomads must not have lived in the country within the five years before applying, and must not be residing illegally in Spain during the application process.

What are the requirements?

Applicants need to demonstrate that they have been working for their clients or company for at least three months before applying — and the company they work for must have been in operation for at least a year. They’re also required to prove that they can do their job remotely.

In terms of background, prospective visa holders must show they have either a minimum of three years of work experience or be graduates/postgraduates from renowned universities, vocational training courses or prestigious business schools.

Equally important is proof of financial self-sufficiency. To show that they can support themselves in Spain, individuals applying for the visa need to earn 200% of the country’s monthly minimum wage. Currently, this translates to €2,334 per month or €28,000 per year.

Spouses and children can also join the visa holders in Spain, in which case an extra 25% for each family member is added to the threshold income.

Finally, applicants are required to have a clean criminal record in the last five years, while, for the time being, they need to obtain full, private health insurance.

Visa duration and application process

Spain’s digital nomad visa is originally valid for 12 months, or for the duration of the employment period if that’s shorter than a year. It can be renewed for up to five years, at which point it’s possible to apply for permanent residency.

Interested digital nomads can either apply through a consulate or embassy in their home country or enter Spain on a tourist visa and apply within the first three months.

Applicants need to provide the following documents:

Completed copy of the National Visa Application Form.
Valid passport and two passport photos.
Proof of suitable employment (work contract and/or letter from employer confirming the remote professional activity).
Proof that the employer/company has been active for at least one year
Proof of income (payslips, work contract, bank statements).
Proof of qualifications (university degree, professional certificate, or evidence of at least three years of experience).
Proof of health insurance authorised to operate in Spain.
Criminal record check certificates for the last five years.
Proof of familial relationship to other applicants (marriage certificate, birth certificate).

The application fee is around €80, although the exact figure can vary slightly depending on the country you apply from.

It can take between 15 to 45 days for the visa to be processed.

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Opinion: Europe is throwing billions at quantum computers. Will it pay off?

Deep tech, Investors and funding, Next Featured, Startups and technology / DJ Henderson / March 6, 2023

No one may fully understand quantum computing yet, but one thing is clear — the expectations are high. And where there are high expectations, there’s money.

Both private and public funding for European quantum technologies has grown notably over the last few years. In 2021, private funding to quantum startups increased by 2.5x compared to 2020, and by 8x compared to 2019. Public funding has grown as well, with the EU planning to invest $7.2 billion (€6.8 billion) in quantum computing projects by 2025.

Understandably, most of these billions already are or will be directed to building a successful quantum computer — hardware is currently the biggest bottleneck in the deployment of this technology. However, let’s not forget that hardware alone won’t be enough. Without suitable software, quantum computers will have no value.

Yet, quantum software gets undeservedly little attention and, thereby, funding.

A quantum “chicken or the egg” challenge

An obvious example that quantum software in Europe is being undervalued is the money distribution in the EU’s Quantum Technology Flagship program — the ambitious initiative to support Europe’s quantum innovations with a total of €1 billion in funding. The first phase of this initiative has concluded with €152 million invested. Of those, just €4.6 million — that’s a mere 2.9% — were directed to the research and development of quantum software.

When it comes to private investments, the situation is better, albeit similar. In 2021/2022, about 14.5% of equity investments into European quantum computing startups were directed to software solutions. And it seems that in 2023, this trend continues. Europe’s quantum computing startups that have raised noteworthy rounds this year — including Pasqal (€100 million), Quantum Motion (£42 million), Oxford lonics (£30 million) — are all hardware-focused.

In the tech world, such focus on the hardware is unusual — in any other field, software typically receives the largest share of investments due to easier scalability and greater profit opportunities. So why, when it comes to quantum tech, it’s the other way around?

The reason for this anomaly is this: both private investors and public funds see quantum computing as a hardware problem rather than a software problem. And to some extent, they’re right — building successful quantum hardware is indeed the most burning challenge. Well, right now. But in the big picture, it’s only one-third of the problem.

The three hurdles to jump

When it comes to quantum computing, there are three central problems we still need to solve.

The first and most obvious one is to build a quantum computer. There are currently no quantum computers used for more than experiments, so this is what the industry is mainly focused on — from the world’s tech giants, such as Google and IBM, to startups and academia.

The second challenge is to reduce errors in quantum computers, enabling them to perform longer computations. Better hardware will reduce errors, but is unlikely to be sufficient by itself. We must find ways to correct quantum computing errors at the software level.

And the third problem is to find more computing methods for quantum computers, that is, quantum software applications. Quantum computers will be useful for modeling physics and chemistry, but the extent of their usefulness for data processing — from machine learning to planning and scheduling — is less clear. If we could find a couple more methods to expand the scope of problems these computers can solve, that would bring fundamental progress.

Hence, two of the three central quantum computing problems are software-related. But how come this isn’t at all reflected in the distribution of funding? Given that we’re pouring all (okay, most) of the available money into hardware, how is anyone expecting to be able to use this new supercomputer without the “brain” that actually powers it?

It might not be a software problem today, but it will be tomorrow

A reasonable distribution of funding, to my opinion, would be 15-20% for quantum software and 80-85% for hardware.

Quite simply, hardware is the most expensive and complex part of this technology, so it’s rational to allocate the largest amount of funding to it to expedite development. And directing one fifth of the total funding to software would be sufficient to cover the R&D work on new quantum computing applications.

While the distribution of private investments doesn’t look that hopeless, the EU’s public funds are lightyears away from reaching this goal.

Look, the development of quantum software takes years. It took my colleagues and me between five and 10 years to develop quantum walks as a method for solving problems. I expect a similar timescale for new problem-solving methods of comparable or larger significance.

What concerns me is that if we continue neglecting quantum software, in just about 10 years, quantum computing will become a software problem — and a life-or-death one. There will be quantum computers with applications mainly in physics and chemistry. In other areas, they will still be mostly used for experimentation rather than for actual problem-solving.

In other words, Europe’s now spending billions on specialised computing devices that it might not know how to adapt to wider applications. And if we aren’t able to provide software that would expand the application of these devices, we risk losing interest in this technology and its further development altogether. The range of applications will simply be too small for the world to care.

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Author name: DJ Henderson