Mike M. – Page 132

Why a European mobile operating system can’t challenge Android and iOS

Corporates and innovation, Ecosystems, Government and policy, Insider, Investors and funding, Next Featured / Mike M. / March 24, 2023

Recently, we asked if it was possible for Europe to have a dominant smartphone again. The answer was simple: no, not unless there’s some sort of miracle.

The reason behind this is multifaceted, but the core point is that because Asia hosts the majority of the world’s mobile manufacturing facilities, it’s borderline impossible for European companies to create a good enough phone at a low enough price to succeed.

But, here at TNW, we had another question: could Europe launch its own mobile operating system?

Why do we need a European mobile OS?

On first inspection, it’s an excellent idea. A European operating system could wrestle some of the power back from Silicon Valley behemoths iOS and Android. Also, it wouldn’t require the use of factories or raw materials, as the software could be developed in the continent itself.

Then let’s not forget that Europe has been at the forefront of digital privacy regulation, with initiatives like the GDPR and strict data-scraping laws enforcing citizens’ rights against data-hungry US tech giants.

A European mobile operating system, then, could be used to ensure privacy at the highest level for people and extend an element of control over the tech ecosystem. That latter point is particularly important, because not only do Apple and Google have control over the apps that appear on their platforms, they also take huge revenue cuts from publishers. That’s a staggering amount of power and income — all of which the EU could make use of.

But… is a European OS even possible?

To find out, I got in touch with several experts. One of them was Jan Stryjak, an associate director at Counterpoint Research. He leads the analyst firm’s research in Europe, and has over 13 years of experience in the telecommunications, media, and tech industries.

The first thing he told me was that there was no space on the market for a new European — or any other, for that matter — mobile operating system. “Two is enough,” he says, referring to iOS and Android. There were attempts in the past to make Windows a third dominant mobile OS, but these failed. While Windows Mobile and Symbian had their days in the sun, Android and iOS edged both out.

“It doesn’t work,” Stryjak tells me about the possibility of another operating system joining Apple and Google’s mobile operating systems. Well, there goes that dream.

When I pressed Stryjak further on the chances for such a thing, the only potential he saw was something for “the really niche tech population who care about privacy.”

Let’s talk about the third option

This topic of privacy is something I discussed with Wayne Huang, VP of Product Operations at Fairphone. His company creates devices that aim to be sustainable and climate neutral, with the goal of making repairable devices that give power back to the consumer.

One of Fairphone’s core customer segments is precisely the tech niche that cares about privacy. When I asked him how this option was expressed on their devices, Huang pointed me towards Fairphone’s partnership with the /e/ Foundation, specifically its Linux-based /e/OS mobile operating system.

The innards of a Fairphone, which shows how easily repairable the components can be. — In 2020, /e/OS was chosen as an alternative operating system for the Fairphone 3.

Users of Fairphone are able to install the privacy-first /e/OS, which is an open-source operating system that doesn’t track user data. Despite this, Android apps can still be used on the platform and /e/OS will warn you about any built-in trackers they provide.

Huang was unable to give me numbers on how many people use /e/OS on Fairphone devices. The closest figure I found came from Gaël Duval, the creator of the system. In 2021, he claimed there are “between 25,000 and 35,000 users of /e/OS” in total.

For context, there are over a billion iOS users — and that doesn’t include other Apple operating systems.

What we’ve found, then, is a pretty hard ceiling for a privacy-focused mobile OS. Currently, this is a niche option for niche devices. Yes, it could potentially grow and attract a healthy number of users, but this approach is unlikely to challenge the dominance of Android and iOS.

Instead, as Stryjak explained to me, at best, a new OS on mobile devices will likely be similar to Linux on desktop computers: something that attracts a devoted fanbase, but fails to make it into the mainstream.

Ending things there though is boring. We need to run this thought experiment through to its logical conclusion and truly work out what would happen if Europe developed its own mobile operating system.

Time to pretend

Let’s say that several EU member states disregard the above. They think the experts are misguided: there is room for a third major mobile operating system and they should be the ones to make it. What happens then?

Well, one thing’s for certain: it won’t be plain sailing.

“I’ve been on a number of calls with European Commissioners… where they’ve brought up a Linux system and asked if they can create something like this,” Huang tells TNW. “The challenge is that it’s difficult to bring everyone together to work towards this goal.”

Let’s not forget that the EU consists of 27 individual nations, all with different cultures and agendas. Getting countries that are more sceptical about big government and censorship on board with a European operating system will be a hard sell.

Yes, one could argue that it’d help promote the bloc’s focus on digital privacy and holding tech giants to account, but it’s not as if the EU is struggling to make an impact as it is.

But let’s pretend that, somehow, the EU manages to get each nation to agree that a European mobile operating system is actually a fantastic idea. The topic leapfrogs the invasion of Ukraine, sustainability, gas prices, and inflation to become the pressing matter in the European parliament. What then?

The technical tribulations

Stryjak from Counterpoint tells TNW that the first big problem a European mobile operating system would face is how it would isolate the continent from the rest of the planet.

“The world is getting bigger, but closer at the same time,” he tells TNW. For almost every function in modern society, “you need to have interoperability within Europe and other markets.” In other words, software needs to work with other software, or things come tumbling down.

This is the aforementioned Jan Stryjak from Counterpoint Research. — Stryjak has worked in European telecoms for more than 15 years.

If a European mobile OS was created, it’d require an unbelievable amount of work to make it function with existing apps and functionalities across the world.

Let’s think of it this way: would you switch to a phone that didn’t have a native Gmail app? Or Twitter? TikTok? Instagram? It would take an inordinate amount of time just for those companies to port over their software — and they’re some of the best-resourced organisations in the world.

Imagine how long it’d take for smaller businesses to port over all the apps you may need for work or life. It’d be an undertaking of galactic proportions.

Achieving the “same functionality of Samsung and Apple [phones] would take many iterations to get to,” Stryjak continues. And honestly? People aren’t willing to wait that long for software to get good. They want it to work and they want it to work now.

And then we have the political problems

Continuing on this thought experiment, let’s say this magical European mobile OS manages to overcome these development hurdles, and gets every engineer and coder alive to focus on making their software and hardware work perfectly with this new system. What then?

“If there’s a Europe-specific OS, can it operate in Russia or China?” Stryjak asks. The focus of this system would likely be enforcing GDPR and digital privacy, so could it operate in places where those regulations aren’t as stringent?

The answer, likely, is no.

You only need to look at the privacy uproar around HarmonyOS and Huawei’s tribulations with the US to get a feeling for how countries outside of Europe would react to a state-backed operating system. In short, badly.

If the EU somehow managed to get its member states to agree to create a mobile operating system, the likelihood is that it’d end up under-supported, struggling for users, and banned in various countries across the world.

To put that another way, it’d be pretty useless.

But is there any need for a European mobile OS?

Circling back to the crux of the piece, the answer is similar to hardware: no, not really.

The EU has been one of the biggest drivers in the digital privacy push and, although it could do even more if it had control over its own OS, the reality is that it’s already had a huge impact on technological privacy. As long as the bloc contains such a huge and affluent user base, it will continue to hold some sort of sway over Silicon Valley.

In a dream world, a European mobile operating system could improve a lot of things, but in reality? Pointless.

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These 3 fintech trends are key to building an inclusive future

Fintech and ecommerce, Startups and technology / Mike M. / March 24, 2023

Michael Schlein will be speaking at TNW Valencia 2023 about How fintech innovation can drive inclusive growth. Check out this discussion on the Impact stage on Thursday, March 3oth.

The world has changed so much over the past few years. The global pandemic, the war in Ukraine, worsening climate change, widespread social unrest — all these challenges have had major consequences for families, small businesses, and communities globally. For the first time in our lifetimes, global poverty and hunger are on the rise, and the economic environment remains uncertain and unstable.

As challenges evolve, so do solutions. While today’s challenges seem overwhelming, we’re also seeing powerful opportunities to build a fair, inclusive, and resilient economy. According to the 2021 Findex, more than a billion people gained access to formal financial accounts over the past decade — thanks to a digital revolution accelerated by the pandemic. This is very encouraging progress.

But 2 billion people remain excluded from the global financial system — and they will be much harder to reach. They are smallholder farmers, micro and small businesses in remote areas, and, more often than not, women.

As more people gain basic financial tools, they can use them to improve their lives — and access a broader suite of tools to build resilience. A farmer can purchase insurance to protect against climate disasters, a small business owner can access revolving credit to manage supply chain issues, and an aspiring software developer can save money and gain new skills to boost her income.

Inclusive fintechs are uniquely positioned to maximize these opportunities — and respond to challenges. Accion helped pioneer the field of inclusive fintech by launching one of the world’s first global fintech funds for the underserved, and by nurturing innovators with funding and support, we’ve seen how they can disrupt the status quo to deliver meaningful social change.

Today, we’re particularly excited by three fintech innovations with the potential to facilitate this momentum, and address the challenges disproportionately affecting underserved communities globally:

1. Embedded finance

While traditional finance often requires customers to jump through hoops, embedded finance makes it possible to offer services to customers upfront, using their data to anticipate their needs and credit risk.

For example, Accion’s seed-stage inclusive fintech investor, Accion Venture Lab has invested in Cashinvoice in India, which leverages data on small businesses to embed supply chain financing products in large platforms that small businesses already use, like suppliers of inventory for fast-moving consumer goods stores. This innovative practice has the potential to seamlessly equip millions of underserved people with the financial tools they need to improve their lives.

As more financial tools integrate with every aspect of the digital economy, we’re seeking to scale innovations that create new entry points for embedded finance in platforms that our end clients already use, like retailers selling seeds to smallholder farmers. We believe embedded finance solutions focused on reaching farmers, small businesses, and women have great potential to advance resilience and inclusion.

2. Agtech finance

Two thirds of the world’s working poor make a living through agriculture, and they are increasingly vulnerable to climate change. By equipping farmers with new financial tools and digital capabilities, we can help them build resilience. And in the relatively new field of agritech, we’ve seen exciting innovations emerge over the past few years that have great potential to generate social impact.

We’ve already seen encouraging results through our work with agtech fintechs like PULA and Apollo Agriculture that leverage technologies including satellite imaging and mobile apps to equip smallholder farmers across sub-Saharan Africa with crop insurance, customized advice, and credit. Through digital transformation and fintech integration, we’ve also deepened the impact of microfinance providers like Fundación Génesis Empresarial in Guatemala and Dvara KGFS in India that provide credit and other financial services to farmers.

As agtech finance continues to evolve, we’re particularly interested in targeting other service providers within the agricultural value chain, including aggregators, farmer-allied intermediaries, and distributors, to help them serve farmers and their communities more effectively.

3. Future of work finance

Increasingly, people are earning a living through non-traditional employment models, including gig or informal work, and they are particularly vulnerable to financial shocks. By nurturing financial service providers focused on these populations, we can help them gain a stronger foothold in the economy and strengthen their resilience.

For example, our fintech partner MyRobin has created a digital platform that provides blue-collar workers in Indonesia with access to fair employment opportunities, training, and financial services that strengthen their resilience and advance their careers, and our partner UGAFODE in Uganda is helping refugees start businesses and access financial tools.

In the short-term, we’re exploring opportunities to support workers shifting from informal to formal work through gig work platforms, prioritizing those that cater to women. In the long-term, we may also consider the global implications of automation, migration, and displacement on the workforce —and how solutions like cross-border payments and upskilling can help these workers build their financial health.

Accelerating change through knowledge and collaboration

Sharing our knowledge is critical to creating systemic change. Convenings like TNW Valencia are essential to share insights and explore the impact of new innovations — including those in embedded finance, agtech, and the future of work — to better gauge the effectiveness of our own work, and promote demonstration models that enable providers to better serve their clients.

I’m excited to work with our team — and with partners across the public, private, and social sectors — to scale our impact. The future is uncertain, but the challenges of the past have granted us new lessons, powerful tools, and greater resolve to support people with the most urgent needs.

Interested in learning more about inclusive fintech and Accion’s work in this field? Come check out Michael Schlein’s FT Power Hour talk on How fintech innovation can drive inclusive growth at at TNW Valencia 2023 on Thursday, March 30th from 13: 05-13: 25 on the Impact stage.

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Pico’s Big Announcement at GDC? Nothing in Particular

GDC 2023, News, pico, pico gdc 2023, pico interactive, pico vr, pico xr / Mike M. / March 23, 2023

Pico Interactive took to the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco this week with a massive booth, hyping the event as a “treat” that would be a ‘Journey to Infinity’. Well, there’s nothing in particular to announce.

Pico, the creator of the Pico 4 standalone, is arguably one of the biggest untapped threats to Meta’s market supremacy in the consumer VR standalone segment. At least for now.

Owned by TikTok parent company ByteDance, many speculated that the China-based Pico was finally ready to announce the consumer launch of Pico 4 in the United States, a step that many (including us) have been waiting for following a US hiring spree last summer.

At the time, a Protocol report maintained the move would usher in “a major focus on content licensing as well as marketing its hardware to U.S. consumers.”

So, is Pico 4 coming to US consumers? We spoke to the company at GDC this week, and despite a flashy ‘save the date’ countdown to its ‘Journey to Infinity’ and a massive booth on the show floor, there’s simply nothing to report.

In for a treat at #GDC23? Come say hi at Booth S627, Moscone Center and take a dive into the #JourneytoInfinity with #PICO #PICO4 #VirtualReality #VR #GDC23 #JourneytoInfinity pic.twitter.com/Julujtyilc

— PICO XR (@PICOXR) March 22, 2023

To boot, Pico’s Twitter presence isn’t very large—it has less than 10,000 followers at the time of this writing—but the initial countdown tweet promising to kick off “a new journey” managed to take the record for the company’s most-viewed tweet at more than 67,000 impressions. People were expecting something big from Pico at GDC, and it simply didn’t manifest.

Pico is probably the only company right now with both a capable device and the market stability to directly compete with Meta, the undisputed champion of the consumer standalone segment with Quest 2. Under the wing of the Chinese ByteDance media empire, Pico not only has the sort of cash reserves to subsidize hardware, but also a growing ability to attract developer interest.

Launched in October 2022 and priced at €420 (~$455), Pico 4 is available across Europe, China and a number of APAC countries, including Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. The missing puzzle piece is undoubtedly a North American release.

But, if you’re still waiting to hear about the much-anticipated US rollout, you should adjust your expectations for this week, because the only thing going on at the Pico booth are demos for the headset.

We have boots on the ground at GDC this week, so make sure to check back on all things AR/VR as we dive into developer sessions and see everything on the show floor.

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Meta Keeps the Oculus Name Alive as Third-party VR Publisher Becomes ‘Oculus Publishing’

Meta, meta vr, meta vr games, News, oculus, oculus publishing, oculus studios / Mike M. / March 23, 2023

Meta has nearly scrubbed all of its products of the Oculus name, however the company today announced its third-party publishing wing is getting a sort of rebrand that will see the Oculus name live on.

Meta announced at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) that it’s naming its third-party publishing arm Oculus Publishing. The company tells us Oculus Studios, its first-party studio, will continue to exist.

To date, Meta’s growing fleet of acquired first-party studios includes Beat Games (Beat Saber), Sanzaru Games (Asgard’s Wrath), Ready at Dawn (Lone Echo & Echo VR), Downpour Interactive (Onward), BigBox VR (Population: One), and Within (Supernatural).

Third-party titles under Oculus Publishing include Among Us VR (Innersloth, Schell Games), Bonelab (Stress Level Zero), The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (Skydance Interactive), and Blade & Sorcery: Nomad (Warpfrog).

Notably, there’s little left that sports the Oculus brand since the company made its big metaverse pivot in October 2021. Besides older hardware, the only things most people see with the ‘Oculus’ moniker is the Oculus PC app and Meta’s Oculus web portal, where the company still lists game libraries for Quest, Rift, Go, and Gear VR.

“This year marks a full decade since the inception of the original Oculus Content Team,” the company says in a developer blog post. “From Kickstarter to Quest, Meta has committed hundreds of millions of dollars in third-party content funding and specialized development support to help make the VR games landscape what it is today. Now, we’re excited to unveil an official name for one of the world’s largest VR games programs for developers: Oculus Publishing.”

The company says Oculus Publishing will continue to directly partner with development teams on conceptualization, funding, production, technology advancement, game engineering, promotion and merchandising.

The company says it’s contributed funding to “more than 300 titles,” and that there are another 150 titles in active development today.

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Rokid Launches New AR Glasses Rokid Max

AR glasses, featured, News, rokid / Mike M. / March 22, 2023

AR smart glasses company Rokid has just launched its 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 Air 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 will also be able to adjust audio settings which include noise cancellation for maintaining privacy and sound quality, though this option will be available within a couple of months post-delivery.

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 today, for $439. During the presales period, which runs until April 30, there’s a $20 discount with the code “ROKIDPRESS20OFF”.

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.

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.

AR glasses Rokid Max

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 Launches New AR Glasses Rokid Max Read More »

Get Ready to Battle in Space With Valo Motion’s Latest MR Game Release Astro Blade

augmented reality, featured, gaming, location-based AR, Mixed Reality, MR games / Mike M. / March 21, 2023

Last year, Valo Motion launched ValoArena, a mixed reality playground, in the US. Now, the company is back with an exciting MR game release – Astro Blade.

The Finnish game company, known for designing and developing cutting-edge interactive mixed reality games, has recently released a new space-themed game which can now be played in ValoArenas across the country. This interstellar adventure in a galaxy far, far away is sure to give you and your friends a thrilling time. So, get ready to take part in an action-packed battle in space and become a virtual superhero.

Blast Into Space With Valo Motion’s MR Game Astro Blade

Step into the world of the company’s MR game Astro Blade, where players become virtual holograms fighting in the hangar of a futuristic spaceship. Players can arm themselves with laser swords or spears and protect themselves with shields.

The game is inspired by classic fighting games and space-themed classics like Star Wars lightsaber battles. But what sets it apart is the technology behind ValoArena that makes it possible to bring these classics to life in an entirely new way.

ValoArena’s mixed reality system allows players to fully immerse themselves in the game’s interstellar world, where they can battle against friends and foes alike. The technology accurately tracks players’ movements, making the experience incredibly lifelike and realistic. With stunning graphics, exciting sound effects, and interactive gameplay, Astro Blade is a unique experience.

A Social and Safe Game

Valo Motion’s MR game Astro Blade is designed for up to six people. It is suitable for 8 to 14-year-olds, but it can be enjoyed by both young and adults. Those who grew up wielding imaginary lightsabers as pretend Jedis would definitely love this game. The game company has also paid special attention to making the game safe for younger players, which makes the game great for families with diverse age segments.

Valo Motion - ValoArena MR game Astro Blade

The game is very social and interactive. The actions of other players directly affect what you should do next, making it an excellent addition to ValoArena’s game offerings for small groups. They want players to feel like superheroes in a fighting game and be able to come up with their special moves without limitations.

Where and How to Play Astro Blade

Astro Blade can be found in various locations worldwide where Valo Motion products are available. You can check out their interactive map to find the nearest ValoArena to your location.

According to the company, “Astro Blade is also a part of Valo Motion’s mission of empowering people to move more and be physically active but also have a lot of fun while doing it. n Astro Blade the players use their entire body to play the game and an intense sword duel among friends is guaranteed to make them sweat!”

Astro Blade is designed to be an interactive and social game, so players can work together in teams or compete against each other. It’s a fun and exciting way to experience the latest in mixed reality gaming.

The Future of Gaming

Astro Blade is a testament to the power of mixed reality and how it can bring classic gaming experiences to life in new and exciting ways. As the popularity of MR releases like Astro Blade continues to grow, we can expect to see them become an increasingly ubiquitous part of the gaming landscape.

Astro Blade MR game by Valo Motion - ValoArena

For players, MR offers a unique and interactive experience that allows them to socialize and have fun in a way that traditional gaming simply cannot match. And for amusement and entertainment centers, investing in MR technology can provide a competitive advantage by offering a cutting-edge gaming experience that attracts customers and keeps them coming back for more.

Looking to the future, it’s clear that MR is set to play an even bigger role in gaming. With advancements in technology, we can expect to see even more immersive and interactive experiences that blur the line between the real and virtual worlds.

So, whether you’re a gaming enthusiast or an amusement center owner looking to stay ahead of the curve, it’s clear that MR has its place in the future of gaming. It’s an exciting time to be a part of the gaming industry.

Get Ready to Battle in Space With Valo Motion’s Latest MR Game Release Astro Blade Read More »

Aiming to Bring ‘Rainbow Six Siege’ Action to VR, Tactical Team Shooter ‘Breachers’ Releases in April

breachers, breachers vr, News, rainbow 6 vr, rainbow six quest, rainbow six siege, rainbow six vr, triangle factory, VR Game / Mike M. / March 17, 2023

Triangle Factory, the studio behind Hyper Dash (2021), announced its squad-based shooter Breachers is set to launch next month on Quest 2 and SteamVR headsets.

The Rainbow Six Siege-inspired shooter has seen over 60,000 players play since the studio launched the open alpha late last year. Now the studio says Breachers will officially launch on April 13th.

Like Rainbow Six Siege, one team (Enforcers) is tasked with wiping out the enemy squad and disarm their bombs with an EMP. You’ll be able to rappel and breach through walls, swing through windows and catch your opponents by surprise with gadgetry like drones, cloaking devices, flashbangs and breaching foam.

As the opposing team (Revolter), your squad has to protect your bombs with force and gadgets such as door-blockers, trip mines, static field emitters and proximity sensors.

If you’re curious to try your hand at the Breachers, the studio is actually still running the open alpha until March 24th. You can join the open alpha over at SideQuest for Quest 2 and Quest Pro, and over at Github for PC VR headsets. If you need any help through the install process, make sure to jump over to the game’s Discord (invite link).

While a VR-only game, Triangle Factory is also packaging in a spectator mode that can be viewed without VR hardware, promising some ready access for streamers looking to commentate on the game’s 5v5 competitive matches.

Priced at $30, players who pre-order on Quest can also get an Elite gun skin for ‘The Jesper’, the standard sidearm players spawn with at the start of each round. You can also wishlist on Steam. The studio hasn’t mentioned PSVR 2 support yet.

Aiming to Bring ‘Rainbow Six Siege’ Action to VR, Tactical Team Shooter ‘Breachers’ Releases in April Read More »

Google Discontinues Glass Enterprise Edition Smartglasses

Google, google ar, Google Glass, google glass enterprise, google glasses, google smartglasses, News, smart glasses, smartglasses / Mike M. / March 16, 2023

Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2, the company’s work-focused version of its iconic but once maligned smartglasses, is being discontinued.

Google says in a device support FAQ that, starting March 15th, it will no longer sell Glass Enterprise 2, adding that it will only support the device until September 15th, 2023.

While the company says it’s not pushing out any more software for Glass Enterprise Edition after that date, however its most recent system images will remain publicly available until at least April 1st, 2024.

Launched in 2017, Google Glass for enterprise was a revival of sorts, as the company had ceased production of the storied device in 2015.

Google Glass Explorer Edition | Image courtesy Alphabet

Starting in 2012, the company was hoping to seed the device among prosumers with its Glass Explorer Editions, although public backlash spawned the term “glasshole,” putting a severe dent in Google’s ambitions to launch a more consumer-focused version of the device.

Google hasn’t explained why it’s killing off Glass for enterprise. In response to PC Mag, a Google spokesperson left this comment:

“For years, we’ve been building AR into many Google products and we’ll continue to look at ways to bring new, innovative AR experiences across our product portfolio.”

To be fair, Google probably has bigger fish to fry, and the aging smartglasses platform may well be replaced sooner rather than later. Google said last summer it would be conducting real world tests of its early AR prototypes, emphasizing things like real-time translation and AR turn-by-turn navigation.

There’s also the issue of emerging competition. Apple’s upcoming mixed reality (MR) headset is rumored to arrive sometime in mid-2023, while Meta is prepping multiple generations of its MR Quest headsets.

Granted, these MR headsets probably won’t be the model workhorses, although many companies see MR headsets as a steppingstone in preparation for the sort of all-day AR glasses industry is hoping to commercialize in the near future.

– – — – –

To be clear, Google Glass is a style of smartglass(es) and not an AR device as such; Glass provides a single heads-up display (HUD) that doesn’t place digital imagery naturally in the user’s perceived environment, like with HoloLens 2 or Magic Leap 2, but rather flatly projects the sort of useful information you might also see on a smartwatch. You can learn more about the differences between AR headsets and smartglasses here.

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Meta Quest Gets Unreal Engine 5 Support Minus Two Headlining Features

Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, meta unreal engine, News, quest unreal engine, ue5 vr, Unreal Engine 5, unreal engine 5.1, VR Rendering / Mike M. / March 15, 2023

Meta is transitioning its support from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5.1 for apps built for the Quest platform. Two of the engine’s headlining features aren’t designed for mobile though, so it’s doubtful we we’ll ever see them on Quest.

In a dev blog post announcing the news, Meta says developers who choose to work with Epic’s game engine should start thinking about using UE5 for their Quest apps. The company isn’t advising devs to upgrade to UE5 if in the middle of a project though; apps based on UE4 can still be distributed to the Meta Quest Store or App Lab.

Still, the clock is ticking. Meta will support critical bug fixes for UE4 until the end of 2023, although devs can access UE4 resources and documentation on Meta’s GitHub repository even after the support is scaled back.

As you’d imagine, Meta says the original 2019 Quest won’t be supported—it’s unceremoniously getting pushed off into the sea—however the company is slated to provide separate binaries for each device soon, which will allow developers targeting Quest 1 an upgrade path. Notably, OpenXR is the only VR API supported by Meta in UE5.

No Nanite or Lumen

Unfortunately, two of the biggest features of Epic’s latest and greatest aren’t coming to the company’s standalone headsets. Released in April 2022, UE5 packs in two new tools called Nanite and Lumen.

Nanite is a virtualized geometry system which uses a new internal mesh format and rendering technology to render pixel scale detail and high object counts.

It essentially works like a continuous Level of Detail (LOD) system that draws detail from the original ‘master’ 3D model. In its developer documentation, Epic Games says Nanite can increase an app’s geometry complexity, higher triangle and objects counts by “multiple orders of magnitude.”

Here’s a look at what Nanite can do for VR games, courtesy of YouTube channel ‘Smart Poly’:

Lumen, the engine’s new dynamic global lighting system, also makes virtual environments look better, as it can use both software and hardware ray tracing for more realistic lighting.

And why not on Quest 2 or Quest Pro? Nanite and Lumen simply aren’t built to work on mobile processors, and don’t support Android at all.

Nanite is currently supported on a host of devices, including PS5, Xbox Series S|X, and PCs with even the most-humble of Maxwell-generation graphics cards. PS4 and Xbox One also support Nanite, albeit experimentally.

Lumen on the other hand is developed for PS5 and Xbox Series S|X, and high-end PCs. Software ray tracing can be done on NVIDIA GeForce GTX-1070 or higher cards, while hardware ray tracing must be on NVIDIA RTX-2000 series or higher, or AMD RX-6000 series or higher. Not even PS4 or Xbox One.

Moreover, Epic says in Lumen’s documentation that there are “no plans to develop a dynamic global illumination system for the mobile renderer. Games using dynamic lighting need to use unshadowed Sky Light on mobile.”

Without direct support from Epic, Meta has little other choice. Granted, many VR creators opt to develop in Unity thanks to its relative simplicity for smaller teams and greater overall market share, meaning more assets and general know-how to go around.

Meta Quest Gets Unreal Engine 5 Support Minus Two Headlining Features Read More »

Meta’s Second Mass Layoff Round to Affect 10,000 More Employees

Meta, meta 2022 layoffs, meta layoffs, News / Mike M. / March 14, 2023

Following a mass layoff at Meta late last year which affected 11,000 of its employees, the company announced today that it would be laying off another 10,000 workers through multiple rounds.

Update (March 14th, 2023): According to a Facebook post by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Meta is laying off an additional 10,000 employees across multiple rounds. It’s also set to close hiring for 5,000 open roles, and cancel more low-priority projects. Layoffs are said to begin this week, first hitting the company’s recruiting organization. A second weave in late April will affect tech roles, while a third in late May will affect business roles.

In the post, Zuckerberg calls this the “Year of Efficiency,” which the Meta chief says will optimize distributed work, increase developer productivity and tooling, and make the organization flatter by removing multiple layers of management. Zuckerberg also hopes to make it leaner by prioritizing higher-priority projects.

Notably, Zuckerberg doesn’t mention specific projects, or XR in any capacity. Meanwhile, the company has lowered the price of both Quest 2 and Quest Pro before the launch of Quest 3, which has come amid reports that Meta is planning a cheaper follow-up to Quest 3 in 2024 in addition to its AR projects.

The original article detailing the first large layoff round follows below:

Original Article (November 9th, 2022): Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said this in an internal memo obtained by Reuters:

“Not only has online commerce returned to [pre-covid] prior trends, but the macroeconomic downturn, increased competition, and ads signal loss have caused our revenue to be much lower than I’d expected,” Zuckerberg said. “I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that.”

Meta plans to cut discretionary spending and extend its hiring freeze through the first quarter, Reuters maintains. Laid off Meta employees are said to receive 16 weeks of base pay plus two additional weeks for every year of service, as well as all remaining paid time off, as a part of the severance package.

It’s not certain what percentage of layoffs will affect those working in Reality Labs. We’ve reached out to Meta for further comment and will update this if/when we hear back.

Trouble in XR Paradise?

Meta’s most recent quarterly earnings spelled trouble when it was released last month. Close to celebrating its first year after rebranding from Facebook to become a self-described ‘metaverse’ company, Meta battled slumping revenues across multiple divisions, not least of which was its XR centerpiece Reality Labs, which took an expected hit that didn’t sit right with investors.

While Meta has been aggressively spending on its XR division over the past few years, its recent shift away from Facebook amid all-time low revenues and record inflation has made layoffs almost a guarantee to keep stock prices from plummeting further.

Back in May, Reuters reported that hiring freezes would affect Reality Labs, which has added more than 13,000 employees last year and nearly 6,000 in the first quarter this year.

Zuckerberg warned at the time that Reality Labs probably wouldn’t truly profit for at least decade. In the meantime, the Meta’s XR efforts has cost the company $10.2 billion in 2021 and another $3 billion in the first quarter this year.

Meanwhile, Meta has just released its $1,500 Meta Quest Pro mixed reality headset for prosumers and business, and plans to release a consumer-focused follow-up, likely dubbed Quest 3, sometime in 2023.

Meta’s Second Mass Layoff Round to Affect 10,000 More Employees Read More »

EU extends crisis state aid rules to prevent green tech firms from leaving

Ecosystems, Government and policy, Investors and funding, Next Featured, Sustainability / Mike M. / March 11, 2023

The EU Commission is extending the relaxation of state aid rules to prevent green tech firms from relocating abroad and enable the bloc’s transition to a net-zero economy.

The rules around national subsidies had already been amended in 2022 as a response to Russia’s war on Ukraine, seeking to enable member states to more easily finance struggling companies and energy production in Europe.

Now, rising concerns about an escalating global subsidy race have pushed the EU to further prolong this temporary crisis framework — and even expand its scope to include support to domestic clean tech companies fighting climate change.

The move seems to be heavily influenced by the US’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which offers $369 billion in subsidies for green technologies “made in America.” This has triggered fears that EU companies will be tempted to relocate their business to the US.

To avoid a potentially catastrophic blow to the bloc’s long-term competitiveness in the green tech industry, the Commission has adapted the state aid rules to streamline the approval of subsidies for companies that accelerate the rollout of renewable energy, energy storage, and the decarbonisation of industrial production processes.

The EU has targeted six main sectors: batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, heat-pumps, electrolysers, and carbon capture usage and storage. This also includes production of key components as well as the manufacturing and recycling of related critical raw materials.

“The framework gives member states the option to offer aid in a fast, clear, and predictable way.

The amended rules will provide member states with more flexibility to inject public funds, allowing for higher aid ceilings and simplified aid calculations.

SMEs and companies located in disadvantaged regions are eligible for higher support, while EU nations can also access larger funds if the aid is provided via tax advantages, loans, or guarantees.

To prevent cases in which the risk of relocation is high, countries will have a “matching aid” option. That is, to match the subsidies offered by a non-EU government and keep the company within the union’sborders. Alternatively, member states will be able to cover the funding gap the company expects to have.

“Our rules protect the level playing field in the single market.

To ensure that these options don’t provoke unfair competition in the bloc, the Commission has put three safeguards in place:

The aid can be granted to companies in less developed areas, or to projects located in at least three member states.
Eligible companies need to use state-of-the-art production technology from an environmental emissions perspective.
The aid cannot trigger relocation of investments between member states.

EU countries can make use of the new rules until 31 December, 2025, but disbursements could continue afterwards as well.

“The framework that we have adopted today gives member states the option to give state aid in a fast, clear, and predictable way,” Margrethe Vestager, Executive VP in charge of competition policy, said in a statement.

“Our rules enable member states to accelerate net-zero investments at this critical moment, while protecting the level playing field in the single market and cohesion objectives. The new rules are proportionate, targeted, and temporary.”

EU extends crisis state aid rules to prevent green tech firms from leaving Read More »

Europe’s ports are using tech to navigate ‘the perfect storm’

Ecosystems, Next Featured, Startups and technology / Mike M. / March 10, 2023

Cargo ports are vital transport hubs in the world economy. Around 90% of all globally traded goods by tonnage is transported by sea and in 2021, a whopping 3.5 billion tonnes of freight passed through EU ports alone.

Antwerp was the second-largest port in Europe — spreading across 120km² — before a merger with Bruges in 2022 created a combined port area of 160km² and the biggest chemical cluster on the continent.

València’s expanding port is the largest on the European Mediterranean in terms of container traffic — and dates back to 1491. Its port authority, Valènciaport, is responsible for València, plus Gandía and Sagunto ports along the coast.

Ahead of their talks at TNW València in March, we spoke to Erwin Verstraelen, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, and Juan Manuel Díez, Strategy and Innovation Director at the Port Authority of València, about how they are pursuing the newest advances in tech to transform their ports.

“Ports are not just logistics hubs, they’re also becoming the industrial and energy hubs for Europe as part of the European Green Deal, so we are in a complete transformation of our core activity and digital innovation plays a significant role in that,” Verstraelen told TNW.

Díez has spent over 12 years working for the Port Authority of Valencia. — Verstraelen was appointed CDIO at Port of Antwerp-Bruges in 2017.

Ports ecosystems are facing what Verstaelen calls the “perfect storm” at the convergence of geopolitics, digitisation, mobility, sustainable growth, and the energy transition.

Zero-emissions

“We have a very ambitious goal: we want to be carbon neutral in 2030,” València’s Díez told TNW in his office overlooking the cargo terminals. “Already all the electricity that is consumed in the port comes from renewable sources — we buy it with this condition – but we have our own plans to produce electricity here in the port.”

València’s 300-plus annual days of sun will be put to good use, with the first of three solar plants in the port already launched. Gandía is on track to become the first energy self-sufficient European port, according to Díez.

“We have been thinking for many years now about installing windmills in our breakwaters but the technology wasn’t there,” said Díez. “Now it is advancing and we have plans for our own wind farm in the coming years.”

JM Diez — Díez has spent over 12 years working for the Port Authority of Valencia.

The new cargo terminal in the port of València will be 98% electrified and the remaining 2% will use hydrogen, he added, making it “the most sustainable terminal in Southern Europe for sure.”

Getting to zero emissions means mobilising the whole port community. Valènciaport recently launched a pioneering project to test the use of green hydrogen for moving machinery inside the port, with an H2 storage tank and mobile hydrogen generator. The next stage will be to test hydrogen-powered prototypes of a container stacker and tractor.

Digital twins

Access to instant information is essential for ports. Both Antwerp-Bruges and València are investing in sophisticated “digital twins” of their port areas.

In València, the digital twin includes a Port Collaborative Decision Making (Port CdM) System, which could reduce a ship’s average call time by 10%.

Part of digital twin Port of Antwerp-Bruges — The digital twin of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges is a virtual copy of the port area with real-time information.

“Arrivals in a port are not on a precise clock, but by having and using timely information, the port can prepare in advance, e.g. by letting a ship know there is no mooring available at that moment so it can slow its speed, use less fuel, and reduce emissions,” said Díez.

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges is one of the first in the world to have a digital twin of its territory, according to Verstraelen.

“By equipping the entire port area with sensors, cameras, drones, we create a digital nervous system on top of the physical port,” he said. “And if you bring all these data feeds together in what we call a digital twin, the people responsible for safety and security will be positioned or alerted if something is taking place in the port the moment it happens and can act immediately upon it.”

Sensors monitor the port’s air quality to detect not just CO2 and other gas emissions but also volatile organic compounds like benzene and toluene — vital intelligence considering the size of the Antwerp-Bruges chemical cluster.

LNG terminal from Fluxys in Zeebrugge Credit Port of Antwerp-Bruges — The Port of Antwerp-Bruges is home to Belgium’s sole terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG). Credit: Port of Antwerp-Bruges

Once an air quality monitor triggers an alarm, different data sources offer information on wind speed and direction to indicate where an emission is coming from, and the location of ships in the port based on their automatic identification system (AIS) tracker. The data is then filtered to show tankers and turn cameras in the direction of the emission.

“In real-time, you see that there is for example an illegal or an accidental degasification of a tanker ship taking place,” Verstraelen said.

By applying algorithms to AIS data, they not only create situational awareness but also prescriptive awareness about something that will need looking at from a safety, security, or operational perspective.

The last step will be predicting what will happen a few hours ahead and acting on it in terms of allocating tugboats and pilots, knowing how the wind is going to change or if a storm is coming.

‘Outside-in’ innovation

All this innovation is a springboard for fresh ideas. As well as being an active member of Spain’s Ports 4.0 initiative with its €20 million equity fund, València has its own acceleration/incubation program, Opentop. The program, which works with startups focused on many aspects of port operations, will also be exhibiting in the València Ecosystem Pavilion at TNW València.

One of the young startups the port collaborates with is We Are Lab. The company has been developing ways to plant Posidonia, a Mediterranean seagrass that is tricky to grow but awesome for capturing CO2 from the ocean. Posidonia in the port breakwaters can be used to clean the surrounding sea.

Zeleros, the València-based Hyperloop scaleup, is also a partner, and currently trialling a test track in Sagunto to move cargo around the port in an emission-free way.

Container terminal Valencia credit Valenciaport — A fourth container terminal is currently under construction in València. Credit: Valènciaport

Up north in Antwerp-Bruges, Verstraelen explains that when it comes to fostering innovation, he cultivates a “what if” mentality, opening up the port as an ecosystem for “outside-in” innovation.

“We decided to open up the port as an innovation platform, inviting promising technologies to come and demonstrate their added value, and allowing them to make themselves market-mature faster,” Verstraelen said.

One of the noteworthy startups backed by Antwerp-Bruges in 2018 to work on barges is remote-piloting technology startup SEAFAR. The largest concentration of barges in Europe is in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany and they account for around 40% of all cargo passing through Antwerp-Bruges.

However, with older barge captains retiring and fewer new ones replacing them, the time was ripe for a big change. In light of these trends, the port went “all in” to enable the four-person startup to demonstrate that its tech could remote-pilot one of the port’s ships.

“As a consequence of that they got permission from the regional government to operate ships in a commercial way the year after,” said Verstraelen. “Today, SEAFAR is 30 people, there are barge owners building new ships to be remotely piloted, and they are sailing around commercial cargo with ships that are operated from more than 100 kilometres away.”

A remote pilot, who can handle three or four crafts at the same time, means a reduction in labour costs and more on-board cargo space as there’s no need for living quarters.

Drones and spills

In terms of new tech, Antwerp-Bruges puts the emphasis on proof of value rather than proof of concept. Service drones are a good case in point as the size and complexity of the port makes it the perfect test ground.

The idea to have multiple automated drones simultaneously airborne over the port, performing oil spill and litter detection, asset management inspection, and supporting police and fire brigades had been germinating since 2018. However, there was no existing legal framework and it was forbidden to operate automated drones beyond visual line of sight in a no-fly zone like a port.

By demonstrating proof of value and relevant use cases, the government agencies were finally able to okay them and develop legislation for their use in the port.

“We are the fifth largest bunkering [supplying fuel for ships] port on the planet and you can imagine that accidents do happen,” Verstraelen said. “It’s important once we spot an oil spill to see where it is floating and how big it is if we call in the specialised services to clean it up.” Thanks to drones, these teams know what they need to do and what kind of equipment they need before they leave.

The drones have cameras that supply live feeds to central control, and the port is also developing algorithms that can detect spills in the camera feed. “You don’t want a ship going through an oil spill, because then it becomes polluted and it takes the entire thing with it,” Verstraelen said.

Aerial view of Kieldrecht lock & Deurganckdok (biggest container terminals) Antwerp Credit Port of Antwerp-Bruges — The Kieldrecht lock in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges is the largest lock in the world. Credit: Port of Antwerp-Bruges

Tech is evolving so fast that “the biggest mistake you can make is to say we tried it in the past and it didn’t work,” according to Verstraelen. “If something doesn’t work now, try it again in six months, 12, 18, and 24 months from now.”

He points to speech-to-text AI, which the port tried to use a few years ago to translate very high-frequency (VHF) radio communication between ships. The team hoped to mine the data for sentiment analysis indicating a potential conflict between captains, but the tech wasn’t ready for the task.

“We tried it a month ago, again, with the same sound file… and it was 95% spot on. So in less than two years, it went from completely useless to completely and utterly usable on a daily basis.”

Both ports reflect the leaps that authorities are making to modernise, tackle climate goals, and prepare their ports for the future.

Their efforts are already reaping impressive results. Verstraelen describes his port’s ecosystem as “the most impressive innovation breeding ground I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

If you want to experience València and its ecosystem for yourself, we’ve got something special for our loyal readers. Use the promo code TNWVAL30 and get a 30% discount on your conference business pass for TNW València.

Europe’s ports are using tech to navigate ‘the perfect storm’ Read More »

Author name: Mike M.