<![CDATA[Malay Mail - Tech-gadgets]]> https://www.malaymail.com/feed/rss/tech-gadgets Tech-gadgets en Malay Mail Copyright 2024 Malay Mail Fri, 29 Mar 2024 14:53:45 +0800 <![CDATA[Musk’s xAI to launch improved version of chatbot]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/29/musks-xai-to-launch-improved-version-of-chatbot/126139 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/29/musks-xai-to-launch-improved-version-of-chatbot/126139 Malay Mail

SAN FRANCISCO, March 29 — Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI said on Thursday it will launch an enhanced version of its chatbot Grok.

The new version, called Grok-1.5, will be made available to early testers and existing Grok users on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in the coming days, xAI said in a statement.

The startup said one of the most notable improvements in the new version is its performance in coding and math-related tasks.

Seeking an alternative to Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Alphabet’s Google, Musk launched xAI last year to create what he said would be a “maximum truth-seeking AI”.

In December, the startup rolled out Grok for Premium+ subscribers of X.

Earlier this month, Musk said xAI would open-source Grok, days after the billionaire had sued OpenAI for allegedly abandoning its original mission in favour of a for-profit model. — Reuters

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Fri, 29 Mar 2024 09:21:37 +0800 musk,xai,chatbot,grok
<![CDATA[Apple confirms WWDC happening June 10, hints at AI announcement]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/27/apple-confirms-wwdc-happening-june-10-hints-at-ai-announcement/125800 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/27/apple-confirms-wwdc-happening-june-10-hints-at-ai-announcement/125800 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference will be happening this June 10 and already there’s been plenty of buzz about what will be announced.

The conference is one of the tech industry’s most anticipated events though hardware announcements are not always the norm, being focused more on software updates and developer sessions.

In-person participation for developers will, however, be decided by lottery but not being there in person doesn’t mean not being able to partake of a lot of useful conference information as there will be shared online sessions.

Apple also has a new Apple Developer YouTube channel that will also upload WWDC videos.

Applications to attend the in-person conference are already open on the official Apple site or you could look up and download the Apple Developer app.

Will there be an exciting announcement in store? Keen eyes have spotted what might be a hint of a possible artificial intelligence reveal.

It’s unlikely that Apple will announce its own genAI bot considering news of the company’s discussions with Google and other genAI-using firms only came out recently.

Instead, genAI might be baked into the company’s own apps but for now that is still just speculation.

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Erna Mahyuni Wed, 27 Mar 2024 15:18:45 +0800 Apple,confirms,WWDC,happening,June,10,,hints,at,AI,announcement
<![CDATA[WWDC24: Apple to reveal iOS 18 with AI focus along with new OS updates for Macs and iPads]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/27/wwdc24-apple-to-reveal-ios-18-with-ai-focus-along-with-new-os-updates-for-macs-and-ipads/125761 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/27/wwdc24-apple-to-reveal-ios-18-with-ai-focus-along-with-new-os-updates-for-macs-and-ipads/125761 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — Apple just announced the official date for the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024, the event where the company announces new updates to its software ecosystem. The event this year will be happening from 10 -14 June at the famous Apple Park campus.

WWDC has been the event where Apple announces the latest and greatest OS updates to all of its devices, in particular iOS. This year, developers and consumers alike are looking forward to the next iOS update as many expect Apple to announce its first foray into generative AI with iOS 18.

Apple and AI together on stage at WWDC24

The next update of the iPhone operating system is set to feature for the first time AI features and functionalities. This is on the back of the recent talks of Apple tying up with Google to bake in the Gemini AI model into the OS.

Mirroring Samsung’s Galaxy AI, Apple may be including generative AI features via on-device processing. The event is also where we can preview the next iPhone, as WWDC is usually where Apple will give sneak peeks into how the next iPhone will look like via new software updates on stage.

Other expected announcements include RCS support in Messages and UI design changes. We should also see hints of the next iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV on stage. Additionally, we should see additional feature additions for the Vision Pro announced during the event.

According to Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations: “WWDC is all about sharing new ideas and providing our amazing developers with innovative tools and resources to help them make something even more wonderful.”

Watch the WWDC24 keynote online

Like previous years, the keynote will be streamed live online, while developers and students can experience WWDC24 throughout the week on the Apple Developer app, Apple Developer website, and YouTube. The keynote will be streaming on Apple’s website on June 10, 2024, at 1am Malaysian time. — SoyaCincau

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Sharil Abdul Rahman Wed, 27 Mar 2024 11:50:21 +0800 WWDC24,iOS 18
<![CDATA[How to delete personal data before selling your smartphone, tablet or computer]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/27/how-to-delete-personal-data-before-selling-your-smartphone-tablet-or-computer/125758 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/27/how-to-delete-personal-data-before-selling-your-smartphone-tablet-or-computer/125758 Malay Mail

PARIS, March 27 — When getting rid of your smartphone, tablet or computer — whether you’re giving it to a friend, reconditioning it or selling it online — you should first make sure you’ve properly removed all traces of your personal data.

When it comes to your smartphone — a device that now holds your entire life (or almost), from vacation photos to administrative documents, emails and all your internet passwords — a few simple steps are all it takes to ensure that you don’t risk inadvertently sharing precious personal data.

Before parting with the device, start by backing up your multimedia data, including photos, videos, documents, music and so on. This operation can be carried out quite simply via a computer, using iTunes if you have an iPhone, or Android File Transfer for other models. You can also choose to copy everything to the cloud, via an online storage service such as iCloud, Google Drive or Photos.

Then it’s time to reset your phone, which deletes all data on the device and restarts it with the initial factory settings — just as it was on day one — ready for the next user. It is advisable to manually delete the various WiFi networks stored on the device, and to deactivate iMessage if you have an iPhone. Then simply go to Settings / General Management then Reset on Android or Settings / General / Reset iPhone on iOS. When it’s specified, be sure to ask for all data to be erased. Then you can give away or resell the device with peace of mind. This process also applies to the donation or resale of a tablet.

For a PC, after taking care to make a copy of your computer’s contents on an external hard drive and/or in the cloud, start by deleting all your personal folders manually and then logging out of all your accounts in your Settings. Then all you have to do is reset the device. To do this, go to Settings, then System then Recovery. Click on “Reset this PC” and select “Delete all.” At the end of this process, your PC will be free of any personal data.

On a Mac, you’ll need to first back up your data, the easiest way being to use Time Machine, directly integrated into macOS, which allows you to make a copy of your computer on any external drive. Once again, delete your files manually, then reset the Mac by going to System Settings, General, Transfer or reset, and then Delete content and settings.

You can also format the hard disk, ie, ask for all your data to be erased, but you’ll have to reinstall Windows or macOS.

In any case, by following these steps, you can be sure that all your personal data is erased from the device you’re about to give away. — ETX Studio

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Wed, 27 Mar 2024 11:35:51 +0800 How,to,delete,personal,data,before,selling,your,smartphone,,tablet,or,computer
<![CDATA[Big tech told to identify AI deepfakes ahead of EU vote]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/27/big-tech-told-to-identify-ai-deepfakes-ahead-of-eu-vote/125720 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/27/big-tech-told-to-identify-ai-deepfakes-ahead-of-eu-vote/125720 Malay Mail

BRUSSLES, March 27 — The European Union (EU) called on Facebook, TikTok and other tech titans yesterday to crack down on deepfakes and other AI-generated content by using clear labels ahead of Europe-wide polls in June.

The recommendation is part of a raft of guidelines published under a landmark content law by the European Commission for digital giants to tackle risks to elections including disinformation.

The EU executive has unleashed a string of measures to clamp down on big tech, especially regarding content moderation.

Its biggest tool is the Digital Services Act (DSA) under which the bloc has designated 22 digital platforms as “very large” including Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and X.

There has been feverish excitement over artificial intelligence since OpenAI’s ChatGPT arrived on the scene in late 2022, but the EU’s concerns over the technology’s harms have grown in parallel.

Brussels especially fears the impact of Russian “manipulation” and “disinformation” on elections taking place in the bloc’s 27 member states on June 6-9.

In the new guidelines, the commission said the largest platforms “should assess and mitigate specific risks linked to AI, for example by clearly labelling content generated by AI (such as deepfakes)”.

The commission recommends that big platforms promote official information on elections and “reduce the monetisation and virality of content that threatens the integrity of electoral processes” to diminish any risks.

“With today’s guidelines we are making full use of all the tools offered by the DSA to ensure platforms comply with their obligations and are not misused to manipulate our elections, while safeguarding freedom of expression,” said the EU’s top tech enforcer, Thierry Breton.

While the guidelines are not legally binding, platforms must explain what other “equally effective” measures they are taking to limit the risks if they do not adhere to them.

The EU can ask for more information and if regulators do not believe there is full compliance, they can hit the firms with probes that could lead to hefty fines.

‘Trusted’ information

Under the new guidelines, the commission also said political advertising “should be clearly labelled as such” before a tougher law on the issue comes into force in 2025.

It also urges platforms to put in place mechanisms “to reduce the impact of incidents that could have a significant effect on the election outcome or turnout”.

The EU will conduct “stress-tests” with relevant platforms in late April, it said.

X has already been under investigation since December over content moderation.

And the commission on March 14 pressed Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and four other platforms to provide more information on how they are countering AI risks to polls.

In the past few weeks, several of the companies including Meta have outlined their plans.

TikTok yesterday announced more of the measures it was taking including push notifications from April that will direct users to find more “trusted and authoritative” information about the June vote.

TikTok has around 142 million monthly active users in the EU — and is increasingly used as a source of political information among young people. — AFP

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Wed, 27 Mar 2024 08:06:33 +0800 artificial intelligence,deepfakes
<![CDATA[Apple now allows Malaysian customers to trade in older devices towards a new purchase]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/26/apple-now-allows-malaysian-customers-to-trade-in-older-devices-towards-a-new-purchase/125623 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/26/apple-now-allows-malaysian-customers-to-trade-in-older-devices-towards-a-new-purchase/125623 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 — With no fanfare whatsoever, Apple Malaysia just revealed a new trade-in programme for new device purchases on the official Apple website. The programme is open for all new Apple products – from the iPhone to the new MacBook Air.

Malaysian customers can trade in iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and even Macs to be used for a new device purchase. As a bonus, Apple is not restricting customers to the same type of device for trading i.e. tablets for iPads only. This means that you can trade in your old iPhone for a new MacBook or the other way around.

When users head to the official Apple website, they will notice a small button or widget on the buy page of the Apple product, or further down in the customisation page, an option to use Apple Trade In to input the required information on the device that they want to trade in.

Trade-in for a new Apple Malaysia product

The oldest device accepted for iPhone trade-ins is the iPhone 6 Plus, with a value of RM150. You can also trade in the Apple Watch Series 5 for up to RM 350. For the MacBook, the max value for trade-in is up to RM3,900 for the MacBook Pro while the iPad Pro can go up to RM4,200.

Users will need to key in their serial number to check the exact amount they will get for trading in their older devices. Apple will only apply the credit to the device price after they have received the device and confirmed its condition. There is a grace period of 14 days after you have received the new device to either have the older device picked up or dropped off. Apple stated in the FAQ that the whole process ‘generally takes 2-3 weeks’. Customers can reject the trade-in if they are not satisfied with the amount.

Additionally, the credit from the trade-in will only be given after you have purchased the device, and it will take 3-5 working days for the credit to be processed. If the credit you receive is worth more than the price of your new device, you’ll get the remaining amount in the form of a gift card.

Apple Malaysia also offers a recycling programme

Apple also offers recycling for older devices for free, regardless of the device brand. Customers will just need to choose ‘Other-Recycling’ or choose ‘Other’ when asked “Who made your tablet?” and Apple will proceed to arrange for your device to be recycled.

For the trade-in device, Apple will email the customer with instructions on how to box up the old device and arrange shipping. Apple did not disclose who is the partner on the official FAQ page. — SoyaCincau

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Sharil Abdul Rahman Tue, 26 Mar 2024 17:05:27 +0800 apple
<![CDATA[iOS 18 will feature more home screen customisation options]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/26/ios-18-will-feature-more-home-screen-customisation-options/125530 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/26/ios-18-will-feature-more-home-screen-customisation-options/125530 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 — The Apple iPhone home screen layout has effectively been the same since the launch of the original iPhone back in 2007.

The rows and columns design was only recently broken up by the introduction of widgets on the home screen.

Now, iOS 18 may see the arrival of free arrangement for app icons with the ability to create blank spaces, rows and columns between the icons.

According to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, the feature will officially arrive with the next iOS update and will allow more customisability for Apple users which Android users have had since day one.

While there are solutions for custom icon arrangements for iOS — users can use apps like Shortcuts and Widgetsmith — this time, the customisation will be official from Apple and a bit more convenient.

Current iOS icons and widget layout. — SoyaCincau pic
Current iOS icons and widget layout. — SoyaCincau pic

The customisation of the Home Screen should be the biggest news to happen to iOS since Apple introduced widgets with iOS 14.

WWDC is the traditional event where Apple announces new software updates for its iOS family, which includes PadOS. The next conference will happen in June 2024, and we should see a wealth of updates for the iPhone operating system. This includes new generative AI support, RCS support in Messages, UI design changes and more. — SoyaCincau

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Sharil Abdul Rahman Tue, 26 Mar 2024 08:53:50 +0800 ios 18,iOS
<![CDATA[EU probes Apple, Google, Meta under new digital law]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/25/eu-probes-apple-google-meta-under-new-digital-law/125467 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/25/eu-probes-apple-google-meta-under-new-digital-law/125467 Malay Mail

BRUSSELS, March 25 —The EU today hit Apple, Google parent Alphabet and Meta with the first ever probes under a mammoth digital law, which could lead to big fines against the US giants.

Among six firms named as market “gatekeepers” under the EU’s landmark Digital Markets Act—along with Amazon, TikTok owner ByteDance and Microsoft—the companies have been obliged to comply with the new law since March 7.

“We are not convinced that the solutions by Alphabet, Apple and Meta respect their obligations for a fairer and more open digital space for European citizens and businesses,” said the EU’s internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton.

In a statement announcing the probes, the European Commission, the EU’s antitrust regulator, said it suspects the measures the firms have put in place so far “fall short of effective compliance.”

One of the main tech lobbying groups, CCIA, whose members include the three giants targeted, lambasted the probes, accusing the EU of “jumping the gun” and acting too hastily.

The EU’s competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, insisted regulators had “definitely” not rushed to probe the companies.

Senior officials have acknowledged that changes are already taking place, but suggest they do not go far enough.

Under the new rules, the commission can impose fines of up to 10 percent of a company’s total global turnover. This can rise to up to 20 percent for repeat offenders.

In extreme circumstances, the EU can order the break up of companies.

Unlike the traditional rules that saw probes last for years, the DMA demands regulators complete any investigation within 12 months of its start.

Restriction fears

Today’s probes are focused on whether Alphabet’s Google Play and Apple’s App Store are allowing app developers to show consumers offers, free of charge, outside of those app marketplaces.

The commission fears that the measures the two companies have taken may not be fully compliant since they impose “various restrictions and limitations”.

Alphabet is also under suspicion over whether Google search results favour its own services—for example, Google Shopping or Google Flights—over rivals.

The EU slapped a whopping 2.4-billion-euro ($2.6 billion) fine on Google in 2017 over similar claims of self-preferencing.

Google’s director of competition, Oliver Bethell, said Google had made “significant changes to the way our services operate in Europe”, adding: “We will continue to defend our approach in the coming months.”

Apple said it was “confident” its plan complied with the DMA.

Concerns over consent

Apple is also under the spotlight over whether it allows users to easily uninstall apps on its iOS operating system, and the design of the web browser choice screen.

Under the DMA, the gatekeepers must offer choice screens for web browsers and search engines to ensure users have more options.

Meta also faces problems over its ad-free subscriptions model, which has already been targeted by three complaints since it launched in November.

European users can pay to avoid being tracked for advertising but officials were not convinced.

“We have serious doubts that this consent is really free when you are confronted with a binary choice,” Breton told reporters.

Meta has faced an avalanche of legal problems in the EU over its data processing, including a 1.2 billion-euro fine last year for data privacy breaches.

Meta defended its scheme. “We designed Subscription for No Ads to address several overlapping regulatory obligations, including the DMA,” a spokesperson said.

Turning sour on Apple

In an additional move, EU regulators will also explore whether Amazon may be favouring its own brand products on the Amazon Store and whether Apple’s new fee structure for alternative app stores “may be defeating the purpose” of its DMA obligations.

An Amazon spokesperson said it was “compliant” with the DMA.

Today’s announcement is one more problem for Apple, which faces a glut of legal challenges on both sides of the Atlantic.

Last week, the US Department of Justice sued Apple, accusing the company of operating a monopoly in the smartphone market.

That was just weeks after the EU slapped a €1.8 billion (RM9.22 billion) fine on the iPhone maker for preventing consumers from accessing cheaper music streaming subscriptions.

Apple said it would appeal the EU fine. — AFP

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Mon, 25 Mar 2024 21:52:58 +0800 european union,digital law
<![CDATA[Apple Vision Pro to hit mainland China this year, state media says]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/24/apple-vision-pro-to-hit-mainland-china-this-year-state-media-says/125273 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/24/apple-vision-pro-to-hit-mainland-china-this-year-state-media-says/125273 Malay Mail

BEIJING, March 24 — Apple Vision Pro will hit the mainland China market this year, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said today, according to state media.

Cook revealed the headset’s China launch plan in response to a media question on the sidelines of the China Development Forum in Beijing, CCTV finance said on its Weibo social account.

Apple will continue to ramp up research and development investment in China, he was quoted as saying. — Reuters

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Sun, 24 Mar 2024 20:31:51 +0800 Apple Vision Pro,china,apple
<![CDATA[Apple wants you to take better photos and videos this Raya with your iPhone. Here’s how]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/23/apple-wants-you-to-take-better-photos-and-videos-this-raya-with-your-iphonehereshow/125105 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/23/apple-wants-you-to-take-better-photos-and-videos-this-raya-with-your-iphonehereshow/125105 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 — With the festive season coming up, everybody is gearing up to capture the best moment during the family gatherings. Many of the phones that will be used will undoubtedly be Apple devices. In light of that, here are some top photo and video tips compiled by Apple from Malaysian content creators on getting the best photos and videos with your iPhone, the next time you meet up with your family and friends.

Tip 1: Arrange your subjects properly!

Getting the right arrangement to fit your family in the frame is key to capturing the right family photo. A wealth of tips from photographer Muhd. Hidayatullah — “Enhance your family portraits with a simple adjustment to your arrangement. Familiarise yourself with your subjects, highlighting their best features to achieve the perfect shot. Ensure your phone is held steadily and your subjects are well-framed in the centre for a clean portrait.

Zooming in is another good way to capture photos as the zoom helps tighten the shot and compress the background. According to Annice Lyn, a photojournalist, “The 2x telephoto lens enhances the perspective, facilitating the creation of visually stunning narratives by connecting deeply with subjects, conveying authenticity and emotion in a more intimate and closer manner.

Of course, the selfie is a powerful tool to capture pictures with family and friends this Raya. The latest selfie trends will help elevate those selfie photos and add more experience to the user’s photography experience. For example, using Portrait Mode in selfie mode will make subjects pop out more, enhancing the photo overall.

Tip 2: Capture your photos remotely

The timer mode on cameras is neat — you can set a timer, and then go back to your position as the camera app counts down to capture your picture. But many times, the experience is sketchy — what if the distance between your smartphone and your position in the group photo is a long distance away?

Then what you need is a remote trigger. You can either get a Bluetooth trigger or just use your Apple Watch to trigger your camera while you are in position using the Double Tap gesture – no fuss or muss. This is especially handy with a large group shot. Plus, you can do it without looking at the watch, so your photos will look more natural.

Tip 3: Edit the photos to make it pop out more

Smartphones are minicomputers living in your pockets. Modern devices have more than enough performance to edit all of your captured moments on the spot. Apple’s built-in editing suite is as powerful as any desktop software, but more convenient as it is right there on your phone.

With a simple tap in the Photos app, you can easily crop your photos to go from landscape to portrait-oriented shots to be shared on social media. Or you can also use any other multitude of editing apps out there like VSCO, Photoshop or Snapseed.

Tip 4: Want more colour and contrast? Turn on HDR Mode!

To liven up the photo, we suggest turning on HDR mode before you take that shot. HDR or High Dynamic Range mode helps to capture shots in high-contrast situations – such as outside in the bright sunlight. The iPhone for example will take several continuous shots at different exposures and then blend the photos into a single unified photo.

You can even do the same for video – on some iPhone models (iPhone 12, 13, 14 and 15 series) HDR mode is used automatically so videos recorded will have true-to-life colour and contrast.

Tip 5: Add drama and style with Cinematic Mode

Apple’s Cinematic mode adds a different flair to your Raya videos, by applying a depth-of-field effect that keeps the subject of your video sharp while creating a beautifully blurred foreground and background.

You can select Cinematic Mode right in the camera app. Adjust the depth-of-field effect in the camera app, and then shoot away. Your video will have a dramatic, cinematic look baked into the footage that you can later edit in your favourite video editing app/software. The iPhone 15 camera can record up to 4K footage, so take advantage of that and capture memories in the highest resolution possible.

Using the camera app, you can also add more depth and drama to your footage by playing around with the zoom. According to Umar Naqshbandi, a video content creator: “Continuous zoom with Cinematic mode is another incredible subtle feature to help add dynamic elements to your simple subjects. What once required expensive camera equipment to move, zoom and pull focus, can all be done with my thumb.” — SoyaCincau

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Sharil Abdul Rahman Sat, 23 Mar 2024 16:49:09 +0800 iphone camera
<![CDATA[Will our packages soon be delivered straight to our window by drone?]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/22/will-our-packages-soon-be-delivered-straight-to-our-window-by-drone/124948 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/22/will-our-packages-soon-be-delivered-straight-to-our-window-by-drone/124948 Malay Mail

PARIS, March 22 — A German start-up has developed a mobile application capable of guiding a delivery drone right up to your window or balcony to deliver food or other small items. However, anyone wanting to use this type of delivery service will first have to wait for it to be authorised under European regulations.

At the Autonomy trade show in Paris, Hansadrone unveiled a prototype drone capable of delivering food directly to your window. The start-up doesn’t build drones, but is on a quest for partners to make its last meter delivery solution a reality. The concept is that the customer can guide the drone to themselves, wherever they happen to be, for instance to their window or balcony, whatever the floor.

In certain countries, drone delivery of items such as food or medical supplies is already a reality. The drones fly to the address specified and then land in an open area such as a garden. But they aren’t capable of dropping something off right on a building. The idea of being able to serve any customer, virtually anywhere, whether at home or at work, is behind the Hansadrone initiative.

This ultra-precise navigation solution would take the form of a dedicated mobile application, to be installed on the customer’s phone. This then would make it possible for any drone to deliver its order to the right floor, facilitated by a smartphone camera pointed at the drone as it arrives. The customer can then guide it as precisely as possible to arrive directly in front of them. The only requirement is that the customer needs to have a clear view in order to be able to see the drone and guide it — and the customer also has to be visible. In this type of delivery, the drone doesn’t actually land. It comes to rest about 50 cm in front of the smartphone at which point the customer can then take their package out of the hatch which opens automatically upon arrival.

While the project is technologically feasible, it faces a major hurdle: legislation. It is currently forbidden for drones to fly within cities. However, the European Union is currently working with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to regulate these types of flights, and Hansadrone is now awaiting their green light before they develop partnerships and roll out their solution across Europe. The drones will also have to be designed to ensure that the privacy of local residents is respected — so they would not be filming while in flight mode.

Generally speaking, the advantages of drone delivery are that it has the potential to be ultra-fast and, above all, capable of reaching places that are inaccessible with other modes of transport. For instance, Hansadrone’s service could be particularly useful for small deliveries of food and drink, medicines or urgent documents usually delivered by courier.

To date, the most advanced solution in terms of drone delivery is the work of Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet, which currently has a fleet of autonomous machines capable of delivering packages to relatively isolated locations in the USA and Australia. UPS has also signed a number of local delivery agreements in the United States. As for the Amazon Prime Air programme, it is currently restricted to a few small US cities, with an initial Europe trial (set for Great Britain) scheduled for the near future. — ETX Studio

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Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:07:32 +0800 drone delivery,deliveries
<![CDATA[Apple ‘aunties’ greeted with cheers at Shanghai store opening]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/22/apple-aunties-greeted-with-cheers-at-shanghai-store-opening/124856 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/22/apple-aunties-greeted-with-cheers-at-shanghai-store-opening/124856 Malay Mail

SHANGHAI, March 22 — Chinese Apple superfans jostled to enter the smartphone maker’s newest store in Shanghai as it opened yesterday night — but they were upstaged by dozens of retirees eager to nab commemorative freebies.

Apple unveiled its new flagship location in the Chinese metropolis as worries mount over slumping sales in the world’s second largest economy.

Hundreds gathered outside Apple’s eighth store in Shanghai hours before its grand opening yesterday, including younger fans brandishing smartwatches, phones, and even the brand’s US$3,500 augmented reality goggles.

The vast majority arrived to find that they were too late to enter a cordoned-off queue that guaranteed first access to the store — that area was already filled with a sprinkling of die-hard fans and lines of older men and women armed with folding chairs and parasols.

“I came here at six in the morning today,” said Kit Cheung, a 30-year-old Apple aficionado from Hong Kong who attended the store’s opening wearing a headdress in the shape of the brand’s fruit logo.

“But they were even earlier than me,” he told AFP, referring to the retirees.

Middle-aged “aunties” and “uncles” — as they are affectionately dubbed in Chinese — are a common sight at promotional events across the country thanks in part to the low retirement age, willing to wait in line for hours for free groceries and discounted meals.

The United States’ largest smartphone empire appears to have embraced the phenomenon, with staff clapping and cheering as women sporting perms and men clutching plastic bags and stools streamed into the Shanghai Jing’an Apple store minutes after CEO Tim Cook opened its doors.

“My girlfriends told me about this, they said I could come get stuff,” one older woman told AFP excitedly, as she walked toward Apple employees handing out free limited edition tote bags and stickers.

“No rush, auntie,” staff called out, as they ran to help one elderly visitor up the stairs.

Slowing sales

Cook’s appearance at the store’s opening comes as worries grow around Apple’s market share in the world’s second-largest economy.

Apple has 47 stores in mainland China.

A recent Counterpoint Research report said iPhone sales in China fell nearly a quarter year-on-year over the first six weeks of 2024.

But the sheer size of the Chinese market means Apple-obsessed consumers are still a powerful demographic.

Jason Wang, a 35-year-old from Chengdu, was the first customer to step inside the new Shanghai store yesterday, after setting up camp outside its glass doors two days earlier.

“I’ve been using Apple for 16, 17 years,” he said, listing the products in his collection.

The civil servant, who has a second phone due to restrictions on government employees using Apple products, said he had prepared some dried food to eat during his wait and took turns for bathroom breaks with other diehard Apple fans.

Wearing an Apple headquarters souvenir t-shirt, he proudly showed AFP the book and Apple Watch box Cook autographed yesterday after a brief conversation between the two men.

“I feel like it’s my dream come true,” Wang said of his close encounter with Cook.

Others trying to live the Apple dream are turning to second-hand resale sites, with scalpers advertising the new store’s commemorative gift pack on used goods shopping app Xianyu hours before the opening. — AFP

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Fri, 22 Mar 2024 08:31:17 +0800 apple shanghai,apple stores
<![CDATA[Apple’s ‘Walled Garden’ under fire in lawsuit]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/22/apples-walled-garden-under-fire-in-lawsuit/124855 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/22/apples-walled-garden-under-fire-in-lawsuit/124855 Malay Mail

WASHINGTON, March 22 — Call it a “walled garden” or an ecosystem, but at the heart of yesterday’s blockbuster US lawsuit against Apple are the many ways the company gets customers to remain faithful to its products.

Apple versus PCs

Very early on in its nearly half-century history, Apple made a decision that its products were to stand out alone and shouldn’t be combined with products from other companies.

With fans touting its better design and easier interface, Apple computers often drew the vitriol of PC users who equated its products as a technological straitjacket, denying users flexibility to add software and features as they saw fit.

This ethos never left Apple and very much informs the accusations brought against Apple: The company built by Steve Jobs is like the Hotel California, you can check out but you can never leave.

OS or nothing

At Apple, hardware is always the center of its universe and before the advent of the iPhone, the pole star was the Mac computer that wouldn’t run on Microsoft’s world-dominating Windows operating system, or use a mouse that wasn’t made for Apple.

Apple’s software is specifically designed for its devices and intended to offer seamless integration. You simply are not allowed to run any other operating system than Apple’s OS on Apple devices. The two are as one.

The world of Apple often draws comparisons to luxury goods rather than tech. To stay in this universe, you must pay a premium and discounts are rare.

Garden grows

With the iPhone revolution that made Apple one of the most profitable companies in history, the ecosystem only grew.

In 2012, headphones required the Apple-only lightning cable and no longer the audio jack that had done fine since the advent of the Sony Walkman. Apple’s old chargers were made obsolete as well.

And while you can easily share media and files between iPhones, it’s a lot more complicated when sharing between an iPhone and Android.

Apple’s ecosystem now extends beyond hardware products to include services like iCloud, Apple Music, and the App Store — and it is here that the company has found itself in hot water with regulators.

Companies such as Spotify, Meta and Fortnite-creator Epic Games accuse Apple of making it hard for them to grow on the iPhone, when the smartphone is where the vast majority of consumer computing now takes place.

Switching never easy

There is no question that iPhones work well with other Apple devices like Macs and the Apple TV.

And according to the company’s detractors, the more deeply embedded users become in the Apple ecosystem, the harder it is to switch to competing products or services from other companies.

Switching from the iPhone becomes a little like losing your wallet: A major hassle that requires burdensome reprogramming, new accessories and learning a new way to interact with your pocket computer.

Give up the iPhone and you will have to give up your Apple Watch, or accept a world where your Airpods are glitchy, less reliable and a TV could miss a crucial update.

This “lock-in” effect is the main thrust of the US case against Apple — that the iPhone maker blocks the exits to hike up prices on customers who feel they can’t go anywhere else.

Danger lurks

Apple says its universe is part of the company’s unique appeal to consumers who want the reliability, safety and ease that a beautifully designed closed system can provide.

The Android world, for example, is far more glitchy and prone to malware and bugs, Apple lovers argue.

The fees charged to developers and companies are the fair cost of entry to this Apple universe, the company says. — AFP

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Fri, 22 Mar 2024 08:29:22 +0800 apple
<![CDATA[How long you got? Danish AI algorithm aims to predict life, and death]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/21/how-long-you-got-danish-ai-algorithm-aims-to-predict-life-and-death/124683 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/21/how-long-you-got-danish-ai-algorithm-aims-to-predict-life-and-death/124683 Malay Mail

KONGENS LYNGBY (Denmark), March 21 — Researchers in Denmark are harnessing artificial intelligence and data from millions of people to help anticipate the stages of an individual’s life all the way to the end, hoping to raise awareness of the technology’s power, and its perils.

Far from any morbid fascinations, the creators of life2vec want to explore patterns and relationships that so-called deep-learning programmes can uncover to predict a wide range of health or social “life-events”.

“It’s a very general framework for making predictions about human lives. It can predict anything where you have training data,” Sune Lehmann, a professor at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and one of the authors of a study recently published in the journal Nature Computational Science, told AFP.

For Lehmann, the possibilities are endless.

“It could predict health outcomes. So it could predict fertility or obesity, or you could maybe predict who will get cancer or who doesn’t get cancer. But it could also predict if you’re going to make a lot of money,” he said.

The algorithm uses a similar process as that of ChatGPT, but instead it analyses variables impacting life such as birth, education, social benefits or even work schedules.

The team is trying to adapt the innovations that enabled language-processing algorithms to “examine the evolution and predictability of human lives based on detailed event sequences”.

“From one perspective, lives are simply sequences of events: People are born, visit the paediatrician, start school, move to a new location, get married, and so on,” Lehmann said.

Yet the disclosure of the programme quickly spawned claims of a new “death calculator”, with some fraudulent sites duping people with offers to use the AI programme for a life expectancy prediction — often in exchange for submitting personal data.

The researchers insist the software is private and unavailable on the internet or to the wider research community for now.

Data from six million

The basis for the life2vec model is the anonymised data of around six million Danes, collected by the official Statistics Denmark agency.

By analysing sequences of events it is possible predict life outcomes right up until the last breath.

When it comes to predicting death, the algorithm is right in 78 per cent of cases; when it comes to predicting if a person will move to another city or country, it is correct in 73 per cent of cases.

“We look at early mortality. So we take a very young cohort between 35 and 65. Then we try to predict, based on an eight-year period from 2008 to 2016, if a person dies in the subsequent four years,” Lehmann said.

“The model can do that really well, better than any other algorithm that we could find,” he said.

According to the researchers, focusing on this age bracket — where deaths are usually few and far between — allows them to verify the algorithm’s reliability.

However, the tool is not yet ready for use outside a research setting.

“For now, it’s a research project where we’re exploring what’s possible and what’s not possible,” Lehmann said.

He and his colleagues also want to explore long-term outcomes, as well as the impact of social connections have on life and health.

‘Public counterpoint’

For the researchers, the project presents a scientific counterweight to the heavy investments into AI algorithms by large technology companies.

“They can also build models like this, but they’re not making them public. They’re not talking about them,” Lehmann said.

“They’re just building them to, hopefully for now, sell you more advertisements, or sell more advertisements and sell you more products.”

He said it was “important to have an open and public counterpoint to begin to understand what can even happen with data like this”.

Pernille Tranberg, a Danish data ethics expert, told AFP that this was especially true because similar algorithms were already being used by businesses such as insurance companies.

“They probably put you into groups and say: ‘Okay, you have a chronic disease, the risk is this and this’,” Tranberg said.

“It can be used against us to discriminate us so that you will have to pay a higher insurance premium, or you can’t get a loan from the bank, or you can’t get public health care because you’re going to die anyway,” she said.

When it comes to predicting our own demise, some developers have already tried to make such algorithms commercial.

“On the web, we’re already seeing prediction clocks, which show how old we’re going to get,” Tranberg said. “Some of them aren’t at all reliable.” — AFP

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Thu, 21 Mar 2024 11:36:02 +0800 artificial intelligence AI,algorithm
<![CDATA[iPhone 15 Raya ad makes gentle fun of nosy relatives (VIDEO)]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/21/iphone-15-raya-ad-makes-gentle-fun-of-nosy-relatives-video/124680 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/21/iphone-15-raya-ad-makes-gentle-fun-of-nosy-relatives-video/124680 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — Apple’s put out a new iPhone ad and this time it’s Raya-themed.

What’s the story this time? An iPhone (of course) notification is heard and the attendees at a Raya gathering are all excited.

Someone picks up the phone — it won’t unlock, because of FaceID of course. Then another person tries and then another but it still doesn’t work.

All until the actual owner of the phone picks it up and opens it with just a look while the others who had tried look on, sheepishly.

It’s a simple setup and a privacy ad for Apple’s Face Id feature that allows you to unlock your phone quickly while making it harder for other people to access your phone.

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Erna Mahyuni Thu, 21 Mar 2024 11:32:12 +0800 iPhone,15,Raya,ad,makes,gentle,fun,of,nosy,relatives,(VIDEO)
<![CDATA[Expect AI on the agenda at the 2024 Google I/O conference]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/21/expect-ai-on-the-agenda-at-the-2024-google-io-conference/124637 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/21/expect-ai-on-the-agenda-at-the-2024-google-io-conference/124637 Malay Mail

SAN FRANCISCO, March 21 — The next edition of the Google I/O developer conference, held on May 14 and 15, 2024, promises to lift the lid on plenty of innovations. And whether it’s through the upcoming Android update or its new smartphone, Google intends to put artificial intelligence at the heart of its strategy.

At the event, held on the firm’s Mountain View campus, Google is scheduled to present the main features of Android 15, with an emphasis on security and privacy. As every year, the main new features of the upcoming version of the operating system, rolling out in the fall, are due to be presented to developers before they reach consumers.

But it’s artificial intelligence that will likely be the focus of attention. By launching Gemini (which replaces Bard) at the beginning of the year, Google is hoping to compete with OpenAI and ChatGPT in the market for conversational generative AI. And all eyes are on Google in this field, with many expectations in terms of search and translation.

On the hardware side, the Google I/O conference will probably also set the stage for the firm to present a new mid-range smartphone, in this case the Pixel 8a. This is especially eagerly awaited as it is expected to feature enhanced photography capabilities.

The Google I/O conference can be followed live via its dedicated website: io.google/2024 — ETX Studio

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Thu, 21 Mar 2024 07:47:36 +0800 Google I/O conference
<![CDATA[After Netflix, LinkedIn is planning to add games]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/20/after-netflix-linkedin-is-planning-to-add-games/124430 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/20/after-netflix-linkedin-is-planning-to-add-games/124430 Malay Mail

SAN FRANCISCO, March 20 ― Social networks are constantly looking for ways to increase user engagement. After introducing features such as stories and polls, the professional networking platform, LinkedIn, is reportedly taking the same route as Netflix by experimenting with bringing games to the app.

Could it be game on for LinkedIn? The business-focused platform appears to be planning to debut an in-app gaming experience to help users relax and have fun while staying connected to their professional network.

Still in the testing phase, this new feature reportedly allows users to play various games called Queens, Crossclimb and Inference. The game interface appears to display which of a user's business contacts have taken part, as well as their company's ranking. This could be a good way of encouraging participation and competition between companies.

“We’re playing with adding puzzle-based games within the LinkedIn experience to unlock a bit of fun, deepen relationships, and hopefully spark the opportunity for conversations,” a LinkedIn spokesperson told TechCrunch, confirming that the platform is working on gaming.

LinkedIn's initiative comes at a time when video games are becoming increasingly popular and unifying for users. According to a recent study by Statista, 70 per cent of Americans play video games on at least one platform. Video games offer an immersive, interactive experience that can help users connect with each other and feel more involved in an online community.

Streaming giant Netflix has also recognised the unifying power of video games, and recently launched a series of games based on its popular shows and movies. These games are designed to encourage users to engage more with Netflix content and stay on the platform for longer. ― ETX Studio

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Wed, 20 Mar 2024 08:49:59 +0800 linkedin,linkedin games
<![CDATA[Monsters, asteroids, vampires: AI conspiracies flood TikTok]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/18/monsters-asteroids-vampires-ai-conspiracies-flood-tiktok/124062 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/18/monsters-asteroids-vampires-ai-conspiracies-flood-tiktok/124062 Malay Mail

WASHINGTON, March 18 — From vampires and wendigos to killer asteroids, TikTok users are pumping out outlandish end-of-the-world conspiracy theories, researchers say, in yet another misinformation trend on a platform whose fate in the United States hangs in the balance.

In the trend reported by the nonprofit Media Matters, TikTok users seek to monetise viral videos that make unfounded claims about the US government secretly capturing or preserving mythical monsters that include — wait for it –- King Kong.

It is the latest illustration of misinformation swirling on the platform — a stubborn issue that has been largely absent in recent policy debates as US lawmakers mull banning the Chinese-owned app on grounds of national security.

Often accompanied by spooky background music, the videos — many of which garner millions of views — feature imperious AI-generated voices, sometimes mimicking celebrities.

“We are all probably going to die in the next few years. Did you hear about this?” said a voice impersonating podcaster Joe Rogan in one viral video.

“There’s this asteroid that is on a collision course with Earth,” the voice claims, citing information leaked by a government official who stumbled upon a folder titled “keep secret from the public.”

At least one account peddling that video appeared to be deactivated after AFP reached TikTok for comment.

‘Highly engaging’

Conspiracy theory videos, often posted by anonymous accounts, typically had the tell-tale signs of AI-generated images such as extra fingers and distortions, said TikTok misinformation researcher Abbie Richards.

Peddling such theories can be financially rewarding, Richards said, with TikTok’s “Creativity Program” designed to pay creators for content generated on the platform.

It has spawned what she called a cottage industry of conspiracy theory videos powered by artificial intelligence tools including text-to-speech applications that are widely –- and freely — available online.

A TikTok spokeswoman insisted that “conspiracy theories are not eligible to earn money or be recommended” in user feeds.

“Harmful misinformation is prohibited, with our safety teams removing 95 per cent of it proactively before it’s reported,” she told AFP.

Still, tutorials on platforms such as YouTube show users how to create “viral conspiracy theory videos” and profit off TikTok’s Creativity Program.

One such tutorial openly instructed users to start by making up “something outrageous” such as “scientists just got caught hiding a sabre-toothed tiger.”

“Financially incentivizing content that is both highly engaging and cheap to manufacture creates an environment for conspiracy theories to thrive,” Richards wrote in the Media Matters report.

Threat of AI

Such concerns, driven by rapid advancements in AI, are particularly high in a year of major elections around the world.

Last week, the European Union wielded its powerful Digital Services Act (DSA) to press several platforms including TikTok on the risks of AI -– including from deepfakes — for upcoming elections in the 27-nation bloc.

In the United States, where the app has some 170 million users — roughly half the country’s population — lawmakers last week overwhelmingly backed a bill to ban TikTok unless Chinese parent company ByteDance divested itself within six months.

The bill, which still needs to pass the more cautious upper house of the US Congress, risks riling young voters in a key election year.

US policymakers have repeatedly expressed concerns about TikTok’s alleged ties to the Chinese government, user data safety and its apparent impact on national security.

According to a report from the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Chinese government is using TikTok to expand its global influence operations to promote pro-Beijing narratives and undermine American democracy, including through disinformation.

“Disinformation should be part of the debate about TikTok,” Aynne Kokas, a media studies professor at the University of Virginia, told AFP.

Many experts, however, as well as young users who rely on the app as their primary source of news, oppose banning TikTok, saying it’s unfair to single out the platform.

“There’s lots of misinformation on TikTok, just as there is on other social media platforms. Some of that misinformation is dangerous,” Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, told AFP.

“(But) investing the government with the authority to suppress misinformation — or to ban Americans from accessing platforms that host misinformation — is not a sensible response to this problem. Nor would it be a constitutional one,” he added. — AFP

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Mon, 18 Mar 2024 09:41:52 +0800 TikTok,conspiracy theories,AI conspiracies
<![CDATA[Getting the most from your iPhone this Raya]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/17/getting-the-most-from-your-iphone-this-raya/123996 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/17/getting-the-most-from-your-iphone-this-raya/123996 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — Funny story: a friend’s sister complained about her new iPhone because it was “too big to fit into her jeans pocket”.

You could say that about a compact mirrorless camera too and what both devices have in common is that they’re worth the extra bulk just for the functionality.

If you got an iPhone recently, here are a few tips for you to get some good snaps this Raya season for the ‘Gram or WhatsApp family chats with the default camera app.

Getting that family photo just right

Who better to get advice from than a pro? Photographer Muhd Hidayatullah shared his insights on taking that great Raya pic.

When it came to family photos, Hidayatullah said that sometimes all it takes is a simple adjustment to how your subjects are arranged.

“Familiarise yourself with your subjects, highlighting their best features to achieve the perfect shot,” he said.

For a clean portrait, double-check you’re holding your phone steadily and your subjects are well-framed in the centre for a “clean” portrait.

He also stressed the importance of timing. Be in the right place at the right moment to capture genuine emotions and reactions. Focus on framing these key elements to truly immortalise the moment.”

You can check out his Instagram at @muhdhidayatullah for more inspiration.

Don't be afraid to experiment and play around with your subjects when getting your Raya group photos and wefies. — Picture by Erna Mahyuni
Don't be afraid to experiment and play around with your subjects when getting your Raya group photos and wefies. — Picture by Erna Mahyuni

Other iPhone-specific features you can experiment with:

  • Try using the timer on your Apple Watch to control your iPhone remotely as well as getting a preview of your photo on the watch screen. Just look for the native Camera app on the watch.
  • Experiment with different camera resolutions (link: https://support.apple.com/en-sg/guide/iphone/iphae1e882a3/ios) to get more out of your picture quality.
  • To quickly crop your photos to put up on social media, use the instant crop feature.
  • For better framing, turn on the grid and level features by going to Settings>Camera and scroll down to Composition options and turn on Grid and Level

Getting that portrait right

If you’re not blessed with an Instagram boyfriend/girlfriend, here’s some tips for you on getting that great looking Raya portrait to show your new baju.

Photojournalist Annice Lyn (@annicelyn on Instagram) knows a thing or two about portraiture.

According to her, “The 2x telephoto lens enhances perspective, facilitating the creation of visually stunning narratives by connecting deeply with subjects, conveying authenticity and emotion in a more intimate and closer manner.”

It's not about the zoom; it's about how you use it. — Picture by Erna Mahyuni
It's not about the zoom; it's about how you use it. — Picture by Erna Mahyuni

If you happen to have an iPhone 15 series phone, take advantage of the cool depth of field (or as we oldtimers call it, bokeh) feature that you can use even without going into portrait mode.

It’s made possible by the sensor being able to detect the subject (person or animal) and then saving depth of field information so you can manipulate the background behind the subject.

Here’s how to use the “portrait pics without portrait mode” feature on the iPhone 15 series:

  • Just turn on your camera, point it at a subject, tap lightly to set the focus point, and see the yellow box that marks your focus point
  • You know the portrait mode is working if you see the f stop symbol at the bottom left (it literally is the letter “f” but stylised)
  • Tap on the little triangle symbol on the centre top of your screen that when you press it, replaces the photo/video/cinematic menu with a different menu that also includes the f stop option.
  • Press the f and you’ll see the slider that lets you blur or unblur the background as you see fit

Above all, have fun and remember that you’ll learn about better photo taking by, well, taking photos.

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Erna Mahyuni Sun, 17 Mar 2024 19:28:27 +0800 Apple,iPhone 15,photography tips,digital photography
<![CDATA[Gemini’s flawed AI racial images seen as warning of tech titans’ power]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/17/geminis-flawed-ai-racial-images-seen-as-warning-of-tech-titans-power/123920 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/17/geminis-flawed-ai-racial-images-seen-as-warning-of-tech-titans-power/123920 Malay Mail

AUSTIN, March 17 — For people at the trend-setting tech festival here, the scandal that erupted after Google’s Gemini chatbot cranked out images of Black and Asian Nazi soldiers was seen as a warning about the power artificial intelligence can give tech titans.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai last month slammed as “completely unacceptable” errors by his company’s Gemini AI app, after gaffes such as the images of ethnically diverse Nazi troops forced it to temporarily stop users from creating pictures of people.

Social media users mocked and criticised Google for the historically inaccurate images, like those showing a female black US senator from the 1800s — when the first such senator was not elected until 1992.

“We definitely messed up on the image generation,” Google co-founder Sergey Brin said at a recent AI “hackathon,” adding that the company should have tested Gemini more thoroughly.

Folks interviewed at the popular South by Southwest arts and tech festival in Austin said the Gemini stumble highlights the inordinate power a handful of companies have over the artificial intelligence platforms that are poised to change the way people live and work.

“Essentially, it was too ‘woke,’” said Joshua Weaver, a lawyer and tech entrepreneur, meaning Google had gone overboard in its effort to project inclusion and diversity.

Google quickly corrected its errors, but the underlying problem remains, said Charlie Burgoyne, chief executive of the Valkyrie applied science lab in Texas.

He equated Google’s fix of Gemini to putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.

While Google long had the luxury of having time to refine its products, it is now scrambling in an AI race with Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic and others, Weaver noted, adding, “They are moving faster than they know how to move.”

Mistakes made in an effort at cultural sensitivity are flashpoints, particularly given the tense political divisions in the United States, a situation exacerbated by Elon Musk’s X platform, the former Twitter.

“People on Twitter are very gleeful to celebrate any embarrassing thing that happens in tech,” Weaver said, adding that reaction to the Nazi gaffe was “overblown.”

The mishap did, however, call into question the degree of control those using AI tools have over information, he maintained.

In the coming decade, the amount of information — or misinformation — created by AI could dwarf that generated by people, meaning those controlling AI safeguards will have huge influence on the world, Weaver said.

Bias-in, Bias-out

Karen Palmer, an award-winning mixed-reality creator with Interactive Films Ltd., said she could imagine a future in which someone gets into a robo-taxi and, “if the AI scans you and thinks that there are any outstanding violations against you... you’ll be taken into the local police station,” not your intended destination.

AI is trained on mountains of data and can be put to work on a growing range of tasks, from image or audio generation to determining who gets a loan or whether a medical scan detects cancer.

But that data comes from a world rife with cultural bias, disinformation and social inequity — not to mention online content that can include casual chats between friends or intentionally exaggerated and provocative posts — and AI models can echo those flaws.

With Gemini, Google engineers tried to rebalance the algorithms to provide results better reflecting human diversity.

The effort backfired.

“It can really be tricky, nuanced and subtle to figure out where bias is and how it’s included,” said technology lawyer Alex Shahrestani, a managing partner at Promise Legal law firm for tech companies.

Even well-intentioned engineers involved with training AI can’t help but bring their own life experience and subconscious bias to the process, he and others believe.

Valkyrie’s Burgoyne also castigated big tech for keeping the inner workings of generative AI hidden in “black boxes,” so users are unable to detect any hidden biases.

“The capabilities of the outputs have far exceeded our understanding of the methodology,” he said.

Experts and activists are calling for more diversity in teams creating AI and related tools, and greater transparency as to how they work — particularly when algorithms rewrite users’ requests to “improve” results.

A challenge is how to appropriately build in perspectives of the world’s many and diverse communities, Jason Lewis of the Indigenous Futures Resource Centre and related groups said here.

At Indigenous AI, Jason works with far-flung indigenous communities to design algorithms that use their data ethically while reflecting their perspectives on the world, something he does not always see in the “arrogance” of big tech leaders.

His own work, he told a group, stands in “such a contrast from Silicon Valley rhetoric, where there’s a top-down ‘Oh, we’re doing this because we’re going to benefit all humanity’ bullshit, right?”

His audience laughed. — AFP

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Sun, 17 Mar 2024 09:59:05 +0800 Google,Google Gemini,Gemini AI
<![CDATA[This AI avatar lets you chat to Marilyn Monroe]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/16/this-ai-avatar-lets-you-chat-to-marilyn-monroe/123770 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/16/this-ai-avatar-lets-you-chat-to-marilyn-monroe/123770 Malay Mail

LOS ANGELES, March 16 — Movie icon Marilyn Monroe is back in the news thanks to artificial intelligence. A digital version of the actress, dubbed “Digital Marilyn,” lets people chat with the star of the silver screen who died 62 years ago.

Recreating the star’s voice, expressions and characteristic laugh, there’s no doubt that Marilyn Monroe lives on through this avatar, powered by Soul Machines’ Biological AI technology. Called Digital Marilyn, this AI tool is capable of “engaging in natural, dynamic conversations that feel authentic and responsive,” says the official press release from the tool’s creators.

The digital avatar is designed to interact with fans in a personalized way, answering questions and engaging in dynamic conversations, while also employing emotional intelligence, reproducing realistic facial expressions. An example of its potential was shared on the Soul Machines Instagram page, where Digital Marilyn can be seen and heard expressing herself. The result is stunningly realistic.

For the time being, interested parties must register to be alerted when Digital Marilyn is available for trial.

Soul Machines, a company specialising in the creation of realistic digital avatars, unveiled its latest creation at the South by Southwest (SXSW) 2024 festival. It was made possible by a collaboration with Authentic Brands Group, which holds the licensing rights covering several celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Mohamed Ali.

In addition to Marilyn Monroe, other cult celebrities may well make a comeback in this digital form, according to Soul Machines. “Reimagining [Marilyn Monroe] through AI isn’t just about nostalgia; it’s about harnessing the potential of technology to honour and reimagine iconic figures in a way that feels interactive and engaging,” the company news release explains. — AFP

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Sat, 16 Mar 2024 10:47:13 +0800 AI avatar,Digital Marilyn
<![CDATA[AI video-generation tool Sora set to be launched this year]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/16/ai-video-generation-tool-sora-set-to-be-launched-this-year/123766 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/16/ai-video-generation-tool-sora-set-to-be-launched-this-year/123766 Malay Mail

NEW YORK, March 16 — One month after unveiling its technology, still in the testing phase, OpenAI, has indicated that Sora will be available to the public later this year. After ChatGPT for generating text and Dall-E for generating images, OpenAI is now looking to fine-tune its new artificial intelligence tool capable of generating videos.

The American start-up caused yet another sensation last month, when it presented a new form of video-generating artificial intelligence called Sora. Using a simple prompt of just a few words, the tool is capable of proposing a video sequence lasting several seconds, generated entirely automatically. Examples shown featured landscapes as well as animals or even human beings. While it's rather impressive to watch, none of the images are “real.”

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Mira Murati announced that this easy-to-use technology will be made available to the public before the end of 2024, although precise details about subscription formats or an exact launch date were not given. There are still many areas for improvement before the tool can be deployed on a large scale: the tool sometimes lacks fluidity and may have difficulty understanding certain cause-and-effect relationships. For example, a person may bite into a cookie, but afterwards, the cookie may have no bite marks. The tool also needs to be less resource-intensive, Murati revealed. It won't go live until it's properly optimized to requires minimal computing power.

The company is also planning to build in certain limitations and restrictions. Sora will reject requests that are too violent and will not generate hateful images or sexual content. OpenAI also promises not to use images of celebrities. This is fundamental, as the availability of this type of tool also raises ethical issues, at a time when fake news is on the rise. Indeed, with Sora potentially launching in the midst of the American presidential election campaign, OpenAI needs to integrate safeguards to prevent its tool from being used for disinformation. — ETX Studio

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Sat, 16 Mar 2024 10:32:00 +0800 OpenAI,video-generating tool,SOra
<![CDATA[Will AI save humanity? US tech fest offers reality check]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/15/will-ai-save-humanity-us-tech-fest-offers-reality-check/123583 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/15/will-ai-save-humanity-us-tech-fest-offers-reality-check/123583 Malay Mail

AUSTIN, March 15 — Artificial intelligence aficionados are betting that the technology will help solve humanity’s biggest problems, from wars to global warming, but in practice, these may be unrealistic ambitions for now.

“It’s not about asking AI ‘Hey, this is a sticky problem. What would you do?’ and AI is like, ‘well, you need to completely restructure this part of the economy’,” said Michael Littman, a Brown University professor of computer science.

Littman was at the South By Southwest (or SXSW) arts and technology festival in Austin, Texas, where he had just spoken on one of the many panels on the potential benefits of AI.

“It’s a pipe dream. It’s a little bit science fiction. Mostly what people are doing is they’re trying to bring AI to bear on specific problems that they’re already solving, but just want to be more efficient.”

“It’s not just a matter of pushing this button and everything’s fixed,” he said.

With their promising titles (“How to Make AGI Beneficial and Avoid a Robot Apocalypse”), and the ever presence of tech giants, the panels attract big crowds, but they often hold more pragmatic objectives, like promoting a product.

At one meeting called “Inside the AI Revolution: How AI is Empowering the World to Achieve More,” Simi Olabisi, a Microsoft executive, praised the tech’s benefits on Azure, the company’s cloud service.

When using Azure’s AI language feature in call centres, “maybe when a customer called in, they were angry, and when they ended the call, they were really appreciative. Azure AI Language can really capture that sentiment, and tell a business how their customers are feeling,” she explained.

‘Smarter than humans’

The notion of artificial intelligence, with its algorithms capable of automating tasks and analysing mountains of data, has been around for decades.

But it took on a whole new dimension last year with the success of ChatGPT, the generative AI interface launched by OpenAI, the now iconic AI start-up mainly funded by Microsoft.

OpenAI claims to want to build artificial “general” intelligence or AGI, which will be “smarter than humans in general” and will “elevate humanity,” according to CEO Sam Altman.

That ethos was very present at SXSW, with talk about “when” AGI will become a reality, rather than “if.”

Ben Goertzel, a scientist who heads the SingularityNET Foundation and the AGI Society, predicted the advent of general AI by 2029.

“Once you have a machine that can think as well as a smart human, you’re at most a few years from a machine that can think a thousand or a million times better than a smart human, because this AI can modify its own source code,” said Goertzel.

Wearing a leopard-print faux-fur cowboy hat, he advocated the development of AGI endowed with “compassion and empathy,” and integrated into robots “that look like us,” to ensure that these “super AIs” get on well with humanity.

David Hanson — founder of Hanson Robotics and who designed Desdemona, a humanoid robot that functions with generative AI — brainstormed about the plus and minuses of AI with superpowers.

AI’s “positive disruptions... can help to solve global sustainability issues, although people are probably going to be just creating financial trading algorithms that are absolutely effective,” he said.

Hanson fears the turbulence from AI, but pointed out that humans are doing a “fine job” already of playing “existential roulette” with nuclear weapons and by causing “the fastest mass extinction event in human history”.

But “it may be that the AI could have seeds of wisdom that blossom and grow into new forms of wisdom that can help us be better,” he said.

‘Not there yet’

Initially, AI should accelerate the design of new, more sustainable drugs or materials, said believers in AI.

Even if “we’re not there yet... in a dream world, AI could handle the complexity and the randomness of the real world, and... discover completely new materials that would enable us to do things that we never even thought were possible,” said Roxanne Tully, an investor at Piva Capital.

Today, AI is already proving its worth in warning systems for tornadoes and forest fires, for example.

But we still need to evacuate populations, or get people to agree to vaccinate themselves in the event of a pandemic, stressed Rayid Ghani of Carnegie Mellon University during a panel titled “Can AI Solve the Extreme Weather Pandemic?”

“We created this problem. Inequities weren’t caused by AI, they’re caused by humans and I think AI can help a little bit. But only if humans decide they want to use it to deal with” the issue, Ghani said. — AFP

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Fri, 15 Mar 2024 12:34:34 +0800 artifical intelligence AI,SXSW
<![CDATA[Ten more countries, including Singapore, to get the Apple Vision Pro according to leaked visionOS code]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/14/ten-more-countries-including-singapore-to-get-the-apple-vision-pro-according-to-leaked-visionos-code/123376 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/14/ten-more-countries-including-singapore-to-get-the-apple-vision-pro-according-to-leaked-visionos-code/123376 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 — Apple’s foray into spatial computing, the Vision Pro, is currently only available for sale in the United States. However, according to leaked visionOS code, we may see ten new countries getting the spatial computing device soon.

The Vision Pro at present only supports English (United States) for the keyboard language option, but according to MacRumors, they discovered 12 new languages that will be added soon to the list of supported languages.

Here is the list of upcoming languages for Apple Vision Pro:

  • • Cantonese, Traditional
  • • Chinese, Simplified
  • • English (Australia)
  • • English (Canada)
  • • English (Japan)
  • • English (Singapore)
  • • English (UK)
  • • French (Canada)
  • • French (France)
  • • German (Germany)
  • • Japanese
  • • Korean

While not confirmed, the 12 new languages are likely hints of which markets the Vision Pro will be heading to next. For Malaysians who are interested, you should be able to pick one up in Singapore once availability is announced in the island country.

As a recap, the Vision Pro is a mixed-reality headset that supports what Apple calls “spatial computing.” It features a micro-LED display which boasts 23 million pixels spanning across two displays which Apple claims to deliver 4K to each eye.

The device is powered by a dual-chip design which runs on an M2 chip and a new R1 chip which handles the input from 12 cameras, five sensors and six microphones to ensure the interaction and content are delivered in real-time with hardly any lag.

Apple is selling the Vision Pro at US$3,499 which is currently about RM16,017. Check out our take on the headset through our Let’s Talk About (LTA) show on YouTube or in audio form via the LTA podcast. — SoyaCincau

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sharil abdul rahman Thu, 14 Mar 2024 11:40:38 +0800 Apple Vision Pro
<![CDATA[Streaming giant Spotify adds music videos to output]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/13/streaming-giant-spotify-adds-music-videos-to-output/123292 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/13/streaming-giant-spotify-adds-music-videos-to-output/123292 Malay Mail

STOCKHOLM, March 13 — Music streaming giant Spotify today announced it would be posting music videos on its platform in select markets, entering an arena long dominated by YouTube.

"The beta version of music videos on Spotify begins rolling out today", the company said in a statement.

It would release limited catalogue of hits from global artists such as Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, and Ice Spice, as well as local favourites, it added.

Initially, the music videos will only be available to paying subscribers in the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Kenya.

In early February, Spotify announced it had passed 600 million monthly users, of which 236 million were paying subscribers.

Google’s streaming behemoth YouTube has long dominated music videos online, with much of the platform’s most-viewed content being music videos.

Songs like Luis Fonsi’s Despacito, Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You and K-pop star Psy’s viral hit Gangnam Style each gathered several billion views.

Spotify has invested heavily since its launch to fuel growth with expansions into new markets and, most recently, exclusive content such as podcasts. — AFP

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Wed, 13 Mar 2024 22:26:28 +0800 Spotify
<![CDATA[Switching from an iPhone to an Android smartphone should soon get easier]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/13/switching-from-an-iphone-to-an-android-smartphone-should-soon-get-easier/123106 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/13/switching-from-an-iphone-to-an-android-smartphone-should-soon-get-easier/123106 Malay Mail

SAN FRANCISCO, March 13 — As part of new European legislation on digital markets (the Digital Markets Act, DMA), Apple is planning to make further changes to its data portability options for users moving from an iPhone to an Android-based handset.

The idea is to offer an optimised migration solution for moving all personal data from one phone to another, as simply as possible. To this end, Apple is said to be developing a more comprehensive and user-friendly solution than is currently available. However, users will have to be patient, as Apple isn’t expected to communicate on this until 2025.

Today, when you want to transfer your data from an iPhone to an Android smartphone, the best solution is to use Google’s free Switch to Android application. Installed on the iPhone, it lets you manage the step-by-step transfer of your contacts, calendar, photos and videos, thanks to a simple QR Code to be scanned with the new smartphone. However, most applications will have to be reinstalled, one by one. You’ll also need to deactivate iMessage and FaceTime on your old iPhone. Data stored in iCloud will also have to be recovered manually. But Apple may be working on a more suitable solution.

It has to be said that in the other direction, ie, when you switch from an Android phone to an iPhone, Apple has gone all in on making it easy. With its Move to iOS application, the Cupertino-based company offers a simple solution for taking your first steps on an iPhone. All you have to do is install it on your Android device and connect both devices to the same WiFi network. Data transfer (contacts, messages, photos, videos, various settings, etc.) is then straightforward. Once again, all that’s left to do is download your favourite applications from the App Store. For music, however, it’s best to connect your iPhone directly to your computer to use iTunes.

Apple has already had to comply with some of the DMA’s requirements. For example, the latest iOS update (17.4) offers, for the first time, the ability to download and install apps from online stores other than the traditional App Store, or to choose a payment service other than Apple Pay for online and in-app purchases. Another radical change is that users can now choose a default web browser other than Safari. Apple is said to be in the process of creating a solution that will make it easier to switch from one browser to another, so that favourites, history and passwords can be easily retrieved. — ETX Studio

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Wed, 13 Mar 2024 07:56:18 +0800 iphone,Android
<![CDATA[Everything you need to know about Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 (VIDEO)]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/12/everything-you-need-to-know-about-samsung-galaxy-a55-and-galaxy-a35-video/122939 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/12/everything-you-need-to-know-about-samsung-galaxy-a55-and-galaxy-a35-video/122939 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Just shy of two months after launching their flagship Galaxy S series devices, Samsung is back with a couple new Galaxy A smartphones: the Galaxy A55 and the Galaxy A35.

Unlike the last generation Galaxy A54 and Galaxy A34, this year’s pair of Galaxy A smartphones are much more similar, with only notable differences in the cameras and under the hood.

Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 specs

As mentioned earlier, the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 are nearly indistinguishable this time round, with both devices now featuring identical 6.6-inch, FHD+ Super AMOLED displays with a 120Hz refresh rate and a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ over it for scratch resistance. Both also have glass backs and the new Key Island bump over the volume and power buttons, with the only difference being a metal frame for the Galaxy A55 and a plastic frame on the Galaxy A35.

Under the hood, the Galaxy A55 comes with an Exynos 1480 system-on-chip, Samsung’s new midrange chipset that features an AMD RDNA2-based GPU. That gets mated to up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. The Galaxy A35 meanwhile uses the Exynos 1380 from the Galaxy A54 instead, with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. Both the Galaxy A55 and the Galaxy A35 come with OneUI 6.1 skinned over Android 14 out of the box, as well as four years of major Android OS upgrades and five years of security support too.

In the camera department meanwhile, the pair of new Galaxy A smartphones feature triple rear cameras with a primary 50MP, f/1.8 camera as well as a 5MP, f2.4 macro sensor. However, the Galaxy A55 gets a higher resolution 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide shooter and a 32MP, f/2.2 front facing camera, while the Galaxy A35 makes do with an 8MP, f/2.2 ultrawide and a 13MP, f/2.2 selfie shooter instead.

As for other features of note, both the Samsung Galaxy A55 and the Galaxy A35 come with 5,000mAh batteries along with support for 25W wired charging speeds. They also now come with Samsung Knox Vault, a first for the Galaxy A series. You’ll find stereo speakers, in-display fingerprint sensors, an IP67 dust and water resistance rating as well as support for WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G and NFC wireless connectivity too.

Unfortunately, at this time Samsung has not yet made it known just how much the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 will cost in Malaysia, nor have they mentioned anything about its availability but the Samsung Malaysia website has already put up product pages for it, so it could just be a matter of time before you can buy it. In fact, when we looked it up, an ad on Google Search said it would be available from 22nd March onwards, though the product page itself did not say so.

We do at least know how much it costs in UK, with the A55 starting at GBP439 (~RM2,639.52) and the A35 starting at GBP339 (~RM2,038.55). Closer to home, the 256GB models of the A55 and A35 go for IDR4,999,000 (~RM1,510.30) and IDR6,899,000 (~RM2084.33)in Indonesia. For comparison, the last generation Galaxy A54 and Galaxy A34 were priced at RM1,899 and RM1,599 in Malaysia respectively. — SoyaCincau

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Raymond Saw Tue, 12 Mar 2024 12:36:58 +0800 samsung galaxy a55,samsung galaxy a35,smartphones
<![CDATA[Musk says will ‘open source’ Grok chatbot]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/12/musk-says-will-open-source-grok-chatbot/122877 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/12/musk-says-will-open-source-grok-chatbot/122877 Malay Mail

SAN FRANCISCO, March 12 — Elon Musk yesterday said he would make his Grok chatbot, a rival to ChatGPT, open source as his feud with OpenAI deepens.

The multi-billionaire unveiled Grok late last year as he attempts to catch up with OpenAI, which he helped create in 2015, providing key financing in its early days.

He left OpenAI a few years later and last week filed a shock lawsuit against the company for breaking its original non-profit mission to make AI research available to all.

“This week, @xAI will open source Grok,” Musk said in a post on X, entering one of Silicon Valley’s burning philosophical debates on the future of artificial intelligence.

Tech investors are increasingly in split camps on the development of AI and how the technology should advance.

On one side, companies such as Meta support an open source system in which researchers and other companies can access the technology’s inner workings to develop new products or innovations.

Meta, IBM and dozens of startups and researchers in December launched an alliance defending more open and collaborative AI, afraid that regulators would close the path to this method.

On the other side, OpenAI and Google support a higher level of secrecy in order to protect the technology from bad actors, and make money to recoup the high computing costs necessary to build their industry-leading tools.

Shortly after filing his lawsuit, Musk said in a post that he would drop his case if OpenAI changed its name to ClosedAI.

OpenAI argues that Musk’s lawsuit, as well as his embrace of open source development, is little more than a case of sour grapes after leaving the company.

Musk is one of the world’s few investors with deep enough pockets to compete with OpenAI, Google or Meta on AI.

Building an AI model at the same scale as those companies comes at an enormous expense in computing power, infrastructure and expertise. — AFP

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Tue, 12 Mar 2024 07:39:03 +0800 elon musk,ai,artificial intelligence,Grok chatbot,open source,chatbot
<![CDATA[Maxis partners with Nokia to enhance network security, power future 5G offerings]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/11/maxis-partners-with-nokia-to-enhance-network-security-power-future-5g-offerings/122798 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/11/maxis-partners-with-nokia-to-enhance-network-security-power-future-5g-offerings/122798 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 — Maxis has announced that it is collaborating with Nokia to enhance its network security and reliability, as well as building a part of its 5G core ecosystem to meet its future connectivity needs. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Maxis and Nokia was signed during MWC 2024 at the Malaysia Pavilion in Barcelona last month. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and MCMC Chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din witnessed the ceremony.

According to Maxis, the collaboration with Nokia will explore the implementation of newer technologies to further fortify Maxis’ networks, strengthening security and reliability. This includes quantum-safe optical networking that protects against threats by both classical and quantum computers.

It added that both companies will explore innovation around facilitating efficient and scalable connectivity across cloud environments to bolster network security. The strengthened security will also benefit enterprise customers.

Maxis says the measures are in line with the growing demand for network infrastructure that can support robust interconnectivity and seamless cross-border data exchange, backed by more secure optical data centres.

Nokia to build part of its 5G Core ecosystem

Maxis has also engaged Nokia as a key partner in building part of its 5G Core ecosystem to meet future connectivity needs. This includes utilising cloud-native solutions that will enable Maxis to fully leverage 5G capabilities, with greater functionality, reliability and efficiency to power next-generation 5G offerings.

Maxis CEO Goh Seow Eng said, “Maxis is delighted to deepen our partnership with Nokia, extending our longstanding working relationship over the past two decades and pioneering at the frontiers of connectivity. As Malaysia’s leading integrated telecommunications provider, we look forward to closer collaboration to innovate across our network ecosystem and 5G offerings. This will ensure we are future-ready to meet customers’ ever-increasing demands for fast, secure and reliable connectivity.”

Meanwhile, Nokia’s Head of Network Infrastructure for Asia South Ngiam Ming Kin said, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Maxis to enhance its network infrastructure. This partnership will unlock opportunities for Maxis and Nokia to jointly explore and succeed in

network infrastructure segments, such as fixed networks, IP and optical networks, capitalising on the growing demand for data centres, 5G and computing power in the country, in line with the Artificial Intelligence (AI) wave.”

SoyaCincau

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Alexander Wong Mon, 11 Mar 2024 17:04:53 +0800 maxis,Nokia
<![CDATA[Epic-Apple feud tests EU big tech law]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/07/epic-apple-feud-tests-eu-big-tech-law/121940 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/07/epic-apple-feud-tests-eu-big-tech-law/121940 Malay Mail

WASHINGTON, March 7 — Epic Games yesterday called on the EU to swiftly enforce its major new law governing big tech after Apple halted the Fortnite-maker’s effort to develop a competing app store for its devices.

“We see Apple’s decision to block us from competing as a blatant effort to kneecap their leading competitor as enabled by the DMA,” Epic CEO Tim Sweeney told reporters.

Sweeney was referring to the Digital Markets Act, a landmark European law that comes into force today and that orders the world’s biggest tech companies to open up their platforms to competition.

Epic a few year ago embarked on a mission through courts and regulators to demand that Apple and Google open up their iPhone and Android devices to competing app stores and stop taking a significant commission for purchases made on their devices.

Hearing the call, the EU included the demand in the DMA, but Epic said its first effort to introduce its own stores on the iPhone was rejected, partly as punishment for its public criticism of Apple.

Sweeney compared it to “feudal lords mounting the skulls of their former enemies on their castle” in an effort “to dissuade others” from speaking out.

Specifically, Apple on March 2 closed Epic’s developer account that allowed it to build the software necessary to launch its stand alone stores on Apple devices.

In a letter made available by Epic, a lawyer for Apple cites the frequent criticism made by Sweeney against Apple as well as past behavior in which Epic flouted Apple’s app store rules.

“Epic’s egregious breach of its contractual obligations to Apple led courts to determine that Apple has the right to terminate (Epic activity) at any time and at Apple’s sole discretion,” an Apple spokesperson said in an email to AFP.

“In light of Epic’s past and ongoing behavior, Apple chose to exercise that right,” the spokesperson added.

For Epic, the rejection demonstrated that “Apple has no intention of allowing true competition” on Apple devices.

Given the clear violation of the DMA, “there needs to be swift action,” Sweeney said.

Apple needs “to be called out for what they’re doing in the same way that any other person would be called out if they violated the law in this way,” he said.

Epic said it had notified the European Commission, which is in charge of enforcing the landmark law.

“We are very confident that this is exactly the type of action that the DMA was designed to try to get at,” said Corie Wright, Vice President of Public Policy for Epic Games. — AFP

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Thu, 07 Mar 2024 10:23:38 +0800 Epic Games,Apple,European Commission,EU law
<![CDATA[You can now get the new Nothing Phone (2a) for nothing from Yes 5G]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/07/you-can-now-get-the-new-nothing-phone-2a-for-nothing-from-yes-5g/121913 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/07/you-can-now-get-the-new-nothing-phone-2a-for-nothing-from-yes-5g/121913 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — The Nothing Phone (2a) is now available for pre-order in Malaysia, but if you’re not willing to fork out the RM1,699 for the new midrange smartphone, you may want to consider getting it bundled with a plan from Yes 5G as the telco is offering the Nothing Phone (2a) for nothing.

Nothing Phone (2a) x Yes 5G pre-order promo

From today till the 8th of March, you can pre-order the Nothing Phone (2a) from Yes 5G with open sales from 9 March onwards. You can do so from any of Yes 5G’s physical stores, the Yes Online Store, the MyYes app as well as all Yes authorised dealers nationwide.

All pre-orders will come with additional gifts such as a pair of CMF Buds Pro wireless earbuds, extended warranty, screen crack warranty, a screen protector and a Phone (2a) case. The first 80 customers who purchase the Phone (2a) from the Yes Experience Store at Lot 10 meanwhile will also get exclusive merchandise such as phone straps, a Nothing T-shirt and a Dupont shopping bag.

There are some caveats though that you’d want to take note of here. The Nothing Phone (2a) will technically cost you nothing but only if you bundle it with the Yes 5G Infinite+ Premium Postpaid plan that costs RM118/month; you also have the option of the Infinite+ Premium Standard Postpaid plan priced at RM88/month, but that will incur a monthly RM10 device fee for the duration of the contract, which for both plans is a 36-month contract.

As for what you’ll get with these plans, both the Yes Infinite+ Premium and the Yes Infinite+ Standard plans offer uncapped 5G+4G data and speed as well as unlimited calls and free unlimited 5G roaming in Singapore. The Standard plan though offers 50GB of hotspot quota while the Premium gets you 80GB of hotspot instead. If you’re interested, you can check out the Nothing Phone (2a) page on the Yes 5G website by clicking here. — SoyaCincau

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Raymond Saw Thu, 07 Mar 2024 08:13:57 +0800 Nothing Phone 2a
<![CDATA[Meta's Facebook, Instagram back up after global outage]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/06/metas-facebook-instagram-back-up-after-global-outage/121654 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/06/metas-facebook-instagram-back-up-after-global-outage/121654 Malay Mail

SAN FRANCISCO, March 6 ― Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram were back up today after a more than two-hour outage that was caused by a technical issue and impacted hundreds of thousands of users globally.

The disruptions started at around 10am ET (1500 GMT), with many users saying on rival social media platform X they had been booted out of Facebook and Instagram and were unable to log in.

The White House National Security Council was monitoring the incident and not aware of any specific malicious cyber activity at this time, a spokesperson said.

At the peak of the outage, there were more than 550,000 reports of disruptions for Facebook and about 92,000 for Instagram, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.com.

“Earlier today, a technical issue caused people to have difficulty accessing some of our services. We resolved the issue ... for everyone who was impacted,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a post on X, without elaborating on the issue.

Meta, whose shares were down 1.2 per cent in afternoon trading, did not immediately respond to a request seeking more details on the technical problem.

The company has about 3.19 billion daily active users across its family of apps, which also includes WhatsApp and Threads.

Its status dashboard earlier showed the application programming interface for WhatsApp Business was also facing issues.

However, the outage for WhatsApp and Threads was much smaller, according to Downdetector, which tracks outages by collating status reports from several sources including users.

Several employees of Meta said on anonymous messaging app Blind that they were unable to log in to their internal work systems, which left them wondering if they were laid off, according to posts seen by Reuters.

The outage was among the top trending topics on X, formerly Twitter, with the platform's owner Elon Musk taking a shot at Meta with a post that said: “If you're reading this post, it's because our servers are working”.

X itself has faced several disruptions to its service after Musk's US$44 billion purchase of the social media platform in October 2022, with an outage in December causing issues for more than 77,000 users in countries from the US to France. ― Reuters

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Wed, 06 Mar 2024 07:32:34 +0800 Meta,facebook,Instagram
<![CDATA[MDEC unveils incentive programmes of up to RM200,000 per project]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/05/mdec-unveils-incentive-programmes-of-up-to-rm200000-per-project/121589 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/05/mdec-unveils-incentive-programmes-of-up-to-rm200000-per-project/121589 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — The Digital Ministry, through the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), has announced a call for submissions for two incentive programmes, namely the Brand Metaverse Onboarding Programme and Immersive IP Experiences Programme.

The programmes offer substantial financial support of up to RM200,000 per project to foster innovation and drive digital transformation, MDEC said in a statement today.

“Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo revealed the incentive programmes during the MDEC Digital Creative Industry Day, an annual gathering that brings together professionals in the digital content and creative technology field,” the agency said.

Under the Brand Metaverse Onboarding Programme, eligible companies could access incentives of up to RM100,000 to develop immersive and experiential virtual world content tailored for Malaysian brands.

“The scope of projects spans the creation of diverse digital assets, experiences, and environments within the metaverse. From 3D models to interactive multimedia presentations and games, this initiative aims to enhance user experiences and interactions within the virtual universe,” MDEC said.

The Immersive IP Experiences Programme offers incentives of up to RM200,000 per project, targeting the expansion of top Malaysian IPs to a wider audience through existing Web2/Web3 centralised metaverses.

These incentive programmes aim to empower digital content creators, stimulate the development of intellectual property-related content within the metaverse, and catalyse digital transformation in the business sector.

“By offering financial support and promoting the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, MDEC is dedicated to advancing Malaysia’s digital ecosystem,” it added.

Visit https://mdec.my/ip360-metaverse/brand-metaverse-onboarding for more details about the Brand Metaverse Onboarding Programme and https://mdec.my/ip360-metaverse/immerse-ip-experiences for the Immersive IP Experiences Programme.

The closing date for submissions is March 27, 2024. — Bernama

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Tue, 05 Mar 2024 19:19:26 +0800 digital ministry,Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation MDEC,incentive programmes,digital transformation
<![CDATA[Apple updates MacBook Air line with M3 chips, phases out M1 model]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/05/apple-updates-macbook-air-line-with-m3-chips-phases-out-m1-model/121545 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/05/apple-updates-macbook-air-line-with-m3-chips-phases-out-m1-model/121545 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — After a lot of buzz about upcoming product refreshes, Apple announced new MacBook Air models carrying the latest M3 chips.

The MacBook Pro had earlier gotten M3 upgrades but fans of the MacBook Air line’s slimline design now get to choose between 13-inch and 15-inch display sizes.

Apple is also offering four different colour options including the popular dark blue that’s almost a black “midnight” shade and the other mainstays — starlight, space grey and silver.

As to performance, Apple says the new Airs are 60 per cent faster than M1 chip laptops and up to 13 times faster than the previous Intel-based MacBook Airs.

Interestingly, Apple is touting the ability to connect up to two external displays no matter which M3 MacBook Air you choose.

It’s interesting to me considering the Air is the more portable of the Mac laptops and it’s the Pro line that’s usually sold as desktop replacements that you can just rig up to various monitors.

As to specs, there’s support for up to 24GB of unified memory and the option between 8-core and 10-core GPUs.

Interestingly the release also mentions that laptops’ ability to run optimised AI models including diffusion models and large language models (LLMs).

Both laptops also support the faster Wi-Fi 6E standard and a decent amount of ports; apart from the MagSafe charging port, you get two Thunderbolt ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Also expect Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos support as well as a 1080p FaceTime HD webcam.

Apple also announced the new MacBook Air is the first the company’s made with 50 per cent recycled content, including 100 per cent recycled copper in its main logic board.

You can’t order the new machines as yet but they are available to look at online so you can do some mental price comparisons.

Talking about pricing, the 13-inch M3 models start from RM5,199 while the 15-inch option starts at RM6,199. Education pricing starts from RM4,729 and RM5,729 for the 13 and 15-inch models respectively.

If you’d like to save a little money, there’s the cheaper 13-inch MacBook Air M2 model (no 15-inch option) that starts at RM4,799.

No release date has yet been announced besides “soon” but it’s likely we can expect them some time later this month.

You can have a look online at the new machines at this link.

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Erna Mahyuni Tue, 05 Mar 2024 15:16:04 +0800 apple macbook,apple,MacBook Air
<![CDATA[Malaysia to be the first in the world to receive Nothing Phone (2a)]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/03/malaysia-to-be-the-first-in-the-world-to-receive-nothing-phone-2a/121126 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/03/malaysia-to-be-the-first-in-the-world-to-receive-nothing-phone-2a/121126 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 — Nothing will be launching its third smartphone, the Nothing Phone (2a) on 5 March. If you are already looking forward to getting your hands on the device, then you would be pleased to know that you don’t have to wait long for that to happen.

First 100 units to be accompanied by a KL-themed phone case, CMF Watch Pro

To celebrate the launch of the new phone, Nothing has come out with a bundle called #THE100. It is how the first batch of Phone (2a) will be released into the market and guess which city will be the first one to receive the limited edition bundle?

That’s right, it is our own Kuala Lumpur. Nothing has said that #THE100 bundle will be made available at 11.00am on March 6 at the Crossover Sunway Pyramid.

In addition to the new Phone (2a), this bundle will also feature a CMF Watch Pro. #THE100 sets that are on their way to Malaysia will also come with a Kuala Lumpur-themed phone case, a watch strap by Crossover, a Nothing-branded Dupont paper bag, and other mystery items.

According to the marketing newsletter from Nothing, one can choose to obtain the Phone (2a) that comes with the #THE100 bundle in either milk or black colourway. The newsletter also mentioned that the device will come with 12GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage but the pricing was not mentioned.

Nothing Phone (2a) quick specs

So far, Nothing has only revealed very little information about the phone although the company has officially shown the world what the phone looks like. Regarding the hardware, the only official detail we know so far is that it is running on a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro which Nothing claimed was “exclusively co-engineered” with the company and this apparently resulted in better hardware-software integration.

Nothing has also said in one of its recent marketing videos that the chip, which was manufactured by TSMC using 4nm process technology, is much more powerful than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 and Snapdragon 782G. Specifically, it helped the new device deliver 18% more performance than the Phone (1) as well as being 16% more efficient in terms of power consumption.

Meanwhile, it has also been rumoured that Phone (2a) will come with a 6.7-inch OLED display with a native resolution of 2412 x 1080 and 120Hz refresh rate. Other rumoured features include a 50MP main camera, 50MP ultrawide camera, 16MP selfie camera, and 5000mAh battery.

With that, let’s see how accurate the rumoured specs will be when the Phone (2a) receives its official grand launch on 5 March. — SoyaCincau

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Chief Chapree Sun, 03 Mar 2024 09:38:51 +0800 Nothing phone,Nothing Phone 2a
<![CDATA[Four futuristic concepts unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2024]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/01/four-futuristic-concepts-unveiled-at-mobile-world-congress-2024/120762 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/03/01/four-futuristic-concepts-unveiled-at-mobile-world-congress-2024/120762 Malay Mail

BARCELONA, March 1 — Each year, the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona provides an opportunity to discover the very best in new connected devices. This 2024 edition was no exception, with many new concepts likely to give rise to future consumer products on display at the event.

A smartphone that wraps around your wrist

At the Barcelona show, no less than two manufacturers presented prototypes for smartphones that wrap around the wrist. Visitors to the Mobile World Congress were able to admire Motorola’s wrap-around smartphone, first unveiled last fall at Lenovo World Tech in the USA. The idea is to be able to wear your smartphone on your wrist, carrying it around while keeping your hands free. To achieve this, the handset and its screen can curve around until the terminal clamps around the wrist, attached magnetically to a metal bracelet. Meanwhile, Samsung also presented a smartphone with a flexible screen that can wrap around the wrist. Spectacular though they are, these two concepts are not (yet) destined for commercialisation.

A smartphone with no applications

At this year’s Mobile World Congress, Deutsche Telekom, in association with American start-up Brain.ai, demonstrated a highly original smartphone prototype, devoid of even the slightest application. Only an AI-powered personal assistant is installed, tasked with carrying out a multitude of practical tasks, such as organising a vacation or booking a table at a restaurant. Still, it could be hard to imagine doing without access to your favourite social networks.

A transparent PC

Mobile World Congress is not just about smartphones, with devices like PCs also on show. This year, Lenovo stole the show in that field, with an astonishing model featuring a completely transparent screen, as seen in certain televisions. This 17-inch PC has a borderless, truly transparent MicroLED screen. The classic keyboard, meanwhile, is replaced by a panel that can act as a virtual keyboard or touch screen, for drawing, for example. Resolutely forward-looking, this prototype is not intended for commercial release.

A smart ring

Samsung is not to be outdone in terms of innovation, with the presentation of the Galaxy Ring, a smart ring. Its integrated sensors are designed to provide real-time data on the wearer’s state of fitness (or sleep), but the South Korean manufacturer is remaining discreet about its actual functionalities. Still at the prototype stage, it should be on the market by the end of the year. While the Oura ring is the current leader in this area, other major tech manufacturers, such as Honor, are also said to be working on this type of product. — ETX Studio

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Fri, 01 Mar 2024 08:01:54 +0800 Mobile World Congress
<![CDATA[SMS fraud, a headache for telecom operators]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/29/sms-fraud-a-headache-for-telecom-operators/120651 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/29/sms-fraud-a-headache-for-telecom-operators/120651 Malay Mail

BARCELONA, Feb 29 — SMS fraud, or “smishing”, is on the rise in many countries, fuelled by the increasing use of smartphones.

This is a challenge for telecom operators who are meeting at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the sector’s biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona this week.

What is smishing?

Smishing is a cybersecurity attack carried out over mobile text messaging, also known as SMS phishing which target both individuals and corporations.

The name is a play on the term “phishing”, the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers

“In a smishing attack, cybercriminals send deceptive text messages to lure victims into sharing personal or financial information, clicking on malicious links, or downloading harmful software or applications,” Stuart Jones of US cybersecurity firm Proofpoint told AFP.

What is the scale of the phenomenon?

It has grown rapidly in recent years, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic due to the explosion in the use of smartphones for administrative procedures and internet purchases.

According to a study carried out in ten countries by the Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF), a telecoms industry trade association, 39 percent of consumers were confronted with at least one SMS scam attempt last year.

“It is a very serious issue globally,” said Janet Lin, head of development at Taiwanese cybersecurity firm PINTrust, during a panel discussion on the subject at MWC on Monday on the first day of the congress.

An average of between 300,000 to 400,000 SMS attacks take place every day, according to cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, and that figure is expected to rise.

In the United States alone, “smishing” cost consumers US$330 million in 2022, more than double the losses reported in the previous year and nearly five times the amount lost in 2019, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Why is it so worrying?

Smishing is considered more dangerous than e-mail scams because it is more difficult to identify the perpetrators, and because victims tend to think that their number can only be used by known people or organisations.

“Many people still have a high level of trust in the security of mobile communications,” said Jones.

“Click rates on URLs sent in mobile messaging are as much as eight times higher than those for e-mail,” he added.

The authorities also point to the growing sophistication of SMS attacks, with fraudsters using companies that specialise in the sale of personal data, or devices reserved for the army or police.

Smishing rings have been known to use so-called IMSI catchers, also known as “stingrays”, which mimic cell phone towers to intercept communications from smartphones over a radius of 500 metres.

How can it be fought?

Many countries have set up reporting platforms to which people can forward suspicious SMS messages, leaving it up to the authorities to block the numbers.

Image-conscious telephone operators have also set up teams capable of filtering out some of the fraudulent SMS messages, aided by the reporting tools of operating systems such as Android and iOS, and messaging systems such as WhatsApp.

However, this task often turns into a cat-and-mouse game, with fraudsters constantly changing their number. Fraudsters also take advantage of differences in laws in across the globe to get away with their attacks.

“While regulators in Europe, the United States, and China have been tightening the rules, other regions, such as Africa and Latin America, find themselves with limited regulatory frameworks,” the ITW Global Leaders’ Forum, a network of telecoms executives, wrote in a report.

One of the keys to fighting smishing is prevention, experts say.

“Consumers need to be very sceptical of mobile messages that come from unknown sources. And it’s important to never click on links in text messages, no matter how realistic they look,” said Jones. — AFP

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Thu, 29 Feb 2024 13:36:24 +0800 Mobile World Congress,smishing,sms scam
<![CDATA[Gamers party like it’s 1997 as Final Fantasy VII ‘reborn’]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/29/gamers-party-like-its-1997-as-final-fantasy-vii-reborn/120587 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/29/gamers-party-like-its-1997-as-final-fantasy-vii-reborn/120587 Malay Mail

PARIS, Feb 29 — Gamers are anxiously awaiting the release on Thursday of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, a title based on a 1997 classic that is blurring the boundaries between remakes and reboots.

While makers of other blockbusters like Resident Evil, Zelda and Pokemon have tweaked and updated older versions of their games, Japanese publisher Square Enix had something more radical in mind for Final Fantasy VII.

The firm has reimagined its 1997 magnum opus as a trilogy, with “rebirth” the second part, following on from 2020’s “remake”, a game that became a bestseller in its own right.

Polish photographer Bartosz Glowacki told AFP he had spent an “insane amount of time” playing the original game and could not wait for the latest instalment.

“I’m super excited to enjoy this amazing story again,” he said.

But experts point to the difficulties of bringing enough changes to reel in new players, while keeping enough of the DNA to provide fan service.

“To remake the actual original game is one thing, but to remake the legendary, romanticised version of a game that people think they remember is on a whole other level,” said Nicky Heijmen, a video game researcher at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

“Not only do you risk a weak reception of the new title but also the damaging of your franchise’s legacy.”

‘It forged me’

The original Final Fantasy VII was one of the biggest-selling games for the first PlayStation console, eventually selling more than 14 million copies.

It was the first edition of the saga to be released in Europe and the first to attract a global following, coming to be regarded as a classic title.

But the first part of the new trilogy drew a clear line in the sand — the writers had no intention of sticking to the original storyline, instead demanding the heroes fight against their own fates.

“It doesn’t go down well with some die-hard fans,” said French gamer Alexandre Pichon, whose TikTok channel FinalFantasyGeek gets plenty of spicy debate on the subject.

“My generation grew up with it. For me, it’s a story that has forged me,” said the 37-year-old.

The role-playing game (RPG) follows Cloud Strife, a member of an eco-terrorist group trying to disrupt the plans of the Shinra corporation, which sucks energy from the planet to use as a power source.

Glowacki points out that the themes of the story — the power of corporations, the risks of bio-engineering — help the game stay relevant to today’s audience.

Grassroots buzz

Square Enix has been spurred on by sales of more than five million and positive reviews for the first part of the trilogy.

The firm has rolled out ads featuring the game’s characters emerging from flames on giant screens at Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing.

And the online debate has only added fuel to the publicity campaign.

This kind of grassroots buzz allows studios to make massive savings on marketing, said Anna Bressan, co-founder of French firm Red Studio.

The built-in audience also takes the strain away from pre-production research, she said, meaning any kind of remake was often a worthwhile investment.

So far, the plan is working for Square Enix, which has received largely positive reactions to a pre-release trial version of the game.

But the debate still rages about a key plot point — the death of one of the main characters.

For many fans, it was the driver of the original plot, and they are left asking: Will the character be killed off second time around?

“I want to be surprised, I want them to take risks,” said Pichon.

“No matter how much we love the game, it doesn’t belong to us.” — AFP

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Thu, 29 Feb 2024 08:20:40 +0800 video games,Final Fantasy VII
<![CDATA[What are the credible alternatives to ChatGPT?]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/29/what-are-the-credible-alternatives-to-chatgpt/120586 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/29/what-are-the-credible-alternatives-to-chatgpt/120586 Malay Mail

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 29 — When it comes to AI conversational agents, are there really any credible alternatives to ChatGPT? With the emergence of US rivals Gemini and Claude, and the arrival of France’s Le Chat, competition has never been stronger.

For over a year now, ChatGPT has been the go-to when it comes to content-generating artificial intelligence chatbots. But there are other solutions out there.

From answering practical or topical questions to analyzing PDFs, translating text or even writing songs — all these things and more are now within everyone’s reach thanks to ChatGPT. However, given that the most advanced features are available in its paid version, some may prefer to turn to free solutions to benefit from these types of useful tools.

First of all, there’s Gemini, formerly known as Bard, a free generative and multimodal artificial intelligence service from Google. Like ChatGPT, it can analyse and generate different types of content. Fast and relatively reliable, Gemini appears to be a truly serious competitor to ChatGPT, even if it offers fewer features than its rival.

Another widely recognised model, called Claude, stands out for its field of expertise, as it was designed specifically to address technical and scientific requests. Its model has thus been fed with a huge number of research studies. Much less popular than ChatGPT or Gemini, it nevertheless excels in its field and offers both free and paid tiers.

The latest rival, capable of competing with market leaders, hails from France. The Mistral AI startup recently released Le Chat, a tool offering performance that has little to envy its American counterparts. On the other hand, it doesn’t (yet) source information directly from the internet to access up-to-date content. As a result, its answers can sometimes be wrong on topical subjects.

To conclude, in its paid version, ChatGPT remains the undisputed benchmark, but if you don’t want to pay to use an AI-powered conversational agent, you can also turn to Gemini and even test Le Chat, which is particularly promising. — ETX Studio

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Thu, 29 Feb 2024 08:19:14 +0800 artifical intelligence AI,ChatGPT,Gemini AI,claude,le chat
<![CDATA[Google CEO slams ‘completely unacceptable’ Gemini AI errors]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/29/google-ceo-slams-completely-unacceptable-gemini-ai-errors/120583 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/29/google-ceo-slams-completely-unacceptable-gemini-ai-errors/120583 Malay Mail

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 29 — Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Tuesday slammed “completely unacceptable” errors by its Gemini AI app, after gaffes such as images of ethnically diverse World War II Nazi troops forced it to stop users from creating pictures of people.

The controversy emerged within weeks of Google’s high-profile rebranding of its ChatGPT-style AI to “Gemini”, giving the app unprecedented prominence in its products as it competes with OpenAI and its backer Microsoft.

Social media users mocked and criticized Google for the historically inaccurate Gemini-generated images, such as US senators from the 1800s that were ethnically diverse and included women.

“I want to address the recent issues with problematic text and image responses in the Gemini app,” Pichai wrote in a letter to staff, which was published by the news website Semafor.

“I know that some of its responses have offended our users and shown bias — to be clear, that’s completely unacceptable and we got it wrong.”

A Google spokesperson confirmed to AFP that the letter was authentic.

Pichai said Google’s teams were working “around the clock” to fix these issues but did not say when the image-generating feature would be available again.

“No AI is perfect, especially at this emerging stage of the industry’s development, but we know the bar is high for us and we will keep at it for however long it takes,” he wrote.

Tech companies see generative artificial intelligence models as the next big step in computing and are racing to infuse them into everything from searching the internet and automating customer support to creating music and art.

But AI models, and not just Google’s, have long been criticized for perpetuating racial and gender biases in their results.

Google said last week that the problematic responses from Gemini were a result of the company’s efforts to remove such biases.

Gemini was calibrated to show diverse people but did not adjust for prompts where that should not have been the case, also becoming too cautious with some otherwise harmless requests, Google’s Prabhakar Raghavan wrote in a blog post.

“These two things led the model to overcompensate in some cases, and be over-conservative in others, leading to images that were embarrassing and wrong,” he said.

Many concerns about AI have emerged since the explosive success of ChatGPT.

Experts and governments have warned that AI also carries the risk of major economic upheaval, especially job displacement, and industrial-scale disinformation that can manipulate elections and spur violence. — AFP

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Thu, 29 Feb 2024 08:17:13 +0800 Gemini AI,Sundar Pichai,Google
<![CDATA[CelcomDigi will also work with AWS to create generative AI solutions for its customers]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/28/celcomdigi-will-also-work-with-aws-to-create-generative-ai-solutions-for-its-customers/120457 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/28/celcomdigi-will-also-work-with-aws-to-create-generative-ai-solutions-for-its-customers/120457 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 — Amazon Web Services (AWS) was busy with Malaysian telcos at MWC 2024. It is now CelcomDigi’s turn to sign a collaboration with the cloud computing company during the trade show. CelcomDigi will be working with AWS to co-create generative artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. The two companies aim to improve user experience by leveraging the power of AI.

CelcomDigi employees can experiment using AWS to create new generative AI solutions

CelcomDigi will be using AWS’s Amazon Bedrock to establish an AI Sandbox for its employees to experiment, innovate, and implement generative AI solutions. The fully managed service from AWS offers high-performing foundation models from leading AI companies via a single API as well as a broad set of capabilities to build custom generative AI applications. The new capabilities built using AWS will be for use cases that will be integrated into CelcomDigi’s operational platforms for human resources (HR), customer service, legal, finance, and more.

“Through our adoption of Amazon Web Service’s generative AI solutions, we can create more possibilities for future talent development and achieve operational excellence throughout our organisation. This initiative also enables us to refine these solutions and bring their benefits and value to our customers and Malaysian enterprises across industries. We look forward to working closely with AWS as part of our aspiration to build the nation’s digital ecosystem.”

— Datuk Idham Nawawi, CEO at CelcomDigi

CelcomDigi and AWS will also collaborate to train CelcomDigi employees on AI. This includes expanding the capabilities of the existing AI Chatbot available to CelcomDigi to give employees easy access to organisational and HR-related information, eliminating traditional work processes and improving employee experience using AI.

CelcomDigi is developing Bahasa Melayu language algorithms using AWS

Using Amazon Bedrock, CelcomDigi will develop and implement Bahasa Melayu language algorithms with Amazon’s Bedrock Large Language Models (LLM) named Amazon Titan and Anthropic Claude, for use with its in-house chatbots for customer-facing communications. CelcomDigi and AWS will also explore deploying personalised generative AI use cases for Malaysian businesses across industries and consumers.

“CelcomDigi’s collaboration with AWS is a great example of how telcos can enhance end-to-end operational efficiency and redefine the user experience for both employees and customers with the power of generative AI technology. With AWS, CelcomDigi can drive new use cases at scale with AI-optimized infrastructure and the flexibility to choose fit-for-purpose foundational models through Amazon Bedrock. This collaboration also accelerates the delivery of new innovative AI services to Malaysian enterprises. We are excited to support CelcomDigi in advancing its 5G and AI transformation with our upcoming AWS Region in Malaysia, and our joint commitment to develop AI talent in the country.”

— Pete Murray, Country Manager, Malaysia at AWS

At MWC 2024, CelcomDigi also signed a new infrastructure-sharing deal with U Mobile. The sharing deal will enable both telcos to expand their 4G coverage and improve connectivity without having a huge impact on their operational costs. — SoyaCincau

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Sharil Abdul Rahman Wed, 28 Feb 2024 16:42:27 +0800 CelcomDigi,aws,generative ai
<![CDATA[Robot dogs and flying cars: Gadget highlights at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/28/robot-dogs-and-flying-cars-gadget-highlights-at-the-mobile-world-congress-in-barcelona/120367 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/28/robot-dogs-and-flying-cars-gadget-highlights-at-the-mobile-world-congress-in-barcelona/120367 Malay Mail

BARCELONA, Feb 28 — Tech companies showcased countless connected gadgets at the world’s biggest wireless telecom fair, the four-day Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which wraps up tomorrow.

Here is a selection of highlights:

‘World’s first’ flying car

US firm Alef Aeronautics displayed to the public for the first time the working model of what it says is the world’s first real flying car.

“It drives like a car, looks like a car and has a vertical take-off,” said the company’s president and CEO, Jim Dukhovny.

The electric-powered car has received special airworthiness certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The current prototype can transport two people a distance of up to around 110 miles (170 kilometres) and the company expects to start production of a final version at the end of 2025.

The company has already received nearly 3,000 pre-orders for the car, which sells for US$300,000.

Robotic dog

Chinese firm Tecno Mobile showed off a robotic dog inspired by the German Shepherd which uses AI and powerful sensors to understand voice commands and perform lifelike actions such as bowing, shaking hands and climbing stairs.

The robot — dubbed the “Dynamic 1” — can be controlled by a smartphone apps as well, and it aims to provide the “joy of pet ownership” without the hassles.

Transparent laptop

Chinese manufacturer Lenovo presented a prototype of a laptop with a 17.3-inch transparent glass screen which offers “a completely borderless and see-through display experience”.

Instead of a traditional keyboard, it has a touch surface where keys can be projected or you can use a special pen to draw on the screen. The company has not announced a release date for the product.

The screen’s transparency can be adjusted so that not everyone who passes by can always see what you are doing.

“The transparent display existed only in futuristic movies, maybe in AR glasses. That’s only in the past as we can see,” said Lenovo executive director Aiguo Zheng.

AI-powered companion doll

With its cloth body, floral blouse and brown hair, Hyodol has all the look of a children’s doll. But Hyodol — made by a South Korean company of the same name — is aimed at seniors.

Packed with sensors and AI-power microprocessors, it can play songs, remind seniors with a voice message to take their medicine and can notify the guardian of its user when no movement is detected for a certain period of time.

Standing 35 centimetres (14 inches) tall, the doll is designed to talk when touched by the user and in accordance with customisable time settings such as meal times.

“We are committed to empowering seniors to live independently while staying connected with their community and loved ones,” the company said.

Impaired speech voice converter

Dutch startup Whispp demonstrated a calling app which uses AI technology to covert impaired speech due to conditions such as throat cancer, stroke or even stuttering into the user’s natural voice in real time.

Unlike other solutions for people with voice disorders which convert speech to text, the app allows the user to talk to anyone they want on their phone or laptop and maintain a natural conversation flow, while sounding like their own healthy voice.

“We are really helping people who lost their voice get their voice back,” said Whispp co-founder and CEO Joris Castermans, adding he hopes the app will one day be on all smartphones “to make this a more inclusive world”. — AFP

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Wed, 28 Feb 2024 09:19:51 +0800 Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2024 MWC,mobile world congress
<![CDATA[Smartphone makers charge ahead to make better batteries]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/28/smartphone-makers-charge-ahead-to-make-better-batteries/120364 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/28/smartphone-makers-charge-ahead-to-make-better-batteries/120364 Malay Mail

BARCELONA, Feb 28 — A smartphone that can be charged in fewer than 40 minutes. Even better: a tiny nuclear battery that could keep it running for 50 years.

Facing consumers who are fed up with having to plug in their phones all the time, device makers are racing to develop more potent batteries that can charge faster and last longer.

Telecom firms highlighted some of the progress they’ve made at the industry’s biggest annual show, the four-day Mobile World Congress (MWC), which got underway in Barcelona on Monday.

“All manufacturers are looking to have better performing batteries. There is a sense that it is an area that is lagging behind, that we have to move forward,” Forrester Research analyst Thomas Husson told AFP.

As smartphone models have become increasingly similar, having a better battery is a way to “stand out from the crowd,” he added.

Since the first smartphones hits the market in the 2000s, there have been several advances in the battery field, such as wireless charging, but there is still much room for improvement.

The growing popularity of power-hungry applications such as gaming and social media is fuelling demand for “mobile batteries with high battery capacity” and spurring the race for innovation among manufacturers, Allied Market Research wrote in a research note.

The majority of smartphones currently run on lithium-ion batteries that are made up of rare materials such as lithium, cobalt and manganese whose prices have soared and which degrade as time passes.

To get around this problem, manufacturers are exploring alternatives using lithium sulphur or graphene which may last longer and rely on less rare elements.

AI needs

Chinese handset maker Honour has developed a new higher capacity battery technology which uses silicon-carbon for its new AI-infused flagship Magic 6 smartphone, which it says can fully charge in less than 40 minutes and last longer than those of its main competitors.

It is the top smartphone battery in a ranking compiled by DXOMARK, a commercial website that scientifically assesses handsets.

As AI features use more energy “of course we need a powerful battery life,” Honour CEO George Zhao said at the global launch of the phone in Barcelona on Sunday.

South Korean giant Samsung is reportedly developing a solid-state battery which can store more energy, charge faster and offers greater safety. It aims to launch it in 2027.

Its main rival Apple — which last year overtook Samsung as the world’s top seller of smartphones — is developing its own battery technology with a view to introducing its designs into mobile devices, perhaps as soon as 2025, according to South Korean newspaper ET News.

Battery making had usually been outsourced but device makers are now increasingly seeking to “reduce their dependency on certain suppliers” as they are already doing with chips, said Husson.

Nuclear charge

Chinese startup Betavolt Technology unveiled a new nuclear battery in January which it said it can power a smartphone for 50 years without the need for recharging.

The Beijing-based company said the next-generation battery is the first in the world to realise the miniaturisation of atomic energy, placing nickel-63 isotopes into a module smaller than a coin.

The company, which is not attending the Barcelona event, did not say when the battery would be mass produced for commercial applications, saying only that it was in the pilot testing stage.

The improvements are sometimes required by legislators.

The European Union parliament approved new rules in June to make batteries more sustainable by imposing minimum levels of recycled content which they must use and be more durable.

“There is more money being spent on battery technology than ever before because of the electric vehicle development. So it is quite an exciting time for batteries,” Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, told AFP.

“If someone could crack the battery problem, it would be a game changer. Imagine having a mobile phone that lasts two week, it would be amazing. But we are years and years away from that happening.” — AFP

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Wed, 28 Feb 2024 09:02:32 +0800 Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2024 MWC,mobile world congress
<![CDATA[Meet Le Chat, the French rival to ChatGPT]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/28/meet-le-chat-the-french-rival-to-chatgpt/120357 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/28/meet-le-chat-the-french-rival-to-chatgpt/120357 Malay Mail

PARIS, Feb 28 — The French start-up Mistral AI has announced the launch of its first AI-powered conversational chatbot. Still limited and accessible only by signing up to a waiting list, Le Chat is nevertheless billed as a French alternative to ChatGPT, the leader in this field.

Le Chat is a multilingual conversational assistant, based on the different language models (Small, Next and Large) developed by Mistral AI. The application is both educational and fun, simple to use and powerful.

In concrete terms, you can ask it practical or general knowledge questions. You can also ask it to summarize or translate an article, write a presentation or podcast, and so on.

On the other hand, it cannot (yet) source information from the internet to access up-to-date content. As a result, it may, at times, provide inaccurate or simply out-of-date information.

At the same time, Mistral AI also announced the launch of Le Chat Enterprise, a solution designed to improve productivity for professionals. This is a paid version, the price of which varies according to the number of requests.

Note that Mistral AI has also partnered with Microsoft to be present on its Azure AI platform, again aimed at professionals.

Ultimately, this launch is reminiscent of ChatGPT’s launch in November 2022, with a truly powerful but still limited tool, and the obligation to sign up to a waiting list to be able to test the service.

Fortunately, the process is relatively quick, and you shouldn’t have to wait long to be able to test it out for yourself.

To get an idea of Le Chat’s performance, you can already register as a beta user. Feedback is welcomed by the Mistral AI teams to help them improve the effectiveness of their product.

Discover Mistral AI’s Le Chat conversational assistant at chat.mistral.ai/chat. — ETX Studio

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Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:47:22 +0800 ChatGPT,artificial intelligence,ai bot,AI chatbots,chatbot,le chat,Mistral AI
<![CDATA[Ookla says Malaysia’s 5G is the world’s most consistent, but what does it mean?]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/27/ookla-says-malaysias-5g-is-the-worlds-most-consistent-but-what-does-it-mean/120210 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/27/ookla-says-malaysias-5g-is-the-worlds-most-consistent-but-what-does-it-mean/120210 Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 — As announced by Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil at MWC 2024, Malaysia is ranked number 1 globally for 5G consistency. He shared that Malaysia’s 5G network deployed by Digital Nasional Berhad has gotten an Ookla 5G Consistency Score of 97.27 per cent, beating other countries that have rolled out 5G earlier.

To find out what it means to be ranked number 1 for 5G consistency, we spoke to several Ookla representatives to find out more about their testing methodology.

What is an Ookla Consistency Score?

According to Ookla, the company behind the popular speedtest platform, Consistency Score is their metric where they measure how consistent a network is. The measurement is based on speedtests by app users in Malaysia on the 5G network (across multiple telcos). The latest consistency claim is based on speedtests conducted in the last quarter (October to December) in Q4 2023.

Ookla added that each test must achieve a minimum of 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload. The more consistent the test results are, the higher the score it gets, and that’s how Malaysia ended up with a score of 97.27 per cent, followed by North Macedonia at 94.06 per cent and the United Arab Emirates at 93.88 per cent.

Why are other developed nations not on the Consistency list?

We also asked Ookla why other developed 5G countries with higher recorded 5G speeds are not on the Consistency list. As highlighted in their Q3 2023 report, Malaysia is ranked below UAE, Qatar, South Korea, Australia, Singapore and Taiwan under the Speedtest Global Index. In terms of 5G performance, Malaysia is ahead of its peers in Southeast Asia with a Median 5G download speed of 485.25Mbps, but it is behind South Korea (507.59Mbps) and UAE (592.01Mbps).

They told us that there are other factors which include price plans. Ookla explained that some operators want to get consumers on board with 5G but the actual 5G speeds are throttled. Ookla added that different operators launch 5G differently and you have to look at the capability of the devices as well as other factors. It says Malaysia has got all of these going for consumers covering pricing, devices and the platform.

What is not covered by the Consistency Score?

It is worth pointing out that the Consistency Score is not about the fastest download and upload speeds. Ookla iterates that it is all about consistency. A representative told us that there’s no point having over 100Mbps today but it doesn’t deliver the same consistent results the next day. What they found from the recent claim is that Malaysia was the most consistent among all providers worldwide in the last quarter.

We asked Ookla if the consistency claim covers user experience such as video streaming, gaming or video calls. They answered no as the claim is purely on consistent speed.

Why 25Mbps? Isn’t it too low for 5G standards?

Since 5G networks worldwide can achieve download speeds in hundreds of Mbps, we asked Ookla why are they using a low threshold of a minimum of 25Mbps. They told us that Ookla is US-based and they follow FCC’s determination for minimum threshold. At the moment, FCC defines broadband as having the capability of delivering at least 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload. Obviously, that’s very low for today’s standards and Ookla says that it may change in the future.

The Best Global 5G Consistency Score is a claim, not an award

In case you’re wondering why you can’t find any report of Malaysia getting the Best 5G Consistency on Ookla’s website, Ookla has clarified that this is merely a claim and not an award. They added that a claim is based on 3-month data versus for Awards which are based on 6 months data, comparing two quarters.

Specifically for claims, Ookla said they only provide it for 3 months and it is based on that particular point in time. They added that 5G is constantly evolving as the network will have more traffic going through it, so therefore you will not get the same consistency across as the network grows. It is just a claim and they will continue to evaluate it.

Ookla says a claim is valid for 6 months and the next time they will look into the same claim will be for Q3 2024. — SoyaCincau

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Alexander Wong Tue, 27 Feb 2024 12:10:12 +0800 Ookla,ookla speedtest,malaysia 5G access,MALAYSIA 5G,5G
<![CDATA[Smartphone makers bet on AI to revive sales]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/27/smartphone-makers-bet-on-ai-to-revive-sales/120198 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/27/smartphone-makers-bet-on-ai-to-revive-sales/120198 Malay Mail

BARCELONA, Feb 27 — Smartphone makers are packing their latest devices with flashy new artificial intelligence tools such as real-time voice translation and advanced photo editing in efforts to reignite consumer demand.

The trend was on display at the telecom industry’s biggest annual show, the four-day Mobile World Congress (MWC) which got under way yesterday in Barcelona, where handset makers focused on the unique AI-powered features of their new flagship devices.

“Phones have just got boring, they are not as exciting as they used to be. The changes from one model to the next are not that great,” Ben Wood, chief of researcher at CCS Insight, told AFP.

While cameras, battery life and screens are “a little better” than before, companies need to add more “exciting” capabilities to their products to encourage people to upgrade their phones, Wood added.

“AI is a way to do that,” he said.

South Korean giant Samsung’s stand at the MWC prominently plugged its new premium AI-powered Galaxy S24 range, which allow users to make or receive a call in a language they don’t speak and then receive a live translation of the call both audibly and on the screen.

The feature can handle 13 languages, including French, Japanese and Hindi.

The new handsets — which were launched in January — also includes an AI-powered photo editing tool that allows you to easily move and erase objects and people from photos, and then generates content to fill the empty spaces that match its surroundings.

‘Changes everything’

Smaller device makers are also betting heavily on AI.

China’s Honor launched its new AI-infused flagship Magic 6 Pro smartphone in Barcelona which features a camera with motion-sensing capabilities that can detect and automatically photograph fast actions such as sports at the best moment.

It also includes AI-powered eye-tracking technology which allows users to control apps with their eyes — without using their fingers — which Honor demonstrated by using the phone to control a car hands-free.

“AI changes everything,” Honor CEO George Zhao said, adding it “can make fantastic things happen.”

Smartphone makers are now able to offer these sorts of AI-powered features — often directly on the handset without resorting to more time-consuming and costly cloud computing — because the computing power of AI chips has increased significantly, analysts said.

“This potentially could be the start of a new era for smartphones,” said PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore, adding the challenge for device makers will be to inform consumers about the new AI-powered tools.

“Articulating the merits of AI and the new features to users will be no easy feat. Not all users are necessarily aware of AI and they will be sceptical at first,” he told AFP.

A woman holds the new Honor Magic V2 RSR smartphone, a device with the partnership of the German cars manufacturer Porsche, during a presentation on the eve of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona February 25, 2024. — AFP pic
A woman holds the new Honor Magic V2 RSR smartphone, a device with the partnership of the German cars manufacturer Porsche, during a presentation on the eve of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona February 25, 2024. — AFP pic

‘Lack of growth’

The focus on AI comes amid sluggish smartphones sales as consumers are taking longer to upgrade their devices due to a lack of significant innovations, high inflation and economic uncertainties.

Global smartphone shipments declined 3.2 per cent to 1.17 billion units in 2023, its second consecutive yearly decline, according to the IDC consultancy which predicts a marginal rebound this year.

It predicts 170 million next-generation AI smartphones will be shipped in 2024, almost 15 per cent of total smartphone shipments, up from roughly 51 million shipped in 2023.

“We are challenged by a lack of growth. So we need to look for opportunity,” Mats Granryd, the director general of telecoms industry group GSMA, the event organiser, said in an opening address.

AI-powered tools could also become a new revenue stream for device makers. Samsung has hinted that it may introduce more powerful AI features in the future for paid subscribers.

“Everybody wants to drive a services revenue. They all look at Apple, particularly in the mobile phone business, and they are so jealous of Apple being able to generate so much revenue from a services model,” said Wood.

Apple charges users of its iPhone for a variety of services such as extra cloud storage which has buoyed its profits. — AFP

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Tue, 27 Feb 2024 11:37:04 +0800 Smartphone makers,smartphones,smartphone market,artificial intelligence,ai,Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2024 MWC,mobile world congress
<![CDATA[HTC boss welcomes Apple VR competition]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/27/htc-boss-welcomes-apple-vr-competition/120196 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/27/htc-boss-welcomes-apple-vr-competition/120196 Malay Mail

BARCELONA, Feb 27 — The boss of consumer electronics firm HTC yesterday welcomed Apple’s launch of its own a mixed reality headset, saying it will help the technology take off and become mainstream.

Apple began sales of Vision Pro, the company’s pricey virtual and augmented reality headset on February 2 in company’s biggest product launch since the original iPhone went on sale in 2007, putting it in competition with HTC.

Once a major player in the smartphone market, the Taiwanese company has staked its future on the merging of virtual and physical worlds with its HTC Vive line of headsets.

“I think it is good that Apple joined the competition. I mean Apple is a big brand so its good,” HTC chief executive and co-founder Cher Wang told AFP at the four-day Mobile World Congress, the telecom industry biggest annual show, which got underway in Barcelona on Monday.

“I think their price is very high but people started to see what you can do” with the technology, she added.

Asked when she thought virtual and augmented reality would become mainstream, Wang said: “It is not going to be too long. Definitely this is an area we believe will be the next internet.”

“I think when the price point gets lower and the technology, what we provide, improves further, things will get more ubiquitous,” she added.

Sales of virtual and augmented reality headsets have remained modest with critics complaining the devices cause eye strain, mess up the user’s hair and often require a clunky battery pack although they are getting lighter.

Most headsets are still mostly used for gaming but Wang said VR is increasingly being used in business settings to simulate work experiences, such as in healthcare such to train surgeons to become more proficient in the operating room as well as to help police learn how to de-escalate violent situations.

“We have been doing quite well in these areas. There are all sorts of applications,” she said.

HTC Vive Focus 3 headset are even being used on the International Space Station to help astronauts exercise and give them images of life on Earth during their long stays, Wang said.

“Astronauts talk about how they really miss greenery, the air, butterflies,” she said. “It calms down their anxiety because it is such an enclosed space for many, many months.”

The IDC consultancy estimates worldwide shipments of augmented reality and virtual reality headsets fell by around 8.3 per cent in 2023 to 8.1 million units as rising inflation damped household consumption and business spending slowed.

But it expects shipments to grow by 46.4 per cent this year, thanks in part to a “full year’s availability” of Apple’s Vision Pro “which is expected to bring lots of attention” and Meta’s Quest 3 which went on sale in October 2023. — AFP

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Tue, 27 Feb 2024 11:28:55 +0800 HTC,Apple VR,apple inc,virtual reality VR,mobile world congress,mobile world congress,Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2024 MWC
<![CDATA[Google aims to relaunch Gemini AI image tool in a few weeks]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/27/google-aims-to-relaunch-gemini-ai-image-tool-in-a-few-weeks/120195 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/27/google-aims-to-relaunch-gemini-ai-image-tool-in-a-few-weeks/120195 Malay Mail

BARCELONA, Feb 26 — Google plans to relaunch in the next few weeks its AI tool that creates images of people, which it paused last week after inaccuracies in some historical depictions, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said yesterday.

Alphabet’s Google began offering image generation through its Gemini AI models earlier this month. Some users, however, flagged on social media that it generated historical images which were sometimes inaccurate.

“We have taken the feature offline while we fix that. We are hoping to have that back online very shortly in the next couple of weeks, few weeks”, Hassabis said in a panel in the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The tool was not “working the way we intended”, he added.

Alphabet’s shares were down 3.5 per cent yesterday afternoon, the biggest drag on the benchmark S&P 500 index.

Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022, Google has been racing to produce AI software to rival that of the Microsoft-backed company.

When Google released its generative AI chatbot Bard a year ago, it had shared inaccurate information about pictures of a planet outside the Earth’s solar system in a promotional video, causing its shares to drop by as much as 9 per cent.

Bard was renamed Gemini earlier this month and Google rolled out paid subscription plans, which users could choose for better reasoning capabilities from the AI model.

“We are in the early stages of generative AI development but if the glitches or inaccuracies persist, that’s when people start to worry,” said Bob O’Donnell, chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research. — Reuters

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Tue, 27 Feb 2024 11:22:36 +0800 google ai tool,google gemini,ai,artificial intelligence,Google DeepMind,Demis Hassabis,Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2024 MWC,Mobile World Congress
<![CDATA[AI in focus at world’s top mobile fair in Spain]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/26/ai-in-focus-at-worlds-top-mobile-fair-in-spain/120005 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/26/ai-in-focus-at-worlds-top-mobile-fair-in-spain/120005 Malay Mail

BARCELONA, Feb 26 — The world’s biggest mobile phone fair throws open its doors in Barcelona today with the sector looking to artificial intelligence to try and reverse declining sales.

Phone makers are expected to focus on the unique AI-powered tools of their latest handsets at the four-day Mobile World Congress in Barcelona where 95,000 attendees and 2,400 exhibitors from around the world are awaited for an event that lasts until Thursday.

Telecoms operators will use the event to explore how AI can help improve their operations, from boosting security to providing better customer service.

AI “is clearly democratising and is now embedded everywhere: in phones, in devices, in networks,” said Thomas Husson, principal analyst at Forrester who sees it reviving innovation in the sector.

The event comes as global smartphone shipments declined 3.2 per cent to 1.17 billion units in 2023.

It was the second consecutive yearly decline, according to the IDC consultancy, as consumers took longer to upgrade their devices due to a lack of innovations, high inflation and economic uncertainties.

But shipments rose 8.5 per cent in the fourth quarter to 326.1 million units which suggests “momentum is moving quickly toward recovery”.

Google and South Korean giant Samsung have both recently unveiled new flagship handsets with flashy AI-power tools such as advanced photo editing and easier online search which they are expected to highlight.

Other smaller handset makers such as China’s Honor are set to unveil new devices at the event.

Honor’s new flagship phone features a camera with AI motion-sensing capabilities that can detect and automatically take a picture of a moving object at the best moment.

Robots and flying cars

AI had already “kicked off” before the last MWC in 2023 but “a year later we have a much better idea of how operators and the mobile industry can take advantage of it,” said Peter Jarich, head of intelligence at telecoms industry group GSMA, the event organiser.

Among the 1,100 speakers who are scheduled are Michael Dell, founder and CEO of the personal computer firm Dell, and Microsoft president Brad Smith.

Aside from AI, discussions are expected to focus on the consolidation of the European telecoms market after the EU on Tuesday approved the merger of the Spain operations of French telecoms giant Orange with its Spanish rival Mas Movil.

There is also likely to be debate about whether big tech should contribute to the cost of deploying the networks their products rely on, a notion commonly known as “fair share”.

The annual congress, which has been held in Barcelona since 2006, initially focused on phones but has since expanded to include all sorts of connected devices such as drones and robots.

Among the more eye-catching devices which will be on display is the working model of what US firm Alef Aeronautics says is the world’s first “real” flying car and a lifelike robotic dog by Tecno mobile that can understand voice commands.

Drought emergency

The event comes just three weeks after Catalonia’s regional government declared a drought emergency in Barcelona and the surrounding area following three years without significant rain.

It means tighter water use restrictions will be in place, especially for agriculture.

Public fountains in Spain’s second city have long been turned off, while hotels are running awareness campaigns to encourage guests to use less water.

Water reservoir levels are so low that the regional government has made plans to allow deliveries by ship if necessary.

“A lot of people who aren’t from around here might not realise we’re in the middle of a drought,” said GSMA’s director general.

“We will try to make sure people drink less water and save water as much as possible.” — AFP

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Mon, 26 Feb 2024 08:49:28 +0800 mobile fair,artifical intelligence AI
<![CDATA[Google rows back AI-image tool after WWII gaffe]]> https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/23/google-rows-back-ai-image-tool-after-wwii-gaffe/119542 https://www.malaymail.com/news/tech-gadgets/2024/02/23/google-rows-back-ai-image-tool-after-wwii-gaffe/119542 Malay Mail

PARIS, Feb 23 — Google said Thursday it would stop users from creating images of people on its newly launched AI tool, after the program depicted Nazi-era troops as people from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

The US tech giant, which only released its revamped Gemini AI in some parts of the world on February 8, said it was “working to address recent issues” with the image generation feature.

“While we do this, we’re going to pause the image generation of people and will re-release an improved version soon,” the company said in a statement.

It came two days after a user of X (formerly Twitter) posted images showing Gemini’s results for the prompt “generate an image of a 1943 German soldier”.

The AI had generated four images of soldiers — one was white, one black, and two were women of colour, according to the X user named John L.

Tech companies see AI as the future for everything from search engines to smartphone cameras.

But AI programs — not only those produced by Google — have been widely criticised for perpetuating race biases in their results.

“@GoogleAI has a bolted on diversity mechanism that someone did not think through very well or test,” John L wrote on X.

Big tech firms have often been accused of rushing out AI products before they have been properly tested.

And Google has a chequered history of launching AI products.

Last February the firm apologised after an ad for its newly released Bard chatbot showed the program getting a basic question about astronomy wrong. — AFP

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Fri, 23 Feb 2024 09:26:50 +0800 google ai,Gemini AI