Month: July 2024
It took some serious nerve for Wiz to walk away from Google’s $23B offer
For one thing, Wiz could have seen Google’s offer as validation that it’s better off staying independent.
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
For one thing, Wiz could have seen Google’s offer as validation that it’s better off staying independent.
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Google-Anthropic partnership raises AI competition fears in the UK
Google’s partnership with GenAI startup Anthropic is raising eyebrows in the UK as the trend of big tech giants backing young AI companies continues. The Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Tuesday that it’s collecting information on whether the partnership qualifies as a merger and negatively impacts UK competition. In October, Google-parent company Alphabet reportedly committed $2bn to the San-Francisco based startup, which has developed ChatGPT rival Claude. This followed a prior $300 investment in return for a what was said to be a 10% stake. The CMA is now asking “interested parties” to provide comments on the deal…This story continues at The Next WebOr just read more coverage about: Google
Google’s partnership with GenAI startup Anthropic is raising eyebrows in the UK as the trend of big tech giants backing young AI companies continues. The Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Tuesday that it’s collecting information on whether the partnership qualifies as a merger and negatively impacts UK competition. In October, Google-parent company Alphabet reportedly committed $2bn to the San-Francisco based startup, which has developed ChatGPT rival Claude. This followed a prior $300 investment in return for a what was said to be a 10% stake. The CMA is now asking “interested parties” to provide comments on the deal…
This story continues at The Next Web
Or just read more coverage about: Google
Tamagotchi-Inspired Crypto Presale Nears $6 Million – Could This Be the Next Big GameFi Project?
A new, unique project combines play-to-earn mechanics with a nostalgic touch, drawing inspiration from the beloved Tamagotchi devices of the… Continue reading Tamagotchi-Inspired Crypto Presale Nears $6 Million – Could This Be the Next Big GameFi Project?
The post Tamagotchi-Inspired Crypto Presale Nears $6 Million – Could This Be the Next Big GameFi Project? appeared first on ReadWrite.
A new, unique project combines play-to-earn mechanics with a nostalgic touch, drawing inspiration from the beloved Tamagotchi devices of the 90s.
Currently in its presale phase, PlayDoge has already raised an impressive $5.8 million, signaling strong investor confidence and setting the stage for what could be a major success story in the cryptocurrency and gaming worlds.
PlayDoge’s vision, gameplay and its market potential
PlayDoge introduces a unique concept where players engage in a vibrant 8-bit world, nurturing a digital companion akin to a real dog. This companion requires feeding, training, and playing, mirroring the care and attention one would give to a living pet.
The core of PlayDoge’s gameplay involves navigating through retro 2D games and earning $PLAY tokens. These tokens can be used to pamper the digital dog and unlock various rewards within the app.
The gameplay experience is reminiscent of the Tamagotchi, which has sold over 82 million units globally since its debut in 1996. For those unfamiliar, Tamagotchis were tiny handheld devices featuring a virtual pet that players had to care for.
PlayDoge revitalizes this concept with a modern twist, offering players a chance to earn rewards while engaging in nostalgic, fun gameplay. The ongoing presale of PlayDoge has already amassed $5.8 million, a remarkable achievement for any project, especially within the GameFi sector.
This substantial funding not only underscores the project’s potential but also highlights the confidence investors have in its success. The presale is set to continue for about another week, with the token price expected to rise as the deadline approaches.
Early participants in the presale have the opportunity to acquire tokens at a significantly lower price, potentially positioning themselves for substantial gains once the project officially launches.
PlayDoge’s strategic entry into GameFi: Capitalizing on presale funding and nostalgic branding
The GameFi sector has seen notable successes with projects like Axie Infinity, Sandbox, and Gala, which have demonstrated the potential for significant returns and market impact.
PlayDoge is poised to enter this competitive space with a strong foundation, leveraging its substantial presale funding and unique concept to stand out.
By combining a well-established niche with innovative gameplay, PlayDoge positions itself as a promising candidate for future success.
Source – PlayDoge Twitter
The project has excelled in crafting a compelling brand identity, with a pixelated, retro aesthetic that evokes memories of classic gaming while appealing to modern sensibilities.
This blend of nostalgic themes with contemporary technology has proven to be a successful formula in the gaming industry.
Furthermore, PlayDoge’s alignment with the Doge meta enhances its appeal, tapping into the popularity of Dogecoin and related meme cultures.
This connection benefits PlayDoge from an established fanbase and strong community enthusiasm, reinforcing its potential for success in the GameFi sector.
PlayDoge: A tokenomics-driven P2E ecosystem
PlayDoge’s ecosystem is designed to be both engaging and rewarding. Players can earn $PLAY tokens by participating in the game, which can then be traded for stablecoins like USDT or cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
The $PLAY token plays a crucial role in the ecosystem, facilitating transactions and rewards within the app. The tokenomics of PlayDoge are designed to foster its growth and ensure long-term sustainability.
A significant portion, or 50% of the total supply, is allocated to the presale. This strategic move offers early investors the opportunity to acquire tokens at a favorable rate, positioning them well for potential future gains.
In addition, 10% of the total supply is earmarked for marketing initiatives. This substantial allocation is dedicated to promoting the project through collaborations with influencers, creators, and other marketing activities.
Such efforts are crucial for generating broad visibility and driving engagement across various platforms. Furthermore, 6.5% of the total supply is set aside for community rewards.
This portion is intended to incentivize and reward active community participation, including activities such as creating memes, playing the game, and other contributions that enhance the project’s ecosystem.
This approach not only fosters a vibrant community but also aligns user engagement with the growth and success of PlayDoge. Additionally, PlayDoge offers staking opportunities, allowing users to earn rewards while holding their tokens.
This feature not only incentivizes long-term holding but also enhances the overall attractiveness of the project.
Conclusion
PlayDoge stands out as a promising investment opportunity within the GameFi sector.
Boasting a robust presale performance, a nostalgic yet innovative gameplay concept, and a meticulously designed tokenomics plan, PlayDoge is poised to make a significant impact in the play-to-earn (P2E) meme coin space, akin to other major players in the industry.
For those interested in the GameFi space or seeking new investment opportunities, PlayDoge offers a compelling proposition with the potential for substantial returns.
As the presale continues and the project progresses towards its official launch, keeping an eye on PlayDoge could prove to be a lucrative decision. Visit playdoge.io to participate in the $PLAY token presale.
Related
Current Market Rebound Will Lead These Three Meme Coins to Massive Gains – PlayDoge, Base Dawgz, and Pepe Unchained
Former Goldman Sachs Analyst Predicts New Profitable Cycle for Meme Coins – Shiba Inu and PlayDoge Are Experts’ Top Picks
The post Tamagotchi-Inspired Crypto Presale Nears $6 Million – Could This Be the Next Big GameFi Project? appeared first on ReadWrite.
Intel will officially ‘launch’ its Lunar Lake laptop chips on September 3rd
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon laptops had the summer all to themselves, but that’s coming to an end. AMD is now shipping its Ryzen AI chips — and Intel has just announced it’ll “launch” its next generation of Core Ultra laptop chips, codename Lunar Lake, on a September 3rd livestream. It sounds like they won’t be available quite that soon, but the full reveal should be just five weeks away.
As we’ve discussed, Lunar Lake is an utterly overhauled chip that ditches the entire idea of plugging swappable memory sticks into your laptop, not to mention several of Intel’s previous ideas about how to achieve the best battery life and performance — plus a tripled NPU if you happen to have generative AI applications you’d like to run locally.
But more importantly, it’s Intel’s laptop answer to Qualcomm and Apple’s Arm-based chips, which offer more battery life than we’ve typically seen from x86 chips like the ones Intel builds. We’re all waiting to see if Intel can deliver a compelling combination of performance, battery life, and features to keep Intel upright as Windows on Arm finally becomes a viable challenger.
We’re currently testing one of the first AMD Ryzen AI 9 laptops to see if “Strix Point” makes for a promising machine in this new climate, and Lunar Lake will be the final piece of this year’s chip war puzzle this fall.
But as usual for chipmakers, you shouldn’t necessarily expect “launch” to mean that Lunar Lake laptops will be available to purchase that day. (“More details to come on availability at the event” is the current vibe, says Intel spokesperson Thomas Hannaford.)
For now, all Intel is confirming is that it “will reveal details on the new processors’ breakthrough x86 power efficiency, exceptional core performance, massive leaps in graphics performance and the unmatched AI computing power that will drive this and future generations of Intel products.”
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon laptops had the summer all to themselves, but that’s coming to an end. AMD is now shipping its Ryzen AI chips — and Intel has just announced it’ll “launch” its next generation of Core Ultra laptop chips, codename Lunar Lake, on a September 3rd livestream. It sounds like they won’t be available quite that soon, but the full reveal should be just five weeks away.
As we’ve discussed, Lunar Lake is an utterly overhauled chip that ditches the entire idea of plugging swappable memory sticks into your laptop, not to mention several of Intel’s previous ideas about how to achieve the best battery life and performance — plus a tripled NPU if you happen to have generative AI applications you’d like to run locally.
But more importantly, it’s Intel’s laptop answer to Qualcomm and Apple’s Arm-based chips, which offer more battery life than we’ve typically seen from x86 chips like the ones Intel builds. We’re all waiting to see if Intel can deliver a compelling combination of performance, battery life, and features to keep Intel upright as Windows on Arm finally becomes a viable challenger.
We’re currently testing one of the first AMD Ryzen AI 9 laptops to see if “Strix Point” makes for a promising machine in this new climate, and Lunar Lake will be the final piece of this year’s chip war puzzle this fall.
But as usual for chipmakers, you shouldn’t necessarily expect “launch” to mean that Lunar Lake laptops will be available to purchase that day. (“More details to come on availability at the event” is the current vibe, says Intel spokesperson Thomas Hannaford.)
For now, all Intel is confirming is that it “will reveal details on the new processors’ breakthrough x86 power efficiency, exceptional core performance, massive leaps in graphics performance and the unmatched AI computing power that will drive this and future generations of Intel products.”
Outsourcing emotion: The horror of Google’s “Dear Sydney” AI ad
Opinion: “Help my daughter write a letter” is not the same as “Help me with boring busywork.”
Enlarge / Here’s an idea: Don’t be a deadbeat and do it yourself! (credit: Google)
If you’ve watched any Olympics coverage this week, you’ve likely been confronted with an ad for Google’s Gemini AI called “Dear Sydney.” In it, a proud father seeks help writing a letter on behalf of his daughter, who is an aspiring runner and superfan of world-record-holding hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
“I’m pretty good with words, but this has to be just right,” the father intones before asking Gemini to “Help my daughter write a letter telling Sydney how inspiring she is…” Gemini dutifully responds with a draft letter in which the LLM tells the runner, on behalf of the daughter, that she wants to be “just like you.”
Every time I see this ad, it puts me on edge in a way I’ve had trouble putting into words (though Gemini itself has some helpful thoughts). As someone who writes words for a living, the idea of outsourcing a writing task to a machine brings up some vocational anxiety. And the idea of someone who’s “pretty good with words” doubting his abilities when the writing “has to be just right” sets off alarm bells regarding the superhuman framing of AI capabilities.
Pixel Watch 3 leak shows thinner bezels and new 45mm model
Image: Android Headlines
The Pixel Watch 3 looks like it will have a larger screen than the Watch 2, thanks to thinner bezels. Leaked marketing materials shared by Android Headlines suggest that the 41mm Pixel Watch 3 will offer 10 percent more screen than the Watch 2 in the same amount of space.
The Pixel Watch 3 could also have a brighter display — up to 2,000 nits, double the peak brightness of the Pixel 2 — as well as 20 percent faster charging. The spec sheet, if legitimate, confirms the previously leaked 45mm Watch and states that both sizes will have up to 24 hours of battery life with always-on display enabled or up to 36 hours with a new Battery Saver mode.
This could mean that the Pixel Watch 3 won’t use the “hybrid interface” rolled out in Wear OS 4, which is supposed to increase battery life up to 100 hours of regular use. So far, only the OnePlus Watch 2 has this feature.
Image: Android Headlines
The marketing materials also mention new fitness features, including the ability to create custom runs as well as “audio and haptic cues” that tell you when to sprint, cool down, or maintain pace. Additionally, a new Fitbit “morning brief” will offer a summary of health and fitness metrics to help you plan your workouts. These new features may eventually come to older models of the Pixel Watch, something Google has done in the past.
Other changes revealed in the leak include support for offline Google Maps, as well as the ability to view your Nest Cam and Nest Doorbell’s live feeds from the Google Home app. It also looks like you’ll be able to easily swap between photo and video when controlling your Pixel phone’s camera app from the watch. A previous leak suggests the Pixel Watch 3 will get ultra wideband support for better location tracking, but the marketing materials don’t mention that.
With Google’s hardware event coming up on August 13th, we won’t have to wait much longer to see what’s coming with the Pixel Watch 3 and the heavily leaked Pixel 9 lineup.
Image: Android Headlines
The Pixel Watch 3 looks like it will have a larger screen than the Watch 2, thanks to thinner bezels. Leaked marketing materials shared by Android Headlines suggest that the 41mm Pixel Watch 3 will offer 10 percent more screen than the Watch 2 in the same amount of space.
The Pixel Watch 3 could also have a brighter display — up to 2,000 nits, double the peak brightness of the Pixel 2 — as well as 20 percent faster charging. The spec sheet, if legitimate, confirms the previously leaked 45mm Watch and states that both sizes will have up to 24 hours of battery life with always-on display enabled or up to 36 hours with a new Battery Saver mode.
This could mean that the Pixel Watch 3 won’t use the “hybrid interface” rolled out in Wear OS 4, which is supposed to increase battery life up to 100 hours of regular use. So far, only the OnePlus Watch 2 has this feature.
Image: Android Headlines
The marketing materials also mention new fitness features, including the ability to create custom runs as well as “audio and haptic cues” that tell you when to sprint, cool down, or maintain pace. Additionally, a new Fitbit “morning brief” will offer a summary of health and fitness metrics to help you plan your workouts. These new features may eventually come to older models of the Pixel Watch, something Google has done in the past.
Other changes revealed in the leak include support for offline Google Maps, as well as the ability to view your Nest Cam and Nest Doorbell’s live feeds from the Google Home app. It also looks like you’ll be able to easily swap between photo and video when controlling your Pixel phone’s camera app from the watch. A previous leak suggests the Pixel Watch 3 will get ultra wideband support for better location tracking, but the marketing materials don’t mention that.
With Google’s hardware event coming up on August 13th, we won’t have to wait much longer to see what’s coming with the Pixel Watch 3 and the heavily leaked Pixel 9 lineup.
The Olympics has moved on from Mario and Sonic
Image: Sega
For almost 20 years, Nintendo and Sega have released Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games to coincide with the international sporting event. But now, according to a report in Eurogamer, that tradition is at an end. In 2020, the IOC made the decision to not renew the game’s licensing deal, ending a run of games that’s covered most Summer and Winter Olympic Games since 2007.
“Basically the IOC wanted to bring [the licensing] back to themselves internally and look at other partners so they would get more money,” Lee Cocker, a developer who worked on the Mario & Sonic franchise, told Eurogamer.
Strangely though, those “other partners” are NFTs and esports — products that are not currently known for their money-making possibilities. To coincide with the Paris Games, the IOC, in collaboration with Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid studio nWay, has developed Olympics Go! Paris 2024, a mobile game featuring minigames based on Olympic events. According to the game’s website, players are able to claim an “officially licensed, commemorative Paris 2024 NFT Digital Pin.”
Esports at the Olympics isn’t a new concept. The IOC hosted several summits to determine how best to incorporate esports events with the Olympics in 2017 and 2018 — during the height of esports’ popularity (and financial viability). In 2021, the Olympics held its first medal event called the Olympic Virtual Series and featured games including baseball, sailing, cycling, and motorsports. In June, the IOC announced its creation of the Olympic Esports Games to coincide with the 2024 Paris Olympics, with the event held in 2025 and hosted by Saudi Arabia, now a popular, if controversial, esports destination.
Image: Sega
For almost 20 years, Nintendo and Sega have released Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games to coincide with the international sporting event. But now, according to a report in Eurogamer, that tradition is at an end. In 2020, the IOC made the decision to not renew the game’s licensing deal, ending a run of games that’s covered most Summer and Winter Olympic Games since 2007.
“Basically the IOC wanted to bring [the licensing] back to themselves internally and look at other partners so they would get more money,” Lee Cocker, a developer who worked on the Mario & Sonic franchise, told Eurogamer.
Strangely though, those “other partners” are NFTs and esports — products that are not currently known for their money-making possibilities. To coincide with the Paris Games, the IOC, in collaboration with Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid studio nWay, has developed Olympics Go! Paris 2024, a mobile game featuring minigames based on Olympic events. According to the game’s website, players are able to claim an “officially licensed, commemorative Paris 2024 NFT Digital Pin.”
Esports at the Olympics isn’t a new concept. The IOC hosted several summits to determine how best to incorporate esports events with the Olympics in 2017 and 2018 — during the height of esports’ popularity (and financial viability). In 2021, the Olympics held its first medal event called the Olympic Virtual Series and featured games including baseball, sailing, cycling, and motorsports. In June, the IOC announced its creation of the Olympic Esports Games to coincide with the 2024 Paris Olympics, with the event held in 2025 and hosted by Saudi Arabia, now a popular, if controversial, esports destination.