After years in development, Worldcoin, OpenAI chief Sam Altman’s eyeball-scanning digital identity project, launched on Monday. The project seeks to find a solution for “distinguishing humans from AI online” by verifying users’ identities by scanning their eyes. A cryptocurrency, also named Worldcoin, and a payments app also form crucial parts of the project.
The Orb
Worldcoin deploys a small device, christened the Orb, to scan people’s eyeballs to create a unique digital identity. That identity, or World ID, grants its holder “proof of personhood” in the Worldcoin jargon. The eye-scanning Orb provides users with a unique identity to verify they are real humans and not a bot.
Interested Individuals can download World App, a wallet software, and get their retina scanned by an Orb, to receive their World ID.
“Worldcoin is an attempt at global scale alignment,” the digital identity and crypto project said. “The journey will be challenging and the outcome is uncertain.”
2 million users signed up for Worldcoin
More than 2 million users have signed up for Worldcoin during a beta period. On Monday, Worldcoin stated that it is now going to scale its eyeball-scanning operations across 20 countries. The cryptocurrency token has also been issued to eligible people taking part in the beta and is now tradable, the project added. The coin’s initial supply has been capped at 10 billion tokens, according to the project’s white paper.
Alex Blania, a cofounder of the project, stated that Worldcoin hopes to build a “privacy-first, decentralized and maximally inclusive” way of addressing the need to prove a person is real, which is “no longer a topic of serious debate” in the age of AI.
The startup counts Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures and Reid Hoffman among its backers.
Google is developing an Artificial Intelligence tool for news publishers that can generate article text and headlines, highlighting how the technology may soon transform the journalism industry, CNN reported on Thursday.
The tech giant said in a statement that it is looking to partner with news outlets regarding the use of AI tool in newsrooms.
“Our goal is to give journalists the choice of using these emerging technologies in a way that enhances their work and productivity,” CNN quoted a Google spokesperson as saying, “just like we’re making assistive tools available for people in Gmail and in Google Docs.”
Earlier, New York Times had reported that the project is referred to internally as ‘Genesis’ and has been pitched to The Times, The Washington Post and News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal.
Google’s statement did not name those media companies but said the company is particularly focusing on “smaller publishers”, and added that the project is not aimed at replacing journalists nor their “essential role…in reporting, creating, and fact-checking their articles,” CNN reported.
Meanwhile, the new tool comes at a time when tech companies, including Google, are racing to develop and deploy a new crop of generative AI features into applications that are used in the workplace, with the promise of streamlining tasks and making employees more productive.
However, these tools, which are trained on information online, have also raised concerns because of their potential to get facts wrong or “hallucinate” responses.
News outlet CNET had to issue “substantial” corrections earlier this year after experimenting with using an AI tool to write stories. And what was supposed to be a simple AI-written story on ‘Star Wars’ published by Gizmodo earlier this month similarly required a correction. But both outlets have said they will still move forward with using the technology, CNN reported.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
YouTube, Google’s video streaming platform, hiked prices on its monthly and annual premium plans in the United States.
The YouTube Premium plan would cost $13.99 a month in the US, up $2 from before, according to the company’s website on Thursday. The price for its annual plan was hiked by $20 to $139.99.
It was unclear if the price hikes would apply to other markets too. Google did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for a comment.
YouTube had in April introduced new features for its premium users including letting them host Google Meet sessions to watch videos on the platform together with other users.
It has also hiked prices for YouTube Music by $1 to $10.99 in the U.S. The move follows similar price increases by Amazon Music, Apple Music and Tidal.
(Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
The Phone (2) is a second-generation smartphone from London-based consumer technology start-up Nothing. Contrary to what many liked to believe initially, the smartphone is based on the first-generation model but with clear focus on design, experience, and performance. It is easy to draw a parallel between the Phone (1) and Phone (2) since both smartphones have a lot in common, but the latter has more to it than meets the eye. Do all the extras it brings over the Phone (1) justify the move to premium segment with prices starting at Rs 44,999? Let us find out:
Design
The Phone (2) has a polarising design, similar to Phone (1), with flat aluminium frame and transparent back cover made of glass. Despite being a tad bigger, thicker, and heavier than the predecessor, the second-generation smartphone offers better in-hand experience since the weight distribution is right on point and the back glass cover has curvature on all sides that makes the phone feel thinner than it actually is. The overall fit and finish of the phone is premium. As for the protection, there is Gorilla Glass on both the front and the back glasses for resistance against scratches and smudges that it may otherwise get in everyday use abuse. The phone is IP54 rated for splash and dust resistance.
Display and audio
The Phone (2) sports a flat 6.7-inch 10-bit fullHD+ AMOLED display. It is an LTPO panel capable of dynamically switching refresh rate between 1Hz-120Hz. The display dominates the entire front profile of the smartphone with symmetrical bezels on all sides. With no plastic bracket, the display sits flush in the chassis and feels natural to use with gesture navigation.
The display is bright and responsive with good sunlight legibility. Though HDR10+ certified, the support extends to only YouTube. The display is colour-rich and responsive. It auto adjusts the refresh rate based on content requirements to conserve battery without compromising smooth performance. However, the refresh rate is not optimised for always-on display mode. Set at 120Hz by default, display always-on drains the battery and hurts the phone’s stand-by time.
The visual experience is complemented by audio, which is taken care of by stereo speakers. These are loud and clear but lacks depth, balance, and clarity. That said, the audio seems wanting in prowess.
Camera
Like the Phone (1), the Phone (2) has dual 50-megapixel camera set-up on the back. However, the main camera sensor has been upgraded to Sony IMX890. On the front, there is a 32MP camera sensor.
Details aside, there is a bump in imaging experience compared to the predecessor. It is a result of both upgrades in the main camera sensor and optimisations at software level. However, the overall imaging experience is far from what you expect from a smartphone in this segment.
The primary camera sensor is good with regard to capturing colours, contrast, and details. It works fine in varied lighting conditions. However, there is a noticeable shutter lag and the sensor is inconsistent with dynamic range. Moreover, portrait is not something it is capable of capturing with fineness since there usually is an unnatural overlap of the background bokeh on the subject contours. Nevertheless, the sensor works best in photo mode. It is capable of generating natural shallow depth-of-field, which adds zing to otherwise mundane frames.
The ultra-wide-angle sensor, carried over from the Phone (1), is modest at best. There is no colour symmetry between the shots taken from the main sensor and the ultra-wide-angle sensor. Moreover, the ultra-wide-angle sensor softens the frame around the edges. In low-light conditions, it struggles in capturing details and often mixes shadows with highlights.
As for the front camera, it is good but works at its best only in moderate light conditions. In harsh sunny outdoors, it struggles with dynamic range and often overexposes the frame. It is not a bright sensor, thus, struggles in low light conditions.
Coming to the videos, both the rear cameras can do 4K at 60fps. However, you cannot switch between the sensors while recording. The front camera peaks at 1080p at 60fps.
Performance
Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 system-on-chip, the Phone (2) brings significant performance boost over the first-generation model. If not better, the performance here is on par with the smartphone in its segment. The overall experience is snappy, and the phone delivers consistent performance even after extended usage. Power-and-graphic intensive tasks such as gaming and multimedia editing make the phone go warm, especially after long sessions. However, the thermals barely cross the comfort threshold.
Software
The Phone (2) may appear to have its share of hits and misses in other areas, but it excels in terms of user experience. It runs on the Android 13 operating system-based NothingOS 2, boasting a clean and user-friendly interface. In addition to the stock Android-like interface, Nothing has introduced a monochrome theme that removes colours from the interface and app icons. While the monochrome theme lacks some polish, as certain third-party apps do not support it, it still presents an appealing appearance—especially when paired with Nothing and Google apps and widgets on the home screen.
Speaking of widgets, Nothing offers an extensive selection for the home screen, lock screen, and always-on display. Furthermore, the update introduces new spacious folders with the ability to customise folder icons. Even the folder style can be personalised to suit individual preferences. Evidently, NothingOS 2 prioritises customisation to provide a personalised and tailored experience, and it undoubtedly delivers on this front.
Glyph Interface
Nothing’s commitment to providing a personalised experience through customisation extends to its Glyph Interface. In addition to more than doubling the number of addressable LED zones, which are divided into distinct sections, Nothing has enhanced functionality and introduced new tools to maximize the potential of its lighting interface.
One notable addition is the utilisation of the arch-shaped LED located on the top side of the wireless charging coil. This LED now serves as a countdown timer and volume level indicator, offering users increased versatility. Additionally, a Glyph composer tool has been included, allowing users to create custom ringtones paired with light patterns based on Nothing sounds.
However, the most valuable feature of the Glyph interface is the Essential notification. This feature enables users to assign LED visual indicators to all notifications or specific actions from apps. These notifications illuminate the LED strip until they are either read or dismissed, ensuring important information is easily noticed.
These new functionalities and tools complement the existing features already available within the Glyph interface, further enhancing the overall user experience.
Battery
Powered by a 4,700 mAh battery, the Phone (2) sails through a day on regular usage with display always-on mode disabled. The display always-on mode does not hamper the screen-on time, but it hampers the phone’s stand-by time. For reference, the display always-on mode drains about 15 per cent battery overnight. As for charging, the Phone (2) supports 45W wired charging over programmable power supply (PPS) standard. However, it does not come with a compatible adaptor, but just the two-way USB-C cable. Like the predecessor, there is support for 15W wireless charging (Qi) and 5W reverse wireless charging.
Verdict
The Nothing Phone (2) offers a neat blend of familiar design and novel user experience. While it may not be flawless, its reasonable pricing matches the overall package, emphasising design, user experience, and performance. With the exception of imaging, the smartphone excels in every aspect when compared to its peers in the same segment. Additionally, its clean and optimised user interface further solidifies the Nothing Phone (2) as a smartphone to consider in the segment dominated by Google, OnePlus, and Samsung.
Britain’s antitrust regulator is waiting for Microsoft to submit a modified deal structure to buy “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard, its boss Sarah Cardell said on Thursday.
“We understand from Microsoft that they would like to put forward proposals to us to restructure the deal, potentially re-notifying that deal, to address our competition concerns,” she told Sky News. “If they do that we will consider those restructured proposals carefully.”
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the $69 billion deal in April over concerns about its impact on competition in the cloud gaming market.
It has been left increasingly isolated in opposition after U.S. regulator, the FTC, failed to block it in court last week, and the CMA has taken the unprecedented step of reopening talks.
Cardell said any new proposal put forward by Microsoft would “need to fully and comprehensively resolve our concerns”.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Sarah Young and Kate Holton)
Microsoft was hit with an EU antitrust complaint by German rival alfaview on Thursday, the second so far over its bundling of video app Teams into its Office product.
Regulators are already preparing to open an investigation into Microsoft’s move. The U.S. software giant has been on the EU competition enforcer’s radar since 2020, when Salesforce-owned workspace messaging app Slack complained about the tying of Teams with Office.
Alfaview, based in Karlsruhe in south-western Germany and with a 500-strong workforce, said it had filed a similar complaint to the European Commission.
Bundling both products together gives Teams a unique competitive advantage that is not justified by performance and which rivals cannot match, it said.
This has significant and permanent impact on competition in the communication software market, alfaview continued.
“Tying Teams with the other applications in the Microsoft 365 suite creates a multipolar distribution advantage for the U.S. group,” its managing director and founder, Niko Fostiropoulos, said in a statement.
Microsoft declined to comment on alfaview’s complaint.
Microsoft added Teams to Office 365 in 2017 for free, with the app eventually replacing Skype for Business.
The Commission is set to launch an investigation into the move after Microsoft’s remedies fell short, people familiar with the matter told Reuters earlier this month.
Microsoft, which has been fined a total of 2.2 billion euros ($2.5 billion) in the previous decade for practices in breach of EU competition rules, has offered to cut the price of its Office product without Teams, but regulators want a bigger reduction, the people said.
No formal investigation has been opened yet, but Microsoft is subject to an informal probe.
“We continue to engage cooperatively with the Commission in its investigation and are open to pragmatic solutions that address its concerns and serve customers well,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.
Alfaview urged the EU antitrust watchdog to open a formal investigation, saying remedies offered by its U.S. rival to the Commission were insufficient.
($1 = 0.8928 euros)
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by David Evans and Emma Rumney)
