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PICO 4 New Headset Up For Preorder in UK & Europe

October 3, 2022 / Efe Anidi

Bytedance, the parent of Tiktok, is going head to head with Meta with the announcement of the PICO 4 mobile XR/VR headset. After the Pico Neo 3 Link was used to test the waters in small beta quantities, it is the first actual consumer-oriented HMD offered by Pico on the market with widespread availability.

Bytedance owns Pico, and this is the gadget that Bytedance is using to challenge Meta and position itself as a direct rival to Meta in place of Google and Apple, who have both failed to offer any challenge to Meta with an HMD, offering a device that is stylish, really affordable, and has a large library of content. It directly competes with Meta Quest 2’s strongest points, including the pricing, with the headset coming at a slightly lower price than the Quest 2.

The headset uses the same XR2 chip found in the Meta Quest 2. However, the Qualcomm XR2 chipset in the Pico 4 operates at full clock speed and capacity. Unlike the chipset in the Quest 2, the PICO 4 chip is fully powered, much like the HTC Focus 3. An active cooling system makes this possible on the PICO. This gadget can accommodate the 4K+ resolution of its screen thanks to the additional horsepower.

The headset is up for preorder today and can be bought in the United Kingdom and Europe. However, no date has been set for a US release, although Meta is gearing up for the release of the Quest Pro around the 10th of this month and may not be able to directly compete with that device in the US market due to partnership deals with Meta as it is also powered by a Qualcomm XR2.

You can find out more about the headset here

Nvidia Announces the RTX 4000 series GPUs

September 26, 2022 / Efe Anidi

The most anticipated Nvidia graphics card lineup has finally been announced. This is following through on many months of leaks and rumours. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 and GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards have finally been formally introduced by the firm after Nvidia previously stated that the eagerly anticipated lineup would be showcased at GTC 2022.

This update includes improvements for Nvidia RTX, AI, and Omniverse with new chips to power them. RacerX, a simulation engine that runs on a single GPU and has no baked-in features, is shown off in the stunning RTX Racer demo.

Nvidia revealed the Ada Lovelace architecture as predicted. It contains 76 billion transistors and Micron GDDR6X memory using the TSMC 4N technology.

In order to optimise RT computation, it has also included a new streaming multiprocessor with shader execution reordering. with performance improvements of 2-3 times. The 4080 and 4090 both aspire to outperform the 3090 Ti by a factor of two.

Along with the new GPUs, Nvidia now includes DLSS 3. It creates new frames instead of just pixels, meshing the successive frames to enhance their appearance. By easing the load, this seeks to avoid any CPU bottlenecks. With the excellent but GPU-hogging Cyberpunk 2077 showcased, we were shown an improvement from 20–30 frames per second to 90 FPS.

The RTX 4090 will be available on October 12, 2022, starting at around $1,599.

You can find more info here.

Starbucks launches an NFT marketplace called “Odyssey”

September 20, 2022 / Efe Anidi

Starbucks has set out plans for blockchain adoption. The coffee company’s new non-fungible token (NFT) product, called Starbucks Odyssey, will be integrated with its Starbucks Rewards programme. To obtain valuable stamps as NFTs, users can complete “journeys” like games. Customers can also buy limited-edition NFTs, which can be traded on the platform. The waitlist is now open and neither a wallet nor cryptocurrencies are needed to use the platform.

According to Starbucks, Odyssey will “provide members with the opportunity to earn and purchase digital collector stamps (NFTs) that will unlock access to new, immersive coffee experiences.” The company goes on to say that users will be able to acquire NFTs (via games and other challenges) or buy them from the Odyssey marketplace. NFTs will have point values based on their rarity. A virtual espresso martini-making class; access to one-of-a-kind goods and artist collaborations; invitations to special events at Starbucks Reserve Roasteries; or even trips to the Starbucks Hacienda Alsacia coffee farm in Costa Rica are just a few of the experiences that can be unlocked with more points.

Starbucks’ decision to use Polygon for their NFT offering only serves to emphasize Matic and the company’s commitment to “diversity, accessibility, and sustainability” and its position as the layer 2 blockchain solution for the general public.

To join the Starbucks NFT waitlist click here

For more info on Polygon click here

Three-Qubit System Quantum Breakthrough

September 12, 2022 / Efe Anidi

Researchers from RIKEN in Japan have made a critical step toward large-scale quantum computing by showing error correction in a three-qubit silicon-based quantum computing device. This study, which was reported in the journal Nature, may contribute to developing useful quantum computers.

Because they promise to resolve significant issues that can’t be resolved by conventional computers, quantum computers are currently a hot topic of research. They use superimposition states of quantum physics in place of the simple 1 or 0 binary bits seen in conventional computers. Due to their fundamentally different construction, they are however extremely vulnerable to background noise and other issues, such as decoherence, and require error correction to do accurate calculations.

Choosing the optimal systems to act as the “qubits,” or fundamental components required to do quantum calculations is a difficult task. Every potential system has benefits and drawbacks of its own. Superconducting circuits and ions are two of the most widely utilised systems today. They have the advantage of having some form of error correction shown, allowing them to be used in practical applications, albeit on a small scale.

Silicon-based quantum technology, which has only recently begun to be developed, uses a semiconductor nanostructure similar to that routinely used to integrate billions of transistors on a small chip, it may be able to take advantage of already-in-use manufacturing technologies.

The lack of technology for error connection is a significant issue with silicon-based technologies. Two-qubit control has already been shown by researchers, but error correction requires a three-qubit system, which has not yet been achieved.

A three-qubit system, one of the largest qubit systems in silicon, was fully controlled in the current study by researchers from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing. This achievement allowed for the creation of the first silicon prototype for quantum error correction. They accomplished this by putting in place a Toffoli-type quantum gate with three qubits.

This is a serious breakthrough in the field of quantum computing and can only lead the quantum supercomputer space hotting up with competing technologies from global research centres.

You can find more info on RIKEN here

AMD Ryzen 7000 Series Launched

September 5, 2022 / Efe Anidi

The AMD Ryzen 7000 series of processors, the newest weapon in AMD’s arsenal and possibly one of the most eagerly awaited chip announcements of the year, has finally been unveiled with several new features intended to provide a premium desktop experience. The Zen 4 microarchitecture is built using an improved TSMC 5 nm manufacturing process, which has long been known on many rumor sites.

Along with the introduction of its new Ryzen 7000 series processors and 5nm Zen 4 architecture, AMD also shared some intriguing details regarding its upcoming next-generation series, which will be available from next month.

The new AMD Ryzen 7000 series combines the Zen 4 cores on a 5nm technology, first and foremost. In terms of embracing PCIe Gen5 and DDR5, it also largely catches up to Intel’s Alder Lake, although it will outperform Alder Lake in other respects.

In particular for workloads used by video creators, AMD claims that the Ryzen 9 7950X is faster than the Ryzen 9 5950X. Not for programs like Premiere Pro and others, but primarily for rendering apps such as Blender. AMD Zen architectures typically perform admirably on rendering applications.

With AMD’s new APU series rumored to perform as well as an RTX2080 the web 3.0 and creator and gaming market are set to explode over the next 24-48 months

You can find out more info here

Nvidia China Ai Chip Ban

September 2, 2022 / Efe Anidi

As the tech crackdown deepens, the US prohibits the sale of specific AI processors to China.

Nvidia, a company that designs computer chips, claimed that US officials ordered it to cease shipping two of the best computing chips for artificial intelligence work to China. This action might seriously impair Chinese companies’ capacity to perform complex tasks like image recognition.

The business stated on Wednesday that the prohibition, which affects its A100 and H100 chips made to accelerate machine learning activities, could prevent the development of the H100, the company’s flagship chip unveiled this year, from being completed.

The new rule “will address the possibility that the covered items may be employed in, or diverted to, ‘military end use’ or a ‘military end user’ in China,” according to Nvidia, which claimed to have heard this from US officials.

The announcement denotes a significant uptick in the US’s campaign against China’s technological might as tensions over Taiwan’s future, where Nvidia and nearly all other big semiconductor companies source their chips, rise.

A representative for rival AMD told Reuters that the company had received additional license requirements that would prevent the export of its MI250 artificial intelligence processors to China, but that it does not anticipate any impact on its MI100 chips.

Chinese organisations won’t be able to efficiently do the kind of advanced computation needed for image and speech recognition, among many other jobs, without American chips from companies like Nvidia and AMD.

To the Metaverse: Africa, Costa Rica, and Ukraine?

August 31, 2022 / Efe Anidi

Users of Web3 will soon be able to visit Ukraine, Costa Rica, and Africa in the Metaverse as businesses develop virtual settings for a new era of globalization.

The Metaverse is swiftly rising to the top of the list of crucial locations for businesses and people wishing to broaden their influence. According to a recent study from the company MarketsandMarkets, the market for the metaverse will expand from $61.8 billion in 2022 to $426.9 billion in 2027.

In addition, a current Juniper Research paper connects the development of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) with use cases in the metaverse. These results predict a rise in the number of metaverse-related NFTs from 600,000 in 2022 to 9.8 million in 2027.

Numerous areas of the world have begun to build a virtual presence in light of this potential. For instance, in July of this year, the emirate of Dubai announced the beginning of the Dubai Metaverse Strategy. The Dubai Metaverse Strategy, as previously reported by Cointelegraph, aims to draw foreign businesses and initiatives while also supporting metaverse education for programmers, content producers, and consumers of digital platforms.

Although the idea may seem futuristic, industry insiders think this is a natural evolution. According to Hrish Lotlikar, co-founder and CEO of Superworld, an augmented reality content platform, as Web3 technology becomes more prevalent in society, forward-thinking locales, governments, and businesses will take advantage of the Metaverse’s communication, gamification, and revenue opportunities.

Metaverse Is Essential To The Long-term Viability of NFTs?

August 22, 2022 / Efe Anidi

The future course of the nonfungible token (NFT) market over the following five years was examined in a recent analysis by Juniper Research. The report predicts that by 2027, there would be about 40 million global NFT transactions, up from 24 million in 2022.

According to the study, use cases related to the metaverse would be one of the main drivers for NFT adoption. In the following five years, this subset of NFTs will have the fastest growth. By 2027, there will be 9.8 million transactions involving metaverse-related NFTs, up from 600,000 in 2022.

A positive sign for the NFT market is coming from major companies like Gucci and Adidas that have already embraced wearable technology in the digital sphere. These findings demonstrate that customers desire monetary value from their digital possessions and the ability to exchange that value with others.

This is further supported by a recent analysis from XRP creator Ripple, which examined the interest of major financial institutions in NFT. The most interesting NFTs had to do with music. In addition to building up value in a wallet, music NFTs frequently incorporate multi-utility, such as exclusive artist content and fractional ownership of royalties/song rights.

Juniper claims the report’s data is based on an adoption “medium scenario.” Despite the fact that these digital assets present fresh opportunities for growth and revenue generation, the report advises vendors to exercise caution given the prevalence of NFT scams in the industry.

Buenos Aires To Introduce Citywide Ethereum Nodes by 2023

August 19, 2022 / Efe Anidi

In 2023, the city of Buenos Aires will set up several Ethereum validator nodes. Diego Fernandez, the city’s secretary for innovation and digital transformation, made the comments. He clarified that this deployment will pursue exploratory and regulatory goals and that it will assist the city in creating cryptocurrency legislation.

Cities throughout the world are incorporating blockchain and cryptocurrency projects into their growth and development strategies. According to reports, Buenos Aires will set up validator nodes for the Ethereum chain in 2023. At ETH Latam, a local event focused on Ethereum, Diego Fernandez, the city’s secretary of Innovation and Digital Transformation, reported this.

Fernandez made it clear that the city’s interest in running these nodes had an exploratory purpose and that they anticipated that doing so would provide them with a greater understanding of the Ethereum chain, enabling them to better control digital currency.

The gear to set up these nodes will be deployed by commercial companies, who will also be partnering with the local government to deploy the nodes.

Polygon Announce Gnosis Bridge

August 18, 2022 / Efe Anidi

The debut of the Gnosis Bridge, a Polygon PoS Bridge for Gnosis Safe users, has been announced by the Polygon Network. The bridge was constructed as a result of the Polygon team’s decision to create a distinctive solution with a focus on cost-effectiveness, according to a recent blog post.

Although maintaining a Gnosis wallet on Ethereum is safe, it is expensive because gas is needed for each transaction, according to this argument. The simplest method for Web3 teams to move their Safe assets between Polygon and Ethereum is through the Gnosis Bridge.

Thanks to the integration, users may now use Safe’s multi-sig technology without sacrificing ease of use, cost, or security. The Polygon Bridge allows Web3 teams, including DeFi protocols and DAOs, to avoid high gas fees when moving assets between wallets and exchanges.

Efe Anidi