Google Glass Is Dead
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Google Glass Is Dead
Goodbye Google Glass
Google is discontinuing its Glass Enterprise smart glasses product after a decade of development. The hardware will no longer be sold, while the software will be supported until September 15, 2023. The original Google Glass was released in 2013 and was criticised for its invasion of privacy, while Glass Enterprise was launched in 2017 and was designed for use by manual labourers and factory workers. Last summer, Google previewed a new pair of smart glasses, while Meta, Apple and Microsoft are all developing augmented reality devices.
Trueflutter: Nigerians' Solution For Loneliness
Trueflutter, a Nigerian dating and matchmaking app, might help people connect with others and feel less lonely. Trueflutter provides dating and matchmaking services, connects people online, and values privacy. What started off as a speed dating event with over 15,000 subscribers in a few months quickly became a top-rated dating app when the pandemic hit in 2020. The difference between Truflutter and other Nigerian dating apps is their verification process. Before you make payment, Trueflutter will consult with you via Zoom. To an extent, this means users are protected from scammers and shady people. Trueflutter links Nigerians with individuals from the diaspora by assigning them a personal matchmaker who pairs them up with others who share similar interests. Currently, the company has 250,000 subscribers, and according to the founders, they plan to it 1 million by the end of 2023.
Microsoft Announces Copilot
Microsoft has announced a new AI-powered Copilot that will assist people in generating documents, emails, presentations and more within its Microsoft 365 apps and services. The Copilot, which will be powered by OpenAI's GPT-4, will appear as a chatbot in the sidebar of Microsoft 365 apps and allow users to generate text in documents, create PowerPoint presentations based on Word documents, and use features like PivotTables in Excel. Copilot will also be able to provide information on upcoming meetings and summarize email threads. The system uses grounding to improve the quality of the prompts it's given and is being tested with 20 customers, with Microsoft planning to expand the preview in the coming months.
Amazon Stops Selling Magazines Through Kindle Newsstsand
Amazon has announced that it will no longer sell magazine and newspaper subscriptions through its Kindle Newsstand platform and will stop delivering current Kindle Newsstand subscriptions by September. Amazon has also halted sales of print magazines and newspaper subscriptions. Customers will need to work directly with publishers for print subscriptions after June 5th. The changes are part of cost-cutting measures at the company and reflect a retreat from offering periodicals, similar to Google and The Daily. Amazon will offer select digital publications through its Kindle Unlimited subscription. Customers with remaining issues in their Kindle Newsstand subscription after September 4th will receive a pro-rated refund.
Government Commit $100m To Help UK Develop Open Mobile Networks
The Department of Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) in the UK is inviting applications for up to $100 million in funding for the Open Networks Ecosystem Competition, which aims to promote open network solutions like 4G and 5G OpenRAN on mobile networks, and technologies that promote standardization in design, functionality, and interoperability. The competition seeks to address three primary obstacles to open mobile network adoption: creating an open, diverse, and innovative ecosystem, enhancing performance in high demand density use cases, and enhancing the openness and interoperability of Open RAN software. Successful projects will continue until March 2025 and are part of the government's Open Networks R&D fund, which is linked to the $300m Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification strategy.
Virgin Media Business, UK Offers Free Broadband
Virgin Media Business in the UK (VMO2) is offering three months of free Voom Fibre business broadband to small businesses on new and existing contracts with a minimum term of 24 months. There are four Voom Fibre speed plans to choose from, ranging from 400Mbps to 1Gbps. The offer is available until March 31, 2023, and prices for new customers start at £33 per month for the 400Mbps tier. The offer is aimed at providing small businesses with reliable and fast broadband, allowing them to stay connected with their customers.