Tag Archives: next-gen

Business, Comes Next, Security, TechNews

Google’s Titan security keys

Image: The new Titan security keys in USB-A and USB-C versions (Screenshot Google)

Ready for a world without passwords. Google has introduced a new version of its Titan security keys. The new keys are compatible with Passkeys technology, which is intended to make passwords unnecessary in the long term. What is the best way to protect passwords? By abolishing them. Google, like Apple and Microsoft, has been pursuing this strategy with passkeys for some time. In simple terms, this process allows users to identify themselves on their device. This creates a string as a key that you can then use to log in to web services or accounts.

The Titan security keys intends to make passwords superfluous

Now Google has introduced new Titan security keys that can store up to 250 passkeys. The new security key replaces the previous model from 2018, which was based on the two-stage verification system. The new Titan security keys are already listed in the Google Store . It is available in two versions, for the USB-A and USB-C standards. Both versions are also NFC compatible, meaning they can be connected to a smartphone or computer without contact.

Passkeys technology for everyone

Passkeys normally work without a physical carrier medium, but are activated directly during authentication via smartphone. But: “Some people need a solution that does not depend on smartphones, or use devices that do not support passkeys,” writes Google in a blog post. The company wants to give these user groups access to secure passkey technology with the Titan security key. Passwords and two-step authentication measures should be replaced by passkeys in the long term. But Google itself knows that this is still a thing of the future. In the store, the passkey-compatible keys are therefore advertised as additional protection in addition to passwords.

Google wants to distribute 100,000 keys for free

In order to make the passkey standard even more widespread, Google is taking an unusual measure. Next year, the group wants to distribute 100,000 security keys free of charge to partners in the industry who have particularly high security needs. Google clearly wants to use its initiative to help make the presidential election in the USA safer. This is intended to protect political campaigns from being compromised. So it’s about more than just avoiding fiddling with passwords.

AI, Science, TechNews

AI beats drone champion

Image: Artificial Intelligence, AI (Inteligencia artificial), via: pixabay, by: geralt.

AI beats drone world champion. The AI drone has defeated the human opponents and beat their best times by far. The AI ​​could only be beaten under changing conditions.

Who flies faster: humans or artificial intelligence (AI)? A team from the University of Zurich (UZH) and Intel has developed an AI that can control drones. Among other things, she had to compete with the world champion in the drone race and in shows: AI beats world champion.

Swift is the name of the AI ​​system. A AI system that the UZH team used to compete against the world’s best drone pilots: Alex Vanover, 2019 Drone Racing League Champion, Thomas Bitmatta, who became the MultiGP Drone Racing Champion in the same year, and Marvin Schaepper, three-time Swiss champion . At speeds of more than 100 km/h.

Thy flew a total of 25 races. The result was clear: Swift drone AI beats word champion challenger 15 times. The best time of the AI ​​pilot was half a second below that of the best human pilot. The team describes the results in the journal Nature.

AI beats world champion but humans are more adaptable

As long as the conditions stayed the way Swift had trained them, the AI ​​system had the edge. However, if the conditions changed, for example if it was too bright, then people could adapt better to the changed situation.

In complex games like chess or Go, AI has long been superior to humans. “Physical sports are more challenging for AI because they are less predictable than board or video games , ” said Davide Scaramuzza , head of the robotics and cognition group at UZH.

However, the drone races were not an end in themselves: Swift is intended to pilot drones in research or disaster missions, for example, where speed is important. “Drones have limited battery capacity; they use most of their energy to stay aloft. If we fly faster, we increase their usefulness ,” said Scaramuzza. “In applications such as forest surveillance or space exploration, this is important to cover large areas in a short time. In the film industry, fast autonomous drones could be used to capture action scenes. Last but not least, a high flight speed can make a crucial difference in rescue operations – for example with drones that are sent into a burning building.

Comes Next, TechNews

Apple iPhone 15 Date Leak

Apple iPhone 15 Date Leaked
Image: Apple iPhone Originallogo via AI, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Apple iPhone 15 leak: event likely on September 13th

According to their information, Apple plans to introduce the new iPhone series in the third week of September . Not only one source claims to the portal that mobile phone providers have imposed a vacation ban for September 13, 2023 . Means no one should be allowed to take the day off.

Just a coincidence? Probably not, after all, industry experts are expecting the iPhone 15 to be presented in September. With a few exceptions, this is the usual month for new iPhones.

Last year, Apple introduced the iPhone 14 on a Wednesday, September 7th . September 13, 2023 also falls on a Wednesday . Although Apple has presented new iPhones on Tuesdays in the past, the information provided by mobile phone providers is more likely to point to Wednesday.

Apple iPhone Leak: Dates for the start of orders and sales

If September 13th is actually correct in the end, Apple should start taking pre-orders from Friday September 15th . The actual start of sales for the iPhone 15 would then be a week later, on Friday, September 22nd.

However, it is not entirely clear whether all models can be ordered at such an early stage. We remember: Last year Apple showed the iPhone 14 Plus on the same day as the other variants, but you could only buy it in October. Should Apple struggle with production problems , a staggered market launch could definitely be considered.

It is expected that all variants of the iPhone 15 will leave the Lightning connection behind this year and that Apple will integrate USB‑C in cell phones for the first time . Meanwhile, there are four different variants – iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. We will probably only see the new A17 chip in the Pro models. In return, the two standard models will have the A16 from the previous year and, for the first time, a Dynamic Island in the display.

Comes Next, Gaming, TechNews

Nintendo Switch 2 Console could appear 2024

According to new information, Nintendo will release its next-gen console: Nintendo Switch 2 console in the second half of 2024.

Nintendo Switch Splatoon 2 Image: Nintendo Switch Splatoon 2, joatseu, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons [Nintendo Switch 2 Console could appear 2024]

The online site videogameschronicle.com cites its own sources. They published on Tuesday that Nintendo wants to release Nintendo Switch 2 console in the second half of 2024. The development kits for the previously unannounced new console will be partner studios.

The release window will be the second half of 2024. This should give Nintendo enough time to secure enough copies for the market launch. According to the report, this new next-gen console could also be used in portable mode again.

Nintendo Switch 2 console with significantly more powerful hardware

In addition, the upcoming consolewill receive significantly more powerful hardware than the first Switch console. This brings Nintendo to save elsewhere: for mobile use, it should only have an LC display, while the current switch model is available with an OLED screen, says the report.

Nintendo will also need more storage space for the increased hardware. So far, the switch only has 32 gigabytes of space for games.

There will also be a slot for physical data carriers. A so-called “software card”. Meanwhile, competitor Sony wants to launch its own PS5 Slim without a drive. The Xbox Series S from Microsoft also no longer has a drive.

That’s what the Nintendo boss says about the Switch 2

In May, Nintendo already announced that the long-awaited successor to the Switch would not be released until April 2024 at the earliest. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa stated during an investor presentation that the company is not considering any new hardware in fiscal year 2023/24. That ends on March 31, 2024.

So Nintendo doesn’t seem to be in a hurry. Even though Switch sales are down. The console was sold almost 18 million times in the past fiscal year. For comparison: In the previous year there were 23 million copies sold. The year before it was 28 million.

However, Nintendo has no plans to launch a new console to counteract this drop, as the company has forecast a further drop in the coming year. “It will be difficult to maintain the sales momentum of the Switch in its seventh year,” Furukawa said at the presentation. “Our goal of selling 15 million units this fiscal year is a little far-fetched, but we’ll do our best to drive demand into the holiday season so we can hit that target.” Seems like it’s aiming for the first Switch to get as much out of it as possible before the successor finally hits the ground running.

Rumors of a new console have been circulating for years. The new console is said to offer improved graphics, similar to the Playstation 4 and its Pro model, but there’s still no official information about the next piece of Nintendo hardware.

Business, Computer Chips, Financial, Gaming, TechNews

nVidia & Snowflake cooperation for AI models from cloud

nVidia and Snowflake announce cooperation for generative AI models from the cloud.

The US graphics card manufacturer nVidia and the US software company Snowflake have announced a cooperation. They want to offer companies generative AI from the cloud.

Image: Artificial Intelligence, AI (Inteligencia artificial), via: pixabay, by: geralt.
Image: Artificial Intelligence, AI (Inteligencia artificial), via: pixabay, by: geralt.

The nVidia Corp. and Snowflake Inc. announced at the Snowflake Summit 2023 that they have entered into a partnership.

The goal of the agreement: Providing companies to build generative AI applications using their own data within the Snowflake Data Cloud. Snowflake along with Nvidia enables enterprises to use data in their Snowflake account clouds. So they can build advanced generative AI service. This includs chatbots.

“Data is the foundation for building generative AI applications that understand the complexities and unique voice of each businesss” said Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO of Nvidia.

“nVidia and Snowflake will create an AI factory that will help companies transform their own valuable data into custom generative AI models to build breakthrough new applications. Right from the cloud platform they can run their businesses” added Jensen Huang.

Expanding AI capabilities in Data Cloud enables these customers to build generative AI applications, just where the data they manage already resides. This will reduce costs and latency.

The Snowflake Data Cloud has more than 8,000 customers. In Future it will offer the companies the ability to unify, integrate, analyze and share data within their organizatio, customers, partners, suppliers.

Snowflake’s unified platform offers industry-specific data clouds. Advertising, media and entertainment, financial services, healthcare and life sciences, manufacturing, retail and consumer goods, technology and telecom are included.

Snowflake also recently launched the Government and Education Data Cloud to enable data-driven decision-making for the public sector.

Snowflake plans to host and operate NeMo. NeMo is nVidia’s cloud-native enterprise platform for building, customizing and deploying generative AI models, on the data cloud.