Startups

Niantic made a name for itself in the mobile gaming industry through the enduring success of Pokémon Go . Now the company is hoping to become something else: a platform for other developers to build location-aware AR apps on top of. This plan has been in the works since at least 2018 , but it’s taking a big leap forward this week with the long-awaited release of Niantic’s location mapping software for AR, which it calls the Visual Positioning System, or VPS in a nod to GPS. The technology makes it so that AR experiences can be grounded to a physical location, like the front of a building or a park monument, rather than just floating aimlessly through a phone’s camera view. Developers can now use VPS as the tentpole feature of Niantic’s broader Lightship SDK , which also lets multiple devices access a shared AR experience — like a 3D multiplayer game — at the same time. VPS will be free during an initial public beta period and then switch later this year to a tiered billing … [Read more...] about Niantic moves beyond games with Lightship AR platform and a social network

Audio player loading… GameStop isn't stopping. While you might think of the retail outlet as the best place to buy a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X , the company became engulfed in memestock mania last year, driven on by Reddit users. But GameStop seems to have taken its revival to heart and has actually begun to release some interesting products that could turn around the ailing high street game and electronics retailer. GameStop has announced (opens in new tab) a forthcoming crypto wallet (opens in new tab) , letting users store their coins and NFTs in one place. The news comes after GameStop announced an NFT marketplace (opens in new tab) , which is also coming soon. GameStop Wallet "The GameStop Wallet is a self-custodial Ethereum wallet," the company says, meaning that users access the wallet using a unique private key, similar to bitcoin hardware wallets . "The wallet extension, which can be downloaded from the Chrome Web … [Read more...] about GameStop is launching a crypto wallet

Chennai: Premier technology campuses are testing indigenously developed technology stacks for 5G that are expected to transform into products and services in the real world. IIT-Madras , IISc , Bengaluru , IIT-Kanpur and a few other top-tier tech institutes are rapidly building the hardware and software for 5G technologies and using their campuses as testing facilities. They are expected to roll out pilots on superior broadband connectivity, internet-connected household devices, analytics on traffic, congestion, vehicle nature statistics and several other advancements that would figure in a ‘ Smart City ’. Recently, IIT-M displayed a video call on 5G networks built from scratch on campus. IISc, too, is purchasing commercial remote head equipment to enable 5G hotspots on campus. “Our campus will be 5G-enabled in another six to eight months,” V Kamakoti, director, IIT-Madras told ET. “With 5G, I can put many more high-speed monitoring … [Read more...] about tech: Tech campuses play the 5G tone in indigenisation drive

NEW DELHI: As edtech platforms start bleeding in India, Unacademy , which recently laid off over 600 employees, has predicted a funding winter that can last as long as 18 months, saying it will cut costs wherever required to weather the dry spell and become profitable. In a letter to employees, Unacademy's co-founder and CEO Gaurav Munjal said that "we must learn to work under constraints and focus on profitability at all costs". "Winter is here. We must change our ways. We will focus on organic growth channels instead," he wrote. Backed by SoftBank and Tiger Global , online learning platform Unacademy last week announced its foray into opening physical tuition centres across the country, following BYJU's footsteps. "Some people are predicting that this [funding winter] might last 24 months. We must adapt. This is a test for all of us. We must learn to work under constraints. We must focus on profitability at all costs,a Munjal told employees. "We must … [Read more...] about Unacademy CEO says funding winter can last up to 18 months

Ford revealed its F-150 Lightning electric truck last year, serving as another sign that legacy auto companies are shifting to electric vehicles. Now the truck has finally started shipping to buyers. The Ford F-150 Lightning was unveiled last year , with a traditional truck design on the outside and all-electric internals. It immediately drew comparisons to Tesla’s in-development Cybertruck , with a Ford representative saying at launch that its customers “did not want their truck to look like a doorstop or a spaceship” — a clear jab at the Cybertruck’s polygonal design. The truck also has a large front trunk (a “frunk”) for storage, in addition to the rear bed, and enough built-in outlets to power tents and small homes for a short time. The truck was originally intended to start at $52,974 and max out at around $90,000, but as our sister site ReviewGeek pointed out, many dealerships were pricing high-end models for as much as $145,000 . Bloomberg reports that Michigan … [Read more...] about Ford Starts Shipping the F-150 Lightning Electric Truck