Sony’s PlayStation 5 Won’t Support SSD Expansion at Launch

According to The Verge, Sony has confirmed that the console will not support storage expansion at launch. This news comes despite the presence of a dedicated slot for an M.2 SSD. Sony clarifies that the slot will be enable in a future update and that storage expansion will be be reserved for a future update. This comes as confirmation as surfaced that the PS5 will reserve around 20% of the 825GB internal SSD storage for functional operations and the OS, leaving around 664GB usable storage.

In light of the new, it seems like early adopters should avoid buying additional M.2 SSDs to avoid being sorely disappointed. However, it’s not all gloom and doom as Sony confirms that the update will come once it has a list of supported SSDs. Testing for this list should be underway. The delay comes as the PlayStation 5 sports a lot of customised internals including its I/O system which complicates SSD compatibility. That said, the Sony PlayStation 5 supports up to two types of storage: internal and external storage. With internal M.2 SSD expansion delayed, users will still be able to use external USB drives for extra memory as we wait for the update to roll out.

Source: Sony

From what we know about PS5 titles – they aren’t small in any way with file sizes clocking in at 120GB. PS5 titles such as Demon Souls and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War are already reported to take up about 200GB. With only 825GB of internal storage, users will undoubtedly run out of storage in no time. However, the PS5 still supports storing games on USB-connected external drives however, this will only work for previous generation games.

What about the disc drive version of the PS5? Well, the Blu-Ray disc will only act as an installer for the game, allowing you to forgo an internet connection. Still, the PS5 will download game data from the disc on to the internal storage to facilitate seamless loading during gameplay.

Nevertheless, Sony has claimed that the PS5 will be more flexible when it comes to storage management; allowing users more control.

PlayStation 5 Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know About Sony’s New Console

Sony has announced its newest PlayStation 5 and is ready to take on the market this holiday. The company has revealed some specs to give fans a brief look of just how powerful the machine will be. Looking at some of the things we already know, the new PlayStation 5 is shaping up to be one of the most revolutionary consoles in comparison to it’s predecessor, the PS4; and even next generation Xbox Series X and Xbox Series. The PS5 is set to change the playing field for consoles in the next generation.

Source: TechRadar

Powerful Insides with at least 60 fps Gameplay

The PlayStation 5 will be running on a customised build of AMD’s graphics and processing architecture. The GPU is based on AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture while the CPU is based on AMD’s Zen 2 architecture with 8-cores. The new processing unit will allow the PS5 to support ray tracing making it possible to have more realistic light textures and deeper realism built into the graphics. This is complemented by 16GB of GDDR6 RAM.

It will launch with native 4K resolution support which makes sense given the current landscape of TV ownership. However, there is evidence showing the PS5 will be able to support up to 8K resolution in the future. The console is able to reach 120fps in games but most of the game are guaranteed tor run at 60fps with stable gaming performance. We will probably see a few games reaching 120fps as the console generation progresses.

Speedy Internal Storage for Quick Load Times

The console will sport a customised solution when it comes to internal storage. Sony’s customised SSD solution will be its backbone for the lightning-fast loading times the company is promising for the PlayStation 5. It will support extra storage through an easily accessible slot for an M.2 SSD chip which is disabled at launch. However, Sony PS5 architect, Mark Cerny, has stressed that support will be enabled with a firmware update at a later date. The reason behind this staggered activation is to give the team enough time to test and ensure compatibility as not all M.2 SSDs will be able to interface correctly with the PlayStation 5’s I/O controller which can lead to slowdowns or worse. Out of the box, the PS5 comes with 825GB of internal storage, it will also support USB storage.

The PS5 will come in two flavours: a digital-only version and one sporting an optical drive. The latter will come with a 4K Blu-ray drive. This will be able to play actual physical PS5 games which will be released on Blu-ray discs. It will also play movies and DVDs. As the name suggests, this will be omitted in the PS5 Digital Edition.

The hallmark of the PS5 experience is the unique, immersive experience of the new DualSense Controller. It is being lauded as a leap forward in gaming. The resistive triggers are able to convey a different, more immersive textures which bring a depth to the gaming experience that we have yet to experience.

New PSN Experience & Backward Compatibility

The PSN web and mobile store have been overhauled in October. As part of this change, PS3 games, PS vita games, avatar and themes will no longer be purchase. Sony seems to be more focused on newer things. This has entailed the removal of themes and content for the PS3 and, the short-lived, PS Vita.

Sony has also revealed the PS5 UI in an official walkthrough video hosted by the head of Sony Worldwide Studios, Hermen Hulst. The UI drops the spartan approach that it used for the PS4. In its stead, the PS5 will sport a user experience-centric interface which brings games and the PSN community to the forefront. Even the in-game overlay is feature-rich and comes with easy access to the many in-game features that the PS5 has including the ability to get friends to help you in-game.

In addition to an overhauled UI, the PS5 comes with backwards compatibility with games from previous generations of PlayStations. For now, Sony has confirmed that 99% of PS4 titles are supported by the PS5 with more to come. However, compatibility with games from the PS3 and before is still up in the air.

Pricing & Availability

Both Editions of the PlayStation 5 will be available starting on November 12, 2020, in the U.S, UK, Japan, and a few other countries, with a global release starting on November 19. The disc drive touting PS5 will run you USD $499 while the digital only edition will cost $399.

In Malaysia, the PS5 will be laucnhing on 11 December 2020 with pre-orders already underway with e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Lazada already taking orders. The PS5 Digital Edition will be available for MYR 1,869, and PS5 with an Ultra HD Blu-ray™ disc drive will be available for MYR 2,299.

Ubitus introduces new Cloud Gaming Solution for best-in-class experiences

Solution was developed in close collaboration with Intel and integrates the latest Intel Server GPU

TOKYO, Nov. 12, 2020 — Ubitus K.K. (hereinafter Ubitus), a cloud gaming technology leader, announces its latest Android cloud gaming solution that is based on the new Intel Server GPU.

In close collaboration with Intel, Ubitus developed its solution to take full advantage of Intel Server GPU through in-depth integration with the Intel cloud rendering software framework. As a result, the solution can achieve a performance of up to 120 Android cloud gaming streams on an Intel Xeon Scalable platform-based server that also includes 2 PCIe cards based on Intel Server GPUs. This is up to two times performance gain compared to Ubitus’ previous solutions. These enhancements will enable higher density and utilization of GPUs, and thus dramatically reduce the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) for cloud gaming customers. Ubitus’ PC Cloud Gaming services can also run on the same game server, further reducing TCO by eliminating the need for separate and dedicated infrastructure for Cloud gaming services. 

"We are proud to be an early and a key strategic partner of Intel for the new Intel Server GPU. This enables us to take full advantage of the GPU capabilities and achieve best in class performance and flexibility. With this solution, we are confident we can make cloud gaming more economically viable and more ubiquitous," quoted Wesley Kuo, CEO of Ubitus K.K.

"Cloud gaming providers need responsive, high performance solutions while keeping infrastructure and operational costs low. With the Android cloud gaming solution from Ubitus based on a combination of Intel Xeon Scalable processors, optimized software and the new Intel Server GPU, providers can deliver high quality gaming experiences with excellent TCO," said Lynn Comp, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Visual Infrastructure Division.

Ubitus plans to offer its cloud gaming solution to telecom operators and game companies who are looking for a turnkey solution with the best performance, TCO, and flexibility considerations.

Intel, the Intel logo, and other Intel marks are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries. 

About Ubitus

Ubitus operates the world’s best GPU virtualization technology and cloud streaming platform, and is dedicated to providing a superior user experience via its advanced technology. As long as users are connected to a broadband network, they can enjoy AAA gaming experience across various devices, such as smartphones, tablets, game consoles, smart TVs, and personal computers.

With its comprehensive GDK (game development kit), Ubitus provides a fast-to-market onboarding solution to support game companies in Japan and overseas, who are interested in cloud gaming. Ubitus partners with telecom carriers, online service providers and game publishers around the world.

ElectrifAi Offers New Machine Learning Models for Amazon SageMaker


Delivering fast and reliable machine learning business solutions

JERSEY CITY, N.J., Nov. 11, 2020 — ElectrifAi, one of the global leading companies in practical artificial intelligence (AI) and pre-built machine learning (ML) models, today announced that it is releasing one of the world’s largest collections of pre-trained and pre-structured ML models for Amazon SageMaker to offer for sale. Amazon SageMaker is a fully managed service from Amazon Web Services (AWS) that provides every developer and data scientist with the ability to build, train, and deploy ML models quickly.

Delivering fast and reliable results, ElectrifAi is pleased to announce that 36 pre-trained ML models for Amazon SageMaker have been added to AWS Marketplace. ElectrifAi’s domain expertise across several verticals (including Banking, Financial Services and Insurance, Communications, Media, Entertainment, Healthcare and Consumer/Retail) coupled with 16 years of ML experience provide quick-to-deploy enterprise solutions. Clients can now see results in just days and weeks as opposed to taking 12 to 18 months since these solutions turn data into actionable insights.

AWS Marketplace users are now able to unlock insights on data using ElectrifAi’s ML models that are based on industry specific use cases. This allows for rapid deployment, scaling, and generation of complex insights that drive immediate cost, profit, and performance improvement. Since 2004, ElectrifAi has been driving quick time-to-value and successful business outcomes. Customers have received out-of-the-box solutions that save them time and money compared to building models in-house.

"We’ve been doing machine learning for 16+ years and have deep expertise across many verticals. Our machine learning models help our clients drive rapid cost, profit, and performance improvement," said ElectrifAi Chief Executive Officer Ed Scott

Through discovery conversations with clients, we help identify business problems that ElectrifAi clients are trying to solve and hope to achieve. After initial discussions and analyzing the data, ElectrifAi determines the appropriate use-case pre-trained model that most accurately fits the customer’s requirements to achieve an expected outcome. Once a common data model is provided, ElectrifAi trains the model with client’s data in their own environment to generate the signals related to the expected outcome. No model is 100% accurate; but with ElectrifAi’s experience and domain expertise, the model can be hyper-tuned to fit the client’s goals and risk tolerance. ElectrifAi calls such models "Pre-structured", as they require minimal modification and tuning. These Pre-structured models navigate the nuances that vary from client to client within a given industry. For churn mitigation as an example, ElectrifAi applies several pre-structured models for segmentation and propensity modelling. ElectrifAi has a long history of building ML models, hyper-tuning the models to achieve accurate insights, and orchestrating multiple models to build use cases to deliver successful business outcomes. 

Luming Wang, CTO, ElectrifAi says "We have a process we call the machine learning model factory with pre-trained, pre-structured, and brand-new models made to address client specific pain points. The model is explainable and tests for bias, resulting in easy-to-understand actionable insights that help solve real business problems."

Jim McGowan, Head of Product, ElectrifAi says "When building a model for your company specific to an industry, we may already have some of the parts that we can provide very quickly with a lot of transparency so you can build on top of that and get where you’re going much faster. You would also have the support of an additional team of data scientists who can help with re-training or customizations of these models. We’re not just selling software, because we understand the domain and can build the models to solve for an end business use case. In a world of decreasing budgets and increasing demands, we can provide ready-to-go solutions while you work on other problems strategically important for your company."

ML automates what people do manually when looking at large volumes of data, such as forecasting revenue, predicting demands, identifying and reducing customer churn, identifying high-quality customer prospects, fraud detection, risk management, advanced analytics, and natural-language-processing. These ML models can help companies achieve a successful digital transformation. ElectrifAi has done the hard work already. All that is left for the client to do is to run the data through these pre-trained or pre-structured ML models in their own environment and integrate the output into their own business applications. ElectrifAi’s models for Amazon SageMaker available in AWS Marketplace are orchestrated together in a use-case to solve real business problems.

The ML models in AWS Marketplace are available worldwide. Please click here to access our pre-trained models and our associated services to help accelerate ML adoption within your organization.

About ElectrifAi
ElectrifAi is a global leader in business-ready machine learning models. ElectrifAi’s mission is to help organizations change the way they work through machine learning: driving cost reduction as well as profit and performance improvement. Founded in 2004, ElectrifAi boasts seasoned industry leadership, a global team of domain experts, and a proven record of transforming structured and unstructured data at scale. A large library of Ai-based products reaches across business functions, data systems, and teams to drive superior results in record time. ElectrifAi has approximately 200 data scientists, software engineers and employees with a proven record of dealing with over 2,000 customer implementations, mostly for Fortune 500 companies. At the heart of ElectrifAi’s mission is a commitment to making Ai and machine learning more understandable, practical and profitable for businesses and industries across the globe. ElectrifAi is headquartered in Jersey City, with offices located in Shanghai and New Delhi.

Phoenix New Media to Announce Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results on Tuesday, November 17, 2020

BEIJING, Nov. 11, 2020 — Phoenix New Media Limited ("Phoenix New Media", "ifeng" or the "Company") (NYSE: FENG), a leading new media company in China, today announced that it will report its third quarter 2020 financial results on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 after the market closes. The earnings release will be available on ifeng’s investor relations website at http://ir.ifeng.com.

Following the earnings release, ifeng’s management team will hold a conference call on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (or Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. Beijing/Hong Kong time) to discuss the financial results and operating performance.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, operator assisted conference calls are not available at the moment. All participants must preregister online prior to the call to receive the dial-in numbers. Preregistration may require a few minutes to complete.

Conference Call Preregistration

Participants can register for the conference call by navigating to http://apac.directeventreg.com/registration/event/4731548. Once preregistration has been complete, participants will receive dial-in numbers, Direct Event Passcode, and registrant ID by email.

Please dial in 10 minutes prior to the call, using the participant dial-in numbers, Direct Event Passcode and unique registrant ID which would be provided upon registering. You will be automatically linked to the live call after completion of this process.

A replay of the call will be available through November 25, 2020 by dialing the following numbers:

International: 

+61 2 8199 0299

Mainland China:

4006322162

Hong Kong:

+852 30512780

United States:

+1 646 254 3697

Conference ID: 

4731548

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available on the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.ifeng.com.

About Phoenix New Media Limited

Phoenix New Media Limited (NYSE: FENG) is a leading new media company providing premium content on an integrated Internet platform, including PC and mobile, in China. Having originated from a leading global Chinese language TV network based in Hong Kong, Phoenix TV, the Company enables consumers to access professional news and other quality information and share user-generated content on the Internet through their PCs and mobile devices. Phoenix New Media’s platform includes its PC channel, consisting of ifeng.com website, which comprises interest-based verticals and interactive services; its mobile channel, consisting of mobile news applications, mobile video application and mobile Internet website; and its operations with the telecom operators that provides mobile value-added services.

For investor and media inquiries please contact

Phoenix New Media Limited
Qing Liu
Email: investorrelations@ifeng.com

ICR, Inc.
Jack Wang
Tel: +1 (646) 405-4883
Email: investorrelations@ifeng.com

Dable Partners with Arkadia Digital Media to provide Personalized Content Recommendation

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Nov. 11, 2020 — Dable, Asia’s No.1 content discovery platform, has announced a partnership with PT Arkadia Digital Media Tbk.(Arkadia Digital Media), an independent and integrated digital media group on 11th November.

Dable Partners with Arkadia Digital Media to provide Personalized Content Recommendation
Dable Partners with Arkadia Digital Media to provide Personalized Content Recommendation

With this partnership, Dable will provide its personalized content recommendation solution ‘Dable News’ on news portals operated by Arkadia Digital Media. It manages various portals namely Suara.com, Matamata.com(celebrity and entertainment), Bolatimes.com(soccer and sports) and Hitekno.com(technology and gadget), Dewiku.com(female lifestyle), Mobimoto.com(automotive and motorsports), Guideku.com(travelling and F&B), and Himedik.com(health and medical).

Dable, based in South Korea, is a media tech company with world-class big data and personalization technologies. It provides personalized content recommendations by analyzing the visitor’s behavior and the individual’s consumed content in real-time. Dable helps visitors to consume more content and increase spend time on the publisher’s website through Dable widgets such as, ‘Content you may like’.

Dable offers publishers opportunities to create additional revenue. Dable captures the visitor’s interest through ‘Dable News,’ and then exposes ‘Dable Native Ad’ that brings up ads with the similar UI as of the articles in the recommended widget. Unlike other native ads that bombard visitors with ads, Dable Native Ad obtains high performance by showing ads based on the visitor’s interests. If a visitor is reading travel articles, he will be shown airline ticket ads. 

Publishers can also analyze data through Dable’s dashboard, provided to any partnered media. Publishers can check website logs and various statistics which helps improve their competitiveness. Dable’s dashboard not only provides the CTR center that indicates the traffic, page views, and number of visitors, but also various article statistics such as ‘Popular Content Ranking’, ‘Popular Content by Visitors’ and ‘Perused Content’. 

"We hope that Dable will improve user satisfaction by providing valuable news and information to the reader, as well as the opportunity to spread Arkadia Digital Media’s influence in the market through various statistical data and insights provided by Dable," said Bram Bravo, the Digital Ad Ops & Programmatic Manager of Arkadia Digital Media. "Dable is a very advantageous native ad platform. Aside from increasing revenue from advertising, the related article machine learning platform could also help to increase the time visits from Suara.com readers. Moreover, we are able to adjust the design and format to fit the look in some of our vertical domains."

Dable CEO, Chaehyun Lee said, "It is an honor to hold a partnership with Arkadia Digital Media. Our diversity in media proves that Dable’s platform can work well in various settings with different types of audience. We hope to expand our network on building awareness as the one-stop solution platform to optimize media performance by providing good quality content as well as generate additional revenue."

Dable embarked its service for the Indonesian market in 2017. Dable is growing rapidly through partnerships with more than 200 premium Indonesian media including Arkadia Digital Media, Tempo Inti Media, Kapanlagi Youth Network, Jawapos, and Kompas Gramedia.

http://dable.io/en/

 

Related Links :

http://dable.io/en/

New Maehwa and Musa Classes Now Available in Black Desert Mobile

SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 11, 2020 — Pearl Abyss announced today that two new classes, Maehwa and Musa, have been added to Black Desert Mobile. Adventurers can now challenge themselves by wielding the powerful Blade that these classes use to defeat enemies. 

New Maehwa and Musa Classes Now Available in Black Desert Mobile
New Maehwa and Musa Classes Now Available in Black Desert Mobile

Both Maehwa and Musa utilize their expertise in swordsmanship to strike down their opponents while using a Horn Bow for ranged attacks. Maehwa has a wide array of crowd control skills, which she uses to catch any enemies off-guard. While her splendid swordsmanship skills are perfect for melee combat, she can also knock down opponents from afar her using her deadly weapon. Awakening Maehwa will enable her to use the most beautiful forms of martial arts with her new weapon, the Kerispear. 

Musa, the master of agility, is a challenging character who never hesitates to make counterattacks. His attacks create large whirlwinds that knock his enemies up in the air and deal great damage. When Musa is awakened, he wields a Crescent Blade that only the master of the sword is allowed to carry. 

To celebrate the arrival of these classes, special in-game events will take place throughout this month. Until November 23, Adventurers who complete a special daily quest can get a Fiesta Coin. and 35 coins can be exchanged for an exclusive item. Until November 30, Adventurers will also obtain rewards such as Tier 3 Pets and a Lv. 60 Character Generator Coupon for reaching certain levels with Maehwa or Musa. 

Watch Maehwa and Musa’s trailer and visit Black Desert Mobile‘s official website for more information. 

About Black Desert 

Black Desert is Pearl Abyss’ open-world action MMORPG with cutting-edge visuals and skill-based combat that redefines the genre. With the most developed character customization system of any game currently on the market, users can break out of the norm and make unique characters that truly represent themselves. Its intuitive controls, beautifully designed world, and extensive lore will excite both newcomers and veterans of MMO games and action RPGs. 

 

QuEST Global announces availability of Smart Defect Inspection application for high-precision manufacturing companies

BENGALURU, India, Nov. 11, 2020 — QuEST Global, a global product engineering and lifecycle services company, today announced the availability of its GUI based Smart Defect Inspection (SDI) application powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The application, designed for high-precision manufacturing companies like semiconductor chip manufacturers, will enable real-time defect inspection & diagnosis, product quality inspections, and prognosis and ensure optimal equipment usage.

The platform-agnostic SDI application is built with Deep Learning (DL) technology for intelligent defect inspection and it can enable self-learning abilities for smarter decision making. The application aims to resolve three critical challenges for manufacturers – low yield/throughput, sub-optimal utilization of expensive equipment, and the health hazards faced by human inspectors. The SDI application also ensures maximum ROI from expensive equipment by targeting an ideal uptime of round the clock operations.

The company has successfully implemented the application as a Proof of Concept to a couple of semiconductor equipment OEMs. The application can help OEMs in detecting defects from Scanning Electron Microscope and optical inspection images, and classifying semiconductor wafer defects to reduce overkill by up to 30%, giving attention to underkill from conventional computer vision techniques. This all-in-one, real-time detection system with deep learning & edge computing is also compatible with existing image capturing devices, and offers enhanced decision-making capabilities using Deep Learning algorithms.

Elaborating further on its significance and value it will provide to the manufacturing industry, Piyush Jain, Vice President & Head of Delivery – APAC, QuEST Global, said, "We are delighted to make our new Smart Defect Inspection application available to the OEMs in the high precision manufacturing industry. Designed to empower human inspectors for automating inspection with a simple and intuitive GUI, the application can help OEMs increase yield and aims to improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness – the gold standard for measuring manufacturing productivity. Along with business benefits to the OEMs, the SDI application also aims to reduce visual stress of the human inspectors, keeping health hazards at bay and improving their overall health."

Over the years, QuEST has been working as a trusted thinking partner with the world’s most recognized companies in the Hi-Tech industry. The company is committed to enabling its customers to Create The Frontier by helping them stay ahead of the competition in areas like connected cars, connected devices, connected factories, and connected grids. With its expertise in new-age technologies, the company has been enabling some of the largest silicon companies in the world to launch chipsets embedded with the latest digital technologies like AI, DL, AR, VR, blockchain, and security.

About QuEST Global

For more than 20 years, QuEST Global has aimed to be a trusted global product engineering and lifecycle services partner to many of the world’s most recognized companies in the Aero Engines, Hi-Tech, Aerospace & Defense, Transportation (Auto and Rail), Power and Industrial, Oil & Gas and Medical Devices industries. With a global presence in 13 countries, 66 global centers, and 11,000+ personnel, QuEST Global believes that it is at the forefront of the convergence of the mechanical, electronics, software, and digital engineering innovations to engineer solutions for a safer, cleaner world. QuEST Global’s deep domain knowledge and digital expertise aim to help its clients accelerate product development and innovation cycles, create alternate revenue streams, enhance consumer experience, and make manufacturing processes and operations more efficient.

Media Contact:
Anto T Ouseph
anto.ouseph@quest-global.com

Blis Prospect Targeting helps drive new and lapsed audiences into store and online at scale


SYDNEY, Nov. 11, 2020 — Continuing its product momentum, Blis, the trusted leader in location-powered advertising and analytics, has today announced the launch of Prospect Targeting, an innovative addition to its product suite. The new product combines Blis’ valuable and accurate location data with customer characteristics and online behaviours. It gives the world’s biggest brands a powerful tool to find, target and reach more customers like their current ones and drive them in store or online this holiday season.

Prospect Targeting works by combining the accurate real-world behaviours that only movement data can provide, with consumer data such as car and home ownership, household income and lifestyles, as well as demographic and socio-economic factors. Additionally, it incorporates online behaviours, including what apps consumers use, what websites they browse, what games they play and what times of day and days of week they use their devices, resulting in deep insights into a brand’s customers.

Using intelligent affinity and index modelling, this new product enables brands to expand their customer base by finding and targeting new and lapsed customers at scale without reliance on personal data. Built with consumer privacy at the forefront, Prospect Targeting future proofs Blis’ offering by using only aggregated and anonymised data throughout.

Speaking on the announcement Aaron McKee, CTO at Blis said, "With the holidays just around the corner, brands are trying to re-engage with their customers and prospect new audiences after a year of dramatic change that has been difficult for retailers, and indeed all verticals. With Prospect Targeting, we’re giving companies an edge by enabling them to reach a whole new customer base with the precision of location-based retargeting and the scale of TV audience targeting. Connecting customer characteristics with online activity and Blis’ accurate real-world behavioural intelligence will help brands find more customers like the ones already buying and drive sales – both in store and online."

In April, Blis responded to the growing crisis quickly by releasing Habits to Home Targeting to address the challenges faced by brands reaching a ‘stay at home’ COVID world. With the addition of this latest product, Blis is now helping brands rebuild and expand their audience to drive more customers in store or online at a time when boosting sales matters most.

About Blis

Blis is the trusted leader in location-powered advertising and analytics, helping brands understand, reach and engage consumers globally to deliver measurable results. Because location data is the most accurate indicator of ‘real’ behaviour and intent at scale vs any other type of data, Blis uses this data to map real-world consumer behaviours based on where people are and where they’ve been, uncovering the truth about what people actually do.

Blis’ Smart Platform provides unmatched transparency, accuracy and scale. Its four tried and tested proprietary technologies – Smart Pin, Smart Scale, Smart Places and Smart Households – allow for more effective planning, activation and measurement for marketers and business decision makers alike.

Established in the UK in 2004, Blis now operates in more than 40 offices across five continents. Working with the world’s largest and most customer-driven companies across all verticals including Unilever, Samsung, McDonald’s, HSBC, Mercedes Benz and Peugeot, as well as every major media agency, Blis reaches over a billion mobile devices a year.

To learn more, visit blis.com.

Logo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/blis-prospect-targeting-helps-drive-new-and-lapsed-audiences-into-store-and-online-at-scale.jpg

Related Links :

http://blismobile.com/what_we_do.html

http://blis.com/

Microsoft and the Open Data Institute announce an Education Open Data Challenge to help close the digital divide

LONDON and REDMOND, Washington, Nov. 11, 2020 — Microsoft and the Open Data Institute (ODI) announced today the launch of an Education Open Data Challenge to shine light on the relationship between broadband access and K-12 (ages 5 to 18 years old) education outcomes. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Education Open Data Challenge will help educators and research organizations better understand the potential long-term impact the ongoing disruption to traditional learning will have on the world’s most vulnerable learners.

Microsoft company logo.
Microsoft company logo.

Microsoft and the ODI are encouraging teams that wish to participate in the challenge to help generate innovative solutions to close the digital divide in K-12 education to go here to learn more. The winning team will be invited to elect a non-profit organization of their choice to receive a £50,000 award, with the runners-up electing non-profit organizations of their choice to receive £30,000 and £20,000 awards. The challenge is open to teams and individuals based globally.

"As students around the world increasingly rely on technology and connectivity to succeed in school, we must find ways to allow every student, everywhere, to succeed. Combining datasets in new ways can help unlock solutions to expand equitable and robust access to broadband," said Jennifer Yokoyama, Microsoft Vice President and Chief IP Counsel. "We’re excited to join in the launch of this Education Open Data Challenge to help close the digital divide and level the playing field for students around the world."

Participants will receive access to tools and resources from Microsoft, the ODI, and BroadbandNow, as well as data made available for the first time as part of this challenge:

  • Participants will have access to a more granular version of Microsoft’s U.S. broadband usage data, this time with differential privacy applied. Microsoft will make available documentation that demonstrates the impact that applying differential privacy has had on the data.
  • The ODI will provide access to several eLearning modules on Open Data Essentials, Finding Stories in Data, Guidance for data users on data licensing and How to anonymize datasets for participants who wish to contribute their own data, as well as mentorship. Participants are also able to access free MS Learn training resources and training modules.
  • From BroadbandNow, participants will be able to access U.S. broadband terrestrial provider data.

The use of privacy-preserving technologies will become more prevalent as organizations seek to collaborate across the spectrum of data. The datasets that will be made openly available with the challenge will help participants to assess and understand the effect that technologies such as differential privacy can have on data insights and analysis.    

"Organizations like Microsoft and BroadbandNow possess a wealth of interesting data that can be used to provide insights and support decision-makers in the education sector and beyond, especially as they face unprecedented challenges. This Challenge will stimulate the exploration of innovative uses for this data, outside the boundaries of the organizations that hold it," said Jeni Tennison, Vice President & Chief Strategy Adviser of the ODI. "The ODI is here to help organizations that want to ensure the data they hold brings the most value to the sectors, communities and societies they work in."

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted learning for more than 1.6 billion children and youth worldwide, as governments across the globe have closed educational institutions to stop the spread of the virus. In response, schools and teachers have made an unprecedented effort to reach students remotely through distance learning tools and platforms.  

As the digital divide is expanded by the abrupt global transition to remote learning, understanding how and where the digital divide affects communities will be critical for managing the short-term delivery of education and ensuring a sustainable, equitable economic recovery.

"We are thrilled to participate in providing data for the Open Data Challenge and look forward to discoveries made by the participants," said John Busby, Managing Director of BroadbandNow. "Access to affordable broadband internet is crucial to education and digital equity." 

Participating teams will be asked to identify gaps in digital infrastructure that affect the delivery of education services online, pinpoint potential impacts on learning outcomes, and suggest innovative and realistic solutions to address these gaps in a cost-efficient way. Some of the questions the challenge seeks to answer include:

  • How do students access remote learning, especially those who may not have easy access to digital infrastructure (e.g., technology and internet connectivity)?
  • What level of digital access to learning do students from disadvantaged groups have, relative to more advantaged groups?
  • What is the relationship between levels of digital skills and learning outcomes for different demographics?

Participants will have four months to complete the challenge from the opening date. Individuals and teams interested in participating in the challenge can learn more and register interest here. Once registered, individuals will be invited to attend dedicated activities to preview the data, learn more about it from the involved partners, and get equipped on how to best use it ahead of the public release on December 10, 2020.

About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

About the Open Data Institute
The ODI was co-founded in 2012 by the inventor of the web Sir Tim Berners-Lee and artificial intelligence expert Sir Nigel Shadbolt to show the value of data, and to advocate for the innovative use of data to affect positive change across the globe. We’re an independent, non-profit, non-partisan company headquartered in London, with an international reach. We work with companies and governments to build an open, trustworthy data ecosystem, where people can make better decisions using data and manage any harmful impacts.

Logo – https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/microsoft-and-the-open-data-institute-announce-an-education-open-data-challenge-to-help-close-the-digital-divide.jpg