For several years now, micro-LED has been touted as the next big thing in TV tech (and screen tech in general). Micro-LED tech works like the best OLED TVs in that each pixel emits its own light, meaning you get pixel-precise contrast with infinitely deep black tones – however, the pixels can be far brighter than may ever be possible with OLED, and they should be more durable and longer-lasting. But despite being first introduced for TVs several years ago, there hasn’t been a ton of movement in micro-LED TVs. They’re extremely expensive, and they’re generally only available in very large sizes, mostly breaking way past the 100-inch battery (though Samsung managed to get the tech into a 75-inch set). And these huge sets are still 4K, when you might expect the likes of Samsung to make them 8K. So why hasn’t more progress been made, and will this change soon? I’ve already heard from one big manufacturer of the tech that it’s between five and 10 years away from being remotely mainstream, so at a recent Hisense event to highlight the company’s also huge (but much less expensive than micro-LED) laser TVs (which combine ultra short throw projection tech with a specially matched light-rejection screen), I spoke to Dr. Liu Xianrong, Chief Scientist and General Manager of Hisense Laser Display, about the future of giant screens. He explained that the problem with micro-LED, similar to OLED TVs, is that they have some fixed costs and complexity in their production process that aren’t really reduced by making the sets smaller, and there isn’t an obvious way to change the cost and complexity on the horizon – so the economics of building micro-LED screens may not be able to bring it to the mainstream any time soon. Dr Liu explained that the problem in the case of micro-LED TVs is that each pixel is made of three sub-pixels (red, green and blue) and that these pixels are created by different companies, and have to be brought together and then combined when manufacturing the panel. The RGB pixel structure of a micro-LED screen. (Image credit: Getty Images) The OLED equivalent to this could be considered to be the masking process, which again requires material from different places to be deposited using an elaborate and pricey system, which hasn’t changed much since the tech launched, hence why the price has stayed high. Inkjet-printed OLED is supposed to be the solution to this in OLED’s case, but we’ve been promised that tech is just around the corner for a long time (though TCL CSOT, the screen manufacturing and development arm of TCL, says it really is rolling this tech out now for smaller screens). Amusingly, it’s possible to make very small micro-LED screens with extremely high pixel density – think something designed for the best smartwatches – as well as very large micro-LED screens, but getting something made in the middle is where it falls apart, but that’s what we really need for most TVs. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Separation of powers Dr Liu said there’s another complication with micro-LED TVs in development, though, that stems from the fact that the pixels do all the work for both the brightness and the color. When you want to make a processing adjustment to the brightness, you can’t help but affect the color, and vice versa. It makes the whole panel extremely complicated to keep looking perfect, again affecting how costly the whole system is to develop and produce. In most TV tech, including mini-LED, laser TV and OLED when used on TVs, there are separate elements that can help mitigate this. Mini-LED uses a web of tiny LED lights to generate the brightness, behind a color-changing array of pixels (generally using quantum dots). You can control these elements individually to compensate for any changes you’ve made to the other one and keep things consistent. QD-OLED is similar, in that a layer of blue/green OLED pixels sits behind a quantum dot color-filter layer. In mini-LED, light generation and color come from separate sources, so it’s easier to manipulate them. (Image credit: TCL) And while laser TVs handle color and brightness all in one from the projector, the screen is an element that can be developed separately to help improve brightness, say – Hisense packs an ambient light-rejecting screen with its laser TVs that can roughly double brightness compared to a basic screen – so you can still use the fact that they’re separate to help with refining the picture. Packing everything into a set of RGB sub-pixels for micro-LED adds complexity that definitely can be overcome (OLED phone screens use an RGB sub-pixel structure), but again it just factors into why the TVs are likely to remain expensive, and why it will be slow for that to change. Micro-LED and mini-LED were actually introduced to the world at the same time – Samsung announced its first mini-LED and micro-LED TVs at the exact same event. But the best mini-LED TVs have dropped rapidly in price so that instead of being in elite TVs only, the tech is now available in really good cheap sets, such as the Hisense U6N and TCL C805 (UK and Europe only). Micro-LED seems like it’s a long way from having that same breakthrough affordable moment, even though giant TVs are becoming more and more popular, which should be ideal for it. It probably is still the next big thing in TVs; just don’t expect ‘next’ to be just around the corner. You might also like…
Author: DA Gadgets
Mice VR Headsets Revolutionise Brain Activity Studies and Behavioural Research
Innovative VR headsets have been designed for mice, enabling scientists to study brain activity in highly immersive environments. Using these headsets, researchers can observe neural responses during specific behaviours, potentially unlocking new understanding of human neurological disorders. Crafted from readily available components such as smartwatch screens and miniature lenses, these devices are seen as a breakthrough in neuroscience research, offering precise insights into how mammals interact with their surroundings.
Development and Functionality of the Headsets
According to a study published in Nature Methods, the VR headsets—known as “MouseGoggles”—are paired with a spherical treadmill that keeps the mice stationary while simulating movement. These goggles attach to the mice’s heads, displaying sharp, high-contrast visuals that mimic real-world experiences. Dr. Matthew Isaacson, a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University, stated in a press release that prior methods using projector screens failed to engage mice effectively, but the new goggles produced significant behavioural responses, such as startled reactions to simulated predators.
Verification of the Technology
To confirm the efficacy of the MouseGoggles, researchers examined activity in two critical brain regions. The primary visual cortex revealed that the mice could perceive the projected images clearly, while the hippocampus indicated accurate mapping of virtual environments. These findings underline the potential for the technology to deepen understanding of how mammals navigate and interact with their surroundings.
Future Applications and Advancements
Dr. Chris Schaffer, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell, noted to phys.org that these headsets could transform neuroscience by enabling the study of naturalistic behaviours. Plans are underway to create lightweight versions for larger rodents like rats and to incorporate sensory elements such as smell and taste into the VR experience. This expanded capability could provide more comprehensive insights into complex decision-making processes and sensory integration.
The research team believes this technology could significantly enhance studies into conditions like Alzheimer’s, offering critical understanding of spatial navigation and memory deficits.
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Google Reportedly Working On a Content Filter Feature for Gemini
Google is reportedly working on a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature for its in-house chatbot Gemini. As per the report, the feature was spotted in the latest beta version of the Google app for Android and is called Content filters. As the name suggests, it is believed that the feature will allow users granular control over unwanted or harmful content generated by the AI chatbot. However, since the feature is said to not be public-facing or active, it is unclear how it would function.
Gemini May Get a Content Filter Feature
According to an Android Authority report, the Mountain View-based tech giant is working on a content moderation tool for Gemini. The evidence of the feature was spotted by the publication in the Google app for Android beta version 15.51.24.sa.arm64. Notably, the feature is not public facing so beta testers will not be able to test it out just yet.
The publication also shared a screenshot of the feature. Based on the screenshot, the new feature is available within the Gemini Settings page between the options of Screen context and Manage your Advanced subscription. The new feature is labelled as Content filters.
Underneath the name of the feature, the screenshot also shows a brief description which says, “Use filters to control the responses you see”. Not much else is known about the feature as it is not activated on the server side. Tapping on the Gemini feature reportedly redirects users to a URL on Google’s Gemini website. However, this website is currently not active and the publication was not able to find any information.
However, based on this information, the feature is likely a tool for users to further control the kind of responses they would like to see. It could offer filters in the same way parental controls are available on devices and websites which allows users to only see safe content.
Alternatively, the feature could be expansive and allow users to blacklist websites, ban entire topics, and ground the responses against set verifiers. A less likely possibility is also that this setting allows users to tailor the responses of Gemini by writing style and tonality for all future conversations. However, these are just speculations, and nothing can be said conclusively until Google makes an announcement about the feature.
When to Use Cloud Network Security (And When to Avoid It)
From data storage to business applications and beyond, companies of all sizes rely on the cloud for day-to-day operations and critical business processes. Protecting cloud-based infrastructures with robust security standards is crucial for modern organizations.
Cloud network security is a popular approach. But is it right for your business? Read on to find out.
What is cloud network security?
Cloud network security is a broad term that covers all security measures a company uses to protect its private cloud network, public cloud network, or hybrid cloud network. It includes everything from the technology used to internal policies, processes, and controls.
It helps businesses defend against data breaches, cyber attacks, unauthorized access, service interruptions, and other threats to their infrastructure.
Network security (regardless of how it’s implemented) is just one of the many security layers that businesses use to protect themselves from vulnerabilities. But it’s arguably the most important, as your network is often the first line of defense against attacks.
Deploying cloud network security the right way can be the foundation of your company’s entire approach to IT security.
SEE: How your business can benefit from a network security policy.
How does cloud network security work?
Cloud network security uses multiple defense layers between infrastructure components and devices on your network.
First, software helps set security policies and pre-defined rules for the network. From there, the software inspects all of the data packets and traffic on the network to enforce those policies.
For example, approved users can be granted access to digital assets through an application on the cloud network while unauthorized users are blocked.
It can also integrate with other security protocols, such as gateways and firewalls, to provide organization-wide control over the network. With APIs and other integrations, IT security admins can use cloud network security processes to monitor networks in real time, segment networks, and detect threats based on network patterns.
Many modern cloud security systems depend on AI and machine learning to help detect and block threats, which is something that might not always work with a rules-based security system.
SEE: Check out the best threat protection solutions.
Pros and cons of cloud network security
Like any IT security framework or methodology, cloud security has its pros and cons. For most, the positives outweigh the negative.
Benefits and advantages
- Centralized management — Cloud network security gives IT admins a single place to configure and monitor security policies, including the ability to integrate with on-premises solutions.
- Automated security monitoring — Once configured, cloud security systems automatically protect against threats without straining IT resources.
- Data protection — Deploying a cloud network security system helps protect data stored in cloud servers and applications on your network (both in transit and at rest).
- Compliance — You can set up your network security systems to comply with regulatory standards, like GDPR, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and more.
- Data encryption — While encrypted data doesn’t prevent breaches or attacks, most cloud network security companies include encryption, which makes it more challenging for bad actors to access data if they breach your network.
- Real-time threat detection and prevention — When working properly, cloud network security systems automatically detect and block threats to your network as they happen.
- Scalability — Robust cloud security allows organizations to confidently scale processes and applications using cloud resources, knowing that they’ll have reliable access.
- Policy-based enforcement — System admins have a more granular level of control based on custom policies that scale with your organization.
- Reduce risk of breaches and attacks — A cloud network security solution can drastically reduce security vulnerabilities while preventing hacks, malware, ransomware, and other malicious incidents.
Potential drawbacks and challenges to consider
- Misconfigurations — It can easily be misconfigured and it’s prone to human error.
- Speed of change — As cloud resources change alongside access controls of different employees, malicious users can exploit vulnerabilities before your policies are updated.
- DDoS attacks — Advanced DDoS attacks, which can overwhelm servers and disrupt cloud-based services, could prevent authorized users from accessing your system.
- Accuracy — At times, cloud systems can yield false positives. This can be dangerous if policies are changed due as a result, opening the door for real threats to slip through the cracks.
- Cost — Advanced cloud systems are expensive to deploy and maintain at scale, especially those using AI technology to monitor network traffic and detect threats in real time.
- Insider threats — Someone with privileged access could unknowingly (or intentionally) attack systems from the inside.
When it makes sense to use cloud network security for your business
Any business that has heavily invested in cloud infrastructure is a good fit.
This is especially true if you have a lot of data or run numerous applications in the cloud.
It also makes sense for hybrid cloud environments. Because you have a combination of on-premises and cloud infrastructure, a cloud-based security system can help you centralize everything across your network.
Another common reason why businesses use it is to comply with industry-specific or location-specific compliance standards. You can set up your cloud network security policies to adhere to security protocols for GDPR in Europe, PCI compliance for payment acceptance, HIPAA compliance in the medical industry, and more.
If your organization has remote employees who access your network through an encrypted connection, you can also use cloud security to authenticate them and their devices.
When you should avoid cloud network security
Cloud network security is a necessity for most, but it’s not for everyone.
It may not be enough if you’re dealing with sensitive data that requires the strictest security standards. Organizations working on government contracts or handling confidential information may have to meet DoD standards, and not every cloud security system stacks up to those conditions.
Cloud network security solutions may also not be a good fit if you’re using older, legacy systems that can’t easily migrate to the cloud. In this case, you’ll likely need to use an on-premise security solution instead.
Aside from those two scenarios, it’s tough to deploy a cloud network security solution if you have limited IT security resources or your team isn’t familiar with these systems.
They require a lot of fine-tuned configuration. If you don’t have the resources, you can outsource to a third party (which can get very expensive).
Network security best practices
There are a set of standards that are generally considered best practices. Adhering to them is not only great for deploying a robust cloud network, but it can also help you overcome some of the common challenges and drawbacks we covered earlier.
Some of those best practices include:
- Zero trust network access — The zero trust model requires authentication of every user, application, and device before accessing the network.
- Micro-segmentation within your network — Limiting communication between applications and services within a network can help contain or isolate attacks.
- Identity and access management (IAM) solutions — IAM systems can block unauthorized access at the user level, ensuring that even authorized users only have access to the areas they need to do their jobs.
- Misconfiguration monitoring — Use cloud security posture management (CSPM) tools to identify misconfigurations that could be the result of human error and ensure your configurations are properly set up for specific regulatory compliance standards.
- Continuous monitoring tools — Rather than periodically checking for attacks, you can use continuous monitoring tools to identify threats in real time.
- Regular penetration tests — Your IT team should regularly perform penetration tests on your network to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses. From there, they should work to fix them as fast as possible.
- Training — Make sure your team understands the risks associated with breaches and cyberattacks so they know exactly what to do in these scenarios.
Ultimately, cloud network security is an ongoing initiative.
It’s not something you can implement once and move on. There are always going to be changes to your network and systems that need to be addressed plus new threats that your team should understand how to handle.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Sora Services Now Fully Operational After Suffering a Major Outage
OpenAI’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT services suffered a major outage on Thursday in the US and some other regions. As per reports registered on an online outage monitor, the outage began roughly around 1:30pm ET on December 26 (12:00am IST, December 27). The outage also affected the AI firm’s API service, as well as the text-to-image platform Sora. Notably, the issue persisted for nearly five hours before the company updated that the platforms were fully operational again.
OpenAI Suffers a Major Outage
According to the online outage monitoring platform Down Detector, a spike for ChatGPT was first spotted at 1:30pm ET, with about 50,000 users reporting an inability to access the AI chatbot. At 2:00pm ET (12:30am IST), OpenAI posted the first official update on its status page and said, “We are currently experiencing an issue with high error rates on ChatGPT, the API, and Sora.”
Soon after, the AI firm said that the issue was identified to be caused by an “upstream provider”, but did not specify it. Around the same time, Microsoft reported a power issue in one of its data centres in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), highlighting that it affected the access and functionality of various Microsoft 365 services, Azure, and Xbox cloud gaming.
“We determined that an unexpected power incident in a portion of South Central US, AZ03, has affected multiple services,” the tech giant highlighted in a status page update. Microsoft’s services were back up by 5:00pm ET (3:30am IST). Just an hour later, at 6:15pm ET (4:45am IST), OpenAI shared an update saying Sora was fully operational. It could not be confirmed whether the two outages were related.
OpenAI’s last update came at 6:04pm ET (7:34am IST) where it highlighted that ChatGPT was mostly recovered. At the time of writing this, Gadgets 360 staff members were able to access and interact with ChatGPT on both the web client and the mobile app. The reports on Down Detector have also fallen to a single-digit number. The AI firm has said it will run a full root-cause analysis of this outage.
I upgraded from a 2021 OLED TV to a 2024 model, and here are 6 things you need to know
This year, I swapped my 2021-era mid-range OLED TV for a new 2024 mid-range model from the same manufacturer – a like-for-like swap. I switched from a Philips OLED806 to a Philips OLED809 because I am a sucker for Philips’ magnificent Ambilight tech. (US readers: sorry, Philips’ OLED TVs aren’t available there.) Given the popularity of the LG C1 OLED TV in particular, which topped our list of the best OLED TVs in 2021, I expect that there will be a load of people out there thinking about making the same kind of swap. It’s been a few years, the TV technology works especially fast – there must be some nice upgrades, right? This is true, and I love my new TV – but it’s not quite clear cut to say that everyone else will feel the same about the upgrade. Some of the changes are subtle enough that people might not feel they’re worth the upgrade, and some things haven’t changed at all. So let me tell you six conclusions that stood out to me from comparing my old TV to my new one. 1. I had no burn-in problems Okay, this isn’t really a comparison of the TVs, but it’s worth mentioning anyway since a lot of people are still under the impression that OLED TVs develop burn-in rapidly. My old TV from 2021 logged 3,700 hours of use and had zero signs of any image ghosting, pixel issues, or anything else like that. That includes playing a lot of games and watching sports; ie, things that are likely to leave logos on the screen for a long time, and provide the risk of burn-in happening. Bear in mind that OLED technology and processing have developed another three years since the TV that didn’t have any burn-in problems, and it’s even less likely to happen in new sets. 2. The brightness boost is real, but it’s also more subtle than you might hope The Philips OLED809 top; OLED806 bottom. (Image credit: Future) The Philips OLED806 was capable of around 750 nits of peak HDR brightness (in a 10% window), while we’ve measured the Philips OLED809 at between 930-1090 nits, depending on the mode you’re in. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Even at the lower end of the OLED809’s zone, that’s more than a 20% increase in HDR brightness, and it’s extremely obvious for these shiny HDR highlights when the TVs are next to each other. White tones are not only much brighter, they look purer – and the extra contrast makes the dark tones look even inkier. Would I notice this difference if they weren’t next to each other? Yes, I’m confident I would, but doing so is literally my job. I managed to correctly guess the brightness of the LG C4 when I saw it in a demo room at CES 2024. I am not normal – for most people, it’s not a revelatory step up in brightness. You can see this more in the image below, which relies more on fullscreen brightness, which continues to be low on OLED TVs. The fur on the OLED809 has a slightly richer golden hue from its extra brightness, but otherwise, there’s little major difference. If you were to go from a 2021 OLED TV to one of today’s higher-end OLEDs – the Samsung S95D, the LG G4, the Panasonic Z95A, or Philips’ OLED909 – then you would see a clearer jump in brightness of all kinds. (Image credit: Future) 3. You’ll still want real speakers if you’re a serious movie fan More and more processing is going into the audio of mid-range TVs, especially around making sure that dialogue clarity is clear and sound positions match the movement of things on-screen. And these have improved hugely over the meager audio of affordable sets from a few years ago. In our review of the Philips OLED809, we gave it a high sound score, because the TV offers surprising weight to the bass and clarity to the overall sound mix. But that’s a high score compared to other built-in TV speakers. They don’t hold a candle to a good-size soundbar, let alone a full home theater speaker array. Compared to one of the best soundbars with a sub and rear speakers, today’s mid-range TVs will all still come across as thin, constrained to the TV screen, and lacking in real depth. 4. Smart TV software has come a long way (Image credit: Future) My old TV was an Android TV, and while it worked fine, it was not slick. My new TV is powered by Google TV, and it’s a lot faster, easier to use, and better at helping me find what I want. The same is true of TVs from other makers, too – the new software in the LG C4 compared to the LG C1 is a major jump in usability, as well as feeling more responsive. Samsung’s Tizen platform has also developed a lot in three years, and there’s a new look rolling out to TVs now. It’s not about the access to the apps – that’s essentially the same. But it feels a lot less like you’re battling with TV software to get to what you want. 5. Reflections are still a problem (Image credit: Future) The highest-end OLED TVs have reflection reduction technologies. The Samsung S95D has a matte ‘OLED Glare Free’ coating to dissipate reflections that’s a revelation, and earned it our ‘TV of the Year’ award; the LG G4 and Philips OLED909 have a polarizer that reduces the intensity of reflected lights. Mid-range OLED TVs do not get any of this. They have the same glossy screens they’ve had for years, which are great for vibrant colors and super-deep black tones, but not so great for reflections. And since mid-range OLEDs today still don’t have very high fullscreen brightness, reflections can be quite visible in any kind of viewing, if you’re in a bright room. This shouldn’t necessarily be a dealbreaker for people – it isn’t for me, and my TV is right by a huge window – but it’s definitely an ongoing flaw. 6. You probably don’t need a like-for-like upgrade So, I’ve run through the core things I’ve noticed, and my conclusion for most people who got a mid-range OLED TV in 2021 – whether that’s a Philips OLED806 like me or an LG C1 – is that you probably don’t need to upgrade to a like-for-like 2024 model. Yes, your TV will be better – but it won’t be mind-blowing better, and OLED still costs prices that will make you want a mind-blowing upgrade. That’s a little different if you bought the cheaper LG B1 or LG A1; stepping up to today’s mid-range OLED TVs would nearly double the brightness of those sets, and you’d 100% notice that. That would feel like a major change. And if you swapped from a mid-range 2021 OLED to a high-end 2024 OLED, you’d again see nearly a 100% increase in brightness for a major visual upgrade (plus you’d get anti-reflection tech). Today’s best deals on TVs mentioned here
Gold-Sulfur Complex Found to Play Crucial Role in Gold Deposit Formation
A breakthrough discovery by an international team of scientists has highlighted the role of a gold-sulfur complex in the formation of gold deposits on Earth. The study, co-authored by Adam Simon, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Michigan, was recently . It details the previously unknown conditions under which gold is transported from deep within the Earth’s mantle to the surface.
Role of the Gold-Trisulfur Complex
According to the research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024), a unique gold-trisulfur complex forms under specific pressure and temperature conditions in the mantle, situated 30 to 50 miles beneath active volcanic zones. This complex, which has been debated in scientific circles, plays a significant role in the enrichment of gold in magma that travels to the surface. The findings shed light on why certain subduction zones, where tectonic plates converge, are particularly rich in gold deposits.
Volcanic Activity and Gold Deposits
The study highlights subduction zones around the Pacific Ring of Fire, where volcanic activity is prevalent, as key areas for gold formation. These regions, including locations such as New Zealand, Japan, Alaska, and Chile, provide the ideal geological environment for magma to carry gold from the mantle to surface deposits. The researchers link the processes behind volcanic eruptions to the mechanisms that concentrate gold in these zones.
Scientific Findings and Practical Applications
The researchers developed a thermodynamic model to simulate mantle conditions and confirm the existence of the gold-trisulfur complex. This model not only validates earlier theories about gold-sulfur interactions but also provides a clearer picture of the conditions required for gold-rich mineral systems to form.
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Microsoft Releases AIOpsLab, an Open-Source Standardised AI Framework for AIOps Agents
Microsoft researchers released an open-source artificial intelligence (AI) framework for agents that operate in cloud environments. Dubbed AIOpsLab, it is a principled research framework that enables developers to build, test, compare, and improve AIOps agents. The framework is supported by Azure AI Agent Service. The AIOpsLab uses an intermediary interface, a workload and fault generator, as well as an observability layer that shows a wide array of telemetry data. Notably, the company said that a research paper on the framework was accepted at the annual ACM Symposium on Cloud Computing (SoCC’24).
Microsoft Releases AIOpsLab for Cloud-Based Agents
Cloud-based services and enterprises that leverage them often face significant operational challenges, specifically in fault diagnosis and mitigation. AIOps agents, also known as AI agents for IT operations, are software-based tools that are used to monitor, analyse, and optimise cloud systems and solve these operational challenges.
Microsoft researchers, in a blog post, highlighted that when it comes to incident root cause analysis (RCA) or triaging, these AIOps agents rely on proprietary services and datasets, and use frameworks that only cater to specific solutions. This fails to capture the dynamic nature of real-world cloud services.
To solve this pain point, the company released an open-source standardised framework dubbed AIOpsLab for developers and researchers that will enable them to design, develop, evaluate, and enhance the capabilities of agents. One of the fundamental ways it solves the problem is by strictly separating the agent and the application service using an intermediate interface. This interface can be used to integrate and extend other system parts.
This enables the AIOps agent to address the problem in a step-by-step manner, mimicking real-life scenarios. For instance, the agent can be taught to first find the problem description, then understand the instructions, and then use available application programming interfaces (APIs) to call as actions.
The AIOpsLabs also comes with a workload and fault generator that can be used to train these AI agents. It can create simulations of both faulty and normal scenarios to enable the AIOps agents to gain knowledge of solving them and eliminate any unwanted behaviour.
Additionally, the AIOpsLab also comes with an extensible observability layer that offers monitoring capabilities to the developer. As the system collects a wide array of telemetry data, the framework can only show the data relevant to particular agents, allowing developers a granular way of making changes.
AIOpsLab currently supports four key tasks within the AIOps domain — incident detection, localisation, root cause diagnosis, and mitigation. Currently, Microsoft’s open-source AI framework is available on GitHub with the MIT licence for personal and commercial use cases.
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WhatsApp for iOS Rolls Out New AR Effects and Backgrounds, Adds Option to Scan Documents
WhatsApp for iOS has received several new features with the latest update. It adds the option to apply augmented reality (AR) effects and backgrounds when using the camera through the app. The instant messaging platform also makes it easier to share documents with others, courtesy of the new document scanning feature which is integrated into the file-sharing option on WhatsApp. Notably, these features were previously reported to be discovered in the beta builds of WhatsApp and are now rolling out widely.
New Features on WhatsApp for iOS
First spotted by the feature tracker WABetaInfo, WhatsApp for iOS app version 24.25.93 adds several new features. Users can now take advantage of AR effects which can be applied through the camera. This option appears as an image wand icon next to the gallery icon in the camera viewfinder on WhatsApp. Users can apply AR effects such as confetti, star windows, tears, underwater, sparkles, and karaoke.
WhatsApp also brings new backgrounds to obscure the environment around the user and allows them to adjust the video’s colour tone.
Another key addition to the instant messaging platform is the ability to scan documents directly through the app. This option appears in the document sharing window, listed as Scan document. It includes filters such as colour, grayscale, and black & white. Once the image is taken, WhatsApp automatically crops it while also allowing the resizing of the borders. Users can also toggle the auto-shutter option which enables the app to automatically capture the document if it is positioned correctly within the camera viewfinder.
Gadgets 360 staff members can confirm the availability of both of these features in the latest version of WhatsApp for iOS.
This development comes after the instant messaging platform rolled out fun new features to enhance the texting and calling experience ahead of the new year. WhatsApp users can take advantage of new calling effects with the New Year theme during video calls. Further, it also rolled out new animations and sticker packs to match the festive vibe.
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I saw a perfect demo of why a great projector screen is vital to making the most of your beamer – especially a budget portable one
One of the breakout hits of the tech world over the last couple of years has been the best portable projectors. They’ve really rocketed in popularity because people love the idea of being able to point the projector at a wall anywhere to instantly have big-screen entertainment. Well, stop that right now. The fun police are here, and we’ve had reports of people enjoying their media in a sub-standard manner. Okay, you can keep doing it if the portability of these mobile projectors is vital, but if you’re investing in one of the best projectors that will stay static – and especially one of the best 4K projectors, which are not cheap – you really need to make sure you invest in a good screen, and not just project onto a wall, or the cheapest screen you can find. I recently got a useful demo from Hisense – which makes some of the best ultra short throw projectors, and also has a line of ‘Laser TVs’ that combine a smart UST projector with a matching screen of a specific size – to show what a big difference a good projector screen makes. The demo in question involved the Hisense PX3-Pro projector, which we think is up there with the top choices available today, beaming a picture onto a special-constructed screen that was half plain white plastic screen, and half the company’s own Ambient Light Rejection screen, which is what’s bundled in with its Laser TVs, but you can buy separate ALR screens for any projector. (Image credit: Future) The difference was immediately obvious and is clear from the images I took too, but Hisense had some numbers to back it up. At a projection size of 100 inches from the PX3-Pro, the image on the plain side of the screen was capable of hitting about 250 nits of brightness as visible when you’re sitting in front of it. The ALR screen side was capable of hitting around 450 nits. That’s nearly double the brightness, and it totally changes not just the brightness of white tones, but the richness of the colors, and even the depth and contrast of the image. A good screen doesn’t just enable better brightness, but deeper black tones, for a massive upgrade to the overall cinematic feel. (Image credit: Future) Let’s shed some light on the situation So, what’s going on here? The way that ALR screens work is to control the angle of light once it hits them. When you watch a projector, you’re only seeing reflections – the screen you’re looking at isn’t generating its own light, unlike the best TVs. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. But it’s not just the light from the projector that’s being reflected, it’s all the light in the room, which then washes out the light you want from the movie. So the trick is to find a way to only reflect the right kind of light, and we can basically do this with the power of geometry. These screens are designed with a surface that adjusts the angle light reflects, based on the knowledge that light from a projector is only going to be coming from a particular angle and that you’ll be sitting right in front of it. So, light coming from the sides is ‘rejected’ (ie, absorbed to bounced away from your eyes), and light coming from below (in the case of a UST projector) is reflected at an angle focused right on your seating position. So the same amount of light is coming from the projector, but you’re getting a better-focused version of it, and with less interference – meaning you see nearly double the brightness level without changing your projector. (Image credit: Future) The downside? Naturally, this type of screen is more expensive to buy – but it also means you really do have to be facing the screen pretty directly. It won’t be good for a room where people might view from an angle because it will actually look worse than the cheap screen. That’s because it’s actively trying not to bounce the projector’s light off to the sides. So: great for home theater, not so great for a big Superbowl get-together. I think a lot of people are tempted to use a cheap screen (if any at all) with cheap projectors – but you can make that cheap projector look like a pricier model with a better screen! The type of screen might be the difference between whether a projector can replace your TV longer-term or not. You might also like…