Cloud - Page 17 of 49

Embarcadero mother Idera buys Austrian API provider apilayer

The Texan company Idera has taken over the Austrian start-up apilayer, which offers API services for access to real-time data such as weather, geographic position and currency conversion.

The Vienna-based company apilayer lists various reference customers on its website, including Airbnb, Amazon, Apple and Slack. According to the press release on the takeover, apilayer has a total of 500. 000 Customers.

Weather, phone numbers and cryptocurrency The Cloud-based API offers are divided into four areas:

Searching or looking up information such as IP Addresses via the ipapi interface or speech recognition via the API languagelayer, the verification of telephone numbers via numverify or European VAT rates via vatlayer, various data APIs, including those for exchange rates via currencylayer and the rates of crypto currencies via coinlayer or for access to weather data via weatherstack and converting content via pdflayer to create PDF files from HTML content or screenshots in PNG format to a URL. The services are available in different tariffs, starting with a free offer that is limited to 500 views per month and real-time data, for example. In addition to different query contingents, the chargeable tariffs offer additional information such as weather forecast and astronomical data.

In addition to the REST API, there is an open source implementation for numerous interfaces for using the APIs in programming languages such as JavaScript, Go or PHP . The associated repositories can be found on GitHub.

Step-grandma of the Borland subsidiary Das Idera, founded in the year 1000 as BBS Technologies, offers numerous tools and services for databases, software development and testing. In the end 2015 it has taken over the essential part of Borland tools like Delphi and C ++ Builder with Embarcadero. The latter ended up in the course of the 2008 takeover of the Borland subsidiary CodeGear at Embarcadero, which, with RAD Studio, offers an environment for C ++ and Delphi, but continues to do so has the two IDEs separately in its portfolio.

Further details can be found in the press release on the takeover, which, however, does not mention the exact conditions and price.

(rme)

Astian Translate: Open source translations in nine languages

With Translate, Astian publishes a new translation service that appears as free software. At the start the program can handle nine languages: German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic and Chinese. The automatic recognition of the input is still experimental.

Users can try the service on the Astian operated libretranslate.com, but the software also provide it on your own server. The associated API can be found on GitHub, including instructions for setting up and configuring. The Astian server is only intended for test purposes.

In future, not only as a single service Under the hood, the service is based on Argos Translate. The translation software, which is also free, can be used directly as a desktop application or Python library. Astian plans to integrate Translate into its other open source projects such as the Midori browser or its own cloud platform.

Find all information about Translate himself in the announcement of the project. The Translate API is under the AGPL 3.0, Argos Translate under the MIT license. Suppliers such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon also offer translation services, but these are proprietary software. For example, AWS considers its AI to be fit enough for call center use.

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heise offer: Kubernetes Experts Day: Register now for the Heise conference

On Wednesday, 20. January 2021, the partner conferences Continuous Lifecycle and ContainerConf start the new year with the Kubernetes Experts Day. At what is now the fourth of a total of six full-day online events, experienced experts present important topics for advanced users of the Kubernetes ecosystem in a live stream.

participants and participants learn how Kubernetes can be individually configured and managed with custom resources, events and operators as well as via the cluster API, and which basic measures ensure more security. In Q&A and break-out sessions, participants also have the opportunity to exchange information and experience with the speakers. Networking with each other via chat and video is not neglected on the online platform.

Lectures at a glance:

Kubernetes is so much more than a container orchestrator Kubernetes Security – from the cloud to the critical infrastructure In 45 Minutes to your own Kubernetes Admission Plug-in 5 steps for running a Kubernetes environment at scale From containers to Kubernetes operators Our way to the cluster API Cloud-native operating models ClusterOps: The Power of GitOps to Infrastructure Provisioning Secure your tickets now Tickets for the Kubernetes Experts Day can be booked for 149 euros (plus VAT). For the two other dates of Continuous Lifecycle and ContainerConf, the early bird price of 149 euros (plus VAT) applies. Participation in the supplementary all-day online workshops costs with early bird discount 399 Euro (plus VAT) – later then 449 Euro (plus VAT).

Who will stay up to date on the progress of the partner conferences Continuous Lifecycle and ContainerConf can register for the joint newsletter on the respective websites, or follow the organizers on Twitter.

Organizers of six online conference days on Continuous Lifecycle and ContainerConf are heise Developer, ix and dpunkt.verlag.

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Microsoft announces Cloud for Retail, its second vertical cloud

Microsoft Cloud for Retail is the second of the company’s “vertical clouds” that provide companies with specific tools for the sector in which they operate: in this case the focus is on retail trade

by Riccardo Robecchi published on 19 January 2021 , at 08: 21 in the Cloud channel

Microsoft Microsoft 365 Azure

One of the limits largest in the field of traditional software is dictated by the need to modify them to add the functionality necessary for the specific field and this need it has not, however, vanished with the move of the software to the cloud. Microsoft is working to provide “vertical clouds”, designed to meet the needs of specific sectors of market, and Microsoft Cloud for Retail is the solution designed to meet the needs of the retail trade.

Microsoft Cloud for Retail is Microsoft’s second vertical cloud

Each area is unique and has different procedures and regulatory requirements, which is why it is often necessary to introduce changes to company software. Microsoft thinks that even in the cloud it is necessary to more verticalize services and for this reason it is gradually introducing what it calls ” vertical clouds “: last year it launched Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, which is now being followed up with Cloud for Retail.

Designed for companies operating in the retail sector , Cloud for Retail consists of services and features from Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Microsoft Advertising (the latter specific to the sector). Thanks to these tools, Cloud for Retail allows you to collect data from heterogeneous sources and insert them into a single model, which is used to help companies achieve better results thanks to predictions and personalization of the user experience.

It is not known what is the price at which Microsoft offers Cloud for Retail, which must be considered in any case as an additional product to be purchased in addition to the licenses for the individual products (Azure, Dyamics 365, Microsoft 365 and Power Platform).

Microsoft’s blog contains more information.

Statistics of the week: The cloud knows no boundaries

(Picture:

shutterstock / 3dmask

) In our weekly column we present numbers, curves and diagrams from technology and science.

The cloud market has no corona crisis, like data from Statista Technology Market Outlook show. As a result, sales with software, infrastructure and platform-as-a-service offerings fell last year by 25, 5 Percent grown. And it should continue at this pace 2021. Every second public cloud euro – combined 152, 4 billion – is turned over in the USA, as the infographic from Statista and Technology Review shows .

More than half of this is in the Software-as-a-Service segment. This is a sales model for the provision of software applications via the web browser.

In the area of Infrastructure-as-a-Service it should 33 , 7 billion euros. According to the analysts, similarly high revenues could be generated with platform-as-a-service offers.

With 12, 2 billion euros a comparatively modest volume – but that’s still enough for 5th place in the ranking of the largest public cloud markets.

According to Bitkom, three quarters of companies in this country already use cloud computing. The world’s largest providers of cloud offerings for the western market are Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, Oracle and Google. The Alibaba Cloud is a major player in China. (bsc)

Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus Phantom Green

Samsung has yet another custom color in the planning, called Phantom Green. The new color appears to be exclusively available for the Galaxy S21 Plus.

The three Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphones have been announced in a range of different colors. The entry-level model comes in four standard colors, the S21 Plus is available in a choice of three standard color variants and two custom colors. In addition, the Ultra model is offered in two standard colors and three custom colors. These special custom color variants are produced on request and are available exclusively through the Samsung eStore.

It looks like an additional color variant will be available for the Galaxy S21 Plus soon. On the Samsung Australia website (scroll down to the fold-down header “What are the participating products?”) a Phantom Green version is mentioned. This color variant seems to be exclusively for the Samsung S21+. Model number SM-G886BZGEXSA is the variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB memory. In addition, a 128GB variant will be released with model number SM-G996BZGAXSA.

Custom colors for the Galaxy S21 Plus

The custom colors are sold for the same price as the standard color variants. There is, however, a considerable difference in delivery time. As the special colors are processed on request, the delivery time is about 4 weeks.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus is already available in two special colors: Phantom Red and Phantom Gold. These are significantly lighter variants than the custom colors of the Ultra model. We therefore assume that the new green color scheme will also be a vibrant color.

In-house designer Giuseppe Spinelli has made a series of product renders of the expected Galaxy S21+ Phantom Green edition. No official images of the green model are available yet, so the rendering is based solely on our perception. The color may differ from the final product.

Samsung more often uses the color green for its smartphone models. The Galaxy S20 FE was released in Cloud Mint, the Galaxy Note 20 appeared in Mystic Green and the Galaxy S10 was available in Prism Green.

Placing a preorder for the Samsung S21 Plus

The Galaxy S21+ has a starting price of € 1,050 for the 12GB / 128GB model. For an extra € 50 you get 12GB RAM / 256GB ROM. A memory card is no longer supported, which is something to keep in the back of your mind when opting for one of the S21 models.

During the pre-order period, which lasts until January 28, 2021, you will receive a free set of Galaxy Buds Live wireless earbuds and the new Galaxy SmartTag Bluetooth tracker as a gift when you purchase a Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus.

Furthermore, it is important to realize that a charger or earplugs are no longer included in the sales package. These will be sold as an optional accessory. Old chargers are compatible in most cases, but it will take longer to charge the phone. The Samsung S21 Plus supports 25W fast charging.

Ilse is a Dutch journalist and joined LetsGoDigital more than 15 years ago. She is highly educated and speaks four languages. Ilse is a true tech-girl and loves to write about the future of consumer electronics. She has a special interest for smartphones, digital cameras, gaming and VR.

Electronic signature: Yousign's solution to streamline bureaucracy

The French startup Yousign lands in Italy with its platform for electronic signature of documents, aimed at dematerializing processes and simplifying bureaucracy. The company aims to digitize 15 millions of documents by 2023

by Alberto Falchi published on 18 January 2021 , at 16: 16 in Innovation channel

Yousign startup

Yousign is a startup born in France in 2013 which counts today 100 employees and 5. 000 customers and creates a platform for the digital signature of documents. The platform is accessible via app or integrated into more structured workflows through APIs, and simplifies the digital signature process of documents, an issue that with the spread of remote work is becoming increasingly important: ReportLinker estimates that this sector was worth 3 billions of euros in 2020 and could come to be worth 14 over 6 years . Yousign is now also available in Italy and aims to grow rapidly throughout Europe: the goal is to digitize 15 millions of documents by 2023 .

Why electronic signature is important

The electronic signature is not yet widespread in Italy, but the situation is destined to change quickly. On the one hand, more and more companies have understood the importance of digitizing and dematerializing documents, on the other hand the work is moving towards new forms of collaboration, accelerated by the pandemic that has given a shock and made people understand the advantages of smart working . With the fact that the office is no longer the center of the business, nor will it probably return once the emergency is over, it becomes important to have processes to authenticate documents in a streamlined and effective way, going beyond the autographed signature that accompanies us from a life, optimizing processes in this way.

According to Yousign estimates, digitally signing a document costs less than 50% compared to the autographed paper signature .

There is no shortage of electronic signature systems on the Italian market, but Yousign’s approach focuses on simplicity: to date the available Digital Signature solutions are rather complicated, and require you to rely on to physical tools, such as Smart Card readers or USB sticks, which certainly did not help their adoption. Yousign’s approach is much more immediate : upload the PDFs to the platform, select the approval flow and – again through the platform – the documents are sent to the signatory. All he has to do is click on the link received and “sign” it, authenticating it through an OTP (One Time Password) received via e-mail.

Security is guaranteed by a certified signature process thanks to multi-factor authentication (contact info, OTP code, identity verification ), guaranteed integrity (a signed document is sealed and cryptographically protected) and a time-stamped proof file (proof file generated and archived automatically).

“In Italy the advantages of the electronic signature are still little known, but the possibility of having documents signed completely online with a tool that ensures the legal validity of the signature becomes crucial for the digitization of the country “- explains Fabian Stanciu, Yousign Country Manager Italy – “ Yousign is a cloud solution designed specifically for the European market, which issues its own electronic signature certificates in compliance with the eIDAS regulation, holds the status of certification authority (Certification Authority) and is part of the exclusive list of Trusted Service Providers (TSP) drawn up by the EU. We aim to digitize and dematerialize all so-called “routine” documentation: quotes, orders, contracts, policies and insurance pre-contracts, brokerage mandates, hiring proposals, real estate sales mandates, rental contracts, privacy policies, letters of appointment and much other. The solution is fle ssible and adapts to many areas, from insurance to real estate, from human resources to banking, up to the activity of SMEs, startups, freelancers and freelancers. We have the mission to facilitate, in this way, the connection between companies, their customers, employees and partners, facilitating the growth and efficiency of the business “.

Microsoft Azure integrates Couchbase Cloud

Couchbase Cloud is available on Azure for the first time. It is the managed service version of the multi-cloud-to-edge NoSQL database Couchbase Server. It is based on a memory-first architecture with an SQL-friendly query language. In addition, Couchbase Cloud contains robust SDKs for developers and is a schema-independent JSON format, which enables flexible scaling.

According to the manufacturer, the combination of Couchbase reduces Server and integration on Microsoft Azure’s In-virtual Private Cloud (VPC) reduce the costs associated with traditional deployments, with no restrictions on the control and security of the data. With the help of the integrated user interface (“single pane of glass”) for multicloud management and cross-data center replication, multi-clusters can be managed across different cloud regions.

Billing based on usage Couchbase Cloud is available in various licensing models. For example, users can choose between hourly billing or prepayment with no monthly limits. According to Couchbase, there are no restrictions on IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) subscriptions. Usage can be configured and increased according to the customer’s development, test and operating requirements.

Furthermore, users per cluster can choose between SLAs (Service Level Agreement) for development environments (Developer Pro) or Productive operation (Enterprise) can choose. In addition, there is no CSP lock-in (Cloud Service Provider) through customer-specific applications.

Couchbase Cloud on Microsoft Azure is now available as 30 – Day test version available in the respective customer account in the two variants Developer Pro for development and test and Enterprise for the support of productive systems.

(csc)

heise offer: Minds Mastering Machines 2021: Call for Proposals extended by one week

heise offer

by 24. From January 1st, experts can now submit their presentations on developer topics related to machine learning.

Rainald quantity-solar day The Minds Mastering Machines will take place on 27. and 28. April as an online event. In addition to the two conference days, additional workshops are planned. With its technical focus, Minds Mastering Machines is aimed at software developers and architects, data scientists, project and team leaders and researchers.

The organizers heise Developer , iX and dpunkt.verlag have extended the Call for Proposals by one week and are now looking for 24 . January Lectures and workshops for the machine learning conference, including on the following topics:

Supervised , Unsupervised and Reinforcement Learning ML frameworks such as TensorFlow and PyTorch Artificial neural networks Programming languages and libraries Cloud offers for machine learning Natural Language Processing Continuous Integration for ML applications Data protection, security and ethics Experience reports are particularly welcome. Anyone who would like to be informed about the progress of the conference can subscribe to the newsletter or follow the organizers on Twitter. The hashtag for the Minds Mastering Machines 28 is # m3 _ 2021.

(rme)

Denuvo: Anti-Cheat-Tool becomes part of Steamworks

Denuvo’s anti-cheat solution is now integrated into Steamworks. This was announced by the Austrian company Irdeto, which is developing Denuvo. The integration with Steamworks makes it easier for developers of Steam games to integrate Denuvo Anti-Cheat into their titles. The tool is suitable for multiplayer games and can defend against aimbots, wallhacks and other unwanted hacks.

Denuvo also collects Anti-Cheat Information from developer Irdeto Information on how the operating system interacts with the game. This information is forwarded to servers, on which possible cheats are then recognized. Steamworks is a collection of tools developed by Valve itself to help developers configure and operate their game on Steam. This includes payment options, DRM options and cloud game saves.

According to Denuvo, the integration of the anti-cheat tool does not require any changes to the game source code. In addition, the solution has no effect on the performance of the video game, writes Irdeto. Denuvo’s anti-tamper solution was repeatedly suspected of impairing the performance of protected games.

Anti-Cheat and Anti-Tamper This copy protection solution is called Denuvo Anti-Tamper and is basically independent of Denuvo Anti-Cheat. Anti-Tamper is designed to make pirated video games more difficult by placing random test queries in the program code of video games. The results of this DRM tool have recently been mixed – it was cracked quite quickly in many current titles.

Denuvo Anti-Cheat, on the other hand, is a comparatively new program. It started with the first person shooter “Doom Eternal”, the middle 2020 came onto the market. The Denuvo technology promptly caused anger among the players who bombarded “Doom Eternal” with negative reviews.

The main criticism was that Denuvo Anti-Cheat was also active for the single player campaign that the deep system integration of the Denuvo software is a security risk and that the performance of the graphically opulent shooter suffers. Developer id Software decided to remove the anti-cheat tool in a patch.

(dahe)

Google Pixel 2 smartphone: Photos in original size now eat up cloud storage

Owners of a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL can have their photos since 16. January no longer uploads unlimited original size to the Google Cloud. Only compressed photos can still be stored in the cloud without consuming storage space.

The end of the unlimited cloud storage for photos and videos in Google announced the original size on its support page. There the deadline for the Pixel 3 is also mentioned: Owners of this Google cell phone still have until 31. January 2022 unlimited storage space for original size photos. The following mobile phones, Pixel 3a to Pixel 5, did not have this option when they were launched.

Google distinguishes between original quality and high quality in its cloud storage. “High quality” photos are slightly compressed and can still be uploaded to the cloud on the Pixel 2 without affecting the available storage space. Users of newer pixel cell phones can also store “high quality” photos in the cloud without limits.

15 GByte cloud storage space With future pixel smartphones, however, this special regulation will no longer apply. Last November, Google had confirmed that with future Pixel models, photos of less than 16 megapixels and videos with FullHD resolution could be saved on the Google Drive – Storage space will be taken into account.

By default, users of a Google account receive 15 GB of storage space in the Google Cloud. In addition to photos, this 15 GByte includes Gmail content and files manually stored in Google Drive. If the storage space is exceeded, Google threatens to delete the data – but only after several warnings, the company emphasizes. If you need more storage space, you can book it for a fee. 100 GBytes cost around 2 euros a month, the corresponding annual subscription is available for 20 euros.

(dahe)

The IETF network standardization committee elects German chairman for the first time

Lars Eggert becomes the new chairman of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). This is the first time that the most important standardization organization for the further development and maintenance of Internet protocols has a German boss. This was announced by the IETF nomination committee (NomCom) on the evening of 15. January 2021.

Eggert is in Main job as Technical Director at the US storage specialist NetApp and works from Finland. Like his predecessors Jari Arkko (Ericsson) and Alissa Cooper (Cisco), Eggert is likely to campaign for reforms in the working methods and structures of the time-honored IETF.

Lars Eggert becomes the new chairman of the Internet Engineering Task Force. The network specialist recently advanced the specification of the QUIC transport protocol.

The computer scientist, who has a doctorate from the University of Southern California, has been active in the IETF for around two decades, and has been on the cutting edge of networking. He headed the Transport Area, i.e. the area that takes care of the further development of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). He is currently the chairman of the working group for the TCP successor QUIC.

From 2011 to 2017 He was chairman of the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF), the research sister of the IETF, and tried to get more young scientists into bring the standardization organization. Among other things, the annual award of an IRTF prize for applied network research helped.

Researcher type instead of veteran He also bridges the gap between application and research in his main job at NetApp: One of his tasks is to raise funds for NetApp. One of his last coups was a program to develop “Federated Private Cloud Structures” (SSICLOPS) as part of the Horizon program 2020.

Active for the German subsidiary of NetApp for many years, he 2018 moved back to Finland, not least because of the better childcare as he once revealed. The competition for the chairmanship of the IETF was fierce. The election of Eggert by the 17 – headed NomCom underpins the generation change. In addition to Eggert, several candidates with a long history in the IETF applied, such as the former IETF chairman and former Cisco engineer Fred Baker.

Europe instead of Asia The standardizers can expect Eggert to push ahead with reforms to newer ways of working, such as collaboration via GitHub instead of the classic IETF way of working via mailing list. This will especially please the younger developers, with whom Eggert currently has a lot to do as head of the working group for the standardization of the QUIC transport protocol. The average age in the QUIC Working Group is 10 or even 15 Years below the general IETF average age, said Eggert recently in an interview with heise online.

The NomCom election result, however, is reflective also the efforts of the IETF to avoid a dispute over the “New IP”. Behind New IP are the Chinese network equipment supplier Huawei and its research subsidiary Futurewei, who want to counter the weaknesses of the current Internet architecture with their own concepts. Huawei had sent several candidates into the race for the IETF chairmanship. In view of the increasing calls for more diversity, including at the IETF, an IETF chairman of an Asian company would actually have been overdue. This would have brought the originally US-influenced organization, however, the hiccups about New IP and sanctions policy. Eggert’s election as IETF chairmanship seems to promise calmer waters. Previously, Harald Alvestrand and Jari Arkko were two Europeans who held this office.

Eggert was quite clearly against New IP and clearly distanced itself from proposals in various working groups to curtail encryption in favor of better management and monitoring. However, there was bad press for his employer when Bloomberg 17 reported that NetApp software came to Syria via an Italian company and was used there by the Syrian regime to monitor government opponents.

Handover in March Until the handover of the current chairman, Cisco engineer Alissa Cooper, in March, Eggert has to give up his other duties in the IETF. He said it would be really difficult to say goodbye to the QUIC Working Group, which is working under high pressure and with many extra meetings. Anyway, version 1 of the new transport protocol will be ready by then.

(dz)

KW02 / 2021: Our articles from the last week

This week, too, numerous exciting articles went online at Hardwareluxx.de. We not only subjected the MSI MPG Sekira 30 R to a detailed practical test , but also the ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 AMP Holo, the AVerMedia GC 311 Live Gamer Mini, the HP P 700 or the WD_Black SN 850 in the RAID extensively tested. The highlight of the week was of course the presentation of the mobile GeForce RTX – 30 – graphics cards and Ryzen – 5000 – processors. Also on the test program were the SpotCam Eva 2 and the Corsair 5000 D Airflow.

At this point we have summarized all articles from the last week and provided them with a small extract. With this in mind: Have fun reading!

Friday, 08. January 2021: MSI MPG Sekira 100 R in the test: A-RGB-Schick at a tempting price

The MPG Sekira 100 R is one of the most attractive gaming cases from MSI. The E-ATX model is presented with glass and aluminum and illuminates both a strip in the front and four fans with A-RGB LEDs. Nevertheless, the price is pleasantly moderate at around 120 euros …

Friday, 08. January 2021: The smallest of the bunch: AVerMedias GC 311 Live Gamer MINI Streaming Capture Box in the test

If you believe the manufacturer AVerMedia, the GC 311 Live gamer MINI game streaming capture box fast and easy streaming -Calculate the Olympics. In addition to an HDMI input and passthrough for full HD gameplay, said box should transmit the image without latency and also have PC and Mac connectivity. After we already got the Live Gamer EXTREME 2 GC 551 and the streaming capture box Live Gamer Ultra GC 553 from AVerMedia, we are now also taking a look the cheapest model of the trio …

Sunday, 10. January 2021: HP P 700 in the test: Two-part external SSD with integrated connection cable

For the HP P 700 SSD with a capacity of 1 TB, it is a two-part external SSD, which with its unusual concept approaches the topic of external SSD a little differently than usual. In addition to a clever way of storing the cable and a connection adapter, you also get a wealth of technical data on the SSD. Whether the HP P 553 their 1. MB / s maximum transfer rate and at which points the two-part concept can be improved again, you can find out from us in the article …

Monday, 11. January 2021: ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 AMP Holo in the test: More RGB and cooling

The ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 AMP Holo is the top model among the GeForce RTX – 3070 – graphics cards from ZOTAC and makes with an extra large cooling system, a chic RGB lighting and of course one strong, factory overclocking. How the 700 Euro expensive top model performs in practice, you can find out in this Hardwareluxx article on the following pages …

Tuesday, 12. January 2021: Ampere goes into the notebook: NVIDIA unveils new GeForce RTX -GPUs

Already in the run-up to CES and also before today’s keynote from NVIDIA It was clear: There will be a new batch of GPUs for notebooks and the Ampere architecture will be transferred to the mobile segment. So far the manufacturers were only allowed to speak of “the next GeForce generation” or something similar …

Tuesday, 12. January 2021: Record hunt with the WD_Black SN 850 in RAID: To the limits of PCIe4

At Hardwareluxx we like to keep an eye out for unusual and particularly powerful hardware that goes to the limits of current standards – or beyond. The Western Digital WD_Black SN 850 was able to convince us in the individual test, after all, the limit was PCIe4 x4 tangible. So what could be faster than an SN 850? Right: four …

Tuesday, 12. January 2021: SpotCam Eva 2 in the test: For a look from the Cloud

Even if nationwide there was recently a historic low in burglaries there were, the reasons for video surveillance of your own four walls are quite diverse. But not every system with IP cameras makes sense for home use. The administrative effort often exceeds the benefits of such an installation. SpotCam tries to remedy this with the Eva 2 by using easy integration and cloud connection. How well this works, we clarify with our test …

Tuesday, 12. January 2021: Ryzen Mobile 5000: AMD pushes Zen 3 to more than 45 W

After AMD launched its first Zen 3 processors in the desktop in September, the move into the notebook follows today. As expected, AMD announced its mobile Ryzen processors of the 5000 generation in the evening. Many details about the individual models were not revealed, but were optimistic about the future of the notebook market …

Thursday, 14. January 2021: Corsair 5000 D Airflow and iCUE 5000 X RGB in double test: Optionally Airflow or A-RGB-Show

The newly introduced Corsair 5000 As a generous midi tower, D is intended to appeal primarily to users for whom the 4000 D is not big enough. Again there are three completely different variants. In a double test we find out where the strengths and weaknesses of the airy 5000 D Airflow and the colorfully illuminated iCUE 5000 X RGB lie …

Friday, 15. January 2015: HP S 700 Pros in the test: A lot of pros, but also cons

An SSD that appears with the addition “Pro” in its name always makes you sit up and take notice. In the case of the HP SSD S 700 Pro, the IT giant can come up with solid key data, the at least underpin a certain expectation. A proven memory controller, sufficient DRAM and TLC-NAND underline the pro approach. As always, we will clarify whether this can be found in everyday life or whether there is also a contra to be discovered with our test course …

Castel Del Monte becomes a 3D museum thanks to Microsoft, Hevolus and Infratel

The Apulian UNESCO heritage site officially becomes a “HoloMuseum”, which can be visited both on site and remotely. The project saw the collaboration of Microsoft and the Ministry of Economic Development who made this innovative digital and cultural experience possible

of Lorenzo Tirotta published on 15 January 2021 , at 21: 11 in the Technology channel

Microsoft

In a period of severe restrictions and social distancing, the use of digital has grown exponential in many sectors, especially in the artistic and cultural one. Digital museums and multimedia exhibitions have portrayed and told the peculiarities of the most famous and well-known works in the world. Digitization does not replace the possibility of having to itself the original work but rather it offers an additional and innovative experience , with the aim of promoting the artistic and cultural heritage in an alternative way and making it even more accessible . The latest site to enter the multimedia world is Castel Del Monte , a famous medieval fortress of the thirteenth century commissioned by Frederick II of Swabia. The castle is located inside the Alta Murgia National Park , between the province of Bari and BAT (Barletta, Andria, Trani). The site has become a digital HoloMuseum that can be visited both on site or remotely through mobile devices such as smartphones or PCs, through the oleographic computer HoloLens 2 from Microsoft. The project saw the collaboration of Hevolus Innovation, Infratel and Microsoft which has made available its advanced technologies of Cloud Computing , Artificial intelligence and Mixed Reality to make the realization possible multimedia site.

?? The project carried out for Castel del Monte is the demonstration of how new technologies – AI, Cloud Computing and Mixed Reality ?? strategic levers are important for the growth and innovation of this sector and in general for the enhancement of our artistic and cultural heritage. In fact, a digital transformation process such as this, on the one hand, generates new opportunities for relaunching the territory, in a complex moment where tourism and the cultural sector are severely tested by the health emergency, on the other hand new digital tools allow people to live extraordinary museum experiences and acquire new knowledge through innovative and engaging ways of using them, bringing them even closer to the culture of our country? declared Silvia Candiani, Director Delegate of Microsoft Italy.

Holograms, interviews and multimedia contents, here is the experience of the digital museum

The union between culture and technology represents an important lever for the promotion and revitalization of the natural and artistic heritage, where the tourism and culture sector are severely tested by the health emergency. When the museums reopen, the octagonal fortress can be visited on site in phygital mode . The mode is activated through a dedicated application called MVRGA (Android and iOS), where the user interacts directly with the 3D avatar of Frederick II of Swabia that will accompany the visitor in the various stages of the museum. Along the way you will encounter audio-visual contents on the history of the castle and real interviews with art critics on the different architectural components of the site.

?? From the point of view of tourism, culture has extraordinary power ?? comments Antonella La Notte, CEO of Hevolus Innovation . ?? So we created HoloMuseum, a concept of a phygital museum, which makes the traditional exhibition context evolve into a hybrid exhibition environment by making the world coexist physical and virtual digital content: thanks to Microsoft Extended Reality XR, Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing technologies, visiting a museum or an exhibition can become an amplified, immersive, highly engaging, immediate and interactive experience ??.

All this was possible thanks to a desired collaboration between public institutions, large companies and innovative start-ups such as Hevolus Innovation. In fact, the initiative is part of the project Piazza Wi-Fi Italia , signed between the Ministry of Economic Development, the Puglia Region, the Alta Murgia National Park and Infratel Italia with the aim of create new areas of free Wi-Fi access by installing an internet point near places of cultural interest.

Bumpy start to school: Discussions about nationwide digital educational offers

The industry association Bitkom is in favor of a national education platform and criticizes the persistent problems in Germany with regard to digital distance learning. The fragmented digital educational offer is not expedient, explains Bitkom in a press release. Meanwhile, the learning platform Schul-Cloud of the Hasso Plattner Institute has seen a sharp increase in access numbers.

Bitkom President Berg criticizes that one year after the start Since the coronavirus pandemic, comprehensive digital lessons are still not possible: “One of the main problems are the platforms in the federal states, which are often unable to cope with the large number of users and collapse under the strain”. Since the start of school there have been problems with the accessibility of the educational platforms of the federal states and competing offers from private companies.

Integration of existing solutions In the press release, Bitkom also refers to the results of the education summit in September last year. The education ministers of the federal states drew up seven declarations of intent at the meeting, one of which formulated the step-by-step development of an educational platform by the federal government.

According to Achim Berg, the wheel does not have to be reinvented for this: “Good solutions that have already proven themselves need not be discarded, but can be incorporated into the development of a national educational platform. The digitization of schools must not fail because of the federal small and small, but requires a joint effort by municipalities, states and the federal government. ”

HPI’s school cloud relies on open source Software Meanwhile, the learning platform of the Hasso Plattner Institute is reporting user records. Since March 2020 the number of users of the HPI learning platform has increased almost thirty-fold, the institute announced on Friday.

In the meantime, almost 3400 schools used the platform. This number has increased tenfold since March. According to the HPI, at peak times up to 35 000 users can only use the integrated video conference system BigBlueButton. The open source and free HPI cloud is particularly widespread in Lower Saxony, Brandenburg and Thuringia.

Side by side of digital educational offers The HPI project primarily competes with solutions based on the open source platform Moodle. This includes the Bavarian learning platform Mebis, which, however, repeatedly struggles with technical problems. There are also a number of medium-sized solutions on the market. These include IServ, ucs @ school, Webweaver, itslearning or the Schul.Cloud from the Hanover-based provider Heinekingmedia, which speak out against a state-sponsored platform. In addition to medium-sized companies, large US corporations such as Microsoft, Google and Apple are also trying to gain a foothold in the education market.

The HPI School Cloud was 2017 started as a pilot project and financially supported by the Federal Ministry of Education as a non-profit open source project. In response to the corona pandemic, the ministry decided in March 2020 to open the HPI school cloud across Germany for all schools that could not use a comparable solution of the state or the school authority.

(ndi)