Gadgets And Technology Daily News | 24 Jun 2023
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German Intelligence Unit BND to Use Dog-Themed NFTs to Fish for Cyber Talent: Details
A collection of dog-themed NFTs have been launched by the German intelligence unit, Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), hoping to attract promising cyber talent from among the public. The BND's NFT collection will be a gate pass to enter a blockchain-based treasure hunt. People who manage to fare well in this difficult virtual test, could get an entry ticket into cyber services. A total of 999 NFTs have been decided to be part of this initiative.
The name of this collection is ‘Dogs of BND' and all of the NFTs from this collection will be inspired by BND's guard and security dogs. Each NFT will also bring along varied intelligence roles, making these digital collectibles unique, the official BND website said.
Unlike usual NFT collections, the collectibles from ‘Dogs of BND' will not be up for sale on any NFT marketplace. Instead, these NFTs will serve as collectibles only, acquired by finding a character string posted on Instagram.
A post shared by Bundesnachrichtendienst (@bndkarriere)
These strings will eventually connect to an Ethereum address, via which participants will be able to mint an NFT.
“Any person who has a cryptocurrency digital wallet (crypto-wallet / digital wallet / e-wallet) that supports Ethereum-based tokens has the opportunity to secure an NFT image. Since the external platform used does not allow NFTs to be offered completely free of charge, the NFT images have a symbolic price of 0.000001 ETH or $0.0019 (roughly Rs. 0.16),” the website noted.
People who are proficient in their cyber knowledge will be able to mint the NFT at the end of the so-called “treasure hunt” and prove their mettle.
“The Federal Intelligence Service reserves the right to disqualify participants who manipulate or attempt to manipulate the competition or otherwise violate these conditions of participation,” the website added.
Inspired by theAgency's #Pullach branch service #dogs,#Inka& #Alex, the collection comprises 999 generative avatar images of dogs with varying characteristics.This includes many standard #PFP traits, such as background colors,outfits, eyewear,headgear,&hairstyles.#NFT #BND pic.twitter.com/U2f70NbgiQ
The BND will be reserving 12 NFTs from this collection, to link with more difficult challenges and gift them as prizes.
Credit Agricole's CACEIS Registers as Digital Asset Custody Provider With French Regulator AMF
CACEIS, the asset servicing business owned by Credit Agricole and Santander, has registered with France's markets regulator AMF to provide custody services for digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies.
The company registered as a digital asset service provider (DASP) on June 20, according AMF's website, adding a major traditional financial services group to the growing number of crypto companies registered by the French watchdog.
France has been supportive of the nascent industry and was the first major European country to grant registration to the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance.
Subsidiaries of other big names in French finance, such as Societe Generale and AXA, are also listed among the DASPs registered with AMF.
CACEIS had EUR 4.1 trillion (roughly Rs. 3,36,37,200 crore) in assets under custody at end of last year, according to its website. Credit Agricole SA is its majority owner with a 69.5 percent stake, while Santander holds a 30.5 percent of the group.
On the other hand, months before cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase became the biggest target of the US crackdown on digital assets, the company launched an unusual legal offensive, recruiting top lawyers to try to shape court rulings in other cases.
Before the US Securities and Exchange Commission sued Coinbase on June 6, the company had weighed in on two other crypto-related lawsuits brought by the regulator and urged judges to adopt views on open legal questions that are now at the heart of its own case.
In each case, Coinbase filed briefs as an "amicus," or friend of the court.
While common at the US Supreme Court, amicus briefs are filed in just 0.1 percent of cases in federal trial courts, according to law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, although crypto industry groups have been filing an increasing number in SEC cases in support of defendants.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, Galaxy Watch 6 Classic Battery Capacity Leaked; Could Get Bigger Displays
Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic at its next Galaxy Unpacked event. The South Korean manufacturer has already confirmed that the event will be held at the end of July. This means the smartwatches are still a month away from their debut. However, a new report has leaked the battery capacities of the upcoming smartwatches. Previously also, the wearables' design and specifications were leaked. It is being said that the Galaxy Watch 6 series may come with an Exynos W930 SoC and pack a new health tracking feature.
Tipster Ahmed Qwaider has shared the rumoured battery capacity of the two Galaxy Watches on Twitter along with a few other details. As per the leaked details, the Galaxy Watch 6 series could come with 20 percent bigger batteries than the last years' Galaxy Watch 5. According to the leaks, the Galaxy Watch 6 40mm model will reportedly pack a battery 300mAh while the 44mm may pack a 425mAh battery.
Similarly, the 43mm Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is said to carry a 300mAh battery while the 47mm could have 425mAh battery. In addition to these, the tipster also claimed a 20 percent larger areen sizes on the upcoming Galaxy Watches.
The tipster also revealed the expected colour options for Galaxy Watch 6 — Graphite-Gold and Graphite-Silver. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, on the other hand, could come in Graphite-Silver. He also adds that the Watches could be powered by the Exynos W930 processor and pack 2GB RAM and 16GB storage. However, none of these details are official yet.
A recent report leaked the price of Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. According to the report, the Galaxy Watch 6 and the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic could cost EUR 319.99 (roughly Rs. 26,600) and EUR 419.99 (roughly Rs. 37,600), respectively, in France.
Infosys Launches Free AI Certification Training on Springboard Virtual Learning Platform
IT services company Infosys on Thursday announced it has launched a free Artificial Intelligence (AI) certification training on Infosys Springboard Virtual Learning Platform.
According to a statement, Infosys AI-first specialists and data strategists, responsible for delivering Infosys Topaz AI-first set of services, solutions, and platforms will help shape the curriculum, to arm learners with future-ready skill sets.
Infosys will provide certification in AI and Generative AI skills, crucial for landing jobs, through InfosysSpringboard Virtual Learning Platform, it said.
The certification will offer a variety of courses that cover a slew of topics related to AI, including an introductory course on AI and Generative AI, with a focus on deep learning and natural language processing, and a masterclass on AI and the impact of Generative AI.
Moreover, a customised course on 'Citizens Data Science' will aim to cover various aspects of the data science discipline, including Python programming, linear algebra, probability and statistics, and exploratory data analysis. Learners will get a certificate on successful completion of the course.
Infosys Springboard offers a curriculum-rich virtual platform that delivers corporate-grade learning experiences, on any device, with closer educator-learner collaboration for students from Class 6 tolifelong learners.
"This, alongside formal education, helps accelerate digital re-skilling for participating learners, ranging from school and college students to professionals and adults, it said.
In march this year, Infosys announced the retirement of Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw as Independent Director from its Board, effective March 22, 2023, upon completion of her tenure. Accordingly, the Board has appointed D Sundaram as the Lead Independent Director of the Company based on the recommendation of the 'Nomination and Remuneration Committee'.
Byju's Investors Confirm Two Board Members' Resignations
Two top investors in Byju's confirmed on Friday that their representatives had resigned from the board of the once high-flying Indian startup, which has been battling pressure from lenders amid a steep drop in its valuation.
The resignations of GV Ravishankar of Peak XV Partners, earlier Sequoia Capital India, and Russell Dreisenstock of Prosus could exacerbate troubles at Byju's, which was valued at $22 billion (nearly Rs. 1,80,350 crore) last year.
"We are committed to supporting the company for bringing on board an independent director in order to strengthen business processes and internal control mechanisms," Peak XV Partners said in a statement to Reuters.
The confirmation of resignations comes after sources told Reuters that three Byju's board members, including a representative from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, had quit recently.
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
News of their departure came on Thursday, the same day Deloitte disclosed it was resigning as the company's auditor because Byju's had delayed financial statements for 2021-22 and not provided documents, even after sending several letters to its board.
When Reuters asked Byju's about the resignations earlier this week, the company said the information was "completely speculative" and firmly rejected those claims.
Sources told Reuters on Friday that Byju's was asking its three global investors to reconsider their decision to quit its board.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
Redmi Note 13 Series Phone Reportedly Spotted on IMEI Website: Everything We Know
Redmi is reportedly working on Note 13 series smartphones. The Chinese mobile manufacturing company unveiled the Redmi Note 12 series this year. The series includes both 4G and 5G models. All the Note 12 series handsets carry high-quality AMOLED displays. After the 5G models were released in January, the lineup has also seen the addition of models like the Redmi Note 12 Pro Speed Edition, Redmi Note 12 Discovery Edition and the Redmi Note 12 Turbo. Now, a report suggests that the company is looking to release the another series as the successor to the Redmi Note 12 lineup.
According to an ITHome report, a new Redmi model was spotted on the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) website. It is therefore being speculated that the model could be one from the purported Redmi Note 13 series, which is likely to succeed the Redmi Note 12 series.
However, there is no additional information available officially, or even through industry leaks. It is advisable to take this bit of news with a pinch of salt. Xiaomi, Redmi's parent company, launches smartphones under different monikers. In India, many Redmi phones released first in China have been rebranded and launched as Poco smartphones, which is also a Xiaomi subsidiary.
It is also unlikely that the company will launch the Redmi Note 13 models in the market anytime soon. The Note 12 series models and all its variants are still relatively new in the space. As is the trend with most phone manufacturing companies, two successive series usually get a gap of at least a year in between their releases. It can be assumed that Redmi Note 13 series will most probably be available towards the beginning of 2024.
Launched in January, the Redmi Note 12 5G smartphones included the Redmi Note 12 5G, Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, and Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G models. The 4GB RAM + 128GB storage variant of the base model is priced in India at Rs. 17,999. The mid-range Pro model is marked at Rs. 24,999 for its 6GB RAM + 128GB storage option, while the high-end Pro+ starts at Rs. 29,999 for its 8GB RAM + 256GB storage option.
In March, Redmi introduced the Note 12 4G which is listed at EUR 229 (roughly Rs. 20,400) for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant. The Redmi Note 12 Pro 4G was unveiled in April and was marked at IDR 4,599,000 (roughly Rs. 25,000) for its base 8GB RAM + 256GB storage option.
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