Baby Boomers and Gen X are more likely to believe that the use of slang in email marketing damages brand image compared with Millennials and Gen Z, according to recent research. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
These five actionable tips can help business leaders cultivate a people-centric company culture in the AI era. Read more. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
Google just announced a suite of updates to the Play Store in an attempt to make it more fun to use. This is part of a larger move by the company to turn its online marketplace into "an end-to-end experience thats more than a store. You read that right. They want us to hang out on Google Play.
Heres what the company has planned. The update brings AI-generated review summaries that pull from user reviews to develop a consensus. Youve likely already encountered this type of thing on Facebook and while using Google search. The company first announced this feature at this years I/O event.
This AI-adjacent approach will also apply to auto-generated FAQs about each app that are powered by Gemini models. Additionally, there will be AI-generated highlights that offer a quick summarization of a particular app. Google showed off a still image of this for a photo editing app in which the highlights included the number of filters and layouts available, in addition to tools and sharing options. This AI approach will also let users quickly compare apps in similar categories.
Googles also rolling out shared spaces on the Play Store. These arent communities or mini social networks, like Reddit or something, but rather splash pages for various topics of interest. The company started this project with a pilot involving cricket. The shared space gave users in India the ability to explore all their cricket content from across various channels in one, convenient spot. This included relevant videos, around 100 curated cricket-related apps and some simple user polls. The next curated space will be about Japanese manga. There has been no word as to when this feature will expand into multiple categories available to global users.
The entire shopping for a new game to play experience is also getting an upgrade, focused primarily on discovery. Google promises enriched game details pages, complete with YouTube videos from developers and clearly-marked promotions, which reminds me of Steam. This even extends to the post-purchase experience, as return users will see updated developer notes and a section for tips and tricks. The program is in early access and currently only available to English language users. There are also some new games coming to Googles oft-overlooked Play Pass, like Asphalt Legends Unite and Candy Crush Saga, and a feature that lets users play multiple games at once on PC.
Finally, theres some personalization stuff in this update. The new Collections feature provides custom categories based on previously-purchased apps. This means that each Google Play homescreen will be different for each user, offering an easy way to continue binging a show or finishing a video game.
Many of these upgrades begin rolling out today, though some are still in the early access stage. Others, like the shared spaces feature, still have some kinks to work out.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-is-updating-the-play-store-with-ai-powered-app-reviews-and-curated-spaces-130036843.html?src=rss
Anyone with a PlayStation 5 should now have a smoother option for connecting with other gamers. Sony has officially rolled out a system software update, allowing you to create shareable links inviting others to a multiplayer game. The company first announced the feature in early May.
The new PS5 update works by providing you with a link in the app that can be shared with anyone, even if you aren't friends on the Playstation Network. A QR code pops up alongside the link, though Sony warns you might have to update a few of your games for the new feature to work. One of the best things about this tool is the invite isn't immediately time-sensitive, so the link will still drop the recipient into your game 10 or 30 minutes from when its sent as long as you're still playing. If you send the link on Discord, a widget should appear to say if people are still playing or have dropped off.
Alongside the new share method is another update that lets you open Game Help action cards through Voice Command. All you need to do is say "Show Game Help," and it should pop up. However, Voice Command (Preview) is currently available only in English for gamers in the US and UK with PlayStation Network accounts. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/new-ps5-update-makes-it-easier-to-join-multiplayer-games-123730301.html?src=rss
CrowdStrike has blamed faulty testing software for a buggy update that crashed 8.5 million Windows machines around the world, it wrote in an post incident review (PIR). "Due to a bug in the Content Validator, one of the two [updates] passed validation despite containing problematic data," the company said. It promised a series of new measures to avoid a repeat of the problem.
The massive BSOD (blue screen of death) outage impacted multiple companies worldwide including airlines, broadcasters, the London Stock Exchange and many others. The problem forced Windows machines into a boot loop, with technicians requiring local access to machines to recover (Apple and Linux machines weren't affected). Many companies, like Delta Airlines, are still recovering.
To prevent DDoS and other types of attacks, CrowdStrike has a tool called the Falcon Sensor. It ships with content that functions at the kernel level (called Sensor Content) that uses a "Template Type" to define how it defends against threats. If something new comes along, it ships "Rapid Response Content" in the form of "Template Instances."
A Template Type for a new sensor was released on March 5, 2024 and performed as expected. However, on July 19, two new Template Instances were released and one (just 40KB in size) passed validation despite having "problematic data," CrowdStrike said. "When received by the sensor and loaded into the Content Interpreter, [this] resulted in an out-of-bounds memory read triggering an exception. This unexpected exception could not be gracefully handled, resulting in a Windows operating system crash (BSOD)."
To prevent a repeat of the incident, CrowdStrike promised to take several measures. First is more thorough testing of Rapid Response content, including local developer testing, content update and rollback testing, stress testing, stability testing and more. It's also adding validation checks and enhancing error handing.
Furthermore, the company will start using a staggered deployment strategy for Rapid Response Content to avoid a repeat of the global outage. It'll also provide customers greater control over the delivery of such content and provide release notes for updates.
However, some analysts and engineers think the company should have put such measures in place from the get-go. "CrowdStrike must have been aware that these updates are interpreted by the drivers and could lead to problems," engineer Florian Roth posted on X. "They should have implemented a staggered deployment strategy for Rapid Response Content from the start."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/crowdstrike-blames-bug-that-caused-worldwide-outage-on-faulty-testing-software-120057494.html?src=rss
Netflix has hired Alain Tascan as its new president of games. Before joining Netflix, Tascan was executive vice president for Epic Games and oversaw first-party development for some of the companys (and gamings) most successful titles, like Fortnite, Rocket League and Fall Guys.
Since launching its games project in 2021, Netflix has acquired notable indie studios Night School, Boss Fight, Next Games and Spry Fox and has brought many great indie games to mobile seriously, search the app store, if only for Into The Breach. Netflix recently said it has 80-plus games currently in development. A multiplayer Squid Game project will be part of that, coinciding with the hit shows next season, later this year.
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Metas latest AI model is great at general knowledge, math and languages
The large language model arms race continues.
Metas newest large language model (LLM), called Llama 3.1 405B, is the first openly available model to compete with rivals in general knowledge, math and translating. It was apparently trained on more than 16,000 NVIDIA H100 GPUs, currently the fastest available chips, which cost roughly $25,000 each, and can beat rivals on over 150 benchmarks, Meta claimed.
Unlike OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic, which hold their AI models proprietary close, Metas AI models are open source, meaning anyone can modify and use them for free, without sharing personal data with Meta.
Continue reading.
Humble Games reportedly lays off its entire staff
The publisher confirmed its layoffs.
Humble Games laid off all 36 of its staff. Former employees posted about the layoffs on social media. But a PR rep for Humble Games confirmed to Engadget the company would not be shutting its doors after the restructuring. He added the studio would continue to support and publish both ongoing and upcoming projects. Humble Games is owned by media conglomerate Ziff Davis, which counts IGN, Eurogamer and GamesIndustry.biz in its gaming portfolio.
Continue reading.
Legos first Fortnite sets are here
Including a 954-piece Battle Bus kit.
Lego
That should keep someone busy for an afternoon or ten.
Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-netflixs-new-gaming-boss-is-a-former-epic-games-exec-111512978.html?src=rss
Netflix has landed a notable new leader for its rapidly-expanding gaming endeavors. Variety reported that the streaming company has hired Alain Tascan as its new president of games. Before joining Netflix, Tascan was executive vice president for game development at a little studio you may have heard of called Epic Games. In that role, he oversaw the first-party development for some of the company's hugely successful titles, such as Fortnite, Lego Fortnite, Rocket League and Fall Guys.
The company is also recruiting talent on the creative side. Since launching the games project in 2021, Netflix has acquired notable indie studios Night School, Boss Fight, Next Games and Spry Fox, and has brought a large number of acclaimed indie games to mobile. In its second quarter earnings call, Netflix execs revealed that it has more than 80 games currently in development, which would nearly double its current library of about 100 titles.
Many of these new projects are interactive fiction based on Netflix shows and movies, with the goal of giving fans new ways to engage with their favorite titles. "I think our opportunity here to serve super fandom with games is really fun and remarkable," Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said during the call. We also learned that a multiplayer Squid Game project will be coming to Netflix Games later this year.
Although Netflix is making a sizable investment into this games division, people haven't been flocking to their titles yet. In 2022, the library had about 1.7 million daily users and its games had been downloaded 23.3 million times.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-hires-former-epic-games-exec-as-new-president-of-games-212614285.html?src=rss
Video games are supposed to provide us an escape from the grinding and anger produced on an average day. Now one of the real worlds most contentious aggravations has slithered its way into Fortnite AND Rocket League. The Cybertruck, Teslas electric vehicle that replaced the pink Hummer as the official car for total jerks, makes its digital debut in both games today.
The Cybertruck add-ons are part of a new Summer Road Trip'' promotion bundle for Fortnite and Rocket League. Both bundles come with a vehicle that looks like a door stop and special body decals such as Baja Off-Road, CyberCamo, MatteBlack, Stainless Steel and OMG Cybertruck, which recreates the window that Elon Musk broke while trying to prove the strength of the Cybertrucks windows. Did they also include the sticky accelerator?
Psyonix/Tesla
Presumably, the OMG stands for Oh my God! (Cant I go one day without seeing that ego on wheels we call the) Cybertruck?" The Baja Off-Road skin paired with the douchey Cybertruck in particular just screams, I wear a lot of Ed Hardy!
We have some questions. Will the rain in Fortnite cause widespread rusting of the chassis? Will the Rocket League ball dent the shatterproof window like a metal ball famously did way back in 2019? Will players be able to finish a whole game if theres another recall alert? If you really must, you can find out in both games now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-cybertruck-is-coming-to-fortnite-and-rocket-league-because-were-being-punished-210309356.html?src=rss
Humble Games has reportedly laid off all 36 of its staff, a move that seems to signal the end of the company. Former employees posted about the layoffs on social media. Humble Games is owned by media conglomerate Ziff Davis, which counts IGN, Eurogamer and GamesIndustry.biz among its gaming portfolio. Humble Games confirmed in a LinkedIn post that there had been a "restructure" at the company, but did not reveal the number of jobs lost.
The layoffs at Humble Bundle are the latest in a sweep across the gaming business. Last year saw a shocking number of cuts across studios of all sizes, and the trend has sadly continued into 2024.
"The games industry is volatile, it's been inundated by people who only want exponential growth at the expense of making great games with great teams," Emilee Kieffer, a former lead quality assurance analyst with Humble Games, wrote on LinkedIn following the layoffs.
Well friends, me and the entirety of Humble Games was laid off this morningIf you need senior/lead QA at your game studio HI HELLO I DON'T HAVE A JOB ANYMOOOORE! pic.twitter.com/giAPAiTDsx Emil-EEK! (@Emilee3D) July 23, 2024
The indie publisher helped bring almost 50 video games to market, including notable hits such as Slay the Spire, Unpacking, Wandersong and Coral Island. Humble Games also had several upcoming games slated for release, such as Never Alone 2, a second delve into mythology and stories from the indigenous Iupiat people in Alaska. It's unclear at this stage how the closure will impact those projects, but it seems they may still be released.
"This decision was not made lightly; it involved much deliberation and careful thought, with the goal of ensuring the stability and support of our developers and ongoing projects," Humble's statement said. The company also did not confirm if these layoffs would be followed by the studio's closure.
This business is a separate operation from the charity storefront Humble Bundle, which is also part of Ziff Davis but does not appear to be impacted by today's news. We've reached out to Ziff Davis and Humble Games for more information and will update if we hear back.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/humble-games-reportedly-lays-off-its-entire-staff-201923446.html?src=rss
Microsoft has been taking a lot of hits over its Xbox Game Pass price hike and the overall lackluster offering of games. So to make up for it, they are offering a Call of Duty game for the first time on its virtual buffet. Unfortunately, its Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, one of the lowest rated games in the series.
Calling the reviews for Modern Warfare III mixed would be generous. IGNs Simon Cardy said its single-player campaign was shallow, dull and the worst Call of Duty single-player campaign Ive played. Jump Dash Rolls Derek Johnson wrote that its main campaign is genuinely not worth playing and its signature Zombies mode isnt quite as atrociously terrible as its single-player but that doesnt mean its anything resembling something fun.
Modern Warfare III wont be the only Call of Duty game available for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Xbox Game Pass will provide day one access to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in October. Of course, we dont know how good the game will be but one imagines it'll garner a bit more favor from critics compared to Modern Warfare III.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-call-of-duty-game-is-coming-to-xbox-game-pass-just-not-one-anyone-wants-175255224.html?src=rss
