Showing posts with label Oculus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oculus. Show all posts

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Google, Samsung, Oculus, HTC, Sony partner to create a Global VR Association

Google, Samsung, Oculus, HTC, Sony partner to create a Global VR Association

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Virtual reality has seen a lot of development this year and many tech companies have come out with their own VR headsets as well. But as it stands, the VR headsets and VR roadmaps seem to be going their own paths and there isn’t any synergy so to speak. In order to stop that, top companies have decided to come together.
Google, HTC, Oculus, Samsung, Sony and Acer have come together in a partnership to create the Global Virtual Reality Association (GVRA) which aims to ‘unlock and maximise VR’s potential’.
This seems to be a logical step, as the current ecosystems are working in silos. For instance, the games on the Oculus store will not play on the Vive or PS VR or the sensors on the Vive are only unique to the Vive headset and will not work with anything else. Similarly Sony’s PS VR requires the PS 4 and its own sensor.
According to the press release shared by the association, “The Global Virtual Reality Association (GVRA) will develop and share best practices for industry and foster dialogue between public and private stakeholders around the world.”
The association aims to promote responsible development and adoption of VR on a global scale. The members are expected to share best practices, conduct research and bring the VR community on the same page.
“The GVRA is a necessary first step toward ensuring great VR experiences for everyone, through collaborating on research and sharing best practices as the field grows and evolves. We look forward to working with our industry colleagues,” said Google’s director of immersive design Jon Wiley.
Jordan McCollum, the general counsel for Oculus at Facebook said, “We’re still very much in the early stages of VR, so it’s critical that industry leaders work together to create and share ideas on how we can safely build this industry. I’m looking forward to working with other hardware makers to proactively address the challenges we need solve to make VR a success over the long term.”

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Tim Cook asks employees to work together and move forward after surprise Trump victory

Tim Cook asks employees to work together and move forward after surprise Trump victory

Image: Reuters.
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Tim Cook sent a letter to Apple employees calling for unity, and quoting the advice of Martin Luther King Jr. “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” The letter does not mention Trump directly. Over the course of his campaign, Trump has directly threatened harsh measures on Apple, including forcing the company to manufacture the phones on American soil.
Speaking on Apple refusing to cooperate with law enforcement officials in unlocking a device, Trump called for a boycott of Apple products. “Boycott Apple until such time as they give that information. It just occurred to me” Trump had said during his campaign. Later on, Trump Tweeted that he would personally only use his Samsung device till Apple handed over the information.
The letter by Cook is an effort to ease the anxiety of employees, where he asks the employees to help each other out. Indirectly addressing the rhetoric used by Trump over the course of his presidential campaign, Cook wrote “Our company is open to all, and we celebrate the diversity of our team here in the United States and around the world — regardless of what they look like, where they come from, how they worship or who they love.” A copy of the letter is available with Buzzfeed.
The sentiments were echoed by Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, who responded to the Trump victory by saying “Our commitment to our mission and values are steadfast, and in particular fostering a diverse and inclusive culture.” Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, had posted an open letter on Medium, that said “I firmly believe that whether you’re building a company or leading a country, a diverse mix of voices and backgrounds and experiences leads to better discussions, better decisions, and better outcomes for everyone.”
A Trump win could have serious repercussions on technology companies. Tim Cook had held a fundraiser to help support the Clinton campaign. Tim Cook seems to be more anti-Trump than pro-Hillary because he had earlier hosted a fundraiser for Republican candidate Bernie Sanders. Silicon Valley executives apparently had a secret meeting on an Island where they discussed plans to stop Trump from winning the presidency. Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google co-founder Larry Page, Sean Parker, and Elon Musk CEO of SpaceX and Tesla were at the meeting.
Silicon Valley had collectively rolled its eyes after Trump warned of a bubble in the technology sector. Trump claims that the unicorn companies, startups with a valuation of over a billion dollars, are overvalued and are attracting investments while not being profitable. Silicon Valley collectively rejected this warning. Tech CEOs including Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, Steve Wozniak, Pierre Omidyar, Meg Whitman and Marc Benioff all openly supported Clinton in the lead up to the election. Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist and Palmer Luckey of Oculus stood out for their open support for Trump.

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