AMD has revealed a new custom graphics card, the Starfield AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX at the QuakeCon gaming event. The US-based chipmaker has also revealed newly designed AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D packaging which is inspired by the game’s aesthetics. These new announcements will celebrate the first new universe from Bethesda Game Studios in 25 years. The company claims that the Radeon RX 7900 XTX with a custom shroud and Ryzen 7 7800X3D with collectors’ packaging represents the “creativity and freedom” of Starfield. AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX GPU, Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU: Availability Both AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX GPU and the Ryzen 7 7800X3D processors are limited edition chipsets. Only 500 units of both chips will be available to select customers. The company is offering these products exclusively through special promotions and giveaways from AMD, Bethesda Softworks, and other partners. AMD and Bethesda Softworks are hosting giveaways of these chipsets across social pages offering followers the chance to win their own Starfield GPU and CPU. For more information on these limited-edition products, visit www.amd.com/Starfield.AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX GPU, Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU: Key specs and features The Radeon RX 7900 XTX: This limited edition GPU delivers high-framerate 4K experiences and is powered by AMD RDNA 3 architecture. These graphics units will also offer faster clock speeds and will be backed by 24GB of GDDR6 memory. For connectivity, Radeon RX 7900 XTX cards will also offer options like — DisplayPort 2.1 and AV1 encode support.The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D: This limited edition CPU is also designed to deliver better gaming performance. The chips are built on the latest “Zen 4” architecture and boast 104MB of cache which is offered by its 3D V-Cache technology.

Chinese smartphone maker Tecno has expanded its product portfolio in the country with a new smartphone and a laptop lineup. The company unveiled the Tecno Pova 5 series and the Megabook laptops at its ‘World of TECNOlogy’ event. In this event, Tecno also showcased other products across various categories. Arijeet Talapatra, CEO of Tecno Mobile India, commented,“Over the past six years, Tecno has made its presence felt across India. Exemplifying excellent quality, exquisite appearance and powerful performance, our product portfolio has been acclaimed by more than 20 million consumers. We place great importance on local manufacturing, R&D and talent acquisition for delivering best-in-class indigenous solutions such as the first Made-in-India foldable smartphone. The focus for 2023 is to fortify our product portfolio and make inroads into the premium and ultra-premium segments, led by the acclaimed Phantom and CAMON Series, which have garnered significant appreciation. Through this grand platform, we are now unveiling the much-awaited POVA 5 series and MEGABOOK, launching our festive offerings with a range of products to follow.’’Tecno Pova 5 and Tecno Megabook series: Price and availability The company hasn’t revealed the official pricing of any of the new products. The Pova 5 smartphones are set to debut on August 14 and will soon be available to customers through Amazon. However, Tecno hasn’t revealed a launch date for its upcoming laptop lineup. Tecno Pova 5 series: Key specs and featuresThe Pova 5 Pro boasts a 3D-textured design named Interface ARC which supports RGB light gamut at the back for notifications, calls and music. Along with this, the phone features a 68W fast charging feature. The smartphone comes powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6080 processor, 8GB RAM (also has 8GB RAM virtual RAM) and up to 256GB storage. Tecno Megabook T1: Key specsThe Megabook T1 will have a 14.8mm thickness and will be powered by the Intel 11th gen processor (up to core i7), up to 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD storage and a 70Wh battery pack.

The move to start a mutual fund was led by considerations around spurring retail investor participation and building simple products for users, said Nithin Kamath Zerodha CEO also said that the company would aim to be ‘index-only’ and will create ‘simple funds’ and ETFs that investors can invest in The development comes a few days after Jio announced a JV with BlackRock to foray into the Indian asset management space with a warchest of $300 Mn All decks have been cleared for invest tech major Zerodha’s foray into the asset management space. The startup has received the final approval from markets regulator SEBI to commence operations of its AMC.  “We just received the final approval for the  @ZerodhaAMC we are building in partnership with @smallcaseHQ,” said Zerodha cofounder Nithin Kamath on X (formerly Twitter). The company also announced the appointment of former Nippon India senior executive Vishal Jain as the new CEO of its asset management arm.  Kamath said the move to start a mutual fund was led by consideration around spurring retail investor participation in Indian markets and to build simple products – mutual funds – that users could understand.  “Our motivation to start a mutual fund was twofold. The first was that the biggest challenge and opportunity for Indian markets is the shallow participation. Even after all the growth over the last 3 years, we only have maybe 6-8 Cr unique mutual fund and equity investors put together,” tweeted Kamath.  He also said that mutual funds are a ‘perfect instrument’ to onboard the next 1 Cr investors. The Zerodha CEO said that the company would aim to be ‘index-only’, and will create ‘simple funds’ and ETFs (exchange traded fund) that investors can invest in. This comes nearly two years after the Bengaluru-based brokerage firm received an in-principle nod from SEBI to undertake its asset management business. However, the final approval comes barely four months after the invest tech unicorn announced a joint venture with smallcase to launch an AMC. Back then, Kamath said that Zerodha was looking at building low-cost passive mutual fund products for India with smallcase.  The joint venture (JV) aims to leverage the synergies and resource bases of both companies to make a splash in the nascent homegrown AMC space. The approval also comes close on the heels of conglomerate Reliance Jio signing a JV with BlackRock to foray into the homegrown asset management market with a combined warchest of $300 Mn.  Founded in 2010 by brothers Nithin and Nikhil Kamath, Zerodha is a profitable bootstrapped startup that allows users to trade in stocks online. Zerodha’s net profit zoomed 87% year-on-year (YoY) to INR 2,094 Cr in FY22. Operating revenue stood at INR 4,963.7 Cr during the year. The approval comes just a day after Kamath announced that the brokerage’s investment arm Rainmatter would set aside an additional INR 1,000 Cr for Indian founders with no exit mandates.  Zerodha operates within the larger Indian fintech ecosystem which, as per Inc42, is looking at a $2.1 Tn market opportunity by 2030. Within this, the invest tech market is projected to account for an opportunity of $74 Bn in market size by 2030.

Google parent Alphabet is sitting on a $118 billion cash pile. The company is among the three richest companies in the US in terms of cash reserves. The other two being the rivals Apple and Google. According to a report in Bloomberg, “Alphabet Inc is facing a new and, by most accounts, welcome problem — how to spend its rapidly expanding pile of cash.” The top three cash generators in the Nasdaq 100 — Alphabet, Apple and Microsoft — reportedly brought in a combined $84 billion in the last quarter, the biggest haul for any such non-holiday period in history.Why the $118 billion ‘welcome problem’ Alphabet generated nearly $29 billion in cash in the second quarter of this year after attempting to rein in costs by cutting thousands of jobs and reducing losses in its various moonshot projects. This left the company with cash and short-term marketable securities of about $118 billion, more than any other company in the Nasdaq 100 Stock Index aside from Apple’s total of about $167 billion.Analysts, however, see the $118 cash pile as a problem for Alphabet. As to why, as unlike Apple, which aims to give back most of its cash to shareholders via stock buybacks and dividends, Alphabet is not known to follow the same path. The company reportedly has “a less clearly-defined capital return strategy, leaving investors seeking more detail on its plans.”“Alphabet has stepped up buybacks and expanded its repurchase authorization to $70 billion in April. But last quarter, the firm spent $15 billion on its own shares, barely half of the cash it brought in. By contrast, Apple in the last five fiscal years has returned almost $5 billion more than the record $454 billion in cash it generated,” said the report. Also Alphabet does not have a history of paying dividends like Apple and Microsoft. In contrast with Microsoft, which agreed to pay $69 billion for video game maker Activision Blizzard last year, Alphabet has stayed away from big acquisitions. Google’s biggest acquisition to date remains $12.5 billion for Motorola in 2012. Also as the report points out even if executives wanted to, Alphabet may not be able to pull off a big acquisition given the heightened regulatory scrutiny. Microsoft’s Activision deal and Amazon.com’s acquisition of Roomba maker iRobot are still facing regulator scrutiny.

That sounded to me like he was anthropomorphizing those artificial systems, something scientists constantly tell laypeople and journalists not to do. “Scientists do go out of their way not to do that, because anthropomorphizing most things is silly,” Hinton concedes. “But they’ll have learned those things from us, they’ll learn to behave just like us linguistically. So I think anthropomorphizing them is perfectly reasonable.” When your powerful AI agent is trained on the sum total of human digital knowledge—including lots of online conversations—it might be more silly not to expect it to act human. But what about the objection that a chatbot could never really understand what humans do, because those linguistic robots are just impulses on computer chips without direct experience of the world? All they are doing, after all, is predicting the next word needed to string out a response that will statistically satisfy a prompt. Hinton points out that even we don’t really encounter the world directly. “Some people think, hey, there’s this ultimate barrier, which is we have subjective experience and [robots] don’t, so we truly understand things and they don’t,” says Hinton. “That’s just bullshit. Because in order to predict the next word, you have to understand what the question was. You can’t predict the next word without understanding, right? Of course they’re trained to predict the next word, but as a result of predicting the next word they understand the world, because that’s the only way to do it.” So those things can be … sentient? I don’t want to believe that Hinton is going all Blake Lemoine on me. And he’s not, I think. “Let me continue in my new career as a philosopher,” Hinton says, jokingly, as we skip deeper into the weeds. “Let’s leave sentience and consciousness out of it. I don’t really perceive the world directly. What I think is in the world isn’t what’s really there. What happens is it comes into my mind, and I really see what’s in my mind directly. That’s what Descartes thought. And then there’s the issue of how is this stuff in my mind connected to the real world? And how do I actually know the real world?” Hinton goes on to argue that since our own experience is subjective, we can’t rule out that machines might have equally valid experiences of their own. “Under that view, it’s quite reasonable to say that these things may already have subjective experience,” he says. Now consider the combined possibilities that machines can truly understand the world, can learn deceit and other bad habits from humans, and that giant AI systems can process zillions of times more information that brains can possibly deal with. Maybe you, like Hinton, now have a more fraughtful view of future AI outcomes. But we’re not necessarily on an inevitable journey toward disaster. Hinton suggests a technological approach that might mitigate an AI power play against humans: analog computing, just as you find in biology and as some engineers think future computers should operate. It was the last project Hinton worked on at Google. “It works for people,” he says. Taking an analog approach to AI would be less dangerous because each instance of analog hardware has some uniqueness, Hinton reasons. As with our own wet little minds, analog systems can’t so easily merge in a Skynet kind of hive intelligence.

Google has been constantly updating Workspace apps with tools, like Docs, Sheets, and Slides, to facilitate a better productivity experience. In the latest development, the company has announced that it is adding an annotation feature to its Slides presentation software. “With the new pen tool, you can circle, underline, draw connections or make quick notes directly on your presentation,” Google said. The tool will allow users to highlight or emphasise key content while they are presenting inGoogle Slides. “Whether in a board meeting or a brainstorming session, annotations can help make your presentations more engaging, interactive and impactful,” it added.The feature is similar to Microsoft PowerPoint which has long enabled users to doodle on their decks. How to access the toolGoogle says that users can access the tool from the three-dot menu available on the bottom left of the screen while presenting. Open ‘slideshow mode’ by clicking the ‘Slideshow’ button in the app bar Mouse over the bottom-left side of the viewer and open the three-dot menu by clicking on the ellipsis icon Select “Turn on the pen”. There are four pen colours to choose from: blue, red, green, and black. To erase annotations, use the eraser tool in the bottom left viewer menu. AvailabilityThe feature will be rolling out to most Google Slides users (Scheduled Release domains) in the two weeks starting August 23. For rapid release domains, the rollout has already started. Annotations will be available to all Google Slides users. Earlier this year, Google brought its AI prowess to Slides. It added a Help me visualise panel on the right side of the screen that lets users enter prompts and get image responses. Users can then add a “Style,” with choices including Photography, Illustration, Flat lay, Background, and Clipart.

Ever since ChatGPT arrived on the tech scene in November 2022, there has been no going back from generative AI. A lot of observers felt Google was caught on the back foot but the tech giant launched Bard in March 2023. Google’s answer to ChatGPT has seen a lot of new feature since its launch. In a blog post, Google has listed out ways how you can use Bard and here are five things you can do: Make Bard writeAccording to Google, Bard can help you write content like emails, cover letters, blog posts and business plans. Start with a simple prompt — like “Write a cover letter for a social media manager role” — and Bard will provide three distinct drafts to choose from. You can code with BardGoogle says that a lot of people use Bard to get help with coding tasks. “This is particularly helpful if you’re learning about programming for the first time, or you need more support to understand what a block of code might output,” said Google in the blog post. Simply chat with BardOne can ask Bard to tell a joke or chatting about hobbies and interests. You can even ask Bard to act as your favourite character and have a conversation with them.Get travel helpYou can ask for information about a specific destination or ask it to create an entire itinerary with all the activities and attractions you want to experience. You can customise your itinerary even further by sharing more details, like: “Start a trip planning doc for me and my friends — we’re visiting Ireland for a week in the spring and want to go on a road trip.”Get analysis of images and contentYou can try sharing a photo of handwritten notes you took during a meeting and asking Bard to write a recap email using them. “Or upload a photo from your last vacation and ask Bard to generate a caption for it,” suggests Google. Things to keep in mindGoogle says that to get the most out of Bard, don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions. “Creating a back-and-forth dialogue can help you better understand Bard’s responses, learn more about a topic and have a more productive conversation,” as per Google.

Change is inevitable in the dynamic landscape of the business world, and CEOs stand as the guiding pillars during these transformative periods. The role of CEOs in effectively navigating organizational transitions cannot be overstated. Their leadership prowess and strategic acumen are essential for steering the ship of change through uncertain waters. In this comprehensive exploration, we delve deeper into the critical role CEOs play in leading their teams through various types of organizational transitions. 1. Setting the Vision for Change At the heart of successful change management lies a compelling vision. CEOs, as visionary leaders, shoulder the responsibility of articulating a clear and inspiring vision for the impending change. Beyond simply introducing the transformation, they weave a narrative that elucidates the purpose and benefits of the change. Through their words, they cultivate a sense of shared destiny, aligning every member of the organization toward a common goal. 2. Open Communication Effective communication is the lifeblood of any organizational transformation. CEOs, cognizant of this fact, take center stage as communication conduits. They establish and maintain open lines of dialogue with their teams, fostering an environment where concerns are addressed, updates are provided, and questions are answered. By keeping the workforce well-informed and engaged, CEOs create a culture of transparency that quells uncertainty and enhances collaboration. 3. Leading by Example The age-old adage “actions speak louder than words” rings especially true during times of change. CEOs, as the vanguards of transformation, lead by example. Their behaviors and decisions serve as beacons of the expected attitudes and adaptations required during the transition. By embodying the change they advocate, CEOs not only inspire but also set the tone for the entire organization to follow suit. 4. Empowering Change Champions Within the intricate fabric of an organization, change champions emerge as catalysts for progress. CEOs adeptly identify these individuals and empower them to become advocates for change. By entrusting them with the responsibility of guiding and motivating their peers, CEOs create a network of support that permeates every level of the organization. This grassroots approach is pivotal in ensuring the organic acceptance of change. 5. Monitoring Progress Navigating through change requires a vigilant eye on progress. CEOs adopt the role of vigilant overseers, closely monitoring key performance indicators that gauge the success of the transition. Their involvement in the evaluation process provides valuable insights that enable timely course corrections and adjustments to the implementation strategy. 6. Anticipating and Addressing Resistance Change often meets resistance, a natural response rooted in human psychology. CEOs, equipped with foresight, anticipate potential challenges and proactively address concerns. By acknowledging resistance and empathetically addressing apprehensions, CEOs minimize friction and pave the way for a smoother transition journey. 7. Making Tough Decisions In the landscape of change, CEOs bear the weight of making tough decisions that might spell short-term discomfort for long-term gains. These decisions demand a comprehensive understanding of the organization’s trajectory and the courage to prioritize the greater good over immediate challenges. CEOs, as steadfast decision-makers, keep the ship steady amid turbulent waters. 8. Providing Resources and Support For a transition to flourish, it requires the nurturing embrace of resources and support. CEOs, recognizing this, allocate the necessary tools, training, and guidance to facilitate the journey. By enabling employees with the means to navigate the change, CEOs empower them to confidently embrace the transformation. 9. Celebrating Milestones Amidst the rigors of change, celebrating milestones becomes a testament to progress. CEOs understand the importance of recognizing achievements, both big and small. Such celebrations boost morale, reaffirming the positive impact of the change and serving as a reminder of the collective accomplishments. 10. Learning and Improvement In the tapestry of change, CEOs are adept weavers of wisdom. Every transition is an opportunity for learning and improvement. CEOs actively seek feedback, meticulously analyze outcomes, and derive valuable lessons that serve as blueprints for future change initiatives. This iterative approach enhances their leadership prowess and the organization’s adaptability. Conclusion CEOs don many hats, but during periods of transition, their leadership shines brightest. Their ability to articulate a vision, communicate transparently, and lead by example sets the tone for successful change management. Empowering change champions, monitoring progress, and addressing resistance form the bedrock of a seamless transition. With the fortitude to make tough decisions, the provision of resources, and the acknowledgment of achievements, CEOs navigate the labyrinth of change with finesse, steering their organizations toward a future brimming with prosperity and growth.

Nykaa’s profit jumped 138% from INR 2.3 Cr in the preceding March quarter on the back of a strong growth in beauty and online vertical platforms Operating revenue jumped to INR 1,421.8 Cr in Q1 FY24 from INR 1,148.4 Cr in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal Nykaa said its overall gross merchandise value (GMV) grew 24% YoY to INR 2,667.8 Cr in Q1 FY24 Beauty and fashion ecommerce major Nykaa’s net profit jumped 8.2% year-on-year (YoY) to INR 5.4 Cr in the first quarter of the financial year 2023-2024 (FY24), helped by strong growth in beauty vertical online platforms and physical stores. The startup posted a net profit of INR 5 Cr in the year-ago quarter. Meanwhile, profit jumped 138% from INR 2.3 Cr in the preceding quarter – Q4 FY23. The Falguni Nayar-led startup’s operating revenue jumped to INR 1,421.8 Cr in Q1 FY24 from INR 1,148.4 Cr in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal. On a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) basis, it grew 9.2% from INR 1,301.7 Cr. Nykaa said its overall gross merchandise value (GMV) grew 24% YoY to INR 2,667.8 Cr in Q1 FY24. This was also a jump from INR 2,445.4 Cr GMV the startup reported in Q4 FY23. Beauty vertical’s GMV grew 24% YoY to INR 1,850.8 Cr in the quarter under review. It also rose 13.6% on a QoQ basis. Meanwhile, the fashion vertical, which was seeing a slow down for the last few quarters, also seems to have regained some of its mojo. GMV of Nykaa’s fashion vertical rose 12% YoY to INR 653.7 Cr in Q1 FY24. However, on a QoQ basis, it declined from INR 664.1 Cr. “Our beauty vertical continues to shape into an ecosystem of its own – with steady and balanced growth across our online platforms, physical footprint as well as our consumer brands,” said Falguni Nayar, Nykaa’s executive chairperson, MD, and CEO. Nayar said that the fashion vertical’s consumer brands also experienced steady growth, with the company’s own labels now spanning across categories – western wear, Indian wear, lingerie, menswear, accessories and much more.  “Nykaa Fashion’s growth in the quarter was much ahead than the industry growth but below its long-term trajectory. The Nykaa ethos to grow businesses and brands with passion, but also with discipline, is again visible in the way Superstore By Nykaa and our beauty brand Dot & Key have seen significant scale quickly – all while improving the underlying unit economics,” she said.  (The story will be updated soon.)

Google app already has a couple of mini cards that appear under the search bar in the Discover tab to provide quick information. Google is now adding a new mini card widget to the list. This one will show you the current air quality in your area. Currently, Google has three mini cards: Sports: Show live updates for teams you follow Weather: Keeps you updated with current weather conditions Finance: Tracks stock prices and market trends from industries you follow AQI will join these mini cards. 9to5Google has noticed a new black card in the Google app beta on Android version 14.32. Tapping on that runs an air quality search. This indicates that the new blank mini card is aimed at offering details about air quality in the surrounding area. The iOS version, on the other hand, displays the complete AQI mini card and gives us a sneak peek at what it will look like. It is currently a small card with little to do, but it does show the AQI level and distance below it. Additionally, there is an indicator for the air quality condition, which we believe will change colours based on the air quality.Weather card is changing tooAccording to the report, Google is also making changes to the weather card in Discover. The weather card now has full width. Nothing has changed in terms of design, except it now includes conditions and chances of precipitation.Also, note that the feature is in beta right now and it may take some time to roll out officially.Meanwhile, Google has recently updated Gmail to include a translation feature. This will allow users to quickly translate a received email into the language of their choice. The feature will come in handy for people communicating abroad or with people who speak different languages.