TechTaffy

tech:

taffy

Qualcomm Launches Gimbal Proximity Beacons

By TechTaffy Desk

qualcomm_gimbalQualcomm has made its Gimbal proximity beacons commercially available. The Gimbal proximity beacons use Bluetooth LE, and complement GPS by allowing devices and applications to derive their proximity to beacons at a micro-level.

The proximity beacons are accurate to one foot says Qualcomm, and work both indoors and outdoors. A user’s mobile app can be enabled to look for the beacon’s transmission. When it’s within physical proximity to the beacon and detects it, the app can notify the customer of location-relevant content, promotions, and offers.

Rocco Fabiano (President, Qualcomm Retail Solutions): With the availability of Gimbal proximity beacons, we are empowering brands to take mobile engagement with their customers to a whole new level through micro-location.

The Gimbal platform features two proximity beacon models, the Series 10 and Series 20 editions. Depending on volume, Series 10 beacons are available for around $5 each, and Series 20 beacons are available for around $10 each.

The overall Gimbal context-aware platform supports both iOS and Android, but the proximity beacons support iOS only for the time being, with planned support for Android. 

[Image courtesy: Qualcomm]

 

Just in

AI

AI is ‘a new kind of digital species,’ Microsoft AI chief says — Quartz

Mustafa Suleyman, chief executive of Microsoft AI, said during a talk at TED 2024 that AI is the newest wave of creation since the start of life on Earth, and that “we are in the fastest and most consequential wave ever,” writes Britney Nguyen in Quartz.
Around the web

It’s baaack! Microsoft and IBM open source MS-DOS 4.0 — ZDNet

Microsoft and IBM have joined forces to open-source the 1988 operating system MS-DOS 4.0 under the MIT License, writes Steven Vaughan-Nichols. 
AI

Generative AI arrives in the gene editing world of CRISPR — NYT

New AI technology is generating blueprints for microscopic biological mechanisms that can edit your DNA, pointing to a future when scientists can battle illness and diseases with even greater precision and speed than they can today, writes Cade Metz.
AI

Estée Lauder, Microsoft to build AI Innovation Lab

The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) and Microsoft Corp. announced the creation of an AI Innovation Lab to expand their global strategic relationship.
Around the web

Mark Zuckerberg says Meta will offer its virtual reality OS to hardware companies, creating iPhone versus Android dynamic — CNBC

Meta will partner with external hardware companies, including Lenovo, Microsoft and Asus, to build virtual reality headsets using the company’s Meta Horizon operating system, writes Kif Leswing.