Author: Xzect Labs

Google Cloud has announced a powerful set of AI tools to help retailers tackle challenges like rising costs, supply chain issues, and growing demand for personalized shopping experiences. The announcement comes just ahead of NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show, where these tools will be showcased. Smarter Shopping with AI Agents Google Cloud’s Google Agentspace brings AI agents powered by Google’s Gemini models to the retail world. These AI agents can handle advanced reasoning and integrate with enterprise data to make shopping more efficient and personalized. For example, store employees can use Agentspace to quickly find product details and answer customer…

At CES 2025, VLC Media Player, a household name in video playback, revealed a game-changing feature: AI-powered subtitle generation and translation that works entirely offline. Created by VideoLAN, the non-profit behind VLC, this innovation aims to make video content more accessible across different languages while maintaining user privacy. A Major Step for VLC Known for its ability to play almost any media format and for its open-source, free-to-use approach, VLC has achieved over 6 billion downloads. Now, the team has integrated artificial intelligence to enhance accessibility. Jean-Baptiste Kempf, president of VideoLAN, highlighted the privacy-first design of the new feature. “This…

At CES 2025, Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon X series CPUs, designed to bring advanced AI-powered computing to budget-friendly PCs. These processors aim to deliver strong performance and efficient AI capabilities at a price point that makes AI PCs accessible to more people. Snapdragon X Series: Key Features The Snapdragon X series is a new addition to Qualcomm’s computing platform, focusing on affordability without compromising on innovation: Impact on the Market The Snapdragon X series could significantly disrupt the PC market, particularly in the budget segment: Positive Industry and Consumer Response The tech community has reacted positively to the Snapdragon X…

In a major step for Web3 gaming, SEED, a top developer of blockchain-based games, has secured a strategic investment from the Sui Foundation. This partnership aims to use the power of the Sui blockchain to create a massive and innovative gaming ecosystem, targeting 100 million users. Investment Details With the support of the Sui Foundation, SEED will use Sui’s efficient and scalable blockchain technology to build a next-generation gaming platform. SEED, already home to over 60 million users with its popular SEED App, plans to expand its presence in Web3 gaming by offering games that combine VR, AI, and easy…

Google has launched a new feature called Daily Listen as part of its Search Labs program. This feature turns your Google Discover feed into a personalized, AI-generated podcast. It provides users with a quick, five-minute audio summary of the news and topics they care about, based on their search history and Discover feed. How Does Daily Listen Work? Daily Listen uses Google’s AI to analyze what users are interested in and creates a short, daily podcast episode. It pulls real-time information from your Google Discover feed. Once activated, the feature shows up as a widget in the Google app on…

In a major step forward for mobile AI, xAI has officially launched the Grok AI app for iOS devices. This app, designed to bring artificial intelligence closer to everyday users, offers a range of advanced features like real-time information retrieval and high-quality image generation. Initially limited to the web and integration within X (formerly Twitter), Grok now provides a standalone experience tailored for smartphone users. What Makes the Grok AI App Unique? Real-Time Information at Your Fingertips Grok is powered by xAI’s cutting-edge technology and pulls data from both the web and X. It provides real-time answers to queries, such…

In a major move for both the real estate and blockchain industries, Dubai-based developer DAMAC Group has teamed up with MANTRA, a blockchain platform that focuses on turning real-world assets into digital tokens. This groundbreaking $1 billion agreement will change how assets are managed, traded, and financed in the Middle East, using blockchain technology for better transparency, security, and accessibility. The Deal Details DAMAC and MANTRA’s partnership will focus on tokenizing a large portion of DAMAC’s diverse assets, including real estate, hotels, data centers, and more. The tokenization process will begin in early 2025, and the tokens will be available…

In an important step to improve consumer trust in the safety of smart devices, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has introduced the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark. This initiative aims to offer a clear and easily recognizable symbol that shows Internet of Things (IoT) devices meet high cybersecurity standards, helping protect consumers from online threats. What is the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark? The U.S. Cyber Trust Mark is a safety label designed for consumer IoT products, similar to the Energy Star logo for energy efficiency. This new mark indicates that a device has undergone rigorous testing to meet cybersecurity standards. The…

Microsoft has made its AI model, Phi-4, free and open for everyone to use. This small language model (SLM), introduced in December 2024, is now available on the popular AI-sharing platform Hugging Face. It comes with an MIT license, meaning it can be used for academic research and business projects. What Makes Phi-4 Special? Phi-4 is a compact AI model with 14 billion parameters. It’s designed to handle challenging reasoning tasks, like solving math problems, and performs just as well as larger, more expensive models. Key Features of Phi-4 How to Access Phi-4 Anyone can download Phi-4 from Hugging Face.…

At the CES 2025 event in Las Vegas, Based Hardware, a tech startup from San Francisco, introduced Omi, an affordable AI wearable designed to boost productivity and make interacting with technology easier. Priced at $89, Omi is not just another gadget—it’s a glimpse into the future, with plans to read brain activity in upcoming versions. What Makes Omi Unique? Omi has a sleek, minimalist look, resembling a mint from a Mentos pack. You can wear it as a necklace or attach it to your head with medical tape for a futuristic “brain interface” experience. The first version works with audio…