Singapore-based Mindverse Ai Begins Closed Beta Launch Of Mindos

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Singapore-based Mindverse AI kicked off its Closed Beta Launch of MindOS, its debut tool for creating customised virtual artificial intelligence (AI) beings for marketing, customer service, e-commerce, hospitality and events.

The webinar hosted journalists, developers, creators and distributors from across the world, all of whom were given cost-free beta licences for MindOS. A recording of the closed beta launch can be accessed here.

The firm’s Closed Beta launch followed its signed partnership and planned rollout of customisable embodied chatbots for one of the world’s three largest e-commerce platforms, a global beauty and cosmetics brand, and several e-commerce small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Current legacy AI chatbots and LLMs face their fair share of challenges such as legacy chatbots lack flexibility and fluency, while LLMs are difficult to customise and control. MindOS provides a comprehensive solution to all challenges, which is Mind as a Service (MAAS).

In a statement, Mindverse Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Fangbo Tao said, “We envision MindOS as a middle layer between LLMs and businesses, in an attempt to democratise AI for everyone, levelling the playing field between joint corporations like Google and Microsoft and smaller businesses.”

MindOS generates AI beings with customisable appearances, personalities, knowledge domains and app integrations. The tool can be deployed as a chatbot or Intelligent Virtual Assistant (IVA) for service or sales, or as a process automation tool for workplace productivity and internal processes.

MindOS supports 30 languages, offers a big library of pre-designed AI beings, and infers intent accurately 97 per cent of the time. MindOS AI beings can be trained with an unsorted training data set such as an onboarding manual, product documents or full websites, without the need to structure the data.

With real-time searching and zero-shot training, those AI beings can be onboarded rapidly to consistently provide high-quality responses that are faithful to each brand’s voice.

-- BERNAMA

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET FILM TO LAUNCH NFT OFFERING, POWERED BY AVENTUS

To celebrate the film’s 10-year anniversary, Aventus has partnered with The Wolf of Wall Street’s rights holders to produce historical collection of NFTs

LONDON, April 25 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aventus, a Web3 solutions provider for enterprises, has partnered with the film rights holders for The Wolf of Wall Street and world-leading film producers and editors to create The Wolf of Wall Street Experience: a series of NFT drops which will also act as a key to unlocking wider parts of the experience.

With a worldwide box office of almost $400M, five Oscar nominations including Best Picture, and a Guinness World Records entry for most swearing in a film, The Wolf of Wall Street’s impact on popular culture remains steadfast almost a decade after its release, with memes of the film continuing to generate millions of uses.

The Wolf of Wall Street Experience will give fans of the film and Web3 enthusiasts access to exclusive content, rewards, and experiences via a series of limited NFT drops. The NFTs will contain exclusive assets from the film, including new angles of iconic scenes, as well as authentic outfits worn by the cast, props and other memorabilia. In addition, real-life and virtual experiences will take place, including a Hollywood-style celebration of the anniversary this December. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=45945

PIE SYSTEMS OFFERS FREE INTERNET SERVICE TO "PIE VAT" APP USERS VISITING JAPAN, USING 5G ESIM

TOKYO, Apr. 26, 2023 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ --

- Free Internet Service Available by Downloading Tax-Free Shopping App "PIE VAT" -   Pie Systems Japan Co., Ltd., a leading travel tech company which provides the VAT refund solution "PIE VAT" and a subsidiary of Pie Systems Inc., has started providing 5G eSIM for free to PIE VAT app users visiting Japan (*). Users can access the service by downloading tax-free shopping app PIE VAT.   About PIE VAT PIE VAT is a digital platform delivering delightful tourism, starting with digitizing tax-free shopping for merchants and tourists. Merchants can set up PIE VAT on their PCs or tablets without hardware integration. Tourists can easily claim their VAT refunds when traveling abroad with the PIE VAT app. PIE VAT can reduce the operational burden for merchants and improve shopping experience for tourists.   Image: eSIM set up within PIE VAT https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M107424/202304245162/_prw_PI1fl_tjf5hUty.jpeg?_ga=2.107634114.1577705710.1682297246-1851103714.1593650756     About free 5G eSIM via PIE VAT - Users can easily and quickly set up the eSIM via PIE VAT. The eSIM allows them to access the internet and complete VAT refund procedures using the free internet service. (Users are not required to go through complicated procedures such as purchasing a SIM card or replacing their SIM card.) - Users can enjoy a high-speed, stress-free communications environment with the eSIM that supports 5G. - Users can use 1GB of data free for a maximum of 30 days. (If they exceed 1GB of data usage, they can continue to stay connected with the eSIM by making in-app purchases.)   Hiroaki Mizuno, Chief Executive Officer of Pie Systems Japan, commented: "Stable internet connections are indispensable for tourists to enjoy their stays in their destinations. With the eSIM free internet service provided by Pie Systems, users can set up eSIM easily and quickly and access the internet via PIE VAT. We provide users with a high-speed and stress-free communications environment through the eSIM that supports 5G. Users can easily claim their VAT refunds with the PIE VAT app at PIE VAT partner stores and shopping malls.   "PIE VAT is a travel platform to connect travelers with retailers/merchants. The app serves as a bridge between them to eliminate various inconveniences during trips. We will continue launching new services to support travelers' wonderful trips."   (*) This free internet service via 5G eSIM is available for PIE VAT app users visiting Japan. PIE VAT users visiting European countries can access fee-based internet service by making in-app purchases. https://pages.pievat.com/esim   PIE VAT can be downloaded from: https://link.piesystems.io/jp-esim   For details about Pie Systems, visit https://www.pievat.com/     Source: Pie Systems Japan Co., Ltd.   http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=45963

NIPPON EXPRESS (UK) RECEIVES IATA CEIV PHARMA CERTIFICATION FOR ITS FACILITY IN HEATHROW AIRPORT SUBURB

TOKYO, Apr. 26, 2023 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ --

Nippon Express (UK) Ltd. (hereinafter "NXUK"), a group company of NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC., has been awarded IATA CEIV Pharma certification*, a quality certificate for pharmaceutical transport established by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), for its facility in the suburbs of Heathrow Airport, effective February 28 this year.   Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202304184992-O1-JHM4p34o   Photo: Interior of facility that has obtained CEIV Pharma certification https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103866/202304184992/_prw_PI2fl_ER26fIgB.jpg?_ga=2.107928770.1572156177.1681692946-1430758024.1637027940     In addition to major global pharmaceutical companies, the United Kingdom is home to numerous small and medium-sized biopharmaceutical companies as well as world-class universities and research institutes, making it a hub for pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. Demand for vaccines and therapeutics has increased in recent years along with the COVID-19 pandemic, and imports and exports of pharmaceutical products via Heathrow Airport are expected to continue rising in future.   The Nippon Express Group has positioned the pharmaceutical industry as a key industry in its "Nippon Express Group Business Plan 2023 -- Dynamic Growth," and is pursuing the global development of a safe and secure pharmaceutical logistics platform to meet the ever more sophisticated and diverse needs of pharmaceutical logistics.   NXUK was awarded Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification and Wholesale Distribution Authorisation (WDA) from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in April 2020, evidencing its compliance with internationally recognized standards for the proper distribution of pharmaceuticals, and, with the acquisition of CEIV Pharma certification, will now be able to provide safer and higher-quality pharmaceutical transportation services using the UK, an important hub for the pharmaceutical industry, as a nodal point.   The Nippon Express Group is committed to contributing to the health of people around the world by supporting its customers in the global pharmaceutical industry from a logistics perspective through the establishment of a reliable and safe global pharmaceutical logistics platform.   *About CEIV Pharma: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202304184992-O1-eqntQrQm.pdf   Nippon Express website: https://www.nipponexpress.com/   Nippon Express Group's official LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nippon-express-group/     Source: NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC.   http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=45952

LG U+ MODERNISES NETWORK, GIVING NEW SERVICES WITH CASA SYSTEMS' CLOUD-NATIVE SOLUTIONS

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) -- Casa Systems has announced that LG U+ selected its virtualised Home eNodeB Gateway solution to help the South Korean operator modernise its network infrastructure and unlock new services and revenue streams as part of its broader network and service strategy.

Casa Systems worked with distribution partner, E-Tech System, a leading provider of information technology (IT) infrastructure and Mobile solutions and services in South Korea.

"As LG U+ looked to scale the reach, performance and security of its corporate services, it recognisd the value of Casa Systems’ fully virtualised HeNB GW and SeGW solution featuring unmatched performance from a small footprint, enabling them to cost-effectively scale services.

“E-Tech System is a leader in the industry with a long history of delivering innovative software-based solutions and services to its customers. We look forward to working with E-Tech System on this and opening new doors for other deployments in Korea that would benefit from our 4G/5G cloud-native solutions,” said Casa Systems Vice President of Technology, Gibson Ang.

With nearly 20 million subscribers on wired and wireless services, LG U+ is one of the largest mobile operators in South Korea with a clear focus on differentiating through modern network infrastructure and advanced services.

Featuring operational simplicity and the ability to quickly add new node deployment, Casa Systems’ virtualised HeNB-GW and SeGW solution will enable LG U+ to simplify its network, improve the 4G service coverage and service quality, and more easily capitalise on the growing market opportunity.

“We believe that the next generation of network services will be transformational for small and medium businesses and enterprise customers through new reach, performance, and capabilities. LG U+ will keep investment into small cells teaming up with Casa Systems and E-Tech System.

“The virtualised solution of Casa’s HeNB-GW and SeGW has the advantage of providing operational agility by requiring less space and power,” said LG U+ Access Team Leader, Jonghyuk Lee.

Based in South Korea, E-Tech System provides optimised IT solutions and professional technical services designed to improve the competitiveness and value of customers’ businesses.

The company has expertise with a wide range of network hardware and software vendors and recognised that Casa Systems’ innovative software design addressed both the service flexibility and network operational requirements of LG U+. Casa Systems and E-Tech System are working on new opportunities to serve operators in the region and expect the LG U+ deployment to be the first of many engagements.

-- BERNAMA

OLEATO™ BEVERAGES ARRIVE AT SELECT STARBUCKS STORES IN JAPAN ON APRIL 20

Japan is Starbucks third global market to introduce Oleato™ beverages, bringing together the unexpected combination of high quality arabica coffee and Partanna® extra virgin olive oil as “The New Coffee Ritual”

TOKYO, April 25 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Starbucks announced today the launch of an innovative line of coffee beverages called “Oleato™” an innovative alchemy of Starbucks® finest arabica coffee infused with Partanna® extra virgin olive oil on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at more than 60 select stores across Japan including Starbucks Reserve^® Roastery Tokyo.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230420005469/en/

 

Following the February debut of Oleato™ beverages in Italy and March launch at the Starbucks Reserve® Roasteries in Chicago, Seattle and New York, and select stores in the United States, Starbucks third global launch market for the beverage line will be in Japan, where Starbucks began its journey as a global brand outside the North America more than 26 years ago.

Like the iconic Starbucks latte, the origin of Oleato™ beverages began in Italy. While travelling in Italy in the summer of 2022, Howard Schultz, chairman emeritus and board member, Starbucks Coffee Company, came across a generations-old family tradition of enjoying a spoonful of extra virgin olive oil each day as an uplifting ritual. Today, the founder joins partners (employees) and customers in Tokyo for the unveil of this new, transformational ritual in coffee to Japan.

“Since we first launched in Milan and now in select U.S. markets, the partner pride and customer enthusiasm for Oleato™ has far exceeded our expectations. As we introduce this new coffee innovation to Japan, my time here this week in Tokyo reminds me of the enduring and global relevancy of community, connection, and passion for both coffee and craft,” said Schultz. “We are thrilled to introduce to the Japanese market the next revolution in coffee that brings together an alchemy of nature’s finest ingredients – Starbucks arabica coffee beans and Partanna cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Oleato™ has opened our eyes to fresh new possibilities for Starbucks.”

“We are excited to bring Starbucks latest beverage innovation to customers in Japan,” said Takafumi Minaguchi, chief executive officer, Starbucks Japan. “Our customers are eager to explore new ways to enjoy their Starbucks Experience. We believe that this transformational innovation of two unexpected ingredients will exceed their expectations and uplift their cup with an extraordinary new flavor.”

Coffee meets olive oil

Oleato™ beverages are a line of innovative coffee beverages that brings together the unexpected – Starbucks arabica coffee deliciously infused with a spoonful of Partanna cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil. The harmony made possible by the unexpected combination results in a velvety smooth, delicately sweet, and lush coffee that uplifts each cup with extraordinary new flavor and texture. Using only extra virgin olive oil thoughtfully selected and blended to pair perfectly with Starbucks coffee, Oleato™ beverages provide a new coffee ritual like no other.

With its uniquely nutty and slightly sweet flavors and the rich smoothness of a buttery caramel, Partanna olive oils are natural complements to Starbucks coffee. Whether enjoyed hot or cold, the surprisingly luxurious, textural experience is like none other.

Taku Shimizu, group manager, Beverage Development, leading the introduction of Oleato™ beverages to Japan said, “I was thrilled about the launch in Japan of Oleato™ which brings together an alchemy of nature’s finest ingredients, coffee and olive oil. We’ve exercised our creativity to find a way to introduce Oleato™ beverages to Japan while keeping the surprising and inviting experience of its Italian inspiration. With these unique flavors and textures, I am confident that the delicious experience of Oleato™ beverages made possible by Starbucks innovation will become a new coffee ritual of our customers.”

The following Oleato™ beverages will be available at select stores in Japan starting April 20:

Oleato™ beverages available at the Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Tokyo and select Starbucks Reserve® stores

• Starbucks Reserve^® Oleato™ Golden Cream Iced Espresso
  Golden cream infused with Partanna extra virgin olive oil creates a subtle nutty flavor and blended with Starbucks Reserve® Espresso and oat milk for a luscious feeling with every sip.
• Starbucks Reserve^® Oleato Golden Foam™ Cold Brew
  Starbucks Reserve® Cold Brew lightly sweetened with vanilla bean syrup, finished with Partanna® extra virgin olive oil infused cold foam, creating an inviting aroma and subtle sweetness.
• Starbucks Reserve^® Oleato™ Oat Milk Latte
  Starbucks Reserve® Espresso and creamy oat milk infused with Partanna® extra virgin olive oil, creating a velvety, luscious latte.

Oleato™ beverages available at select stores across Japan

• Starbucks Oleato Golden Foam™ Cold Brew
  The inviting aroma of lush Partanna® extra virgin olive oil infused cold foam cascades slowly through the dark, smooth cold brew, creating a subtle sweetness in the beverage.
• Starbucks Oleato™ Oat Milk Latte
  Infused with Partanna® extra virgin olive oil and steamed with creamy oat milk to create a velvety smooth, deliciously lush latte.

Since opening its first store in Ginza in 1996, Starbucks has opened more than 1,800 stores in Japan, operated by more than 51,000 partners who proudly wear the green apron. Starbucks continues to provide a premium Starbucks Experience to customers across Japan, with locally-relevant beverages like matcha and tea beverages, as well as innovations like seasonal Frappuccino^® blended beverages. In 2019, Starbucks opened the Starbucks Reserve^® Roastery Tokyo, a fully-immersive tribute to premium coffee quality, innovation and human connection, where extraordinary new coffee experience come to life for customers every day.

About Starbucks

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 36,000 stores worldwide, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at stories.starbucks.com or www.starbucks.com. 

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GREENWAY GRID GLOBAL, TEPCO POWER GRID ANNOUNCE SALE OF “ELECTRIC POWER ASSET NFT”

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- Greenway Grid Global Pte Ltd (GGG) and Tokyo Electric Power Grid Co Ltd (TEPCO PG) announced the sale of "Electric Power Asset NFT" on their websites starting on April 3.

According to TEPCO Power Grid Inc in a statement, the non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are pictures of TEPCO PG power assets, such as transmission towers and utility poles, that have been digitalised using NFT technology.

The global NFT market is said to be worth trillions yen, and the domestic market is expected to grow from several tens of billions yen to hundreds of billions yen by 2030.

GGG sees this as an opportunity to embrace the expanding Web3.0 trend and produce and sell "Electric Power Asset NFT (Transmission Tower NFT Cards, Utility Pole NFT Cards)" that are based on TEPCO PG's "Transmission Tower Card", which has been primarily used for recruitment purposes.

Furthermore, they plan to collaborate with Digital Entertainment Asset Pte Ltd, which has experience with, and WEB3.0 technical prowess that it has cultivated through, NFT gaming and the NFT market, in order to explore new ways to add value beyond mere ownership of the "Electric Power Asset NFT”.

In producing the electric power asset NFT, TEPCO PG provides photos of facilities that harmonise with the scenery and the stories of each asset from among the electric power assets that it owns, which stretch from the cities to the mountains.

Both the Transmission Tower NFT card and Utility pole NFT card consist 10 types each with different prices and the sales period is until April 30.

-- BERNAMA

CERTIK LAUNCHES SKYNET FOR COMMUNITY WEB3 DUE DILIGENCE TOOL

New York, April 4 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  CertiK, the leading provider of blockchain security solutions, is excited to announce the launch of Skynet for Community, an all-in-one security, due diligence, and insights platform for the Web3 ecosystem. Skynet for Community empowers users, investors, and community members to make informed decisions about Web3 projects by providing a comprehensive set of tools for research, analysis, and monitoring.

With thousands of Web3 projects creating millions of points of data every day, it's easy to get lost in the noise. Skynet for Community’s rich data-driven insights help users to discover new projects, conduct due diligence on projects of interest, and keep up to date on the latest news and developments in the Web3 space. The platform aggregates a vast amount of data into Web3's most accessible due diligence tool.

Skynet for Community puts security front and center, with the Security Leaderboard ranking projects according to their Security Score and market performance. The Verified Teams (KYC) Leaderboard lists and ranks projects based on the status of their CertiK KYC Badge, which is awarded to project teams that undergo a rigorous background investigation.

Skynet for Community evaluates the security of Web3 projects through both manual and automated measures. The platform covers the majority of all Web3 projects using transparent metrics, regardless of their relationship with CertiK. 

Manual Signal Scores are determined by CertiK’s research analysts and security experts, who evaluate factors such as the quality of whitepapers, documentation, and other fundamental aspects of the project. Automatic Signal Scores are calculated in real-time by the underlying software and monitoring systems, which evaluate website cybersecurity, security incidents, and other factors. The signals are weighted based on their severity or potential impact, and the aggregate of qualitative and quantitative insights makes up the project’s final Security Score.

Skynet for Community also includes tools such as Exchange Analyzer, which allows users to conduct due diligence on centralized exchanges by displaying their on-chain asset holdings; Skynet Alerts, a system that provides timely notifications on rugpulls and exploits in the cryptocurrency space; and Wallet Analyzer, which provides insights on wallet addresses and makes it easy to visualize and decipher on-chain transactions between wallets. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=45807

TOSHIBA RELEASES 150V N-CHANNEL POWER MOSFET WITH INDUSTRY-LEADING[1] LOW ON-RESISTANCE AND IMPROVED REVERSE RECOVERY CHARACTERISTICS THAT HELP INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF POWER SUPPLIES

 

Toshiba: TPH9R00CQ5, a 150V N-channel power MOSFET that helps increase the efficiency of power supplies. (Graphic: Business Wire)

KAWASAKI, Japan, March 30 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation ("Toshiba") has launched a 150V N-channel power MOSFET “TPH9R00CQ5,” which uses the latest^[²] generation U-MOSX-H process, for switching power supplies of industrial equipment, such as that used in data centers and communications base stations. Shipments start today.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230329005462/en/ 

TPH9R00CQ5 features an industry-leading^[¹] low drain-source On-resistance of 9.0mΩ (max), approximately a 42% reduction from Toshiba’s existing product, “TPH1500CNH1^[³].” Compared with Toshiba’s existing product “TPH9R00CQH^[⁴],” the reverse recovery charge is reduced by about 74% and the reverse recovery^[⁵]  time by about 44%, both key reverse recovery characteristics for synchronous rectification applications. Used in synchronous rectification applications^[⁶], the new product reduces the power loss of switching power supplies and helps improve efficiency. Furthermore, compared to TPH9R00CQH, the new product reduces spike voltage generated during switching, helping lower the EMI of power supplies.
The product uses the popular, surface-mount-type SOP Advance(N) package.

Toshiba also offers tools that support circuit design for switching power supplies. Alongside the G0 SPICE model, which verifies circuit function in a short time, highly accurate G2 SPICE models, which accurately reproduce transient characteristics, are now available.

 

Toshiba has also developed “1 kW Non-Isolated Buck-Boost DC-DC Converter for Telecommunications Equipment” and “Three-phase Multi Level Inverter using MOSFET” reference designs that utilize the new product. They are available on Toshiba’s website from today. The new product can also be utilized for the already published “1 kW Full-Bridge DC-DC Converter” reference design.

Toshiba will continue to expand its lineup of power MOSFETs that reduce power loss, increase the efficiency of power supplies, and help to improve equipment efficiency. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=45782

TEZOS ACTIVATES 'MUMBAI' UPGRADE ENABLING MORE THAN A MILLION TRANSACTIONS PER SECOND

·  Following Tezos’ latest upgrade, Mumbai, anyone can deploy Smart Rollups, a novel scaling solution.

· Smart Rollups enable the Tezos blockchain to scale beyond one million transactions per second without compromising on decentralization.

· Additionally, developers can now build on Tezos with general purpose programming languages such as Rust, C, and C++. 

BERN, Switzerland, March 30 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Tezos, a pioneering blockchain for Proof-of-Stake consensus and on-chain governance, has activated Mumbai, its thirteenth core protocol upgrade. The Mumbai upgrade introduces Smart Rollups, a new Layer 2 scaling solution built directly into the protocol, which puts Tezos at the forefront of optimistic rollup technology.

Smart Rollups enable decentralized applications (dApps) to benefit from their own dedicated hardware resources in order to process a high amount of transactions, while the integrity and security of the Smart Rollup is guaranteed by the Tezos main chain, or Layer 1.

Due to this approach, the Tezos ecosystem will be able to surpass the milestone of one million transactions per second in 2023 without sacrificing decentralization. 

http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=45779