In August 2022, we’ll begin rolling out Meta accounts: a new way for people to log into their VR headsets that doesn’t require a Facebook account.
Once you create a Meta account, you’ll also need to create a Meta Horizon profile — your social profile in VR.
To control what people can see when they view your Meta Horizon profile, we’re introducing three privacy options: Open to Everyone, Friends and Family, and Solo.
Today, Mark Zuckerberg introduced Meta accounts: a new way for people to log into their VR headsets that doesn’t require a Facebook account. Starting in August 2022, if you’re new to Meta VR devices or have previously merged your Oculus account with your Facebook account, you’ll need to create a Meta account and Meta Horizon profile. If you’ve been logging into your VR device with your Oculus account, you can continue to do so until January 1, 2023, at which point you’ll need to create a Meta account and Meta Horizon profile to continue using your Meta VR device.
Your Meta account is not a social media profile; it lets you log into your VR devices and view and manage your purchased apps in one place. In the future, we’ll extend Meta account functionality so you can use it to log into other Meta devices.
You can also add your Meta account to the same Accounts Center as your Facebook or Instagram account to unlock connected experiences across Meta technologies — like finding your Facebook friends to play games with in VR or chatting with friends on Messenger. And if you don’t want to use your Facebook or Instagram account in VR, you don’t have to.
Meta Horizon Profile
After you finish creating a Meta account, you’ll be prompted to create a Meta Horizon profile. Your Meta Horizon profile is your social profile in VR and other surfaces, like from a web browser. You can customize how you appear to others — as a gamer or as your buttoned-up 9-to-5 persona. You can choose your Meta Horizon profile username that’s unique to you (e.g. WarriorMama365), the profile name that will be displayed to others while you’re in VR (e.g. Monique Smith), your profile photo, avatar and more. You can create one Meta Horizon profile per Meta account.
Your Oculus friends will become your followers, similar to how it works on Instagram. This update provides more ways to be social and connect with others. You can choose whether to share your active status and activity updates, like the apps you own and your achievements, with your followers. If you already own a Meta VR headset, your Oculus friends will automatically become your followers and you’ll follow them back by default. You can choose to unfollow anyone or remove followers at any time.
Privacy Controls
We want to let you control who you interact with in VR and build your own community. As part of this update, you’ll now find a menu with three privacy options to help guide you through which privacy settings are the best fit for you: Open to Everyone, Friends and Family, and Solo. After you make your selection, you’ll have the opportunity to review and confirm your individual privacy settings are set the way you want them. You can change these settings at any time.
As part of these privacy settings, you have the option to set your Meta Horizon profile to private, which means you’ll be asked to review and approve follower requests. If you choose this option, only your followers can see who you follow and who follows you. Keep in mind that people who don’t follow you will still be able to view your profile picture, avatar, username, display name, follower count and the number of people you follow. People can also still search for your name or username and send you follow requests.
People between the ages of 13 and 17 will have their Meta Horizon profiles set to private by default.
To propel Intel’s global manufacturing buildout — the biggest investments in company history — Intel has brought to Arizona what its maker calls the world’s most powerful conventional crawler crane. Think 3,000 tons of lifting capacity — the weight of about 428 large adult male elephants. Think a maximum hoisting height of 774 feet — more than twice the height of New York’s Statue of Liberty.
The monster machine is Buckner HeavyLift Cranes’ Liebherr Model LR 13000, which has been assembled and tested, and is now ready for work at Intel’s Ocotillo campus in Chandler, Arizona. The LR 13000 with its twin diesel engines — so even if one fails at an inopportune time, a second one is still chugging away — will soon begin hefting skyward the first of 36 steel trusses to create the superstructure for Intel’s new Fab 52. Each roof truss weighs at least 150 tons (or 21 of those elephants).
The $30 million LR 13000 helping Intel in Ocotillo is one of only six on Earth. After it was manufactured in Germany, it was broken down and transported on a dedicated ship that crossed the Atlantic Ocean and passed through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles, then loaded aboard 170 flatbed trucks for the journey east to Arizona. Assembling all the parts took about a month.
Once the heavy lifts are complete for Fab 52, the LR 13000 will crawl over to the nearby Fab 62 site to begin working there. Topping out at 1.3 km/hour, it moves at a fraction of a normal adult’s walking speed.
Intel’s new twin Arizona fabs, a roughly $20 billion total investment, are scheduled to start chip production in 2024.
At Chandler Traditional Academy, less than a mile from the LR 13000, children can see the crane through their classroom windows. The school recently held a “Name the Crane” contest, with the winning third-grader dubbing the big machine “Skyreacher.”
When Intel is through with Skyreacher, the yellow and red behemoth will be taken apart, put back on flatbeds and sent off — to parts still unknown — for its next mega construction job.
The championship marks the first GKA event with Qatar Airways as Title Partner and Official Airline
Event featured the Qatar Tourism GKA Kite Expo Tarifa where fans got a taste of the kitesurf experience from Fuwairit’s Kite Beach Resort in Doha
DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways, the Official Airline Partner and Title Partner of the GKA Kite World Tour, celebrated the launch of the Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championships, the airline’s first official event as part of their sponsorship with GKA. The championship took place in Tarifa, Spain, hosting 72 elite big air athletes for three days of competition, the world-class Visit Qatar Kite Expo and the annual Qatar Airways GKA Awards ceremony.
The event marked the first official world titles for Big Air Kiteboarding, with three men and two women athletes crowned champions across the disciplines of twintip, strapless and hydrofoil. Andrea Principi of Italy (twintip), Airton Cozzolino of Italy (strapless) and Charles Brodel of France (hydrofoil) took home the men’s titles, with Mikaili Sol of Brazil (twintip) and Capucine Delannoy of France (strapless) named women’s world champions (as there was no women’s hydrofoil division this year).
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, and Qatar Tourism Chairman, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We have kicked off a partnership that we have been looking forward to since our special signing ceremony at Qatar’s very own Fuwairit Kite Beach. It is the perfect start to the Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Tour, crowning big air world titles to well-deserving kitesurfers, and celebrating the best riders of the year with the Qatar Airways GKA Awards 2022. We hold travel and sport very dearly to our hearts and this partnership with GKA gives us the opportunity to bring people together by connecting these two worlds.”
“GKA is flying high with the success of the Qatar Airways GKA Big Air World Championships,” said Dr. Jörgen Vogt, Secretary General of the Global Kitesports Association. “As we put on this historic top-tier championship, Qatar Airways has been an integral part of our success, and we look forward to working with them at future events.”
The Qatar Airways GKA Annual Awards ceremony recognised and celebrated multiple kitesport athletes’ achievements of the past year. Discover Qatar Senior Vice President, Steven Reynolds, distributed the five awards to the winners. This year’s distinguished award recipients included Giel Vlugt (NLD), Male Rider of the Year and Men’s Best Move, while Mikaili Sol also won two awards herself, Female Rider of the Year and Women’s Best Move of the Year. The Best Social Contribution of the Year went to Willow-River Tonkin (MRU) and the Rookie of the Year was picked up by 12 year-old Finn Flugel (DEU). Recipients were awarded based on fan votes combined with specialist industry votes from around the world.
Additionally, the championships hosted the Visit Qatar Kite Expo which featured the Fuwairit Kite Beach Resort stand where over 30,000 international fans participated in activities, learned more about the new state-of-the-art kite beach resort in Fuwairit, Qatar, and engaged with Qatar Airways’ award-winning cabin crew who were present on-ground.
The GKA Kite World Tour continues year-round and will visit many of Qatar Airways’ global destinations including Brazil, Germany, Maldives, and Morocco. Qatar Airways ever-expanding network of more than 150 destinations will connect fans through Doha, Qatar to the world.
Qatar Airways, the Official Airline Partner and Title Partner, and Qatar Tourism, the Official Tourism Partner of the GKA Kite World Tour, look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to experience a unique offering in 2023, during the Visit Qatar Freestyle World Cup, which will be hosted at the new, world-class beach resort in Fuwairit in 2023.
For more information on the Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour schedule, please visit gkakiteworldtour.com.
About Qatar Tourism:
Qatar Tourism is the official government body responsible for the development and promotion of tourism in Qatar, facilitating the sector’s exponential growth. Qatar is a destination where people of the world come together to experience unique offerings in arts, culture, sports, and adventure, catering to family and business visitors, rooted in Service Excellence. Qatar Tourism seeks to boost the entire tourism value chain, grow local and international visitor demand, attract inward investment, and drive a multiplier effect across the domestic economy. The Qatar Tourism Strategy 2030 sets an ambitious target to attract over six million international visitors a year by 2030, making Qatar the fastest growing destination in the Middle East.
Web: visitqatar.com
Twitter: @VisitQatar
Instagram: @VisitQatar
About Fuwairit Kite Beach Resort:
FKB (Fuwairit Kite Beach) is a purpose-built kitesurfing resort an hour north of Doha and Hamad International Airport on the shores of the Arabian Gulf. FKB will be a paradise for kitesurfing enthusiasts and those trying for the first time thanks to a natural lagoon, warm water and consistently ideal wind. Run in partnership with Hilton Hotels, FKB is destined to become an icon of the sport and a must visit holiday destination for adventure seekers the world over.
Web: fkb.qa
Facebook: FuwairitKiteBeach
Instagram: fuwairit_kite_beach
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was announced as the ‘Airline of the Year’ at the 2021 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. It was also named ‘World’s Best Business Class’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Seat’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Onboard Catering’ and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’. The airline continues to stand alone at the top of the industry having won the main prize for an unprecedented sixth time (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021).
Qatar Airways currently flies to more than 150 destinations worldwide, connecting through its Doha hub, Hamad International Airport, voted by Skytrax as the ‘World’s Best Airport’.
For further information, please contact:
Qatar Airways Group, Corporate Communications Department
Multi-year partnership confirmed from Season 9 of the all-electric series
YOKOHAMA, Japan – Nissan and McLaren Racing announced last week a multi-year technical collaboration, which will commence at the beginning of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season.
With McLaren Racing confirming its participation in the sport from Season 9 of the all-electric series, the partnership will see the Japanese automaker supply its Nissan EV powertrain technology to the famous British team for the entirety of the Formula E Gen3 era.
This new agreement with McLaren is in addition to Nissan’s direct involvement in the highly anticipated Gen3 homologation of the sport. As a world-leading expert in the design and manufacture of exciting all-electric vehicles, and following the recent acquisition of e.dams, Nissan will also continue to compete in Formula E with its own factory team.
Through this relationship, Nissan and McLaren Racing will work closely together as they compete with other successful brands in one of the most challenging and technically advanced racing series in the world.
“Our new partnership with McLaren Racing will be a powerful one, as the association will inspire collaboration and knowledge sharing,” said Ashwani Gupta, Nissan’s chief operating officer. “The pioneering spirit and drive to innovate are characteristics Nissan and McLaren Racing share, making them an ideal partner for us in Formula E and as we continue to electrify our vehicles.”
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said: “As we are shaping the team for its first season as McLaren in Formula E, we are naturally seeking the best partnerships and opportunities on every front – with the technical aspect being one of the key areas. Nissan have proven their knowledge, craft and commitment over the last four seasons in Formula E, and heading into the Gen3 era, we have full confidence that the collaboration will bring both parties much success. This will be a true partnership that will drive both the team’s performance and the development of the Nissan Formula E powertrain technology.”
Tommaso Volpe, general manager, Nissan Formula E, and managing director, Nissan e.dams Formula E Team, also commented: “We are proud to announce this multi-year deal with a great motorsports brand such as McLaren Racing. Our partnership begins next season with Formula E’s exciting new Gen3 regulations, which will see the performance of the all-electric race cars reach incredible new heights. At Nissan, we are in Formula E not only to race, but also to showcase to a diverse range of viewers just how impressive, powerful, and efficient our electric vehicles are. And our collaboration with McLaren will provide us with even more opportunities to accelerate the development of our technology and showcase it to fans all over the world.”
Nissan races in this all-electric world championship to bring the excitement and fun of zero-emission electric vehicles to a global audience. As part of its goal to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations and the life cycle of its products by 2050, Nissan intends to electrify every all-new vehicle offering by the early 2030s in key markets. The Japanese automaker aims to bring its expertise in transferring knowledge and technology between the racetrack and road for better electric vehicles for customers.
About Nissan in Formula E
Nissan made its all-electric racing debut in Season 5 (2018/19) of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, becoming the first and only Japanese manufacturer to enter the series.
In Season 7 (2020/21), Nissan announced its long-term involvement in Formula E and its commitment to the Gen3 era, which will run from Season 9 (2022/23) and through to the end of Season 12 (2025/26) of the all-electric racing series.
In April 2022, Nissan announced the acquisition of the e.dams race team, with the Japanese automaker taking full ownership of its involvement in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
For the current season (Season 8), highly successful veteran, Sébastien Buemi, remains with the team for his fourth season, having joined Nissan e.dams since the start of its Formula E journey in 2018. The Swiss racer partners with rising star Maximilian Günther, who joined the team in September 2021. The German driver has previously demonstrated great pace in the championship with three race victories and a second-place podium.
The team continues to link its presence in the all-electric championship to Nissan’s road EVs. Buemi races once more in his #23 Nissan Ariya, named after the Japanese manufacturer’s all-new electric crossover SUV. Günther takes over the #22 Nissan LEAF, named after the brand’s well-known EV, first launched in 2010.
Nissan is a world-leading expert in the design and manufacture of exciting all-electric vehicles. With close to 600,000 Nissan LEAF vehicles sold since the model debuted in 2010, Nissan made use of its existing EV experience to develop its Formula E race car.
In turn, the lessons learned on the racetrack help shape the next generations of EVs from the Japanese car maker, with the stylish, high-performance Ariya all-electric crossover SUV which launched in 2021.
About McLaren Racing
McLaren Racing was founded by New Zealand racing driver Bruce McLaren in 1963. The team entered its first Formula 1 race in 1966, since when McLaren has won 20 Formula 1 world championships, more than 180 Formula 1 grands prix, the Indianapolis 500 three times, and the Le Mans 24 Hours at its first attempt.
The team competes in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship with Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, the INDYCAR Series with Arrow McLaren SP drivers Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist, and the Extreme E Championship with Emma Gilmour and Tanner Foust. McLaren will compete in Season Nine of the FIA Formula E World Championship in 2022/23.
McLaren was the first F1 team to be awarded the Carbon Trust Standard in 2010 and has retained it since on a bi-annual basis, most recently in February 2021. The team was also the first in F1 to be given the FIA Sustainability Accreditation Award at a three-star level in 2013 as part of the FIA Environmental Certification framework, before becoming a signatory to the UN Sports for Climate Action Commitment in 2021.
The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team arrives at the midway point of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship season at Rally Estonia the first of two back-to-back events on fast gravel roads in the north of Europe.
2022 GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID
Estonia was the scene of Kalle Rovanperä’s maiden WRC victory one year ago. Since then, the young Finn has taken five further victories, including four in the last five events to build a lead of 65 points in the drivers’ championship.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing heads the manufacturers’ standings by 62 points after a historic 1-2-3-4 finish on last month’s Safari Rally Kenya led by Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and TGR WRT Next Generation driver Takamoto Katsuta. Esapekka Lappi will return to the TGR WRT line-up in Estonia alongside Rovanperä and Evans for his fourth start of the season.
Rally Estonia offers a very different challenge to the three previous rounds on gravel, with smooth and fast roads featuring many jumps and crests, although the soft and sandy surface can become rutted for the second pass of each stage.
The rally is based in Tartu, Estonia’s second largest city, and begins on Thursday evening with a short super special next to the service park. Both Friday and Saturday feature a loop of four stages to be run twice either side of mid-day service. Another pass of the super special to round out Saturday’s action and an extended version around the Raadi airfield, run in the opposite direction to last year’s Power Stage, opens two loops of three stages on Sunday. The rally-ending Power Stage once more takes place over the Kambja test, as it did in 2020.
Quotes: Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal) “The result in Kenya was incredible for us but we are now facing a very different challenge for the next two events in Estonia and Finland. Up until now we have been concentrating on reliability, and although we of course want to maintain this, for these smooth and fast rallies we also need to focus on extracting the maximum performance from the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID. It will be a challenge for the drivers as well, because coming from a rough event like the Safari Rally it’s easy to drive too comfortably, and you need to attack from the start of the first stage or you can lose a lot of time. To do this they have to have confidence in the car and their feedback from our pre-event testing has been positive, so we’re looking forward to Estonia and aiming for another strong result.”
Featuring a new, strikingly thin design in four beautiful finishes, larger 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, 1080p HD camera, MagSafe charging, and more
Beginning Friday, July 8, at 4 p.m. UAE, the completely redesigned MacBook Air with M2 will be available to order, and will start arriving to customers later this month. Supercharged by the M2 chip, the all-new MacBook Air features even more performance and a new strikingly thin design, a larger 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, a four-speaker sound system, up to 18 hours of battery life,1 and MagSafe charging. Now available in four gorgeous finishes — midnight, starlight, silver, and space gray — MacBook Air with M2 starts at AED 4,999 and AED 4,579 for education.
New Design Enabled by M2
Completely reimagined around M2, MacBook Air has a new design that is remarkably thin from every angle. With a durable, all-aluminum unibody enclosure that feels incredibly solid and is built to last, it measures just 11.3 millimeters thin, is only 2.7 pounds, and delivers an astonishing 20 percent reduction in volume from the previous generation. And with the power efficiency of M2, all of the capabilities of MacBook Air are built into a silent, fanless design. In addition to silver and space gray, MacBook Air is now available in two stunning new finishes: midnight and starlight.
MagSafe gives users a dedicated charging port that is easy to connect to while protecting MacBook Air when it is plugged in. MacBook Air also features two Thunderbolt ports for connecting a variety of accessories, and a 3.5 mm audio jack with support for high-impedance headphones. Additionally, the Magic Keyboard features a full-height function row with Touch ID, and a spacious, industry-leading Force Touch trackpad.
The new MacBook Air features a beautiful 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, which has been expanded closer to the sides and up around the camera to make room for the menu bar. The result is a larger display with much thinner borders, giving users more screen real estate to view their content in vivid detail. At 500 nits of brightness, it is also 25 percent brighter than before. MacBook Air now supports 1 billion colors, so photos and movies look incredibly vibrant.
Advanced Camera and Audio
MacBook Air includes a new 1080p FaceTime HD camera with twice the resolution and low-light performance of the previous generation. Combined with the processing power of the advanced image signal processor on M2, users will look great on video calls.
MacBook Air also features a four-speaker sound system. To fit inside such a thin design, the speakers and mics are completely integrated between the keyboard and display — all while delivering an even better audio experience. A three-mic array captures clean audio using advanced beamforming algorithms, while the speakers produce improved stereo separation and vocal clarity. MacBook Air also supports immersive Spatial Audio for music and movies with Dolby Atmos.
More Performance with M2
The M2 chip starts the next generation of Apple silicon for the Mac, taking the breakthrough performance, power efficiency, and capabilities of M1 even further. From multitasking to creating captivating images, MacBook Air with M2 is everything users could want in the world’s best-selling notebook.
MacBook Air with M2 features a more powerful 8-core CPU and up to 10-core GPU, so users can get more done faster.
With 100GB/s of unified memory bandwidth and support for up to 24GB of fast unified memory, it can handle even larger and more complex workloads.
M2 also adds a next-generation media engine with a powerful ProRes video engine for hardware-accelerated encode and decode, so MacBook Air with M2 can play back more streams of 4K and 8K video than before.
With M2, intensive workloads like editing complex timelines in Final Cut Pro are nearly 40 percent faster than the previous generation,2 and up to 15x faster for customers who haven’t upgraded to Apple silicon.3
Applying filters and effects in apps like Adobe Photoshop is up to 20 percent faster than before,2 and up to 5x faster for customers who haven’t yet upgraded to Apple silicon.3
And even with a larger display and increased performance, MacBook Air delivers the same great all-day battery life as before, with up to 18 hours of video playback.
Only with Apple silicon can there be this combination of performance and capabilities in such a thin and light notebook in a fanless design.
More Charging Options
MacBook Air offers a number of charging options, including an all-new 35W compact power adapter with two USB-C ports, so users can charge two devices at once. And for the first time, MacBook Air supports fast charging for up to 50 percent in just 30 minutes with an optional 67W USB-C power adapter.4
macOS Monterey
With macOS Monterey, MacBook Air offers Continuity tools like Universal Control that make it easy for users to work effortlessly across Mac and iPad. FaceTime includes Portrait mode and Spatial Audio to make calls feel more natural and lifelike, and SharePlay enables Mac users to have shared experiences through FaceTime.5 Live Text and Visual Look Up use intelligence to surface useful information, Safari includes powerful tab organization with Tab Groups, and Shortcuts brings the ease of automation to the Mac.
Coming this fall, macOS Ventura will take full advantage of M2, delivering new features including Stage Manager, powerful new capabilities with Continuity Camera, and Handoff coming to FaceTime. macOS Ventura also includes big updates to Safari, Mail, Messages, Spotlight, and more.
Designed with the Environment in Mind
The new MacBook Air is minimizing its impact on the environment, now using 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets. It also uses 100 percent recycled aluminum in its enclosure and is the first Apple product to use certified recycled steel. MacBook Air remains free of numerous harmful substances, meets Apple’s high standards for energy efficiency, and uses wood fiber in the packaging that comes from recycled sources or responsibly managed forests. Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations, and by 2030, plans to have net-zero climate impact across the entire business, which includes manufacturing supply chains and all product life cycles. This means that every Mac Apple creates, from design to manufacturing, will be 100 percent carbon neutral.
Pricing and Availability
The all-new MacBook Air will be available to order worldwide starting Friday, July 8, at 4 p.m UAE on apple.com/ae/store and in the Apple Store app. It will start arriving to customers, and in select Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, later this month.
MacBook Air with M2, available in midnight, starlight, silver, and space gray, starts at AED4,999 and AED4,579 for education. Additional technical specifications are available at apple.com/ae/macbook-air-m2.
Additional technical specifications and details on Apple accessories — including the 30W USB-C Power Adapter for AED 149, 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter for AED 229, 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter for AED 229 compatible with the World Travel Adapter Kit for AED 119, and the 67W USB-C Power Adapter for AED 229— are available at apple.com/ae/mac. The 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter is available to customers in Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and the US.
Every customer who buys a Mac from Apple can enjoy a free Online Personal Session with an Apple Specialist, get their product set up in select stores including help with data transfer, and receive guidance on how to make their new Mac work the way they want.
With Apple Trade In, customers can trade in their current computer and get credit toward a new Mac. Customers can visit apple.com/ae/shop/trade-in to see what their device is worth.
AppleCare+ for Mac provides expert technical support and additional hardware coverage from Apple, including up to two incidents of accidental damage protection every 12 months, each subject to a fee.
NFT collection of 3D aircraft models will provide owners with benefits and support procurement of sustainable fuel
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, today announced the upcoming release of the airline’s first non-fungible token (NFT) collection, ‘EY-ZERO1’.
The utility-driven series features ten highly detailed 3D aircraft models, each one showcasing a unique Etihad Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner livery. A total of 2003 limited-edition collectibles, symbolising the year when Etihad Airways was established, will go on sale at 6pm UAE time on 21 July. The collectibles include Etihad’s Manchester City FC and Greenliner-themed aircraft, among others.
“We’re excited to launch our first NFT collection, EY-ZERO1, which not only offers collectors, aviation enthusiasts and travellers a unique work of art, but provides real-world travel and lifestyle benefits with Etihad Airways,” said Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group.
“NFTs and other metaverse technologies are revolutionising the digital economy, and we are proud to be one of the first airlines in the world to explore their potential to provide additional utility for our customers.”
Purchasing an NFT will give owners immediate Etihad Guest Silver tier membership for one year, with 10 lucky NFT holders winning complimentary flight tickets with Etihad. NFT owners will also be given advance access to upcoming NFT collections as well as future metaverse products which the airline has planned as part of its Web3 strategy.
To celebrate the new collection, Etihad will be giving away 20 NFTs to people who pre-register on etihad.com/zero1 by 16 July. Each NFT will be priced at US$349 plus tax on etihad.arcube.io, and the sale will close on 18 August at 6pm UAE time.
The NFTs will also be available to purchase through the Etihad Guest Reward Shop, meaning the airline’s 7 million loyalty programme members can redeem their Etihad Guest Miles to acquire an NFT.
EY-ZERO1 is set to be minted on the energy-efficient Polygon blockchain, and Etihad Airways will be partnering with Aerial.is to track the CO2 emissions of the NFTs. In addition to offsetting the entire carbon footprint of the project, the airline will allocate all proceeds from the collection to purchase sustainable aviation fuel in 2022.
“As well as recognising the artistic value of our aircraft liveries, our NFT collection has been designed to be as efficient as possible and support our wider sustainability and decarbonisation efforts at Etihad Airways,” said Mr Douglas.
For more information, follow Etihad’s dedicated NFT Twitter account (@etihadNFT) and Discord channel (https://discord.gg/etihad).
The most advanced camera system powered by MariSilicon X and two outstanding IMX766 flagship sensors as well as iconic Hasselblad Natural Colour Calibration • Flagship SoC platform with superior 5G performance and industry leading 80W SUPERVOOC Flash Charging and 5000mAh battery • Futuristic design with True billion-colour 120Hz display • OPPO’s launch event was held at immersive art experience, Infinity Des Lumières surrounded by masterpieces of future-oriented and futuristic digital art
Dubai, UAE, 23rd June 2022 – OPPO announces the launch of its cutting-edge flagship Find X5 Series, raising the bar on smartphone imaging and premium design.
Bursting with industry-leading highlights, the Find X5 Series boasts a futuristic aesthetic that exudes clean, modern sophistication and world-first imaging experiences. These include a dedicated imaging Neural Processing Unit, which overcomes smartphone video capture’s greatest challenge – nighttime recording. This is matched with an incomparable dual flagship IMX766 camera system, unrivalled performance and ultra-fast 5G connectivity, and incredible SUPERVOOC Flash Charging technology.
Ethan Xue, President of OPPO MEA said, “We are excited to launch the Find X5 Series in the region, supported by a number of strategic partners including Hasselblad, and Dolby Atmos with a launch event at Infinity Des Lumières. The new addition to the Find X Series is the first smartphone series to be powered by OPPO’s MariSilicon X imaging NPU and other industry-leading features. It was only fitting to unveil the Find X5 series to stakeholders at Infinity Des Lumières, creating an immense, futuristic digital experiencewith their current theme of DESTINATION COSMOS, showcasing the vastness of the universe. This synergetic collaboration allowed us to pay homage to Hasselblad’s most iconic moment, being the cameras that were sent to document the historical moment of the first men on the Moon.”
Ashim Mathur, Senior Regional Director, Japan and Emerging Markets, Dolby Laboratories said, “We have had a long-standing relationship with OPPO, and will continue to work together in order to provide a best-in-class on-the-go entertainment experience to consumers. Consumers in UAE can bring the cinematic experience into their pockets and now enjoy the latest shows and movies in Dolby Atmos on the Find X5 Pro. Dolby Atmos creates a detailed, engaging listening experience that connects you more deeply with your favourite entertainment. It makes you feel like you’re inside the story with a rich, expansive sound that flows all around you and reveals every detail.”
4K ULTRA NIGHT VIDEO AND CAPTIVATING PHOTOGRAPHY
Night video presents a major challenge for smartphones, so countless beautiful moments remain either uncaptured or saved in low quality. That’s why OPPO has designed a dedicated imaging NPU, MariSilicon X, to unveil the details at night.
Based on a 6nm process crafted for top-tier imaging performance, the MariSilicon X not only packs the most powerful AI computing power available today, it also runs an advanced AI noise reduction (AINR) algorithm designed by the OPPO Research Institute. This means it can detect and reduce noise in each frame, pixel by pixel, while preserving finer detail, skin tone, colour accuracy.
The result is a four times improvement in perceived night video resolution, less grain and superior colour reproduction, making 4K Ultra Night Video possible for the first time on an Android smartphone, with each frame as clean as a still photo.
Of course, OPPO’s MariSilicon X is just one key element of the Find X5 Pro’s advanced imaging system. The wide and ultra-wide angle cameras both feature Sony’s advanced 50MP IMX766 flagship sensors, with a sensor size of 1/1.56”, 2um large pixel size after binning.
The wide-angle camera also features a first-of-its-kind Five-axis OIS system, which when combined with proprietary algorithms, improves with every use to counter handshake, reduce noise and sharpen scenes. The result is ultra clear snap shots and more stable videos than ever.
With superior 4K Ultra Night Video capturing across wide and ultra-wide cameras, the Find X5 Series boasts the best wide and ultra-wide imaging quality across both stills and videos in the industry.
Working closely with Sony to customise an IMX709 sensor for Find X5 Pro’s front camera, OPPO has integrated MariSilicon X to ensure selfies look better than ever, with more texture and more accurate colour reproduction – even in challenging light conditions. And when more friends jump in the frame, the selfie camera automatically switches from an 80- to a 90-degree wide-angle, making sure nobody’s left out.
The Find X5 Pro also features Hasselblad Natural Colour Calibration in Pro Mode and a range of creative Master filters, bringing iconic natural colour, professional colour profile and style to mobile photography.
FUTURISTIC DESIGN WITH PREMIUM LOOK AND FEEL
The Find X5 Pro embodies a futuristic design to express a sense of calm and timeless beauty that cannot be matched.
The ultra-hard, true ceramic back of the Find X5 Pro is available in Ceramic White and Glaze Black to reflect its clean, modern sophistication at its finest. This seamless ceramic back panel is two times stronger than any conventional glass panel, and double as effective for heat dissipation. And of course, the Find X5 Pro is splash, water, and dust resistant with a IP68 rating.
The Find X5 Pro’s display is just as impressive, featuring a 6.7-inch ultra-clear curved AMOLED screen that continues the gentle curves and flowing lines from the smooth, pristine back, all the way around to the front. With a WQHD+ resolution, and 100% P3 colour gamut coverage, the Find X5 Pro’s 10-bit screen displays more than 1 billion colours, creating smooth tonal and colour gradations, displaying the full depth and range of even the most subtle shifts in colour.
The Find X5 Pro also boosts display performance with the first multi-brightness colour calibration of its kind, creating colours that are consistent, whether you’re looking at the screen under dim artificial light or under a bright summer sky.
Excessive amounts of specific types of light can impact sleep and result in eye strain, so OPPO has introduced an 8192-level screen dimming to the Find X5 Pro, to match pupil adjustment speeds across different lighting conditions. The result is a more comfortable viewing experience, and amongst the most advanced eye care available on a smartphone.
MOST POWERFUL OPPO FLAGSHIP TO DATE
Powered by the latest-generation, multicore Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, the Find X5 Pro is supercharged to handle even the most demanding games and applications. Based on a compact, 4nm manufacturing process, Qualcomm’s integrated 2022 flagship GPU offers 30% higher performance, and 25% more power efficiency than the previous generation, in addition to enhanced AI capabilities.
Despite its class-leading power, OPPO has doubled down on efforts to boost battery life on the Find X5 Pro and level-up power management. The large, 5000mAh dual-cell battery reflects a capacity increase of more than 11 per cent over the Find X3 Pro.
The Find X5 Pro also introduces Battery Health Engine, which helps maintain optimal battery life over a longer period of time – up to 1600 charging cycles, roughly two times the industry standard lifespan.
With the support of enhanced 80W SUPERVOOC Flash-charging technology, the Find X5 Pro can be charged from close to empty to 50 per cent in just 12 minutes, and with 50W AIRVOOC, it powers up to 100 per cent wirelessly in just 47 minutes.
INTELLIGENT AND SECURE
OPPO’s human-centric interface, ColorOS 12.1 is its most beautiful, intuitive and personal experience ever. Combining with Google’s Android 12 operating system, it delivers incredible experiences and class-leading privacy features, while maintaining full access to the Google Play Store and its 3 million+ apps.
For ColorOS 12.1, time has been spent refining the aesthetics, from iconography to patterns, elevated with light and shadow to create a more real, three-dimensional feel. Maintaining the privacy and security of your data – whether personal or for business is also a top priority and a key focus for ColorOS.
With version 12.1, users can easily make the most of their new Find X5 Pro. And when multitasking on your phone alone isn’t enough to get things done, a new Multi-Screen Connect feature enables seamless working across a Windows PC and phone.
Maintaining the privacy and security of your data – whether personal or for business – has always been a top priority and a key focus for ColorOS. These efforts have been recognized by third party organisations including ISO, ePrivacy, and TrustArc. In addition, the Find X5 Pro is the first device in the world to be certified by the most recent version of the MDFPP.
INTRODUCING OPPO’S FIND X5
The Find X5 has an understated, yet ultra-premium finish, with frosted, matte glass and fingerprint-resistant chassis. Available in Black or White, the fine grain of this 90% frosted texture creates a beautiful, almost silky lustre that plays with light and feels incredible in the hand.
The Find X5 also includes the outstanding dual IMX766 camera system, powered by MariSilicon X, 4K Ultra Night Video, Hasselblad Natural Colour Calibration in Pro Mode and creative Master filters, a 6.5” 120Hz billion-colour display, support for 80W SUPERVOOC charging, 30W AIRVOOC wireless charging and more.
MARKET AVAILABILITY
The Find X5 Pro will be available to purchase in store from 23rd June 2022, priced at 3,999 AED and the Find X5 will be priced at 2,999 AED.
Customers who purchase the Find X5 Pro before 30th June 2022 will receive a complimentary OPPO AIRVOOC 50W Wireless Charger and OPPO Watch together worth AED 898 AED. Customers who purchase the Find X5 before 30th June 2022 will receive complimentary OPPO Enco Air wireless earbuds and an OPPO Band.
UAE customers who purchase a Find X5 Series smartphone will enjoy access to the exclusive OPPO Premium Service, including an international warranty, complimentary engineer fee as well as exclusive engineer access and free disinfection service etc.
To celebrate the launch of the Find X5 series, OPPO is inviting customers to participate in the #EmpowerEveryMoment competition to win a Find X5. To enter users are asked to capture their most empowering moments and share with OPPO using the hashtag and tagging @OPPOArabia on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
Gold Wing Road Riders Association founders Paul Hildebrand and Shirley Stevens-Garcia announced last week during Wing Ding opening ceremonies that the organization will be closing. American Honda is saddened by the news and thanks the GWRRA for its dedication to one of Honda’s most iconic models.
Founded in 1977, the GWRRA grew through the heyday of motorcycle touring to the point that it eventually had approximately 80,000 members in 53 countries, and with over 800 active chapters managed by 4,000 volunteer leaders. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, the GWRRA has called itself “the world’s largest single-marque social organization for owners of Honda Gold Wing/Valkyrie motorcycles,” and it adopted the motto “Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge.” A dedicated, family-like group that published its own magazine (Wing World, whose September issue will be the last), the GWRRA worked hard to improve the image of motorcycling and prided itself in being a not-for-profit, nonreligious, non-political organization whose members covered a broad spectrum of backgrounds, but who were unified by a love for owning and riding Honda’s legendary touring model, the Gold Wing.
“We would like to thank our members, vendors and advertisers for 45 years of unwavering support,” said Abel Gallardo, COO of GWRRA. “We truly could not have made it this far without all of you. To our rider-education program, we cannot begin to place a number on the lives touched by your efforts. To our leadership-training and motorist-awareness programs, thank you for educating our members, officers and public to keep our riders safe and enjoying the ride.”
The GWRRA will officially close on July 31. In the interim, it will offer prorated refunds on prepaid memberships.
“For nearly five decades, the GWRRA has set the powersports standard for a grassroots organization based on a single model, and Honda will be forever grateful for the enthusiasm the club’s members demonstrated and generated for the Gold Wing,” said Bill Savino, American Honda Senior Manager of Customer Engagement. “While the GWRRA’s closure is undeniably the end of an era, we want to make sure their members and all Gold Wing enthusiasts know that Honda remains committed to the Gold Wing model and these customers for years to come.”
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About American Honda American Honda Motor Co., Inc., is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and Side-by-Sides in the United States. American Honda’s Powersports Division conducts the sales, marketing and operational activities for these products through independent authorized Honda retail dealers. For more information on Honda products, go to powersports.honda.com.
“Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons” Bows October 18
(Burbank, CA) – Legacies must rise to unearthly challenges as the children of Batman and Superman are charged with saving their famous fathers – and the world – in Batman and Superman:Battle of the Super Sons. Warner Bros. Animation’s first-ever all-CG animated, feature-length film will be available from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack (USA $29.99 SRP; Canada $34.99 SRP), Blu-ray (USA $24.99 SRP; Canada $29.99 SRP) and Digital on October 18, 2022.
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, the PG-13 rated Batman and Superman:Battle of the Super Sons begins as 11-year-old Jonathan Kent discovers he has superpowers, thrusting the half-Kryptonian into the complicated world of Super Heroes and Super-Villains – who are now under attack by a malevolent alien force known as Starro! It’s a race against time as Jonathan must join forces with assassin-turned-Boy-Wonder Damian Wayne to rescue their fathers (Superman & Batman) and save the planet by becoming the Super Sons they were destined to be!
Jack Dylan Glazer (Shazam!, Luca, It) and Jack Griffo (The Thundermans) lead the voice cast as Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne, respectively. The supporting cast features Troy Baker (The Last of Us, Batman: The Long Halloween) as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Travis Willingham (Critical Role, Sofia The First) as Superman/Clark Kent, Laura Bailey (The Legend of Vox Machina, Naruto: Shippûden) as Lois Lane, Darin De Paul (Overwatch, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge) as Lex Luthor & Starro, Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Green Arrow & Penguin, Zeno Robinson (Big City Greens, Pokémon) as Jimmy Olsen & Melvin Masters, Nolan North (Uncharted video game franchise, Young Justice, Pretty Little Liars) as Jor-El, and Myrna Velasco (DC Super Hero Girls, Star Wars Resistance) as Wonder Girl & Lara.
Matt Peters (Justice League Dark: Apokolips War) directs Batman and Superman:Battle of the Super Sons from a script penned by Jeremy Adams (Mortal Kombat Legends franchise). Producer is Jim Krieg (Batman: Gotham By Gaslight) and Supervising Producer is Rick Morales (Injustice, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders). Executive Producer is Michael Uslan. Sam Register is Executive Producer.
Batman and Superman:Battle of the Super Sons – Special Features (4K, Blu-ray and Digital)
Rival Sons: Jonathan and Damian (New Featurette) – Legacies collide as Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne set aside their differences, forming an unlikely alliance to save the world.
