Turkey's first virtual reality center to become technology hub for entrepreneurs
by Timur Sırt
ISTANBULJan 30, 2016 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Timur Sırt
Jan 30, 2016 12:00 am
The first virtual reality center in Turkey was set up with cooperation between Crytek and Bahçeşehir University. It will become a technology hub where VR developers and entrepreneurs work with innovative ideas
With its CryEngine technology, Crytek, a prominent company in the gaming sector, opened a technological center at Istanbul's Bahçeşehir University (BAU) for innovative virtual reality (VR) developers and entrepreneurs, as part of the VR First program. Expected to develop significantly in the next 10 years, virtual reality technology is thought to reach a market value of $30 billion by 2020. Crytek's technology plays a key role in VR development, and will shape both content and software. The launch of the VR center happened last week. The collaboration between Crytek and the university aims to show the potential of VR technology, create awareness and design all professional software necessary for VR developers. Based in the university's Galata Campus, the center will be the place where new projects will be designed with the support of AMD, Logitech and MSI, and through the use of advanced CryEngine technology, VR tools and high-tech software.
Collaboration platform
Prior to a VR technology event in Los Angeles, Cevat Yerli, CEO and the founder of Crytek, came to Istanbul for the launch event. "We are proud to make the first step of VR First program in Turkey at BAU. Through the knowledge that the center will offer and the collaborations with other academic institutions from home and abroad, we aim to create projects with students, developers and researchers on VR technology," he said in his opening speech. Today's VR technology allows users to experience unique and powerful experiences through CryEngine, Yerli said. "We are excited to see what VR developers will introduce by using all opportunities here during the project phase," he said.
First center for VR
An international education institution with its campuses and centers in different countries around the world, BAU will be the first center focusing on VR in this region. Enver Yücel, the chairman of the board of trustees at BAU, said: "VR technology will be inevitable in many fields, primarily in education." The two institutions will exchange expertise on game design and development as an intersection of their goals, and they will work on research and development geared toward simulations and experiences, including games for the health sciences and education industry, with projects called Serious Games. The syllabus will be developed together, while know-how transfer and research and development will be a vital impetus, not only for those institutions but also for Turkey to learn the industry, produce and further develop. For more details about VR First, visit the website vrfirst.cryengine.com
Istanbul: The new digital 'dot' on the Internet
Istanbul, one of the most crowded cities of the world, took a new step to create its own original domain name on the Internet. The senior domain names ".ist" and ".istanbul," which will be used in website addresses, were introduced to the press as well as the world by Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Kadir Topbaş this week. The investment on new domain names, which is expected to grow with various content, might be a stepping stone toward increasing digital content created in Turkey. At the press conference, Topbaş said their application, which was submitted almost three years ago, has finalized. He said they transferred Istanbul's strong brand value on to the digital platform, and will bring world-renowned people and management together in Istanbul. Topbaş stressed the importance of being a city which has a domain name, similar to cities such as New York, Berlin, Tokyo, London and Rome, and said that Istanbul is the only city in Turkey and the region which had applied for a domain name of its own. Topbaş said that the domain names ".ist" and ".istanbul" are open to officially registered world brands, and they will be opened for government institutions, foundations, associations and nongovernmental organizations starting from March 1. The domain names will be open for individual applications after May 10. Vice president of ICANN, David Olive spoke at the press conference, and said many people in the world are familiar with Istanbul and soon people will also know about Istanbul on digital platforms. Olive said hundreds of new domain names have circulated on the Internet. The very first sites that received ".ist" and ".istanbul" domain names, "www.ibb.istanbul" and www.kadirtopbas.istanbul, were also introduced to the press.
Hoverboard: The usual suspect
Hoverboard, which was the most popular item of the Christmas shopping season in the U.S., is on the dock again. The electric skateboard-like vehicles have been featured in the media. These cute toys, which are risky due to their lithium-ion batteries, which occasionally, if rarely, catch fire, are not the usual suspects. When we first saw electric skateboards running around at CES 2016 Fair, we were shocked. However, hoverboards were banned on the second day of the crowded fair due to accidents. These accidents were not the only incidents in which hoverboards were involved.
The price tag for the hoverboards sold at the Chinese stalls at CES 2016 dropped to $250. But when they told me that the skateboards cannot be taken on board or even on the baggage section of the plane, I decided not to buy one. The price of the hoverboards ranges from $300 to $900. They can be used in places with 20 degrees inclination. There are also hoverboards that can be used as Bluetooth speakers. Their prices changes according to their battery capacities, as well as their abilities for different moves.
Marshall Plan for a digital platform
As a part of its "Open cloud server for everybody for benefit to society" strategy, Microsoft has announced its new philanthropy project Philanthropies. A transition, similar to the Marshall Plan that was introduced in 1947 at Harvard University, is now carried out by informatics companies on global digital platforms. The $1 billion donation plan offered by the U.S. to be used for the reconstruction of Europe between 1948 and 1951, sparked debate around the world. Almost 70 years after the Marshall Plan, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadell announced Microsoft will provide $1 billion worth free cloud service to more than 70,000 NGOs, universities and non-commercial associations in the next three years. As a part of the plan, Microsoft will provide cloud service to nongovernmental organizations, Microsoft Azure for 900 university researchers, and high-speed internet connection to over 20 associations in 15 different countries. "Philanthropy is a start, but to truly harness the public cloud for public good, businesses, governments and nongovernmental organizations must come together with a shared vision and relentless passion to improve the human condition and drive new growth equally," Nadell said. He added: "Last fall, world leaders at the United Nations adopted 17 sustainable development goals to tackle some of the toughest global problems by 2030, including poverty, hunger, health and education. A careful read of those goals reveals the central role that data and cloud computing must play for analysis and action."
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