With 40 percent of UAE workers already exploring generative AI, the nation stands as a beacon of tech adoption, far surpassing the global average, say a report.

From the metaverse allowing virtual experiences to the use of AI in training, Jamaica is at the forefront of integrating technology into its tourism sector, the minister tells TRENDS.

The company launched AI-infused chatbots with personalities at the gathering, along with tools for creating images or written content using spoken prompts. It has been seen as lagging rivals like Microsoft and Google, which have pushed out generative AI products and invested heavily in the technology seen as a force...

"Multi-carrier aggregation is a proven method to enhance both the peak and average throughputs of wireless networks. This deployment underscores our unwavering commitment to the UAE's vision of fostering greater technological and innovative integration in every facet of our lives in the country," he adds.

XR technologies -- encompassing AR, VR, and MR -- are rapidly gaining traction across diverse sectors in the Gulf region, including academic, entertainment, and gaming.

MENA region boasts one of the highest shares of gaming mobile app downloads, accounting for 50 percent compared to the global average of 40 percent, says a latest BCG report.

A new-generation Quest 3 with improved performance and slimmed design will be available later this year at a starting price of $500. Zuckerberg described the coming model as Meta's "most powerful headset yet" and promised it would provide the best wireless way to experience mixed and virtual reality.

All eyes are on whether Apple will commit to releasing long-rumored VR or augmented reality (AR) "goggles" at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, with programmers and software companies eager to get a jump start on providing content. Apple chief Tim Cook fueled the speculation this week in a...

Organizations across the Kingdom are witnessing major DX impact in customer satisfaction, cost efficiencies, and data-driven insights, an IDC executive tells TRENDS.

The UAE is poised to become a hub for blockchain firms and startups, and a leading example for the rest of the world to follow. As we continue to innovate and build the ecosystem, the robust and consistent rules that are being laid out will make UAE a leading blockchain...

As the industrial metaverse ramps up, its impact will be far reaching beyond the industrial realm. It will create a direct impact on human lives through advanced healthcare, digital human avatars, human longevity, virtual surgical operations, Experimental Medicine and more, he adds.

Industries in the region may use metaverse interchangeably. However, there is no specific way to know which sector will benefit the most from the latest technology, says an expert.

Dubai, UAE--Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) unveiled the “DIFC Metaverse Platform” to attract technology innovators from around the world. The platform is part of a comprehensive strategy being developed by Dubai International Financial Centre, the leading global financial centre in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, to...

The region remains cautious as it takes a strategic approach to invest in the technology by focusing on experimentation and finding suitable business use cases, says an expert.

Agile brands, especially luxury ones with sizeable marketing budgets, have readily tapped into the metaverse, creating exclusive NFTs and new revenue streams, says an expert.

Immersive technologies that can better lives, whether helping people treat dementia or learn to pilot fighter jets, is the future of the metaverse, virtual reality startups say.

Las Vegas, United States--Allowing the driver of an autonomous vehicle to watch a movie, a dealer to sell automobiles from a "virtual" car lot, or an engineer to simulate how a new part fits: the auto industry is getting a tantalizing taste of the metaverse at the huge CES technology show....

Through Dubai Metaverse Strategy, the emirate looks to create 40,000 virtual jobs and add $4 billion to the economy over the next five years.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, who is also Dubai’s Higher Committee of Future Technology Development and Digital Economy Chairman, said this while approving the new phase of the Dubai Metaverse Strategy aimed at enhancing the digital economy and implement measures to empower the use of future technologies.

The ADGM Arbitration Centre has launched the world’s-first service that hosts mediation in the metaverse. Interestingly, it was one of the focuses of Dubai event held in May.

The new virtual training environments allow the creation of a fully realised world that can be manipulated to appeal to the learning style of a specific individual. Which means that learners not only absorb and retain information faster, they get far more pleasure and enjoyment from the process, he adds.

Nearly 32 percent of respondents to a TRENDS poll saw metaverse as a good investment for GCC businesses, as two biggest economies in the region invest heavily in this sector.

The biggest announcement from this week's Meta Connect event -- the company's giant's annual conference focused on virtual reality -- was the launch of the much anticipated Meta Quest Pro VR headset, targeted at professionals in creative fields. But there were also legs -- as in, legs for user avatars...

Meta said it is partnering with Microsoft and others to tune popular business and productivity software to virtual worlds using Quest Pro. Capabilities being worked on include using Quest Pro during virtual meetings on the Microsoft Teams platform, according to the two companies.

Luxury goods business in the MENA region is seeing a reorganization, surprising market experts, as homegrown brands challenge the hegemony of high-end Western labels.

The move marks a significant achievement for the Group

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has confirmed its participation at the 42nd GITEX Technology Week, to be held from October 10- 14 2022 at the Dubai World Trade Center.

The facility will enable clients globally to conduct meetings via a virtual platform, offering a unique and semi-realistic experience.

In a project launched at Dubai's gleaming Museum of the Future, it announced that the UAE's economy ministry was setting up shop inside the immersive virtual world that is now taking shape. Those who don their virtual reality goggles or use other means to venture within will find a ministry...

Participants were taken on an immersive space journey to a detailed metaverse city on the Red Planet.

CIOs should consider new possibilities enabled by graphene-based technologies and start to identify emerging suppliers. While elements of business composability are already practiced, there are opportunities for CIOs to take it to the next level and prepare for the flexibility of disposable technology, he adds.

As many as seven side sessions were held on the first of the two-day specialized sessions on Metaverse.

The metaverse, Beyond Fantasy, the latest in a series of new reports from the company running under the ‘Blue Shift’ banner, explores the impact of new technologies on business, society and humans.

Adoption of metaverse technologies is part of the UAE government's strategy to diversify its economy away from oil as the country focuses on innovation and talent development.

Property developers are imitating their peers in retail and hospitality and catering to the tech savvy Gen Z tenants and homeowners with more personalized products and services.

There was not yet talk of online life moving to virtual worlds when a "far-fetched" musing by Google co-founder Larry Page prompted Street View, which lets users of the company's free navigation service see imagery of map locations from the perspective of being there. Now the metaverse is a tech-world...

Many risks companies face in the real world exist in the metaverse, albeit with a digital twist, requiring insurance players to come up with a new set of liability policies.

Dubai is already home to more than 1,000 companies in the metaverse and blockchain sector.

The assembly will host more than 300 global experts, policymakers, thought leaders, and decision-makers from more than 40 organizations.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, Monday launched the Dubai Metaverse Strategy that aims to turn Dubai into one the world’s top 10 metaverse economies as well as a global hub for the metaverse community. The strategy aims...

As a multidimensional world extending the physical realities of our current 4D world, it is rather a product of the different waves of digitization and internet development that started in the 90s, adds Blanchard.

The region's gaming industry is estimated to be worth $5 billion by 2025 with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the growth closely followed by Egypt and Qatar.

The metaverse version -- where players largely do the same thing but can earn cryptocurrency rewards and buy extra kit for their avatars -- has only opened to the public for special events.

To expand and upgrade the metaverse, 6G, Wi-Fi 6, and edge computing capabilities will be critical. Just as the internet created safety, privacy, and security challenges, the metaverse will add even more challenges, he says.

TRENDS takes an in-depth look at how the regional govts are reshaping their policies to make the technological ecosystem more lucrative and useful for metaverse and blockchain.

The Gulf countries still need to develop more laws since the use of Metaverse and Blockchain will expand in only some regions, something that "undermines the idea of a single, cohesive region in this sector, he adds.

Payment on metaverse will take place through cryptocurrencies. NFTs and virtual goods will become popular once metaverse becomes mainstream. Therefore, it is curcial for the metaverse that NFTs and virtual property be implemented. Additionally, banks will need to accept cryptocurrency as a form of payment for these products.

Virtual fashion and technologies will enable us to reduce our carbon footprints and the strain on the planet. Fashion firms can now design a new digital fashion collection for the audience, which they can show and launch in the virtual domain on virtual models without producing additional waste and clothes,...

Firms in the region are now offering better participation, levels of cooperation and communication to their staff through productive workspaces in virtual offices. TRENDS takes a look at the some of the UAE's metaverse initiatives.

Meta on Friday said that it is adding the ability to easily socialize in virtual reality with an update to its Quest 2 headsets in another step toward the metaverse. The tweak heading for the latest model Quest from Meta-owned Oculus will let wearers hop into virtual settings with friends,...