News

The Philippines ranks 10th for 5G median download speeds in APEC region

With speeds of up to 182.50 Mbps

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The 5G rollout in the Philippines is off to a good start. The latest report by Ookla ranks the Philippines in the 10th spot for median 5G download speeds in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region for Q3 2020.

Considering that the Philippines always places last when it comes to mobile download speeds, this is a rather big improvement. For Q3 2020, the country has a median speed of 182.50 Mbps. This puts it firmly on the 10th spot behind Hong Kong (192.94 Mbps), and ahead of Singapore (92.65 Mbps), and even the US (64.11 Mbps).

In the same quarter also, the country’s median download speed over 4G was 9.36 Mbps. Doing the math, 5G speeds are almost 20 times faster than 4G in that quarter alone.

The Philippines, however, has the lowest time spent in 5G for the whole region. Overall, Filipinos only spent 1.1% in 5G which is a stark contrast to the US and South Korea’s 14.8%.

Ookla’s latest report came to be as a result of analyzing the aggregate speed measured in the 50th percentile of all tests taken with Speedtests on a 5G connection. In Q3 2020 alone, there were 4,324,788 Speedtest results over 5G.

Ookla also found that 5G downloads are 954% faster than 4G worldwide. Meanwhile, 5G upload speeds are 311% faster than that of 4G.

Continuing the lead

Ookla’s latest report represents a massive improvement for the Philippines which has always lagged in mobile speeds. Perhaps, 5G is the key to improving the overall Internet speed of the country which is one of the lowest in the region. It remains to be seen, however, if the country’s 5G speed ranking can be sustained for years to come.

Rest assured though, that major telcos in the country are investing heavily in 5G infrastructure. Globe — the first telco to offer 5G in the country — is continuing its rollout of 5G to more areas in Metro Manila and nearby areas. Meanwhile, Smart has recently rolled out its 5G service in key areas of Visayas and Mindanao.

Accessories

Logitech introduces a dedicated shortcut for ChatGPT

Compatible with most keyboards and mice

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Artificial intelligence is already meant to simplify a workflow. However, despite the ease, there are still a few ways to optimize the process. Today, Logitech has launched a new shortcut to launch ChatGPT straight from your mouse or keyboard.

Minus programmable hotkeys or buttons, there are hardly any built-in way to easily access an AI model. For a typical workflow, it still consists of manually opening the model on a separate window and keeping it within cursor’s reach throughout the day.

Logitech is simplifying the process by adding a dedicated shortcut for its devices. With a Logitech keyboard or mouse supported by the Logi Options+ app, users can program a keyboard or mouse button for the new Logi AI Prompt Builder.

Once activated, the AI Prompt Builder automatically accesses easy options for highlighted text. For example, users can easily rephrase or summarize the text. Likewise, they can input their own custom queries. By eliminating a few clicks and some typing throughout the day, the new tool hopes to save you time.

While most Logitech keyboards and mice are compatible with the new tool, it is also more easily accessible with the new Logitech Signature AI Edition Mouse. The new mouse has a dedicated button just for AI prompts. If you’re an AI power user, this one is perfect for you.

SEE ALSO: Logitech unveils G Pro X 60 gaming keyboard: Price, details

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X’s AI accused Klay Thompson of vandalizing houses with bricks

AI thought joke posts were real

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Image source: Keith Allison, Wikimedia

Despite the ease that the technology promises, artificial intelligence still isn’t the most reliable thing you can depend on. Today’s models can still flub answers. Now, the pitfalls of AI are abundantly clear with a few mishaps on X. Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson was just “accused” of a vandalism spree involving bricks.

Late Tuesday night, X presented an AI-generated news snippet. The article, posted soon after the Warriors’ play-in loss to the Sacramento Kings, reads: “Klay Thompson Accused in Bizarre Brick-Vandalism Spree.”

The snippet hilariously described an incident where Thompson supposedly vandalized houses in Sacramento with bricks. Thankfully, according to the snippet, no one was hurt. It even had a few sources for its claims below the news summary.

The sources, however, are just joke posts stemming from the recently concluded game. In that do-or-die game, Thompson put up a staggering 0 points on ten shot attempts, the most misses without a make by a Warrior since the ’68 season. Naturally, everyone joked that the Warriors guard just threw bricks all over Sacramento.

Now, X is currently experimenting with a new AI feature called Grok. The model collates trending topics and creates snippets of what’s happening for X users. However, it’s not exactly the smartest in determining real news from satiric ones. The feature notes as much, carrying a fine-print caveat warning users to “verify its outputs” because it’s an early feature and can make mistakes.

SEE ALSO: New X users must pay a dollar per year to post and reply

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New X users must pay a dollar per year to post and reply

Rolling out globally now

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New users on X might soon face a tough time on the platform. The social media website will likely start charging new accounts a small fee for the right to post on the platform.

Now, the fee isn’t a new one. Almost six months ago, the company tested the paid system in New Zealand and the Philippines. New users in those countries had to pay a dollar per year for the ability to post and reply to content.

As spotted by X Daily News on the same platform, the company might be ready to take the experiment to a larger market. New text strings have shown that the policy is rolling out worldwide.

The policy is designed to combat a wave of bots appearing on the platform. By preventing new accounts from creating posts, X hopes to stave off the standard behavior of bots these days. You might have noticed them as OnlyFans creators in unrelated posts, peddling NSFW content on their bio.

Though the global rollout was only just spotted, owner Elon Musk has seemingly confirmed the change. Replying to X Daily News, Musk says that it is “the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots.” He says that the current breed of bots can easily bypass simple checks these days.

SEE ALSO: X will no longer let you hide your blue checkmark

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