lens – Earlybirds Invest https://earlybirdsinvest.com Latest Crypto News Wed, 03 Sep 2025 20:37:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.7 https://i0.wp.com/earlybirdsinvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cropped-New-Project-2024-12-17T235703.455.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 lens – Earlybirds Invest https://earlybirdsinvest.com 32 32 240146708 Amazon’s Lens Live Turns Camera Into a Shopping Tool https://earlybirdsinvest.com/amazons-lens-live-turns-camera-into-a-shopping-tool/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/amazons-lens-live-turns-camera-into-a-shopping-tool/#respond Wed, 03 Sep 2025 20:37:16 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/amazons-lens-live-turns-camera-into-a-shopping-tool/

Amazon has introduced a new feature that blends visual search with artificial intelligence (AI), called Lens Live.

This AI tool allows shoppers to instantly search for products by pointing their phone camera at real-world objects.

This new tool builds on Amazon’s existing image-based search option, Amazon Lens, which already lets people look for products by uploading pictures or scanning barcodes.

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The feature is designed to support how people shop today, often browsing items in physical stores and then checking online to compare prices.

Amazon’s AI assistant, Rufus, is also built into the experience. Rufus offers short product overviews and suggests follow-up questions users can ask to learn more about what they are seeing.

This gives shoppers quick access to extra product details without needing to leave the camera view or dig through multiple pages.

On the technical side, Lens Live is powered by Amazon’s cloud services. It uses SageMaker for machine learning and OpenSearch for fast product lookup. These systems work behind the scenes to ensure matches are accurate and the experience is responsive.

At launch, Lens Live is only available on iOS devices and is currently limited to users in the US. Amazon has not confirmed a timeline for introducing the feature to Android or for users outside the US.

On August 26, Google introduced a new image-focused model called Gemini 2.5 Flash Image. What does it offer? Read the full story.

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/amazons-lens-live-turns-camera-into-a-shopping-tool/feed/ 0 56608 NFT Games Under the Lens https://earlybirdsinvest.com/nft-games-under-the-lens/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/nft-games-under-the-lens/#respond Wed, 23 Jul 2025 21:26:56 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/nft-games-under-the-lens/

Many game developers turned to NFTs to add a new layer of rewards and ownership. Early experiments offered tokens for virtual land, pet companions and fantasy sports. Notable names ranged from metaverse sandboxes to horse racing platforms and token‑based arcades.

Most failed to deliver fun or stable value, leaving investors with heavy losses in contrast to the success of non GamStop sites. A small number met some pledges, but often relied on high fees and pay‑to‑win models. The review highlights common pitfalls and points to examples that combine solid game design with fair token systems.

Early Examples and Their Promises

Some of the first projects heated up in 2022 and 2023. They caught the attention of players with flashy websites and big ideas. A few key names stand out.

RobotEra

This project billed itself as a metaverse and sandbox in one. Investors could buy tokens and virtual land. The site listed fake team members and claimed major news coverage. The game never launched. Instead the tokens dropped in value and the site went offline. Most investors lost nearly all of their money.

Tamadoge

Players could buy dog NFTs and play mini games for prizes. Each play cost tokens. High scores won rewards. The set of 11 games felt familiar but rough. Players could feed and upgrade their pets. The token value fell by roughly 45 per cent over the year. Some prizes paid out but most players saw poor returns.

Game of Silks

This title linked real horse races with NFTs. Owners could win a share of actual race winnings. It built a market for digital racehorses and land. Questions over funding and refunds emerged. Buying a horse cost £750 and up. The site removed its white paper and FAQ. Many felt it mirrored a pyramid scheme more than a game.

Battle Infinity

This token promised a full sports metaverse. It offered fantasy sports, betting, avatars and a 3D world. After a year the team removed its public profiles. A beta for fantasy sports appeared, but it slipped in quality. Most features never saw the light of day. The token lost over 90 per cent of its value.

Lucky Block

Originally an NFT competition platform this project shifted into a casino. It sold NFTs for sweepstakes to win cars and homes. The links went dead and no winners emerged. Later the token moved to a casino site blocked in some regions. Its price dumped by about 97 per cent. Players who held old tokens found no way to reclaim their money.

A Summary of Key Projects

Game

Launch Year

Entry Cost

Promised Feature

Outcome

Approx ROI

RobotEra

2022

£0.02 per token

Sandbox metaverse

Scam; site offline

–100%

Tamadoge

2022

£0.15 per play

Mini games with prizes

Delivered; low quality

–45%

Game of Silks

2022

£750 per NFT horse

Real race rewards

Live; questions on fairness

Variable (~10%)

Battle Infinity

2022

£1 per token

Sports metaverse

Beta only; token collapse

–90%

Lucky Block

2022

£1,500 per NFT

High value sweepstakes

No prizes; casino pivot

–97%

Common Challenges

Most of these projects share a few weak points. Players and investors should watch for:

  • Poor game play. Many titles lacked real content.

  • Pay to win models. Upgrades often required more spending.

  • Vague road maps. White papers vanished or grew outdated.

  • Speculative tokens. Values jumped and crashed in weeks.

  • Limited oversight. Decentralisation meant no refunds.

Poor Game Content

Games often launched with polished marketing rather than playable builds. Many projects showed only static images, concept art or slideshow trailers. In most cases there was no working demo, closed beta or playable prototype. Players could not test mechanics or see actual gameplay. Without early access or trial versions, teams relied on hype to drive token sales. When the actual code never materialised, both interest and confidence quickly faded.

High Cost and Low Reward

Investors faced steep entry barriers. Some NFTs or tokens cost dozens or hundreds of pounds before network fees. Others pushed upfront costs into the thousands. In exchange, in-game rewards or token gains rarely matched the initial outlay. Many projects offered only minimal payouts or cosmetic items with little resale value. As token prices dropped, losses mounted and any hope of profit vanished.

Token Volatility

Game tokens mirrored speculative markets and pump‑and‑dump tactics. Initial exchange listings sparked rapid price surges driven by early adopters and influencer hype. Lacking genuine utility, tokens suffered heavy sell‑offs once the buzz faded. Daily price swings of 20% to 50% became the norm. Without stabilising mechanisms such as token burns, staking locks or reserve funds values remained exposed and unpredictable.

Lack of Support and Oversight

Decentralisation meant there was no central authority to enforce quality standards or refunds. Most teams did not offer customer service, help desks or escrow for user funds. When scams, bugs or hacks occurred, users had no legal recourse. Blockchain transactions are irreversible, so lost assets could not be recovered. Community warnings and wallet blacklists offered only limited protection against fraud.

Lessons for Better Games

The future may yet hold a few success stories. To avoid past mistakes, developers should focus on:

  1. Real game design first. Tokens follow solid play.

  2. Clear cost structures. Show exact odds and fees.

  3. Transparent teams. Reveal real people and roles.

  4. Stable token economy. Limit inflation and supply.

  5. Legal compliance. Follow sweepstake and gambling rules.

  6. Ongoing support. Offer refunds or buyback periods.

A Road Ahead

NFT games can work if they centre on the player experience. Tokens need to add value rather than act as the sole draw. Clear rules and real content will earn trust. That trust can lead to sustainable play to earn models.

A fresh wave of titles has already begun to learn from the past. By building real worlds and fair economies, they may prove that NFTs have a place in gaming. Only time will confirm if they can balance fun with finance.

FAQ

What caused most NFT games to fail?

Most projects lacked real gameplay and relied on token hype rather than core design.

Are NFT game tokens a good investment?

Token values often spiked then crashed, leaving investors with heavy losses.

How can developers build sustainable NFT games?

By focusing on solid gameplay, clear costs, transparent teams and stable token models.

What should players watch for before joining an NFT game?

Look for a playable demo, real team details, clear rules and refund policies.

Do any successful NFT games exist today?

A few newer titles focus on quality and fairness, but the field remains risky.

Why are refunds rare in NFT games?

Decentralisation prevents rollbacks and most projects offer no refund mechanisms.

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/nft-games-under-the-lens/feed/ 0 49280 A zoom lens won’t convince me to buy the Pixel 10 over the 9a https://earlybirdsinvest.com/a-zoom-lens-wont-convince-me-to-buy-the-pixel-10-over-the-9a/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/a-zoom-lens-wont-convince-me-to-buy-the-pixel-10-over-the-9a/#respond Tue, 08 Apr 2025 12:05:03 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/a-zoom-lens-wont-convince-me-to-buy-the-pixel-10-over-the-9a/
Pixel 9 vs Galaxy S24 cameras

Robert Triggs / Android Authority

Google’s Pixel series has staked a lot on its photography reputation, and the upcoming Pixel 10 Pro models seem to say: “We’re happy with what we have.” According to our latest exclusive look at the upcoming phones, the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL use the same hardware as their predecessors. Still, there is something new in store for prospective Pixel 10 buyers: a new telephoto zoom camera — a first for the entry-level flagship.

While the Pixel 10’s three sensors might appear like a considerable upgrade at first glance, Google is downgrading the main and ultrawide cameras to use the same components found in the budget Pixel 9a. In a sense, you can think of the Pixel 10’s camera setup as the Pixel 9a with a zoom lens attached rather than a smaller version of the Pixel 10 Pro. These thinner and smaller modules might make room for that new lens and/or help keep costs in check, but there are bound to be negative repercussions for image quality — and that’s set my alarm bells ringing.

As I’m sure you’re aware, big sensors with big pixels aid with light capture, which is the key ingredient of taking good pictures, even with Google’s fancy HDR algorithms. Moving from 50MP 1/1.31-inch to 50MP 1/1.95-inch on the main sensor results in much smaller individual pixels for light capture and sharpness. The change to the ultrawide sensor, which drops from 1/2.55-inch to 1/3.1-inch, isn’t so drastic, but the loss of the f/1.7 aperture (now f/2.2) will compound the loss of light capture on a camera that was already pretty dubious in its fine details. It’s worth remembering that these ultrawide specs have been kicking about since 2023’s Pixel 7a — hardly a cutting-edge piece of kit for a 2025 flagship.

Downgrades, even hard to notice ones, sound the alarm even for the Pixel.

The Pixel 10’s purported new camera array is a compromise; what Google gives with new zoom capabilities it takes away from the primary and ultrawide sensors. Undoubtedly, there’ll be some utility in the new telephoto lens; I find myself constantly zooming in for portraits and longer-range snaps, no matter which phone is currently in my pocket. The lack of zoom was a minor gripe of mine when I reviewed the Pixel 9, especially in light of the Samsung Galaxy S25, Galaxy S24 FE, and other even more affordable phones offering at least a little extra distance for similar or cheaper prices. Just take a look at this 3x zoom crop I took towards the end of last year to see the gap Google is attempting to bridge.

Flagship phones ideally need a telephoto camera these days, so I really want to like what Google has planned for the Pixel 10. In isolation, I agree with my colleague that it’s probably the right call for added zoom flexibility, even with the other camera downgrades. And yet, I’m having difficulty convincing myself that it’ll make the Pixel 10 a better buy.

For example, the small telephoto in the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the same sensor heading for the Pixel 10, is a clear downgrade from its other Pro counterparts. The difference in fine details is noticeable enough that I wouldn’t recommend that really serious photography enthusiasts pay for the overly pricey Fold. Of course, we’re talking a lot less money for the Pixel 10, but will a so-so telephoto really make all that much difference in the example above? Worse, the other downgrades will draw inevitable comparisons with Google’s existing products, which isn’t exactly how you want to kickstart a launch.

The Pixel 10’s photography problem is not only that the phone will trade down quality versus the Pro models across not one but all three of the lenses, but its other two cameras will also be worse (even if only slightly) than last year’s Pixel 9. It would have been one thing for the Pixel 10 to have an inferior telephoto to the Pros; that would have been a fair compromise, but downgrading the other two lenses, too, makes the Pixel 10 Pro (and last year’s 9 Pro, to be honest) much more attractive for the serious photographer. Take a look at the details (or lack of) from the Pixel 9’s ultrawide sensor in the overcast shots below. The Pixel 10 will almost certainly be even worse with its move to a smaller sensor and narrower aperture.

I would have been far more sated if Google had stuck with a dual camera configuration, swapping out the ultrawide for a telephoto. The ultrawide quality is pretty questionable anyway, and 23mm from the primary lens is more than wide enough 99% of the time. Plus, the cost savings might have allowed Google to keep a larger set of sensors for both, resulting in better pictures all around. An opportunity to reset the dual-camera standard has been missed.

Dropping the ultrawide and sticking with two cameras could have been a game changer.

At least as far as photography is concerned, the Pixel 10 series looks set to be split like never before, with the Pixel 10 appearing as more of an upgrade over the budget Pixel 9a than a slightly cut-down version of the pricier Pro models, as it’s been in years gone by. I don’t like that change, especially when the Pixel 10 will cost $799, if not more, against the Pixel 9a’s $499. It’s worth remembering that Google’s entry-level flagship has gone from $599 to $799 in just three years and, with it, raised expectations.

Google Pixel 9 series pink lineup

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

Of course, the Pixel 10 will have more things going for it than just the new telephoto lens. Additions like the Tensor G5 processor, a new 5G modem, and some of the latest software features could well convince me (and you) that the phone still offers enough extra to make it worth the jump up from the Pixel 9a. The Pixel 10’s design still looks like the more expensive Pro models, too, which I prefer over the cheaper appearance of the 9a.

More importantly for Google’s unique selling point, the Pixel 10 will ship with more RAM than the 9a, making it a more powerful showcase for the company’s latest AI smarts. The Pixel 9a can only run the extra-small version of Gemini Nano, which limits it to text-based AI functionality, while the Pixel 10 will have the latest audio and imaging bells and whistles. If you’re looking for more of the best Google AI tools, the Pixel 10 will be the better buy. However, customers who want the best of Google’s AI capabilities should again probably stump up a little more for the Pixel 10 Pro. It will no doubt have yet more RAM, meaning it’s even more responsive when running Gemini Nano, and will surely have access to exclusive Pro-tier features like Video Boost and be higher up the pecking order for the latest Feature Drops, just as previous Pro models have been.

The Pixel 10 will have the AI and performance edge over the 9a, but is that enough?

It’s this chasm between the regular and Pro flagship Pixels that’s really the cause of my dilemma. If the Pixel 10 ends up with Pro-level software features but specs that are a bit closer to the 9a, that would be one thing. But it won’t; it appears to have some of Google’s top-tier flagship specs but seems unlikely to dine at the software top table. Yes, its price will sit bang smack in the middle of the A and Pro options, which is fair enough, but I’m still finding it difficult to see who I will recommend the middle tier of Google’s portfolio to. It’s not the budget-conscious, it’s not the AI aficionados, and it’s now not picky photographers either.

There’s always been some awkward stepping on toes with Google’s recent flagship and A-series lineups, but this year’s launch doesn’t appear to have solved this conundrum. Perhaps the Pixel 10 is simply the best phone Google can build to compete with Apple and Samsung at the $799 point, but those two brands offer AI feature parity across their flagship models, not to mention have a considerable performance advantage to boot. Maybe Google will surprise us with far more shared features across the Pixel 10 and 10 Pro models, but I won’t hold my breath. In any case, the Pixel 10 looks like it will still suit those who want a bit of everything Google does really well, even if it’s not quite cutting-edge.

I think that’s fine, but I don’t want the Pixel 10 to be fine; I want it to be brilliant. Unfortunately, it’s hard to think of any product as top-class when it makes downgrades (even small ones) compared to its predecessor, however unfair that may seem. I can see myself rewording my Pixel 9 review when the 10 eventually falls in my lap: If you don’t care about Gemini, there’s probably not enough hardware here to justify the price tag, so buy the Pixel 9a instead. A new telephoto lens at the expense of budget-tier primary and ultrawide cameras is unlikely to convince me otherwise.

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/a-zoom-lens-wont-convince-me-to-buy-the-pixel-10-over-the-9a/feed/ 0 29688 Pixel 10 could show up with a new camera lens according to latest leak https://earlybirdsinvest.com/pixel-10-could-show-up-with-a-new-camera-lens-according-to-latest-leak/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/pixel-10-could-show-up-with-a-new-camera-lens-according-to-latest-leak/#respond Tue, 11 Mar 2025 16:22:06 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/pixel-10-could-show-up-with-a-new-camera-lens-according-to-latest-leak/

What you need to know

  • Tipster OnLeaks has come up with the CAD renders of the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL.
  • All three CAD-based renders are now out, revealing an identical design — including flat sides and color options.
  • The only big change appears to be the new camera addition on the base Pixel 10 handset.
  • All three phones are expected to be powered by the new Tensor G5 SoC.

While we await the Pixel 9a launch, we already get to see what Google’s next flagship series could potentially look like. The Computer Aided Design (CAD) renders of the trio Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and 10 Pro XL have now surfaced, which indicates very minimal changes over the predecessor models.

The renders were shared by Android Headlines in conjunction with tipster OnLeaks. They not only reveal the design but also some of the expected dimensions are shared.

Per the publication, the Pixel 10 is sticking to the near-identical design of the predecessor Pixel 9, meaning it will have the same 6.3-inch display and will measure 152.8 x 72 x 8.6mm.

The Pixel 10 renders also suggest that the device will feature flat matte-finished sides again with minimal curves towards the edges for a better grip. The power button followed by volume rockers is placed on the right pane of the handset. The shared renders also appear in a pink hue as seen on the previous iteration.

Image 1 of 3

Google Pixel 10 renders
(Image credit: Android Headlines/ via OnLeaks)

The one big change, however, is expected to be in the camera segment as the leak suggests we would see a triple camera setup on the Pixel 10, unlike the Pixel 9, which came with dual cameras.

On the other hand, the latest Pixel 10 Pro renders also indicate that it will also be identical to the predecessor Pixel 9 Pro, including the dimensions. It is likely to measure 152.8 x 72 x 8.6mm, similar to the previous iteration. We will again likely be seeing the same 6.3-inch display. This appears to be good news for the cases used on the Pixel 9 series, as it would fit the successors as well.

Image 1 of 2

Google Pixel 10 Pro renders
(Image credit: Android Headlines/ via OnLeaks)

The Pixel 10 Pro will also be retaining the triple camera system comprising a primary lens, ultra-wide-angle camera, and a periscope lens. Unlike the matte sides on the Pixel 10, the Pro model is expected to be coming in a glossy finish.

The case appears to be the same with the Pixel 10 Pro XL model as well because the shared renders suggest the same design setup as the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The former will have a 6.8-inch display accompanied by 162.7 x 76.6 x 8.5mm dimensions — nearly identical to the previous iteration. The XL stands out to be the flagship model in the lot — thanks to the large display and a bigger battery is also expected.

Image 1 of 3

Google Pixel 10 Pro XL renders
(Image credit: Android Headlines/ via OnLeaks)

While all three Pixel 10 series phones aren’t changing much in design aesthetics, we expect some solid changes in the internals, which can include the new and presumably powerful Tensor G5 chip.

Like the predecessors, the launch of the trio is expected to be sooner — maybe a couple of months after the Google IO event, which is going to be held in May. While we wait, here’s a look at what we’d wish to see with the Pixel 10 series.

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