Its no big revelation that project management can be a chore.Enterprise teams need to be able to easily collaborate, track progress, and gain important insights from data, but they often dont have a cohesive platform on which to do so, creating fragmentation, administrative burdens, and ultimately slowing project momentum.Zoho Corporation is aiming to take the headaches out of this process with its release Tuesday of Projects Plus. The data-driven project management (DDPM) platform pulls together disparate data so that internal and external teams can collaborate, communicate, and get projects done more quickly and easily.DDPM takes guesswork out of the project management equation, said Aarthi Elizabeth, Zoho senior evangelist. Team members and project managers can start to make informed decisions rather than having to rely on intuition.Building on Zoho ProjectsProjects Plus integrates four Zoho applications Projects, WorkDrive, Analytics, and Sprints to support collaboration, file management, real-time business intelligence (BI), and agile or waterfall workflows.Using data from time tracking, budgeting, task completion, and team and deliverability metrics, Projects Plus supports predictive analysis (to estimate timelines or anticipate risk or resource needs); progress tracking (moving beyond static project management tools like Gantt charts); and quality control analytics throughout a projects timeline.Our aim is to make data accessible to everyone on project teams, not just data engineers or analysts, Elizabeth said. This will increase transparency and improve efficiency among cross-functional teams.Zoho has also brought its in-house AI engine, Zia, to the platform to automate data analysis and generate insights. For instance, Zia can spot project bottlenecks and take corrective action, determine where resources are being underutilized or overutilized and tap the right people based on their skills, and make predictions based on how a project is going so that managers can make adjustments to avoid delays and cost overruns.Zias ability to generate real-time insights based on various project metrics significantly increases the success probability of the project, and conversational AI enables users to ask questions about the project, Elizabeth explained. For instance, teams can ask Zia to show them overdue tasks, and Zia will automatically pull out that data.Multiple use casesOne Zoho customer, a commercial automobile manufacturing team, uses Projects for both simple redesigns and more complex new projects, Elizabeth noted. The team uses the platform for everything from R&D redesign to production, unifying metrics to understand common delays and risks. Using these insights to modify their processes, they have improved client satisfaction by 20%.Elizabeth also pointed to another customer, a financial institution, that undergoes a half dozen internal audits a year, leaving employees with a list of issues and action items to track and resolve under deadline. Zia helps them pull together the materials and data they need to remediate flagged issues, providing progress reports via dashboards along the way.Zia can break down the progress perfectly for them, said Elizabeth.Supports Zohos upmarket trajectory: analystThe new platform is an extension of Zoho Projects, one of Zohos earliest products. The company has steadily built upon Projects over the last two decades, finding that nearly 20% of customers use it alongside other Zoho apps such as Analytics.The goal with Projects Plus, Elizabeth said, is to help customers from different verticals get started with a single platform.Zoho has many competitors in an increasingly cluttered field including Zendesk, HubSpot, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Creatio. However, Elizabeth pointed to the fragmented nature of rival platforms; users of different systems, such as Asana or Monday.com, have to use a combination of apps from different vendors to communicate and collaborate.Zoho said that Projects has pulled ahead of other third-party apps in the market, with 55% of new users migrating from Microsoft Projects and Jira.Elizabeth noted that the company owns its entire tech stack data centers, hardware, software, and apps and integrates with other components of its software suite, as well as with third-party software including Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace, and popular repository management, collaboration, customer service, and analytics tools, via its online business app store, Zoho Marketplace.The Projects Plus Platform launch underscores Zohos continued commitment to meeting customers where they are, said Evelyn McMullen, research manager at Nucleus Research.For customers not yet ready to adopt more advanced project management capabilities, the new offering is a good option to support them as their requirements evolve over time, said McMullen. And large enterprises should take note that the platform is designed to meet the specific needs of organizations in complex verticals such as e-commerce, construction, manufacturing, and automotive.Overall, this move supports Zohos upmarket trajectory while offering different levels of functionality to support the entirety of its broad client base, said McMullen.Projects Plus is available for immediate use globally. Cost in the US is $16 per user per month, which Zoho said is 27% lower than the licensing price of its individual components; regional pricing is available on the Zoho website.

Since general AI agent Manus was launched last week, it has spread online like wildfire. And not just in China either, where it was developed by Wuhan-based startup Butterfly Effect. Its made its way into the global conversation, with influential voices in tech, including Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and Hugging Face product lead Victor Mustar, praising its performance. Some have even dubbed it the second DeepSeek, drawing comparisons to the earlier AI model that took the industry by surpriseboth for its unexpected capabilities and its origin.Manus claims to be the worlds first general AI agentleveraging multiple AI models (such as Anthropics Claude 3.5 Sonnet and fine-tuned versions of Alibabas open-source Qwen), and various independently operating agents to act autonomously on a wide range of tasks. (This is different from AI chatbots, including DeepSeek, that are based on a single large language model family and are primarily designed for conversational interactions.)Despite all the hype, very few people have had a chance to use it. Currently, under 1% of the users on the waitlist have received an invite code. (Its unclear how many people are on this waitlist, but for a sense of how much interest there is, Manuss Discord channel has more than 186,000 members.)MIT Technology Review was able to obtain access to Manus, and when I gave it a test drive, I found that using it feels like collaborating with a highly intelligent and efficient intern: While it occasionally lacks understanding of what its being asked to do, makes incorrect assumptions, or cuts corners to expedite tasks, it explains its reasoning clearly, is remarkably adaptable, and can improve substantially when provided with detailed instructions or feedback. Ultimately, its promising but not perfect.Just like its parent companys previous product, an AI assistant called Monica that was released in 2023, Manus is intended for a global audience. English is set as the default language, and its design is clean and minimalist.To get in, a user has to enter a valid invite code. Then the system directs users to a landing page that closely resembles those of ChatGPT or DeepSeek, with historical sessions displayed in a left-hand column and a chat input box in the center. The landing page also features sample tasks curated by the companyranging from business strategy development to interactive learning to customized audio meditation sessions.Like other reasoning-based agentic AI tools, such as ChatGPT DeepResearch, Manus is capable of breaking tasks down into steps and autonomously navigating the web to get the information it needs to complete tasks. What sets it apart is the Manuss Computer window, which allows users not only to observe what the agent is doing, but also intervene at any point.To put it to the test, I tasked Manus with three assignments: (1) compile a list of notable reporters covering China tech, (2) search for two-bedroom property listings in New York City, and (3) nominate potential candidates for Innovators Under 35, a list created by MIT Technology Review every year.Heres how it did:Task 1: The first list of reporters that Manus gave me contained only five names, with five honorable mentions below them. I noticed that it listed some journalists notable work while not others. I asked Manus why it did this. The reason it offered was hilariously simple: It got lazy. It was partly due to time constraints as I tried to expedite the research process, the agent told me. When I insisted on consistency and thoroughness, Manus responded with a comprehensive list of 30 journalists, noting their current outlet and listing notable work. (I was glad to see I made the cut, along with many of my beloved peers.)I was impressed that I was able to make top-level suggestions for changes, much as someone would with a real-life intern or assistant, and that it responded in kind. And while it initially overlooked some journalists employer status changes, when I asked it to revisit some results, it quickly corrected them. Another nice feature: the output was downloadable as a Word or Excel file, making it easy to edit or share with others.Manus hit a snag, though, when accessing journalists news articles behind paywalls; it frequently encountered CAPTCHA blocks. Since I was able to follow along step by step, I could easily take over to complete these, though many media sites still blocked the tool due to suspicious activity. I see potential for major improvements hereand it would be useful if a future version of Manus could proactively ask for help when it encounters these sorts of restrictions.Task 2: For the apartment search, I gave Manus a complex set of criteria, including a budget, and parameters for a spacious kitchen, outdoor space, access to downtown Manhattan, and a major train station within a seven-minute walk. Manus initially interpreted vague requirements like some kind of outdoor access too literally, completely excluding properties without a private terrace or balcony access. However, after more guidance and clarification, it was able to compile a broader and more helpful list, giving recommendations in tiers and neat bullet points.The final output felt straight from Wirecutter, containing subtitles like best overall, best value, and luxury option. This task (including the back and forth) took less than half an houra lot faster than compiling the list of journalists (which took a little over an hour), likely because property listings are more openly available and well-structured online.Task 3: This was the largest in scope: I asked Manus to nominate 50 people for this years Innovators Under 35 list. Producing this list is an enormous undertaking and we typically get hundreds of nominations every year. So I was curious to see how well Manus could do. It broke the task into steps, including reviewing past lists to understand selection criteria, creating a search strategy for identifying candidates, compiling names, and ensuring a diverse selection of candidates from all over the world.Developing a search strategy was the most time-consuming part for Manus. While it didnt explicitly outline its approach, the Manuss Computer window revealed the agent rapidly scrolling through websites of prestigious research universities, announcements of tech awards, and news articles. However, it again encountered obstacles when trying to access academic papers and paywalled media content.After three hours of scouring the internetduring which Manus (understandably) asked me multiple times whether I could narrow the searchit was only able to give me three candidates with full background profiles. When I pressed it again to provide a complete list of 50 names, it eventually generated one, but certain academic institutions and fields were heavily overrepresented, reflecting an incomplete research process. After I pointed out the issue and asked it to find five candidates from China, it managed to compile a solid five-name list, though the results skewed toward Chinese media darlings. Ultimately, I had to give up after the system warned that Manuss performance might decline if I kept inputting too much text.My assessment: Overall, I found Manus to be a highly intuitive tool suitable for users with or without coding backgrounds. On two of the three tasks, it provided better results than when I presented the same tasks to ChatGPT DeepResearch, though it took significantly longer to complete them. Manus seems best suited to analytical tasks that require extensive research on the open internet, but have a limited scope. In other words, its best to stick to the sorts of things a skilled human intern could do during a day of work.Still, its not all smooth sailing. Manus can suffer from frequent crashes and system instability, and can struggle when asked to process large chunks of text. The message Due to the current high service load, tasks cannot be created. Please try again in a few minutes flashed on my screen a few times when starting new requests, and occasionally Manuss Computer froze on a certain page for a long period of time.It has a higher failure rate than ChatGPT DeepResearcha problem the team is addressing, according to Manuss chief scientist Peak Ji. That said, Chinese media outlet 36Kr reports that Manuss per-task cost is about $2, which is just one-tenth of DeepResearchs cost. If the Manus team strengthens its server infrastructure, I can see the tool becoming a preferred choice for individual users, particularly white-collar professionals, independent developers, and small teams.Finally, I think its really valuable that Manuss working process feels more transparent and collaborative. It actively asks questions along the way and retains key instructions as knowledge in its memory for future use, allowing for an easily customizable agentic experience. Its also really nice that each session is replayable and shareable.I expect I will keep using Manus for all sorts of tasks, both in my personal and professional lives. While Im not sure the comparisons to DeepSeek are quite right, it serves as further evidence that Chinese AI companies are not just following in the footsteps of their Western counterparts. They are not just innovating on base models, but actively shaping the adoption of autonomous AI agents in their own way.

A new Apple Immersive concert experience, "Metallica," is coming to Apple Vision Pro this Friday, March 14.

Apple has announced a new immersive content experience for the Apple Vision Pro in the form of a Metallica concert, which will be available on March 14.Apple has a new immersive experience called "Metallica" Image Credit: AppleWith high-resolution 180-degree video from the band's M72 tour in Mexico City, viewers will be able to experience performances of three full Metallica songs: "Whiplash," "One," and "Enter Sandman."Apple's latest immersive experience, simply dubbed "Metallica," will offer "unprecedented access" to James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo, from wide-angle views of the band to points as close as the famed Snake Pit. The announcement was posted on the Apple website. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The demand for storage just got a major upgrade as Western Digital unveiled new high-capacity HDDs built for creative professionals and NAS environments.SanDisk drive from Western DigitalWestern Digital announced its latest expansion in storage solutions, introducing new 26TB HDDs across its professional and NAS product lines. These include the enterprise-class Ultrastar 7200 RPM HDDs integrated into the G-DRIVE and G-RAID portfolios, along with the highest-capacity WD Red Pro hard drive yet. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The AIA Los Angeles is currently calling for interest on both ends of its new (free) program connecting architects to community members impacted by the recent Los Angeles Fires.The new ASK AN ARCHITECT Program is a volunteer-run effort to help accommodate those with questions about rebuilding. Those licensed in the state of California are invited to sign up and receive training materials throughthis form. The chapter added that the effort will begin by helping Eaton Fire victims and expand to address the Pacific Palisades situation once more support is gained there locally.We profiled the launch of the AIALAsad hoc disaster response task force led by Mohamed Sharif of Sharif, Lynch and Greg Kochanowski of Practice (formerly GGA+) earlier in February.

MercurySteam has been slowly and steadily revealing more and more details about its upcoming RPG Blades of Fire. In a recent interview with Gamereactor, studio co-founder and game director Enric Alvarez revealed that Blades of Fire will have an emphasis on narrative, while still giving players the agency to decide how much they want to be involved in its story.Alavrez spoke about needing good characters in order to tell a good story, and that Blades of Fire will be strongly narrative-driven. He also spoke about how, despite making use of cutscenes to tell its story, Blades of Fire will also offer players something he calls a kind of organic narrative.It might not look like it because of the freedom the game gives you, but its a strongly narrative-driven game, and characters are the most important thing, said Alvarez. Because you dont have a good story without good characters. So, when writing the story, we wanted to have a certain exposed narrative through cutscenes, other characters, etc., but we also wanted to have a kind of organic narrative, depending on how proactive you are.The players own curiosity will be key in figuring out the story in Blades of Fire, according to Alvarez. An example he gives revolves around character Adso, who can be spoken to at any time, and who will give players cryptic details about their current quest.The curiosity will drive you through important bits of the story, explained Alvarez. For example, theres two mechanics that you can talk to Adso anytime. One mechanic is, okay, tell me what you know about the mission youre accomplishing. And they will tell you vague stuff because they dont know everything about that. So, you, as a player, will know what they know.And theres a second layer, which is, I want to talk about specific topics to Adso. You can stop at any time and say, hey, Adso, tell me about the forgers. Tell me about the hammers. Tell me about the master forgers, or about this castle, or about this new character we just found. All this requires your curiosity and active participation. Theres a lot of narrative delivered in this way. I think between both, we have something quite cohesive and interesting.Capping things off, Alvaraz spoke about how, while Blades of Fire has a story to drive things forward, the player will still have to go out to find it. This will include interact with a colourful cast of characters that will be present throughout the game.In Blades of Fire, most of the story doesnt come for you. You have to go for it, he said. You have to actively pursue wanting to know more. Youll find quite crazy characters in this game that will give you a different perspective on whats going on in the game and many surprises.Blades of Fire was unveiled back in February with a trailer. Being developed by the studio behind Metroid Dread, Blades of Fire will be coming to PC (via Epic Games Store), PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on May 22. For more details about the PC release, here are the recommended hardware specs.

Rebellion Developments is renowned for its Sniper Elite franchise, offering a realistic sandbox for players to snipe targets during World War 2. However, its next big release, Atomfall, is something entirely different. As a post-nuclear survival sandbox title in first-person, its more focused on the narrative and decision-making in a world of mystery.Its ambitious in many ways, but I came away impressed after spending some hands-on time. Here are 15 things you should know about Atomfall before it launches on March 27th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Xbox One alongside Game Pass.SettingSet in Northern England five years after the Windscale fire of 1957, Atomfall is about you, but who you are is the big question. Awakening with no memories, you wander across the landscape, trying to piece together what happened. What is the strange pillar of light emitting from the Windscale site? Who is the voice on the phone telling you to kill Oberon? How do you escape this quarantine zone? Its up to you to solve these mysteries.Complete Freedom of ChoiceAlternatively, dont. Answering a random call from a phone booth out in the wilderness (inspired by a similar incident that Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley faced in the past)? Its insane, but thats one of the cooler parts of Atomfall. I could follow that random note telling me to locate Mother Jago at the Old Mining Site or walk right through the door of the Druid camp and raise hell. I could investigate the old dam, try to find Joyce Tanner or sneak into the Protocol soldiers watch tower (which goes wrong). Youre not on a fixed path but not left to your own devices either.No Quests, Following Leads InsteadRather than a traditional questing structure, Atomfall provides Leads. Think of them as suggestions rather than instructions with clues to investigate or watch out for. The Lead to find Mother Jago led to another where she asked if I could retrieve her herbalism book from the druids, but this isnt a fixed course, and Im not on the clock.The same goes for finding Joyce she provides the coordinates, but its ultimately up to me to locate her bunker and decide whether to follow her Leads. Its very engrossing, encouraging exploration while facilitating the nonlinear storytelling that Rebellion is after.LocationsMy playthrough started several hours into the game and offered a variety of locations. Two were notable The Old Mine, where Mother Jago took refuge and the dam. Otherwise, theres no indication of anything else I discovered the druids camp purely by accident (or by murdering way too many druids on the way, but in my defense, they started it).Some are discovered by walking around, like the random radio tower where I found Joyces message and coordinates or a helicopter crash site. Though the entire scale of the map is unknown, the locations felt naturally spaced out like I was exploring the actual countryside, albeit with much more danger.Dialogue ChoicesFallout fans will be familiar with dialogue choices, especially those requiring skill checks and whatnot. Atomfall offers the same, but your responses also have helpful tags to indicate your nature. For example, when I met Billy Gorse, a traveling merchant who was clearly infected (but not fully mutated), I could react with shock, saying his appearance bothered me.I could also go with indifference or wariness, leading to other choices (including impatience with all the questioning). While the consequences of these choices werent obvious, they made me consider my interactions all the more. This was especially so when speaking to Mother Jago, measuring the need to pry versus giving away too much information or deciding whether I should convince Joyce to trust me.Kill EveryoneThough the inner murder hobo didnt activate against the more amicable lot, I still found myself leaping into combat with the druids, outlaws and Ferals dotting the landscape. You dont have a choice in many circumstances, though in many others, its possible to back away before combat starts or scare enemies with a gun. However, Rebellion confirms that you can kill just about any enemy and NPC (or none at all). The choice, once again, is ultimately yours, but the consequences are a different story.Enemy TypesI was admittedly skeptical about the kinds of enemies that Atomfall would present, but even among the human types, theres some strong variety. Outlaws usually had firearms and felt more armored, making it riskier to barge into fights. On the other hand, druids will rely on bows, arrows, knives, and even Molotov cocktails to kill you.I was also surprised to find mutated plants that spit poisonous projectiles when infiltrating the druids camp. Then you have the Ferals, mutated humans that will charge with abandon and can infect you with their hits. Other notable threats include the Protocol soldiers (if you get on their bad side), the B.A.R.D. robots and even mutated rats attacking in swarms.CombatDefending yourself is easy enough with various melee weapons like the trusty cricket bat and axe, each with their own properties. You can execute the standard combos or even throw weapons, which is ideal when carrying multiple hatchets and knives. Firearms like rifles, shotguns, revolvers, and handguns are also available, though the scarce ammo meant considering which ones I should have at the ready.A full suite of firearms and explosives in case things go loud? Or perhaps using a bow for an initially stealthy approach and a cricket bat for more close encounters? Either way, it encouraged thinking about engagements and planning on the fly.Pneumatic CacheYoure limited in the amount of items that can be carried, but Atomfall has somewhat of a solution to this with the Pneumatic Cache. When discovered, you can shove any desired items like bandages, food, explosives, and whatnot and retrieve them at another location. The catch is that youre not sure, at least from the outset, if a Pneumatic Cache station is present, adding to the risk. Marking their locations on the map is yet another key facet of survival.SkillsAs you progress, new skills become available, allowing you to lean into melee combat, survival, ranged combat, and conditioning. Kill Momentum will grant a buff to melee damage, while Quiet Movement reduces the sound of your footsteps. Taking down enemies can be noisy, but thankfully, theres a skill for muffling it. You can even disarm traps and harvest their materials.CraftingThe world of Atomfall isnt littered with junk to collect by the truckload, but you will find cloth, scrap, gunpowder and other materials that can come in handy. Bandages are cheap to make, and on top of recovering health over time, they cure bleeding and temporarily provide resistance to its build-up. Youll discover or sometimes have to barter for recipes to be able to craft antidotes, Explosive Lures, and whatnot, but they could come in handy when you least expect it.Bonkers Choices to Influence Enemy PopulationBy head of design Ben Fishers own admission, Atomfall features some experimental stuff that wouldnt be attempted anywhere else because you cant guarantee a result. Theres some bonkers stuff in Atomfall, he told VideoGamer. There are events the player can trigger or completely miss that can have a huge influence on the enemy population in the game world and stuff like that. While he noted that it might or might not work, hes looking forward to finding out.Callbacks to other Rebellion GamesDuring a recent Q&A, the development team was asked if there were any nods to Sniper Elite to discover in Atomfall, to which it enthusiastically replied, Yes, followed by, No, were not going to tell you. Regardless, players can find lots of fun things, including references to other Rebellion titles and even British media (including the BBC).Story ExpansionAlongside three days of early access, the Deluxe Edition also includes a Story Expansion Pack. There isnt much information, aside from not launching on day one, and Rebellion has remained tight-lipped on what it could offer. Well have to wait for more details.PlaytimeWith all these different choices and paths, how long will it take to beat Atomfall? In the same Q&A, Fisher said a full playthrough could take 15, 20, or even 25 hours, though it depends on how you play. Another team member commented how they had a playthrough of 20-odd hours and still hadnt ventured into some parts of the woodlands or conversed with half the cast. Fisher promises a single meaningful narrative experience but also that you can revisit it for something completely different.

March 12Andrew Watson1537 CroatianOttoman wars: After the execution of feudal lord Petar Krui, Croatian forces at Klis surrendered to the Ottoman forces in exchange for their safe passage to northern locations.1881 Andrew Watson (pictured) captained the Scotland national football team against England, becoming the world's first black international footballer.1947 Cold War: U.S. president Harry S. Truman proclaimed the Truman Doctrine to help stem the spread of communism.1952 British diplomat Lord Ismay was appointed the first secretary general of NATO.1971 The Turkish Armed Forces executed a "coup by memorandum", forcing the resignation of Prime Minister Sleyman Demirel.2006 U.S. Army soldiers gang-raped a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and murdered her along with her family members.William Henry Perkin (b.1838)Gemma Galgani (b.1878)Zhao Wei (b.1976)Arina Tanemura (b.1978)More anniversaries: March 11March 12March 13ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout

Bitter Playdead row goes public as co-founder demands $73K for using a "copyright protected image" on LinkedIn"Last time you tried to bully me, I told you I'd make it public. So here we go" News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on March 11, 2025 Playdead co-founder Dino Patti has been threatened with a lawsuit after he posted a now-deleted LinkedIn post that shared an "unauthorized" picture of co-founder Arnt Jensen.Patti left Playdead in 2016. In 2017, some of the details behind the acrimonious split between Playdead's management emerged after a Danish newspaper reported on a rift that had developed between him and creative director Arnt Jensen.Now, in a "legal love letter" sent on March 3, Patti said Jensen demanded a little over $73,000 in "suitable compensation and reimbursement." Patti added that he has "repeatedly" had such letters over the last nine years.In its letter, Playdead said: "We want to repeat and caution that your continued use of Playdead's assets and any disclosure and exploitation of inside knowledge about Playdead for commercial purposes is infringing and constitutes breach of confidentiality clauses and of loyalty obligations concerning information obtained during your employment at Playdead."By providing recipients with core insights to the process of developing Limbo, you are falsely giving the impression that you played a significant role, including a creative role, in the development of the game. This gives a false and misleading impression to business partners and to the game industry as you were not actually an essential part of the creative development of Limbo.""My old partner has threatened me with an IP lawsuit because I used a publicly available picture, in a LinkedIn post three months ago, of the game Limbo that we created at Playdead together," Patti wrote on LinkedIn."Arnt, last time you tried to bully me, I told you I'd make it public. So here we go."Patti then detailed the contributions he believes he made whilst at Playdead, adding he thought Jensen was "a genius" but "without me, Playdead wouldn't have existed. That's not ego. That's a fact.""Arnt, please stop the bullying. I will not stop being who I am."In a clarifying email to Game Developer yesterday, Playdead confirmed it had "submitted demands" to Patti concerning alleged "infringement and unauthorized use of Playdead's trademarks and copyrighted works in a commercial and marketing context.""We have found it necessary to take this action to protect our trademarks and copyrights, which are essential to Playdead's business and reputation," the studio said.