Applications
Intel-based STB powers Comcast’s Xfinity TV experience
MUMBAI: Intel has said that its Intel® CE media processors are helping power Comcast’s next-generation Xfinity TV experience, which uses a new guide and user interface to make the television more interactive, personal and social.
The Intel-based set-top box, designed and developed by Pace, enables Comcast to deliver services that are easier to navigate and search as well as interactive applications that are seamlessly integrated into the television experience.
Comcast is using Intel’s processors in new set-top boxes in its Augusta, Ga. market trial of Xfinity TV.
Intel’s Digital Home Group VP,GM Erik Huggers said, “The new Xfinity TV experience is an outstanding implementation of next-generation television. It takes advantage of the breakthrough technologies in our Intel system-on-a-chip products and is well-positioned to lead the innovation charge as we push the boundaries ever further.”
Intel’s system-on-a-chip also offers a new level of CPU and graphics performance that is capable of running multiple platform technologies and device drivers.
Comcast Converged Products president Sam Schwartz said, “Our next-generation Xfinity TV is a platform that brings a much richer, personalized and interactive experience, with the ability to continually improve and expand features for our customers. Partnering with Intel accelerates this innovation through the large community of companies and technologies that support their processors today.”
Pace Americas president Mike Pulli said, “By working with Intel and Comcast on the Xfinity TV set-top box platform, we’re providing consumers with an extraordinary level of entertainment, personalization and interaction that further enhances Comcast’s offering to their subscribers.”
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
