iCloud Was Storing Deleted Safari Browser History for Months, but Apple Fixed the Issue

When clearing Safari browser history, iPhone and iPad users expect all records to be permanently deleted from their devices, but it appears Apple’s cross-device browser syncing feature caused iCloud to secretly store browsing history for a much longer period of time ranging from several months to over a year.

iCloud was caught storing deleted browser history by software company Elcomsoft, which develops cracking tools for extracting protected data from iOS devices. Speaking to Forbes, Elcomsoft CEO Vladimir Katalov explained that the company had been able to retrieve “deleted” browser history dating back more than a year.

Deleted browser history pulled from iCloud by Elcomsoft
Apple was keeping deleted browser information in a separate iCloud recored called “tombstone,” and in a press release announcing updated Phone Breaker software for extracting the stored browsing info, Elcomsoft explains that the data was likely kept as part of an iCloud feature that syncs browsing history across multiple devices and ensures it’s deleted from all devices when history is cleared.

The point is that Apple keeps synced Safari browsing history in the cloud for much longer than one, three or four months – even for deleted entries. ElcomSoft researchers were able to access records that’ve been deleted more than a year ago, which means that deleted records are not actually cleaned up from iCloud.

Forbes tried using the Phone Breaker software created by Elcomsoft and was able to retrieve nearly 7,000 records dating back to November of 2015. Site names, URLs, Google searches, visit counts, and the date and time items were deleted were included. It’s not clear why Apple was storing the information for so long, but it appears to have been an oversight related to ensuring information is deleted on all devices once cleared rather than intentional.

Shortly after Forbes and Elcomsoft published their iCloud findings, Elcomsoft noticed previously available records being deleted as part of a server-side fix quietly implemented by Apple. All deleted browser records older than two weeks have been eliminated. From Elcomsoft’s blog:

Update: we have informed media about this issue in advance, and they reached Apple for comments. As far as we know, Apple has not responded, but started purging older history records. For what we know, they could be just moving them to other servers, making deleted records inaccessible from the outside; but we never know for sure. Either way, as of right now, for most iCloud accounts we can see history records for the last two weeks only (deleted records for those two weeks are still there though).

Good move, Apple. Still, we would like to get an explanation.

Even before Apple made the server-side fix to make sure deleted browsing history is permanently removed in a timely manner, it was difficult to get ahold of the information. Forensic software like Phone Breaker was required, which doesn’t come cheap, and Phone Breaker only works with a user’s Apple ID and password, or an authentication token pulled from a user’s computer.

In iOS 9.3 and later (and Safari 9.1 and later), Apple also began turning URLs into unreadable hashes instead of plaintext when browser history is deleted, an additional security measure, but Forbes says that didn’t stop Elcomsoft’s tool from working with the newest versions of Safari.

While Apple now appears to be deleting browsing data at the two week mark, iCloud users should be aware that their browsing history, including cleared browser history, is stored in iCloud for that two week period. Users who are not comfortable with that can easily disable syncing features through the iCloud section of the Settings app.

Tag: iCloud
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These leaked images claim to be of the Sony Xperia X2

Chinese social site Weibo is at it again leaking photos of upcoming smartphones, which were picked up by TechTastic. Samsung and Apple are safe this time, as it’s Sony that’s in the firing line for a leak ahead of launch. The site has obtained images purporting to be Sony’s next flagship smartphone, which we’re calling the Xperia X2 for now. There’s been no official word on a name just yet, so it’s easier to stick to something that’s easy to follow.

• Next Sony Xperia flagship: What’s the story so far?

The photos don’t give a huge amount away, other than the fact the new device follows an incredibly similar design language to Sony’s flagships from the past few years. That it uses the now traditional OmniBalance design, which places the power button – and in the X2’s case, fingerprint sensor – halfway down the side of the phone.

There’s an image of a screen showing some memory information about the phone, and it shows it has 4GB of RAM. This helps us to assume it is a new phone as current Sony flagships come with just 3GB of RAM.

There are however, different phones in one picture, lying side by side. One phone has a rather large bezel at the bottom, while the one to its right appears to be missing it entirely. They both resemble Sony phones, so could there be two versions of the upcoming flagship? It’s not a rumour we’ve heard before, so for now we’ll say the source isn’t completely reliable. There is also what is clearly a tablet in another picture too, with large bezels on each side. It’s not clear if this is a new or old tablet, but considering Sony has tended to stick with large bezels on all of its previous tablet models, it could be a glimpse at something new.

• Sony could go all out at MWC with five new smartphones
• Mobile World Congress 2017: Nokia, Huawei, Sony smartphones and more
• Next Sony Xperia flagship might not be at MWC 2017 after all

Because the photos can’t be fully verified and there’s still no official word from Sony, although there has been a report to suggest the Japanese phone maker will be bringing five new models to Mobile World Congress at the end of February. If a new flagship is one of those, we don’t have long to wait, although a following report claims we’ll have to wait until later in 2017.

Polar M600 will update to Android Wear 2.0, add indoor swimming metrics this spring

Polar is updating its M600 to the newly released Android Wear 2.0.

As part of the update, the smartwatch will add indoor swimming metrics such as distance, pace, strokes per minute, and strokes per pool length. The watch can also determine if you’re swimming freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly. The update will further bring the ability for both Android and iOS users to access Google Play store, so that you can download apps and use them directly on the M600.

• When is Android Wear 2.0 coming to my smartwatch?

In our review of the M600 watch, we called it a fusion of smartwatch and sports device. It takes Android’s platform and laces in sports and fitness tracking functions, but maintains a balance that some devices don’t manage. It succeeds in being both where others have failed. It feels like a proper Polar sports watch, boosted by the best of Android Wear. It features proprietary 6-LED optical heart rate technology and integrated GPS.

With Android Wear 2.0, the $329 (£269) Polar M600 will also get built-in Google Assistant, the ability to customise watch faces, receive calendar notifications, read and reply to texts, scroll through social media feeds, as well as an improved user interface.

The update will be available to all Polar M600 users this spring. To learn more about Android Wear 2.0 and which other devices will get it, check out Pocket-lint’s guide.

Huawei EMUI 5.0 tips and tricks: Hidden gems and problem fixes for Huawei’s mobile OS

Many have been quick to dismiss Huawei’s latest mobile operating system, EMUI 5.0, as an less desirable rework of its Android Nougat base. It’s because, by default, the system flings a lot of repeat alerts in your general direction in a bid to better refine user experience and save battery.

Over time, however, and with some digging around and personal adjustments, you’ll not only learn to love EMUI 5.0, you’ll begin to appreciate some of the Huawei-only features that embellish the latest iteration of this OS.

Here’s how to boss EMUI – which stands of Emotion User Interface (don’t cry now) – and make your Huawei phone the very best it can be.

EMUI 5.0 availability: Which Huawei handsets have the latest OS?

Right now EMUI 5.0 is available for:

• Huawei Mate 9
• Huawei P9
• Huawei P9 Plus
• Region-limited Huawei Mate 9 Pro
• Limited edition Mate 9 Porsche Design edition.

It will soon be available for the Honor 8 and Honor 6X, with the expected-to-be-announced Huawei P10 to follow.

To check for an update from EMUI 4.1 swipe down from the top of the home screen, select the Settings cog icon to the top right, then scroll all the way to the bottom of the Settings and hit System Update. This screen will auto-check for an update, as signified by the large spinning wheel, assuming a Wi-Fi connection.

EMUI 5.0: Lockscreen shortcuts

Quick-access Recorder, Calculator, Flashlight, Stopwatch, QR code. Simply swipe up from the bottom edge of the lock screen and it will reveal an iPhone-style arrangement of circular shortcuts. Click the relevant icon to activate. This is not possible when the phone is unlocked and you’re viewing its home screen or in any other apps.

Shortcut: wallpaper change, affix, share. Again, no need to unlock: a swipe up from the lock screen and the upper row allows you to:

• remove a wallpaper cover (x symbol)
• fix one in place rather than it cycling through (heart symbol)
• share a cover (requires app access and, therefore, unlocking)
• select a new wallpaper cover (again, requires an unlock).

There’s also a play/pause symbol which does nothing of use; furthermore if music is playing (which we assume this icon to be for) via Google Play Music it will override any of the wallpaper shortcuts from the lock screen.

Quick camera launch. As per stock Android, a swipe from the bottom right corner of the lock screen with load the Camera app. To load the app and immediately capture a shot a double-tap of the volume down button will be your new best friend (within the Camera app this can be set to just open the camera, or deactivated entirely).

Set PIN / Pattern / Password to unlock. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Screen Lock & Passwords. Here you can set pattern, PIN, password or remove lock methods.

Instant lock / auto-lock by sleep time. When you press the power button it will lock your phone instantly by default. If you would rather this not happen, head to Screen Lock & Passwords (via the method above) > Secure Lock Settings > Power Button Instantly Locks. It’s also possible to set automatic lock from 5-seconds to 30-minutes after sleep.

EMUI 5.0: Fingerprint features

Fingerprint unlock. In addition to a pattern, PIN or password lock you can register multiple fingerprints to login to EMUI. On the Mate 9 the rear-positioned scanner is near instant to operate. It’s possible to add up to five individual fingerprints.

Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Fingerprint ID > Fingerprint Management (enter PIN as prompted) > New Fingerprint, then follow the enrolment process.

Use fingerprint to take photo / answer call / stop alarm. Access Fingerprint ID (method above), then under the Touch And Hold Gesture tab these options can be individually activated.

Use fingerprint scanner to display notifications / swipe through images. The scanner isn’t just capable of reading your fingerprint, it can be used as a gesture pad too (without a fingerprint being registered). Top-to-bottom swipes can reveal the notifications panel (opposite way to hide it), while left-to-right or right-to-left swipes can flick through images in the gallery.

Access Fingerprint ID (method above), then under the Slide Gesture tab these options can be individually activated. 

EMUI 5.0: Home screen adjustments and organisation

Shortcut: Wallpaper, Widgets, Transitions. To adjust your homepage wallpaper, adjust the way the animations perform between screens, or add widgets from installed apps, simply press-and-hold anywhere on the home screen (not over an app icon) to load these shortcuts.

More/fewer app icons. To select between a 5×5, 4×5 or 5×4 icon grid layout, again press-and-hold anywhere on the home screen > select Settings to the bottom right corner. To the top of the settings page is Home Layout with these options available.

App drawer vs apps everywhere. If you’re content with your app icons being scattered everywhere across your homepage and other pages, the default Standard layout will suit you fine. If you prefer an App Drawer – where all apps are contained to tidy up the home screen, in an iPhone-like style – this can be activated too (it lacked from some earlier versions of EMUI).

To access swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > tap Home Screen Style (visible within first page) > choose between Standard and App Drawer options.

Create a folder. Press-and-hold an app icon, after a short moment the device will give a short vibration feedback, now slowly drag the icon over anothe, release and they’ll be combined in a folder. Huawei folders are arranged 3×3 per page, with multiple pages possible. 

Add apps to a folder. Multiple app icons can be dragged into an existing folder. A simpler way is to hit the ‘Add +’ icon (which will be at the furthest point in an existing folder).

Remove an app from a folder. Open the folder, press-and-hold the app icon in question and drag it out of the folder onto a home screen.

Change a folder colour or name. Open a folder and enter the name you want at the top. If you don’t want a name, leave it blank. To change the folder background colour, tap the palette in the right-hand corner and select a new colour.

Stop adding new app icons to home screen. If you don’t want new apps you install cluttering up your home screen, head into Play Store > hit the three horizontal lines to the top left  > Settings > Add Icon To Home Screen.

EMUI 5.0: Custom controls and soft keys

Adjust soft keys layout. Don’t like the way your trio of soft keys – back, home, open apps – is arranged, then you can swap them around. It’s possible to switch left and right soft key positions, plus add a fourth settings shortcut soft key which saves you from swiping down from the top of the homescreen to view notifications (handy for a larger device, or smaller hands).

Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Navigation Key.

Add Floating Dock. Another handy feature for a larger phone is the activate the Floating Dock, a side-positioned shortcut (which you can drag to position) that contains the trio of Android soft keys, plus a lock screen button and quick tidy-up (for closing unnecessary apps). It only comes with the five shortcuts, though, and there’s no way to edit these.

Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Smart Assistance > activate Floating Dock. Alternatively, swipe down from the top of the screen, expand the shortcuts and Floating Dock is within here.

Motion control. Also contained within Smart Assistance is a Motion Control tab. This allows control over:

• Flip to mute the phone when it’s ringing or the alarm is sounding.
• Pick Up to reduce ring/alarm volume by lifting the device.
• Raise to Ear which auto-answers calls.

These three options can be independently switch on or off and each have deeper customisation for calls and alarm settings.

Knuckle gestures. Don’t worry, it’s not a new meme sensation, it’s a Huawei special. By using a hard knuckle to write on the screen rather than a softer finger, a “second layer” of commands can be instructed:

• Double tap for screen shot (using one knuckle – does what it says on the tin)
• Draw where knuckle-drawn letters activate apps (C for Camera, M for music, and so forth – each can be customised from a fuller list of apps).
• Split-screen gesture where a knuckle-drawn line across the screen when in an app screen will open the recent apps to the lower portion.

EMUI 5.0: Live record the screen

Another Huawei specific feature is the ability to live record your device – which could be handy if you wanted to make a how-to video to share with a friend. It’s activated by tapping two knuckles twice on the screen.

The resulting video is saved in your Files > Videos area (not Screenshots as the system claims). It’s a nifty feature, albeit one with limited application.

EMUI 5.0: Business card scanner

Another EMUI special – it’s possible to capture business card information and render it as a contact using the camera. Open Dialler > hit Contacts > then either hit Business Cards at the top of your contacts list, or hit the Scan button on the floating widget bottom centre. A QR-like reader will pop up allowing a card to be scanned in to render a new contact. It’s not always 100 per cent perfect, but it’s a clever little idea.

EMUI 5.0: Quickly free-up space

Running low on space? If you’re not using two SIM cards then there’s a slot for a microSD card.

Alternatively there’s a quick and easy (albeit uncouth) way of clearing out the app cache and other settings which can often relieve a good few hundred Megabytes of space, possibly into Gigabytes.

Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Memory & Storage. Here you can see the calculations of your various files – Firmware, Cached Data, Apps, Images, Videos, Audio, Other – and select the Storage Cleaner option in Storage Settings.

The Storage Cleaner automatically selects what it thinks you won’t want. A word of caution here: deleting all your cached data in Chrome might just end up annoying you when certain things aren’t quickly available. Fortunately, you can check boxes per suggestion to tailor a clean-up as you see fit.

EMUI 5.0: Dual SIM options

Enable/disable a specific SIM. If you’ve popped two SIM cards into your phone – say one for personal, one for business – and want to switch one off for a vacation, holiday or over the weekend then you can. It’s possible to determine if a SIM is active, enable call forwarding between two numbers and assign default mobile data to either SIM.

Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > Dual SIM Settings.

WhatsApp/Facebook per SIM card. Now here’s a smart feature that few other phones can offer. Huawei calls it App Twin. It’s possible to have WhatsApp and Facebook twins at present, but in the future there could be more twin options (that will take third-party development and approval before it’s possible).

Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > App Twin (at the bottom of the Settings page).

EMUI 5.0: App notifications and display

Alert notifications are useful, but you won’t want to necessarily receive them all the time from every app. Notifications can be individually dismissed, by swiping them away, but you can also setup an individual app’s level of notifications too, to apply to all future settings.

Allow/silence/block notifications from an app. If an app keeps popping-up notifications and you don’t want it to, press-and-hold the notification which will raise the a trio of immediate options:

• Don’t make sound and vibrate (silences notifications, but still allows them to display).
• Sound and vibrate (the default setting).
• Block all from this app (effectively ceases an app’s notification powers).

Adjust where/how an app can display notifications. There are two ways to access the deep-dive settings: from the press-and-hold of a notification, select More Settings; or swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps. From here it’s possible to see all your installed apps, individually select them, within which there is the Notifications setting:

• Display in the status bar. This is where you’ll see little icons appear to the very top left of your home screen. Letter icons for mail, hash icons for Slack, and all manner of other custom icons. You might want to switch off notifications from obscure apps you don’t use much, to keep things neater.
• Banners. These are the floating mini views that some apps present, such as Mail. They’re a great quick access point, but if you don’t want them here’s where to switch them on or off.
• Display on lock screen. Keep the lock screen totally private by hiding all notification displays.
• Priority display. For those key apps; allows notifications to ring with preference.
• Ringtone/Vibrate/deactivate. If you want no notifications at all, turn off the Allow Notifications button. If you want only ringtone, vibration or both then toggle the necessary Ringtone and Vibrate buttons on or off.

Apps drawing over other apps. Some apps have special permission to draw over other apps. The Facebook Messenger pop-up bubble being one prime example. This can be deactivated by accessing Apps (method above). Within your list of apps each can be selected individually, within which is an Advanced tab (for relevant apps only), with Draw Over Other Apps selectable within.

Not receiving notifications when you should be? Here’s a Huawei oddity that we’ve found to be irksome with some apps not sending alerts/notifications even when all settings are apparently correct (WhatsApp is our problematic one). It’s to do with EMUI’s strict power efficiency. If you stop receiving notifications try this (to access Ignore Optimisations): access Apps (method above) > hit the blue settings cog icon to the bottom > select Special Access under the Advanced tab > Unrestricted Data Access. Here apps can be granted always-on data irrelevant of what other settings state.

Allow system wakeup. Additionally, try this: access Apps (method above). Specific apps will have a System Wakeup button within their Battery tab, which you’ll want to leave active for an app alert to trigger even when the phone is in sleep mode.

Notification light and status bar settings. You can select if you want a pulsing notification light, display carrier name, network speed, battery percentage, and whether notifications are icons or numbers. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Notification & Status Bar where all these settings can be found.

EMUI 5.0: Do not disturb and volume settings

Activate Do Not Disturb. This lets you silence your phone, without interruptions – except for specified exceptions. You can schedule DND, add additional time rules (custom, per day), event rules (from calendar), or allow alarms and priority interruptions only. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Do Not Disturb.

Allow designated apps to interrupt. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps. Select the desired app from the list, within which there is the Notifications setting, choose Priority Display.

Set ringtone, media, alarms and calls volumes. These can be individually adjusted. Simply hit the volume up/down button, which will adjust the ringtone volume from loudest down to vibrate (or there’s a mute button). This pop-up banner has a blue arrow to its top right corner, hit this to open the other individual settings to adjust.

EMUI 5.0: Battery optimisation and power-intensive prompts

Here’s where EMUI goes a bit heavy on its alerts. If an app is using higher-than-normal energy levels in the background, the system will prompt you to close said app with a notification alert. These can be dismissed individually, but will keep repeating without taking further action. Or you can take the advice of the system and click the close button within the alert to enhance battery life.

Deactivate power-intensive prompt. This can only be activated per app, and actively used ones at that. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps. Select the desired app from the list, hit Battery and deselect Power-intensive Prompt.

Find out which apps are power-intensive. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Battery and under the App Power Saving Tab is Power Intensive Apps. Within here the phone will show you the active apps running in the background. It’s possible to select them and close them should you want. 

Close app after screen has locked. If you don’t want a certain app to be eating battery life when it’s not fully active and in use, follow the above step and select Close After Screen Locked.

Battery optimisation. There are three battery modes:

• Normal. The default setting, which doesn’t throttle the CPU or background activity.
• Power Saving. Select this for a slight lift in battery life. It will limit background app activity, such as push notifications, and limit the CPU.
• Ultra power saving. For when battery life is really low as you’ll get more than double life from this setting. It sets the phone into a simple mode, with only basic call and SMS apps available. One for emergencies/festivals. It can also be activated from a swipe down from the top of the screen and selecting from the expanded shortcuts.

Show battery remaining as a percentage. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Battery. The bottom option is Remaining Battery Percentage (the font of which differs to the active Theme).

EMUI 5.0: Display adjustment

Adjust brightness / set auto-brightness. Swipe down for the top of the home screen and you’ll see a sun symbol with slider. Slide this up/down to desired level, or hit the Auto box to the side for auto-adjustment based on ambient light reading.

Customise colour balance. Too warm or cold for your eyes? Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Display. Under the Screen tab is Colour Temperature where it’s possible to select pre-defined Warm or Cold, plus use the colour wheel to specifically customise the colour balance to your preference.

Change font size. Within the Display settings (method above) under the Personalised tab is Font Size. Choose between Small, Normal, Large, Huge and Extra Huge (the last is only available for Messaging, Contacts and Dialler).

Eye comfort (for night reading). Within the Display settings (method above) under the Screen tab is Eye Comfort. This filters out blue light to relieve visual fatigue when reading for long periods. It makes the screen look rather yellow, though, so you won’t want it on all the time. It can be activated as you please or even scheduled per day, plus a slider between Less Warm and Warmer allows for comfort customisation.

EMUI 5.0: Camera tips (for dual-camera phones)

The last piece of the puzzle is Huawei’s push into dual camera technology, which is present on many of its top-tier phones.

Activate Monochrome shooting. Open the Camera app, swipe from left side of the screen to open the Modes menu. Select Monochrome from here to use the true black & white sensor to full effect.

Activate Pro Mode for full control. By defauly the Camera app is a point-and-shoot affair. There’s a small tab with an upwards arrow just above the virtual shutter key, however, which when pulled upwards activates Pro Mode. This offers metering, ISO, shutter speed, exposure compensation, focus type and white balance control. It’s available in both Colour and Monochrome (the latter minus white balance of course).

Create fake depth of field (blurred background). Part of the reason Huawei has opted for two cameras is that it can offset the data between them, creating a depth map and the ability, via software, to blur the background as if it was taken with a much wider-open aperture. The Leica-endorsed camera of the Mate 9, for example, supports f/0.95 to f/16 in post. The results aren’t always perfect, but it’s fun. Simply click on the circular aperture setting at the top of the screen.

Mute camera for silent shooting. Swipe from the right edge to left to load the settings. Within here it’s possible to mute the focus and shutter sounds.

Activate a grid and horizon level. Also located in the settings (method above).

Shoot raw images. In addition to JPEG files there’s support for DNG. Simple go into the camera settings (method above) and hit the Raw button.

Image adjustment presets. In settings (method above) there’s Image Adjustment, where +/-2 adjustment can be pre-set for saturation, contrast and brightness.

Capture a burst of images. Simply press-and-hold the screen to whirr off a rapid burst of capture, which is saved as an image stack. Useful for fast-moving or high-speed subjects. This press-and-hold can also be used to activate focus control, adjusted within the settings.

Classic Hot Wheels cars are coming to ‘Rocket League’

It was announced a few days ago that real-life Rocket League toy cars are hitting shelves this spring. Now, the circle has been completed: Psyonix revealed this morning that it will introduce Hot Wheels to the Rocket League arena.

Beginning on February 21st, an update will allow users to purchase classic Hot Wheels models ‘Twin Mill III’ and ‘Bone Shaker’ as DLC. For $1.99 each, players get one of the cars along with exclusive wheels and six decals. Hot Wheels first introduced the Bone Shaker die-cast model in 2006, while Twin Mill III debuted in 2008 and is based on the original Twin Mill from 1969. Players who don’t want to shell out for DLC can still deck out their car with some Hot Wheels swag thanks to random post-match drops.

Source: Rocket League

Samsung’s QLED 4K TVs will start at $2,500

If you’ve been waiting to buy one of Samsung’s QLED 4K TVs, which were unveiled at CES 2017, today is your lucky day. The company is now taking pre-orders for its Q7 and Q8 sets, starting at $2,500 for a 55-inch, non-curved model. In case that’s not big enough, you could shell out $6,000 for a 75-inch Q7 or $4,500 for the curved Q8. What’s missing from this list is the flagship Q9 panels, which Samsung still hasn’t revealed pricing for.

As a refresher, the QLED lineup is intended to rival high-end TVs from LG and Sony, with the promise of Quantom Dots delivering a picture quality on par with OLED technology. Samsung says the Q7 and Q8 are expected to ship “late” February.

Via: The Verge

Source: Samsung

MIT and Segway’s robo-hackathon focuses on eldercare

Robots have become smarter and more useful over the last year alone, and Segway Robotics is turning to developers for ideas on more meaningful applications for its Loomo bot. For three days starting February 10th, the company is co-hosting the MIT Hacking Medicine Robotics hackathon in Singapore to create eldercare-based uses for Loomo. 75 teams, each consisting of three developers, a healthcare professional and a business manager, will work on ways to use Loomo to address elderly and medical care challenges in Singapore, where the population is rapidly aging. The winning teams’ creations will be tested in Singapore, and successful applications will be rolled out globally.

In addition to coming up with helpful applications for Loomo, the event’s organizers are also hoping to get participant feedback on how to improve the robot. Segway unveiled the latest developer version of Loomo at CES this year, and announced an array of partners that includes MIT, BMW and Intel. While MIT is focusing on healthcare applications for Loomo, BMW and Intel are exploring uses in autonomous driving and perceptual computing, respectively.

One in four Singaporeans is expected to require elder care by 2030, which puts a strain on the country’s healthcare industry, increasing its need for qualified workers. Singapore is not alone in its situation, either, as numerous other nations with aging populations face similar challenges.

The hackathon’s winners will be announced on February 13th at the EmTech Asia conference, after which they’ll see their projects funded and tested. Segway says more than 300 applicants signed up for the event, which is hopefully an indicator that people are brimming with ideas on how to ease problems in healthcare for elderly people.

DeepMind is using games to test AI aggression and cooperation

As our ability to create AI grows, it’s important that we assess how it behaves in different situations. DeepMind, Google’s AI division in London, has been concerned with one aspect in particular: what happens when two or more AI have similar or conflicting goals. The team wanted a test similar to the “Prisoner’s Dilemma,” a popular game that pits two suspects against one another. In this scenario, you’re given a choice: testify against the other person and you’ll go free, while they have to serve three years. If you both say yes independently, however, you’ll serve two years in jail.

It’s a dilemma without a simple answer. To test its AI agents, DeepMind developed two new games, called Gathering and Wolfpack. In Gathering, two colored squares are tasked with picking up “apples” in the middle of the screen. They can also fire a laser which, if accurate, removes the other character from the game temporarily. How co-operative or combative would they be? Unsurprisingly, the pair was quite peaceful at the start, collecting apples at a steady pace. As the fruit pile dwindled, however, they learned to become more aggressive and fire their laser at each other.

Like Prisoner’s Dilemma, the agents have to decide whether to “defect” and attack the other player. Curiously, they would become more hostile as their computational power was increased. The rate of firing would go up regardless of how many apples were left on screen too. The reason why is simple: aiming is complicated. It involves timing and tracking the other agent’s movement. Ignoring their behavior and simply seeking apples is an easier, but potentially slower route to success. As a result, the AI with lower cognitive capacity would tend to fall back on this basic strategy.

Wolfpack is a little different. It challenges two agents to co-operate in finding a third, fleeing piece of AI. Blocky obstacles are littered on the screen, so the teammates have to figure out when to flank and corner their opponent. DeepMind noted that here, higher cognitive capacity lent to more cooperation between the agents. That’s in contrast to Gathering, which produced more conflicts when the ‘smarts’ were increased. The differing results highlight the importance of intelligence, but also the game and its underlying ruleset. AI will behave differently depending on the task at hand and what’s required to be victorious.

The findings are important as humanity releases multiple AI into the world. It’s likely some will clash and try to either co-operate or sabotage one another. What happens, for instance, if an AI is managing traffic flow across the city, while another is trying to reduce carbon emissions in the state? The rules of the “game” which govern their behavior then become vital. Setting parameters, and being mindful of other agents, will be crucial if we’re to balance the global economy, public health and climate change.

Source: DeepMind

Taser bought two computer vision AI companies

Law enforcement agencies across the country are adopting body-worn cameras as a means both of increasing their transparency with the public and generating actionable feedback to improve officer performance. Problem is, all these body cams produce terabytes of data daily, far more than many departments can effectively handle. That’s why Taser (yes those guys, they make body cameras too) announced on Thursday that it has acquired a pair of companies that specialize in computer- and machine-vision to create the “Axon AI” group. Together, they’ll develop a platform that can efficiently parse this flood of data in real time.

The Axon AI group will include about 20 programmers and engineers. They’ll be tasked with developing AI capabilities specifically for public safety and law enforcement. The backbone of the Axon AI platform comes from Dextro Inc. Their computer-vision and deep learning system can search the visual contents of a video feed in real time. Technology from the Fossil Group, which Taser also acquired, will support Dextro’s search capability by “improving the accuracy, efficiency and speed of processing images and video,” according to the company’s press release.

The AI platform is the latest addition to Taser’s Axon ecosystem, which include everything from body and dash cameras to evidence and interview logging. Altogether the Axon system handles 5.2 petabytes of data from more than half of the nation’s major city police departments.

With the new AI system in place, law enforcement could finally get a handle on all that footage. “Axon AI will greatly reduce the time spent preparing videos for public information requests or court submission,” Taser CEO, Rick Smith, said in a statement. “This will lay the foundation for a future system where records are seamlessly recorded by sensors rather than arduously written by police officers overburdened by paperwork.”

Source: PRWire

Trump’s FCC head is doing exactly what we expected

The newly minted head of the FCC has only been in the job for a few weeks but has already begun to make changes. Ajit Pai is a vocal opponent of net neutrality, promising to “fire up the weed whacker” against his agency shortly before assuming leadership. The official has also been quick to launch a campaign to roll back many of the consumer protections that the FCC was instrumental in creating.

Pai, a former Verizon lawyer, was confirmed as the 34th FCC chairman on January 23rd to the delight of the telecommunications industry. Special interests expressed their approval via third-party proxies operating under the pretense of consumer advocacy. The Taxpayers Protection Alliance, for instance, said that it was excited to watch Pai “begin to undo the damage from ex-Chairman Wheeler’s tenure.”

Just five days into his tenure, one of Pai’s first moves was to suppress the FCC’s project to reform the set-top box market. The plan, dubbed AllVid, would have required cable companies to offer apps for third-party smart TV devices. That way, you’d be freed from the requirement to rent a cable box from your provider and use your Roku, Chromecast, Apple or Fire TV instead.

AllVid isn’t dead, per se, despite pressure from Republican lawmakers like Greg Walden, congressman from Oregon, and Marsha Blackburn, congresswoman from Tennessee. As Ars Technica explains, the project has simply been removed from the FCC’s list of items in circulation, placing it in limbo. Should Pai want to, he is technically able to present a revised plan, although it’s unlikely that he will.

Pai has also begun the process of undermining the principles of net neutrality by expanding the Title II order’s small business exemption. On January 27th, he widened the rules exempting small businesses from the Title II reporting requirements. Now, these outfits will not have to comply with regulations for an additional five years.

The FCC under Tom Wheeler struggled to protect municipal broadband initiatives across the country, thanks to onerous local laws. Pai isn’t interested in enabling cities or states to push their own offerings, preferring to back the private sector. The new chief has allocated $170 million in federal funding to cable companies to build out broadband infrastructure in New York State.

Pai also began working on a series of reforms to make the FCC much more transparent in its decision-making. The commission has begun a pilot program whereby the documents relating to its open meetings will be available online up to three weeks ahead of time. The intention, according to Pai, is to show the public how the commission operates and increase its engagement.

But just three days later, the FCC revealed that it would no longer brief the media about its plans as it had under Chairman Wheeler. Back then, the commission would offer details of its upcoming proposals to the press before meetings to enable proper scrutiny. Pai described this as “inappropriate and disrespectful of other commissioners” and will end the practice.

At the end of 2016, the FCC went in hard against AT&T and Verizon, accusing both of violating the spirit, if not the law, of net neutrality. The former, via DirecTV Now, and the latter, with Go90, are both “zero rated” services, which do not count against your mobile data cap. After all, the point of net neutrality is to ensure that all data is treated equally — the cornerstone of ensuring the internet remains a free and open market.

Pai disagrees and, as part of a “Friday-night news dump,” intended to bury bad news, cancelled the FCC’s investigation into zero rating. In a statement, Pai claimed that free data plans are “popular with consumers” and have “enhanced competition in the wireless marketplace.” He added that the FCC would “not focus on denying Americans free data,” but instead “concentrate on expanding broadband deployment.”

Speaking of which, another issue where Pai is taking a different tack than his predecessor is with the Lifeline program, which helps get America’s poorest online. Shortly before leaving office, former Chairman Wheeler approved nine companies to join the 900 or so that offer broadband to poor homes. Pai, however, revoked the licenses, including that of a company offering educational broadband to children in 41 states.

The Washington Post pointed out that Pai committed to closing the digital divide during his tenure running the FCC. But limiting the ability for the poorest people in the country from getting online seems to contradict his stated goal. Pai himself disputed this in a blog post defending the decision, saying that a delay in granting the licenses is necessary to prevent fraud.

Pai’s FCC is also retreating from other spheres where it had previously been responsible for protecting consumers. Under Wheeler, the agency had placed caps on telephone rates from prisons, which the agency described as “excessive” and “egregious.” Despite evidence that keeping contact with family reduces recidivism, inmates were charged up to $14 per minute. The new regime has decided to stop defending the decision in federal appeals court, which is likely to lead to the caps being lifted.

In just two weeks, then, Ajit Pai is already remaking the FCC in his own image and taking great strides to undo the policies of the Obama administration.