With Lisnr, Ticketmaster could soon use audio data as your ticket to a concert

Why it matters to you

Lisnr’s ‘smart tones’ technology promises a safer and more personalized experience for concert and event goers.

We’ve gone from paper to mobile, and now, it looks like we’re going from mobile to aural. Thanks to a new partnership between Ticketmaster and data-over-audio company Lisnr, you may soon be able to gain access to concerts and other events using nothing more than an audio broadcast from your smartphone. Lisnr’s new “smart tones” technology purports to transmit data between devices, which could mean the end to long queues and impatient fans.

So how does this newfangled technology work? In essence, via the smart tones Lisnr transmits live in the 18.75 kHZ to 19.2 kHZ range, which makes them totally inaudible to over 90 percent of humans. But digital devices are capable of hearing these distinct sound patterns and using them to confirm your identity. When you’re attempting to get into a concert with smart tones, you’ll just take out your phone, have it broadcast your unique audio signal, and if everything matches, you’ll be seamlessly admitted.

But wait, you say. Why would this be more efficient than, say, QR codes or the existing scannable technology? According to Lisnr, it all comes down to costs. As Venturebeat reports, “comparatively little expenditure is required to support smart tones in terms of venue infrastructure.” Moreover, Lisnr’s smart tones apparently also prevent fraud. Because these audio tickets are not only attached to an individual person, but also to his or her smartphone, you can’t just transfer tickets from person to person all willy nilly. That means that ticket vendors like Ticketmaster can be certain of exactly who did and didn’t attend an event, and this also gives the company more control over resales (as customers won’t be able to arbitrarily pawn their audio tickets off to friends or strangers).

But beyond the logistics of the platform, Lisnr and Ticketmaster say this new tech can give customers “deeply personalized experiences.”

“We used identity as our North Star — our guiding light to develop a product that makes each individual fan experience the greatest it could be,” Justin Burleigh, executive vice president of product at Ticketmaster, told Venturebeat. “This means using identity to drive customized experiences based on who you are and where you are, eliminating fraud, resulting in a safer environment, and delivering more personalization based on the specific event you’re attending.”

Indeed, the hope is that Lisnr will soon be implemented in much more than just concert venues. Already, the company has partnered with Jaguar Land Rover to allow cars to communicate with smartphones, other cars, and even the environment at large.

With Lisnr, Ticketmaster could soon use audio data as your ticket to a concert

Why it matters to you

Lisnr’s ‘smart tones’ technology promises a safer and more personalized experience for concert and event goers.

We’ve gone from paper to mobile, and now, it looks like we’re going from mobile to aural. Thanks to a new partnership between Ticketmaster and data-over-audio company Lisnr, you may soon be able to gain access to concerts and other events using nothing more than an audio broadcast from your smartphone. Lisnr’s new “smart tones” technology purports to transmit data between devices, which could mean the end to long queues and impatient fans.

So how does this newfangled technology work? In essence, via the smart tones Lisnr transmits live in the 18.75 kHZ to 19.2 kHZ range, which makes them totally inaudible to over 90 percent of humans. But digital devices are capable of hearing these distinct sound patterns and using them to confirm your identity. When you’re attempting to get into a concert with smart tones, you’ll just take out your phone, have it broadcast your unique audio signal, and if everything matches, you’ll be seamlessly admitted.

But wait, you say. Why would this be more efficient than, say, QR codes or the existing scannable technology? According to Lisnr, it all comes down to costs. As Venturebeat reports, “comparatively little expenditure is required to support smart tones in terms of venue infrastructure.” Moreover, Lisnr’s smart tones apparently also prevent fraud. Because these audio tickets are not only attached to an individual person, but also to his or her smartphone, you can’t just transfer tickets from person to person all willy nilly. That means that ticket vendors like Ticketmaster can be certain of exactly who did and didn’t attend an event, and this also gives the company more control over resales (as customers won’t be able to arbitrarily pawn their audio tickets off to friends or strangers).

But beyond the logistics of the platform, Lisnr and Ticketmaster say this new tech can give customers “deeply personalized experiences.”

“We used identity as our North Star — our guiding light to develop a product that makes each individual fan experience the greatest it could be,” Justin Burleigh, executive vice president of product at Ticketmaster, told Venturebeat. “This means using identity to drive customized experiences based on who you are and where you are, eliminating fraud, resulting in a safer environment, and delivering more personalization based on the specific event you’re attending.”

Indeed, the hope is that Lisnr will soon be implemented in much more than just concert venues. Already, the company has partnered with Jaguar Land Rover to allow cars to communicate with smartphones, other cars, and even the environment at large.

Panono, the (now-bankrupt) tossable 360 camera, appears to have a buyer

Why it matters to you

Panono’s story serves as a word of caution that even successful crowdfunding campaigns don’t always deliver.

After filing for bankruptcy unable to deliver on a crowd funding campaign that exceeded a million dollars, the Panono throwable 360 camera appears to have a new owner. In a letter to supporters, Panono co-founder Jonas Pfeil said that the sale of the company is being finalized, according to DP Review.

With the sale not yet final, it’s unclear just who is buying out the technology. But, the letter to backers does clear up a few questions. Mainly, the project’s initial backers on Indiegogo still won’t be getting a camera but the users of the 400 or so cameras that shipped will still have access to the cloud software essential to operating the camera.

While the company is selling its assets, which includes current inventory, software and hardware, the new buyer isn’t getting the “obligations towards external parties.” In other words, the new company isn’t going to ship the camera to the product’s first backers on that original crowd funding campaign. In the letter, Pfeil said that the funds from the sale will be going to pay the company’s debts and that the founders are walking away without any profit from the sale.

With the camera’s stitching software relying on a cloud, the sale does however suggest that the customers who actually received their cameras will still be able to continue using it. With no one to maintain the cloud software, without a buyer, the camera would have eventually stopped working.

Panono takes 360 shots with 36 different built-in cameras, stitching all those images together using that cloud-based software.  While a number of different 360 cameras have popped up since Panono launched in 2013, the camera’s throwable design is still unique. A sensor inside the camera triggers a shot when the camera reaches the highest point, which means users can take aerial 360 photos without learning how to fly a drone but by simply throwing a ball in the air. The camera’s 72 megapixel count from all those built-in cameras also differentiates the camera from other consumer options.

Despite all the company trouble, the Panono is still listed for sale on the company’s website with no mention of the company’s bankruptcy and pending sale. While the camera cost backers $500 (and didn’t deliver a camera), the Panono is listed for $2,000 on the company’s website, with a note saying the camera is in stock in Germany.

Why all phone launchers should support icon packs

Icon packs are a wonderfully easy way to jazz up your home screen.

There’s a reason icon packs are supported by most third-party launchers and a growing number of manufacturer launchers. The problem with those manufacturer launchers supporting icon packs is that they’re only supporting their icon packs, but not those sold by Google Play. Samsung’s launcher only supports icon packs from the Samsung Themes store. HTC’s launcher only supports icon packs from the HTC Themes store.

And that’s a problem for a lot of reasons.

Icon packs aren’t standardized at the Android level. If you want to learn how to create an icon pack, you won’t be looking at Google’s Android Developers website, but at guides on forums like XDA Developers. Because icon packs aren’t standardized, the same icon pack can look different on different launchers, and some launchers won’t recognize icon packs that are built certain ways. In short, the experience of using icon packs can be hit-and-miss.

For third-party launchers, they can list whether or not they support icon packs in their app listing before you download it, and icon packs on Google Play often spell out which launchers they’ve tested on and support. For the launcher that came with your phone, it’s a bit harder to tell users, “Oh hey, your mileage may vary based on the icon pack you use”. It’s far easier for them to either limit icon packs to ones they’ve tested themselves, or stop icon packs from being used all together.

If a manufacturer doesn’t want to bother with adding icon pack support, I can accept that. What I can’t accept is a launcher going to to the trouble of adding and supporting icon packs, but not allowing us to use the icon packs we’ve already paid for.

Elev8 icon pack from the Samsung Themes store on TouchWiz launcher, and from Google Play Store on Nova Launcher

The problem with icon packs from Samsung and HTC is that they’re often of terrible quality.

I know that Samsung and HTC want us to buy icon packs from them for their launchers. If a pack is truly an original work and works well on that launcher, I’d be willing to buy it from them. Problem is piracy runs rampant in theme stores like HTC’s and Samsung’s, and most icon packs for these stores don’t even theme Google icons — or even all of the manufacturer’s apps — beyond a tacky mask. They’re pale imitations and don’t work nearly as well as their Google Play competitors. By allowing the real icon packs from Google Play to work with manufacturer launchers, you can help cut down on piracy by allowing the genuine articles to work instead of just the fakes.

By allowing third-party icon packs, manufacturer launchers also stand a better chance of users sticking around and actually trying to use their launcher instead of downloading their favorite from Google Play the second they’re set up. The on-board launcher on the Galaxy S8 is quite capable for everyday users and themers alike… but the icon packs are awful, and you can’t get away from them without jumping to a third-party launcher.

Do we need a platform-level standardization for icon packs? You bet your Android we do!

We’ve actually seen some manufacturers start to allow Google Play icon packs in recent years. ASUS’s Zen UI Launcher accepts Google Play icon packs in addition to the ones found with ZenUI Themes, and BlackBerry Launcher supports Google Play icon packs, letting users give their home screen the look they want without losing out on BlackBerry Launcher’s keyboard shortcuts or integration with BlackBerry Hub. While there’s plenty of reasons to include support for Google Play icon packs, perhaps the most obvious one for these two launchers supporting it is that in addition to shipping them on phones, both of these launchers are available on (and updates through) Google Play to all Android users. They compete with the rest of the third-party launcher market, and so they have a popular feature other launchers have: icon pack support for Google Play icon packs.

Do we need a platform-level standardization for icon packs? You bet your Android we do! But until we get one, we at least need launchers that support icon packs to support the ones that come from Google Play instead of sitting in their tiny, walled garden of cheap masks and knock offs. It makes manufacturer launchers more competitive. It helps cut down on piracy. It makes users happy. And honestly, isn’t that enough of a reason to do it?

Best alternatives to Project Fi

Project Fi is unique, but if for some reason you can’t or don’t want to subscribe to it, here are some awesome alternatives.

There is nothing else like Project Fi in the U.S. Google’s alternative carrier is a unique combination of flexible, powerful and intuitive. With one SIM card, it dynamically switches between three carriers in the U.S. and provides effortless worldwide roaming while abroad. With its app, it’s easy to top up on data or share the cost of a plan amongst a group of people.

Project Fi: Everything you need to know

But Project Fi isn’t perfect, or at least not perfect for everyone. Case in point: It’s a lock-in strategy for Google, since recent Nexus and Pixel devices are compatible with the service. And it’s relatively expensive, with a flat rate of $10 per gigabyte of data.

So I thought it would be nice to try to find other carriers in the U.S. that offered at least approximations of Project Fi’s service while ensuring compatibility with a wider range of phones. To do that, I made a set of criteria for the alternative providers:

• It must have an intuitive and flexible payment schedule
• It must have inexpensive talk and text in the U.S.
• It must ensure data is relatively affordable
• It must be compatible with most unlocked phones
• It should have robust roaming capabilities
• It should have data rollover or credits for unused data
• It should offer service through more than one U.S. carrier (for redundancy)

As I said at the beginning, there is nothing else like Project Fi in the U.S., but some providers come relatively close to hitting all of the above criteria. Here’s what I found.

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Ting

To many of its long-time users, alternative carrier Ting is a darling of flexibility and customer service. The main appeal for Project Fi admirers is the flexible, modular plans, which let you pay for exactly how much talk time and texting you need, along with simple, affordable data tiers.

Prices for a single line start at $32 for 100 minutes of talk and text and 2GB of data, but it’s not much more to add considerably more from each category. It’s also just $6 per additional line, which is pretty great.

Ting also has access to two networks, Sprint and T-Mobile, though unlike Project Fi you can’t dynamically switch between them — your phone may be compatible with both services, but you’ll need to choose whether you want GSM or CDMA service, and can switch SIM cards based on your location and coverage.

One thing I constantly hear about Ting, too, is that it offers fantastic customer service and flexibility. And while its roaming rates are not included in the base package like Project Fi, they’re relatively inexpensive.

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Cricket Wireless

AT&T’s discount brand, Cricket Wireless, doesn’t tick every box for Project Fi wannabes, but it comes close on a few. For example, it offers excellent nationwide coverage, since it runs on AT&T’s network, and as a result should be compatible with almost every unlocked phone sold in the U.S. today.

It also has simple, inexpensive and flexible plans that offer unlimited U.S. talk and text, plus the ability to roam in Canada and Mexico on two of the higher-tier (but at $50 and $60, still affordable) plans.

There are a couple of caveats, though: Cricket limits LTE download speeds to 8Mbps, and 4G speeds to 4Mbps, which is considerably slower than what AT&T’s network is capable of. Mobile hotspot is only available on the 8GB plan, and additional data is $10 per gigabyte, which matches Project Fi.

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Consumer Cellular

Like Ting, Consumer Cellular operates on T-Mobile’s GSM network, but it also has access to AT&T’s coverage if you need it. It’s got a reputation for amazing customer service, and its flexible plans are really quite generous: you start at $10 for pay-per-usage calls and add either a bucket or talk-and-text or just a healthy smattering of data. 5GB is $40, which isn’t particularly cheap, but if you’re just looking for data and a few phone calls, it should be fine. Consumer Cellular also charges a familiar $10/GB for additional data, up to 12GB per month.

Unlike the other choices, Consumer Cellular doesn’t have any roaming capabilities, so if that’s necessary then you’re out of luck. But it does let you add a second line to your account for only $10 per month, and AARP members get a 5% monthly discount, which can add up over time.

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MetroPCS

Finally, MetroPCS is also a fairly good provider, since it now lives on T-Mobile’s network but offers services that are considerably cheaper and more flexible. You can get unlimited talk, text and data, plus hotspot support, for $60 per month, while 2GB of data is just half that amount. MetroPCS doesn’t offer international data roaming, but call and text adds-ons for Canada and Mexico are just $5 per month.

Because MetroPCS runs on T-Mobile’s network, most unlocked phones are going to be compatible with it, which makes it an excellent option for bring-your-own-device enthusiasts.

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The reality

The reality is that nothing in the U.S. is like Project Fi. Google’s carrier experiment may be a little more expensive on a per-gigabyte basis, and more restrictive from a phone choice perspective, but in many ways, and for many people, it’s the ideal network provider.

Of course, not everyone has access to a Nexus or Pixel phone, so hopefully these offerings will come in handy when you’re searching for your next alternative carrier.

Alternative carriers (MVNOS)

• What is an alternative mobile carrier?
• What are the advantages of going with an alternative carrier?
• How to make sure your phone works on a prepaid alternative carrier
• 8 Important Considerations When Switching To An MVNO
• These are the cheapest data plans you can buy in the U.S.
• Mint SIM vs. Cricket Wireless: Which is better for you?

EE showcases Gigabit LTE in the UK

British operator is Europe’s first carrier to showcase Gigabit LTE, using Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium.

EE today took the wraps off its new Gigabit LTE network, with a live demonstration at London’s Wembley Stadium. The demo saw Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium, one of the first Gigabit LTE devices running Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 platform, pulling down 750Mbps, with upload speeds of 110Mbps.

The XZ Premium’s 4K HDR display underscores one of the major benefits of Cat. 16 LTE speeds — the ability to stream 4K video from platforms like Netflix and Amazon. For its part, EE has remained at the forefront of new LTE standards since being the first to roll out LTE in the UK back in 2012. In today’s announcement, EE notes that Gigabit LTE is a major milestone on the road to 5G networks.

The latest network upgrades are already live in Cardiff and London’s Tech City.

EE says it has enabled these latest upgrades to Cat. 16 on its network in Cardiff and London’s Tech City, with more locations coming throughout 2017 and 2018. Subscribers will need one of the few Gigabit-capable handsets to take full advantage of the faster speeds, however the additional throughput provided by the new tech should relieve congestion for all customers.

Demonstrating Gigabit LTE is all well and good, however EE customers may find they burn through their data allowances faster than ever if they do indulge in 4K streaming — the operator’s data allowances currently max out at 40GB, whereas 4K movies can weigh in at between 50-100GB depending on length and bitrate.

Tesco adds Uber rewards as the Clubcard goes contactless

As reward programmes go, none come much bigger than the Tesco Clubcard. Now in its 23rd year, the UK supermarket giant’s points scheme has more than 16.5 million customers, who typically carry their personalised card on their keyring. As rivals continue to undercut it on price, Tesco has incentivised customers to “boost” Clubcard points earned from their weekly shop by allocating them against purchases from over 400 “Reward Partners,” which include tickets to theme parks, breakdown cover and car hire. From today, however, shoppers will have more even choice, with Uber and Hotels.com joining the scheme.

The addition of the ride-hailing service will be welcome news for frequent travellers, but not everyone will be happy. Last month, traditional taxi drivers threatened to boycott Tesco if the supermarket did confirm a tie-up with Uber, citing concerns over regulation, adequate insurance cover and a lack of topographical knowledge. Uber, after all, isn’t exactly having a great time of things.

As part of a major Clubcard revamp, Tesco has lowered the deals threshold of rewards, allowing customers to increase the value of their vouchers on purchases from as little as 50p. The Clubcard itself has also been given a makeover, with a larger dark blue contactless card set to roll out at the end of the week. The new Clubcard can be tapped against the payment reader before payment, rather than needing to be swiped or scanned on a barcode reader.

Tesco’s Clubcard improvements follow the launch of a new payment app called PayQwiq at the start of the year. PayQwiq lets customers add their payment cards to an iOS or Android app and pay for their shopping, earning Clubcard points in the process. Digital coupons are also applied automatically, saving time at the till.

Source: Tesco

‘Assassin’s Creed’ is becoming an anime series

Less than a year since the release of the Assassin’s Creed film adaptation, Ubisoft is set to revisit the world of its hit game franchise in the form of an anime series. Producer Adi Shankar claims the show will be his next project, after Netlifx’s Castlevania — making him the go-to guy for animated video game adaptations.

Shankar took to Facebook to make the announcement, adding that Ubisoft approached him to create an “original story.” That’s all we know about the project thus far. Seeing as Shankar managed to assemble an eye-catching roster of talent for Castlevania (including comic book scribe Warren Ellis and Adventure Time‘s Kevin Kolde) it will be interesting to see who he calls on this time around.

Ubisoft’s plans to adapt its line-up of video games got off to a rocky start with the Michael Fassbender-starring Assassin’s Creed. Released to abysmal reviews last year, the costly production managed to earn a tepid $54 million in the US, putting an end to any sequel aspirations Ubisoft had.

Despite claiming that the anime will be an original story, Shankar can cherry pick from a wealth of Assassin’s Creed storylines. The popular video game franchise has spawned nine main games and 17 spinoffs. The next entry in the long-running series, entitled Assassin’s Creed Origins, drops on October 27, and will tell the story of how the assassin brotherhood began.

Via: IGN

Source: Adi Shankar (Facebook)

Volvo’s parent company acquires flying car startup

Geely — the Chinese company who owns Volvo — has just acquired the startup behind the world’s most promising flying car. Known for the impressive vertical takeoff and landing vehicle called the “Transition”, Terrafugia is the company that’s come the closest to making flying cars a reality. Now, thanks to Geely’s deep pockets, it looks like we could soon be seeing winged Volvos soaring over the freeway.

While there are other companies out there experimenting with the futuristic hybrid vehicle, Terrafugia is arguably the first to make a truly convincing prototype. Offering a far more sleek and polished vehicle than any of its competitors, Terrafugia’s Transition boasted a cruising range of 400 miles and a top speed of 100 MPH. As well as being fitted with a full-vehicle parachute to bring the car back onto roads, the Transition also uses advanced autonomous flight tech in order to stop its pilots from crashing.

More crucially for Geely though, the Transition is one of the few hybrid vehicles to be approved by the General Aviation Administration, allowing the transforming car to be certified as a Light Sport Aircraft. This means that Terrafugia can create a road and air-legal vehicle that weighs up to 1,800 pounds – making the startup a valuable purchase for the China-based company.

With AI that can read minds, increasingly convincing virtual reality and flying cars all within our reach, the science fiction of the 90s is starting to look a lot like reality.

Source: Clean Technica

You don’t need a headset to see these ‘holograms’

Genuine, Princess Leia-type color holograms are still pretty rare. Most of what we think of as holograms are actually Pepper’s Ghost, Tupac-style illusions that trick your brain by using 2D images to simulate 3D. To make that work even better, a French artist named Joanie Lemercier has taken that notion and added motion tracking. That way, the “no-logram” can change perspective as you move around it, fooling your brain into thinking the objects are truly 3D.

Lemercier says he’s been obsessed with mid-air projections since he first saw the original Star Wars, and was also inspired by Tom Cruise’s user interface in Minority Report. The tech works much like something we saw at Theoriz in Lyon, France, but that system is projected on walls and floors, and tracks a camera rather than the viewer.

Instead, Lemercier projects the image onto a transparent screen, and then tracks the individual viewer to make the image match his perspective, as shown in the video above. “I use common tracking technologies (depth sensor and image analysis) to allow interaction between the user/audience and the projections,” Lemercier says on his website. Since he doesn’t want to mislead people about it, he calls the system a “no-logram” rather than a hologram.

As for the images themselves, his works “explore geometric patterns, repetitive shapes in nature and … the structure of the universe at various scales,” he says. “The volumetric projects are a great medium to question the nature of reality, and how technology can modify our perception of the world we live in.”

Lemercier is working on a new technique, projecting the images onto high-pressure gas and fine water particles, “to create true volumetric impressions.” He aims to develop an interactive installation to show in festivals and build a “permanent installation in a public space.”

Via: Prosthetic Knowledge

Source: Joanie Lemercier (Vimeo)