Facial Recognition Startups Report Increased Interest in Their Tech After Apple’s Reveal of Face ID

With the upcoming launch of the iPhone X in November, Apple is preparing to debut an all-new biometric security feature called “Face ID.” By using half a dozen front-facing sensors and an enhanced camera system, the iPhone X will be able to project more than 30,000 invisible dots onto your face, create a precise map of what it sees, and remember it so that all you have to do to unlock the iPhone X is look at it with your eyes open, and swipe up on the Lock Screen.

Although it’s yet to be seen if this feature will be “well received” by users, a new report by Bloomberg today cites a few startups in the technology industry that have noticed Apple’s influence already beginning to make waves in the face-scanning technology market. These startups — which specialize in technology related to facial recognition systems — say they have “already seen a pickup in demand” from certain companies interested in their technology, starting soon after iPhone X event day on September 12.

George Brostoff, CEO of one such startup called Sensible Vision, told Bloomberg that Apple’s Face ID/iPhone X announcement “makes companies like Motorola, like LG come knocking on the doors of companies like ours.” Brostoff said that the company is now fielding calls from potential buyers, including talks with “virtually all of the world’s phone manufacturers,” with expectations set for the startup to be sold to one of these interested parties — which excludes Apple — within a year.

While not everyone will buy the $999 high-end iPhone, rival electronics makers are already trying to figure out how they can incorporate the technology in their offerings. Startups selling their own versions of facial recognition say they’ve already seen a pickup in demand since Sept. 12, when Apple announced the iPhone X, aka 10.

“We now have a leader like Apple acknowledging that this makes sense,” said George Brostoff, chief executive officer of SensibleVision Inc., a Cape Coral, Florida-based startup that makes software for tablets and smartphones. “This makes companies like Motorola, like LG come knocking on the doors of companies like ours.”

Looking forward, research firm Crone Consulting LLC reported that facial recognition will account for “more than half of all [device] log-ins” over the next three to five years, including users authorizing mobile banking apps and payments. In terms of earnings, researchers at MarketsandMarkets predicted that the market for Face ID-like biometric security systems will double from the $3.35 billion it made in 2016, to $6.84 billion in 2021.

Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi has made the rounds since the September 12 keynote event, assuring users that Face ID is “incredibly reliable,” “very fast,” and it “just works.” He’s said that he understands user uncertainty over the new feature, but these concerns will “melt away” once they get the iPhone X in their hands. In terms of security, Apple has also said that your face is saved only to the iPhone X and not accessible by anyone who doesn’t have access to the device.

According to Federighi, all of these behind-the-scenes Face ID features come together flawlessly: “You don’t even think about it,” he said.

Related Roundup: iPhone X
Tags: bloomberg.com, Face ID
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Tim Cook Speaks About DACA, Coding, and More at Bloomberg’s First ‘Global Business Forum’

Apple CEO Tim Cook attended Bloomberg’s Global Business Forum today alongside former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. He discussed several topics, ranging from DACA and human rights to education and the environment.

Tim Cook at Steve Jobs Theater
Cook said “dreamers,” or individuals who were brought to the United States at a young age when their parents or guardians illegally immigrated to the country,” only know the United States as home and deeply love the country.

He added that “we all started somewhere” and “we are all descendants of immigrants.”

Full video:

DACA, which the Trump administration moved to end earlier this month, allowed many illegal immigrants who entered the United States at age 16 or under to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation, and eligibility for a work permit in the country.

Trump gave U.S. Congress a six-month window to try to “fix” and legalize the Obama-era policy before phasing it out. Nearly 800,000 undocumented individuals belong to the program, including over 250 Apple employees.

In a letter to employees, Cook said Apple will advocate for a legislative solution that provides permanent protections for all “dreamers” in the United States. He also said Apple would “provide them and their families the support they need, including the advice of immigration experts.”

Cook added that “all companies should have values,” since they are nothing more than “a collection of people.”

As for education, Cook said Apple has been pushing for students to learn coding at all levels, ranging from K-12 schools to community colleges:

We started many years ago crafting a language that would be as easy to learn as Apple products are to use. We then designed a curriculum. We found an incredible number of K-12 institutions wanting and pulling the curriculum. We then took that to community colleges. […] These are huge systems with hundreds of thousands of people in them. I’m seeing an incredible desire to bring coding to the masses.

We’re actually training teachers right now, and through every classroom we’ve been in, we’ve found willing teachers, administrators, and the kids are more engaged than ever before. Kids want to learn about the digital economy—they’re growing up digital. It’s not good for them to grow up digital, and then go to school in an analog world.

Apple’s App Development with Swift is being offered at more than 30 community college systems across the United States this school year.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: Tim Cook
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Uber launches internal probe on Asia bribery allegations

Among its many other problems, Uber is facing a federal probe to look into allegations that it broke foreign bribery laws. To figure out what happened exactly and to cooperate with the DOJ, the ride-hailing firm recently launched its own investigation focusing on the activities of local offices in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea. According to Bloomberg, Uber at least knew what happened in Jakarta from the start, but one of its senior members decided not to disclose it to authorities.

A local employee in Indonesia apparently bribed cops so they’d turn a blind eye to the fact that Uber’s office was outside city zoning for businesses. Uber HQ fired that employee and placed Indonesia’s head of business on leave, but it only reported the incident when the DOJ launched a federal probe. It’s possible that the agency promised to be more lenient if the company reveals everything it knows. The law firm Uber hired to investigate is also looking into allegations that a big donation the company made influenced the Malaysian government to pass favorable national ride-hailing laws.

Bloomberg says it’s unclear why the firm is looking into the local South Korean and Chinese operations, as well. According to its sources, though, the law firm is also digging into how the company’s execs got their hands on the private medical records of the woman who was raped by an Uber driver in India. All three executives involved in the incident, including former CEO Travis Kalanick, are no longer with the company. If the agency truly forged a deal with the ride-hailing firm, we’ll hear more details once Uber tells the DOJ the results of its internal probe.

Source: Bloomberg

Belkin’s iPhone dongle helps you listen while you charge

Last year’s Belkin Rockstar dongle was a lifesaver for iPhone 7 owners who wanted to charge their device while doing just about anything else, but it had a problem: with two Lightning ports, you still had to add a second adapter to plug in your favorite pair of 3.5mm headphones. Thankfully, those days are over. Belkin has introduced a new version of the Rockstar with a 3.5mm jack in place of one of the Lightning connectors. This still won’t change the clunkiness of your setup, but at least you won’t have to explain why you carry two dongles with your iPhone 8.

The newer adapter even costs a bit less, too. Apple and other retailers are selling Belkin’s adapter for $35/£30 rather than the $40/£35 of its predecessor. Yes, it’s still somewhat ridiculous to pay that much to restore the listen-and-charge functionality you got for ‘free’ in previous generations, and there are adapters from other vendors that cost less. However, Belkin’s accessory will likely be the easiest one to find, and it’s good to have at least one major, easily accessible option.

Via: AppleInsider

Source: Belkin, Apple

‘Super Mario Odyssey’ reminds us why we love Mario

Super Mario Odyssey is the most exciting Mario game in years. Sure, the two Galaxy entries on the Wii were inventive, but Nintendo’s first Switch game in the series goes a step further and completely changes the way you’ve come to know Mario. It introduces entirely new powers, customizable outfits and it brings Mario into strange new worlds. Simply put, it’s precisely the Mario entry Nintendo needs right now — one that’ll satisfy longtime fans and entice new Switch owners.

Super Mario Odyssey continues the legacy of Mario 64, a game that will forever be remembered as a pioneering 3D platform. This time around, though, the environments are much bigger than before, with plenty of nooks and crannies to explore. Unlike the round, self-contained worlds from the Galaxy games, every world in Odyssey feels rich and expansive.

Cappy, a magical hat who replaces the plumber’s battered old hat, is the co-star of Super Mario Odyssey. Mario can throw it to attack enemies, but what’s truly new is that it also lets you “capture” enemies to control their bodies. That opens up entirely new types of scenarios: Possessing a Goomba lets you create towering stacks of them. While capturing a fire monster lets you easily swim through molten lava. The cap system is reminiscent of the suits we first saw in Mario 3, except this time you’re ripping power directly from your enemies. It’s the sort of thing that makes Mario Odyssey feel completely fresh.

During my hands on time with the game, I was always curious to see what sort of power a new enemy could give me, as well as how it fits into the puzzles that you need to complete to finish every level. Of course, such a new mechanic has a bit of a learning curve. I spent my first few minutes with the game learning how to accurately throw cappy around. By holding down the attack button, you can also make Cappy spin in place, which lets you jump on him as a makeshift platform. It wasn’t long before I was throwing Cappy at everything.

Super Mario Odyssey brings over all of the 3D controls that you’re used to — running and jumping felt just as smooth and accurate as in Galaxy. And yes, the butt stomp is an essential part of the game. But now Mario can also roll to get around the world a bit faster, as well as to knock down enemies. (It definitely looks like he learned a thing or two from Sonic.) There’s also a spinning attack that lets you hit several objects or enemies at once.

When you’re not running around and fighting off bad guys, Mario can also interact with non-playable characters in every stage. They usually offer some help and context for what you actually need to do. But I also appreciated how they made the two levels I saw feel truly alive. Their presence makes Odyssey almost seem like a Zelda adventure that just happens to star Mario.

Nintendo

I had around an hour of time with the game, and it didn’t take very long for me to fall in love with it. That’s a bit surprising since I wasn’t very impressed with what I saw from early footage, especially Mario running around “normal” humans in New Donk City. Perhaps it was just the aesthetic of that stage that bothered me — if that’s the “real world,” does that mean Mario isn’t even human? (Nintendo says he is, for the record.)

Super Mario Odyssey looked great on the Switch when it was both docked and handheld. It’s the sort of game where extra precision would be helpful, so I definitely preferred using the Pro Controller when playing it on a couch. It also supports motion controls for jumping and throwing Cappy directionally, but I preferred doing all of those things with the normal controller buttons.

As usual, there is a plethora of things for you to find throughout the game. There are mysterious moon pieces scattered throughout every level, which help to power the Odyssey, Mario’s airship. Coin collection is a big part of the game too, but this time around they also let you purchase new outfits for Mario. In addition to being simply adorable, they also unlock new areas. In one stage, I couldn’t enter a door until I was dressed as a chef.

There’s also a photo mode, which allows you to freeze time, reposition the camera, and apply filters to snap your perfect Mario Odyssey moment. It’s the sort of thing we’re seeing in plenty of games these days, but that doesn’t make it any less fun. And given just how expressive Mario is now, I expect to spend a big chunk of my Odyssey playthrough collecting photos.

The few boss battles I encountered were a blast, as usual. They typically build on the powers you find throughout each stage, and I got a thrill out of figuring out just what I needed to stomp out the bosses. I can’t say too much about specifics yet, but they’ll surely bring a smile to your face. (And I can’t wait until everyone sees the glory of Meat Mario.)

My short time with Super Mario Odyssey left me eager for more. Thankfully i’s October 27th release isn’t too far away. It brought back the joys of playing Mario when I was a kid — like the thrill of learning how to use pipes for the first time in Super Mario Brothers, discovering new suits in Mario 3, and diving into the sheer perfection of Mario World on SNES. From what we’ve seen so far, Odyssey could shape up to be another classic Nintendo experience.

‘Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime’ lands on Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch has made couch co-op gaming more fun by giving you a way to play with friends outside the house. That’s why Lovers in A Dangerous Spacetime, which will be available for the Switch on October 3rd, seems like a perfect fit for the hybrid. We once described the neon-colored couch co-op as a “deeply cooperative game,” because you need to communicate with your partner(s) on how to maneuver your spaceship to kill hostile robots. Now that it’s on the Switch, you can take it anywhere with you, hand out some Joy-Cons and play with friends, officemates, even random strangers.

Asteroid Base co-founder Jamie Tucker said they wanted to bring the game to the platform from the very start. “Lovers is a perfect fit for Nintendo Switch and the game’s chaotic co-op experience and vibrant art make for a compelling experience for the whole family,” he said. The developer will release the game digitally via the Nintendo e-shop, where you’ll be able to buy it for $15.

Source: Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime

The next ‘Terminator’ movie will star Linda Hamilton

Since Terminator 2 debuted in 1991, various filmmakers have attempted to recreate the spectacle of the first two futuristic films with the help of an ageing Arnold Schwarzenegger. Director James Cameron and star Linda Hamilton sat out of the resulting three sequels as they ultimately failed to reach the same heights as the originals. Now, after a 25-year hiatus, the duo are set to return to the franchise, alongside Arnie, in what Hollywood Reporter says will be a direct sequel to Judgement Day.

Cameron shared the good news at a private event, saying, “As meaningful as she was to gender and action stars everywhere back then, it’s going to make a huge statement to have that seasoned warrior that she’s become return.” Hamilton, who became one of film’s most iconic female heroines as Sarah Connor, will be thrust back into the action: “There are 50-year-old, 60-year-old guys out there killing bad guys, but there isn’t an example of that for women,” said Cameron.

Cameron will return to the franchise as producer, with Deadpool director Tim Miller conducting proceedings. Hamilton and Schwarzenegger will play big roles in the movie, which has no formal release date, but they’ll also be used to push the story forward for a new generation of characters.

“We’re starting a search for an 18-something woman to be the new centerpiece of the new story,” Cameron said. “We still fold time. We will have characters from the future and the present. There will be mostly new characters, but we’ll have Arnold and Linda’s characters to anchor it.”

Via: io9

Source: Hollywood Reporter

How to Set Your AirPods to Change Music Tracks in iOS 11

If you have AirPods, there are new features you should be aware of in iOS 11, including a new option to change tracks directly on the earphones using a double tap gesture.

The new gestures are available alongside current gestures, which allow users to summon Siri with a tap. All of the options for your AirPods can be accessed in the Settings app while the AirPods are connected to your iPhone or iPad. Here’s how:

Open your AirPods case while your AirPods are near your iPhone so they connect.
Open the Settings app.
Select “Bluetooth.”
Tap the little “i” button next to your AirPods.
From this menu, you can customize the name of your AirPods, enable or disable manual ear detection, choose to use the left or right AirPod microphone, and most importantly, choose what happens when you double tap an AirPod.

You can set different gestures for the left and the right AirPod. Options include Siri, Play/Pause, Off, Next Track, and Previous Track. The latter two options are new in iOS 11.

To set a gesture, you only need to tap it. If you choose Next Track for one AirPod and Previous Track for another, you can quickly and easily switch between songs that are playing, without the need to invoke Siri.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
Tag: AirPods
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Apple Watch Series 3 Reviews: Freedom From iPhone Held Back by LTE and Battery Life Concerns

Apple Watch Series 3 reviews are out, and the verdict is mixed about its new built-in cellular capabilities and the impact on battery life.

Apple Watch Series 3 via The Verge
The Verge editor Lauren Goode said her Apple Watch Series 3 largely “failed at the LTE part,” particularly due to an issue where the watch would connect to an unknown Wi-Fi network instead of LTE.

You can’t rest easy with the Apple Watch 3 yet, because that seamlessness, that so-called magic, isn’t there. The stutters during the handoff from Bluetooth to Wi-Fi to LTE shouldn’t happen. The music streaming? It isn’t there yet. A built-in podcast streaming option? Also not there. A reliable Siri? Nope, not in my experience.

Apple acknowledged the issue and said it is investigating a fix that will be included in a future software update.

Goode said the one aspect “worth two thumbs up” is watchOS 4, especially for its improved heart rate tracking.

But the watchOS 4 updates to heart rate tracking are really the most noteworthy. Any Apple Watch with heart rate sensors will now record your resting heart rate, your average walking heart rate, your recovery heart rate, and, if you opt in, any spikes in heart rate that occur when the Watch thinks you’re not working out.

TechCrunch editor Brian Heater said the Apple Watch Series 3’s cellular capabilities are “a bit liberating,” but he didn’t find many scenarios where having a standalone connection was particularly useful.

All nice functionality to have on the go, but in the days I’ve been wearing the watch, I’ve been straining to come up with many scenarios in my own life outside of running where untethering myself from my phone is necessary — or even particularly useful.

The Wall Street Journal columnist Joanna Stern said her Apple Watch Series 3’s cellular connection was “unreliable” and “intermittent.”

Most worryingly, my colleague Geoffrey Fowler and I experienced cellular connectivity issues on three separate pre-production models, in two different states, on two different 4G LTE carriers.

On the AT&T-connected models, the cellular connection dropped, calls were often choppy and Siri sometimes failed to connect. On the one that ran on T-Mobile, I experienced several dropped connections.

Stern added that “you’re lucky if the battery allows you to roam on cellular for longer than half a day—especially if you’re making calls.”

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter Wells didn’t share that viewpoint, calling battery life on the Apple Watch Series 3 “excellent.”

Battery life on the Series 3 is excellent. The Watch cleverly defaults to the most efficient connection available; when nearby your phone it’ll use bluetooth, move away from the phone and it’ll switch to any available known Wi-Fi networks, disconnect from those and LTE will take over. In my usual day, that meant by the time my Watch was back on a charger at night, it still had around 70 per cent battery left.

Daring Fireball’s John Gruber was impressed with the Apple Watch’s phone call audio quality and didn’t mention any connectivity issues.

Audio quality for phone calls on the watch is very good. People I called via the watch said I sounded great, and I could hear them loud and clear. And all of my testing of phone calls on the watch took place mid-day on busy city streets — full of traffic and pedestrians — here in Philadelphia. People won’t know you’re calling them from your watch if you don’t tell them.

The New York Times reporter Brian X. Chen said the Apple Watch Series 3 is the first smartwatch he can recommend people buy.

Although I think most people can skip buying the cellular model, the Apple Watch Series 3 is the first smart watch I can confidently recommend that people buy. While I don’t personally find it attractive enough to replace my wristwatch, the new Apple Watch is a well-designed, durable and easy-to-use fitness tracker for people who want analytics on their workouts and general health (R.I.P., Fitbit).

Wired writer David Pierce said the Apple Watch 3’s performance “feels dramatically better than any previous Watch.”

More Reviews: The Loop, CNET, Financial Post, 9to5Mac, Mashable, The Independent, and USA Today

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4
Tag: reviews
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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Meizu’s new M6 is so keen to be a premium phone, it has fake antenna lines

Why it matters to you

Who doesn’t want to look their best, without spending a fortune doing so? That’s the thinking behind the budget Meizu M6 smartphone.

Meizu wants its new M6 smartphone to look its absolute best, and rather than muscle its way into territory occupied by the M6 Note or Pro 7 with a full-on premium metal body, it has decided to deck the phone out in the tech equivalent of an off-the-peg suit. The back of the Meizu M6 may look like metal in the pictures, but it’s not, it’s polycarbonate. That means the lines which look like antenna bands aren’t actually functional, they’re just for show. That’s right. Fake antenna bands have arrived.

To achieve the metal look, the M6’s body has undergone a process called Non-Conductive Vacuum Metallization, which adds a metallic film over the surface for a high quality finish. The bands change the look of the M6 over the Meizu M5C, which had a clean minimalist style. Love it or hate it, the M6 is definitely eye-catching. Giving the M6 a premium look hasn’t affected the price. Although the international price hasn’t been confirmed yet, the local Chinese price of the M6 converts over to between $105 and $135, depending on the model.

That’s exceptionally good value for any Android smartphone, so what is the specification like? There are two models available, one with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory and a second with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Both have an octa-core processor, but Meizu hasn’t mentioned the manufacturer, and if it was a Qualcomm chip like the M6 Note, we feel it would have said so. This means a MediaTek chip is more likely.

A 13-megapixel camera is on the back, and an 8-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture lives on the front. The screen measures 5.2-inches and has a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, there is a fingerprint sensor below the display, space for a MicroSD card in the hybrid SIM tray, a 3,070mAh battery, and Meizu’s Flyme 6 user interface is placed over Android Nougat. A choice of gold, silver, black or a very fetching blue color schemes will be available. Meizu phones aren’t sold officially in the United States or the United Kingdom, but are available through importers. The release date hasn’t been confirmed yet.