Sotheby’s wants AI to find your next art purchase

Most folks don’t know much about art, but do know what they like. Auction firm Sotheby’s has embraced that idea with its acquisition of Thread Genius, a company that uses AI to find art based on images of paintings, watches, furniture and other items. Sotheby’s said it will marry the tech with data it already stores to help clients find objects that match their taste and budgets (terms of the sale weren’t disclosed).

Prior to founding Thread Genius in 2015, the engineers behind it helped Spotify develop its song-matching technology. The app they created, shown in the video below, works much like Google’s image search feature, finding artworks, clothing and other collectibles that are visually similar to uploaded images. It can even match specific parts of an artwork by letting you draw a vector around a portion of it.

Sotheby’s recently teamed with eBay to livestream high-end auctions. In 2016, it also purchased the Mei Moses Art Indices, an analytic tool that uses a database of 50,000 repeat auctions to help auctioneers predict the prices of objects in future sales. With the purchase of Thread Genius, it seems to be heading in an even more Google-like direction by combining data analysis with AI to target potential clients.

Via: Bloomberg

Source: Sothebys

Google trained its AI camera with help from pro photographers

When Google unveiled its $249 Clips camera back in October 2017, it was easy to question Google’s motives. Lifelogging cameras weren’t a new idea, nor were they particularly successful, and given the rise in smartphone imaging and video quality, it was a tough ask to let a wearable camera automatically capture important moments.

With Clips expected to debut in the coming weeks, Google has penned a blog post (first detailed by The Verge) detailing how it’s trained its algorithms to identify the best shots. In order to do that, its AI needed to learn from something or someone, so Google called in photography experts from various different backgrounds and supplied their model with some of the best photography available.

“We ended up discovering—through trial and error and a healthy dose of luck—a treasure trove of expertise in the form of a documentary filmmaker, a photojournalist, and a fine arts photographer,” said Josh Lovejoy, Senior Interaction Designer at Google. “Together, we began gathering footage from people on the team and trying to answer the question, ‘What makes a memorable moment?’”

Some of that learning comes down to principles that you may have learnt as you’ve struggled to get to grips with a new smartphone camera or point-and-shoot. Understanding focus, particularly depth of field, and the rule of thirds are key, but so are some more “common sense” suggestions. Everybody knows to keep fingers out of the shot and to not make quick movements, but machine learning algorithms have no such understanding.

“We needed to train models on what bad looked like,” said Lovejoy. “By ruling out the stuff the camera wouldn’t need to waste energy processing (because no one would find value in it), the overall baseline quality of captured clips rose significantly.”

Google admits that while it trained its AI to appreciate “stability, sharpness, and framing,” Clips won’t always get it right. It can ensure that it’s framed a shot well and has a family member in focus, but it won’t know that the big shiny ring on someone’s finger is what everyone will want to see.

“Success with Clips isn’t just about keeps, deletes, clicks, and edits (though those are important),” Lovejoy notes. “It’s about authorship, co-learning, and adaptation over time. We really hope users go out and play with it.”

Via: The Verge

Source: Google Design

Apple’s HomePod smart speaker is now available for pre-order

If you’re interested in purchasing Apple’s smart speaker, the HomePod, the company is now accepting pre-orders for customers in the US, UK and Australia. The speaker comes in two colors, White and Space Gray, and will set you back $349. Devices will begin shipping on February 9th.

Apple’s late to the game with a smart speaker, but the company is hoping that the quality of the HomePod will help it catch up to its rivals. It’s not a great sign, though, that the speaker will ship without basic features: It won’t have multi-room audio, or even stereo pairing, at launch. While it’s priced higher than its rivals (Sonos is currently offering two Sonos One speakers for the same price), Apple’s focus on privacy will certainly be attractive to some buyers.

Source: Apple

Twitter told to dig deeper in Brexit interference inquiry

Twitter has been asked once again to comply with a request for information about possible interference on its platform during Britain’s EU referendum. Back in October, the UK’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee asked Facebook and Twitter to investigate the possibility of social and political engineering by Russia-controlled accounts. It followed research by a London university which found that 13,500 fake accounts had tweeted shortly before the vote in 2016.

Twitter has struggled to provide information, however, that satisfies the committee. In a letter dated January 19th, the company said it had contacted City University of London and examined its research. Of the accounts that were identified, only one percent were created by users in Russia. “While many of the accounts identified by City University were in violation of the Twitter Rules regarding spam, at this time, we do not have sufficiently strong evidence to enable us to conclusively link them with Russia,” Nick Pickles, head of UK public policy for Twitter.

In its research, City University of London said it was concerned with the disappearance, or “sudden deactivation” of fake Twitter accounts following the referendum. In last week’s letter, Twitter explained that 6,508 accounts were suspended prior to the research’s publication, and that 99 percent of those suspensions were due to spam. Of the remaining (roughly 7,000) accounts, 44.2 percent (roughly 3,000) were deactivated permanently for unspecified reasons. A small number are still active.

Damian Collins, chair of the DCMS select committee, is unhappy with Twitter’s response. His cross-party group wants to know how many accounts were controlled by Russia, regardless of where they were created. It’s also demanding the number of accounts that share “characteristics” with those that have already been linked to Russia. “Even if you are yet to establish conclusively that that links exists,” Collins adds. Of importance, according to the select committee, is whether the suspected bots were genuine users or not, “and who deleted the tweets from these accounts.”

The ball is back in Twitter’s court. Initially, the company had tried to swat away the inquiry by referring to its co-operation with a similar, but narrower investigation by the Electoral Commission. On December 13th, 2017, Pickles explained that it had reviewed Brexit-related advertising as per the Commission’s instructions. It had identified one account, the Russian-funded RT network, which had spent $1,031.99 on six referendum-related ads visible to UK users. Collins wrote back the next day, however, calling the letter “completely inadequate.” The DCMS select committee inquiry, he argued, was different and required a separate investigation.

Facebook is in a similar situation. On January 17th, however, the company agreed to re-open the investigation it had started for the Electoral Commission. “We are committed to making all reasonable efforts to establish whether or not there was coordinated activity similar to that which was found in the US and will report back to you as soon as the work has been completed,” Simon Milner, UK policy director for Facebook said.

The DCMS committee is preparing to hold a fresh round of evidence-gathering sessions in Washington. On February 8th, representatives from Google, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter will be asked further questions about their platforms and the role they play in spreading misinformation.

Brexit interference through Facebook and Twitter is suspected but arguably unproven. Last November, UK Prime Minister Theresa May accused Russia in a speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet: “(Russia) is seeking to weaponise information,” she said. “Deploying its state-run media organisations to plant fake stories and photo-shopped images in an attempt to sow discord in the west and undermine our institutions.”

Source: GOV.UK

Apple’s Transition to New Headquarters Should Accelerate as More Occupancy Permits Granted

While some construction remains underway at Apple Park on both the inside and outside, an increasing number of Apple employees will likely transition to the company’s new headquarters over the next few months.

VentureBeat reports that Apple received temporary occupancy permits for five of the 12 sections of the main circular building on the campus in late December. The report adds that Apple is on track to receive temporary occupancy permits for all of the other sections between late January and March at the latest.

The permits should accelerate the move-in process for some 12,000 employees that will eventually work out of Apple Park, with many coming from the company’s nearby Infinite Loop campus, both of which are located in Cupertino, California.

Apple employees have generally remained quiet about the move, in line with the company’s secretive culture, but a few mentions have surfaced on social media platforms like Twitter and Snapchat since early January. One employee tweeted that Wednesday was his last day at Apple’s previous Infinite Loop headquarters.

Last day at the Loop. It’s always felt surreal to be in these buildings where so much has happened. Next week starts at the new campus, Apple Park, where new history will be made.

— Brian (@littlebluebro) January 25, 2018

Apple had already received temporary occupancy permits last year for certain sections of Apple Park that contain the restaurant and atrium. Permits were also granted for the Apple Park Visitor Center and Steve Jobs Theater, where Apple unveiled the iPhone X and will host its annual shareholders meeting next month.

Apple originally said its new headquarters would open last April, but at its September event, chief executive Tim Cook said employees would begin moving in later in the year, beyond some ancillary buildings already in use.

When construction wraps up at Apple Park, the headquarters should be able to receive permanent occupancy permits. For the latest progress update, watch this drone video shared by Duncan Sinfield earlier this month.

Tag: Apple Park
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HomePod Now Available to Order in United States, Australia, and United Kingdom

Apple is now accepting HomePod orders through its online store and Apple Store app for iPhone and iPad in the United States, Australia, and United Kingdom, with the first deliveries to customers estimated to arrive Friday, February 9, which is when in-store availability begins as well.

HomePod is available in Space Gray and White for $349 in the United States, $499 in Australia, and £319 in the United Kingdom.

HomePod order page on Apple’s online store:

• United States
• Australia
• United Kingdom

HomePod order page or info from resellers:

• Best Buy in United States: Space Gray / White
• EE in United Kingdom

While the HomePod is only launching in three countries today, it can be used anywhere in the world. However, Siri currently supports American, Australian, and British varieties of English only. More languages will be supported in future software updates, including French and German this spring.

Apple has primarily positioned the HomePod as a speaker that can stream Apple Music, but with built-in Siri, users can send messages, set timers, play podcasts, check the news and weather, control HomeKit-enabled smart home accessories, and complete other tasks without needing to take out their iPhone.

The high-fidelity speaker is equipped with spatial awareness and Apple-engineered audio technology, including a seven‑tweeter array and high-excursion woofer. It stands nearly seven inches tall and is powered by Apple’s A8 chip.

Related Roundup: HomePod
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HomePod Early Hands-On Reviews: ‘Seamless’ Siri Commands and Audio Quality ‘Feels Like You’re at a Live Performance’

Although longer and more in-depth reviews for Apple’s smart speaker, the HomePod, have not yet been published, a few websites have gotten the chance to spend an hour or so with the speaker and have been sharing their experiences this week.

At Digital Trends, Julian Chokkattu liked the unassuming design of the HomePod, noting that “it’s easy to miss… because it makes no effort at standing out.” This should make it easier for the HomePod to blend in with any room’s decor, according to Chokkattu.

In terms of sound, he got to listen to upwards of five songs from various genres at a volume of about 65 percent, and concluded that it “sounds great” no matter where you are in the room. He also called his brief encounters with Siri on HomePod “fast and seamless,” explaining that Siri is smart enough to realize when you’re meaning to activate it on your iPhone (“when your phone is in your hand”) so that the HomePod does not answer.

Audio quality is beautifully warm, yet the bass is not overpowering, even though it was still quite rich. If you close your eyes, it’s easy to feel like you’re at a live performance. We could pick out the vocals and instruments clearly. The speaker allows each instrument to shine through; you can hear precise guitar plucks. No, it doesn’t have that crisp sound you’d hear from very expensive high-end speakers, but then again, the HomePod doesn’t cost thousands yet still pushes brilliant sound quality out of a single, small enclosure.

What’s more impressive is how consistent the HomePod sounds wherever you are in the room. Yes, the further away you are, the quieter it is, but not by much. It almost felt like the music was following our movement, and it consistently sounded great.

Tech journalist Lance Ulanoff shared his thoughts on HomePod in a post on Medium, and noted that when the sound quality was compared to the Google Home Max and Sonos One, HomePod was “astonishing.” Ulanoff echoed a sentiment stated by Chokkattu, detailing a listening experience that felt as if he was hearing the music “in a small café for an audience of me” and equating HomePod’s sound quality to a live performance.

Although stereo pairing won’t be ready at launch, Ulanoff got to experience this as well and said that “two HomePods playing just about anything is incredible.” Ultimately, he called HomePod an “ultra-high-quality” speaker that doubles as an “excellent Siri ambassador.”

What Apple has here is an ultra-high-quality speaker and the first physical instantiation of Siri without a screen. The fact that Apple is finally entering the smart speaker race is cause for muted celebration. It’s attractive, sounds amazing and is an excellent Siri ambassador. And it’s $349. Is better sound and solid iOS integration (plus the added cost of an Apple Music subscription) worth spending nearly four times as much as a decent sounding Echo?

Pete Pachal with Mashable was also impressed by the HomePod’s sound quality, which he described as an “aural triumph,” but was more skeptical on the device and questioned whether or not Apple is too late to the smart speaker market.

What I’m less convinced of, however, is whether customers will care. The success of the Echo Dot — Amazon’s puck-shaped smart speaker that definitely de-emphasizes the second word of that description — tells me that anyone who’s been won over by the category mostly just wants to get the power of voice command in more places. And audio? A glorified intercom will do. Or, hey, just connect your own speakers.

In my short time with the HomePod, I came away impressed with its acoustic power and precision. I liked the design more than I thought I would, too. But in the world of smart speakers — which is where Apple is now competing, despite its desire to make the conversation all about music — those factors are secondary to the simple question, “How much can this thing do for me?”

Those interested in HomePod can pre-order the speaker on Apple.com in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia beginning today, January 26, and then the device will launch on February 9. For those on the fence about Apple’s entry into the smart speaker market, Sonos today is launching a sale aimed at competing with Apple where you can get two Sonos One speakers for the same price of one HomePod.

Related Roundup: HomePod
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Intel promises Spectre- and Meltdown-proof chips this year

Intel will release updated chips with built-in mitigations for Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities later this year. The announcement was made by chief executive Brian Krzanich during the company’s fourth quarter earnings call, and follows flawed patches by Intel and Microsoft that caused random rebooting issues on older and newer CPUs. Despite its misfires, Intel reported 4 percent year-over-year growth to $17.1 billion. Still, the threat of Spectre and Meltdown looms large over the tech industry.

Now, Intel claims it has a long-term solution. But, the lack of info raises more questions than answers. As pointed out by PC World, Intel didn’t address when exactly the chips will land, whether they’ll target the Spectre or Meltdown vulnerabilities (though, it’s probably the latter), and how they’ll affect performance.

Google’s Project Zero researchers discovered Spectre and Meltdown last year, the errors behind which can allow hackers to steal data running in other apps on hardware from Intel, ARM, and AMD. Since then, tech titans the likes of Apple, Microsoft, and Google have been scrambling to release fixes. Meanwhile, Intel has become the poster boy for the vulnerabilities.

‘iPhone SE 2’ With Wireless Charging Said to Launch in May or June

Apple is reportedly working on a new entry-level smartphone model similar to the iPhone SE that will support wireless charging and be released in time for summer 2018.

The prediction comes from Digitimes Research analyst Luke Lin, who believes that Apple’s iPhone SE successor will have a glass back similar to the iPhone 8 series and iPhone X, but will lack the 3D sensing capabilities of the latter model.

For the entry-level sector, Apple is preparing a new inexpensive smartphone similar to the iPhone SE for 2018, featuring the wireless charging functionality, but not 3D sensing. The smartphone will begin mass production in the second quarter with the official launch in May or June, Lin noted.

Taiwan-based website DigiTimes has a mixed track record at reporting on Apple’s upcoming product plans. Its sources within the upstream supply chain have proven reliable in the past, but predictions from its research analysts are harder to gauge.

Lin doesn’t specifically mention the size of the new entry-level model, but the details match up with previous rumors about a forthcoming four-inch ‘iPhone SE 2’ with a glass back, although earlier speculation said the device would ship in the first quarter of 2018, rather than the second quarter.

Rumors about a the specifications of Apple’s next small form factor smartphone appeared in August last year, when Indian tech website Tekz24 claimed Apple’s next iPhone SE model would have an A10 Fusion chip, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB and 128GB storage capacities, and a slightly larger 1,700 mAh battery.

In November, China’s Economic Daily News claimed Apple’s second-generation iPhone SE was set for the first half of 2018 and would be assembled by Wistron at its factory in Bengaluru, India, where some assembly of the current iPhone SE occurs. Taiwanese market research firm TrendForce also recently predicted that Apple is planning to launch a second-generation iPhone SE in 2018 to target the mid-range smartphone market.

Apple hasn’t properly refreshed the iPhone SE since it launched back in March 2016, but it did double the available storage capacities to 64GB and 128GB in March 2017. Apple has confirmed an AirPower wireless charging mat will be released sometime this year for Apple Watch and iPhone models with a wireless charging feature.

Related Roundups: iPhone SE, 2018 iPhonesTag: digitimes.comBuyer’s Guide: iPhone SE (Don’t Buy)
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Apple’s New 2018 iPhone Line-up May Consist of Two Phones With LCD Displays and One Larger OLED Model, Claims Analyst

Apple could release just one new OLED-based iPhone alongside two new iPhone models with LCD displays this year, according to a new report today. Previous reports have gravitated towards the view that Apple will launch two new 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED iPhone models and only one 6.1-inch model with an LCD display.

However, Digitimes Research senior analyst Luke Lin believes Apple is increasingly leaning towards releasing two LCD-based models – one between 5.7-inch and 5.8-inches, and another between 6.0-inches and 6.1-inches. Lin also claims the 6.1-inch OLED device Apple is testing is falling out of favor, and the company sees more of a future in a larger 6.4- to 6.5-inch OLED model it is also testing.

Apple originally intended to push the two OLED iPhones and the 6.0- to 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, but has recently started leaning toward the combination of the two LCD models plus the 6.4- to 6.5-inch OLED iPhone, abandoning the 6.0- to 6.1-inch OLED model.

Such a line-up would be similar to the iPhone range Apple launched last year: Two LCD-based devices in the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, and the OLED-based iPhone X. Lin believes the four iPhone projects Apple is working on all support wireless charging and 3D sensing functionalities. However, Lin believes Apple has not yet made a final decision on the combination, so the 2x OLED/ 1x LCD iPhone line-up predicted by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo could still play out.

Taiwan-based website DigiTimes has a mixed track record at reporting on Apple’s upcoming product plans, but its sources within the upstream supply chain have proven reliable in the past. However, its in-house research arm remains an unknown quantity, so we remain guarded on the accuracy of this prediction going forward.

Earlier this week, Taiwan’s Commercial Times added to the speculation by claiming Apple’s rumored 6.1-inch LCD iPhone will use Japan Display’s so-called “Full Active” LCD technology, enabling it to have a taller display and ultra-slim 0.5mm bezels on all four sides, making them smaller than those on the iPhone X.

Also today, Digitimes analyst Lin claimed Apple is working on a new entry-level smartphone model similar to the iPhone SE that will support wireless charging and be ready for launch in May or June.

Related Roundup: 2018 iPhonesTag: digitimes.com
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