Madison Square Garden has been secretly scanning visitors’ faces

Attended an event at Madison Square Garden recently? The arena’s security system might recognize you the next time you visit. According to The New York Times, the arena’s management has secretly been using facial recognition as part of its security measures for quite some time now. They use cameras to capture images of people and then run the photos through an algorithm that can compare them against a database of images.

Unfortunately, since the arena has been using facial recognition on the down-low, a lot of details remain murky: it’s unclear when the system was installed, which events it was used for and if management used the data it gathered for any particular purpose. All the Garden told NYT when the publication asked for a statement is:

“MSG continues to test and explore the use of new technologies to ensure we’re employing the most effective security procedures to provide a safe and wonderful experience for our guests.”

Madison Square could eventually use the technology to determine who’s allowed inside closed areas, such as vendors and workers. As NYT mentioned, though, facial recognition systems aren’t that effective as a security tool for private entities without access to law enforcement watch lists. Sure, they can tag anyone who causes trouble in the venue, but they still won’t be able to identify criminals, unless they’re high-profile law enforcement targets. The technology might have more use as a marketing or promotional tool. An arena could, for instance, launch a membership program, allowing patrons to attend events without having to pay for parking or concession stand purchases, so long as they attach their credit cards to their accounts.

The Garden isn’t the only arena that’s experimenting with facial recognition as a form of security. A Sacramento Kings spokesperson said the team’s practice facility connected to the Golden 1 Center is using the the technology to allow players and staff members inside. The Dallas Mavericks is also experimenting with the technology outside its team’s locker room.

NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said:

“Nothing is more important to us than the safety and security of the fans, players, team and arena staff at our games. The league and our teams are exploring the use of all state-of-the-art technology, including facial recognition, to ensure that we have industry-best security measures to protect all those in our arenas.”

Even though the NBA has security and safety in mind, facial recognition can still be problematic, since it’s still not that accurate and can compromise people’s privacy. American Civil Liberties Union analyst Jay Stanley points out that while Madison Square visitors don’t legally have the right to know that their faces are being recorded and tracked, it’s still unethical not to tell them. “I should know if I am being subject to facial recognition if I am going into any business, including a stadium,” he said. “Even if you are just running my face against a list of people who have been banned from the premises and doing nothing else with it. I want to know. I have a right to know.”

Source: The New York Times

Google Maps can find wheelchair-accessible routes

Google announced today that Maps is getting a new feature aimed at helping those in wheelchairs or people with other mobility restrictions. While lots of people rely on apps like Google Maps to help them get where they’re going, they’re not always so useful when it comes to finding wheelchair-accessible routes. But now, Google is launching a feature that will let users select a route that can accomodate wheelchairs and it’s rolling out now in London, New York City, Tokyo, Mexico City, Boston and Sydney.

To get to it, first type your destination into Google Maps and then tap “Directions” and the public transportation icon. Tap “Options” and under the Routes section you’ll now see “Wheelchair accessible” as an available selection.

Last year, in an effort to expand its accessibility information, Google made it easier for users to contribute such info and through the help of Local Guides, it says it was able to add accessibility information for over 12 million places. Google says it’s working with transit agencies in other cities in order to expand its new feature to more metro areas.

Image: Google

Source: Google

Spotify Testing Voice Control Features in iOS App

A small group of users have begun noticing a new voice control feature appearing within the Spotify app for iOS devices, and The Verge this week got a chance to see how the music streaming service’s new voice commands work.

As expected, the voice control allows users to call up their favorite artists, songs, albums, and playlists without having to navigate around the app with taps. Voice control is initiated by first navigating to the magnifying glass icon at the center of the app’s bottom tab row.

Image via The Verge
In this area users can tap a microphone icon inside a white bubble, and then Spotify will begin listening for their voice (once access to the iPhone’s microphone is allowed). Right now the commands are only available in English, but once a command is asked Spotify will begin playing the content within the app.

The Verge was mostly impressed with the time spent asking Spotify to play various songs, comparing it favorably to Siri on HomePod: “It all happened as quickly as Siri does the same thing on a HomePod.” It should still be noted that Spotify’s solution as of now isn’t a fully talkative AI assistant, but simply voice controls.

I spent the past hour spitting queries at the microphone, with mostly accurate results. I queued up the Gold School and Top Hits Today playlists, artist radio stations for Radiohead and Wilco, and the magnificent strains of “Despacito.” It all happened as quickly as Siri does the same thing on a HomePod.

And I did encounter some errors. I created a playlist for songs I found on Spotify that I call “Spotifinds,” and when I searched for it the very confused app asked me if maybe I was searching for “Spotify memes.” (I am now!)

The voice commands are said to be limited to music only inside Spotify’s catalog, and queries like “Who are the Beatles?” were met with the app playing a Beatles playlist, “without telling you anything about the band.”

Spotify’s voice control test follows rumors that the company is planning to launch its first hardware product, expected to be a smart speaker of some kind and compete with Sonos, Echo, and Apple’s HomePod. Particularly for the HomePod, Spotify users face a lesser experience due to Apple’s decision to only allow native streaming for Apple Music.

If these new tests roll out to a wider audience, it could be an indication of the technology users can expect to see in a smart speaker built by Spotify. For now, The Verge noted that “the early version works well enough to make it a core part of my music listening.”

Tag: Spotify
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‘Shadow of the Tomb Raider’ arrives on September 14th, 2018

Square Enix has revealed that Lara Croft’s next chapter will be Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the third and “climactic finale” in her origin trilogy. A new video teaser (below) has Lara fighting soldiers in the jungle, and finishes with a dramatic shot of an eclipse over some kind of ziggurat or pyramid. More importantly, the end of the video shows that the game will be fully revealed on April 27, 2018, and released on Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC on September 14th, 2018.

Experience Lara Croft’s defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider. Shadow of the Tomb Raider will be revealed April 27th. Available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on September 14th, 2018. pic.twitter.com/jujMf47kJH

— Tomb Raider (@tombraider) March 15, 2018

There’s no news on which developer is building the game, but Kotaku reported earlier that it would be Eidos Montreal, the studio that created Deus Ex:Mankind Divided, rather than Crystal Dynamics, the California company behind the last two Tomb Raider games.

Via: Xbox News

Source: Tomb Raider

Wikipedia had no idea it would become a YouTube fact checker

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said during a SXSW talk this week that the company would be making a more concerted effort to stem the spread of misinformation on its site. Specifically, YouTube plans to start adding “information cues,” including text boxes that link to third-party sources like Wikipedia, to videos covering hoaxes and conspiracy theories. But in a statement, Wikimedia Foundation has now said that neither it nor Wikipedia were told about YouTube’s announcement ahead of time. “In this case, neither Wikipedia nor the Wikimedia Foundation are part of a formal partnership with YouTube,” the company said. “We were not given advance notice of this announcement.”

The @Wikimedia Foundation statement about the recent @YouTube announcement pic.twitter.com/PFDDNtNNjn

— Wikimedia (@Wikimedia) March 14, 2018

While there are plenty of conspiracy theories floating around YouTube, the platform took notice recently as some of its users began spreading false information about a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student. A video claiming he was a paid crisis actor rather than a high school student who had just survived a school shooting became the number one trending video on the site. YouTube took it down as well as some others claiming the same thing and the company said those types of videos qualified as harassment and were therefore in violation of its policies.

However, other conspiracy theories — like those that claim the moon landing was fake — which don’t violate policies can stay up. And YouTube’s new information cues are geared towards pushing back against the spread of misinformation regarding events, like the moon landing, that are widely accepted to be true. YouTube said that the feature would be rolling out in the coming months, but there’s no word yet on if Wikipedia not being in the know will have any effect on that.

Source: Wikimedia Foundation

What to look for if you’re buying a TV for gaming

Most TV makers (and buyers’ guides, for that matter) assume you’re buying a set for the sake of enjoying movies or shows, and that’s understandable. But what if you’re more interested in playing Monster Hunter World than watching Murder on the Orient Express? Your criteria can sometimes be very different; the TV that works well for Netflix might be miserable for gaming. You don’t have to buy a specialized set, though. There are many TVs that fit the bill for console gaming, and it’s just a matter of shifting your expectations. Here’s what you’ll want to look for.

Low lag matters the most

Put image quality on the back burner. First and foremost, you should focus on buying a TV with low input latency — that is, one that minimizes the delay between output from your console and action taking place onscreen. High input lag won’t matter much for a puzzle or strategy title, but it can sour a fighting game or a first-person shooter, where a fraction of a second can make all the difference. That’s particularly true now that many sets support 4K resolution and high dynamic range (HDR), both of which can affect your performance in ways that you might not notice if you’re only watching Netflix.

You’re typically looking for a TV with input lag under 30ms at your desired resolution and color range while using a set’s game mode, which disables some image processing in the name of performance. That’s easy to achieve if you intend to play at 1080p or with HDR turned off, but beware: Some sets have unusually high lag when you invoke 4K, HDR or both, making them less than ideal if you own a 4K HDR-ready console like the PlayStation 4 Pro or Xbox One X. Most LG, Samsung and TCL sets performed well across the board as of this writing, but performance was decidedly mixed for brands like Sony and Vizio — some are fine, but others bog down the moment you start playing in HDR.

Don’t expect manufacturers to publish these figures, however. Remember how we said that TV makers emphasize video, not games? Instead, you’ll want to turn to a third-party site like RTings or DisplayLag. They conduct thorough lag tests and frequently offer side-by-side comparisons that help you gauge the performance relative to competing models.

OLED versus LCD? It depends.

Now that OLED TVs are relatively affordable, they’re tempting options if you can afford to splurge on a higher-end TV with gaming in mind. But should you? That depends on how and what you play.

OLED looks nicer as a general rule. It doesn’t need back or edge lighting like an LCD, so you’ll see true blacks instead of dark grays. Accordingly, it’s your display tech of choice if you play in a dimly lit basement or thrive on creepy horror titles — you do want that monster to surprise you when it jumps out of the shadows, after all. Also, the hardware-induced motion blur you sometimes see with LCDs is virtually nonexistent with OLED. While that’s not always a good thing (it can exaggerate the stuttering in low-frame-rate content), it’s great for preserving details in action-packed games. OLED can also be better for local multiplayer experiences like fighters and party games, since there’s virtually no color shifting or reduced brightness at wide viewing angles, as you sometimes see with LCDs.

Don’t run out to buy an OLED screen just yet, though. The technology can be prone to burn-in, which is when the display retains image elements if they stay onscreen for too long. While fears of burn-in are somewhat exaggerated with modern OLEDs (they’re more resistant to burn-in and frequently include preventive measures like pixel shifting), you do have to watch out for it in a way you don’t with LCDs. Do you regularly play strategy games where the onscreen graphics rarely change, or leave your games idling for long periods? You might want to skip OLED for now. It’s better for action titles, not to mention gamers who rarely leave a TV unattended.

There are a few other areas where LCDs can claim an edge, and we don’t just mean the historically lower prices. The TVs with the lowest lag and highest brightness still tend to use LCD panels. While OLEDs are quickly catching up (LG’s 2017 OLEDs had much faster response times than their 2016 ancestors, for example), you’ll likely want an LCD if you either insist on the lowest lag possible or play in a very sunny room. And then there’s the simple matter of size. OLED sets still tend to be large, living-room-oriented models, while there are plenty of small LCDs well-suited to gaming in your bedroom or dorm.

Consider future-proofing

It’s generally wise to future-proof your TV regardless of how you use it, but that’s particularly true with gaming. The console market frequently pushes the limits of TV tech, and it’s becoming difficult to predict. Who could have anticipated the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X in 2013? You’re likely committing to ownership for several years or more, and you don’t want to buy a TV that’s obsolete soon after you take it out of the box.

Ironically, 4K and HDR support are the easy parts. The odds are that any new gaming-ready TV you buy will support at least 4K, and likely HDR as well. TCL in particular has developed a reputation for making affordable game-ready 4K TVs. Don’t worry about looking for 4K if you’re opting for a smaller set, however. Most TVs under 40 inches don’t support it, and you likely wouldn’t notice the higher resolution at that size.

Rather, you’ll want to think about features that require a deeper dive into the spec sheets. While you don’t need to worry about refresh rates beyond 60Hz (your games aren’t likely to need anything higher), you may want broader HDR support if you can get it. The PS4 Pro and Xbox One X both rely on the HDR10 standard for their enhanced visuals, but Dolby Vision support (present on sets from brands like LG, TCL and Vizio) may be helpful if future consoles or firmware updates take advantage of it.

And don’t forget connectivity. You’ll want as many HDMI 2.0 ports as you can get (some vendors may only include one), and preferably more ports than you need right away. Multi-console households are increasingly commonplace — you shouldn’t need to swap cables or buy an HDMI switch just because there’s a new must-have system on the block. You may also want to consider a TV with Bluetooth audio, for that matter. While you might be happy to listen to speakers right now, wireless headphones could come in handy if you ever want to play while someone is sleeping. And don’t forget to consider other factors. You’re ideally buying a TV that can adapt to your life, and that means thinking about where, when and how you might play in the years ahead.

Google to test video ads on the Play store

Imagine that you’re browsing the Google Play store, looking for your next favorite app. You’re searching through top ten lists and recommended apps. And then all of a sudden, you’re greeting with a blaring, earsplitting video ad for an app. That could be a reality, according to Google. Today, the company announced that it is testing video ads for apps in its Play store. Judging from provided images, it appears that these videos will not be autoplay — but think of the horror if they were.

While Apple does allow for promoted listings in the App Store, it doesn’t currently have video ads (though it does have videos that autoplay without sound while browsing). While video ads may catch more people’s attention than other types of promotion, they’re also pretty hated. But as apps and companies are competing for eyeballs, it’s not surprising that Google would beta test a feature like this.

Google is also experimenting with playable and multi-option video ads. These will allow users to play an ad as if it’s a part of a game. Playing ads can give users special incentives, such as extra lives or in-game currency. And users are in control of when they play these ads, so they aren’t forced and don’t interrupt gameplay. And it allows developers to more fully monetize the games they create.

Clearly Google is (unsurprisingly) thinking of new and innovative ways to deliver ads. There’s a delicate balance between engaging advertising and intrusive advertising. It remains to see how these experiments go, but let’s hope that video ads don’t have a permanent home on the Google Play Store.

Microsoft forms a new gaming cloud division

With little fanfare, Microsoft has announced that it’s launching a new gaming cloud division, a move that would set the company up to enter the world of game streaming. As The Verge reports, it’s something Microsoft been building up for a while with the acquisition of small companies like PlayFab, which is focused on game development in the cloud. The company also has the basic structure of what a cloud streaming offering could look like with Xbox Game Pass, its subscription service that gives players access to large library of games for $10 a month.

While early attempts at game streaming have crashed and burned, like OnLive, it’s still an intriguing market. Sony’s PlayStation Now service is still alive and kicking on the PS4 and PC, and NVIDIA is doubling down on game streaming with GeForce Now. The latter is still just a beta test though — even the graphics card giant hasn’t figured out how to charge for high-end game streaming. Microsoft isn’t saying much about what the new gaming cloud division is working on yet, but its leader, Kareem Choudhry, hints that they’re exploring ways to bring content to gamers on any device.

Source: The Verge

Samsung’s Galaxy S10 Rumored to Feature 3D Facial Recognition Like Face ID on iPhone X

Israeli startup Mantis Vision is reportedly working with camera module firm Namuga to develop 3D sensing camera solutions for Samsung’s tentatively named Galaxy S10, according to Korean news outlet The Bell.

The technology would pave the way for Samsung to implement a 3D facial recognition system on the Galaxy S10, similar to Face ID on the iPhone X. The new Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus, which officially launch tomorrow, still rely on a less secure 2D facial recognition system paired with an iris scanner.

Last year, videos surfaced that showed the same 2D solution on the Galaxy S8 could be unlocked by waving a photo of the registered user’s face in front of the camera. Samsung even confirmed that its facial recognition solution cannot be used to authenticate access to Samsung Pay or its Secure Folder feature.

By comparison, Face ID uses a structured-light technique that projects a pattern of 30,000 laser dots onto a user’s face and measures the distortion to generate an accurate 3D image for authentication. Face ID has been duped with sophisticated masks, but not with a simple photo of a person.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently opined that it would take Android smartphone makers up to two and a half years to catch up with Face ID. Apple released the iPhone X last November, while the Galaxy S10 will likely be released around March or April of 2019, a roughly one-and-a-half year span.

It’s a given that Samsung will catch up with Face ID at some point, but it remains to be seen if its 3D facial recognition system can match the iPhone X’s user experience. Around this time next year, we should find out.

Tags: Samsung, theinvestor.co.kr, Galaxy S10, thebell.co.kr
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Apple Pay Promo Kicks Off Spring Break With Free Song Credits From TouchTunes

The latest Apple Pay promotion has launched today, and this time Apple is preparing users for Spring Break. When using Apple Pay in the TouchTunes jukebox iOS app [Direct Link], users can get three free song credits. The offer is valid through 11:59 p.m. PT on March 27, 2018 in the United States and Canada only.

TouchTunes uses a network of digital jukeboxes across 65,000 bars, restaurants, and other social venues across North America, which users of the app can control from their iPhone. Users amass TouchTunes’ “credits” and spend the credits when choosing which song they want to play next, creating a community-built playlist of songs with anyone else using TouchTunes at the same location.

Now, with the new promotion users can purchase in-app credits using Apple Pay and with the three free credits they should be able to play one song at a bar for free (TouchTunes notes that the number of credits required for song plays may vary). Other springtime apps promoted by Apple include clothing brands lululemon, J.Crew, and Zara. Apple also encourages users to “get back to the beach quicker” when using Apple Pay in apps for Reef, Ray-Ban, and Abercrombie & Fitch.

The TouchTunes promo follows two weeks after Apple celebrated the Oscars with a discount on two or more movie tickets through Fandango.

Related Roundup: Apple PayTag: Apple Pay promo
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