Software : Facebook's 'DeepFace' software matches faces almost as well as humans |
- Facebook's 'DeepFace' software matches faces almost as well as humans
- Google suffers hacker deja vu as Play Store goes down again
- Twitter testing a 'Fave People' timeline for your top tweeters only
- Office for iPad will reportedly headline a March 27 Microsoft event
- Third-party Samsung Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo apps get a kick in the wrist
| Facebook's 'DeepFace' software matches faces almost as well as humans Posted:  Show most any adult human two different photographs of another person and they'll be able to match them with nearly 100 percent accuracy - the kind of results Facebook's latest research software is also zeroing in on. Technology Review reported Monday (via TechCrunch) that Facebook has developed new facial verification software capable of matching the same person correctly nearly every time, regardless of whether the subject is actually facing the camera. Using new artificial intelligence technology known as "deep learning," researchers working for the social network have managed to reach a 97.25 percent accuracy, even with images where the lightning is different. Those results compare favorably to human beings, who are said to match two different images of the same person with a typical 97.53 degree of accuracy. About (Deep)Face"You normally don't see that sort of improvement. We closely approach human performance," explains Facebook AI team member Yaniv Taigman, noting the latest software has eliminated nearly one quarter of facial matching errors found in earlier versions. DeepFace uses "facial verification" software to match two different images where the same face appears, rather than focus on the relatively easier task of only recognizing a person based on their facial characteristics. The new software accomplishes this task in two steps: First by correcting the angle to make the subject face forward, then by applying deep learning from a "simulated neural network" to a 3-D model until the software is satisfied both images are from the same face. Facebook launched its research group late last year to help increase the accuracy of faces tagged on the social network and one day offering such improvements as automatically suggesting tags whenever users upload new photos.
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| Google suffers hacker deja vu as Play Store goes down again Posted:  A hacker took down Google's Play Store twice in an outage that few would have noticed but could cause some serious disruption. According to CNN, the Google's Developer Console first crashed mid-day Sunday. Many app developers still found themselves blocked from uploading to the Google Play Store on Monday. The situation appeared to be fixed and then the hacker had another go and the problem started again. When the system is down Android users don't have access to new apps and updates but if you do not know that you are due for one you probably would not realise. Existing apps are still available for download. Nobody's business but the TurksThe hacker was a Turk called Ibrahim Balic who said that he noticed a flaw when the developer console crashed while trying to test a vulnerability he discovered. Balic wrote an app to exploit the flaw, which he expected to fail. However, he said he did not expect it to knock everyone offline as well. He has pleaded for forgiveness from other developers. The site crashed again when he uploaded the app to Google's publishing system a second time. Balic said that he "just wanted to be sure about the vulnerability." Balic notified Google of the issue but has not heard back. Various online forums are suggesting that he should get a good lawyer.
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| Twitter testing a 'Fave People' timeline for your top tweeters only Posted:  Twitter may soon offer mobile users the chance to create a timeline dedicated to their 'Fave People,' with the company currently testing the feature in an experimental app. As reported by TechCrunch, the tool has been worked into the social network's alpha app for Android, which it uses to trial changes before passing them onto beta guinea pics and then the public. The app, which has a swipe-able top menu, now features 'Fave People,' alongside the more familiar Home, Activity and Discover sections. Fave People, doesn't need that much explaining as it is simply presenting an easier way to access the users favourite accounts than the current method of making and navigating to custom lists. Self-explanatoryAdding accounts to the 'Fave People' lists is also pretty self-explanatory, according to the description offered within the alpha app. On the Face People screen, users are advised to 'Pick Some Favourites' which takes them to their 'following' list. Users simply have to hit the favourite star on an account, just as they would to favourite a single tweet. The company has also set up the feature so users can choose to receive notifications whenever one of their favourite accounts sends a tweet. Adding Fave People seems like a logical step for Twitter, considering the list of accounts we follow tends to grow much faster than, say, our Facebook friends list. However, just because the company is in the early stages of testing the feature, doesn't mean the general public will be seeing it anytime soon. The firm often tests new features before deciding to abandon them. |
| Office for iPad will reportedly headline a March 27 Microsoft event Posted:  The arrival of Microsoft Office for iPad has been rumored for some time now, but its unveiling may be nigh. According to sources speaking with The Verge, Microsoft will introduce a tablet app similar to Office for iPhone during an event March 27. Invitations to an event hosted by CEO Satya Nadella that day are making the rounds. It will be a cloud- and mobile-focused affair, and it sounds like Office for iPad will be a headlining announcement. It's curious timing since the company's Build conference kicks off April 2, but it appears Microsoft wants to drum up attention and set the stage for its developer conference by dropping a big bit of news beforehand. What Office for iPad will bringAs The Verge tells it, the iPad version of Office will fall in step with its iPhone counterpart. To edit, users will need an Office 365 subscription. Document creation and editing are reportedly supported in the Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps. As for the interface and other features, don't look for anything too different from the iPhone original. For Nadella, who was named Steve Ballmer's replacement in February, this will be his first major press conference as Microsoft's chief executive. The unveiling of Office for iPad will underline the strategy he's laid out since his appointment was made public; Microsoft is adopting a cloud first, mobile first mantra. News of the event and possible Office for iPad unveiling follows Microsoft's release of OneNote for Mac.
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| Third-party Samsung Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo apps get a kick in the wrist Posted:  The software development kit for Samsung's Tizen-based Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo wearables is now available to third-party developers, the company has announced. Samsung prefaced this move with an announcement toward the end of February that it would open up Gear development to third parties with the release of the new Gear models. Eager app developers can download the Gear SDK from the Tizen developer site. The Gear 2 was designed to improve on many of the original Galaxy Gear's flaws, and opening up its app ecosystem is one of the ways Samsung hopes to do that. There's an app for thatDozens of Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo apps have already been developed thanks to Samsung's numerous partnerships, the company said. With the new apps the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo "provide users with enhanced wearable experiences for fitness, shopping, social media, music, news and sleep management," Samsung says. They come from companies including Feedly, CNN, eBay, Expedia and many others. On top of that, "a variety of applications for Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are expected to be developed by active Tizen app developer community," the company said. Earlier this month, Google announced its plans to release an SDK for wearables based on Android. The SDK should be out later this month, but until then, Samsung can brag about its timely Tizen release.
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