Microsoft Seeing AI Is a Talking Camera App for the Visually Challenged

Microsoft has released a free iOS camera app - called Seeing AI - that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tell the visually challenged what is around them.

If the phone is pointed at a park, the Seeing AI an describe how the scene looks like. The app is now available on App Store.

Similarly, it can tell the amount of your restaurant bill or narrate just about anything it is pointed at.

"With this intelligent camera app, just hold up your phone and hear information about the world around you," Microsoft said of its app designed to turn the "visual world into an audible experience".

The company adds that users will also be able to "recognise and locate the faces of people you're with, as well as facial characteristics, approximate age, emotion, and more."

Visually challenged people will also be able to quickly read text by pointing Seeing AI camera app at text, with short snippets being read out and audio guidance being provided on how to capture full documents. It also gives audio beeps to help locate barcodes and then scans them to identify products. An upcoming feature is the ability to identify currency bills.

Microsoft describes Seeing AI as "a free app that narrates the world around you. Designed for the low vision community, this research project harnesses the power of AI to describe people, text and objects".

But Microsoft is not alone in tackling this problem. Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon are working on similar projects, CNET reported on Wednesday.

This is also the latest project from Microsoft built using its artificial intelligence technology
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iPhone 8 May Sport 'Rear-Facing 3D Laser' for Augmented Reality Features

Apple's announcement of ARKit at this year's WWDC was clear indication that the company is heavily interested in augmented reality. Now, new information suggests that the Cupertino-based company has been working on a "rear-facing 3D laser system" that can possibly be implemented at the back of the upcoming iPhone 8 in order to facilitate AR features as well as improve the camera performance. Separately, the smartphone has also been tipped to face a delay in shipments.

Citing a source with knowledge on the matter, Fast Company reports that Apple is working on a sensor system for its upcoming smartphones that will enable better detection of depth for the augmented reality apps with the help of laser and provide better autofocus in terms of photography. As per the source, the inclusion of this sensor system (VSCEL laser system) on iPhone 8 will depend on progress that the engineers at the company are able to make in terms of technology integration on the smartphone.

"VCSEL laser systems calculate the distance the light travels from the laser to the target and back to the sensor, and generate a Time of Flight (TOF) measurement. The system consists of a source (the VCSEL laser), a lens, detector (sensor), and a processor. The whole thing costs about $2 per phone," Fast Company said citing a source in its report.

To recall, JP Morgan analyst Rod Hall earlier suggested that the iPhone 8 might come with front 3D laser tech for facial recognition, something that has since been corroborated several times.

Separately, Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts have suggested that the iPhone 8 will face a delay of 3-4 weeks in shipments due to technological issues on the basis of their conversation with the supply chain sources, reports CNBC. The report mentions problems with fingerprint sensor and 3D sensors to be the reason behind this delay. Notably, this is not the first time that the upcoming smartphones shipments have been tipped to be delayed.

Halli Labs, a Four-Month-Old Bengaluru-Based AI Startup, Acquired by Google

Halli Labs, a Bengaluru-based company that specialises in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), has been acquired by Google. The startup came into existence barely four months ago. The Halli Labs team will be joining Google’s Next Billion Users effort, the Internet giant’s initiative to bring the next billion users from emerging markets like India online. This is said to be the first acquisition of an Indian company by Google.

It’s not entirely clear how large Halli Labs is, but its core team members, including Pankaj Gupta and Pradhuman Jhala, were previously at marketplace Stayzilla. Gupta, who founded Halli Labs and assumes CEO position, was the chief product officer and chief technology officer at Stayzilla, while Jhala was the chief architect. Stayzilla shut shop earlier this year.

Some of the things Halli Labs has been working on includes "speed recognition" and natural language processing. It never shipped any technologies to consumers — again the company is just four months old — but in a blog post, the company said it wanted to give "superhuman powers to all of us humans in letting us do whatever we want to do, better.” The word Halli means village in Kannada.

Over the past one year, Google has announced several services to better serve the untapped Indian market. Some of these include improved translation services and better voice recognition support for local languages.

Financial details of Google's acquisition of Halli Labs remain undisclosed.

Nintendo Switch OS Kernel Dumped By Hackers

The Nintendo Switch hacks have been few and far between. Although this may soon change. Reason being, the Nintendo Switch OS kernel has now been accessed by hackers. The kernel is the most basic level, the core of an operating system dealing with security, file management, and resource allocation.

This discovery was initially made public via a vague tweet from Nintendo fan and vulnerability researcher derrickr6 stating that “we got the kernel”. Following this was another hacker posting an image of what seems to be a dump of the kernel.

Is the Nintendo Switch hacked yet?

Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean that the Nintendo Switch has been hacked just yet. Rather, it’s a concrete step in that direction.

Previously the Nintendo Switch SDK was leaked, giving tinkerers and homebrew enthusiasts an idea of what can be done with the console. Along with this came hints at Nintendo implementing a save data transfer system for the Switch and guest login features.

Before this, hacker qwertyoruiop — who contributed to the PS4 1.76 jailbreak and known for jailbreaking multiple iOS versions — tweeted a picture of what appeared to be proof of the Nintendo Switch being hacked. Developer LiveOverflow published a proof of concept that confirms an iOS 9.3 webkit exploit is working on the Nintendo Switch.

Being proof of concept means very little for end users. But it does confirm that the Nintendo Switch’s browser, which is used for tasks such as logging into Wi-Fi and not directly accessible by consumers, is vulnerable to attack. Though Nintendo rectified this with an update.

iPad Pro, MacBook, iMac Models Announced at WWDC Now Available in India

If you are in India and have been waiting to buy new hardware Apple announced at WWDC last month, there's good news. Gadgets 360 has learnt that Apple retail partners across the country have started receiving stock of the new iPad, MacBook, and iMac models.

Pricing for the new hardware had been revealed post-launch, but the shipments never arrived. While there was no word from Apple on the reasons for the delay, Gadgets 360 understands things got delayed due to GST-related issues.

Earlier this month, Apple announced price cuts on its products in India, including the ones announced at WWDC that hadn't yet been made available in the country. Thus, the new iPad, MacBook, and iMac models announced at WWDC 2017 saw price cuts in India even before their launch. So, it seems consumers did get some benefit from the delay after all.

Here's a recap of the India pricing of the new hardware.

iPad Pro price in India

The new 10.5-inch iPad Pro price in India starts from Rs. 50,800 for the 64GB Wi-Fi model, going up to Rs. 58,300 for the 256GB model, and Rs. 73,900 for the 512GB model. As for the Wi+Fi cellular variants, the pricing is Rs. 61,400 for the 64GB model, Rs. 68,900 for the 256GB model, and Rs. 84,500 for the 512GB model.

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro price in India starts at Rs. 63,500 for the 64GB Wi-Fi only model, going up to Rs. 70,900 for the 256GB model, and Rs. 86,400 for the 512GB model. As for the Wi-Fi+cellular variants, pricing goes up to Rs. 74,100 for the 64GB variant, Rs. 81,400 for the 256GB model, and Rs. 97,000 for the 512GB model.

MacBook Pro price in India

13-inch MacBook Pro without TouchBar (128GB storage) price in India starts at Rs. 1,04,900, while the 256GB variant starts at Rs. 1,21,100. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with TouchBar starts at Rs. 1,47,900 for the 256GB variant, while the 512GB variant starts at Rs. 1,64,100.

On the other hand, the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starts at Rs. 1,95,800, while the top-end model is priced at Rs. 2,28,100.

MacBook price in India

12-inch MacBook price in India starts at Rs. 1,04,800 for the 256GB SSD variant, while the 512GB SSD model starts at Rs. 1,28,700.

MacBook Air price in India

The new, refreshed MacBook Air starts at Rs. 80,900 for the 128GB variant, going up to Rs. 96,900 for the 256GB SSD variant.

iMac price in India

The 21.5-inch non-Retina iMac price in India starts at Rs. 90,200, while the 21.5-inch Retina iMac starts at Rs. 1,06,400. The 1TB Fusion Drive model of the 21.5-inch Retina iMac is priced at Rs. 1,23,700.

The 27.5-inch Retina iMac price in India starts at Rs. 1,47,400, going up to Rs. 1,66,000 and Rs. 1,90,400 for the higher configurations

Google Pixel XL 2017 to Sport Squeezable Frame, Slim Bezels

Photo Credit: Android Police

Google in October last year unveiled its first smartphone - the Google Pixel - and we are just a few months away from a possible upgrade of the hardware. A new leak claims to show the 2017 model of the Google Pixel XL, the larger display variant in the Pixel series.

Android Police has published an image claiming to show the second-generation Google Pixel XL. The publication says the name of the next-generation Pixel smartphone is yet to be finalised, meaning it could launch as the Google Pixel XL 2 or Google Pixel XL 2017 or something altogether different.

The front is said to be dominated by an LG-made AMOLED panel which measures 6 inches diagonally, compared to 5.5 inches seen on the original Google Pixel XL. Android Police claims that the new Pixel XL will sport an aspect ratio of 2:1 - the same as the LG G6 and its 18:9 aspect ratio. Much like the original Pixel, the new Pixel XL is seen featuring rounded corners. Some other design elements spotted in the leaked image show the speaker grille at the top as well as the front-facing camera.

Google is being rumoured to go for "squeezable" frame on its Pixel XL, an approach that was recently tried by HTC With its U11 flagship. The report adds that the "squeezable" frame will help Pixel XL 2017 owners interact with Google Assistant. We can expect more details in future leaks.

The leaked image of the Google Pixel XL 2017 clearly shows that Google has maintained some basic design cues from the original Pixel while there are still a few major changes in overall design. First off, starting with the differences, we see slim bezels, and a screen approach same as LG (G6) or Samsung (Galaxy S8).

Another noticeable change is at the back where the fingerprint scanner now has been placed outside the glass area. Additionally, we also see that the size of the glass portion at the back has been shortened. The primary camera sensor looks big though the leaked image isn't providing much proof whether it's flush with the body. The camera sensor is further seen surrounded by a Silver coloured ring.

In another leak, bunch of next-generation Pixel and Pixel XL cases have leaked in images giving a rough idea about the new design. Unfortunately, the leaked cases don't give a lot in terms of what to expect on the new Pixel hardware. However, the new cases do suggest that the new Pixel hardware indeed sport a large camera sensor. The leaked images were posted on Slashleaks
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iPhone 8 Reportedly Facing New Issues With Wireless Charging, 3D Front Sensor

iPhone 8 has according to multiple reports been been facing many hiccups ever since early reports of its existence started cropping up, and the 10th anniversary edition has reportedly landed itself in fresh trouble. The latest leaks indicate that Apple employees are working in a state of panic, as new issues surrounding wireless charging and the 3D front camera have arisen, and it may cause a delay in the launch of the iPhone 8. Another (rather sketchy) report claims that the Cupertino giant is still in a dilemma over Touch ID integration, and if it is missed, Apple may ditch Apple Pay as well. Even amidst all these rumours, Wall Street is very bullish about the iPhone 8, however Deutsche Bank analysts thinks it’s an overly optimistic view to keep at this point.

Starting with the technical issues, Apple is now said to be facing new issues with wireless charging and 3D front camera, reports Fast Company. These aren’t hardware issues, but software ones, that Apple employees are feverishly trying to solve. The report claims that if these issues are not solved, the phone may see delivery delays and even launch with many features disabled at first. To fix this, Apple employees are now reportedly working in ‘a state of panic.’

“The company has been working feverishly to fix software problems in its hotly anticipated 10th-anniversary iPhone that could ultimately cause production and delivery delays, the source says. If the software problems aren’t resolved quickly, the new flagship iPhone could even launch with major features disabled,” the report states.

The wireless charging being used is reportedly of the inductive type, and it corroborates with John Gruber’s predictions that the feature will be disabled at launch, and will arrive with iOS 11.1 presumably, just like the Portrait Mode last year. Similarly, Apple is having issues to get the 3D sensor to work with iOS, and may enable it later in the year as well with a software update.

Citing KeyBanc Capital Markets analysts, a fresh Barron’s report claims that Apple is still making up its mind on Touch ID, and if production issues continue, it may ditch it altogether. Furthermore, if this happens, then Apple Pay would also be ditched on this variant. “We do not believe facial recognition would be initially qualified as an acceptable verification method for Apple Pay. While Apple could achieve this over time, the likelihood for an initial lack of Apple Pay could adversely affect demand,” the analysts claim.

The report claims that Apple is still keen on bringing Touch ID underneath the display, but if that doesn’t work then facial recognition is considered to be Plan B. However, Apple doesn’t think facial recognition is ready for Apple Pay security, thereby putting it in quite a dilemma.

A separate report from Business Insider claims that a fresh note from Deutsche Bank analysts Sherri Scribner, Adrienne Colby, and Jeffrey Rand suggests that Wall Street is overly optimistic about iPhone 8 sales, and it most likely will not break the record of iPhone 6 sales in 2015. “The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus cycle in 2015 was the real supercycle, according to the analysts, who wrote that “everything went right for the iPhone 6 cycle.” Sales went well for Apple due to a number of advantages that will not repeat including a bigger screen and the addition of China Mobile as a new carrier,” the note explained.

Wall Street is expecting sales of 244 million units in financial year 2018, and the analysts cannot see that happening. To recall, financial year 2015 managed to garner record 231 million units sale for Apple. The analysts claim that the competition from China has increased since 2015, and people are upgrading phones after a 2-3 year cycle now. Also, the market is much flatter than it was back then, asserting that the predicted number is exaggerated.