facebook turns off the facial recognisation tool

Facebook turns off facial recognition tool

LONDON: Facebook said Friday it had switched off the facial-recognition tool that prompts users to "tag" photographs uploaded to its website following a privacy investigation. 

The feature was identified by regulators as one of the main privacy threats posed by the social networking site. 

Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), Billy Hawkes, who launched the probe because Facebook's European operations are based in Ireland, said he was happy that the site had agreed to remove the tool in Europe by October 15. 

New users are already unable to access it. 

Hawkes said: "I am satisfied that the review has demonstrated a clear and ongoing commitment on the part of FBI to comply with its data protection responsibilities." 

He added: "By doing so it is sending a clear signal of its wish to demonstrate its commitment to best practice in data protection compliance." 

Facebook said in a statement: "In light of discussions with our regulator in Ireland, we have agreed to suspend the Tag Suggest feature in Europe." 

It said it would work with the Irish authorities "on the appropriate way to obtain user consent for this kind of technology under European rules". 

Facebook was keen to encourage members to "tag" their friends in photographs because it ensures they are shared more widely, but it has been a controversial addition to the site. 

Europe-versus-Facebook, an Austrian campaign group that has been fighting for clearer privacy policies on Facebook and already took its complaints to the DPC last year, welcomed Friday's ruling. 

This was "a very surprising decision of the Irish authority" and it "sounds like a big victory for users," the group said on its website. 

"It looks like we might soon be able to drop our first complaint," it added.

No roaming charges likely from next year

No roaming charges likely from next year

NEW DELHI: The communications ministry will do away with roaming charges paid by mobile users when travelling within India from 2013, telecom secretary R Chandrasekhar told ET, even as he added that it would not be possible to specify the exact month of execution.

The finance ministry asked the telecom department to submit the road map for implementation of the 'one nation-free roaming' that was announced by communications minister Kapil Sibal earlier this year. In May, the Union Cabinet had approved the National Telecom Policy - 2012 that aimed at doing away with roaming charges and introducing a pan-India mobile permit (unified licence) that would enable mobile phone firms to offer all communication services.

"Our first priority is the upcoming spectrum auctions. At the same time, we are working on the Unified Licence (UL) and we want to finalise this by December. Once the UL regime is rolled out post December, concepts like 'One nation-free roaming' that is part of it will be introduced. This will happen sometime next year (2013). At this stage it will be impossible to specify the exact timeframe," Chandrasekhar said.

This consumer-centric move, which is bound to bring down the mobile bills of frequent travellers, will dent revenues of India's beleaguered telecom companies since roaming charges account for about 10% of the sector's annual sales.

Microsoft India in a race for corporate excellence

Microsoft India in the race for corporate excellence award in US

WASHINGTON: Eleven finalists, including Microsoft India, have been selected for the US Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE). 

Microsoft India is the only American company in India to have found a place in the 11 shortlisted US companies. These were chosen from 82 nominations submitted by US ambassadors around the world. 

ACE finalists recognise the vital role that US businesses play abroad as good corporate citizens that promote sustainable development and support local community needs in the countries where they operate, the State Department said in a statement. 

Microsoft in India has been selected for its efforts to provide community technology skills for young adults in rural and underserved communities; donate software for non- governmental organisation efforts for community development, it said. 

Stating the others reasons for Microsoft's nomination, it said, "...technology company's efforts to... create and disseminate internet templates so that persons with disabilities can access public information; and develop accessibility guides for educators, governments and businesses to enhance learning opportunities for students with disabilities." 

Other American companies in the list of 11 finalists are Chevron in Turkmenistan, Esso in Angola, General Motors in Uzbekistan, Intel in Vietnam, Intel in Malaysia, Microsoft in Thailand, Microsoft in Egypt, Rosalie Bay in Dominica, Sorwathe in Rwanda and Sustainable Mahogany Industries in Fiji. 

The annual award, instituted in 1999, recognises American companies that are leaders in socially responsible activities and contribute to the overall growth and development of the local economy in which they work. 

The 2012 ACE winners will be announced at the annual ceremony hosted by the Secretary of State on November 28.

BSNL GOING VIDEO CALLING FACILITY FOR LANDLINE

Landline phones with video calling facility, from BSNL

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), the State-run telephone services service provider has launched telephones with video calling facility.

BSNL has partnered with Sai InfoSystem (India) Limited to launched telephones with video calling facility which will primarily be used to set up public Video Call Offices (VCOs), replacing the Public Call booths (PCOs). This launch yesterday, plans to boost the revenues of the company, since a major source of the revenue are the landline phones.

“There will be no need to use computers for making video calls for user of these video phones. We will convert existing PCOs to VCOs with these phones. People will be able to make voice calls to any phone and video calls to any other IP (internet based) phone," said R K Upadhyay, Chairman and Managing Director of BSNL. The call charges will be Rs 3 for 45 second video call made from the VCO which will include 30 per cent commission for the franchise owner.

According to A K Jain, Senior General Manager for Broadband, BSNL, around 770 PCOs have confirmed to shift their business to VCOs. BSNL is seeking to have about 10,000 VCOs set-up across the country for the people to avail this facility.

BSNL is also planning to launch 'Fibre to Home' (FTH) facility by the end of this month, for customers who are seeking internet, telephone and TV channels' access. For this BSNL plans to offer a high speed (up to 100 mbps) Internet connection with the FTH.

iPhone 5 effect? Galaxy S III, S II, Note go cheaper

iPhone 5 effect? Galaxy S III, S II, Note go cheaper

Samsung has quietly reduced the prices of its top end phones in India by approximately Rs 2,000 to 3,000. The price cuts comes at a time when the South Korean manufacturer's chief rival Apple launched its latest device, the iPhone 5, which met with phenomenal success and looks set to break all sales records.

On Samsung India's official e-store, the current flagship Galaxy S III is now priced at Rs 35,499, a drop of Rs 3,500. This device has received rave reviews from critics and buyers alike and has performed well on various benchmark tests.
The Galaxy Note has also received a price cut in India, as it now costs Rs 29,990 on Samsung e-store in India. Previously, the 5.3-inch phablet cost Rs 32,990 in the country. Considering that the company has begun taking pre-orders for its successor, the Galaxy Note II, this price cut was expected by industry experts.

Last year's flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy S II, has also been subjected to a price cut and now costs Rs 25,900, down Rs 2,000 from Rs 27,900. The phone remains quite popular in India and comes with Ice Cream Sandwich version of Google's Android operating system.
Prices of phones priced below Rs 20,000 remained unchanged on Samsung India's e-store.
Samsung phones on contract received similar price cuts ahead of the iPhone 5 launch in the US and UK, making them more appealing to buyers who do not wish to burn a hole in their pockets for a new high-end phone.

Considering that Samsung decided to slash the prices of its top end offerings just when the iPhone 5 was rolled out worldwide, it seems that the company is trying to gain buyers' attention through an aggressive pricing strategy. However, it remains to be seen whether this move will bring some Apple loyalists to Samsung stores or not.

MICROSOFT APP FEST SETS GUINESS WORLD RECORD

MICROSOFT APP FEST SETS GUINESS WORLD RECORD

Bangalore: Microsoft Windows 8 Appfest made history by setting a new Guinness world record for most participants in a software development marathon at one location here today.

The Appfest saw participation of 2,567 developers coding non-stop for 18 hours.

The event, hosted by Microsoft and aimed at encouraging developers to build, design and test applications (apps) for the Windows platform, had commenced here last afternoon.

Paul O'Neill, Vice President, Guinness World Records Commercial announced Microsoft's entry into the Guinness world records for "Most Participants in a Software Development Marathon in One Location".

A certificate validating the record was presented to Jon DeVaan, Corporate Vice President for Windows Development at Microsoft, and Bhaskar Pramanik, Chairman, Microsoft Corporation India Pvt Ltd.

At the closing of the Windows Appfest, O'Neill said, "The spectacle of thousands of developers toiling through the night has demonstrated great commitment to their work."

Pramanik said: "This Guinness Record

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ART ATTACK - Who like it...????

APPLE'S MAP ON iOS 6 #FAILURE

#Fail: Users complain about the new Apple Maps 

on iOS 6

 

San Francisco: An entire city is in the ocean, a farm has been labelled as an airport, highways end in the middle of nowhere and a hospital now covers the entire centre of British city Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's home.

Welcome to the new world of Apple Maps that greeted iPhone and iPad users when they downloaded the highly anticipated update to the consumer giant's mobile software platform, iOS 6.

Apple Inc's home-grown Maps feature was introduced with much fanfare in June by Apple's software chief Scott Forstall and is a direct challenge to the same service offered by friend-turned-rival Google.

But the app is already facing criticism from users globally for a number of geographical errors, missing information and because it lacks features that made Google Maps so popular, including public transit directions, comprehensive traffic data or street view pictures.

Apple Maps has replaced Google Maps, which is no longer available on iOS 6.

Many users who downloaded Apple's iOS 6 software, released on Wednesday, took to Twitter and online forums to express their frustration at the glitches.

"The people who thought the world was flat were more accurate cartographers than Apple Maps," @RayneBradley said on Twitter.

"Apple Maps also have errors in business listings. I went to call a local taxi driver and it was a taxidermist (seriously)," said @TomDavenport on Twitter.

Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said the company launched the new service knowing it was a major initiative.

"Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get," she said. "We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better."

The criticism comes on the eve of the launch of Apple's iPhone 5, which hits stores around the globe on Friday. The iPhone 5 comes pre-loaded with the new iOS 6 software and Maps.

Users have created a Tumblr blog sarcastically dubbed "The Amazing iOS 6 Maps" where many have posted screen shots of the errors (theamazingios6maps.tumblr.com/). Pictures showed the Norwegian town of Leknes in the Norwegian sea, the entire city centre of Stratford-upon-Avon is labelled as a hospital.

Some of the errors have even irked politicians. Irish Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said he was surprised to discover that Airfield - a 35-acre estate with working farm and café in centre of his constituency in Dundrum, Ireland - has been labelled with the image of an aircraft.

He said this could be dangerous for pilots and suggested in a statement that Apple use the image of "a cow, a goat, a sheep, a flower" instead, and that an "aircraft is an entirely inappropriate flight of imagination."

Users in Asia were surprised to see two sets of the disputed territory of Senkaku Islands. Some joked that this was Apple's effort at providing a diplomatic solution to Japan and China, both of which claim the islands.

Not an easy fix

New York city residents are unhappy that Apple maps doesn't offer public transit directions, one of the most-used features on Google Maps in cities.

"My phone should be able to tell me which bus and train to take," said Kenan Ali, a Brooklyn, New York, resident who exclusively uses public transport in the city and has been an iPhone user since 2008. "I am hoping in the next update they will somehow add transit directions."

Apple's map service comes with three-dimensional images of cities called "Flyover" along with real-time traffic updates and also turn-by-turn navigation, the last a feature that Google has in Android devices but had not made available in Apple devices.

Apple licenses mapping data from vehicle navigation systems maker TomTom. TomTom said it stands behind the quality of its maps but didn't develop the app.

"During the process of turning mapping data into an app, every manufacturer does it their own way," said TomTom spokesperson Cem Cohen. "We are not part of that process. Apple uses exactly the same maps as our other customers."

Cohen said TomTom hasn't talked to Apple about the issues.

While in theory it will be possible for Apple to update Maps with a software fix, the problems appear to be "pretty profound and pretty fundamental," said Marcus Thielking, co-founder of Skobbler, maker of the popular GPS Navigation 2 app, built using the crowdsourced OpenStreetMap platform.

"The question is really how much expertise do they have in-house and what they sourced from third parties," Thielking said, adding that Apple requires people with a very specific skill set to fix it.

"It's not their core competence," he added.

Google, for its part, did not say whether it would do a Google Maps apps for iOS 6. Users now have to access Google Maps through the browser.

"Our goal is to make Google Maps available to everyone who wants to use it, regardless of device, browser, or operating system," the company said in a statement.

Apple shares closed down about 0.5 per cent at $698.70 on Nasdaq, a day after reaching an all-time high of $703.99. The shares have gained over 20 per cent in the past 3-1/2 months in the build-up to the launch of the iPhone 5.

NOKIA BEATS HTC FROM THEIR WINDOWS 8 INOVATION

Nokia slaps HTC with Windows Phone 8 innovation snub

Nokia has lashed out at HTC over the 8X and 8S, dismissing the new “signature” Windows Phone 8 handsets as rebrands that are lacking in innovation. “Instead of changing a product name, we’re changing the game with benefits like Pure View, navigation & wireless charging” Nokia executive vice president of sales and marketing Chris Weber tweeted shortly after HTC revealed its new line-up. “It takes more than matching color to match the innovation of the Lumia 920.”

 The tension has seemingly been prompted by HTC’s deal with Microsoft to brand the 8X and 8S as the “signature Windows Phones.” Microsoft will use HTC’s handsets for its promotional material and advertising around Windows Phone 8, and CEO Steve Ballmer appeared on-stage at today’s event to wax lyrical about how the smartphones embodied the updated platform.

That’s a position many expected Nokia to automatically assume at Microsoft’s right hand, given the Finnish company has entirely committed to Windows Phone and is even paid by the software firm to subsidize development and marketing.

Although HTC has undoubtedly put plenty of effort into the slick designs of the 8X and 8S, the software experience is more off-the-shelf. The company confirmed to us that, bar a home screen clock Live Tile, there’ll be none of the custom apps or HTC Hub content found on the original HTC Windows Phone 7 models. Nokia, in contrast, has a suite of exclusive apps, including Nokia Music and Nokia Transport.

Those questions are apparently enough to leave Nokia confident that its phones remain ahead of the game. “Happy to add a new Signature to the Windows Phone ecosystem” Weber suggested, “behind the Lumia 920.”

ANDROID TABLET BRINGING APPLE'S RETINA DISPLAY

Cube U9GT5 Android Jelly Bean tablet touts iPad Retina display

Those Chinese manufacturers sure know how to quickly copy what’s available or popular and pump out cheap devices — especially tablets. What we have here is a popular Chinese tablet manufacturer, Cube, showing off their new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean powered tablet that also rocks a “retina” like 9.7-inch display.

Cube was the first tablet maker to release a tablet with the Rockchip RK3066 dual-core processor way back when dual-core tablets were a rarity, and today they’ve done the same with their new U9GT5 Retina Display Android tablet. This sleek little tablet rocks a similar 2048 x 1536 resolution display as the new iPad (iPad 3), which offers the same 264 pixels per inch as the all new iPad — although surely this won’t cost as much.

Under the hood however is where the large differences are. For one you’ll be enjoying the latest and greatest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean by Google, but the internal specs aren’t all that great. It uses the same aging Rockhip RK3066 1.6 GHz dual-core processor, manages 1GB of RAM, and comes with 8GB of internal storage. While that all sounds relatively nice, it certainly won’t be up to par with most tablets from Apple, Samsung, or ASUS.

It’s safe to say this tablet won’t be getting purchased by us anytime soon, but most likely they’ll be plastered across eBay in the usual Chinese knock-off tablet fashion we’ve seen for years. Pricing on the 8 and 16GB models weren’t made available but most likely they’ll be cheap. Would you buy this, or just opt for the Nexus 7 or upcoming iPad Mini?