New object recognition algorithm learns on the fly

Scientists at Brigham Young University (BYU) have developed an algorithm that can accurately identify objects in images or videos and can learn to recognize new objects on its own.

Although other object recognition systems exist, the Evolution-Constructed Features algorithm is notable in that it decides for itself what features of an object are significant for identifying the object and is able to learn new objects without human intervention. The researchers say that unlike other methods, it does not require retuning or reworking for different tasks.

"In most cases, people are in charge of deciding what features to focus on and they then write the algorithm based off that,” says Dr. Dah-Jye Lee, professor of electrical and computer engineering at BYU and author of the paper. “With our algorithm, we give it a set of images and let the computer decide which features are important."

According to Dr. Lee, most other algorithms require a lot of fine-tuning of parameters and methods to achieve their best accuracy, whereas the Evolution-Constructed Features algorithm does not. Despite this, the researchers ay the algorithm has performed as well or better in object recognition tests than other leading object recognition algorithms.

For example, the Evolution-Constructed Features algorithm achieved 100 percent accuracy on motorbike, face, airplane and car image datasets from Caltech.

Caltech's database is used to benchmark the algorithm against other similar research, with other "published well-performing object recognition systems" scoring 95-98 percent accuracy in the same tests.

Lee and his team suggest that the algorithm could be used applications such as detecting invasive fish species or identifying flaws in produce such as apples. To this end, it was also shown to have 99.4 percent accuracy on fish species image datasets from BYU’s own biology department.

"Within some predefined criteria and situation, object recognition will continue to show its progress," predicts Lee. "Who knows? Maybe one day, when the computation power of computing platforms increases to be close to human brain, we could see some real breakthrough."

Source: Brigham Young University

Google Glass may be close to a UK release

Google Glass vs driving - it's the latest battle for Google's wearable tech, despite the fact it isn't even available to buy yet.

While it was starting to look like Glass on the road would be a no-no by the time it arrived in the UK, The Sunday Times reports that Google has been negotiating with the UK Department of Transport to make its glasses road-ready.

Google making moves to have Glass safe for British roads suggests that it could be gearing up for a UK release reasonably soon.

U-turn

Last year the Department for Transportation (DfT) said that it was in discussion with the police to make sure that people would not use Glass and other similar devices while driving. But going on what it's saying now, it seems like Google may have persuaded it to change its mind.

"We have met with Google to discuss the implications of the current law for Google Glass," said a DfT source.

"Google are anxious their products do not pose a road safety risk and are currently considering options to allow the technology to be used in accordance with the law."

A spokesperson for the DfT told TechRadar that a conversation had indeed taken place, but declined to comment further.

Right now we're expecting Google Glass to launch at least in the US towards the middle of 2014.

• Will you pass on Glass? Don't make any decisions until you've read our hands on review.

RIP Symbian! Nokia ends support for apps, updates

Months after selling its mobile business to Microsoft, Nokia has officially ended support for Symbian and MeeGo   apps. The Finnish company has abandoned the two home-grown mobile operating systems in favour of Microsoft's Windows Phone. 

The Symbian Signed Team announced the end of support for Symbian and MeeGo apps via Twitter. The tweet said, "That was it; we are officially closed. Thank you all for the past years!" 

Following the agreement with Microsoft in October, Nokia had posted on its developer blog that Symbian and MeeGo content in Nokia Store will remain available for download to customers and developers would continue to receive download and revenue reports and payouts for downloaded content. However, developers would no longer be able to publish new content or update existing content for Symbian and MeeGo operating systems from January 1, 2014. 

Nokia had said that it had decided to focus its support and investment in new content towards Asha, the company's feature phone platform, and Windows Phone. 

With this move, Nokia has finally bid farewell to its old software platforms.

New Year cheer: 8.5 lakh new jobs, 20% pay hike, say experts

It may rain jobs in the new year as companies are gearing up to add over 8 lakh new employees to their payrolls and dole out salary hikes of up to 20 per cent to best performers in 2014, say experts.

As per estimates of various human resource consultants, the year 2014 seems very promising for job market unlike 2013, when hirings went slow across mid and senior levels and recruitments were done only to replace 'key' gaps.

In the new year, the country is likely to witness a huge surge of opportunities for job seekers with more and more corporates investing in their businesses.

"Yes, 2014 looks bullish on hiring. 2014 will be seen as a good happening year from the jobs perspective as the global economy is improving and India being one of the largest service provider for the global market," leading executive search firm GlobalHunt MD Sunil Goel said.

According to industry estimates, over 8.5 lakh new jobs may be created in the calender year 2014. The issuance of new banking licences will be a major contributor, while IT, healthcare, agri-business, infrastructure and education sectors are also likely to witness robust hiring trends.

"Last calendar year was not good either for job seekers or for employers due to uncertain and fluctuated economical and political conditions. 2014 is coming with positive vibes for jobseekers and expecting to create 8.5 lacs new jobs in different sectors," Rajesh Kumar, CEO, MyHiringClub.com & FlikJobs.com said.

With regards to salary, the average hike for most sectors is expected in single digits, while top performers can expect pay rise of around 15-20 per cent in 2014, experts say.

"This New Year is going to bring cheer for employees with a salary hike of double-digit of at least 10-12 per cent. In 2014, companies are expected to revise the compensation package and explore a more motivational approach," Indian Staffing Federation Vice President Rituparna Chakraborty said.

"All indications are that the average increase will be around 10 per cent across the industries. However, as pressure is mounting on companies to keep its growth intact, high achievers will be getting increase better than last year, which may range between 15-18 per cent in different sectors," GHCL Ltd VP and Head-Human Resources Rajesh Tripathi said.

Echoing similar sentiments, Vdopia's spokesperson, Preetesh Chouhan, VP-APAC, believes ideally a high performer receives an incremental hike of 12-15 per cent in comparison to an average rise in salary.

According to Changeyourboss.com CEO Bhupender Mehta, sectors like services, mining, construction and infrastructure are expected to up their hiring activities and companies are expected to give 12 per cent average salary hike.

Lighthouse Partners' Managing Partner Rajiv Burman said a new government in 2014 should emphasise on promoting growth and therefore hiring trends will also improve. The pay hikes could be 5 per cent for average performers and 10-20 per cent for high achievers, he said. 

Revealed! Most downloaded smartphone apps of 2013

Snapchat, Vine, and Candy Crush Saga earned coveted spots on smartphones this year, making them among the most downloaded apps of the year. 

There are more than a million apps on Apple's App Store and Google's Play store, the two dominant marketplaces for apps, which see billions of downloads each year. 

This year, the most downloaded apps were new takes on communication, gaming, and entertainment, according to mobile app experts. 

"2013 was a really interesting year in terms of maturation, milestones and new trends," said Craig Palli, chief strategy officer at Fiksu, a mobile marketing company based in Boston. 

"The most downloaded apps were in familiar categories, but offered new twists," he added. 

While old favorites such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter — available for iPhone, Android and other devices - continued to be popular ways of communicating with friends, Snapchat eclipsed them in downloads in 2013, becoming the sixth most downloaded free app of the year on the App Store, according to Apple. 

"Snapchat went from being a niche app to achieving much more critical mass, so much so that Facebook was reportedly willing to spend billions of dollars to acquire the company," said Palli. 

With Snapchat, users can send photos and videos that disappear shortly after they are viewed.

Launched in 2011, the app's user base continued to grow rapidly in 2013, with over 13 million people using the app in October, according to the latest available estimates from global information and measurement company Nielsen. In December alone, over 400 million pieces of content were shared through the app, according to Snapchat, based in Venice, CA. 

Vine, a video sharing app released earlier this year by microblogging company Twitter, was the fourth most downloaded free app in 2013. The app, for iPhone, Android and other devices, allows users to share videos under six seconds in length. Nielsen estimates over 6 million people in the US were using the app in October of this year. 

Snapchat and Vine fall into a category that mobile analytics firm Flurry calls camera-enhanced messaging, which they said grew eightfold in 2013. 

"The communications category underwent phenomenal growth this year. Messaging apps like Snapchat, Line, Kakao (KakaoTalk) and WeChat are all exploding and becoming bigger than the carriers in their home countries in terms of users," said Simon Khalaf, chief executive of San Francisco-based company Flurry. 

Crushing saga

Games were another popular category, with Candy Crush Saga for iPhone, Android and Kindle Fire securing its position as the top downloaded free app, and as the top revenue grossing app. It has been downloaded over 500 million times since its launch last year, according to its creator King, based in the UK. Nielsen estimates that over 20 million people in the US were playing the game in October of this year. 

In the entertainment category, Pandora continued to be the leading way to stream music and was the ninth most downloaded, and third top grossing, app in 2013. 

"Clearly the device has swallowed radio," said Palli. "Despite the new entrants, Pandora remains the dominant player in the space," he added. 

But the biggest trend of 2013, according to Palli, is the emergence of apps as a way to control companion devices, which he believes will continue to grow in 2014. 

On Christmas Day, apps that pair with devices were among some of the top downloaded apps on the App Store. 

The Fitbit app, for iPhone and Android, pairs with an electronic wristband to track metrics such as steps taken, distance traveled, and calories burned. It was the 16th most downloaded app on December 25, according to Palli, who monitored the Apple rankings. 

Other apps that pair with devices, such as Chromecast, UP by Jawbone, and GoPro were also among the top downloads that day. 

Khalaf predicts that apps for televisions will be the trend to watch for 2014. 

"I think 2014 could be the year the TV industry gets disrupted by mobile," said Khalaf. 

"If you think about it, every American spends $100+ dollars per month on a service that is not personalized and not mobile. It's an area that's ripe for disruption and I think someone will come up with new content, maybe a new device and more importantly a better business model."

Glitter nail polish new weapon to protect data

Security experts have discovered a new secret weapon to ensure your laptop and other devices are not tampered with -- glitter nail polish.

Security researchers Eric Michaud and Ryan Lackey said glitter nail polish can help people know when their machines have been physically tampered with and potentially compromised.

Physical tampering with machines is a growing problem. While drive encryption, strong passwords and software-based measures might keep causal thieves out, travelling offers many ways for prying eyes to physically compromise a laptop, Lackey and Michaud noted.

Many people affix tamper-proof seals over ports and screws but these seals can in fact be replicated or opened cleanly in minutes by anyone with even minimal training, the researchers said during a presentation at the Chaos Communication Congress in Germany.

Glitter nail polish can create a seal that is impossible to copy. Once applied, it has what effectively is a random pattern. Once painted over screws or onto stickers placed over ports, it is difficult to replicate once broken, 'Wired' magazine reported.

Experts recommend using your smartphone to take a picture of the laptop with the seals applied before leaving it alone, taking another photo upon returning and using a software programme to shift rapidly between the two images to compare them.

Even very small differences -- a screw that is in a very slightly different position, or glitter nail polish that has a very slightly different pattern of sparkle will be evident.

Astronomers use a similar technique called blink comparison to detect small changes in the night sky, researchers said.