Terrier: New Google For The Real World

A new search engine aims to allow web users to search the real world by trawling sounds and video from microphones and cameras.

Developed by a team based at the University of Glasgow with funding from the EU and help from technology industry giants, "Terrier" aims to answer questions about the real world in real time, such as "how busy is the city centre?"

By using information from cameras, microphones and social networks, the system will provide localised, relevant information. A member of the public could ask a question about traffic conditions in the city centre or their friends' favourite bars and receive useful results, something not currently possible via commercial offerings like Google.

"The SMART engine will answer queries by identifying sensors, then synthesising results from distributed sources in an intelligent way," said Dr Iadh Ounis of the University of Glasgow's School of Computing Science.

"This could be helpful for cities hosting big events like the Olympics, showcasing what satellite events are going on, or to help local government respond to traffic accidents or antisocial behaviour," he told The Telegraph.

The nine institutions and companies taking part in the project are receiving around two million euros funding from the European Commission.

Dr Ounis added that the project will contribute to the development of "smart cities", offering improved information services based on up-to-the-second data, currently being promoted by firms such as IBM, which is collaborating on the research.

"SMART builds upon the existing concept of ‘smart cities’, physical spaces which are covered in an array of intelligent sensors which communicate with each other and can be searched for information," he said

"The search results sourced from these smart cities can be reused across multiple applications, making the system more effective."

The University has been working on Terrier since 2004, and the team expects it to be tested in a real city by 2014.

Samsung: Nokia Takeover Bid, Groundless

Samsung Electronics has dismissed rumours that it is preparing to mount a takeover bid for Nokia as "groundless".

Rumours emerged earlier today from a Bloomberg News report citing an analyst note that speculated that the company may be about to receive a takeover bid.

"A lot of names have been mentioned as potential bidders," Bo Nordberg, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity told Bloomberg News. "I am sure someone is looking at it, but it is not particularly compelling.

Even among the analyst community the feeling is quite skeptical about the outlook for the company."

Nokia's share price jumped by 6 percent on the rumours. Samsung was also named as a possible bidder last June, but denied the rumours at that time as well.

Exane BNP Paribas said in a note that several companies have been suggested as a possible bidder, although Microsoft is the perennial favourite following its tie-up with Nokia in the smartphone market.

Nokia has however repeatedly denied that it is in any sort of merger or takeover talks with Microsoft. It was however rumoured last year that Nokia and Microsoft considered a joint takeover bid of their own, for Research in Motion.

Read more: Bloomberg News

Apple: Ban Samsung Galaxy S3 In US

Samsung will fight Apple's attempt to ban the Galaxy S3 mobile phone from being sold in the US.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 was launched in Britain at the end of last monthbut Apple is seeking an injunction against its sale in the US. The iPhone-maker claims that the S3 breaches two of its patents and says the handset is "not more than colorably different from the Galaxy Nexus", which has been the target of past disputes.

Apple filed its motion earlier this week. Samsung said it believed Apple's request to be "without merit". The company said in a statement: "We will vigorously oppose the request and demonstrate to the court that the Galaxy S3 is innovative and distinctive."

The patents in question relate to unified search and a system for recognising and performing actions on structured data. Apple says it is still trying to determine whether the S3 also breaches two other patents.

The Galaxy S3 is due to launch in the US on June 21. Samsung said: "We would like to assure customers that the US launch and sales of the Galaxy S3 will proceed as planned."

The dispute is the latest in a long round of lawsuits and counter-lawsuits between the two companies.

Apple alleges that Samsung’s Galaxy range of smartphones and tablets are “slavish” copies of the iPhone and iPad designs, and has sought injuntions to ban them from sale. The Korean firm, now the world’s biggest manufacturer of smartphones, has retaliated by claiming Apple has infringed its 3G technology.

Last year, Samsung released a tweaked version of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer following legal action from Apple.

"We modified the model to reflect Apple's claims," a Samsung spokesman said at the time.

Microsoft, Samsung: Possible Nokia Buy-Out?

Nokia’s stock recently hovered hit a 15-year low (giving it a market capitalization of about US$4 billion), prompting new rumours of an imminent buy-out. Both Microsoft and Samsung’s names have been tied to these.

There were rumours a year ago which valued a deal at US$19 billion. According toThe Register, Microsoft considered a buyout late last year, according to “well-placed sources.” Talks advanced far enough that Microsoft was given access to Nokia’s books after which it “ran away screaming.” Microsoft could have made a move to keep Nokia from being bought out by a rival but it appears that none came forward. With neither company really interested, the deal went nowhere.

This is not to say that it might not resurface. Nokia is a much cheaper company today. It is still burning through cash reserves quickly and could run out of cash. At that point, it’s likely that Nokia would be even cheaper than it is today and might be a better acquisition target. Of particular interest would likely be its intellectual property portfolio and for a company like Microsoft, the years of experience working as Microsoft’s flagship OEM.

A second report suggested that Samsung also looked at acquiring Nokia. Rumours emerged last week, giving Nokia’s stock a jolt, but Samsung today denied that there was any truth to them. “Such reports are purely speculative and are not true,” the company said.

ASUS : Google tablet & Transformer Pad Infinity, Launch Late June

While this is not quite the same as an official company press release, an ASUS representative allegedly told Android Authority during Computex that the long rumoured Google tablet will launch at the end of the month. It just so happens thatGoogle I/O is scheduled for June 27^th to the 29^th.

While the representative shared little else except to promise that “it will be awesome,” past rumours have suggested that the Google ASUS Nexus 7 will be powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor and Android 4.1 (which may be none other than Jelly Bean). It will also come with a 7-inch HD (1280×768) display. Pricing is expected to fall in or around the US$200 mark.

The same representative added that the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity (TF700T) will also launch at the end of the month. Both a Wi-Fi-only and an LTE model will be available with the latter to be offered by AT&T in the U.S. Pricing around the US$499 mark was mentioned but it’s not clear to which model this applies.

Lastly, the ASUS PadFone could make its North American debut with AT&T. ASUS has apparently been met with a lukewarm carrier response, possibly because this device does not require tethering for which carriers often charge extra.

Apple: 365 Million iOS Devices Sold, 140 Million iMessage Users

Apple has never shied away from taking a few shots at Android during its WWDC keynotes, and why would 2012 be any different.

Just before taking the wraps off iOS 6, Apple took some time to toss out a few numbers highlighting its spectacular sales and sizable user base. All told, by the end of March, the company had moved 365 million iOS devices, with the vast majority of them (80 percent) running iOS 5 — a point they made sure to drive home with a graphic comparing the install base of Android 4.0. But, sales alone mean nothing without an active user community.

Which is why Cupertino was so happy to report that 140 million iMessage users were sending more than one billion messages each day, for a grand total of 150 billion SMS and MMS missives. Push notifications have also clearly taken off in a big way, with 1.5 trillion having graced our notification screens.

Apple: Safari Now Packed With Unified Search, iCloud Tabs, Multi-Device Syncing And More

Apple’s fresh new hardware may have gotten the headlines thus far during Apple’s 2012 WWDC keynote, but there’s also some good news for browser aficionados, too. Safari has taken a page out of Chrome’s book by offering unified search for the web, your history and bookmarks. Additionally, Safari now syncs your web-browsing info across all your devices.

Called iCloud Tabs, the feature lets you see the tabs that you’ve open on any device simultaneously. That means you can surf the web on your iPhone while you’re out and about, and continue your web session seamlessly on that shiny new MacBook Pro when you get home by clicking the new handy dandy iCloud button.

Not only that, Safari’s picked up some new multitouch tricks, letting you swipe all the way out to tab view, then pinch on the page you want to dive back in.

Safari’s Mobile version has also gained the ability to upload images directly and it now has an Offline Reading List that downloads and caches anything you add. Furthermore, Safari can now provide a notification if there’s an app for the website you’re browsing.

Tapping the notification brings you to the App Store, and once downloaded, the browser pushes the URL to the app so you can pick up the content right where you left off.

Noctua PC Fan: Dropped 20 Decibels in Test

Having trouble tuning out the hum of your PC fans?
Maybe it’s time you took another look at Noctua’s NF-F12 integrated noise cancellation fan. 

According to the firm, the Computex prototype kept things about 20dB quieter by utilizing a patented RotoSub ANC technology to emit anti-noise directly from the fan’s own blades. Noctua hopes to dampen the cooler’s 2,500 RPM hum to the overall noise level of a slower 1,500 RPM fan. Builders looking to piece together a quieter machine can look for the noise reducing cooler at the latter half of 2013.


Your old fan? Well, you could always use as a makeshift turntable. Hit the break for a peek at a more silent tomorrow.

Top Gear Live: Deadly 720 Double Loop At TopeGear Festival

Successfully piloting an automobile around a giant loop is no easy task, but it’s just not spectacular enough for the crew of Top Gear Live. Billing it as a world-first event, the live show’s stunt drivers will attempt to spin their way through a giant loop twice in succession during the Top Gear Festival in Durban, South Africa on June 16 and 17.

Dubbed the Deadly 720, the loops themselves stands 26 feet tall and weigh eight tons. A custom-made buggy featuring an accelerator lock that allows the driver to put all his concentration on navigation will enter the loop between 24 and 26 miles per hour. Any deviation from that predetermined speed will result in a failure by the event’s calculations.

“There are absolutely no margins for error, which is probably why no one has ever been mad enough to try it before,” says Top Gear Live Creative Director Rowland French.

Apple: Eyes Free, Siri car integration

Apple’s VP of iOS Software Scott Forstall just demoed Eyes Free, Siri’s new vehicle integration. 


The feature is being framed as a safety booster, letting you tap a steering wheel-mounted button to toggle Siri on your iOS device, rather than reaching around for your iPhone or iPad and taking precious seconds away from the road. 

This being Apple, there are already plenty of partners lined up — BMW, GM, Mercedes, Land Rover, Jaguar, Audi, Toyota, Chrysler and Honda are all said to be on board, with Siri support making its way to vehicles within the next 12 months. 


It’s certainly not the first example of smartphone/car integration we’ve seen, but it could soon end up being one of the most widely utilized, despite the years-long head-start competing technologies have enjoyed.

Microsoft on{X} for Android: Will ‘automate your life’

Well, we can’t exactly say we saw this one coming. Microsoft has today taken the wraps off a rather ambitious project dubbed on{X}, which is available exclusively for Android smartphones initially (support for more platforms is planned), and offers a range of tools that promise to help “automate your life.”

Developed by the company’s R&D Center in Israel, the service consists of a website and an app, the former of which lets you select from a variety of scripts (or “recipes,” as Microsoft calls them), while the latter executes them on your phone.

The kicker is that anyone can create their own recipes and share them with others, and they can take all of the capabilities of a smartphone into account — performing an action when you arrive at a specific location, for instance, or setting reminders based on the weather forecast (all the actual processing is handled on the phone).

Much like Kinect, Microsoft is hoping that folks will take the platform and run with it, developing new features that it hasn’t even thought of. Those interested can get started right now at the source link below.

See Microsoft

Apple Update: Siri with sports stats, help from Yelp and Rotten Tomatoes, expanded local search

As it’s made clear with its recent ads, Apple is betting big on Siri, and the company has just now rolled out its first big update to the personal assistant during its WWDC keynote.


The service is now able to answer a variety of sports related questions, from scores and stats to game times, and it’s added both Yelp and Rotten Tomatoes to its bag of tricks for dining and movie recommendations.

What’s more, Siri will now also let you launch apps if you’re tired of tapping through folders, and Apple is finally expanding Siri’s local search functionality from just the US to no less than 60 difference countries.

The other big Siri news is that it’s finally headed to the new iPad, and even to cars via Apple’s new Eyes Free integration, although that is still a bit further off (within the next 12 months is the word).

Apple iOS 6 at WWDC: Siri, Facebook and Map Integration

Looks like they didn’t print the banner out for nothing — as anticipated, it’s not just refreshed MacBook Airs or Mountain Lion getting the red carpet treatment at today’s World Wide Developer’s Conference keynote. 


Cupertino has also taken the shiny cling wrap off of the latest version of iOS. What’s new? Well at least 200 things! Most notably, Siri has gotten a little make over, including the ability to launch apps, more knowledge of sports, restaurants and movie times, it’s also coming to iPad. 

There’s better Facebook integration too, with photos, websites, maps and more getting the instant share option — you can even “like” or share app from the Appstore. 


Other tweaks on the phone side of things let you dismiss incoming calls with a swipe, or send a pre-written SMS, even set it to give you a reminder once you change location. 

Apple: July, OS X Mountain Lion at $20

You got it. The latest version of Mac OS X is coming in a matter of weeks, and will set you back just shy of twenty bucks. 

If any of those new beastly, Ivy Bridge-decked machines made you reconsider your bank balance, breathe a (small) sigh of relief — you’ll be treated to a free upgrade if you decide to buy one before Mountain Lion arrives in July.

Apple: Power Nap OS X - updates your Mac while it’s sleeping

Apple just introduced a new OS X feature here at WWDC 2012 called Power Nap. It lets your Mac update email, notifications and photos in the background, as well as back itself up while charging. Whether or not 

Apple ever drops the word “Ultrabooks” (and trust us, it won’t), this addition is a clear retort to all those Windows-based ultraportables that promise to keep web-based apps up to date. In addition to the new MacBook Pros announced today, the feature will work with the second-generation Air, which makes us think all other legacy Macs might be excluded. 


Supposedly, too, the technology goes easy on the battery and won’t stir up the fans, though Apple claims they’re quieter on the new Macs anyway.

Apple: AirPort Express, Simultaneous Dual-Band WiFi

Tucked in amidst talk of new MacBook Air and conventional MacBook Pro updates, Apple has trotted out a new AirPort Express.

The new pocket WiFi router has a reworked design — not unlike a white Apple TV — as well as newfound support for simultaneous dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless. That’s certainly good news if you want separate public and private hotspots when you’re online at the hotel.

The audio-out jack and USB 2.0 port are still there to share your sound or printing, and there’s an extra Ethernet jack to feed wired devices. It’s available now, and the $99 asking price certainly hits a sweet spot.

See Apple

Apple's Next-generation MacBook Pro Packed With Retina display, 0.71-inches thin

Apple announced some new MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros early in its WWDC keynote today, but it had another surprise in store for its big hardware announcement: the next-generation MacBook Pro. It packs a Retina display with a 2880 x 1800 resolution (or 220ppi), and a casing that measures just 0.71-inch thin and weighs 4.46 pounds.

In addition to that high resolution, Apple is also promising higher contrast ratios, better viewing angles and reduced glare compared to other laptop displays, and it’s updated all of its stock apps to take advantage of those extra pixels, not to mention Aperture and Final Cut Pro — “reading your mail is like reading fine print,” according to Apple’s Phil Schiller.

As for the other specs, you’ll get up to 16GB of RAM, NVIDIA Kepler GT 650M graphics, up to a quad-core 2.7GHz Core i7 processor, a maximum 768GB of storage (SSD, naturally), and a promised seven hours of battery life with 30 days standby. One spec nowhere to be seen: an optical drive.

Also on the outs are Ethernet and FireWire 800 ports, which you’ll now need an optional Thunderbolt adapter to use, but you do now get two USB 3.0 ports in addition to a pair of Thunderbolt inputs (plus one HDMI). Making its debut on the laptop is a new, thinner MagSafe 2 connector, as well as a new fan that’s said to be “nearly imperceptible” to the user.

Pricing starts at $2,199 for a 2.3GHz unit with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and it’s shipping today. Just how big a deal is it for Apple? “It’s without doubt the very best computer that we’ve ever built,” says Schiller.

Ivy Bridge at WWDC: Apple unveils new MacBook Pro

Apple is certainly making WWDC a hardware conference this year — it just unveiled a refresh of the existing MacBook Pro running Intel’s newer Ivy Bridge processors on the San Francisco gathering’s opening day. The 13- and 15-inch portables run up to 2.7GHz quad Core i7s (turbo up to 3.7GHz), carry up to 8GB of RAM and have GeForce GT 650M-based graphics 60 percent faster than the previous generation. Like the new MacBook Air, they tout USB 3.0 ports.

If you’re more comfortable with Apple’s conventional MacBook Pro design than the new variety, Apple will ask $1,099 for the base 13-inch version and $1,799 for a 15-inch version, with an upgraded 15-inch model going for $2,199. 

Diablo 3 Hotfix Removes Monster Damage Boost in Co-op

Blizzard hotfixed in a significant change to Diablo 3 multiplayer over the weekend. 
Previously monster health and damage would stack depending on the number of players in the game, now Blizzard have completely removed that damage buff. Monsters will still have more health, but they won’t be any stronger. 
That applies to co-op games across all difficulty tiers, and is excellent news for groups getting wiped in seconds by top tier hero mobs on Hell and Inferno.

The hotfix was announced on the Diablo 3 blog along with a few other minor fixes, including news that smashed vases and ash pots will now drop slightly less gold, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS BLIZZARD?

Here’s the hotfix list. There’s a mild spoiler there if you haven’t played through Act 3 yet.

General: 
In cooperative games, monster damage will no longer increase when additional players join the game. Please note that monster health will still scale based on the number of players in a party

Bug Fixes:
- Tyrael no longer has collision when he is your active follower
- Pots of ashes in Act I and vases in Act IV will now drop less gold when destroyed
- Fixed a bug where players could turn in the same quest repeatedly and always receive rewards as though they were completing the quest for the first time

Retina Display support for Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, Aperture, AutoCAD and more

As we learned pretty quickly when the iPhone 4 introduced the Retina display to the world, all those pixels are pretty useless without apps that can truly take advantage.
Thankfully, Apple wasn’t about to leave the stage today without delivering the goods for its next gen MacBook Pros.

In addition to all the stock apps being updated, Final Cut Pro and Aperture have also gotten the appropriate boost in pixel density, allowing them to be all they can be on that 220ppi display. 
Which, in the case of Final Cut, means full-res 1080p video docked in a corner of the interface with all the tools exposed to your itchy editing finger.

If that isn’t good enough for you, Adobe is hard at work on Photoshop and Autodesk will be delivering an update to AutoCAD as well.
And, in case you’re worried that all work and no play makes Tim Cook a dull boy, Diablo 3 has also been updated, instantly making the Mac our favourite platform to farm low level baddies for gold on.

Lion Os sold 26 million copies with 66 million users - Apple

After announcing a fleet of fresh new MacBooks at the WWDC, Apple’s moved onto Mac OS, quoting with some impressive new figures. 


Over 26 million copies of OS X Lion have now been sold, making it Apple’s “best-selling release ever.” Meanwhile, Mac users now total over 66 million — that’s three times the number in 2007. 


Impressive? We’re curious what Steve Ballmer has to say about this.

Apple takes Dictation to Mac

Apple has just announced that it is bringing new iPad-style dictation to Mountain Lion. 


In the same way that you can tap the button on the digital keyboard, hitting the microphone button will allow you to speak directly into native software, websites like Facebook and even third-party applications like Microsoft Word.

Chrome in Metro

On Thursday Carlos Pizano, Software Engineer and “Metro Gnome” at Google, said thatChrome for Windows 8 Release Preview will arrive soon.

According to Pizano’s blog entry, Chrome will run in both Metro and desktop environments of Windows 8 on x86. However Chrome will not be released for Windows RT — the version of Windows 8 running on ARM-based chips — because Microsoft is reportedly not allowing browsers other than Internet Explorer on the platform.

“The initial releases of Chrome in Metro mode will include integration with the basic Windows 8 system functionality, such as charms and snap view,” he said. “Over the next few months, we’ll be smoothing out the UI on Metro and improving touch support, so please feel free to file bugs. We’re committed to bringing the speed, simplicity, and security of Chrome into Windows 8, and we look forward to working with you on it.”

Consumers running Windows 8 Release Preview will be able to try the Chrome browser in Metro mode in the next Chrome Dev channel release by setting it as the default browser. Based on a screenshot provided by Pizano, the browser won’t look any different than it does on Windows 7 or other desktop operating systems, keeping with the standard Google design.

Microsoft is following Apple’s lead by denying 3rd-party browsers besides its own stock Internet Explorer on Windows RT tablets with ARM-based processors. The desktop version of Windows 8 won’t have the same restriction although users won’t be able to run more than one browser in Metro mode at any given time.

In addition to Google, Mozilla is also working on a Metro version of Firefox. The company recently published a blog stating that users of Windows RT also deserve a choice of browsers, and called on Microsoft to remain firm on its user choice principles.

“Windows on ARM -as currently designed- restricts user choice, reduces competition and chills innovation,” wrote Mozilla General Council Harvey Anderson. “By allowing only IE to perform the advanced functions of a modern Web browser, third-party browsers are effectively excluded from the platform. This matters for users of today’s tablets and tomorrow’s PCs.”

“Because Windows on ARM relies upon so many traditional Windows assets, including brand, code, footprint, and experience, the decision to exclude other browsers may also have antitrust implications,” Anderson added.

Sounds like a threat, doesn’t it?

Android activations up to 900,000 a day

It’s been awhile since we learned how many unique Android devices were switching on every day; the last time was at Mobile World Congress, when Google’s senior mobile VP Andy Rubin confirmed 850,000 activations a day just as we were fruitlessly practicing our Catalan.

He’s now chiming in with word that the daily rate is up to 900,000 cellular-enabled phones and tablets as of June. That’s a ways off from the breakneck pace of growth in 2011, but it certainly shows that Android is no shrinking violet just yet. 

Rubin’s answer is ostensibly prompted by a need to debunk a rumor that he might be leaving Google — there’s “no plans” for that, he says. All the same, we’re sure he doesn’t mind ever-so-slightly deflating Apple’s balloon before WWDC 2012 kicks off later.

I Heart Windows Phone Gear

Let the world know how much you love your Windows phone.  Thanks to a new CafePress store, now you can simply wear your alliance across your chest, or favorite beverage. 

According to Windowsteamblog post, the new shop will sell products emblazoned with “I Heart Windows Phone” in icons, such as mugs, t-shirts, stickers, magnets and more.  

Itching to buy? Click away on the source link below to get the latest on the hot stuff.

SOURCE via Microsoft