Next iPhone Can Unlock & Hide Messages By Looking At Your Face

[mouse]

Every time Apple releases a new iPhone, we hold our breaths in anticipation of what we are going to get. With the fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 5S, I suppose that facial recognition is the next logical step; and it seems that that is going to be the case – if you make extrapolations from the patent that was recently awarded to Apple.



In essence, though, the patent is for a “Personal computing device control using face detection and recognition .” The abstract provides a teeny weeny bit more: “Systems and methods are provided for control of a personal computing device based on user face detection and recognition techniques.”

Of course, if you have the time and curiosity to go through the whole patent and its technical details, you can go back to the link I gave above.

What does this mean for iPhone users (both existing and future)?

So the patent covers three systems:

Face detection
Face recognition
Input/Output control.

Facial detection and recognition in themselves are not too exciting – we’ve heard of and seen them before. The more interesting thing is the third system, which opens up a world of potential for iPhones and their users.

Here’s one scenario.

An iMessage comes in. The iPhone determines if there is a “face” looking at it. More than that, it determines if that face has authorization to view iMessages. If so, then the notification/message is shown. If not, then nothing is displayed.

The same pattern of thinking can be applied to incoming phone calls, email notifications, and of course, unlocking the phone, which is the simplest application if you think about it.

Privacy at its height, is what I am thinking.

How do you feel about the iPhone of the future having these capabilities? Are they necessary or are they just overkill?

[lefty]

Google Acquires Boston Dynamics, Maker of Crazy, Walking Robots

• By David Murphy
  
• December 14, 2013 02:18pm EST
• 18 Comments

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Google seems pretty keen on robots as of late. The bigger question remain: Why?
The company announced on Friday that it had officially acquired Boston Dynamics. The name might not ring a bell to you, but we're certain that you've likely seen the fruits of their robotic labors at some point in your YouTube browsing.
If the name "BigDog," "Cheetah," "WildCat," or "Atlas" don't sound familiar, then perhaps a description might help: They're some of the super-agile, can-traverse-any-terrain, run-like-heck robot creations that typically feature four legs and an absurd amount of engineering prowess.
And now, they're Google's.
Speculation as to what Google might do with its new, four-legged friends — or, at least, the research behind them — is covering a lot of territory. The New York Times, first on the scene with the news about the acquisition, writes that Google's likely to use the technology to "build a new class of autonomous systems." As for whether the robots will fetch your package or take care of your elderly grandmother (two examples the Times cited), it remains to be seen.
Otherwise, we really have no idea just what Google might have in store, or how this robotics-themed acquisition could fit into Google's existing product lineup. What we do know, however, is that Google's been ramping up. This acquisition – for an undisclosed price, we note – is Google's eighth in the last half-year or so. And it's clear that the moves are part of a new robotics initiative at Google, led by former Android founder Andy Rubin.
"The future is looking awesome," Rubin tweeted Friday, including a link to the Times' article about Google's acquisition.
Whatever Rubin has in store, he's recently described his efforts as a "moonshot." That said, he also wants to get Google robots – or Google-created robotic technology of some sort — into the market within a reasonable time frame. He doesn't want product development to lag for years; rather, he said he believes that he'll be able to deliver Google 'bots at some point over the next few years.
Interestingly, Boston Dynamics currently enjoys a $10.8 million contract with the Pentagon's Defense Aadvanced Research Projects Agency — to name one ongoing government contract. Google representatives said that the company intends to honor Boston Dynamics' existing contracts, thought the Google doesn't "plan to move toward becoming a military contractor on its own," the Times reports.

[ElNono]

Apple Agrees to $350 Million Deal for Israel’s PrimeSense

Apple Inc. agreed to acquire PrimeSense Ltd., the maker of motion-tracking chip technology that was used in Microsoft Corp.’s Kinect game console.

Kristin Huguet, a spokeswoman for Apple, confirmed the purchase yesterday in a telephone interview. Apple, maker of the iPhone and iPad, and Tel Aviv-based PrimeSense were negotiating a deal for about $350 million, one person familiar with the deal said last week.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-1...rimesense.html

[lefty]

Oh and Boston Dynamics also makes those humanoids

Those + Google Glasses = good bye fellas

[lefty]