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FreshTeam app brings unity to mobile teams, solves the 'Where Are You?' problem

FreshTeam app brings unity to mobile teams, solves the 'Where Are You?' problem

As the working world inches its way into this millennium, we're seeing a greater number of teams work remotely. These highly mobile crews, oftentimes distributed all across the globe, are no doubt impactful, but struggle to keep tabs on who happens to be where.

FreshTeam is a new app that aims to solve that quandary, billing itself as the "anti-messaging app." Teams (or families) that embrace it are able to opt-in to sharing, whereby they're able to see at a glance where someone is, if they're in transit, if they're busy/available, and even if their phone's battery is about to exhaust itself.

FreshTeam anti-messaging app for iPhone

The app aims to cut out the trite "where are you?!" messages and calls that eat up precious time, and it also includes a built-in voice and video chat system that can handle up to 100 participants.

The app is free of charge on both iOS and Android, though a $9.99 in-app purchase throws in unlimited group capping and allows you to "set FreshTeam Places for your office, customer sites, and more."

The ideas presented here are certainly sound, but it faces a pretty big obstacle: how do you persuade a team to embrace an entirely new tool? Changing habits and workflows is daunting enough as an individual, but it's an entirely different beast when you're trying to change the way an entire team operates.



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5 things you need to know about Nokia's VR partnership with Disney

5 things you need to know about Nokia's VR partnership with Disney

Nokia has just announced a multi-year agreement with Disney, which will see it use its OZO camera to create VR experiences to complement Disney movies.

OZO is a US$60,000 (£40,000/AU$83,000) camera, so it's a serious piece of VR kit. It can capture 3D 360-degree spatial audio and video using eight synchronised global shutter sensors, each paired with an integrated microphone.

With this type of hardware in the hands of the company behind Star Wars and Marvel content it's hard not to get excited about the sorts of immersive experiences we might soon be seeing. With that in mind, these are the five things you need to know about Disney's and Nokia's VR partnership.

1. You can get a taste of OZO right now

Nokia has already partnered with Disney to create two 360-degree videos for The Jungle Book. One of them takes you onto the red carpet and the other puts you face-to-face with the cast as they're being interviewed.

Neither of them take you into the jungle itself, but in the future we might see 360-degree and VR content that brings Disney worlds to life. We chatted with Paul Melin, VP of digital media and technology licensing at Nokia, and while he wouldn't talk specifics he did tell us that "we really expect to see a lot of innovation in how the new medium is used."

2. OZO content is likely to be made for a variety of properties

Melin wouldn't be drawn on which properties we'll see OZO VR content for, saying "Disney has many great properties and we look forward to working on several of them but we can't disclose the next ones right now." So it sounds like there could be a few things in the works.

It might not just be Disney content that we get either. When asked how exclusive the deal with Disney is, he replied, "Our aim is to really enable VR to become a scalable business and we expect to work with many partners in this area."

3. You probably won't be able to walk around Tatooine any time soon

That's not to say that we won't get Star Wars VR content. Nokia wouldn't confirm one way or another but it would seem an obvious choice. However, whatever content we do get as part of this deal will likely be fairly fixed experiences for the time being, rather than supporting the full body movement potential of the HTC Vive.

HTC Vive

Melin told us that "the current commercially deployable video capture solutions do not yet support that but we are absolutely working with the industry to create even richer VR video experiences."

So it sounds like this isn't being ruled out in future. The technology just isn't there yet, which might be for the best, because if we could roam the Star Wars universe in VR we might never take our headsets off.

4. Disney's VR content is likely to be available on a wide range of headsets

Whatever your VR headset of choice you're likely to be able to enjoy Disney's VR content. Nokia's software development kit for OZO supports multiple platforms and content could be made to work on everything from low-end platforms like Google Cardboard all the way up to Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Melin explained that OZO "enables you to shoot 360-degree content in stereo but you can also create monoscopic 360-degree video from the same content…

"That enables distribution like with The Jungle Book which is also on Facebook 360 which as such is not VR but very immersive, so we expect that this type of experience will be distributed on all platforms, starting with YouTube and Facebook 360 and ending up with high-end VR platforms."

5. In future we could see full films in VR

Right now VR video in Hollywood is largely limited to companion content and that's what we're expecting to see made with OZO too for the time being, but one day we could see full films in VR.

Melin told us that "not specific to this announcement but more generally we're seeing enormous interest from all the studios in Hollywood, so we absolutely expect that there will be a lot of experimentation and work going into new experiences.

"At what point those become primary content remains to be seen but certainly we're seeing that many studios are working on companion content for their major releases."

We wouldn't expect to see true VR cinema for a while and given the inherently antisocial nature of donning a VR headset it might never fully replace standard films. But for the sheer level of immersion it could offer it's an exciting thought.



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Opinion: Music streaming exclusives are turning Lemonade back into lemons

Opinion: Music streaming exclusives are turning Lemonade back into lemons

So, Beyoncé's new album Lemonade is streaming exclusively through Tidal and may appear on iTunes as a paid download later today. It might also remain Tidal-only for quite a long period of time - Beyoncé is heavily invested in the service - which is good news for service users, not so brilliant for everyone who's paying to stream their music elsewhere.

The future of music streaming is hazy - ad-supported free music distribution model does not seem sustainable - but so far it's been an effective, if not perfect, tool in curbing piracy. But Spotify couldn't reign supreme forever, and as new services pop up, securing exclusives, whether "windowed" or indefinite, is the easiest way for them to get the upper hand on the competition.

It doesn't just apply to new releases: Prince's catalogue is only available to stream through Tidal and Google Play Music, while Taylor Swift is exclusive to Apple Music.

Yet what music labels need to understand is that the Netflix/Spotify model works by the benefit of convenience. Many people will happily pay a reasonable monthly fee to access new releases at launch with minimal effort; Illegal downloading becomes less interesting.

I'd love to sit here and say that everyone should forget streaming and buy albums instead, but the horse has already bolted. We have to adapt in a way that makes sure artists still get paid, but as battle lines are drawn in this brave new world and exclusives become more common, we start moving back to a time when scouring Limewire and malware-riddled MP3 sites was more appealing.

It's inconvenient, but more convenient than subscribing to another service. Industry data suggests that Spotify et al are already charging a lot more than the average consumer spends on music each year, and so pushing us to subscribe to more than one service is going to be a big challenge. Some people might also convince themselves that piracy is okay for some music if they're already paying for one service.

Dangerous trend

For individual services the business case is easy to understand: in the face of the titans that are Spotify and Apple Music, exclusives are probably Tidal's best chance of wooing people over. But take a step back and you see the early signs of an industry shooting itself in the foot.

A good illustration of this was the Tidal-only release of Kanye West's The Life of Pablo, which pushed Tidal to the top of the US App Store for a brief period of time but also led to a over half a million people downloading the album illegally in the first day, according to TorrentFreak's estimates.

"At the time of writing close to 10,000 people were sharing a copy of the most popular torrent simultaneously, something we haven't seen with a music release before," noted TorrentFreak, as Tidal celebrated its overnight popularity surge.

Multilateral releases make the most sense, and it's up to artists and labels to resist exclusive deals and ensure their music is being made available to as many people as possible. Otherwise it feels like we're just moving back in time.



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How cheap $10 switches cost a bank $80m

How cheap $10 switches cost a bank $80m

Poor security including cheap network switches and the lack of a firewall was partly to blame for the daring hack and theft of just over $81 million (around £55 million, or AU$105 million) from the central bank of Bangladesh pulled off back in February.

The bank used second-hand $10 switches to hook computers up with the SWIFT global payment system, as opposed to more sophisticated switches which cost hundreds of dollars. The ropey switches have also made it difficult for those investigating the attack to pinpoint where the hackers might have been based.

Thus far, the thieves – who actually attempted to whisk away almost a billion bucks, but were only successful in bagging $81 million (around £55 million, or AU$105 million) which was transferred to the Philippines – have remained unidentified. Although the authorities have now pinpointed some of the folks who received the money, but not those who actually masterminded the attack and stole it.

As Reuters reports, the SWIFT room at the bank, which contains four servers, should have been walled off from the rest of the system, and that could have been achieved with more expensive and sophisticated switches.

A firewall is also an obvious security measure the central bank had failed to put in place, alarmingly.

Jeff Wichman, a consultant with cyber firm Optiv, told Reuters: "You are talking about an organisation that has access to billions of dollars and they are not taking even the most basic security precautions."

Other central banks in developing nations are apparently blighted by similar security issues, but hopefully this incident will have given them more than a little food for thought.

The blame game

In fairness, police have also blamed not just Bangladesh Bank but also the SWIFT network itself, which has been accused of failing to advise the bank suitably.

The thieves would have got away with more money if it wasn't for a simple spelling mistake – a $20 million (around £14 million, or AU$26 million) transfer to Sri Lanka was caught by a German clearing bank after the hackers misspelt the name of the non-profit organisation being used to receive the funds, which raised the alarm.

It's also worth noting that recently, when it comes to customers being hit by online fraud, all the major banks have been accused of burying their heads in the sand, and taking the stance that it's cheaper to mitigate fraud risks rather than trying to fully defend against them.

Banks should be setting the standard when it comes to security, but it seems financial organisations are falling short on a number of fronts.



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Updated: Best iPhone 2016: how to choose the right one for you

Updated: Best iPhone 2016: how to choose the right one for you

Best iPhone 2016

You've woken up, looked out the window and then looked down at the crumbling smartphone that you've been using for what feels like ever.

Some part of your mind decides that it's time for an upgrade, and if you're set on owning an iPhone, then you've got some big choices to make. You can spend a fortune on the powerful iPhone 6S Plus, or spend some time in the second hand market - but will get you just what you need?

With a bewildering selection of different specs, screen sizes and price points each of these handsets has something to offer every type of Apple fan - so we've boiled down the choices for you in a simple-to-read format.

In chronological order then, from the affordable 4-inch iPhone 5 to the surprisingly beastly iPhone SE, these are the best iPhones for a variety of budgets and requirements.

iPhone SE

iPhone SE

As the first 4-inch iPhone since 2013's iPhone 5S the iPhone SE has been a long time coming, but although it's slotting in at the bottom of Apple's range it's in many ways more a successor to that phone than to the cut-price iPhone 5C.

Because despite the iPhone SE's small size and relatively modest price tag (£359/US$399/AU$679 for the 16GB model) it's very close to being a flagship.

It has the same boxy yet premium design as the metal-clad iPhone 5S and the same powerful Apple A9 processor as the iPhone 6S.

It lacks the 3D Touch features of the iPhone 6S and the screen is less impressive all round, thanks in large part to a lower contrast ratio, but it compares well to many mid-range handsets.

And really those are the only significant sacrifices you'll be making if you opt for the iPhone SE over the flagship iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S Plus. It's the most powerful 4-inch iPhone you can get, so for fans of compact form factors this is an obvious choice.

But while it's not as cheap as the discontinued iPhone 5S it's also still something of a bargain by Apple standards, so it's worth considering if you're on a budget too.

iPhone 6S

iPhone 6S

The iPhone 6S, as you probably know, is Apple's latest flagship. The Apple A9 processor and a chunky 2GB of RAM, up from 1GB on the previous model, make it far superior in raw power to 2014's model, and it's got some other tricks too.

It's got a brand new 12MP camera and the best selfie shooter Apple's yet put on a phone. In other words, it's a flagship fan's dream, with no compromises put on performance or photography.

It does sport largely the same design and screen as the iPhone 6 though and the latter in particular is starting to feel a bit dated in the face of super sharp QHD screens from rivals.

Apple has at least added a new feature to the display, in the form of 3D Touch, which makes it pressure sensitive and offers new tricks for enhanced emailing and shortcuts around the homescreen.

Ultimately the iPhone 6S is the best 4.7-inch iPhone available and is likely to remain a compelling choice for years to come.

You've probably guessed what we're going to say next though…. that's right, you'll pay for the privilege of owning it. Specifically, you'll pay £539/US$649/AU$1,079 and up, which is a lot, but not actually any more than the iPhone 6 Plus.

It's also, along with the iPhone 6S Plus, the only iPhone available new with 128GB of storage, so if you're big on storing loads of local content it's one of the only iOS options.

iPhone 6S Plus

iPhone 6S Plus

Here it is, Apple's most expensive iPhone. The iPhone 6S Plus comes in at upwards of £619/US$749/AU$1,229, but for that money you get everything the iPhone 6S has with a bigger and sharper 5.5-inch screen.

That makes it more unwieldy than the iPhone 6S, but a big screen also has a number of advantages, making movies and games more immersive - and the extra resolution really helps make apps look even better.

It also has a bigger and longer-lasting battery, matching the iPhone 6 Plus in terms of longevity, and for that reason alone fans of being future-proofed should look no further than the 6S Plus.

It's big, powerful, feature-packed and going to last the longest of all the iPhones, making it the best Apple handset for phablet fans with money to burn. Plus, as it comes in sizes of up to 128GB you can store your entire movie collection on it, if that's your thing.

iPhone 6

iPhone 6

The iPhone 6 was a big change for Apple. Not only did it sport a curvier chassis than the last few models - complete with a change from metal and glass to all-metal - but it was also bigger, with a 4.7-inch screen.

Even that's not massive by smartphone standards, but it's substantially larger than the 4-inch iPhone 5S, bringing Apple into line with the trend of bigger screens that the rest of the competition was peddling.

The iPhone 6's screen is sadly no more or less sharp than the 5S though, as the resolution went up in line with the size, where rivals were shovelling in pixels at a rate of knots.

It is, however, far more powerful than the iPhone 5S, with an A8 processor giving it extra grunt. It's since been beaten by the iPhone 6S and even the iPhone SE, but the iPhone 6 is still one of the slickest performers around for most top apps.

Apple also packed in a better battery to help get you through the day. It's still not stellar, but it will keep you going through a day of moderate use, making it a better fit for any phone addicts than Apple's older handsets.

You can expect a few years of software updates too and while the design may not be to everyone's tastes we'd argue that the curvy look is an improvement on the angular iPhone 5S.

Add to that the fact the iPhone 6 is readily available in sizes up to 64GB, and while older models once had that option, they're not as easy to find.

The main downside of the iPhone 6 is that it's pretty pricey, starting at £459/US$549/AU$929 when bought new. That's more than some Android flagships cost and it's not even the newest model, but it undeniably oozes a next-gen feeling for Apple fans.

iPhone 6 Plus

iPhone 6 Plus

If 4.7 inches isn't enough for you - you're in luck. Apple launched the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus alongside the iPhone 6 to give the phablet market something to chew over.

The extra size makes it a better option for watching movies, browsing the web and generally wasting time on your phone with. It's also sharper than the iPhone 6, with a 1080 x 1920 401ppi screen, in place of a 750 x 1334 326ppi one.

But the extra size makes it tougher to use with one hand and anyone with smaller hands will likely struggle. It's also not quite as pocket friendly, though it's hardly massive compared to other phablets around.

In most other ways it's a match for the iPhone 6, with the notable addition of optical image stabilisation for the camera offering better snaps, and the improved battery life is something a lot of iPhone owners crave.

The extra size adds to the cost though, with the iPhone 6 Plus setting buyers back upwards of £539/US$649/AU$1,079, so your wallet won't thank you for buying it.

iPhone 5S

iPhone 5S

Apple followed up the iPhone 5 with the iPhone 5S. It has the same size and resolution screen, so it's a compact 4-inch phone, making it ideal for anyone who doesn't like lugging around an undersized tablet.

The premium design is much the same too, with a two-tone metal and glass construction. But it's a little more powerful, with a newer processor under the hood. We're still not in top-end territory here, (not by 2016 standards anyway), but it's slightly nippier under the finger.

The camera was also rather improved over the iPhone 5, with the 8MP snapper still taking decent photos despite its age. But perhaps the biggest change from the iPhone 5 is the addition of Touch ID, allowing you to secure the phone with your fingerprint.

Plus, as a newer handset it should still have a little bit of life in it, as Apple is likely to keep the OS updated for a while longer. If you don't fancy upgrading again a year or two down the line, that's worth factoring in as you should get to 2018 (or even 2019 if you're a light user) before finally having to give in and upgrade.

All this comes at a cost though. You can't get the iPhone 5S direct from Apple any more, but it can be found in other stores from around £270/US$335/AU$425. That makes it a fair bit pricier than the iPhone 5, but if you have the money to spare it's probably worth it for the extra power, future-proofing and fingerprint-scanning credentials of the iPhone 5S.

iPhone 5

iPhone 5

Released all the way back in 2012, the iPhone 5 is getting on a bit, but that makes it far more affordable than most of Apple's phones.

Shop around and it sometimes pops up new, from roughly £245/US$250/AU$380, but for the most part you're looking at a second hand purchase, for which it starts at around £90/US$125/AU$240.

So it's an ideal choice if you're on a budget and as it was a flagship phone once the iPhone 5 is still a stylishly designed handset, with a slim metal and glass construction.

It's also a great option for fans of smaller phones, as it has a 4-inch screen, making it easy to operate with one hand and slip into tiny bags and pockets.

Despite its age the iPhone 5 is upgradeable to iOS 9.3, which is the latest version of iOS, so you get an up to date software experience - albeit one that's a little slower and less responsive than on newer models.

On the other hand, Apple will stop supporting it before more recent handsets and probably within the next two years, so if you plan to hold on to your phone for a long time it's not such a good bet.

Given the relatively dated specs the iPhone 5 is also not ideal for anyone who wants top performance from their phone, particularly when it comes to demanding games and other smartphone-stressing apps - it's purely one for those wishing for a cheaper iPhone and some very basic apps.



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Microsoft has a clever plan to secure Windows 10 devices

Microsoft has a clever plan to secure Windows 10 devices

Microsoft is soon going to make it compulsory for the manufacturers of Windows 10 PCs, tablets and smartphones to include TPM (Trusted Platform Module) for bolstered security.

In a TechNet post which covered the topic of TPM 2.0 compliance for Windows 10 devices in the future, Microsoft said it would be introducing the cast-iron requirement for systems to include TPM on the day before the anniversary of Windows 10's launch.

Redmond stated: "All shipping devices for Windows 10 across all SKU types must be using TPM 2.0 discrete or firmware from July 28, 2016. This requirement will be enforced through our Windows Hardware Certification program."

TPM is already present on a large number of business-targeted computers and notebooks, where security is always a heightened concern, but it's not so common for consumer machines. That will all change soon enough.

Pi exception

All hardware running Windows 10 desktop editions – that's Windows 10 Home, Pro, Education and Enterprise – must implement TPM 2.0 and ship with it enabled, along with all Windows 10 Mobile devices.

The exception to the rule is Windows 10 IoT Core where TPM will remain optional, so the likes of the Raspberry Pi won't be bound by this new Redmond directive.

TPM encompasses a raft of security mechanisms designed to protect a device from tampering and would-be intruders if the hardware falls into the wrong hands, and the newer TPM 2.0 standard offers a number of clear advantages over TPM 1.2 including support for SHA-256 hashing.

It can be implemented either in discrete form (a separate chip) or as firmware TPM.

Via: PC World












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MOOC and learn: The university with 35 million students

MOOC and learn: The university with 35 million students

Introduction and rise of MOOC

Robots are taking our jobs, with as many as half the world's population set to be unemployed by 2045 according to some. This kind of fear-fed hyperbole has accompanied the introduction of every piece of new technology since the dawn of mankind. The catalyst for the current panic is the rise of robotics and AI, which could cause massive restructuring and a much more competitive job market.

Speaking to the New York Times in February 2016, AT&T's CEO and Chairman, Randall Stephenson, said that people who don't spend five hours a week online learning will make themselves obsolete. He went on to add that: "There is a need to retool yourself, and you should not expect to stop." Cue online learning for everyone – forever.

Coursera is one of the major MOOC platforms

The rise of MOOCs

Such is the fast-paced nature of computing that the threat of IT staff especially becoming obsolete is not a new one, but across all kinds of industries there's a new understanding of – and thirst for – e-learning to capitalise on the new opportunities that tech is creating.

Cue the MOOC (massively open online course), bite-size downloadable video lectures and courses for phones and tablets, often consumed on the commute, or in free moments, on any subject you can think of.

There are now about 4,200 MOOCs offered by more than 500 universities around the world, according to MOOC aggregator Class Central, with the number of students who signed up for at least one course hitting over 35 million in 2015. That's a doubling in popularity compared with a year earlier.

Piotr Mitros, Chief Scientist at edX, creates a video lecture using an overhead camera

Anarchy in the classroom

For now, MOOCs form a philanthropic and altruistic movement, but it's pretty anarchic. Many of the courses are being offered by top professors and specialists around the globe at the big universities, largely as a testing ground for a future where all education will, most likely, be delivered primarily online.

That's great for learners, but e-courses are beginning to coalesce around particular global e-learning 'marketplace' platforms. Coursera and edX claim over half the global market of sign-ups to MOOCs, but other hubs like NovoED, Udacity, Udemy and Memrise are just as good.

They're largely US-based and in English, but this is a global trend – MOOCS are growing in China, too, which has XuetangX and CNMOOC.

There are scores of other one-trick hubs online including Lynda, which hosts masses of online video tutorials, and CreativeLive, which offers courses in music, art and photography.

Udemy has over 7 million students enrolled in more than 30,000 courses

The virtual workplace

The catalyst for all this is, of course, technology – and on two counts. Not only has a faster internet and collaborative cloud working meant more remote working and freelancing (so a more competitive job market) and a more globalised economy (think call centres in India serving the US and Europe, and a huge spate of software, IT and services companies that have no physical HQ), but that same technology is also enabling the flowering of the MOOC concept. But faster broadband and mobile internet are just the start. Next comes game-based learning, virtual reality and real-time interactivity over 5G.

(Top Image Credit: Pamela Krewson Wertz)

Classroom VR and low-bandwidth learning

Game-based learning on the rise

Books are fast being replaced by e-readers, but taking a phone or laptop into a classroom is still a big no-no. Not so in the MOOC world, where smart devices play an intrinsic part. For now, it's mostly downloadable videos lectures and multiple choice testing, but learning by app is fast becoming very similar to smartphone gaming.

For instance, language learning app Duolingo has levels, points and extra lives to help foster an addictive environment that is trying to capitalise on the current pandemic in smartphone gaming. It already has 110 million users. Similarly interactive is Memrise, another language learning app platform based on brain science and memory research that uses a series of images, as well as very regular testing and reminders, to help users more easily recall vocabulary and phrases.

Virtual reality headsets could soon be used in online learning environments

Virtual reality in the classroom

Could VR, which is so often talked-up as the future of gaming, social media and more, actually find its niche in online learning? At Penn State University there's a proposal to create an immersive, interactive online experience that is capable of teaching core engineering concepts to an entire class of students.

"Through the use of an Oculus Rift headset retrofitted with a Leap Motion sensor, students will be able to use their hands to rotate, explore and dissect a virtual model the same way a traditional student would explore a physical object or prototype with his or her hands," says Conrad Tucker, assistant professor of engineering design and industrial engineering at Penn State University.

Tucker's stance is this: MOOCs are presently merely a way of passively consuming more content. With VR, they could be interactive experiences available to anyone in the world with the right hardware (and super-fast internet).

5G rollout

The missing link in all of this for mobile learners is, of course, the rollout of 5G mobile signals, which could offer up to 100 times faster web connections from 2020 or so. It will mean more video and high density content for MOOCs, as well as ubiquitous and instant communications between teachers and students – two virtual reality users on 5G will be able to collaborate as if they are in the same physical location.

It's also been suggested that blockchain technology could be used to ensure grade scores and past certificates digitally 'follow' students throughout their careers in a tamper-proof manner, though the initial phase would require a data entry nightmare to retrofit the entire population's past academic achievements.

Outernet will help bring free learning resources to less developed countries

Low-bandwidth learning

Arguably more important than high-speed education is low-bandwidth learning applications for remote places. Improving access to education in the off-grid world is a problem being addressed by New York-based charity Outernet, which is aiming to become 'humanity's public library' by providing free, unrestricted and uncensored web access for the entire globe.

Available to anyone with its portable, solar-powered Wi-Fi receiver called Lighthouse, Outernet promises free internet from existing telecoms satellites, but is limited to 10 megabytes per person, per day. It's only a one-way link – no uploads are possible – and it's primarily designed to push Wikipedia, eBooks and Teachers Without Borders resources to schools in remote places.

Outernet will most likely be used by philanthropic organisations wanting to help off-grid folk in less developed countries, which adds a new dimension to the wider, altruistic MOOC movement already set on creating global high-quality education beyond physical boundaries.

With MOOCs and new tech concepts, education is suddenly entering a period of massive digital disruption. But then isn't that exactly what the internet was originally designed to do?












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Here's what Facebook's AI can do for your News Feed

Here's what Facebook's AI can do for your News Feed

Facebook may be busy with virtual reality, chatbots, and 360-degree cameras, but the company hasn't forgotten about your News Feed.

In fact, its latest work with artificial intelligence may make change the ever-scrolling landscape of our status updates and posts.

The tech company revealed concepts for how AI can augment its social media platform. Facebook's Applied Machine Learning team has been working on overdrive - conducting nearly 50 times as many experiments on the site's AI algorithm a day than compared to last year, producing some intriguing uses along the way.

What can all that processing power and boundless parameters do for your Facebook feed? Well, the company wagers that all that deep learning could come in handy in lowering language barriers, searching through image albums, or helping the visually-impaired "see" a photo.

Seamless searching & sharing

According to Facebook, half of all its users don't speak English, and few are fluent in the language of another group of users. One aspect Facebook's AI is working on is the ability to understand context from speech.

By being able to understand abbreviations, emoticons, or regional phrases from across the world, Facebook could instantly translate posts from friends you've met abroad - or international news sources - with better accuracy than an average copy-paste translation tool.

Another tool that would be of use to any fervent Facebook photographer is the ability to search albums by content. By typing "snow," "lake," or "suede jacket" into the search bar, the AI can actually detect images featuring those subjects, saving you from having to scroll through your post history for an hour just to show a friend that sweet jacket you took a picture of at a flea market last year.

An additional application of the AI's object recognition would let Facebook name subjects in a photo out loud for those with sight impairment. By calling out objects in the forefront and background as they scroll around the image, an imaginary copy of the photo can be formed in a person's mind to enjoy, as well as reinforce the AI's ability to parse who or what is being tagged in a photo.

The AI's ability to recognize subjects is also being applied to video, where a demonstration shows the machine sorting through fireworks, food, and - of course - cat videos without the need for humans to pre-tag them for content.

While the tech isn't ready for the world at large yet, it probably won't be long before we find ourselves logging onto a more intelligent Facebook...and we thought adding Vines as your profile picture was advanced.












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