Google Glass app called SHORE detects human emotions in real time [Video]

How people will use Google Glass is a touchy issue for many though apps such as SHORE which detects human emotions in real time, may actually be helpful to those with disabilities. Created by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, SHORE which stands for Sophisticated High-speed Object Recognition, employs the Google Glass camera to analyze a person’s facial expressions and guess what they are feeling.

‘Guess’ may be the appropriate word to use since SHORE’s calculations are based on understanding structure-based features, learning algorithms and a data-set consisting of over 10000 annotated faces. The potential that Google Glass has to provide the wearer personal information of anyone walking down the street by simply scanning their faces and streaming their online information, has been troubling a lot of people.

The future of dating is set to get creepy indeed, and this Vimeo video called Sightsums it up very nicely. So the Fraunhofer researchers have emphasized on SHORE’s inability to determine a person’s identity. They’re not saying it’s impossible for the software to be modified to pull up the subject’s online data, but just that it doesn’t do this. The app is capable of detecting an individual’s gender and age too.

On the positive side, SHORE in combination with Google Glass, can help the visually impaired, those with disorders like autism and others who find it difficult to gauge emotions through facial expressions. Whatever information is incomprehensible to the wearer could be superimposed in their field of vision or via transmitted audio through the glasses. Fraunhofer thinks interactive games and market researchers will be able to benefit from applications like this one too.

Since Google Glass is not commercially viable yet, it will be some time before regular folks can get their hands on a pair and test SHORE and other such useful apps for themselves.

Nexus 5 Android 4.4.4_r2 KitKat firmware update rolling out in India

Google is reportedly rolling out a new update for the Nexus 5 smartphone dubbed Android 4.4.4_r2 KitKat which is said fix certain network issues. The new firmware isn’t a global release since it’s being seeded to devices only on Telsta in Australia, New Zealand’s 2Degrees, and in India.

What’s interesting is that the Android 4.4.4_r2 update for the Nexus 5 is just a mere 2MB in size. A post on XDA Developers notes that the only changes it introduces are radio-related to make the device work better in the said locations.

The new firmware update is being seeded over the air and can be downloaded manually as well, but with a huge 442MB size. The current firmware carries the build number KTU84P, while the new one is KTU84Q. You’ll be able to know if you’re already on the latest release by checking the ‘About phone’ tab in the Settings menu.

If you’re in India or have a Nexus 5 running on Telsta in Australia or 2Degrees in New Zealand, we highly recommend getting the update. Users from other countries, however, can still acquire the firmware through Google, but it wouldn’t be wise to flash it to your device, especially since there’s nothing new to benefit from.

Apart from the new KitKat build, Google has also started rolling out an update for its Glass wearable. The new release brings in various new features including an overhaul of the interface which now flaunts a cleaner appearance. Apart from this, connectivity has been improved along with network handling.

To manually check for the Android 4.4.4_r2 KitKat update on your Nexus 5, head over to the ‘Software update’ tab under ‘About phone’ in the Settings menu.

Google acquires video-processing service provider Zync Render

Google said it bought Zync Render, the visual effects cloud-rendering technology company behind “Star Trek Into Darkness”.

Rendering is the process of generating an image from a 2D or 3D model, or models, using computer programs.

Zync provides online tools to render video.

Zync software has been used to render hundreds of commercials and over a dozen feature films, including the likes of “Flight”, “Looper” and “American Hustle”.

“Together Zync and (Google) Cloud Platform will offer studios the rendering performance and capacity they need, while helping them manage costs,” Google product manager Belwadi Srikanth wrote in a blog, announcing the deal.

“For example, with per-minute billing, studios aren’t trapped into paying for unused capacity when their rendering needs don’t fit in perfect hour increments,” he added. 

10 awesome Google features you should be using

BY Varun Raj

The reason the Google home page is so bare is that, way back when it was just starting out in a Silicon Valley garage, no one working there knew how to program a web page to make it look pretty.

In fact, even the word Google was a mistake. The founders really wanted “Googol” – the digit 1 followed by 100 zeroes.

Of course, Google is now a noun, a verb and a massive global company loved as much for its innovation as it is hated for its user tracking. It has many tricks and products that you don’t need to spend money on, some of which will make your life easier, and others that will just blow your mind.

Let’s take a look at 10 of them:

Google Flight Search

Need to find the best price on a flight? Google Flight Search is one of the easiest price-comparison sites around. Pick your start point and destination – or destinations – on the map, and then pick your dates. When you pick the dates, be sure to pay attention to the prices on each date and Google's graph of days with the cheapest tickets.

Then you can filter the results by flight length, airline, price, stops and more. When you find a flight you like, you can book it directly on the airline's site. Click here to learn three more secrets to getting the lowest airfare.

Atari Breakout

Need to take a quick break? Thanks to Google, you can play a version of the classicAtari Breakout game on your computer whenever you want. Simply go to the Google Image Search page – www.google.com/images – and search for "Atari Breakout." Then wait for the fun to begin.

Google Public Data Explorer

Google's normal search site is great for most searches, but Google has more specialized search sites as well. For example, the Google Public Data Explorer is a treasure chest full of information on public statistics.

Go to the Google Public Data page and type in a topic. Keep your searches simple, like "Unemployment in the U.S." Google will return results from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. You'll end up with an easy-to-read graph, and you can even tweak it with options like gender, age and state.

Google translations

Need a quick translation of a word? Go to the normal Google search page and type in "translate (word) to (language)" in the search bar. For instance, you could type "translate apple to French."

Google will let you know in less than a second that "pomme" is the French word for apple. It also includes a small speaker icon that will let you hear the word if you aren't sure how to pronounce it. For longer translations, check out Google Translate.

Google nutrition comparison search

What's healthier, an orange or a banana? Type "compare" into Google's search bar, along with the foods you want to look at, such as "compare broccoli and asparagus." Google will do the rest.

Google definitions

When you don't know what a word means, don't reach for the dictionary. Type "define (word)" into the Google search bar, such as "define tintinnabulation" and you'll have the definition instantly (it's "a ringing or tinkling sound," if you were wondering).

You'll also get pronunciation and part of speech, and you can click the gray arrow for more information, including word origins.

Google Conversions

Whether you're cooking or helping your child with math homework, odds are you're going to have to convert units of measurement. On the Google search page, enter a search like "convert eight ounces to cups" or "convert 10km to mi." You'll have your answer instantly, and you can even tweak the numbers and units after the fact.

Google nGrams

Google nGrams is a great research tool that lets you search how many times specific words occur in more than 5 million books written since 1800. You can see how words get more or less popular over time.

You can put in multiple words separated by commas to compare two or more words at once. Google lets you adjust the time period and language of the books, and you can see what books contain the words.

Google Sky

If you think Google Earth is great, then Google Sky is going to blow your mind. It lets you search the heavens and see images of stars, planets and galaxies taken from telescopes, probes and satellites.

It includes infrared and microwave images as well as a historic map of the stars made by Giovanni Maria Cassini in 1792. If you don't know where to start, the site has some suggestions that you'll love.

iPhone vs. Android: Who sexts more?

BY Varun Raj

iPhone users are twice as likely to sext as their Android counterparts, according to the latest research from activity monitoring company Retina-X Studios.

The survey of 4,800 people also revealed a sexting surge on Mondays and Tuesdays. Peak hours, however, occurred between 10 a.m. and noon on Tuesday mornings.

“I don’t think any of us expected to discover that Tuesday mornings were the peak sexting time, however, if you think about it, people may be getting back on the horse after a weekend that fell short or perhaps have gotten past the Monday rush and have a spare minute,” said Ivory Thompson, Retina-X Studios’ operations manager, in a statement emailed to FoxNews.com. “Whatever the case may be, it’s certainly surprising that it occurs during the work day as opposed to the weekend.”

A separate study by Retina-X Studios has also highlighted parents’ fears about teenage sexting. The research, compiled from the company’s sales data, reveals that up to 70 percent of concerned parents find that their teenager is sexting.

“The majority of teenagers have cell phones, and they are unaware of the emotional, social, and legal repercussions of getting involved in sexting,” said Thompson. “Parents are becoming aware of these issues and are taking charge by monitoring their children’s online/phone activity.”   

Earlier this year a study found that more than one in five middle-school aged children with behavioral or emotional problems had recently engaged in sexting.