Scientists have developed a new software for mobile phones which they claim could track your facial features in real-time and tell who you are and where are you looking.
The software, which is a result of 20 years of research by scientists at the University of Manchester, is believed to be unrivalled for speed and accuracy and could lead to facial recognition replacing passwords to log into internet sites from a mobile phone.
“Existing mobile face trackers give only an approximate position and scale of the face,” said Dr Phil Tresadern, lead researcher on the project.
“Our model runs in real-time and accurately tracks a number of landmarks on and around the face such as the eyes, nose, mouth and jaw line.”
According to the university, the software that can run in any smartphone with a camera on the frontside takes a video of the user’s face and tracks 22 facial features.
“This can make face recognition more accurate, and has great potential for novel ways of interacting with your phone,” said Dr Tresadern.
The software was developed as part of a face and voice recognition system for access to mobile internet applications like email, social networking and online banking. Alternative uses for the device could include fun applications that, for instance, attach virtual objects to the user’s face as they move around, the researchers said.
“At this stage, we are interested in demonstrating uses for the face-tracking part of the technology, which is the area The University of Manchester is involved in,” said Dr Tresadern.
“It is very fast and I can’t find anything that can rival it on a mobile phone.”
Face verification is already used in laptops, webcams and the Xbox 360 Kinect, but this is the first time the technology is being used with such sophistication in mobile devices such as smartphones, according to the scientists.
The new software has been demonstrated on a Nokia N900 for the EU-funded “Mobile Biometrics” project.
Now, a mobile software that can recognise your face
MNP to be begin in 11 circles by Nov 1
Finally, mobile number portability (MNP), which allows subscribers to retain numbers even after changing service operators, is going to see daylight. Communications and IT Minister A Raja said that the service will be partially launched in 11 circles from November 1.
On the sidelines of an event organised by state-owned telco BSNL Raja said, ‘MNP will be in operation partially from November 1, and it will be inaugurated in Haryana first.”
Apart from Harayana, other circles where MNP will be operational in November are J&K, Himachal, Punjab, Uttaranchal, UP East, UP West, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Mumbai.
When asked about the fate of the remaining circles, Telecom Minister said, “It will only be known once home ministry reaches a decision on Telecordia.”
Telecordia is the MNP service provider for rest of 11 circles where MNP will not be rolled out from Novemeber 1. It has met rough weather due to security concerns raised by ministry of Home affairs for implementing MNP in Pakistan earlier.
DoT divided the country into two geographic zones for number portability implementation, each of which was to be handled by a different MNP provider. Each zone had 11 circles. Zone 1 covers the northern and western regions of the country, while Zone 2 includes the south and east.
Telecordia bagged zone II which were MNP will be delayed, While Syniverse’s zone I will see MNP implemnetaion by second week of November.
The implementation of MNP has been earlierdelayed four times. Initially, it was to be implemented by Dec 31, 2009 then it was changed to March 31, 2010 and then to June 30. The June 30 deadline was again deferred as operators were not ready with the infrastructure to provide the service.
BSNL, Airtel most searched online for 3G
With private operators gearing up to launch 3G services, online searches for ‘wireless broadband’ have doubled over the past three months; whereas and BSNL and Airtel 3G are the most searched service providers for 3G services searched by people browsing the net, according to Experian Hitwise.
Navin Chandani, managing director, Experian Marketing, said, “Over 5,300 different variations of the word 3G (example 3G services, 3G handsets, 3G mobiles etc) are being searched by Indians on the internet, which translates to the fact that 3G is on the minds of a lot of people.”
He further stated, “BSNL is the most sought after 3G service provider, followed by Airtel, MTNL and Tata Docomo.”
Experian Hitwise is a keyword research tool for analysing the long tail of search data. It provides insights on how people have successfully searched for products and services online across all major search engines. The data that Experian Hitwise studies does not include mobile internet searches.
The company tracks 25 million internet users globally. However, in India it is dependent on panel data for reporting internet activity. Although Chandani refused to divulge the exact panel size he assures, “statistically and analytically the panel size and composition is a fair representation of the entire Indian consumer population on the internet.”
A recent report by the company revealed that Nokia is the most searched mobile handset manufacturer in India, followed by Samsung. Eight of the ten most searched mobile phone models in India are manufactured by Nokia, with the company’s 5233 model claiming the top spot. Samsung, with its Corby and Champ, was the only other manufacturer to have made it to the list.
Interestingly, Micromax took over Apple iPhone to become the third most searched mobile handset manufacturer in India.
Chandani opines, “There may be several factors working in the favour of Micromax. However, I believe that the offline marketing and branding campaigns undertaken by Micromax appear to be working in its favour. Its positioning as an economic and feature rich mobile brand is helping it overtake the iPhone, which is yet an expensive proposition for a majority of the population.”
He believes that it may be difficult for iPhone to recover considering that the Indian mobile market is price sensitive.
160by2 launches iPhone application
Hyderabad-based 160by2.com, a free SMS service provider, has developed and launched an application that enables free SMSs from iPhones.
The application has been developed in partnership with AhaApps.com, a USA-based company with a development center in India that provides mobile applications for iPhones, BlackBerry and Android mobiles.
This recently launched application has seen close to 3,000 downloads and over 1,000 registrations from iPhone users. Over 35,000 SMSs were sent from iPhones across ten countries since the launch of the application.
iPhone users can download the application from the iTunes store. The application enables any iPhone located in the USA, UK, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, UAE, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia to send SMSs free of cost to any mobile in India. iPhone users in India can also use this application to send free SMSs to any other mobile within India.
The mobile’s native phone book can be used while sending messages through this service. The application allows the user to use the inbox and sent messages folders at no cost.
Handset manufacturers gear up for Diwali bonanza
Lights, crackers, sweets and shopping….the festivities bring the much needed excitement to our everyday lives. While Durga Puja and Dussehra have just passed, Diwali is around the corner.
The festival of lights has been associated with shopping for a long time now and promotional offers become flavor of the season.
The festive season induces a desire to spend without restraint among consumers. And companies welcome the opportunity with arms open. Besides lights and fireworks, the markets are flooded with banners of sale and offers on products.
And during the shopping bonanza time handset manufactures expect sales to shoot up. Therefore, their marketing budgets are strengthened as well, and mobile phone handset schemes abound in the market.
Global players:To spice up the activities, handset manufacturers display a range of options for consumers to buy along with discounts and other schemes.
Viral Oza, head of activation, media and online marketing at Nokia India, says, “We understand that festivals are an important part of the Indian consumer’s life. We therefore bring out special offers to make festivals a truly memorable experience for our consumers.”
The country head of HTC India Ajay Sharma says, “We have in the past witnessed a distinct spurt and a substantial increase in sales during the festive season, whereby sales of HTC devices have grown by at least 50 per cent over the average sales per month. We expect this season too to be no different and are hoping for a similar growth figure of a 50 per cent increase over the average sales per month.”
The Taiwanese handset manufacturer will shortly announce some special offers on select HTC models.
Meanwhile, LG Mobile plans to launch 30 new handsets this festive season which include LG T300 Cookie Chat, LG GM360i Cookie Snap and LG GM 350i Cookie Glide.
Moon B Shin, managing director at LG Electronics India says his company is looking forward to the festive season and that, ” It’s again that time of the year when we provide our consumers with special offerings to further strengthen our relationship. We are targeting a turnover of Rs 560 crore.”
The other South Korean manufacturer Samsung Mobiles has come up with a promotional offer in collaboration with Aircel. As per the offer, new Aircel SIM activation with a Samsung dual SIM phone gets a customer six minutes of free Talk time per day for 365 days.
Users will also get lifetime validity for the Aircel SIM card and 100 SMSs free for any three SMSs sent. This offer is valid on all purchases during October and December this year.
The company is also looking at capturing another 6-7 percent of the market this festive quarter.
Ranjit Yadav, director, mobile and IT business, Samsung says, “Samsung currently holds a 17 per cent market share in the India mobile market and aims to add another 6 -7 per cent to its current market share by end of 2010.”
Another exciting offer for consumers has been launched by Sony Ericsson, which gives users a chance to win Rs 5 lakh worth of shopping with Kareena Kapoor.
Anurag Kontu, head of marketing for Sony Ericsson India, says, “The ‘Shopping with Kareena’ campaign has been created keeping in mind the festive fervor when consumers have shopping at the top of their to-do list!”
In a press statement issued earlier the manufacturer stated, “This festive season, Sony Ericsson is also extending its Xperia range with the introduction of Xperia X8.”
Indian manufacturers:Even Indian handset manufacturers are not far behind. They too are expecting an increase in sales and plan to launch devices to attract users.
Some companies are expected to go on a launching spree as Rahul Goel, chief operating officer, Videocon Mobile, says, “This festive season for us is about launching exciting phones. At this point we have launched five new phones.”
He further adds, “This Diwali is very special for us because of our entry into the Android and 3G space, and thus places us better amongst the leading Indian players. We are keen to enhance our penetration across the markets.”
On the other hand, Wynn Telecom is expecting an increase of about 30 per cent in sales. Naveen Kapoor, assistant vice president of sales and operations at Wynn Telecom, says, “We are expecting approximately 30 per cent increase in our sales. Also, during this period consumers tend to buy new products. Hence, we have launched Y-90 and Y99, and have plans to launch a touchscreen phone as well.”
Interestingly, Wynn Telecom has come up with a different sales strategy. It has launched promotional offers which include ‘buy ten get one free’ – kind of schemes for their channel partners.
Kapoor says, “We have come up with some promotional offers for our channel partners. This will motivate them to enhance sales of Wynncom phones during the festive season.”
Vinayak Kumar Lal, general manager of marketing at Intex Technologies says his company expects to almost double the rise in sales this month, as compared to the previous month. “Festivals have always been a great opportunity to be innovative and come up with useful and interesting offers, ” he adds.
“These gestures go a long way and are really helpful in building brand loyalty and equity.”
Zen Mobiles plans to launch its 3G device close to Diwali. The company currently controls around 2 per cent of the handset market and expects its share to double by the year end.
Smarth Bansal, national marketing head, Zen Mobiles, says, “This being the festive season, we expect to garner 4-5 per cent of the market share by this year end.”
With so much on the anvil, this Diwali, not just consumers but also manufacturers will have a blast! While manufacturers expect sales and revenues to shoot up, consumers can expect full value of their money.
Tata Docomo launches website to promote 3G
Tata Docomo has unveiled a website 3glife.com which is dedicated to educating consumers about the benefits of 3G.
The home page features a global 3G Live stream that captures anything anyone is saying around 3G in the online space. Integrated across Twitter, Facebook, thousands of blogs, forums and news sites, it provides a real time conversation cloud around everything anyone is saying about 3G.
3G services of state run BSNL and MTNL have been around for some time but have failed to generate much consumer interest. The major reason for this lack of interest is said to be due to low awareness among consumers about what 3G services have to offer. This website aims to increase awareness.
Using the website, users have the option of filtering content as per their choice. There’s also a mini map at the bottom of the screen for quick and easy navigation. A flashing dot on the screen indicates that a fresh piece of content has appeared. Clicking on the new link opens the content and one can scroll through new content by clicking the previous and next links or even by letting the content auto play.
There is also a dedicated forum page for posting 3G related content. Users can ask questions which moderators and other 3G enthusiasts will respond to. There’s a link on the top of the screen wherein forum members ‘Ask a Question’. Users can also ask questions directly from Twitter with the hash tag #3glife or from the Tata Docomo Facebook page.
This forum is also integrated with a ‘Live the 3G Life in Japan’ contest, whereby eight winners will win an all-expenses paid Trip to Japan! In order to participate and be eligible for this contest prize, users will need to participate on the forum and discuss topics around 3G meaningfully. Details of this contest are available on www.3glife.com.
Airtel to launch 3G by year end
Bharti Airtel today announced that it will launch its 3G wireless data services before the end of 2010.
Airtel won the 3G spectrum in 13 of the 22 telecom circles across India which constitute 68% of Airtel’s revenue market share. These includes Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, which account for 21% of all data traffic in the country and are expected to have the strongest uptake of 3G services.
The operator stated that it is also in advanced discussions with other ‘quality operators’ to offer 3G services to its customers across the country. Bharti will be deploying high speed HSPA networks provided by Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Network and Huawei.
Sanjay Kapoor, CEO – India and South Asia, Bharti Airtel said, “3G services will mark the beginning of the next phase of India’s telecom growth story and elevate India’s telecom sector at par with most advanced telecom markets in the world.”
Along with meeting the growing demand of high speed surfing and wireless entertainment, Airtel will introduce a suite of products in areas such as mobile commerce and mobile health.
Currently, Bharti Group is successfully running 3G Broadband services in four countries – Sri Lanka, Jersey, Guernsey and Seychelles.
3G countdown begins
Services that the Indian telecom industry has been waiting for with bated breath are round the corner. News of telecom operators announcing the timeline for launching 3G services has been coming thick and fast over the past few days.
Although the two public sector telecom operators BSNL and MTNL already offer 3G services, they have so far clearly failed to generate interest among their as well as other mobile subscribers. The scenario is expected to change for good when private players enter the 3G arena.
In the 3G auction held this year in May, seven of the nine bidders won spectrum. Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications and Aircel each won in 13 of the 22 circles, while other operators such as Vodafone Essar, Idea Cellular and Tata won licences for nine, eleven and nine circles, respectively. A fairly new entrant, Haryana-based S Tel, won the license for three circles while two bidders, Videocon Mobile Services and UAE-based Etisalat went empty handed.
Early launch of 3G services will give service providers an EDGE over their competitors amidst falling tariffs and the introduction of mobile number portability which might be a reality soon.
TTSL, with its announcement of launching 3G services this Diwali, has yet again taken the lead and will be the first private telecom operator to roll out 3G services on a commercial basis.
The company announced that it will launch next generation mobile services (3G) on the day of Diwali next month in all the nine circles that it has won spectrum in, and will provide the new service to subscribers of Tata Docomo, its GSM network.
Next in line will be Airtel, the largest telecom operator in the country, based on subscriber numbers. The operator had earlier said it would launch the services by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, two of the seven operators, Vodafone and Aircel, will commercially launch their 3G services in the first quarter of 2011.
In fact, Vodafone on Thursday demonstrated its 3G services for customers in India. Marten Pieters, managing director, Vodafone Essar, recently made the company’s first 3G Video call from Mumbai to Delhi.
Before Vodafone, Reliance Communications showed the world its 3G network at the company’s annual general meeting with a private news channel being streamed live to a mobile phone.
Although Reliance has not divulged an exact date, the company has made it clear that it wants to be amongst the early launchers of the service. “We are not going to wait for other operators’ launch and then position ourselves…. ours will be among the early launches and it will be very soon,” the company’s chief executive Akshay Kumar had told reporters earlier.
As far as Idea Cellular is concerned, the company refused to comment on the date of launch. In May, however, media reports suggested that it plans to launch its 3G service in the third quarter of the ongoing fiscal.
The youngest telecom operator to have bagged 3G licenses S Tel too has remained tight lipped about the launch of its service. However, the company has revealed that it plans to invest approximately Rs 360 crores in capital expenditure over the next five years to roll out 3G services in the three circles it has spectrum in, namely Bihar and Jharkhand, Orissa, and Himachal Pradesh.
Idea Cellular launches online reality show
Telecom services provider Idea Cellular has launched an online reality show ‘Idea Language Champion’ as part of its ‘breaking the language barrier’ campaign.
The show comprises of a range of online tasks and quizzes in different languages which participants would need to solve at every step of the game.
“Idea Language Champion offers a unique opportunity to the net-savvy Indian youth to network with friends and exhibit their social networking prowess in their quest to bridge the language barrier often faced by people in a multilingual country like India,” Idea Cellular director (operations) Himanshu Kapania said.
Vodafone to launch 3G service in the first quarter of 2011
Vodafone Essar on Thursday demonstrated its 3G services for customers in India. Marten Pieters, managing director, Vodafone Essar, made the network’s first 3G Video call from Mumbai to Delhi.
Vodafone acquired 3G spectrum in ten circles – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (E) and West Bengal and is exploring opportunities to tie up with other operators to provide high quality 3G services in other circles as well.
Vodafone Essar will launch 3G services in the first quarter of 2011. “Our approach is to give our customers a world class experience and hence we will launch when a significant part of the city is covered by our 3G network,” said Pieters.
Pieters said, “The introduction of 3G technology will be the catalyst for data revolution in India.”