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Meta will raise Quest 2 price to $400 on August 1st
Meta is hiking the price of its Quest 2 VR headset to $400 on August 1st in response to higher manufacturing costs.
London police begin using live facial recognition tech across the capital
London's Metropolitan Police Service has begun using live facial recognition (LFR) technology. At key areas throughout the city, signposted cameras will scan the faces of passing people, alerting officers to potential matches with wanted criminals. According to the Met, "this will help tackle serious crime, including serious violence, gun and knife crime, child sexual exploitation and help protect the vulnerable".
UK police's facial recognition system has an 81 percent error rate
Facial recognition technology is mistakenly targeting four out of five innocent people as wanted suspects, according to findings from the University of Essex. The report -- which was commissioned by Scotland Yard -- found that the technology used by the UK's Metropolitan Police is 81 percent inaccurate and concludes that it is "highly possible" the system would be found unlawful if challenged in court.
London police will use AI to look for child porn on seized devices
Around this time last year, Interpol revealed it was using an AI system to track down child porn on P2P networks in the global hunt for predators. Tech firms like Google and Microsoft have been using their own tools in the fight against child exploitation for years, too. Now, the UK's Metropolitan Police say they want AI recognition software of their own that's capable of identifying images and video of abuse on confiscated devices like smartphone and computers.
Body cameras will be given to 'over 22,000' London police
To help keep the peace, more than 22,000 London police officers will soon be given body cameras. The roll-out begins today -- six months later than former mayor Boris Johnson had anticipated. The new hardware, supplied by Taser, won't be recording around the clock; instead, officers will need to hit the shutter manually and notify the public "as soon as practical." A red light and beeping noise will indicate new recordings. The footage will then be uploaded to a secure server where it can be used as evidence in court. If it's not required, the data will be deleted automatically after 31 days.
London police to create a troll-hunting social media unit
In a bid to tackle rising levels of abuse on social media, London's Metropolitan Police is to set up a five-person team of specialist officers tasked with targeting online trolls. Scotland Yard will spend £1.7 million on the unit, called the Online Hate Crime Hub, which will provide "targeted and effective services for victims", offer advanced intelligence on offenders and strengthen links between police, communities and social media companies like Facebook and Twitter.
London police consider using drones to pursue motorbike thieves
In its bid to curb the rise of drive-by snatches on the streets of London, the Metropolitan Police may turn to drones to track motorbike-riding suspects. At a recent meeting of the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee, Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey said that UAVs could be a safer alternative to officers pursuing so-called moped gangs across the capital.
The Met's upcoming opera to boast glasses-free 3D effects that nobody requested
We don't mean to sound negative or anything, and we're not 3D naysayers by any means. But the news that the Metropolitan Opera's upcoming production of Siegfried will include mind-blowing 3D background effects is, well, mind-blowing. While you're undoubtedly familiar with 3D effects, you may not be acquainted with Wagner's 1876 opera which portrays the story of Sigurd, a hero of Norse mythology. Robert Lepage, the director of the operation, expects theater-goers to find themselves engulfed in a three-dimensional world of his creation, which will be projected on the 45-ton set. Lepage, who is directing Wagner's entire Ring cycle at the Met, worked with Geodezik -- famous for the stage shows of famed opera performers Pink and Justin Timberlake -- to create the show's effects. The 3D you'll be seeing if you hit the theater won't be like the technology you're familiar with, however, as it makes use of fractals, and the moving parts of the set to 'trick' your eyes into seeing in three dimensions. We don't want to say this sounds like a bad idea until we've seen if of course, but we've got our reservations. Hit up the New York Times link to see one rather small image of the set. [Image: Lincoln Center]
Metropolitan Opera online high definition player previewed ahead of October 22 launch
The New York Times got an early peek at the Metropolitan Opera's new HD video on-demand streaming website, set to launch October 22, and came away with a few complaints. While the sound was described as clear and rich, accompanying sharp video, browser glitches and the need to download an add-on for the Move Networks based player made for a clumsy experience. If a $15 subscription month long subscription is too much, individual operas are available for $3.99 to $4.99 with 13 high definition performances available initially. Being this close to the launch makes us think back 125 years ago when you had to actually go to the Met to see an Opera or the old days of 2007, when you had to put on pants and leave the house to get a high definition show. The future, is now.
Shut-ins rejoice, Metropolitan Opera delivers over the internet
Let's say you're interested in checking out a HD performance of the Metropolitan Opera, but the idea of getting your entertainment on someone else's schedule doesn't agree with your PVR-placeshifted-virtual community sensibilities. No problem -- beginning on October 22, the Met is bringing 170 performances -- 120 audio-only, 50 with video -- including recent HD simulcast shows (promised to be in web-quality HD) to your browser. This will be a subscription service, to the tune of $15 per month, or $150 for the whole year. Having to install a dedicated Move Networks player to keep everything on the up-and-up is a niggle, but if there aren't participating theaters or PBS affiliates in your area, it's worth checking out. [Via press]
Italian, Spanish operas beamed live across Europe in HD
Apparently the Met isn't the only one focused on spoiling opera viewers remotely, broadcast company Arqiva is delivering live HD feeds of opera from Italy and Spain via its satellite network. Working with DDCinema, it delivered its last broadcast of Samson and Delilah from the Teatro Comunale in Bologna, Italy to nearly 70 theaters across Europe. If any of Engadget HD's European opera fans missed out, don't worry, they plan at least three more tests this year. As long as they don't try to skimp on the HD and Dolby 5.1 Surround audio, we expect the results will be just fine.
MET's Jupiter 301 speakers
We've peeped MET's cylindrical speakers before, but thank the powers above that this incarnation doesn't bring us back to the crazy 70's. The Jupiter 301's would look right at home on some B-rate Sci-Fi movie but hopefully their sound are more Oscar worthy. Chance are though, we won't be able to hear 'em ourselves anytime soon as they aren't meant for the US market. A set will cost you 450€ ($613 USD) if you can get your hands on 'em.
MET's BauXar Marty101 custom designed speakers
Japan's MET Corp. bring us these new BauXar 6-Watt cylindrical speakers "for the life with nudie sound," whatever the hell that might mean. Ok, ok, the speakers themselves aren't new, we're just getting a few new colors and a custom-fit, MartyWear service which gives you the privilege (for an extra ¥20k Yen or about $170) of dressing up their ¥30k/$260 Marty101 speakers in a custom kit of your liking. And if we're reading the machine translation correctly, the custom designs they offer aren't limited to a catalog. Oh no, MET designers will slap whatever image your freakish interests might crave onto that 12-inches of cylinder -- just send in a drawing or photograph and they'll take care of the rest. As to the 360-degree nudie sound these speakers tout? Well all we can tell you is that as usual, a pair is required.[Via Impress]
