tagging
Latest
Facebook adds mention tagging to Open Graph for more efficient name-dropping
Facebook has given developers that link to the social network with Open Graph a new way let let users play tag with their friends -- while also increasing exposure to their app. It's called mention tagging, and allows a user to link a friend in the text body of a message, and is not to be confused with action tagging, an existing feature which references friends only in story text. The option requires a deliberate action by the user, so the developer must implement a way to clearly show how to do that with an icon (as shown above for Foursquare) or drop-down menu, for instance. Apps must also distinguish between action and mention tags, and are not allowed to pre-fill them in the message -- that can only be done by the user. Though no privacy changes are needed, Facebook requires apps using the feature to request user approval before any action can be taken. All that would increase tagging and app visibility significantly -- so developers will likely be all over it.
Google patent filing would identify faces in videos, spot the You in YouTube
Face detection is a common sight in still photography, but it's a rarity in video outside of certain research projects. Google may be keen to take some of the mystery out of those clips through a just-published patent application: its technique uses video frames to generate clusters of face representations that are attached to a given person. By knowing what a subject looks like from various angles, Google could then attach a name to a face whenever it shows up in a clip, even at different angles and in strange lighting conditions. The most obvious purpose would be to give YouTube viewers a Flickr-like option to tag people in videos, but it could also be used to spot people in augmented reality apps and get their details -- imagine never being at a loss for information about a new friend as long as you're wearing Project Glass. As a patent, it's not a definitive roadmap for where Google is going with any of its properties, but it could be a clue as to the search giant's thinking. Don't be surprised if YouTube can eventually prove that a Google+ friend really did streak across the stage at a concert.
SSX to change your working definition of 'tagging'
Forget about all that Facebook nonsense. SSX is trying to redefine the way you use the word "tagging" between friends with its geotagging feature, which allows you to set hard-to-reach points as challenges for other folks. That's way better than a photo gallery feature if you ask us.
Shazam launches new Player app, lets you get to know your jams better
Shazam today released its first fully new app since the launch of the familiar self-titled music tagging app. The new, simply-named Shazam Player offers up streaming lyrics, YouTube videos, concert dates and lets you make playlists on the go. You can also share your favorites via Facebook and Twitter, to properly avoid becoming a musical shut-in. Press release and video after the break.
Shazam offers unlimited free tagging to iPhone app
Users of Shazam, the popular iOS app that allows people to discover what song is playing on the radio, television, or almost anywhere, will be happy to hear that Shazam is offering unlimited free tagging in its iPhone app. Shazam allows users to simply hold up their iPhone while a song is playing, which the app will then identify, or tag. Previously, Shazam users got five free song tags a month and if you wanted more you had to pay for the Shazam Encore service. Now however, iPhone users get unlimited free song tagging. Shazam is offsetting their Encore revenue by partnering with Capital "What's in your wallet?" One. So expect plenty of ads. But hey, I'd rather be able to identify any song I hear at any time and see come credit card ads rather than having to shell out for a subscription to tag music. Shazam is a free download in the App Store.
Daily Mac App: MetaX
While getting ready for my husband's move to the US from the UK, we've both been digitizing our DVD collections so it's less for him to haul, and I gain extra room for what he does bring. What I'm using to tag the files for easy browsing in iTunes and on the Apple TV is MetaX. We wrote a tutorial on using the meta-tagging program in 2009, and it pretty much holds true still in Lion. Drag a video file into the program and you can search for associated tags through tagChimp and Amazon, or write your own. If the file isn't in iTunes, it'll copy or add it to your library based on your settings. To edit an existing file in iTunes, right-click the file, select "Reveal in Finder," and drag the file to MetaX. It'll replace the one in iTunes. If you're using Handbrake, you can set the preferences in Handbrake to send a file straight to MetaX once it's done ripping or converting it. There's a robust feature set in MetaX, including various browsers to aid your search for tags and cover art, a frame grabber if you'd rather use a still from your video file and a barcode scanner for using the DVD packaging to search for tags. There are a few glitches. Sometimes, the file will have two entries in the iTunes library. Delete the duplicate entry, but do not delete the file. I learned this one the hard way when I accidentally deleted the iTunes copy and had to rerip part of a DVD. The tag search also tends to stop after a period of time, but relaunching MetaX will take care of that. MetaX is a free download, and it's worth checking out if you're considering digitizing the DVDs you already own.
Ticketmaster's interactive seat map brings Facebook stalking to concert venues
You desperately want to attend Katy Perry's raucous San Antonio concert, but your kid sister has absolutely zero interest in tagging along, and the mere thought of going stag strikes fear into your heart. All seems lost, but worry not -- because Ticketmaster and Facebook have just joined forces to create a new feature that weds concert-going with social networking. As of today, users purchasing tickets to select events can easily find out whether any of their Facebook friends are also attending and where they're seated. All you have to do is connect to Ticketmaster with your Facebook account, find your concert of choice and use the interactive venue map to tag your own seats, or to see those of online friends who've already tagged themselves. From there, you can buy tickets right next to your intended targets and act totally surprised when you bump into them at the show. For now, the feature is only available for 300 venues (encompassing some 9,000 events), but you can find more information in the video and press release after the break.
Raid Rx: Tagging out and tagging in healers
Every week, Raid Rx will help you quarterback your healers to victory! Your host is Matt Low, the grand poohbah of World of Matticus and a founder of Plus Heal, a discussion community for healers of all experience levels and interests. Catch his weekly podcast on healing, raiding and leading, the Matticast. Ever had to swap a healer in the middle of a raid? Maybe he requested it. Maybe he's experiencing connection-related problems. The most common reason I can think of is because he's not able to handle his position well at all. I'm also guessing you tried to switch healer assignments in case he kept striking out. Clearly that didn't work, because you're in the process of bringing in a new player to replace him. When doing this, you need to talk to the player twice: once to signal his stepping out, and then once again after the raid for a diagnostic on what he messed up on.
Carnegie Mellon researchers use photo-tagging to violate privacy, prove nothing social is sacred
Some people never forget a face and the same, it seems, can be said for the internet. With some off-the-shelf facial recognition software, a connection to the cloud and access to social networking data, Carnegie Mellon University researchers have proved tagging can be the everyman's gateway to privacy violation. Using a specially-designed, AR-capable mobile app, Prof. Alessandro Acquisti and his team conducted three real-world trials of the personal info mining tech, successfully identifying pseudonymed online daters and campus strolling college students via Facebook. In some cases, the application was even able to dredge up the students' social security digits and personal interests -- from their MySpace pages, we assume. Sure, the study's findings could have you running for the off-the-grid hills (not to mention the plastic surgeon), but it's probably best you just pay careful attention to that digital second life. Full PR after the break.
Google acquires PittPatt, wants to know you on a face-to-face basis
Google's quietly pitter-pattering its acquisitive ways back into the controversial realm of facial recognition technology. To do that, the company busted out its oversized wallet to fold Pittsburgh-based PittPatt into the Mountain View borg. Founded by a trio of PhD's from Carnegie Mellon University, this three-man strong outfit specializes in the sort of object recognition software you've come to know as "tagging." Is this a reversal of the Do No Evil tech giant's prior waffling on the dubious visioning tech, or just another massive weapon in its social networking crusade against Facebook? We'd err on the side of both, although the company's new employees aren't exactly playing their cards for us to see. A brief statement on the triumvirate's site makes vague mention of "computer vision technology" being core to Google's products and points to the tech's planned integration in photo, video and mobile applications. So, basically, expect to see Picasa, Goggles, YouTube and Google+ watch you as you flaunt your internet celebrity ways to that front-facing camera.
Facebook granted patent for tagging digital media
It's taken the US Patent and Trademark Office four and half years to consider it, but Facebook now finally has a patent on one of its central features: photo tagging. Applied for in October 2006 and just granted this week, this legal doc gives Mark Zuckerberg and a couple of his buddies credit for designing a method for identifying users in "a selection of an item of digital media." That could be photos, video, audio, or text -- the main drive of the patent is that it lets people associate a given chunk of media with a person and inform others of this association. The wording of Facebook's claims is rather specific -- you have to, for example, allow the identified person the opportunity to reject the identification -- so having this patent need not necessarily preclude other sites like Flickr from engaging in similar, but not identical, behavior.
Robo-Rainbow, all the way (video)
Paul Vasquez, meet your mech god... if god rode a bicycle and illegally tagged decrepit streetscapes with happy bands of color. Watch this complicated technical solution assist with a simple act of vandalism art urban renovation in the video after the break. [Image credit: Donna Zoll]
IntoNow app can tell what show you're watching, won't knock your Glee addiction (video)
If you've ever used an app like Shazam to detect a song playing on the radio you're a long way toward knowing what the new IntoNow app can do. With just a few seconds of audio it can detect what you're watching, give you plenty of information about that content, then let you add it to your Netflix queue. You can go on to share what you're watching upon a plethora of social networks, even see what your friends are watching. It relies on a platform called SoundPrint, an accumulation of 266 years worth of content that is constantly growing, constantly indexing 130 channels in real-time. (Think of the punditry!) Check it out in the video below or just give it a download from the App Store. Right now it is iOS only, but we're told Android and other flavors are on the way.
Drowning in information? Tags can help
If you're anything like me you have lots and lots of information. Endless folders and files are scattered about, and while Spotlight in Mac OS X is very helpful, it's not a perfect fit for every situation. One solution I've found very helpful is Tags, from Gravity Apps. Our own Brett Terpstra took a look at version 1 of the program back in January of 2009, and now the app has been updated to make it even more useful. Click here to see what's changed in this new version. Tags is a system-wide method of tagging just about anything on your Mac for easy retrieval. The real power comes from associating different file types that you may want to relate, like a web page, photo, contact and note. The tagging easily takes place from within the application, and requires a couple of keystrokes. Control-Space bar brings up the tagging GUI, and Option-Space bar triggers the search menu. If those hot-keys conflict with something else you use, they can be easily changed.
Shazam updates for iOS 4.0, adds subscription model for Encore features
The great Shazam app, which I'm still using after downloading it to my iPhone on day one, has released another update, bringing the whole suite of apps (including the paid Shazam Encore and the Shazam (RED) version) to version 3.3. This one updates the app for iOS 4.0 and includes Retina Display graphics and support for fast app switching. Version 3.3 also adds some setting customization options like "tag on startup," improved artist info, a new Discover tab with tag charts and preview clips for the top songs tagged in 20 different countries, and quick shortcut icons for sending the music off to iTunes or to Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, the free Shazam app now offers a subscription model upgrade to the paid version, which allows for as many tags as you want, extra features like "Drive and Tag," and more information about the songs you hear with the app. For a limited price of $2.99, you can get access to Shazam Encore for an entire year, or for $4.99 (the price of the paid app on the App Store), you can get a "lifetime subscription." Clearly Shazam wants to offer something a little cheaper for customers who aren't sure if they'll use the app that much, but honestly, if you want the pro options, the Encore version is worth the $5. On the other hand, all I've ever had is the free version, and for the occasional "hear a song on the radio or in a store and wonder what the heck it is," Shazam has served me quite well. Good to know it'll now look and run better on the iPhone 4.
Facebook for iPhone updated with 'Places' GPS check-in
If you've ever wished Facebook would integrate some of the functionality of online check-in apps like Gowalla or Foursquare, you're in luck. The Facebook for iPhone app has been updated to version 3.2 and includes a new feature called "Places." Places is Facebook's stab at sharing locations with friends via GPS tagging; by tapping a "Check in" button and choosing a location near you, you'll be able to share your current location in your friends' news feeds. Your check-in will also show up on the location's Recent Activity page, assuming the location has a Facebook page. So, you can look forward to a lot of "Johnny Appleseed is at Target in University Heights" posts in your Facebook News Feed in the near future. Hooray? You'll also be able to tag any friends who are with you, and you can see other Facebook users at that location by checking the "People Here Now" section. Places is currently only available in the USA (meaning that I haven't tested it), but Facebook promises to roll the feature out to other countries and mobile platforms "soon." I like the idea of this feature in theory, but in practice, as soon as this feature rolls out in my country, I'll be scrambling to disable it. I've always thought of apps like Gowalla and Foursquare as the electronic equivalent of hanging a big sign in front of your house saying "I'm away from home, PLEASE ROB ME!" Add Facebook into the mix, a site already notorious for its questionable privacy record, and it's enough to send people like me into paroxysms of paranoia. Facebook spent over half their Places introduction post stressing that any information users share with Places is completely under users' control, but we've all heard that one before.
Pure's FlowSongs to rival iTunes tagging, won't be limited to select stations
For whatever reason, iTunes tagging never really has taken off. One could chalk it up to soft marketing or just a limited number of supported devices and stations, but either way, it seems that consumers have far more efficient ways to find music they like than to hear 'em on the radio, tag 'em, and download 'em later. Over in the UK, though, Pure is going ahead with a full-on competitor, as FlowSongs offers select Pure Digital radios (Avanti Flow, the Evoke Flow, the Oasis Flow, the Siesta Flow and the Sensia) to connect with the 7digital network in order to mark songs, purchase them for around £1 each and then have them streamed via one's Lounge account and to as many compatible Pure radios as you'd like. Songs that are found via DAB, FM or internet stations can be tagged, and all downloads are completely free of DRM. Better still, the "vast majority" of tracks will be encoded at 320kbps, though you will have to stomach a minor £2.99 yearly fee in order to pay for the Shazam portion of the service. It's all slated to go live on Monday across the pond, and you can give those links below a visit if you're thirsty for more.
Microsoft facing patent lawsuit over Zune Buy From FM feature
Looks like someone at Microsoft should be paying slightly more attention to the mail: an ophthalmologist (yes, that's right) in Illinois named Edward Yavitz is suing Redmond over the Zune's Buy From FM feature, saying he wrote the software giant a letter in 2006 that disclosed his two relevant patents on the tech, suggested how it could be integrated into the Zune, and asked for a deal. Two years and presumably zero replies later, a young Joe Belfiore introduced Buy From FM along with the Zune 3.0 software, which Ed says directly infringes on his patents -- and his lawsuit, filed ten days ago, asks the court to permanently stop sales of the Zune and award him triple damages in cash. Oops. We haven't dived too deeply into the patents themselves, but it looks like Ed's going to have a bit of a fight on his hands here, as the patents seem to describe systems that have preloaded content about music that's then accessed when a data trigger is received over the air, not just storing song information for later purchase over the Internet. We're sure the good doctor's attorneys have some high-powered arguments to the contrary, so we'll withhold judgment and see where this all leads -- we're guessing a quick settlement is in the cards, as fighting Microsoft might end up actually costing more than any percentage of royalties on total sales of the Zune. P.S.- If you're wondering why Apple hasn't been named for its similar iTunes Tagging feature... well, so are we. We'll see what happens.
iTunes tagging comes to London iPod nano owners: a European first
Hard to believe it but iTunes tagging has finally arrived in Europe. Well, Great Britain. The UK? Fine, England. Ok, ok, to those parts of London where you can tune into Absolute Radio 105.8FM -- the only European station to have inked a deal with Seattle-based Jump2Go (developer of the tech) and Britain's own Unique Interactive. Owners of the new iPod nano with built-in FM radio can now tag songs they're listening to for later purchase from the iTunes store when docked. Video demonstration after the break for you London newbs.
Batch tagging your iTunes videos the easy way
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - William Shakespeare, Romeo and JulietIf we applied Shakespeare's logic to today's digital age, then it would also mean that watching mis-tagged or untagged videos on your Apple device (be it a Mac, iPhone, iPod or Apple TV) would be just as enjoyable. Okay, you got me, they'd probably be just as good. But this doesn't mean you're excused from tagging your videos appropriately.First, a bit of background. The vast majority of videos purchased from the iTunes store, as well as "digital copy" (iPod/iPhone pre-formatted videos that are sometimes included on DVDs and Blu-Ray discs), will come pre-tagged. So, the situation for those in this camp (myself included) is peachy, especially when using an Apple TV. Your videos show up on the screen screen with proper titles, season and episode numbers, actors, and descriptions. Just the way Steve likes 'em.But what if you already own the DVD and want a version for your iTunes library? For those of you with the time and patience to rip an MPEG-4 version (and believe me, this takes some patience, especially if you use H.264 encoding) of your favorite videos, a HandBrake-MetaX martini make tagging your videos a bit more of a pleasurable experience - as if it wasn't fun enough already.
