TechEye

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• Demand Progress calls for sacking of Aaron Swartz prosecution
• Google Music All Access' killer app: understanding data
• iOS 7 feature to track users
• Xbox One unboxing fails to excite

Demand Progress calls for sacking of Aaron Swartz prosecution Posted: 09 Aug 2013 03:11 PM PDT Civil activism group Demand Progress is calling for the sacking of prosecutors in the Aaron Swartz case on the back of "outrageous" new evidence of misconduct, which ultimately hounded Swartz, the organisation's founder, to an early death. Demand Progress points to page 68 of MIT's recent report which "makes it clear that the prosecutors were motivated by anger at Swartz for publicly asserting his innocence". The report reads: "The prosecutor said that the straw that broke the camel's back was that when he indicted the case, and allowed Swartz to come to the courthouse as opposed to being arrested, Swartz used the time to post a 'wild internet campaign' in an effort to drum up support. "This was a 'foolish' move that moved the case 'from a human one-on-one level to an institutional level," the report reads. "The lead prosecutor said that on the institutional level cases are harder to manage both internally and externally". Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Carmen Ortiz and assistant District Attorney Stephen P Heymann proved particularly controversial. Demand Progress is calling for their removal. The Ortiz petition reads: "A prosecutor who does not understand proportionality and who regularly uses the threat of unjust and overreaching charges to extort plea bargains from defendants regardless of their guilt is a danger to the life and liberty of anyone who might cross her path", while the Heymann petition calls to fire him "before his reckless prosecutions claim any more lives". Demand Progress' executive director, David Segal, said in a statement: "It is outrageous that prosecutors would deem a defendant's assertion of innocence, the innocence which is supposedly presumed in the American judicial system, as cause to bring their hammers down even harder". "Carmen Ortiz leads an office run amok, plagued by vincitive, opportunistic prosecutors," Segal said. "It's time for her and Steve Heymann to go". Aaron Swartz committed suicide at just 26 after he was accused of downloading an unreasonable amount of documents from academic catalogue JSTOR at MIT. But the charges against him were disproportionate, it is argued, and he faced over 40 years in prison for his alleged crime. Demand Progress points out how Swartz supporters said prosecutors withheld key evidence. Speaking with TechEye, Demand Progress's Charlie Furman said the American judicial system is predicated on a presumption of innocence. "The idea that Aaron's prosecutors thought it reasonable to punish him for publicly stating his innocence and asking others to support that statement is unacceptable," Furman said. He added: "It's especially unacceptable under the guise of the case becoming somehow 'institutional', as that says our judicial system, and the people's lives affected by it, are part of a political game of opportunity".

Google Music All Access' killer app: understanding data Posted: 09 Aug 2013 09:32 AM PDT Google has just rolled out its music streaming service to all Android customers here in the UK. It's optimised for phone and tablet use with an in-browser web app too, becoming the latest in a long list to take on Spotify's domination in music streaming subscriptions. But it has one clear advantage: Google does data, and for many users, it already has a starting point. First impressions with Music All Access is the smooth and pleasing UI and a large catalogue that rivals Spotify. There's streaming radio based on whichever artist or song you want to select as your starting point, and the software's smart enough to match it with similar - if not exactly perfect - music. Browsing through genres falls down compared to Spotify, where you can enter all sorts of different music genres in text and get a long list of results (even if 'heavy metal' does bring up Nickelback). With Music All Access, there are a number of underpopulated genres you can pick from, but music geeks trying to discover neo-surf-hop won't be able to pick from that list. And the top albums, at the moment, in whichever genre, tend to be full of questionable comps that are hardly indicative of a genre's best artists. Music All Access' killer app gives it real potential to change the way we discover music. That's the data it already has and user interactivity that crowdsources Google's understanding of its software and behaviour. For example, it's possible to stream to multiple devices at the same time. In fact, it's beneficial for Google: with interactive buttons letting you rate the music with a thumbs up or down. The more users, the better. Pointing to the explore tab on the app, there was something interesting under 'recommended for you': Google had noticed searches and plays from YouTube. Not music that was accidentally opened through a social media link or background songs, but it appeared to have noticed patterns where an album was listened to deliberately and repeatedly. A Google spokesperson confirmed to TechEye that YouTube can be a trigger point for building information around you, and subsequently offering music based on that, but existing music uploaded to Play is even better. Considering Google's lion's share of the smart device market, that means a lot of data points for its algorithms to calculate and offer you something you may like. "We generate recommendations a number of different triggers, including YouTube, but actually your existing music collection that you've uploaded to Play is a better indicator of taste," the spokesperson said. "For instance, just because you watch Gangnam Style or Harlem Shake videos on YouTube, doesn't mean you want that kind of music popping up in your recommendations on Play".   Spotify has a recommend feature as well. But it doesn't seem to understand related artists or patterns or kinds of music as well as Google does. For instance, Spotify radio for 'Can' will queue a lot of music that was influenced by or is slightly similar to Can, including postpunk that was ultimately not being searched for, even if it did take on some musical influences. Google, at least on repeated testing, manages to queue up music from similar eras, with similar patterns and the contemporaries of the original search come up in the results. It queued up Cluster and Faust immediately. Undercutting Spotify on price - although sadly not offering a supported free version - could spark interest and the free trial certainly tempted me into taking a look. But it is Google's expertise with data and discovery - backed with enormous resources in R&D, cash, and existing data sets  - that may ultimately make the difference for music streaming.

iOS 7 feature to track users Posted: 09 Aug 2013 08:09 AM PDT You'd think Apple would have learnt its lesson about tracking users, but it seems the company is set to make constantly noting a user's location a feature.   Frequent Locations shows users a map of the places they visit most, using blue circles to show information such as the place's name or address, how many times a user has visited, and how long each trip lasted. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, it is supposed to help users with useful location information as well as improving the company's mapping app. But it reportedly phones home to Apple. Users can turn off the feature if they want. All you need to do is go to settings, tap privacy, location services, system services and frequent locations. Finally, you have to stand on one leg and recite the first 50 digits of pi into your phone. This will call up a page where you can toggle the option off. Although it's possible to turn the feature off, given the extraordinary revelations about US tech companies revealed by Snowden, it may put some users who value their privacy off.

Xbox One unboxing fails to excite Posted: 09 Aug 2013 07:59 AM PDT Microsoft has posted its first Xbox One unboxing as the company tries to generate hype for the controversial console - that has faced heavy criticism since the first details were announced. Larry Hryb, referring to himself as the general, picks out bits and pieces and the new Kinect before hauling the chunky Xbone from its box. The controllers, Hryb says, have some sort of impact sensing technology which is, of course, going to change the way we play. They also have lots of new improvements and if you buy an Xbone at launch you'll get a special design for your custom. There's also what Hryb amusingly calls paperwork - considering the quasi-auhoritarian nature of the Xbox One before some frantic back peddling from Redmond - a sticker, a power cord, and a pretty hefty power unit. Included is a 4K HDMI cable, indicating Microsoft is confident its console will be sticking around at least until the ultra-high def TVs become more popular. A free headset is included. Hryb finishes by showing off the Xbox One's touch activated power button. Unfortunately for Microsoft it has had the pleasure of the first reveal, both with the first details and with its unboxing. This has given Sony the freedom to boast of its free services compared to the Xbox One - for example, being able to record gameplay for free. Since early details began to emerge up until the present, the Xbox One has been met with criticism and concerns from loyal Microsoft gamers and generally - first that the company was placing way too much emphasis on television instead of gaming, through to the mandatory always-on snooping capabilities of the Kinect, to its hefty price tag and basically the overall approach. Microsoft must be confident it has some pretty earth shattering content, because since the beginning, the company has been pushing boundaries and seeing how far it can get away with what it charges for everything from the console to being able to use Skype. Sony received some criticism for making online play available only to PS+ subscribers. But existing PS+ subscribers on the Playstation 3 told gaming forums and communities that the service is already pretty great. The jury's out. Content wins eventually. But from a PR POV Microsoft has really stuffed this one up.

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