tech:

taffy

Microsoft Photosynth Update Combines Multiple Photos For 3D Rendering

microsoft_photosynthMicrosoft has released a preview of the third-generation of Photosynth, which comes with a new functionality that analyzes digital photographs to generate three-dimensional views of real world spaces.

Photosynth supports four basic experiences for the 3D images – spin, panorama,  walk, and wall. Earlier features of Photosynth, like stitched panoramas, continue to be available.

How does Photosynth work?

Users upload a series of photos to the Microsoft cloud. Points or ‘features’ in successive photos that appear to be the same object, are made note of. If there are many features that reoccur in the photos, the information is carried to the bundle adjustment procedure. Bundle adjustment, a standard technique in photogrammetry, determines where in 3D space each feature is, exactly where each photo was taken from, and how the camera was oriented for each photo.

Feature points in each photo are used to generate 3D shapes on a per-photo basis, and a smooth path (think of it as a steadicam) through the locations of the camera for each photo is calculated. With this path, Photosynth presents the experience of moving through a synth as a gliding motion, even if the actual photos were shot at different heights or slightly off-angle. Finally, Photosynth slices and dices the images into multi-resolution pyramids.

[Image courtesy: Microsoft]

 

 

 

Just in

Apple sued in a landmark iPhone monopoly lawsuit — CNN

The US Justice Department and more than a dozen states filed a blockbuster antitrust lawsuit against Apple on Thursday, accusing the giant company of illegally monopolizing the smartphone market, writes Brian Fung, Hannah Rabinowitz and Evan Perez.

Google is bringing satellite messaging to Android 15 — The Verge

Google’s second developer preview for Android 15 has arrived, bringing long-awaited support for satellite connectivity alongside several improvements to contactless payments, multi-language recognition, volume consistency, and interaction with PDFs via apps, writes Jess Weatherbed. 

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman is paid more than the heads of Meta, Pinterest, and Snap — combined — QZ

Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman has been blasted by Redditors and in media reports over his recently-revealed, super-sized pay package of $193 million in 2023, writes Laura Bratton. 

British AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman joins Microsoft — BBC

Microsoft has announced British Artificial Intelligence pioneer Mustafa Suleyman will lead its newly-formed division, Microsoft AI, according to the BBC report. 

UnitedHealth Group has paid more than $2 billion to providers following cyberattack — CNBC

UnitedHealth Group said Monday that it’s paid out more than $2 billion to help health-care providers who have been affected by the cyberattack on subsidiary Change Healthcare, writes Ashley Capoot.