We propose to optimize the activation functions of a deep neural network by adding a corresponding functional regularization to the cost function. We justify the use of a second-order total-variation criterion. This allows us to derive a general representer theorem for deep neural networks that makes a direct connection with splines and sparsity. Specifically, we show that the optimal network configuration can be achieved with activation functions that are nonuniform linear splines with adaptive knots. The bottom line is that the action of each neuron is encoded by a spline whose parameters (including the number of knots) are optimized during the training procedure. The scheme results in a computational structure that is compatible with the existing deep-ReLU and MaxOut architectures. It also suggests novel optimization challenges, while making the link with $\ell_1$ minimization and sparsity-promoting techniques explicit.

Samsung is betting that the future of smartphones lies in the camera. The firm today launched its highly-anticipated flagship'iPhone X killers', the Galaxy S9 (£739/$720) and S9 plus (£869/$839). Both feature a familiar all-screen design, but have a re-invented camera system that has been dubbed a'game-changer'. One of the biggest improvements is new dual-aperture technology. This allows the camera to automatically adjust the aperture depending on the scene that is being shot. The displays are the same as their predecessors, at 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch, respectively.

The Galaxy S9 and S9 may have the same size, shape, and screen as the Galaxy S8 and S8 they replace, but don't be fooled. Inside, Samsung has completely retooled its flagship phones where it counts: in the processor, the camera, and even its emoji. In a first for the smartphone industry, Samsung is introducing a dual-aperture camera tuned for low-light situations, and chasing Apple's Animoji, the company has introduced augmented-reality-tooled emoji of its own. You can read our first hands-on impressions of the Galaxy S9 here. We also conducted some early Galaxy S9 camera tests.

The announcement, on the eve of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, comes a year after Telefonica promised a makeover in response to U.S. tech giants like Amazon, whose interactive aide Alexa has become a big seller.

Today is the day Samsung will be unveiling its highly anticipated Galaxy S9, the company's latest flagship smartphone. As we discussed earlier this week, you can expect an improved, smarter camera on the handset, as well as an answer to Apple's Animojis, animated emojis that will use face recognition technology to make your phone more interactive when you message friends or family. We'll learn all about the Galaxy S9 in the next few hours, so stay tuned to this post to keep up with the action as it happens. The event kicks off at 12PM ET/6PM Barcelona time.

Imagine this: You're pulling out of your driveway, asking your phone to pull up navigation to your destination and just at that critical moment when you need to decide which way to turn, you look down at your phone and realize it's hanging. It can't find the destination, and it looks like it has no connection. This frustrating moment is an almost universal experience, but it's one Deutsche Telekom aims to eliminate for all of its customers in Europe and across the globe. As one of the world's top telecommunications providers, Deutsche Telekom and its subsidiaries, like T-Mobile in the United States, are using machine learning algorithms based on dynamic cloud infrastructure managed by Mesosphere DC/OS to dramatically improve the consumer experience when it comes to mobile connectivity. The Deutsche Telekom CONNECT app, now available on the Google Play and iOS App Store, launched this year to allow customers to optimize their connection based on cost or performance at any point in time.

Accessing #MWC18 could be as easy as looking in the mirror. PwC US and MEXIA One are attending GSMA's Mobile World Congress 2018 and will be conducting a demo of facial recognition technology. This is an exciting new technology with many industry uses; see one application at the event entrance. This year, eligible attendees can opt in to be part of the demo using "biometrics"--validated facial recognition via a face scan compared to a profile picture (clear, forward-facing head shot)--to access the event in addition to using their badge. For attendees who opt into the demo, biometric token data will be destroyed following MWC.

But with no major innovations awaited in handsets, analysts expect the four-day Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona to focus on new uses for artificial intelligence (AI) and the looming deployment of super-fast 5G wireless networks.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming the world. Through a convergence of technology leaps, social transformations, and genuine economic needs, AI is moving from its academic roots to the forefront of business and industry. In this report, we examine how companies in three economic sectors--telecommunications, retail, and financial services--are tackling new challenges and opportunities by incorporating AI into their products and operations. Every nook and cranny of the modern economy will eventually feel AI's impact, from energy, transportation, and healthcare to manufacturing, entertainment, education, IT, and government. And the boom in AI development will lead to greater demand for hardware and services among growing AI developer communities.

By Stefan Nicola and Joe Mayes Mobile World Congress, the wireless industry's biggest conference, begins next week in Barcelona, where more than 100,000 people are set to see the latest smartphones, artificial intelligence devices and autonomous drones exhibited by roughly 2,300 companies. The event is also the industry's largest networking opportunity for executives, bankers, analysts and the like to talk shop -- and potential deals. Some 5,500 CEOs, among them Deutsche Telekom AG's Tim Hoettges and Vodafone Group Plc's Vittorio Colao, will jostle for airtime discussing the major trends shaping the industry such as cybersecurity, the arrival of ultrafast fifth-generation mobile networks and blockchain. Here are the big themes likely to dominate the event: Samsung to Sony in device battle MWC has long been a venue for companies to show off their latest mobile devices and vie for consumer attention. This year, Samsung is back to unveil its latest flagship phone, widely expected to be the Galaxy S9.