Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella gestures while speaking during a press briefing on the intersection of cloud and mobile computing Thursday, March 27, 2014, in San Francisco when Microsoft unveiled Office for the iPad,
Microsoft is reportedly working on a version of its Office productivity suite optimized for Android tablets.
The company is currently preparing a beta version, which will soon be tested with a select number of users, The Vergereported, and a full launch is planned for later this year. It appears the Android-tablet apps will debut before the touch version of Office for Windows, which Microsoft previously said would launch in 2015.
Details of the initial test, including how many users will participate, are not yet clear. But it's possible Microsoft will draw from a pool of participants registered in its pre-release program. The program allows users who are interested in getting an early look at new software to sign up for a chance to be included in early beta tests prior to the official rollout.
The Redmond, Washington-based company released Office for iPad, which includes individual Word, Excel and Powerpoint apps, earlier this year. The three freemium apps quickly rose to the top of Apple's App Store charts.
Microsoft will likely take the same approach with Office apps for Android tablets; this means the apps will be free to download, but most of their features — including document editing — will require a $99 annual subscription. Office's Android-phone apps, which debuted last summer, also require subscriptions to unlock their full suite of features.
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Graduate student Abigale Stangl (right), who volunteers at the Anchor Center for Blind Children, shows Isabella Chinkes (center) and her mother Linda (L) a 3D-printed version of 'Goodnight Moon.' Blind and visually impaired children will now be able to experience classic picture books likeGoodnight MoonandHarold and the Purple Crayonwith the help of 3D printingtechnology.
Researchers at the University of Colorado have created a new project that can convert standard picture books into 3D-printed pages, letting children with visual impairments follow the raised illustrations by touch as the stories are read aloud.
Tom Yeh, an assistant professor in the university's Department of Computer Science who directed the project, said the goal of The Tactile Picture Books Project is to use computer science to better people's lives.
"I realized we could do something meaningful by interpreting pictures from these children's books using mathematical diagrams," he said. "This project is much more difficult than I envisioned, but it also is much more rewarding."
University of Colorado Boulder students Abby Stangl and Jeeeun Kim are using 3D printers to assist the blind in understanding pictures better.
The project was created in partnership with the Anchor Center, an organization in Denver dedicated to supporting and educating vision impaired children. The center's executive director, Alice Applebaum, told Mashable that books that can be read by touch — tactile books — are central to the education of vision impaired children.
“We often add texture to books; we have a room here where we add braille and things that children can feel to stories," she said. "It’s just like when we learn how to read with our eyes, but they’re learning with all their other senses.”
Since many children don't start reading braille until age 6, this program has given kids the chance to read with their families at even younger ages and get used to exploring with their hands.
Applebaum said the center has always made tactile books "the old-fashioned way," cutting and pasting textured items to traditional picture books.
"It is one more opportunity for visually impaired children to experience literacy in an expanded way," Applebaum said. "Will it make them better readers? Not necessarily, but it will make them more aware of what the world looks like."
Researchers at the university convert the images into 3D-printed books through computational algorithms. Yeh said the ultimate goal is to streamline the process so educators and parents of visually impaired children can take a photo of a children's book and send the photo to a 3D printer to create a tactile book.
"We are investigating the scientific, technical and human issues that must be addressed before this vision can be fully realized," he said. "Since each child generally has his or her unique visual impairment issues, the idea is to customize each book for each child."
Abigale Stangl is a researcher for the project and a student in ATLAS, multidisciplinary Institute at the University of Colorado. She says feedback from children the Anchor Center was essential to their work.
"We have seen a need and opportunity to make some of these practices more efficient and support development of custom learning tools and resources,” she told Mashable.
A page from the 3D-printed version of Harold and the Purple Crayon.
A page from a 3D-printed version of Goodnight Moon with braille.
3D printing has greatly evolved in recent years, with the potential to change the production of everything from fashion to guns. Yeh said he hopes the project will make this technology more accessible to the public.
Several interfaces exist for designing 3D models, Yeh mentioned, such as Google SketchUp — but not many programs have been created with parents' needs in mind. The Tactile Picture Book Project is currently testing software programs and leading workshops to teach parents how to create their own books. Researchers hope to someday provide instructions and algorithms on their website so parents can create products with their own 3D printers; as 3D printing continues to grow in popularity and decrease in price, Yeh said, more people will be able to create books at home.
Currently, tactile books are beautiful, but very labor-intensive and expensive, he added. But the future looks bright.
“Affordable 3D printing technology should be available in the very near future," he said. "In two to three years, 3D printers could be less than $1,000.”
Since the original Goodnight Moon book was 3D-printed, the Tactile Picture Books Project has added The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Cat in the Hat to the collection, and it's continuing to grow.
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You can buy 55 gallons of lube on Amazon. If you want to know if it's worth buying, you can read a review by James O. Thach.
Thach likes to leave reviews, more akin to short stories, on bizarre Amazon products (like the aforementioned lube,Justin Bieber singing toothbrushes and fake vomit). But instead of merely trolling, he turns it into a creative writing exercise.
It all started when Amazon "recommended" he buy a $40,000 TV last November.
"My wife and I bought this after selling our daughter Amanda into white slavery," his comment begins. "Amanda, if you're reading this, hang in there, honey! We'll see you in a year."
And a trolling star was born. Currently, the lengthy comment has been rated by 23,062 people, 22,641 of whom "found it helpful." In his creative comments, Thach has pretended to be a wearymother of three boys (which lituptheInternet), a hardcore Ann Coulter fanand a judge who secretly loves mankinis.
Thach is a writer by trade. He's written three children's books, the last of which is The Seal Pup (which happens to have four and a half stars on Amazon).
Mashable chatted with this Internet wizard, and we found out that writing silly Amazon reviews can actually help you profit in the real world.
Author and Amazon reviewer James O. Thach.
IMAGE: JAMES O. THACH
Mashable: What appeals to you about the format?
Thach: I like that you can write something and get a pretty immediate audience, and that the audience can comment. And I like how big the canvas is. Amazon sells just about everything, so there’s a lot of room to move. I also like that the stories are short. They’re like haiku, only not as boring.
Tell us about your career outside of Amazon. Are you a full-time children's author?
I’m a part-time children’s author. The last one I wrote (and my favorite) is The Seal Pup. I'm working on a couple of picture books and a new chapter book series. I really love doing that.
Beyond that, my career has been pretty much all education — running a tutoring company, working with kids with learning differences, and teaching students about environmental and energy issues. Why do I do it? I like the glamor and fast money.
Do you have more potential fans or customers because of the Amazon popularity?
Some people have emailed me through the website, telling me they like the reviews. And some of them have gone on to buy the books, and come back and said how much their kids enjoyed them. Which I think is awesome. If you can read the Amazon reviews and then say, 'I trust this man to entertain my children,' you’re my kind of people.
I’ve also gotten quite a few emails from people asking me to review their products. They’re clearly nuts.
How do you pick the items you review?
It’s a very scientific process. It involves algorithms, random Amazon searches and people suggesting stuff. Mainly those last two.
How long does it take to write reviews?
That varies a lot. Sometimes an hour, sometimes quite a bit longer. A really long one, like the 55 gallon drum of lube or the John Mayer album, might take a day. Most of the time I tinker with a few for a week, on and off, until I think they’re funny.
What has been your favorite review thus far?
Oh, man. Choices. I really love that first one, about the Samsung TV. And I love the one about Cardamom. And the axe murderer. And the Bieber one's pretty funny. And the Kleenex one…
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Apple typically releases its next-generation iPhone in September of each year, sparking a nationwide effort in the months ahead for users to hold on to their dying, dwindling devices for as long as possible before upgrading.
It's not just a matter of wanting the newest toy from Apple; the shelf-life of smartphones is typically low, between18 and 24 months. This means devices start to lag, shut down unexpectedly and do other funky things after about two years (not to mention mobile technology quickly becomes obsolete as new software and hardware hits the market).
So if you're trying to get the most out of your device before the iPhone 6 makes its debut, here are a few tips to consider. Most are related to preserving battery life, which is the biggest culprit in aging phones. But by making a few small changes, you should be able to squeeze in a little more time with your ailing phone.
1. Check under the hood
First, see how hard your device is working and what takes up the most space. You may be surprised to see how many apps and services are running in real time, even when you're not using them. Visit Settings > General > Usageand check out which apps are hogging memory.
Then go ahead and make sure you're running the latest version of iOS 7, just to be sure you have the latest security updates.
2. Uninstall apps you don't use
IMAGE: MASHABLE, NINA FRAZIER-HANSEN
You've probably collected dozens of apps over the years that you rarely or never use, and each one is taking up valuable space. Get rid of them. By deleting apps and the data that is housed within, your mobile phone's processor won't have to work as hard. Think of it like this: Once you clean up the clutter on the floor of your house, it's easier to walk around. The same concept works with smartphones.
Apps that aren't running won't make your processor slow down, but by getting rid of ones you aren't using, you can save yourself from accidentally starting an app that might suck up more juice than necessary.
3. Turn off location-tracking apps
Many apps — from Google Maps toTwitter to your camera to especiallyFacebook — are tracking your location at all times. You can turn off Location Services completely (Settings > Privacy > Location Services) or disable certain apps, one by one. We recommend the latter option, so you can still leave on key location-based functions such as Find My Phone if it's ever lost. Even if you don't want to turn off all location-tracking on apps, Facebook is a huge offender here in sucking up your battery life. Shut it down.
4. Turn off background app refresh
The Background App Refresh is set to "on" in iOS 7, and it's likely snapping up hours of precious running time. The feature lets apps run in the background while you multitask and continually refreshes content when running on Wi-Fi or a cellular network. To disable this feature, visit Settings > General > Background App Refresh. Here, you can turn off the entire function or just disable that apps you don't need to refresh on an automatic basis.
5. Turn off Fetch
Some users elect to keep the "Fetch" button on to retrieve emails and calendar updates automatically. VisitSettings > Mail, Contacts and Calendars > Fetch New Data and make sure "manually" is selected. The iPhone will have to work less without continually looking for updates.
6. Additional battery life
IMAGE: MOPHIE
Manufacturers like Mophie have built-in battery cases that can be switched on when you're low on juice. You can also invest in portable phone charger key chains, USB sticks and standalone batteries to keep in your bag for when you need them most. Charging your phone while in airplane mode will also reportedly help speed up the charging process.
Speaking of Airplane Mode, users can make the most of this feature when in low-coverage areas or if you want to preserve battery life without powering down.
8. Update when you can
Apple periodically pushes out updates to fix bugs and glitches, and while you might be afraid to download the new software with an aging device, it could be a smart move — as long as the device supports the upgrade. Apple updates will tell you if devices (such as iPhone 4S and higher) can take the upgrade and it might just be the fix you need.
9. Do a hard restart
When your iPhone is running especially slow, do a hard restart. Sometimes restarting your device will flush out wonkiness and even free up space; you can also reset the phone to the factory settings, but you'll want to move all your data to the cloud ahead of time.
While these tips will help your iPhone hang on until you're ready for an upgrade, it's also wise to recognize when it's time to say goodbye. If your phone really isn't making the cut, visit your local Apple store (or Best Buy, or other companies with a trade-in policy) and see if the retailer will offer any money for its parts. You can use the credit toward a new one that will work much better — at least, of course, for another 18 to 24 months.
