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.
Microsoftis reportedly working on a wrist-mounted wearable that works with your smartphone, and it might not be a smartwatch.
Tech site WinSuperSite reports that Microsoft’s upcoming device is more akin to a fitness tracker like Fitbit and Samsung Gear Fit, citing unnamed Microsoft insiders.
The report mentioned that the Microsoft device will carry all the usual fitness sensors for heart rate, calories burned and steps taken, and matches earlier reports that it could have up to 11 sensors.
If the rumors are true, its major selling point will be its universal compatibility; the device will reportedly be usable with any major smartphone (not just Windows phones, but Android and iOS, too). It's likely that Microsoft's fitness-focused apps such as Bing Health & Fitness and HealthVault will be available with the wearable.
While Apple may launch a smartwatchthis year (rumors peg it as the "iWatch"), nothing has been confirmed so far. Google, on the other hand, showed off Android Wear watches and software last week at the I/O Developer Conference, and has already put some of the hardware up for preorder.
The report indicates that the Microsoft’s device will be available sometime in the fourth quarter of 2014.
The popular chatting app was previously only available on mobile for the iPhone, but the social network pushed out an update on Thursday that includes full native iPad support. In the past, users could use Facebook Messenger on the iPad, but only as an enlarged iPhone app.
Messenger allows users to contact their Facebook friends for free via the tool, forgoing text messaging. Updates to the app include bug fixes and the ability to save videos within the app directly to your phone's camera roll.
Facebook Messenger is now available on iPad for the first time.
The news comes three years after Facebook acquired group messaging app Beluga and later built that technology into Messenger, which became its first mobile app launched beyond its official Facebook app.
Messenger's fate became unclear after Facebook purchased messaging service WhatsApp earlier this year for $16 billion. In April, Facebook confirmed it would force its mobile users to send messages only via the Messenger app, eliminating chat features from the iOS and Android versions of the Facebook app. This indicated that Messenger wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.
You download the iPad app from the Apple App Store here.
Disney need to be a bit quicker off the mark than this!
With both the U.S. and England now knocked out of the FIFA World Cup, Disney has just now taken the opportunity to release an iOS version of Bola, the hugely popular Facebook soccer game developed by Three Melons and acquired by Playdom back in March 2010.
Now called Disney Bola Soccer (orDisney Bola Football if you live somewhere where football is used to describe a game in which players kick a ball with their feet), the game is a whole lot of fun — utilizing simple swipe and tap gestures — and is well worth checking out.
It offers quick game sessions, plus a longer solo tournament mode that lets you progress through the map, beating other teams, and earning cups along the way. There’s also a multiplayer mode, which allows you to play against other players’ teams to earn team XP, and climb up in the leader boards.
Disney Bola Soccer can be downloaded for free from the App Store, for iOS devices running iOS 7.0 and above.
Hugo Barra, ex-member of the Android team at Google and now working for Xiaomi, has just announced that its new employer managed to ship about 26.1 millions phones globally in the first half of 2014. This is 3.7x times higher or an increase of 271% than what it shipped in the same period last year.
The company also managed to pull a revenue of USD 5.3 billion or ¥33 billion, up a whopping 149% from the 1st half of 2013. Hugo, however,did not reveal how much profit the company actually made.
Xiaomi might be an unheard OEM in the USA, but the company is a force to reckon with in the Chinese smartphone market. The company has consistently released impressive products at an extremely low price, which have always sold out within minutes of going on sale. In China — the biggest smartphone market of the world — the company has a stronger foothold than Apple, which has even led to the latter in revising its strategies from time to time.
The company recently expanded to Singapore and Malaysia and has been working hard to expand to another major smartphone market in Asia — India. With Xiaomi planning on expanding to other major Asian markets, its staggering growth is bound to continue for the time being.
Renowned leaker, @Evleaks, took to Twitter earlier today to bestow upon us some more information with regards to Google’s next Nexus tablet, codenamed Volantis, which we believe will be designed and manufactured by HTC. We first heard about the device last month when we were sent an early render and some alleged specifications, but it turns out that the initial documentation was in fact incorrect. From the details we now have it looks like Google is attempting to develop the world’s most powerful tablet.
The newest and ‘most reliable’ leak suggests that the Volantis is currently being tested with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 810 processor, and will ship running a NVIDIA Tegra K1 64-bit chipset once the research team has developed a suitable cooling system. The leak also suggests that the slate will boast a colossal 5GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, an 8.9-inch display with a stunning resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels enclosed in an aluminium unibody design with acoustics provided by HTC’s famous BoomSound audio system.
A leaked macro photograph reveals that the device could be the first on the market to come with a version of Android Silver (OS Alpha 1.4) on board, which, for those unaware, is rumored to be the ‘premiere’ Android experience – manufacturers will build smartphones to Google’s exact specifications, pre-load them with minimal bloatware and sell them through major carriers, so that users can get the best possible experience without all the additional software and overlays that usually come bundled with modern-day devices.
As with all leaks and rumors, we have to take these alleged specifications with a pinch of salt until Google provides us with some solid evidence regarding what it has in store for its next flagship tablet — but hopefully we won’t have to wait too much longer until we find out.
Believe it or not, but Android and iCloud can work together in perfect harmony.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve received a number of emails from readers who are either considering or already in the process of migrating from an iPhone or iPad enquiring if it’s possible to configure an iCloud account on an Android-powered device. The quick and simple answer to that question is yes, it is possible, but it can be a bit tricky — so we’ve decided to create this comprehensive ‘How-To’ guide.
So sit back, relax and follow the steps below to set up your iCloud email account on your Android smartphone or tablet. Before we start, though, you’ll need to open the stock Email client on your handset. The design of the application will vary depending on your particular device and the launcher you’ve chosen to use, but its overall function should be the same.
Once you’ve opened the Mail application that ships as standard on your smartphone/tablet, you will be presented with a list of different Email Service Providers — you’ll need to select Other(POP3/IMAP). You should then be redirected to an information screen entitled ‘Incoming Server Settings.’ Here you’ll need to fill in the following information:
IMAP Server: imap.mail.me.com Security Type: SSL or SSL (Accept all certificates) Port number: 993 Username: The name part of your iCloud Email address. For example,Josh@icloud.com. Password: The same password you used for your Apple ID.
After you’ve entered all of the information above, tap the Nextbutton, and you’ll be taken to a similar page in order to configure the Outgoing Server Settings. Keeping the same format, you’ll need to input these credentials:
SMTP Server: smtp.mail.me.com Security Type: TLS or SSL (Accept all certificates) Port Number: 587 Username: The name part of your iCloud Email address. Password: The same password you used to register for your Apple ID.
Then, hit the Done button. You’ll be asked for a Display Name — this is the recipient information that’s displayed when an email is sent from your smartphone or tablet. Enter something suitable (we’d recommend your name) and tap ‘Complete.’
Voilà! You have successfully configured your iCloud account on Android. If you run into any issues along the way, do be sure to let us know in the comments section below, and we’ll do our very best to get you back on track.
One of key features introduced by Google in Android L is Project Volta, which aimed to greatly improve the battery life of Android devices by smartly and efficiently making use of the available resources and keeping unnecessary wakelocks to a minimum.
But how good is Project Volta? According a test conducted by the folks over at Ars Technica on a Nexus 5, users can see a whopping 36% increase in battery life while running L.
In the test, the Nexus 5 screen is switched on and kept at 200 nits and then a page over Wi-Fi is reloaded every 15 seconds. The result? While running KitKat, the Nexus 5 lasted a total of 345 minutes, while with Android L it increased to a whopping 471 minutes or a jump of 36%.
Battery life has always been one of the Achilles heel of Android devices. Even with humongous batteries, most Android devices struggle to last a day under heavy usage, which was a clear indication of poor software optimization. However, with Android L, Google has finally fixed one of the biggest complaints of Android users.
Keep in mind though, that your mileage will vary in real life since this is a scientific test. But be rest assured that once the Android L update lands on your Nexus device, you will notice a marked improvement in battery life.
Google has expanded its “OK Google” hotword recognition functionality from the homescreen to nine other new languages. Earlier, the hotword detection was only available to English speaking users in the U.K, US and Canada, with support for French and German users added very recently.
Now, users of English in any locale can enjoy hotword detection from their homescreen along with Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, Spanish and Japanese language users.
Keep in mind that the recently introduced “OK Google” hotword detection from any screen will not be available to these users. They will only be able to trigger the hotword detection if they are using the Google Now Launcher or when Google Now itself is opened.
Since this is a server side service, it is not neccessary that the feature would be instantly available to you. To be on the safe side though, make sure you are running the latest version of Google Search (v3.5) released a few days ago.Google has expanded its “OK Google” hotword recognition functionality from the homescreen to nine other new languages. Earlier, the hotword detection was only available to English speaking users in the U.K, US and Canada, with support for French and German users added very recently.
Now, users of English in any locale can enjoy hotword detection from their homescreen along with Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, Spanish and Japanese language users.
Keep in mind that the recently introduced “OK Google” hotword detection from any screen will not be available to these users. They will only be able to trigger the hotword detection if they are using the Google Now Launcher or when Google Now itself is opened.
Since this is a server side service, it is not neccessary that the feature would be instantly available to you. To be on the safe side though, make sure you are running the latest version of Google Search (v3.5) released a few days ago.
Future Apple devices may be able to dynamically modify user interface elements, security levels, and other types of behavior based on location, according to a new patent application published Thursday.
Referred to as “Location-sensitive security levels and setting profiles based on detected location,” Apple’s application describes a setup in which both the hardware and software of your iPhone, iPad, and whatever other mobile devices Apple releases in future can seamlessly work together to automatically adjust various UI and device behavior settings.
While this a broad area, the most interesting element of the application are the potential security settings, which would allow iOS devices to intelligently demand differing levels of security authentication depending on whether users are at home, or out and about — meaning that unlocking your iPhone in the confines of your house could involve a simple four-digit passcode, while unlocking it in a public area may require Touch ID.
Your iPhone could demand different amount of security verification depending on if you’re at home, in the car, or in the office
This could possibly work alongside an Apple patent published back in March, revealing how Cupertino is exploring different types of biometrics — including palm prints, face-recognition, retina scans, and voice signatures — which can be requested in various combinations before users are able to access their data.
Location could be determined by a variety of different means, including cellular tower data, recognition of a home Wi-Fi network, GPS data or even closeness to other smartphones, among others. At least two location aspects would be required for the system to be able to function with the kind of accuracy needed for this to work.
New locations could be automatically measured using a “location context” module, which would apply security settings based on a predefined scale. Public areas — recognized through the presence of mobile Wi-Fi hotspots — could also demand higher authentication requirements for apps containing sensitive information, such as Address Book or Calendar.
How the context-aware security settings may appear on a future iOS device.
Apple’s “Location-sensitive security levels and setting profiles based on detected location” patent application was first filed December 31, 2012.
Shortly after updating Spotify with the ability to search for downloaded music offline, Spotify’s iOS app has just received a notable new update.
Spotify now lets users view play queues on their iPhone. This can be done by tapping the queue icon on the top right corner of the “Now Playing” screen. The update also features a new dialog box, which appears each time you try to add a song to a playlist which already includes it: a great way of avoiding duplicating songs without you realizing it.
In addition, Spotify now includes new sorting and filtering options in the “Your Music” section.
Having recently received a stunning iOS 7-inspired overhaul, these changes add to what is a better app than ever if you’re a music lover. Spotify Music is available for free from the App Store for all iOS devices, running iOS 6.0 and above.
