Report: Microsoft Cortana digital assistant heading to Android
Microsoft’s assistant software may not be as well-known as Google Now or Apple’s Siri, but Cortana – which has been shipping on Windows phones for the past year – will eventually be made available as a standalone application, according to sources familiar with the project. Both Android and iOS smartphones and tablets could be able to make use of Microsoft’s system in the future.
Microsoft is also said to be working on a more advanced version of Cortana, using research from an artificial intelligence project named Einstein. Apparently, the aim is to build upon speech recognition, reading and understanding of emails, and machine learning, in order to become more predictive. Examples given include automatically checking flight status or traffic conditions on before you leave for work. This sounds similar to what Google has been attempting to do with cards for its Now service.
“We’re defining the competitive landscape… of who can provide the most supportive services that make life easier, keep track of things, that complement human memory in a way that helps us get things done,” – Eric Horvitz, managing director of Microsoft Research and a part of the Einstein project
If true, this wouldn’t be the first time that Microsoft has opened up its software to competing operating systems. The Microsoft Office suite has made its way to Android for free this year, as has an Excel optimized keyboard. For Microsoft, which has a small share of the mobile market, this could be part of a strategy to win back consumers for its operating system and/or software packages, or at least to keep the company relevant for general consumers.
23 St. Patrick’s Day themed wallpapers for your Android
Looking to change up your Android home screen? It doesn’t get much easier than swapping out the wallpaper; it’s one of the quickest ways to breath new life into the mobile experience. This collection of wallpapers is centered around the common theme of “St. Patrick’s Day“. Sure, we know there’s a difference between three-leaf clover, four-leaf clover, shamrocks, and leprechauns. And, we also know there’s a few here that aren’t outright based on the holiday. Either way, we dig ‘em and think some of you might, too.
Note that the wallpaper page may go through a few changes over the coming weeks and that your experience should improve with each update. If you see something that you think we’d like to share, drop us a line. What’s more, if you have created some wallpapers of your own and want help in spreading the word, we’re your guys.
The post 23 St. Patrick’s Day themed wallpapers for your Android appeared first on AndroidGuys.
‘Activity’ Companion App for Apple Watch Found Hidden in iOS 8.2
iOS developer Hamza Sood has tweeted a series of screenshots from the iOS 8.2 beta that provide a closer look at the upcoming “Activity” companion app for Apple Watch previewed on the Apple Watch microsite. Activity does not show up on iPhone until an Apple Watch is paired with the device, at which point the app provides a comprehensive overview of your daily activity and workout history.
So the Fitness app does exist on 8.2, it’s just hidden until you connect an Apple Watch pic.twitter.com/R1BgnKYRHe
— Hamza Sood (@hamzasood) March 12, 2015
The main History tab allows you to view your Activity rings on a calendar to track how much walking, standing and exercise you have done sorted over the course of a day, month or year. A second Achievements tab displays a grid of achievements that are unlocked for reaching personal bests or milestones. The screenshots reveal there are at least a dozen achievements to unlock.
Apple is pushing the health and fitness capabilities of Apple Watch as one of three main selling points for the wrist-worn device, the others being communication and timekeeping. The upcoming Activity app is an important feature in that regard, and looks polished in time for the Apple Watch’s release next month. Apple will begin taking pre-orders for the Apple Watch on April 10 ahead of an April 24 launch.
Samsung patent describes flexible phone design
With Project Ara, Google eyed modules as a way for users to build a custom phone that meets their unique needs and in the long term, may make it easier to keep up with the latest and greatest developments in smartphone tech as only particular modules need to be replaced. A new patent application from Samsung reveals that company has identified another use for modules in the smartphone market – making devices flexible.
The new patent application describes a device that goes beyond just having a fixed, curved screen. The device that Samsung submitted is capable of curving the frame itself by using a series of modules and can curve either inward or outward.
To achieve the feat described in the patent application, Samsung described how the same concept could be applied to a battery with the modules connected by cables. Making a component like the battery flexible is a requirement for a device like what Samsung has described since the smallest module is limited to the biggest component inside a smartphone.
Samsung points out that the design may lend itself especially well to devices marketed to active users. With the design of the modules and hinges, it may be possible for such a phone to be clipped onto clothing without the need for a case or band.
source: Patently Mobile
via: GSM Arena
Come comment on this article: Samsung patent describes flexible phone design
Microsoft reveals more on how Cortana will invade iOS and Android
After Microsoft vaguely confirmed last November that its digital assistant Cortana will be headed to other operating systems, the software giant is finally offering up specifics. Microsoft is now aiming to bring Cortana to iOS and Android devices as a standalone app, Reuters reports. What’s more, the company is also looking to include technology from one of its artificial intelligence research projects, dubbed Einstein. “This kind of technology, which can read and understand email, will play a central role in the next roll out of Cortana, which we are working on now for the fall time frame,” Eric Horvitz, managing director of Microsoft Research and a member of the Einstein project, told Reuters. We’ve already seen Cortana offer some basic digital assistant functionality on Windows Phones and Windows 10 — it can tell you the weather, dictate messages, and remind you of appointments — but it sounds like it’ll soon get some deeper understanding of how we live and work.
Basically, it sounds like Microsoft is turning Cortana into a more humanized version of Google Now, Google’s digital assistant which anticipates your needs and surfaces information before you even ask for it, and a more capable Siri. It makes sense that Cortana would make its way to other platforms, since Microsoft is making more of an effort to bring great apps and services to other platforms. Heck, it just bought a popular email app and rebranded it as Outlook.
Microsoft is tapping into its work in machine learning, search, and speech recognition to build its smarter version of Cortana, Reuters notes. Let’s just hope it’s enough to make people forget about Clippy, the annoying Microsoft Office assistant infamous for its terrible predictive advice.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Reuters
Xbox One had ‘record’ amount of US sales in February but was still behind PlayStation 4
Microsoft said the Xbox One had “record February sales in the U.S.” last month, but it wasn’t enough for the game console to beat its main rival, Sony’s PlayStation 4.
That curved glass on the S6 Edge? It takes time and money
The public reception of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge has been generally favorable, enough to make Samsung ramp up production levels and promise similar designs for other products coming in 2015. The downside is Samsung may be actually having trouble meeting the demand for its new devices, in particular the Galaxy S6 Edge.
A report from Taiwanese website TechNews claims Samsung is facing issues with the curved glass covering the Galaxy S6 Edge, including low yield rates, lengthy fabrication processes, and high costs.
Reportedly, Samsung’s China-based supplier of curved glass currently works with a 50% yield rate, meaning that half of all glass sheets have to be scrapped. That’s due to the lengthy and complex “thermo forming” process that each sheet of Gorilla Glass 4 needs to go through in order to attain the needed shape. Samsung explained the process in a blog post: put simply, each sheet of glass is heated to 800 degrees centigrade (which softens it), then pressed into shape using a special mold, chemically strengthened, and finally polished using high-precision machines. The polishing step alone can take 40 minutes.
According to the sources cited by TechNews, the final cost of each curved glass can reach $25-$26. It’s not clear if this cost accounts for the current low yield (if it factors in defective products), but it’s definitely above the average price of a conventional, flat Gorilla Glass screen. One source that’s often cited on the web says a flat sheet can cost as little as $3. Even if the cost reported by TechNews isn’t as high as $25, it’s safe to say it’s significantly higher than $3, and that’s likely one of the reasons the S6 Edge is more expensive than its non-curved sibling.
Samsung’s original order was for up to 8.5 million sheets of glass in Q2 2015, but due to the low yield, the supplier won’t be able to make more than 6.5 million units, says the report. As such, Samsung is said to be looking for other suppliers to make up the difference.
To be clear, this doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a shortage of Galaxy S6 Edge in stores. Even if this report is entirely accurate, Samsung may secure additional suppliers or a breakthrough in the manufacturing process could increase yields in the future.
Samsung reportedly plans to manufacture 4 million Galaxy S6 Edge units by the end of April.
More details revealed about YouTube’s 360-degree video integration
Back in January it was reported that YouTube is planning on supporting 360-degree videos, and now we have a little more info.
Users will be able to upload these special videos from compatible cameras, which include Bublcam, Giroptic’s 360cam, IC Real Tech’s Allie,Kodak’s SP360 and Ricoh’s Theta. You will be able to watch these 360-degree videos on the existing the YouTube app for Android while moving around the 360 view will be done by moving the phone or tablet. It’s also a lock that you will see this integrated with Google Cardboard and other VR headsets.
Users on the desktop will be able to simply drag their mouse to see different views.
We are still not certain as to when this feature will launch, but YouTube will be hosting a technology showcase through April in Los Angeles , which gives consumers a chance to try out different cameras and learn how to make great 360-degree videos.
source: CNet
Come comment on this article: More details revealed about YouTube’s 360-degree video integration
Microsoft’s Digital Assistant Cortana May Be Heading to iOS and Anrdoid
Microsoft is beefing up “Cortana”, its virtual voice assistant found in its line of Windows Phones, with plans to provide her contextual reminders and various other features on iOS and Android devices later this year, according to Reuters.
Announced for Windows 10 desktops earlier this year, Microsoft is planning to upgrade Cortana’s functions even more through research from an artificial intelligence project called “Einstein.” Reuters notes that the new iteration of Cortana would double-down on her being less reactive, akin to iOS users needing to instigate Siri commands themselves, and more proactive.
The virtual assistant, named after an artificial intelligence character who appears in most of the main Halo games, could go so far as to plan out a trip to the airport. She would prep boarding passes, check traffic and flight delays, all from reading emails related to the matter.
Cortana could tell a mobile phone user when to leave for the airport, days after it read an email and realized the user was planning a flight. It would automatically check flight status, determine where the phone is located using GPS, and checking traffic conditions.
“This kind of technology, which can read and understand email, will play a central role in the next roll out of Cortana, which we are working on now for the fall time frame,” said Eric Horvitz, managing director of Microsoft Research and a part of the Einstein project, in an interview at the company’s Redmond, Washington, headquarters.
While still not officially confirmed by Microsoft, Reuters notes that a Cortana app for iOS and Android could extend the program’s reach beyond the company’s smaller share of the smartphone business, and perhaps win over converts not impressed with Siri’s functionality.
Microsoft definitely sees Siri as a competitor, releasing a string of advertisements last year pointing out Cortana’s biggest features still unavailable to Siri users on iOS, like mapping out traffic patterns to provide a user alerts and contextually aware reminders
Disney releases Cinderella Free Fall matching game for iPhone and iPad
Disney has released Cinderella Free Fall for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. The title takes the iconic princess on a puzzle matchmaking adventure in the enchanted world of. Prepare yourself to connect and match luminous butterfly jewels in 100 levels.
The game is much like other titles in the jewel-matching genre, tasking the player to create the longest lines possible in a single swipe to unleash some powerful magical effects. Moves not only include straight lines, but circular connections too. Cinderella’s animal friends are also around to lend a helping hand.
In anticipation for the upcoming Cinderella movie, now is a perfect time to pick up the game and relive some of those magical memories. It’s worth noting that, just like Frozen Free Fall and Maleficent Free Fall by Disney, while this title is freely available for download, you’ll be greeted by in-app purchases.
- Free – Download Now
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