This Microsoft app uses Cortana tech to add voice dictation to Office

Ever wish you could just say your essay aloud and have Microsoft Word write it out for you?

Well, now you can, with a new app called Dictate. Microsoft has released the add-in for not only Word, but also Outlook and Powerpoint. It uses Cortana’s speech-recognition technology to offer speech-to-text functionality. In other words, you simply speak what you want to type. But Dictate is not the first app to offer dictation. Goole already offers a similar experience in Google Docs, for instance.

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Office also supported voice-to-text typing before now. Dictate just adds some new features, including support for 20 languages and new editing commands such as “new line”, “delete”, and “stop dictation. Another cool feature is real-time translation into over 60 languages. So, you could say something in English and have it immediately translated in French, Spanish, or whatever else you want.

Dictate is available for 32- and 64-bit Office. You must be running at least Windows 8.1. It’s also free to download and use. Keep in mind this app, which is from Microsoft’s experimental Garage unit, follows the release of Microsoft Office via the Windows Store for the first time.

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ESA’s search for Earth’s ‘twin’ starts in 2026

The European Space Agency (ESA) announced today that it is officially adopting the PLATO mission. PLATO, which stands for PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars, is a planet-hunting project that will look for Earth twins — planets just like our own.

So far, scientists have found thousands of exoplanets — planets outside of our solar system — many of which were a result of the TRAPPIST and Kepler missions. Just this week NASA announced that the Kepler telescope spotted ten Earth-sized planets among a batch of 219. But it’s hard to get much detail about planets so far away, and that’s where PLATO comes in.

PLATO’s data will come from a satellite loaded up with 26 telescopes. They’ll survey large areas of the sky for up to two years at a time in order get a good look at distant exoplanets and the stars they orbit. The telescopes will spot exoplanets as they pass in front of and dim the light of their stars. PLATO will then analyze the mass, radius and age of each one.

Past ESA missions include a failed Mars lander and the spectacular Rosetta mission that ended last September. Last year the agency announced future missions to the moon.

PLATO will search for and characterize what’s sure to be many planets orbiting several hundred thousands of stars with the larger goal being to locate habitable planets and Earth twins. The researchers on the project expect they’ll collect several petabytes of data throughout the mission, which is scheduled to last a minimum of four years. PLATO’s launch is scheduled for 2026.

Via: Popular Mechanics

Source: Max Planck

Apple enlists help of startup Health Gorilla to add diagnostic data to iPhones

Why it matters to you

The iPhone can make doctors visits easier by giving you constant access to your medical history and helping to avoid a misdiagnoses.

Last week, Apple was reportedly working on a “secret” plan for the iPhone to carry all your medical information — doctor’s visits, prescriptions, lab results, and any other clinical data. Apple had apparently already been meeting with health care administrators and developers to build out additions to the iOS Health app.

Details of Apple’s next move reportedly involves working with a startup called Health Gorilla, according to individuals who relayed the information to CNBC. The startup’s app runs similarly to how Apple might structure its own version by keeping all the medical information on one platform.

The small startup sets out to change the process of doctors visits and encourages people to stay updated on their own health. For patients, the app keeps all medical records stored for easy access which can then be shared with any doctor or specialist. As for doctors, the app is able to automatically inform them of a patients’ medical history as soon as they walk in — potentially eliminating the guesswork of piecing together an accurate diagnosis.

Health Gorilla also intends to reduce the amount of waste produced through ordering billions of diagnostic tests each year. With the app, physicians have access to diagnostic labs, radiology centers, along with skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, among others and can place orders and referrals for patients using a simplified process.

In terms of teaming up with Apple, CNBC noted that Health Gorilla is supposedly working alongside the company to include diagnostic data — such as blood work — on the iPhone through integration with lap-testing companies, imaging centers, and hospitals.

Apple has consistently been making strides to use the iPhone as a tool and resource to encourage a healthy and active lifestyle — with tons of different fitness apps available to keep you moving. Through the Health app itself, users can record their own body measurements, vitals, nutrition, activity, and more. While it can improve a user’s personal relationship with fitness, it still leaves a wide gap between a user and other important aspects of health.

With this plan, the potential upgrade to Apple’s health app can also help those who need to visit doctors apart from their main physician if they are away from home or need to take care of an urgent matter. By having all of the information stored on the iPhone, new patients can reduce the risk of doctors misdiagnosing them or experiencing any other medical errors.

About 86 percent of active Apple iPhone and iPad devices run iOS 10

Why it matters to you

More Apple devices running the latest version of iOS means more people have better security, and are accessing Apple’s latest features.

Update: We’ve added the latest metrics from Apple — 86 percent of Apple devices are currently on iOS 10.

Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS 10, has been out since September 2016. In the nine months since then, 86 percent of active iOS devices have adopted it.

The Cupertino company frequently updates the number of devices on its OS based on App Store data, and the latest numbers as of June 5 claim that 86 percent of active iOS devices run some version of iOS 10. Eleven percent of devices run iOS 9, while three percent of active devices are using an even earlier version.

It’s great news for Apple, as the majority of the company’s customers are staying on its most up-to-date software. Speaking of up-to-date, Apple unveiled iOS 11, the next and greatest version of its smartphone and iPad OS, at its 28th annual Worldwide Developers Conference.

While the iOS 11 developer beta is currently available, the public beta will be released at the end of June, with the final version is scheduled for the fall. All 64-bit iPhone and iPad devices and apps will receive iOS 11, meaning 32-bit devices like the iPhone 5C and the iPad Mini will not get iOS 11.

With iOS 11, users will see a incremental changes ranging from a redesigned Control Center and notifications, along with additional photo effects akin to Live Photos. As far as new features go, Apple introduced peer-to-peer transactions with Apple Pay, and Files — a new file management system. The update also introduces ARKit, which will allow developers to build or bring fluid augmented reality apps to iOS.

Apple maintains tight control over its operating system and hardware, which allows the company to see high adoption rates of its latest software. Google’s Android version updates, on the other hand, have to be released by a myriad of manufacturers and then by carriers if the device is locked.

Android Nougat jumps to more than 9 percent of active devices

Why it matters to you

Tracking the popularity of different versions of the Android operating system helps device owners know how their own version stacks up.

Update: Android Nougat 7.0 and 7.1 have increased in distribution by four percent since April and is currently on over nine percent of devices.

The latest distribution numbers are in, and surprisingly, Android 7.0 has jumped more than four percent since April. That is in stark contrast to the meager advances it has made since its release at the end of August.

According to the Android Developer Dashboard, Nougat devices have jumped 4.6 percent from April, now accounting for 9.5 percent of active Android devices together. Marshmallow is still the reigning king with an API level at 31.2 percent — taking the crown from Lollipop trailing close behind at 30.8 percent.

In contrast, Apple’s iOS 10 was released in the middle of September and it’s installed on 86 percent of devices as of June 5th.

Even though 31.2 percent — the share of devices running Marshmallow — sounds like a small number, it accounts for a lot of phones, especially considering there have been well over 1.4 billion Android devices activated since September 2015. It’s an improvement, but the numbers continue to highlight one of Android’s biggest problems: Fragmentation. Google issues monthly security updates and rolls out version updates to all of its supported Pixel, Nexus, and Android One devices, but these are not always released in a timely manner by manufacturers and carriers for other devices.

Keep in mind, this doesn’t account for the millions of Android smartphones in China, as Google only collects data from devices that access the Google Play Store. The Play Store is not available in China.

Version

Code Name

API

Distribution

2.3.3 – 2.3.7
Gingerbread
10
0.8 percent
4.0.3 – 4.0.4
Ice Cream Sandwich
15
0.8percent
4.1.x
Jelly Bean
16
3.1 percent
4.2.x
17
4.4 percent
4.3
18
1.3 percent
4.4
KitKat
19
18.1 percent
5.0
Lollipop
21
8.2 percent
5.1
22
22.6 percent
6.0
Marshmallow
23
31.2 percent
7.0
Nougat
24
8.9 percent
7.1
Nougat
25
0.6 percent

*The data above is from Google. It was collected during a seven-day period ending on June 5, 2017. Any versions with less than 0.1 percent distribution are not shown.

Nougat 7.0 and 7.1 were the only versions to see some gains this month — all other Android versions decreased in percentage, while Marshmallow stayed at 31.2 percent. During the January data collection period, Google added the entry for 7.1 as it saw wide roll out in December 2016. That has fragmented Nougat’s numbers, but now over nine percent of Android devices have Nougat.

Nougat’s numbers will continue to increase as manufacturers and carriers begin to push updates and as more devices are released this year, but it will be a slow and arduous process. Google’s Pixel smartphones are reportedly “very popular” according to Verizon, and if it becomes a household name as Samsung has managed to achieve with its Galaxy lineup, then Google’s dream of having a large user base with the latest version of Android will come true.

The huge number of people using older versions of Android is not a good thing, as software vulnerabilities and bugs may never be fixed. The Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission sent letters to software giants, including Apple and Google, as well as manufacturers and carriers, inquiring about the security process and how they push updates to consumers.

We’ll continue to update this post as Google updates its Android distribution figures.

Uber finally gives in, now lets you tip your driver from the app

Why it matters to you

If you use Uber and always wanted to give more than a good rating to a rider, now you can.

Uber changed the taxi industry but mostly failed to adopt one of its foundational tenets — tipping. On Tuesday, the ridesharing giant is changing that and announced you can now tip your drivers straight from the app.

After upgrading to the latest version of the app, you will be able to add a tip after a completed trip or UberEats delivery. Once you input your star rating for the driver you will be given the option to tip in predetermined increments or any amount you desire. If you are unable to tip at the time or wish to do it later, you have up to 30 days to tip your rider. You will get detailed information on which trips you gave tips and the amount in your trip history.

Drivers will need to update their version of the app and click the Accept Tips button to opt-in. Drivers will also be happy to know their star ratings will not affect how much of the tip they receive as Uber does not get a cut of the money. Drivers can also cash out their tips using Instant Pay as soon as they receive the money.

At first, tipping will only be available in Seattle, Minneapolis, and Houston so Uber can test-run and properly assess the feature. But, everyone in the United States riding in Uber and/or ordering from UberEats will be able to give a bit extra to the driver in the Uber app by the end of July.

Uber has had a particularly complicated stance on tipping. At one point, Uber’s website informed riders  “tips are included in the price of a ride,” even though they have never been. It took Uber paying a $100 million settlement for the company to change its messaging to indicate drivers are allowed to solicit tips. Now the company has a policy where “drivers may request tips at their discretion.”

Lyft has allowed riders to do in-app tipping for years and announced its drivers have amassed more than $200 million in tips over four years.

Creative AI makes epic dinosaur art by cleverly arranging pictures of flowers

Why it matters to you

Think machines can’t be creative? This awesome use of artificial intelligence to make epic dinosaur art will make you question that assumption.

Neural networks can do some awesome things, from allowing cars to drive on their own to instantly translating dozens of languages. But when it comes to our personal favorite use cases, we’re going with one recently engineered by Australian artist Chris Rodley.

By combining a deep-learning algorithm, a book of dinosaur pictures, and a book of flower paintings, he’s created some of the trippiest images this side of an M.C. Escher or Salvador Dali.

“The tech that makes this work isn’t mine, but was created by a team of researchers from Germany who published a paper on it two years ago,” Rodley told Digital Trends. “The idea of the group, led by Leon Gatys, was to transfer an art style as represented in a sample print to a target photograph. They called it ‘style transfer,’ and it was a huge success. Many people have been using it to see how they’d look painted in the style of [Georges] Seurat or [Pablo] Picasso or whatever. But the most interesting work I came across wasn’t just applying form; it was actually taking content from one image, and using it to reconstruct the original target image.”

Chris Rodley

As well as flowers, Rodley also attempted combining dinosaur images with still-life paintings of fruits and vegetables, along with several other objects, with the results being truly mesmerizing.

“It turns out, through trial and error, that dinosaurs are perfect targets for this algorithm, because their shapes are instantly evocative,” Rodley continued. “[Whereas something like] the Mona Lisa is not so great, since its composition isn’t especially distinctive; rather it’s in the detail.”

It’s a stunning example of some of the creative possibilities available to artists when they utilize artificial intelligence as a tool that essentially transforms into brushes that can think for themselves. “AI is developing so fast now that there seem to be more creative tools than there are creative people to use them,” he said.

Since uploading the pictures to his website, Rodley said he has been overwhelmed by requests from people, many of whom want to know where they can get copies of the images themselves. “I added a contact form to my site since so many people were asking for prints,” he said. “I’ll try and make that happen.”

Creative AI makes epic dinosaur art by cleverly arranging pictures of flowers

Why it matters to you

Think machines can’t be creative? This awesome use of artificial intelligence to make epic dinosaur art will make you question that assumption.

Neural networks can do some awesome things, from allowing cars to drive on their own to instantly translating dozens of languages. But when it comes to our personal favorite use cases, we’re going with one recently engineered by Australian artist Chris Rodley.

By combining a deep-learning algorithm, a book of dinosaur pictures, and a book of flower paintings, he’s created some of the trippiest images this side of an M.C. Escher or Salvador Dali.

“The tech that makes this work isn’t mine, but was created by a team of researchers from Germany who published a paper on it two years ago,” Rodley told Digital Trends. “The idea of the group, led by Leon Gatys, was to transfer an art style as represented in a sample print to a target photograph. They called it ‘style transfer,’ and it was a huge success. Many people have been using it to see how they’d look painted in the style of [Georges] Seurat or [Pablo] Picasso or whatever. But the most interesting work I came across wasn’t just applying form; it was actually taking content from one image, and using it to reconstruct the original target image.”

Chris Rodley

As well as flowers, Rodley also attempted combining dinosaur images with still-life paintings of fruits and vegetables, along with several other objects, with the results being truly mesmerizing.

“It turns out, through trial and error, that dinosaurs are perfect targets for this algorithm, because their shapes are instantly evocative,” Rodley continued. “[Whereas something like] the Mona Lisa is not so great, since its composition isn’t especially distinctive; rather it’s in the detail.”

It’s a stunning example of some of the creative possibilities available to artists when they utilize artificial intelligence as a tool that essentially transforms into brushes that can think for themselves. “AI is developing so fast now that there seem to be more creative tools than there are creative people to use them,” he said.

Since uploading the pictures to his website, Rodley said he has been overwhelmed by requests from people, many of whom want to know where they can get copies of the images themselves. “I added a contact form to my site since so many people were asking for prints,” he said. “I’ll try and make that happen.”

Project Fi’s Group Repay makes it easier to manage plan member payments

Why it matters to you

If you’ve ever been a part of a family data plan, you know how complicated payments can get. Project Fi’s Group Repay aims to make things simpler.

Sometimes, one of the most challenging things about group cell phone plans is ensuring every member pays their fair share. If you draw from the same data bucket, it is pretty much inevitable that one or two folks will use much more than the others, which can make for uncomfortable conversations. Leave it to Google, the brains behind prototypical cell phone carrier Project Fi, to come up with a solution: Automatic bill payments.

“To take the headache out of sharing your wireless plan, today we’re introducing group repay — an easier way to split your Project Fi group plan,” Project Fi product manager Marcia Jung wrote in a blog post. “Each month, we’ll calculate participating members’ portion of the bill, send out payment reminders, and provide a simple way for members to repay plan owners directly through Project Fi.

If you are sharing your Google Fi account with one or more people, there is a new way to pay your bill: Group Repay. Participating group plan members have the option of paying individual totals, fixed monthly amounts, or the cost of data they used on top of the basic plan’s cap. Members get reminders when payments are due, or have the option automatic monthly repayment to a debit card or checking account.

It is even easier if they use Wallet, Google’s mobile payments app. Plan subscribers can make payments from a notification on their Android home screen and browse past charges and payment statuses to see how their contributions compare.

“You shouldn’t have to pull out a calculator every month to figure out everyone’s share of the phone bill,” Jung wrote. “There are many different ways to split the bill, but whatever you decide, Project Fi will do the math.”

To celebrate the launch of Group Repay, Google’s throwing in a free month of Fi Basics for new subscribers. New plan members who activate by July 17 and remain active for 30 days get a $35 credit when they add a new Project Fi subscriber to their group plan.

Project Fi, which launched in 2015, is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that provides phone, messaging, and data services using a combination of Wi-Fi and cellular networks belonging to Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Three. Subscriptions start at $20 per month for unlimited calls and messaging, $10 for a gigabyte of data per month, and $15 per month per additional user. Money for unused data is credited back to users’ accounts.

Not every device is supported, unfortunately. As of now, only the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, and Google’s Pixel-branded devices are fully compatible.

Google expects Group Repay to simplify bills for the millions of people on group cellphone plans. According to the Mountain View, California-based company, about 50 percent of people aged 18 to 34 who have a group plan share their plan with their parents, and half pay at least some share of the bill. Another 42 percent share their plans with a spouse or significant other, and 5 percent share it with their friend or roommates.

Lenovo flashes hinge-free, ThinkPad laptop concept with a bending screen

Why it matters to you

Lenovo is looking into the future with its ThinkPad prototype design, but the final product may not appear for years to come.

During the Lenovo Transform event in New York City, Lenovo Senior Vice President Christian Teismann revealed a concept design showcasing where Lenovo wants to take the ThinkPad brand. The device was presented via a slide showcasing a laptop-like form factor with no hinge. Instead, the device featured a foldable, unibody design with a screen that could bend as well.

“This is more than just design, or look and feel. It’s a new set of advanced materials and new screen technologies,” he told the audience. “It’s how you can speak to it, or write on it, or how it speaks to you. Always connected. Always on.”

He added that the future ThinkPad would have the ability to communicate on multiple inputs and outputs. He also indicated that the device would rely heavily on artificial intelligence so that it could anticipate the user’s next meeting, next vacation, and every task.

Based on the slide, Lenovo’s prototype does not have a touchpad. Instead, the device includes what appears to be left/right mouse buttons and a flattened mouse wheel complemented by a red TrackPoint button seated within the keyboard. Also not present are actual ports for Ethernet, USB devices, and HDMI output to keep the paper-thin form factor.

In addition to the bending shape, what is interesting about this prototype is the actual screen that extends well below the “bend” to connect with the keyboard. He also indicated that users could write directly on the screen with the typical pencil. The screen itself suggests OLED panel technology for its high brightness, brilliant colors, and low power requirement.

A display you can “roll” is not anything new, but getting the remaining hardware to fit within the proposed super-slim form, in addition to the keyboard, will be an interesting feat. The latest LG Gram laptop measures just 0.6 inches closed and it is extremely thin and light.

In addition to teasing the Lenovo Transform attendees with a prototype, Teismann said that a special edition of its ThinkPad laptop will be officially revealed in October. As part of the ThinkPad brand’s 25-year anniversary, the laptop will include “throwback” features of past models while sporting the best, most powerful features of today.

Overall, the Lenovo Transform event revealed new products for the business and enterprise sectors including the ThinkStation P320 Tiny sporting a discrete Nvidia Quadro P600 graphics chip. Teismann called it the world’s smallest professional workstation, and in his hand the device resembled a set-top-box for streaming media. It has “the power of a tower” despite its small size.

Lenovo just refreshed its ThinkPad lineup in May with the Yoga 370, the T470, the T470p, the T470s, and more. The company even introduced the ThinkPad Thunderbolt 3 dock along with the ThinkPad USB-C dock.