Technology - Kalakshar US

iPadOS 18’s Smart Script uses machine learning to make your handwriting less horrible

Last month, Apple’s tablets got a major revamp with the arrival of the M4 chip, two size options for the iPad Air, updates to the Magic Keyboard and a new iPad Pro packing a fancy Tandem OLED display. And now at WWDC 2024, Apple is looking to flesh out the iPad’s software with a number of fresh features heading to iPadOS 18, which is due out sometime later this year.

To start, iPadOS is getting new customization options for your home screen including the ability to put app icons pretty much wherever you want. Apple’s Control Center has also been expanded with support for creating multiple lists and views, resizing and rearranging icons and more. There’s also a new floating tab bar that makes it easy to navigate between apps, which can be further tuned to remember your favorite software. Next, Screen Share is getting the ability to draw diagrams on someone else’s iPad or share their screen for times like when you need to help a friend or relative with troubleshooting.

Apple

After years of requests, the iPad is now getting its own version of the Calculator app, which includes a new Math Notes feature that supports the Apple Pencil and the ability to input handwritten formulas. Math Notes will even update formulas in real time or saved in case you want to revisit them later. Alternatively, the Smart Script tool in the Notes app uses machine learning to make your notes less messy and easier to edit.

General privacy is also being upgraded with a new feature that lets you lock an app. This allows a friend or family member to borrow your device without giving them full access to everything on your tablet. Alternatively, there’s also a new hidden apps folder so you can stash sensitive software in a more secretive way.

Apple

In Messages, Tapbacks are now compatible with all your emoji. Furthermore, you’ll be able to schedule messages or send texts via satellite in case you aren’t currently connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network. Apple even says messages sent using satellite will feature end-to-end encryption.

The Mail and Photos apps are also getting similarly big revamps. Mail will feature new categorizations meant to make it easier to find specific types of offers or info like plane flights. Meanwhile, the Photos app will receive an updated UI that will help you view specific types of images while hiding things like screenshots. And to help surface older photos and memories, there will be new categories like Recent Days and People and Pets to put similar types of pics all in a single collection.

Audio on iPads is also getting a boost with a new ability for Siri to understand gestures for “Yes” and “No” by either shaking or nodding your head while wearing AirPods. This should make it easier to provide Apple’s digital assistant with simple responses in areas like a crowded bus or quiet waiting room where you might be uncomfortable talking aloud.

Apple

However, the biggest addition this year is that alongside all the iPad-specific features, Apple’s tablet OS is also getting Apple Intelligence. This covers many of the company’s new AI-powered features like the ability create summaries of websites, proofread or rewrite emails or even generate new art based on your prompts.

Apple says that to make its AI more useful, features will be more personalized and contextual. That said, to help protect your privacy and security, the company claims it won’t build profiles or sell data to outside parties. Generally, Apple says it will use on-device processing for most of its tools, though some features do require help from the cloud.

As its iconic digital assistant, Siri is getting a big refresh via Apple Intelligence. This includes better natural language recognition and the ability to understand and remember context from one query to another. Siri will also be able to help you use your device, allowing you to ask your tablet how to perform certain tasks, search for files or control apps and features using your voice.

Catch up here for all the news out of Apple’s WWDC 2024.

Developing…

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ipados-18s-smart-script-uses-machine-learning-to-make-your-handwriting-less-horrible-175306533.html?src=rss

watchOS 11 includes a new Vitals app to see all your key health metrics

A new app for the Apple Watch will help you get a better overall view of your health and fitness levels. The new app is called Vitals and it was announced on Monday at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), along with other features coming to watchOS 11. The new app will synthesize data gathered as you sleep to give you a better understanding of your overall health. The app uses Apple Watch sensors along with data from the Apple Heart and Movement study to track changes over time and give you a heads up when things look outside their normal range.

The Cycle Tracking app can now give you insights during pregnancy. Showing the gestational age and health data as it relates to the duration of your pregnancy, such as a higher heart rate.

In addition to the new Vitals app, the Activity app is getting new abilities like Training Load that measures the intensity and duration of your workout to see how its impacting you over time. Using data like heart rate and pace, along with your personal details like age and weight, the app will determine a rating for each workout from one (easy) to ten (all out). In a post workout summary, you can see if you’re training above your average or below it.

Using your iPhone, you can set more personalization and customizations in the Activity app too. Now you can adjust your goals for the day of the week and set rest days while still hanging onto your streaks. The Workout app will now include a Check In button to let friends and family know when you’re heading out and back home safe from a run.

Other updates include more information on the Smart Stack, introduced last year which has a rolling list of active app widgets, such as Apple News, Weather, Calendar and Fitness that you access by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. Now instead of just active apps, the Smart Stack will include time sensitive widgets like precipitation alerts before it rains or the translate widget when traveling. Live Activities and Check In are also coming to the Smart Stack. Apple is also opening up access to the smart stack to third parties, with the example given of alerting you when your Uber is arriving.

If you like the Photos watch face, there’s good news here too. Machine learning models will now help you find the best photos to feature by identifying and scoring the images of your friends and family based on facial expressions and image composition. It can even automatically crop and frame it for you.

Almost as an afterthought, Apple also mentioned the advent of turn-by-turn directions for hiking and walking routes you created yourself.

Catch up here for all the news out of Apple’s WWDC 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watchos-11-includes-a-new-vitals-app-to-see-all-your-key-health-metrics-175600647.html?src=rss

Nokia just made the first phone call using 3D spatial audio

Nokia just announced that it has made the first-ever audio and video call using 3D spatial audio. This is actually a big deal, as all phone calls currently made over a cellular network are monophonic, so there’s no possibility for spatial audio.

This call, however, was placed over a cellular network using the 3GPP Immersive Video and Audio Services (IVAS) codec, which lets people hear “sound spatially in real-time.” For the uninitiated, spatial audio splits into multiple channels to make it sound like it’s coming from different directions. This technology has become pretty popular when streaming music, but video calls are certainly a unique use-case scenario.

However, you won’t be able to call up a family member to argue about politics in glorious 3D audio just yet. The IVAS codec is part of a forthcoming update to 5G networks, called 5G Advanced. This upgrade will purportedly offer faster speeds, improved energy efficiency and more accurate cellular positioning. 5G Advanced will technically make spatial calls possible, but Reuters says it’ll be a few years before cellular networks start offering the service.

The only possible hurdle is that the IVAS codec will only enable spatial audio in smartphones with at least two microphones, though that’s most of them nowadays. Nokia says the “vast majority” of phones should offer support for spatial audio calls once the cellular carriers get on board.

Also worth noting, this technology wasn’t developed by the Nokia that sells cheap handsets. The cellphone brand was licensed to HMD some years back. This is the research and technical arm of the company, so there’s no need for jokes about flip phones.

Nokia isn’t the only company trying to expand uses for spatial audio. Audible now offers spatial audio on select original titles and podcasts and Netflix recently brought the technology to hundreds of TV shows and movies.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nokia-just-made-the-first-phone-call-using-3d-spatial-audio-165043937.html?src=rss

iOS 18 gets a revamped Control Center and loads of home screen customization options

WWDC is always where we learn about the year’s biggest updates to Apple’s operating systems. Given that the iPhone is Apple’s most important product, it’s no surprise that iOS takes up a major chunk of the attention each June. WWDC 2024 is no exception, as Apple had a ton of new features and updates to go over, many of which concerned AI (or Apple Intelligence, as the company is calling it).

First up, Apple focused on customization. You’ll be able to make the home screen look more like your own vibe than ever. You’ll be able to change the colors of app icons, which can automatically get a different look when you have Dark Mode enabled. Your apps won’t need to be locked within a rigid grid anymore either. Your home screen can look almost as messy as you want.

Control Center is getting some big changes. You’ll be able to access things like media playback and smart home controls from here. Developers will be able to take advantage of this and offer Control Center management for their apps too. It’ll be possible to pin custom controls to the home screen for your most frequently used apps and functions (so you’ll be able to switch out the flashlight control for something else, for instance). Custom controls can also be mapped to the physical action button as you see fit.

When it comes to Messages, there’s another nice update in the form of scheduling. When you’re catching up on things late at night, you’ll be able to time a message to send in the morning, for instance. Those who use emoji reactions in Messages (aka Tapbacks) are getting a nice update too. You’ll be able to choose from any emoji instead of the five basic reactions Apple has offered for years. Text effects (the little animations that show up when you type a certain phrase) are getting an upgrade as well.

This being Apple, of course it has some privacy features to go over. There are some new privacy controls for apps in iOS 18. You’ll have the option to lock apps behind an authentication method (i.e. your PIN or Face ID) so that when you pass your iPhone to someone to show them your camera roll, they can’t go snooping in your Messages. You can also hide apps — perhaps ones you use for dating — in a locked folder too. Elsewhere on the privacy front, you’ll be able to decide which of your contacts an app has access to instead of absolutely everyone’s phone numbers and personal information.

Developing…

Catch up here for all the news out of Apple’s WWDC 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ios-18-gets-a-revamped-control-center-and-loads-of-home-screen-customization-options-172350046.html?src=rss

visionOS 2 adds spatial photos, new UI gestures and improved Mac mirroring

Apple has updated the operating software for the Apple Vision Pro, visionOS, and added a bunch of features. The company unveiled the changes at its live WWDC keynote and they look pretty useful.

The biggest news with visionOS 2 is the addition of spatial photos that provide depth to 2D images. When the Vision Pro released earlier this year, Apple had reserved this technology for videos. Spatial photos will allow you to peek beyond the frames of the photo by moving your head, giving people a bit more to see from the right and left sides of the original image.

Engadget

There’s a new way to share these spatial photos with friends and family. The SharePlay feature in the Photos app lets people simultaneously view content and discuss it in real-time by integrating the headset’s avatar personas. Vacation photos just got a serious level up.

The operating system is also bringing updated gestural control options. You’ll be able to hold your hand up and tap to open the home view and flip your hand over to bring up time and battery details. Another tap will bring up Control Center and quick access to notifications.

Engadget

Later this year, visionOS 2 will offer some benefits to those who use the AVP for screen-mirroring. Both the size of resolution is getting an upgrade, along with a new option for an ultrawide display that wraps around you to approximate two 4K monitors resting side-by-side.

Travel mode is even getting a little bit of an update here, with train support. In other words, the algorithm will be familiar with the usual bumps from a subway or long-distance train ride, so you can continue using the headset without any interruptions.

For developers, there are plenty of new APIs coming down the pike, like one for tabletop apps and another for advanced volumetric images. Finally, there’s a lens coming for the Canon EOS R6 digital camera that will allow filmmakers to make immersive video experiences for the headset.

While not a game-changing software update, the addition of the aforementioned features should make strapping a computer to your head more of an attractive notion. The thing’s still $3,500 though.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/visionos-2-adds-spatial-photos-new-ui-gestures-and-improved-mac-mirroring-172746000.html?src=rss

Yes, iOS 18 will include RCS support

Blink and you’ll miss it: Apple just confirmed that RCS support will be in iOS 18 via a three-word update at the end of Craig Fedherigi’s update on the new software. I wish this post was longer, with more details, but they said literally nothing else about it! We’ll just have to wait until the iOS 18 beta is out there, I guess.

Catch up here for all the news out of Apple’s WWDC 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/yes-ios-18-will-include-rcs-support-173500589.html?src=rss

Canon is making a new lens to capture spatial video for Apple’s Vision Pro

Alongside announcing its next-generation OS for Vision Pro, Apple wants to improve the content you can capture and share on the headset. Camera expert Canon is working on a new dedicated spatial lens for its R7 camera.

While details are light for now, the new lens, shown briefly during WWDC’s big presentation, is a lot more subtle than previous stereo lenses. It’s a 7.8mm f/4 lens with STM (stepping motor technology) that keeps focus quiet and smooth.

Canon has teased lenses aimed at VR and spatial content in the past, but intriguingly, the company has already said that none of its current cameras are high-speed enough to offer video that matches the Vision Pro. We’re waiting to hear exactly what kind of video (and at what refresh rates and resolution) this lens-and-camera combo can capture. Apple followed up with updates to its 180-degree 3D 8K video format, partnering with Blackmagic to create a new workflow to make Immersive Videos easier to capture and work with.

Catch up here for all the news out of Apple’s WWDC 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/canon-is-making-a-new-lens-to-capture-spatial-video-for-apples-vision-pro-173600145.html?src=rss

Amazon sale bundles the Echo speaker with a smart light bulb for only $65

The fourth-gen Amazon Echo smart speaker in white is on sale for $65, and the deal includes a Sengled Bluetooth smart light bulb. That’s two smart thingamajigs for the price of one. This is a discount of 40 percent. It’s not the lowest price ever for the Echo speaker, light bulb or not, but it’s close.

This Echo easily made our list of the best smart speakers. We really appreciate just how loud this thing can get, especially when compared to competing speakers. The bass is punchy and everything sounds great, though we do wish the high frequency range was a bit more prevalent. You can, however, buy two of these speakers and pair them up for stereo sound. That will certainly get the party going.

Echo speakers feature the ubiquitous digital assistant Alexa, which makes for a mighty fine alarm clock and will absolutely sing a song about cats if asked nicely. If you have plenty of smart gadgets in the home and you’re already tied to Amazon’s ecosystem, grabbing this speaker is a no brainer.

The included Sengled S1 is also no slouch, as it made our list of the best smart LED light bulbs. It features auto-pairing with Alexa devices, plenty of different colors and a dimmable range from 5 percent to 100 percent. All of this can be adjusted via voice control. We enjoyed our time with this light bulb, though the Sengled mobile app won’t be winning any UI design awards.

This is part of a larger sale on Amazon that includes Echo speakers, Echo Show displays, Blink video doorbells, Fire tablets and a whole lot more. For instance, the cute-as-a-button Echo Pop compact smart speaker is on sale for just $20, which is 50 percent off.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-sale-bundles-the-echo-speaker-with-a-smart-light-bulb-for-only-65-151119591.html?src=rss

Apple’s M2 Mac mini drops to a record low of $479

While we’re not expecting Apple to announce any new hardware at its Worldwide Developers Conference this week, there’s always a chance that the company may have a modest refresh or two up its sleeves. Perhaps Apple is trying to clear out existing stock to make way for new models, which could be the reason why the M2 Mac mini has dropped to a record low of $479. That’s $120 off the regular price of $599.

This lil’ desktop machine has eight CPU cores (with a CPU speed of 3.2 GHz) and 10 GPU cores in its M2 chipset, along with 8GB of unified memory, so it should be able to handle basic to moderate tasks with relative ease. It also has 256GB of onboard storage. (The 512GB model is $100 off at $699, with a clippable coupon shaving off another $9.01.)

On the connectivity front, the M2 Mac mini has dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, gigabit ethernet support and a headphone jack. You’ll still need to add on peripherals such as a mouse, keyboard and monitor to get it up and running, but the M2 Mac mini is a nice Mac desktop for the price.

Those looking for some more power, however, may be more interested in the M2 Pro Mac mini. It’s $150 off at $1,150 (be sure to redeem the $50 clippable coupon!). We reviewed this model in early 2023 and gave it a score of 86. We liked the performance, design, quiet operation and array of ports (you get an additional pair of USB-C slots here). However, upgrading beyond the base model is expensive, while we found having to reach around to the back to plug anything in somewhat cumbersome.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-m2-mac-mini-drops-to-a-record-low-of-479-142921001.html?src=rss

Apple’s MacBook Air M3 drops to an all-time low of $899

There’s a bit of an Apple price war happening between Amazon and B&H Photo, which is good news for buyers. The 13-inch MacBook Air M3 with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM just hit its lowest price yet at both Amazon and B&H, falling to just $899 or $200 (18 percent) off the retail price. In addition, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip (18GB of RAM, 512GB storage) is on sale for $1,699, or 15 percent ($300) off at Amazon and B&H — another all-time low.

We think the 13-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip is the best laptop for most people and, unsurprisingly, it’s also our top pick for the best MacBook you can buy. Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar gave it a score of 90 in his review when the computer came out last month. It’s slim and light yet sturdy, and the keyboard and trackpad are comfortable to use.

The bright display is accurate and the battery will far outlast a typical workday. The new chip gives the notebook a performance boost according to our benchmark testing, which should help power users but may not be noticed as much for productivity chores. The only potential drawback is USB-C ports located only on one side, but otherwise this is a fantastic laptop, especially at that price. Again, you can purchase it either at Amazon or B&H Photo Video in multiple colorways. Note that other configurations (more RAM and storage) are also on sale, though with lesser discounts.

If extra performance is required, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with 18GB or RAM and 512GB storage is on sale for $1,699 — again, at both B&H and Amazon. Apple released the new 2023 MacBook Pro last November with three different M3 chips: the standard, M3 Pro and M3 Max. The mid-range model is what’s currently on sale and offers a 14.2-inch screen, a Liquid Retina XDR display and a magic keyboard with touch ID. It has 18GB of RAM, a 14-core GPU and 512GB of SSD storage. Plus, it has 18 hours of battery life.

This is a solid model for creators as the M3 Pro has power to burn and it’s very connection-friendly with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI port, a headphone jack, a MagSafe charging port and even an SDXC card slot. If you’ve been looking to buy, it’s best to act soon before the deal ends or stock runs out.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-macbook-air-m3-drops-to-an-all-time-low-of-899-124519802.html?src=rss