Thứ Ba, 18 tháng 10, 2016
Microsoft just made another big advancement in artificial intelligence. Researchers at the company have created speech recognition software that is able to hear language as accurately as humans. The development, detailed in a paper published Monday, marks the most advanced speech recognition software to date, according to Microsoft, who had also set the previous record for speech recognition. In the study, the software had a word error rate of 5.9 percent, which is about the same as that of human transcribers. Here's how Microsoft explains it: The research milestone doesn’t mean the computer recognized every word perfectly. In fact, humans don’t do that, either. Instead, it means that the error rate – or the rate at which the computer misheard a word like “have” for “is” or “a” for “the” – is the same as you’d expect from a person hearing the same conversation. Previously, the researchers had reached an error rate of 6.3 percent and had set their sights on reaching human-levels of accuracy next. That was just over a month ago. The software itself relies on deep neural networks — technology that interprets data in a way similar to how the human brain works — as well as specialized graphics processing units (GPUs) that allow the software to learn at speeds not previously possible. The milestone has far-reaching implications. On a practical level, it means that Microsoft's products could soon be a whole lot better at understanding humans. The researchers name Microsoft's personal assistant app Cortana and the Xbox as two products that could immediately benefit from the research. Accessibility software, such as instant transcription services, could also benefit from the advancement. The milestone has far-reaching implications It could also easily be incorporated into Microsoft's productivity tools like Office — imagine how much better Word's dictation feature would be with near-human levels of accuracy — or its enterprise offerings. Consumer products aside, it also marks a turning point for AI research. In a statement, Geoffrey Zweig, from Microsoft's Speech and Dialog research group, notes that the next phase is to help build software that can not just transcribe human speech but understand it as well. Though that's a goal that's much further away, being able to accurately transcribe human speech is a big step forward.
Thứ Năm, 29 tháng 9, 2016
Artificial Intelligence is now a part of our daily lives. It's on our wrists in the form of Apple's SIRI and in our kitchens thanks to Amazon's Alexa. We use it, but do not always understand or trust it. Now, a collection of tech industry giants has joined together to close the knowledge and trust gap. The vehicle for this new level of understanding and, maybe, acceptance, will be a brand new mouthful of an organization: the Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society. In conversation it will actually go by the more manageable "Partnership on AI." Member companies of the new alliance are all knee-deep in artificial intelligence and Machine Learning. They include Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Google's DeepMind and IBM. Notably absent, for now, is Apple. The objective, according to Thursday's announcement, is "to address opportunities and challenges with AI technologies to benefit people and society." Partnership AI will actually conduct open-source research, investigating AI areas such as ethics and human and AI system collaboration. One thing it will not do is lobby governments on behalf of AI initiatives by member companies. "“The possibilities for positively impacting a global society with advances in AI are numerous, ranging from connectivity, healthcare, and transportation. As researchers in industry, we take very seriously the trust people have in us to ensure advances are made with the utmost consideration for human values," said Yann LeCun, the director of Facebook AI Research, in a release. The partnership does plan to work with other third party AI organizations, including the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), and the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2). “We’re excited about this historic collaboration on AI and its influences on people and society. We see great value ahead with harnessing AI advances in numerous areas, including health, education, transportation, public welfare, and personal empowerment," said Eric Horvitz, technical fellow a managing director at Microsoft Research, in a release. IBM, which has aggressively spread the reach and influence of its own AI engine, Watson, gave Mashable exclusive access to an internal memo to global employees from CEO Ginni Rometty on the formation of the alliance and IBM's participation: Team: For more than a century, IBM has stood apart not only for creating world-changing innovations, but also for guiding their responsible adoption. This is foundational to why our company is respected both as an innovator and a trusted brand everywhere in the world. As you know, the most important innovation of our time – cognitive computing, led by Watson — is rapidly maturing and entering the mainstream of business and society. It is essential that this technology’s growth and development be robust, visionary and enduring. That is why I am excited to tell you about an important new non-profit organization that IBM is forming with Deep Mind/Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft. As the founding members of the Partnership for AI, we will work together to ensure the responsible development and deployment of cognitive and AI technologies. As with every world-changing innovation, cognitive raises new questions, new issues and new challenges, for both business and society. These range from ethics and transparency to control and jobs. In addressing these questions, we expect to be joined by many leading universities, foundations and other organizations as we conduct research, make its results available to the world and share best practices. Together, we will develop principles on collaboration between people and AI systems, and work to advance the trustworthiness and reliability of the technology. A world with Watson will be healthier, safer, more productive, more convenient and more personal – in ways that we are only glimpsing today. As we deliver on this profound potential, we are committed to doing so in a way that benefits not only business, but the individual and society. We make that commitment because we're IBMers.
Thứ Năm, 15 tháng 9, 2016
Amidst all the crazy news at Apple's iPhone event last week, the announcement of new emoji may have gotten lost in the shuffle. (Remember the shuffle? RIP.) As part of the iOS 10 update that rolled out this week, a slew of new – and for the most part, progressive – emoji are available on your iPhone. With so many new emoji sliding into your DMs, we created a guide on when each is most appropriate to use. Here are our suggestions on when you should use all of the shiny new emoji. Happy texting! Image: Ambar Del Moral/mashable Image: AMBAR DEL MORAL/MASHABLE Image: AMBAR DEL MORAL/MASHABLE Image: AMBAR DEL MORAL/MASHABLE Image: AMBAR DEL MORAL/MASHABLE
Thứ Hai, 1 tháng 8, 2016
Elon Musk is accelerating his plans to reinvent Tesla, making good on Monday his promise to combine Tesla and SolarCity, two companies where he currently serves as Chairman of the Board. Electric car manufacturer Tesla announced its intention to buy SolarCity for $2.6 billion in stock in a blog post a little more than a month after it initially proposed the transaction. Combining these two companies is actually part of Musk's larger grand plan for Tesla, which includes creating a broad portfolio of Tesla vehicles that range from low-volume/high-cost to low-cost/high-volume and building a company that can handle both the generation and storage of energy. Bringing Tesla and SolarCity together will, at least at the outset, allow Musk, who founded Tesla and also serves as its CEO, to combine his two clean energy initiatives: The Tesla Powerwall, a wall-mounted home battery, and the solar panel building and installation business that is SolarCity. Musk explained his reasoning last month in his Master Plan Part Deux: That they are separate at all, despite similar origins and pursuit of the same overarching goal of sustainable energy, is largely an accident of history. Now that Tesla is ready to scale Powerwall and SolarCity is ready to provide highly differentiated solar, the time has come to bring them together. The deal was approved by the company boards and is expected to save, according to Tesla, the combined company $150M in "cost synergies." It should also lead to one-stop shopping for Tesla's energy products and a single smartphone app to control and monitor their products. Before anyone pops a cork on this deal, though, Tesla and SolarCity still need regulatory approval and SolarCity is open to shop for a better deal for the next 45 days. Considering that Musk is the chairman of both companies and his cousins run SolarCity, it seems unlikely that the solar energy company will land with anyone else.
Chủ Nhật, 24 tháng 7, 2016
Inside a hot-pink classroom glowing with sunlight, 20 teen girls sit at refurbished desktop computers, tapping at their keyboards with laser focus. They're all coding — and it's a rare scene, considering the gender gap in technology around the world. But there's something additionally unexpected about this classroom: the teen girls inside live in Afghanistan, where cultural norms have historically blocked girls from school overall, let alone tech-based education. These girls are part of Girls Can Code, an intensive intro-to-coding program in Kabul developed by education-based nonprofit The Womanity Foundation. The global organization started the initiative to help galvanize and empower girls to pursue career opportunities in computer science. While various independent programs do exist in Afghanistan to get girls invested in coding — similar to other efforts around the world — they have never been affiliated with the public school system. Girls Can Code, however, has the Ministry of Education's stamp of approval. And that, the organization argues, makes a big difference in providing girls with stable opportunities. Ultimately, it further proves that girls can code — even in the most unexpected places. Ms. Zakia stands at the head of the class, starting a coding lesson for 20 girls in a Kabul high school. Image: The Womanity Foundation "Nobody in any public school in Afghanistan is teaching any kid to code — not boys, not girls," Elizabeth Rector, program leader for Girls Can Code, tells Mashable. "So this is brand-new as a school curriculum for public schools." And it goes beyond coding. The Girls Can Code program also works to connect the girls with mentors and internships, and further educational opportunities in computer science like certificate programs and college courses. "Nobody in any public school in Afghanistan is teaching any kid to code — not boys, not girls." Rector says this type of comprehensive support is done with a single hypothesis in mind — that it can be truly transformative. "With this program, we're trying to determine whether teaching coding skills at a young age can fundamentally change the trajectory of a young girl's life," she says. Launched in April 2016 to coincide with the beginning of the Afghan school year, Girls Can Code has been implemented in two of Kabul’s biggest all girls' schools — Spen Kalai School and Al-Fatah School. Forty girls between the ages of 16 and 18 are enrolled in the pilot program, which runs until the end of the school year in November. The girls in the program were chosen because of their high performance in both math and English language classes. Those skills, Rector says, are essential for success in tackling a challenging coding curriculum. The program runs in addition to the girls' typical school day — two hours per day, five days per week. One of the participating schools runs its program before the regular school day begins, while the other school runs it after. By the end of the program, the girls will receive a staggering 300 hours of web development-based instruction. "Think about your high school career," Rector says. "Would you have gone to a coding class for two hours a day, five days a week for an entire school year? That's a huge commitment. But the girls are really excited." The Womanity Foundation adapted the coding curriculum from a course at the American University of Afghanistan, usually taught to undergraduate students working toward bachelor degrees. It's intense and challenging, and not only teaches the girls the basics of HTML and JavaScript, but also advancing them to MySQL and PHP — coding languages Rector says are unheard of in any high school, let alone in Afghanistan. "We really want to get all 40 students across the line — and that's not going to be easy to do," she says. With the Girls Can Code program, the Womanity Foundation hopes to create something that can be scaled and replicated across Afghanistan, as well as other regions where the organization already has a presence, such as India, Israel and Palestine. "If you can prove you can do this effectively for teenage girls in Afghanistan, imagine what we can do in other developing areas," Antonella Notari Vischer, director of the Womanity Foundation, tells Mashable. "It becomes a great model for women's empowerment in education." Khadija, right, a 17-year-old student in the Girls Can Code program, and a Womanity teaching assistant discuss a lesson in Spen Kalai School in Kabul, Afghanistan. Image: The Womanity Foundation In 2002, an estimated 900,000 boys attended school in Afghanistan. Women and girls, however, were almost completely excluded from schooling, a precedence that stemmed from Taliban rule of the region in the late '90s and early 2000s. But thanks to educational development programs in the region post-Taliban rule, more than 8 million students are now enrolled in school in Afghanistan — and that includes more than 2.5 million girls. Even with strides toward broader access to education, schooling opportunities for girls in Afghanistan are still somewhat uncommon. An estimated 1.5 million school-age girls are still not enrolled in classes. According to government figures, there is only a 12 percent literacy rate among women in the region. While girls in major cities like Kabul may be encouraged to pursue educational opportunities, girls in more isolated regions of Afghanistan are often denied access to schooling in favor of providing for their families. Every girl deserves an education. We're helping make that a reality in Afghanistan https://t.co/F7Z3Xcgblx pic.twitter.com/mpJCFBOckq — Womanity.org (@forWomanity) July 23, 2016 The Womanity Foundation has been working to improve the access and quality of girls' education in the region for nearly a decade. Its work has largely focused on working with local teachers, activists and children to develop an understanding of the needs of girls in the region and the cultural context. That collaboration includes essential feedback on programming, which is what inspired the nonprofit to create a vocational program. "What we began to hear at the beginning of last year was parents and students saying to us, 'This is extraordinary. We really appreciate the support — but you need to help prepare us for the job market,'" Rector says. "That's really how we got to Girls Can Code." But it was practical data that inspired the decision to design the vocational program around coding. Market research commissioned by the organization indicated that in the next five to 10 years, when girls would be entering the job market, IT-related jobs would flourish. "We saw the growth in technology jobs in Afghanistan while also hearing parents and students saying [they] need more vocational training," Vischer says. "The intersection was obvious. One of the programs had to be something in or around technology." Not only is tech a growing field in the region and around the world, but it also provides girls with job flexibility — which is crucial, given Afghanistan's cultural context. "I can work safely from home, earn money and support my family." The organization estimates 85 percent of jobs in IT in Afghanistan are available to women, with the majority of those allowing the flexibility to work at home. That makes a difference when navigating career opportunities as an Afghan woman, since women often aren't permitted to work in close quarters with men. "In my opinion, home-based jobs are good if they allow you to connect with the outside world," Vischer says. "And that's a positive part about IT jobs. They still open a window to the outside world." Khadija, a 17-year-old student participating in the program, is aware of the limits of the job market for women in Afghanistan. But she hopes the Girls Can Code program will allow her to navigate current barriers successfully. "The security is not good here [for a woman in the workplace]," Khadija tells Mashable via email. "If I know how to design and manage a project using technology, I can work safely from home, earn money and support my family." From a Western view, one might expect difficulty in implementing a program that serves to empower girls in Afghanistan. In fact, Womanity staff expected a massive challenge in getting the program off the ground. Vischer says the group was prepared for pushback from the Ministry of Education and parents — and even disinterest from the girls themselves. But that pushback hasn't happened. Many thought teaching girls to code in Afghanistan couldn't be done... it can! #GirlsCanCode https://t.co/cM0NWn300a pic.twitter.com/audEtpIzuU — Womanity.org (@forWomanity) May 1, 2016 "There's an image in the public that Afghanistan severely oppresses women and limits the ambitions women can have," Vischer says. "It's not true, and we'd like to deconstruct that. Girls are very ambitious and very eager to enter the job market. And, for the most part, their families are supportive of that. "There's a bit of resistance, but there is also a lot of support as well," she adds. To the organization's surprise, the Afghan Ministry of Education — which acts as a gatekeeper for public school instruction — immediately saw benefits to the program. "There's an image in the public that Afghanistan severely oppresses women...It's not true." Rector admits it may have helped that the Womanity Foundation offers schools infrastructure-related perks to support the program. Both of the schools participating in Girls Can Code received new tech from the organization to support the program at no cost, including refurbished computers. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Education approved the initiative after only three meetings with Womanity. Though ministry approval is essential, Rector says another key group had to invest in the project: parents. Though Afghan parents are often characterized as limiting their daughters' education, Rector says many of the girls' parents encouraged them to enroll in the first place. That shift — from suppressing education under Taliban rule a mere 15 years ago to championing schooling for girls — is largely due to the work of nonprofits like Womanity, Rector says. "There's no way we could have gone in, even with the Ministry's support, and introduced these programs without having a foundation of trust that Womanity has built over the last nine years in Afghanistan," she says. Surprisingly, the most challenging part of the program was finding a woman to teach the girls. Since education for girls has, historically, been rare in the region, it was difficult to find someone who fit the hefty instructor requirements. The organization wanted an experienced and determined local coding teacher who spoke English as a second language — and she needed to be a woman. "The instructors had to be female, given the cultural realities," Rector says. "Could you do it with a man? It's possible — but there would be a lot more cultural and logistical hurdles to overcome." Local universities aided in the search, and eventually the organization found 23-year-old Ms. Zakia. Ms. Zakia, left, and a Womanity teaching assistant talk in the “Girls Can Code” classroom of Spen Kalai School in Kabul, Afghanistan. Image: The Womanity Foundation "It is important for me to teach something that is so completely new and groundbreaking to the girls, and I find it most rewarding to observe how eagerly they listen, pay attention and ask their questions," Zakia tells Mashable via email. "They express their happiness and gratitude in taking this class, and I am impressed at how it has boosted their sense of achievement, self-confidence and aspirations." And Zakia's philosophy, coupled with the coding curriculum, is working. The girls are spirited and inspired, according to the Womanity Foundation, seeing the potential of coding as a career. In that boldly painted classroom filled with computers and unwavering encouragement, students like 16-year-old Hasena are carving out a path once unimaginable to girls in the region. "Before this class, my favorite field was health and hygiene; I wanted to become a medical doctor," Hasena tells Mashable. "But now, I have changed my mind. In my higher education, I want to improve the skills that I have learned in this class and join the computer science field." Editor's note: The last names of the girls participating in the Girls Can Code program, and the first name of their teacher, have been omitted to protect their identities.
Thứ Năm, 7 tháng 7, 2016
Mac users will be able to install the first public beta of macOS Sierra on Thursday. The release comes two days after Apple released its second developer preview of macOS Sierra. SEE ALSO: What it's like to use Apple macOS Sierra To install the beta, head to beta.apple.com. There, you can sign-up with your Apple ID and get a download for the new software. Even though it has a new name, underneath the hood, macOS Sierra is still the OS X we’ve all come to know and love. But this year, Apple is adding a bunch of new features, including Siri on the Mac, a universal clipboard (that lets you copy/paste stuff from your Mac to your iOS device and vice versa) and better iCloud integration. Because this is a public beta, there will be bugs. Apple doesn’t recommend installing this on your primary Mac just yet. On my own systems, I haven’t run into many apps that don’t work properly under macOS Sierra – but there are a few. So be aware that there are bugs. If you do decide to install the beta, be sure you back up your Mac first with Time Machine. As in the past, Apple will release periodic updates to the beta over the summer. Beta users will be able to install the final version when it ships later this fall. Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.New name, new features, same core Mac goodness
Thứ Hai, 20 tháng 6, 2016
Picture a mural transforming before your eyes. You would assume it must be digital, a projected image, but you look closely and see that it’s not. It’s a painting that is being changed by air. That’s what you can expect to see if you head to The Container Yard in the arts district of Downtown Los Angeles for the Degrees of Perfect exhibition, presented by Lennox, on June 24, 2016. It’s an idea so new that at first it felt impossible. Even those who have been involved since its inception are amazed to see it come to fruition. We spoke to some of the collaborators on the project to find out more about how this first-of-its-kind exhibition came to be. What does perfect feel like for you? It’s not the same for everyone. But, in reflecting on the question, the team involved with the project noticed one important similarity across their unique visions of perfect: balance. For Fluke, president at ASHOP CREW and the lead creative producer on the project, perfect is a balance that allows for creative productivity. He describes it as “having the perfect environment and the perfect elements around you in order to be creative and to be able to express yourself…. It’s the perfect lighting, the perfect sound.” “It’s the air that is the perfect temperature; it’s not too hot and not too cold,” answered Kyle Mitchell, associate creative director at GSD&M. “It’s a world where all these things come together to create something brand new.” With this in mind, the team set out to create something that would communicate the Degrees of Perfect idea. To do this, the creative team looked to two seemingly opposite worlds and worked to bring them together in harmony. “It’s a balance between engineering and the piece of art,” Fluke explains. “We have two completely separate universes that come together to create something unique and present it in the format of an exhibition.” The team had a lofty vision for that exhibition: paintings that used air as a medium. At first, the idea felt almost too lofty. “One of the biggest challenges for me was the fact that this was just a huge theory. The idea of having a color-changing art piece, forget having a color-changing mural, it was just a big theory that Kyle and me were kicking around.” Any traces of doubt were erased as the dedicated team of specialists got to work, solving one puzzle at a time. The paint, designed to react to changing temperatures, was the first part and, surprisingly, the easiest. “It’s super simple. The paint itself is designed to disappear at a certain temperature, and it’s programmed in laboratories. It’s really designed that way chemically. The problem is that it’s not a precise science, so it changes at different temperatures.” Fluke explains. Image: LENNOX In order for this paint to detect the temperature change two things had to be engineered: a heat-detecting canvas and a unique HVAC system. “First I asked Fluke what temperatures he needed, that was the most important thing.” Alain Savard, Founder and Owner of Climatisation – premier Lennox dealer, explains, “I took those two temperatures, and we calculated how much time it is going to take to make the panel react.” From there, the team tested numerous frames and canvases—small at first, then progressively larger. “We put aluminum in the front and really good insulation in the front’ Alain explains. “We played with it a lot. I don’t know how many [we made].” Creating the perfect air was the next challenge. Lennox systems are designed to do exactly this, so the team knew it was possible, but the project called for a completely unique HVAC system. “The genius behind this,” Fluke explains, “was that Alain was able to give us a closed circuit, so we’re not wasting any energy. We’re actually recycling the same air over and over again, which is something I had not thought of. That’s where his expertise really came into place, he said, ‘We can’t waste this hot air or cold air; let’s recycle it.’" With the paint, canvas and perfect air in order, the team set out to find artists who were up to the challenge. Image: LENNOX “One of the things that was remarkable was to see the reactions that the [artists] were having when we expressed to them that they were able to add an extra layer to their work.” Fluke tells us. “[As artists] we’re essentially telling a story, visually, and one of the main challenges of the visual artist, as a painter, as a muralist, is that you’re trying to tell a story, you’re trying to share an emotion, but you only have one layer.” He continues, “There hasn’t been a traditional painting form where you can add a second layer, an animation, so we essentially gave the artist’s 50% more opportunity to express themselves.” Fluke explains. That said, ASHOP CREW and Lennox wanted the crème de la crème: the people who could master this new medium of thermal art and use that second layer to help creatively communicate the Degrees of Perfect idea. “We chose very talented people from different areas. We have artists from Montreal, Toronto and a local from L.A.” Fluke explained. “The one thing they have in common is that they’re street artists, they know one surface to a certain extent, which is murals. They’ve all painted live scale murals and they’ve done so much work in the public eye. We wanted to give them an opportunity to take something they’re already doing and bring it to another level, another degree.” With the air and the thermal art sorted, there was just one final layer: sound. The team chose recording artist and producer Toro y Moi and starRo to DJ on the night. Not only is Toro y Moi extremely talented and enthusiastic about the project, he is a graphic designer, artist and illustrator himself, so he has a deep understanding of the work that’s gone into the project. On Friday, June 24, at 8:00 p.m., the results of this incredible project will be showcased at The Container Yard in Downtown L.A. If you’re in the area, register with DoLA to see this sure-to-be incredible exhibition. For more, follow along with the hashtag #lennoxartproject and here: @Lennox on Facebook And stay tuned to Mashable and Lennox® for more!Ideation: Degrees of Perfect
The science
The art
The result
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@LennoxAir on Twitter
Thứ Sáu, 17 tháng 6, 2016
In this episode of MashTalk, Lance, Pete and I do a deep dive on WWDC and everything Apple announced. We start off offering our take on the keynote (0:30) and the tenor of Apple announcements. First up is iOS 10 (8:30) and the impact the new changes coming to Messages on the platform. We spend a lot of time on Messages before moving into a discussion on differential privacy (21:25) and whether that can ever offer as good of a predictive experience as services that track you more (Google, Facebook). We shift on to talk about the new Home app (29:42) and whether Apple can really make HomeKit a thing. Pete goes on a fun tirade about his propane tank. We have a brief discussion about how you can "delete" pre-installed apps (35:15) and Apple Music (37:00). We move on to the renamed macOS (38:12) and Siri coming to Mac. We round out the discussion to talk about the new look on watchOS 3 (44:35) and the changes coming to its Health and Activity apps. Finally, we finish off with tvOS (49:15) and the fact that Single Sign-on is coming to Apple TV. Listen to the episode on iTunes or on Stitcher. You can also subscribe to MashTalk on iTunes by clicking the button below to get our latest episodes, instantly. If you like MashTalk, please fill out our audience survey.
In this episode of MashTalk, Lance, Pete and I do a deep dive on WWDC and everything Apple announced. We start off offering our take on the keynote (0:30) and the tenor of Apple announcements. First up is iOS 10 (8:30) and the impact the new changes coming to Messages on the platform. We spend a lot of time on Messages before moving into a discussion on differential privacy (21:25) and whether that can ever offer as good of a predictive experience as services that track you more (Google, Facebook). We shift on to talk about the new Home app (29:42) and whether Apple can really make HomeKit a thing. Pete goes on a fun tirade about his propane tank. We have a brief discussion about how you can "delete" pre-installed apps (35:15) and Apple Music (37:00). We move on to the renamed macOS (38:12) and Siri coming to Mac. We round out the discussion to talk about the new look on watchOS 3 (44:35) and the changes coming to its Health and Activity apps. Finally, we finish off with tvOS (49:15) and the fact that Single Sign-on is coming to Apple TV. Listen to the episode on iTunes or on Stitcher. You can also subscribe to MashTalk on iTunes by clicking the button below to get our latest episodes, instantly. If you like MashTalk, please fill out our audience survey.
In this episode of MashTalk, Lance, Pete and I do a deep dive on WWDC and everything Apple announced. We start off offering our take on the keynote (0:30) and the tenor of Apple announcements. First up is iOS 10 (8:30) and the impact the new changes coming to Messages on the platform. We spend a lot of time on Messages before moving into a discussion on differential privacy (21:25) and whether that can ever offer as good of a predictive experience as services that track you more (Google, Facebook). We shift on to talk about the new Home app (29:42) and whether Apple can really make HomeKit a thing. Pete goes on a fun tirade about his propane tank. We have a brief discussion about how you can "delete" pre-installed apps (35:15) and Apple Music (37:00). We move on to the renamed macOS (38:12) and Siri coming to Mac. We round out the discussion to talk about the new look on watchOS 3 (44:35) and the changes coming to its Health and Activity apps. Finally, we finish off with tvOS (49:15) and the fact that Single Sign-on is coming to Apple TV. Listen to the episode on iTunes or on Stitcher. You can also subscribe to MashTalk on iTunes by clicking the button below to get our latest episodes, instantly. If you like MashTalk, please fill out our audience survey.
In this episode of MashTalk, Lance, Pete and I do a deep dive on WWDC and everything Apple announced. We start off offering our take on the keynote (0:30) and the tenor of Apple announcements. First up is iOS 10 (8:30) and the impact the new changes coming to Messages on the platform. We spend a lot of time on Messages before moving into a discussion on differential privacy (21:25) and whether that can ever offer as good of a predictive experience as services that track you more (Google, Facebook). We shift on to talk about the new Home app (29:42) and whether Apple can really make HomeKit a thing. Pete goes on a fun tirade about his propane tank. We have a brief discussion about how you can "delete" pre-installed apps (35:15) and Apple Music (37:00). We move on to the renamed macOS (38:12) and Siri coming to Mac. We round out the discussion to talk about the new look on watchOS 3 (44:35) and the changes coming to its Health and Activity apps. Finally, we finish off with tvOS (49:15) and the fact that Single Sign-on is coming to Apple TV. Listen to the episode on iTunes or on Stitcher. You can also subscribe to MashTalk on iTunes by clicking the button below to get our latest episodes, instantly. If you like MashTalk, please fill out our audience survey.
In this episode of MashTalk, Lance, Pete and I do a deep dive on WWDC and everything Apple announced. We start off offering our take on the keynote (0:30) and the tenor of Apple announcements. First up is iOS 10 (8:30) and the impact the new changes coming to Messages on the platform. We spend a lot of time on Messages before moving into a discussion on differential privacy (21:25) and whether that can ever offer as good of a predictive experience as services that track you more (Google, Facebook). We shift on to talk about the new Home app (29:42) and whether Apple can really make HomeKit a thing. Pete goes on a fun tirade about his propane tank. We have a brief discussion about how you can "delete" pre-installed apps (35:15) and Apple Music (37:00). We move on to the renamed macOS (38:12) and Siri coming to Mac. We round out the discussion to talk about the new look on watchOS 3 (44:35) and the changes coming to its Health and Activity apps. Finally, we finish off with tvOS (49:15) and the fact that Single Sign-on is coming to Apple TV. Listen to the episode on iTunes or on Stitcher. You can also subscribe to MashTalk on iTunes by clicking the button below to get our latest episodes, instantly. If you like MashTalk, please fill out our audience survey.
Two new patents from Apple reveal some potential new features that could land on the Apple Watch in the future: a camera and a couple extra buttons. SEE ALSO: Here's what the 'i' in iPhone means The two patents, published Thursday and first seen by Patently Apple, aren't actually focused around cameras and new buttons, but the illustrations used to show the device designs include them. The patent that mentions the camera is focused on mobile device and smartwatch interaction, specifically with sharing and using location data. There is no illustration of the camera, but it's called out in one of the system outlines along with a description in the patent text. A camera component was included in Apple's new patent for a different smartwatch feature. Image: Apple/United States Patent & Trademark Office The patent describes the camera on the edge of the Apple Watch "oriented to allow a user to capture images of nearby objects in the environment such as a bar code or QR code." It continues, saying the camera could be on the front surface of the wearable, "To capture images of the user." The language of the patent doesn't limit the Apple Watch camera just still photos; it mentions that it could be used to capture videos, too. Of course, none of this means the next Apple Watch will have a camera on it, but its inclusion in the patent certainly hints its top of mind. As some companies experiment with replacing passwords for facial recognition, a smartwatch with a built-in camera makes even more sense. Mysterious new Apple Watch buttons are also included in illustrations for a patent describing the functionality of the turning crown button currently on the side of the Apple Watch. The current design only includes the crown button and another button on the right side of the wearable, while the new patent includes two additional buttons on the left side of the Apple Watch. Illustrations of the Apple Watch in a new patent show two new buttons on the left side. Image: Apple/United States Patent and trademark office The buttons aren't described as having any specific function, but could be either physical buttons that you press or touch-sensitive buttons. The current Apple Watch design with only two buttons. Image: apple Again, these buttons may not actually be included in the design of an upcoming Apple Watch, but if you combine both new patents, we wouldn't be surprised to see a camera-specific button. For now, though, all we can do is speculate and wait. Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.Apple Watch camera
Apple Watch buttons
Thứ Hai, 13 tháng 6, 2016
Apple is kicking off its 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference Monday at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) where it will be announcing news and updates around its products, likely including Siri, Apple Music and more. You can stay up to date with all the latest news as it goes down in San Francisco with our live blog coverage. SEE ALSO: Live from Apple's WWDC 2016 keynote To watch the keynote live, you can check out Apple's stream of the event here, which you can only view through Apple TV, Safari on OS X and iOS devices, or on the Microsoft Edge browser on Windows 10. Mashable's own Lance Ulanoff, Christina Warren, Samantha Murphy Kelly and Karissa Bell will be reporting live from the ground at WWDC, so you can follow them for an up close and personal look at Apple's event. You can check back at Mashable to see our extended coverage of all the news that breaks, too. The two big things we are expecting to see at WWDC this year are Siri and Apple Music. Apple may be announcing that Siri is expanding to other apps and devices, including Macs, with an open API, and it's possible that Apple will be announcing a big overhaul coming to Apple Music. Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Thứ Năm, 9 tháng 6, 2016
We’re just a few days away from Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, better known as WWDC. Each year, Apple packs developers (and the press) into a crowded theater to show off its vision of how its ecosystem will evolve over the next 12 months. Last year we saw the introduction of iOS 9, watchOS 2 (and native Apple Watch apps), OS X El Capitan and Apple Music. Unlike what Facebook, Microsoft and Google have done recently, Apple rarely takes the time to showcase its long-term vision of the future. Don’t expect to see Apple's 10-year plan. And any hints at an Apple Car? Forget about it. Instead, WWDC is about offering developers a glimpse at the tools they can use to build better, more exciting apps for all of Apple’s various platforms and services. And sometimes, it’s a chance for Drake to come out on stage in an Apple jacket. The big rumors ahead of WWDC point to Siri getting a major overhaul. And it’s time. Apple bought Siri back in 2010 and relaunched it as part of iOS 5 alongside the iPhone 4S. The early days of Siri were rough, but over the last five years, the personal assistant has actually become quite good. And Siri is in more places too, including the Apple Watch and the Apple TV. Siri is good now. But of course, the competition isn’t sitting still. Amazon’s Alexa assistant is on a tear lately, not just with the Amazon Echo, but with a wide array of third-party integrations, too. The virtual assistant game is becoming very competitive and Siri needs to evolve to keep up. And that’s before we even talk about Google Assistant and the upcoming Google Home speaker. Google Assistant in particular looks promising because it will allow users to ask questions back to back, without rephrasing what you need all over again. In short, the virtual-assistant game is becoming very competitive, and Siri needs to evolve to keep up. Apple is expected to announce a Siri SDK, which will allow Siri to be used by third-party apps. Ironically, this was something the original Siri team had planned for the assistant, back when it was an iPhone app circa 2010. Having third-party support for Siri could be huge, especially if those apps can also offer some of their own data sources and functions for Siri to access. Siri is also expected to come to the Mac via the next version of OS X (or macOS/MacOS or whatever Apple decides to call it). We’ve been hearing rumors about Siri on the Mac for quite some time, but MacRumors posted a photo of a Siri dock icon from a leaked version of OS X, that looks very promising. Cortana, Microsoft’s virtual assistant, is already part of Windows 10, so Apple isn’t breaking any new ground here – but having Siri on the Mac should hopefully make the service more useful. And though it’s a long shot, there’s always a chance Apple could release its own Siri speaker – something The Information reported that Apple is working on. If only Apple owned a company that made bluetooth speakers. Apple has spent much of the last 16 months releasing new hardware. Last April it released the Apple Watch. In the fall, we got the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, the new Apple TV and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. This spring, we got the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, the smaller iPhone SE and an updated MacBook. A year after the release of watchOS 2, Apple Watch developer interest has seemed to stagnate. Which is to say I expect most of focus on this WWDC to be on software. In 2016, Apple’s ecosystem is mature and it will likely become even more unified at WWDC. Apple will be releasing the next major version of iOS, which we assume will be called iOS 10. Last year, iOS 9 added a lot of new tools for developers, as well as Apple News, Apple Music and a much improved Apple Maps. Right now, there aren’t any rumors about new default apps coming to iOS 10, but we expect to see improvements to the existing apps. And of course, Siri is expected to get a major overhaul (see below) But iOS is the foundation for two other operating systems, watchOS and tvOS. The Apple TV's tvOS launched in the fall and although there have been some terrific Apple TV apps, there's plenty of room for improvement. The Apple Watch, which is now more than a year old, has evolved too. At WWDC last year, Apple officially unveiled watchOS 2.0, which offered developers a way to build fully native apps. But a year later, Apple Watch developer interest has seemed to stagnate. We’re not expecting new Apple Watch hardware, so what incentives Apple can offer developers to re-invigorate interest, will be worth watching. And we can’t forget about the Mac. Word on the street is that Apple will be renaming OS X to MacOS (or maybe, macOS). The rumors come from the way Apple has referred to the operating system in some of its documents and beta releases. Longtime Mac fans may recall that before Mac OS X (as it was then known) was released in 2001, Apple’s operating system was in fact, called Mac OS. Renaming the operating system doesn't really affect much other than branding, but it would stop people from incorrectly pronouncing OS X (it’s pronounced “ten” not “ex”). Apple Music was a huge part of WWDC last year. I mean, Drake got on stage in a vintage Apple jacket. And Apple Music is off to a good start, with more than 13 million subscribers. As I’ve written before, I like the service, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have problems. Apple is expected to release a more streamlined version of Apple Music with a less confusing interface. There have also been reports that Apple Music will get integrated lyrics support. Beats 1 is expected to continue to stick around, and it might even expand to more stations. As for Connect (the social network), if it still exists, expect it to be significantly downgraded. Of course, iTunes is in desparate need of an update. Frankly, iTunes needs to get an Apple Photos-style revamp, but that’s not expected until next year. Still, minor changes to iTunes are expected to help reflect the changes coming to Apple Music. With Apple updating its iMac and MacBook to Intel’s Skylake processor, many of us were hoping Apple would update the rest of the Mac line too. We were hoping for Skylake MacBook Pro notebooks — or better yet, a fully redesigned MacBook Pro. There are even leaks that Apple is developing a new MacBook Pro, but unfortunately, that’s not expected until the fall. And as for rumors of 5K Thunderbolt Display with its own GPU – although that sounds good, it doesn’t look like that will be released for WWDC. Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.Siri will evolve
New versions of iOS, OS X (macOS), tvOS and watch OS
Revamped Apple Music
We probably won’t see new hardware
Thứ Năm, 5 tháng 5, 2016
Microsoft's latest research project may make you wish you had a Windows Phone. The company showed off a new, still experimental, display technology Thursday that uses sensors to predict your movements before you touch a smartphone's touchscreen, Dubbed "pre-touch sensing," the tech uses sensors embedded in smartphones to predict how and when you will touch the display. It can detect interactions with the touchscreen itself as well as how you are holding the phone. One example of this in action is a video player app. When you move your hand near the display, the app automatically surfaces the playback controls before you touch the screen. Similarly, if you're using the phone one-handed, the controls will appear only on the side where your hand is. But, as Microsoft points out in its demo video, the technology could also have interesting applications for games, web browsing and just about any app you use on your phone today. “It uses the hands as a window to the mind,” Ken Hinckley, a principal researcher at Microsoft, said of the project in a post detailing the experiment. Though Microsoft showed off the technology on a Windows Phone, the project is still in an early phase and it's unclear if there are plans to bring it to consumer devices. Still, it offers an intriguing look into what a future Windows Phone (or Surface Phone ) device could look like. Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
