Generate Songs with Lyrics and Voice in Seconds with Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft Copilot, formerly known as Bing Chat, introduces a new plugin enabling users to generate songs in seconds using Suno, an AI-powered music-creation tool. This feature, available as a Copilot plug-in, allows users to create songs, complete with lyrics, instrumentals, and singing voice, based on a single text prompt. While these AI-generated songs are limited to non-commercial use and cannot be monetized on platforms like Spotify and YouTube, they can be shared on social media. Users can follow simple steps on the Copilot website to explore this creative music generation process.

TomTom Teams Up with Microsoft to Develop AI Voice Assistant for Vehicles

TomTom, a specialist in digital maps and location technology, has joined forces with Microsoft to create an AI voice assistant tailored for vehicles. This automotive assistant facilitates voice interactions for location searches, infotainment, and vehicle commands. Drivers can engage in a "conversation" with the vehicle, asking questions about navigation, adjusting temperature, opening windows, or changing radio stations using voice commands. The AI assistant utilizes various Microsoft products, including Azure OpenAI Service, Azure Kubernetes Services, Azure Cosmos DB, and Azure Cognitive Services. Initially integrated into TomTom's Digital Cockpit, the in-vehicle infotainment platform, it is designed for potential integration into other automotive infotainment systems.

Microsoft Edge will remain open even after closing your final tab, eliminating the need for any extensions

At present, Microsoft Edge can be closed in three ways, excluding system options such as the Task Manager. You can close the browser by selecting the "X" in the upper-right corner of the app. Alternatively, you can shut down Edge by clicking the "..." menu and selecting "Close Microsoft Edge." Lastly, closing all tabs in Edge results in the entire browser closing, at least for now.

'Seeing AI' Android app

Presently, the Seeing AI app is accessible in 18 languages, and Microsoft aims to expand this availability to 36 languages by 2024. Following the initial launch on iOS, Microsoft, the tech giant based in Redmond, has now introduced the Android version of the 'Seeing AI' app. With a user base exceeding three billion on Android, 'Seeing AI' is set to reach millions of individuals globally with vision impairment. Drawing from feedback on the iOS iteration, Microsoft has enhanced the user interface and introduced new features to the Seeing AI app. The incorporation of generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI) technology enables the app to describe various objects, from currency notes to books, providing detailed summaries of images on the Scene channel. The app also facilitates richer descriptions through additional information options, offering more intricate details about the contents of the image. Additionally, users can engage in conversations with the Seeing AI app to obtain further information. For example, when presented with a menu, users can inquire about the listed items, or when examining a receipt, the app can read out the prices of items. Moreover, while reading an article, the Seeing AI app is capable of providing concise summaries of lengthy news stories.

Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat)

 

In early February, Microsoft introduced its chatbot based on generative AI, initially named Bing Chat, which was made available as a public preview. Since the initial launch, Microsoft has continually enhanced the chatbot by incorporating new features and making improvements. In November, Microsoft revealed the decision to rename Bing Chat and Bing Chat Enterprise to Copilot, aligning it with the nomenclature of the company's other generative AI services. Microsoft has now officially announced on its Bing blog that Copilot has transitioned from the public preview stage to being generally available.

Copilot is now accessible with commercial data protection at no additional cost for individuals and businesses subscribed to Microsoft's Microsoft 365 commercial and educational plans. Microsoft has future plans to extend support for Copilot with commercial data protection to a majority of its Entra ID users. Businesses already utilizing Copilot during the public preview phase do not need to take any additional steps now that it is generally available. For those companies not using products labeled as being in a preview state, official documentation on the chatbot is available for reference. Users seeking more information before using Copilot can also consult Microsoft's adoption kit. Businesses and their employees can visit the Copilot website to explore and try it out before making it widely available.

Windows 8 Tablet Apps Get Previewed..

We know that Microsoft’s next operating system, Windows 8 will be tablet friendly and have already seen some photos and video of the Windows 8 tablet user interface.Now some Windows 8 tablet applications have started to appear, with companies already starting development of the applications ahead of the Windows 8 launch.

One of those is a USA Today application, and they are planning to use the Metro UI of Windows 8, for their tablet app, and USA Today’s Art Director, Robbie Dillon has described the application in his online resume.

In preparation for the Windows 8 release, this app is being built to take advantage of the touch-first, native environment of Windows 8, while retaining the look and feel of the Windows Metro UI and showcasing the content of USA Today. We suspect we will get a look at quite a few more Windows 8 tablet applications before Microsoft launches their new OS.

Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies Coming to Windows Phone 7 on April..

Final confirmation from Microsoft, Angry Birds, the best-selling iOS game of all time, is coming to Microsoft’s newest mobile platform Windows Phone 7 on April 6, along with another five popular iPhone, iPad and Android video games.

* Plants vs Zombies

* Doodle Jump

* Hydro Thunder Go

* Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I

* geoDefense.

All these games will have Xbox Live integration and feature achievements and leaderboards. For more details on each of the games, go to Microsoft’s Must Have Games site on Xbox.com.

Until now, there have been about 8000 apps and 30000 register members on Windows Phone 7 marketplace.

Plus, what other games would you like to see on Windows Phone 7? Halo or Gears of War on WP7?

Microsoft and Toyota to bring Cloud telematics to the car..

Microsoft and Toyota have announced they will partner together to allow Toyota to build a global cloud platform that will update in car telematics in Toyota hybrids and plug-in vehicles, starting in 2012.
“As the car increasingly becomes the ultimate mobile device for consumers, telematics technologies can allow drivers to start their cars remotely, turn on their AC from a cell phone, check systems within the car and much more,” say the companies in a statement.
The two companies aim to help develop and deploy telematics applications on the Windows Azure platform, which includes Windows Azure and Microsoft SQL Azure.

Toyota is already conducting trials in Japan of its Toyota Smart Center pilot program, which plans to link people, automobiles and homes for integrated control of energy consumption. It believes that, as electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles become more popular, such systems will rely more on telematics services for achieving efficient energy management. Microsoft perhaps seeing this trend also, clearly hopes to jump on the next technological wave as it happens.
Toyota’s goal is to establish a complete global cloud platform by 2015 that will provide affordable and advanced telematics services to Toyota automotive customers around the world, it says.

Microsoft launch an update for Office for Mac 2011 next week..

Microsoft will launch an update for Office for Mac 2011 next week the company has confirmed.
The new SP1 update will provide increased stability, security, and some new features to the suite – including improved Outlook syncing support – as well as some performance enhancements.
The new update will also finally allow Mac users to sync their Outlook calendar as well as contacts, notes and tasks with any service or device that supports Sync Services, including your iPhone and iPad.

Microsoft say this has been one of our top feature requests. The update will also enable calendar syncing between Outlook for Mac and Apple’s Sync Services.
However MobileMe will no longer sync with MacOS Sync Services as of May 5th. As a result, Outlook 2011 SP1 calendars that sync with Sync Services on the Mac, will NOT be synced with MobileMe calendars.
So what does this mean? If you sync your iPhone or iPad calendars with Sync Services (ie via iTunes over a cable), your mobile device calendars WILL be synced with Outlook 2011 SP1. If you sync your iPhone or iPad calendars with MobileMe, they will NOT be synced to your Outlook 2011 SP1 calendar, because of the broken link between MobileMe and Sync Services. Hopefully Apple’s changes will not impact very many of you.

RIM BlackBerry Presenter..

Users can finally feel free to leave their laptop behind when going to deliver a presentation. Research In Motion (RIM) has unveiled the BlackBerry Presenter, which is a conveniently small and light device that easily plugs into a projector or monitor, allowing you to display a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation wirelessly from their BlackBerry smartphone. “Mobile professionals are always looking to carry less when travelling,” said Glenn Laxdal, Vice President, Product Management, Research In Motion. “BlackBerry Presenter equips mobile professionals with a simple, secure and convenient way to deliver presentations directly from their BlackBerry smartphone, giving them the freedom to leave their laptops behind.” Measuring 3.4-inch x 2.4-inch x 0.9-inch and weighing 140grams, the BlackBerry Presenter connects to the BlackBerry smartphone via Bluetooth version 2.0 + EDR (Class 1.5), so you can walk around freely while presenting (supports roaming up to 30 feet between the devices). Other features include S-Video, a micro USB, and a Synthetic Leather carrying case. Priced at $199, the BlackBerry Presenter is being demonstrated by RIM at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. BlackBerry Presenter gives users easy control of their presentations, allowing them to navigate their presentations, view speaker notes, loop presentation slides and even reference information on one slide while displaying another. Thanks to a wireless (Bluetooth®) connection between the BlackBerry smartphone and BlackBerry Presenter, users can also walk around freely while presenting (supports roaming up to 30 feet between the devices).

Dell Venue Pro Windows Phone 7 Smartphone – Everything You Want in One Place..

If you are looking for a place to mix business with leisure, look no further than the new Dell Venue Pro smartphone. This phone allows you to stay connected, work, and keep in touch with your friends and family at once. It can let you switch smoothly between your office and life apps that range from email to games, social networking, multimedia, digital contents and everything in between. Everything is displayed in a brilliant multi-touch 4.1-inch wVGA AMOLED capacitive screen. The large screen makes navigation and viewing SMS, emails, websites, calendars, pictures, movies and other smartphone contents easier and less stressing to the eyes. You wouldn’t have guessed that multimedia and visual arts would look so good in something that could easily fit your palm.

To protect the stunning display and keep it crystal clear always is a very durable and scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass. And you’ll appreciate the emphasis on clarity, Dell Venue Pro, thru its Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system, presents everything that’s important to you in a single page – whether it’s an email, reminder, game score, weather, time or your subscribed contents. You have the power to personalize the Windows Live Tiles on your home screen so that everything that you need is easily found without as much as breaking a sweat or batting an eye. To take care of business even when on the go, this smartphone comes with a pre-installed Microsoft Office Mobile that lets you work as if you’re inside your own office.

Dell Venue Pro is not just about work and play; it’s about looking good too. It comes in an elliptical and slim form factor that can easily rest in your pocket. Sliding it open reveals a full portrait QWERTY keyboard that promises fast and simple messaging experience.

Laptop tracks gaze, taking eye-tracking out of lab..

It tracks your gaze and figures out where you're looking on the screen. That means, among other things, that you can play a game where you burn up incoming asteroids with a laser that hits where you look. In another demonstration this week, the computer scrolled a text on the screen in response to eye movements, sensing when the reader reached the end of the visible text.

In the future, a laptop like this could make the mouse cursor appear where you're looking, or make a game character maintain eye contact with you, according to Tobii Technology Inc., the Swedish firm that's behind the tracking technology. The eye tracker works by shining two invisible infrared lights at you. Two hidden cameras then look for the "glints" off your eyeballs and reflections from each retina. It needs to be calibrated for each person. It works for people with or without eyeglasses.

Rather than a replacement for the traditional mouse and keyboard or the newer touch screen, the eye-tracking could be a complement, making a computer faster and more efficient to use, said Barbara Barclay, general manager of Tobii's Analysis Solutions business. Tobii has been making eye-tracking devices for researchers and the disabled for nearly a decade. The laptop is its way of showing that eye-tracking could expand beyond those niches, Barclay said, calling it an "idea generator."

The laptop is made by Lenovo Corp., and incorporates Tobii's eye-tracking cameras in a "hump" on the cover, making the entire package about twice as thick as a regular laptop. But future, commercial versions can be slimmer and are perhaps two years away, Barclay said.

Lenovo and Tobii made 20 of the laptops and planned to demonstrate them at the CeBIT technology trade show in Hanover, Germany, on Tuesday.

Tobii's current, standalone eye-trackers cost tens of thousands of dollars, but Barclay said the cost of adding consumer-level eye-tracking to a commercial laptop could be much less. New ways to use computers have been proliferating in recent years. Touch screens are becoming popular on smart phones and tablet computers such as the iPad. Nintendo Corp.'s Wii game console brought motion-sensing technology to the masses. Microsoft Corp. released an accessory for its Xbox games console last year that uses an infrared camera to sense the movement of bodies in three dimensions.

Microsoft Announces LifeCam HD-3000 Web Camera..

Microsoft has announced its new digital web camera LifeCam HD-3000. The camera quickly appeals as it comes designed with elegant looks. The features of the camera are equally attractive just like its looks. The first thing that anyone would like to know about a camera is the display quality. And Microsoft does not disappoint us on this as the camera boasts a 720p HD sensor ensuring high definition and there is TrueColour technology for crystal clear display.

Let’s look at the chassis specifications- the web camera has been placed on the top of the 4.3 inches tall stand. The LifeCam HD-3000 has 16:9 aspect ratio for video recording. It is enabled to cancel unnecessary noise to stream clear voice. The LifeCam HD-3000 is equipped to support Windows Live Messenger, Skype, Yahoo messenger and AOL Instant Chat.The camera will be available for $39.95 starting next month.