Microsoft introduces Google Lens-like Character Recognition in Excel for iOS to convert smartphone photos into spreadsheets

Microsoft seems to be taking hints from Google’s image recognition techniques. The software giant has introduced a new feature on Microsoft Excel for iOS, to help users covert their images into spreadsheets. Data presented on a piece of paper within columns and rows can simply be snapped using a smartphone camera. This data can then be converted into an editable Excel spreadsheet using the app’s Data from Picture feature. Microsoft uses a combination of optical character recognition (OCR) and machine learning to identify the characters on the paper and input them into a digital spreadsheet. In the past, we’ve seen OCR implementation on Google Lens which allows users to scan any image using their smartphone camera and extract text from it into an editable digital format.

Microsoft Excel's OCR feature was first announced in September 2018 and was made available on Android in March 2019. The image recognition tool in the Microsoft Excel Android and iOS apps is available through a button called Insert Data from Picture. “New image recognition functionality automatically converts the picture to a fully editable table in Excel, eliminating the need for you to manually enter data,” Microsoft wrote in a blog post explaining the feature. You can head here to see an instructional video on how to copy data from an image to an Excel spreadsheet.

Beyond Excel, Microsoft is also giving users the ability to copy data written on White boards using ink grab. Users can now take a picture of their notes scribbled on a physical whiteboard and convert them to digital ink in the Microsoft Whiteboard app. The company has also built handwriting recognition into OneNote, so users can convert handwritten notes to digital text quickly.

“We envision that you’ll be able to take a picture of handwritten notes on paper and import the text directly. Other areas we’re exploring include scanning a picture, PDF annotation, and signing,” Microsoft noted in its blog post.

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Death Stranding Release Date Set for November 8, Pre-Orders Go Live and Editions Detailed

Death Stranding has finally been confirmed to release on November 8, and pre-orders for the game have now gone live with a total of four editions in tow.

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Huawei returns on SD Association, Wi-Fi Alliance member lists

Huawei has made a return to the company lists of SD Association and Wi Fi Alliance after a brief removal. The company’s name was removed from their respective lists following the ban imposed by the Trump Administration earlier this month. The SD Association is a global ecosystem of companies setting memory card standards that simplify the use of consumer electronics, including mobile phones. Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi Alliance is an organisation that certifies Wi-Fi products for conformity to certain standards of interoperability.

This may not be an indication that everything is going to be fine for Huawei. It is possible that both these authorities have added the Chinese tech company to their list for the 90-day permit to push out updates for existing phones. Just a day after blacklisting it, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the US Department of Commerce offered Huawei a temporary 90-day license to conduct business and provide updates for the smartphones that are already in the market.

Things are not looking fine for the company because a number major equipment and services suppliers have already cut trade ties from the company. Huawei, however, says it was well prepared for the rainy days. The company is reportedly developing its own OS, which may be called the Ark OS. The company was also reported to be in talks with Aptoide as Google Play Store alternative for future smartphones.

Recently, Huawei filed a motion for summary judgment against the US government to accelerate the process of removing the trade ban. The company argues the constitutionality of Section 889 of the 2019 US National Defense Authorization Act (2019 NDAA), and wants it thrown out. The Section 889 of the Act prohibits government agencies from procuring telecommunications equipment from Huawei and ZTE. It alleges that the US government has provided no evidence to show that Huawei is a security threat.

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iOS apps reportedly sharing massive amounts of data with tracking companies when you sleep

Ever since Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica data fiasco was exposed, users have become more aware and intersted in knowing how their data is collected and/or shared. Multiple companies are also touting to be more privacy centric now and Apple is one such conglomerate that has always expressed how it values user privacy and takes steps to ensure its users are protected. However, a new report by The Washington Post's Geoffrey Fowler sheds light on how iPhone apps are using trackers that users don’t know about to send a high volume of user data to tracking companies. Fowler took help of the privacy firm Disconnect to test his iPhone, apps on which reportedly sent 1.5GB worth of personal information to tracking companies over a period of one month. 

In the research, Fowler found that apps from some top companies were sending user data to tracking companies. These apps included Nike, Yelp, Spotify, Microsoft OneDrive, Mint, IBM’s The Weather Channel, DoorDash, the crime-alert service app Citizen, and even The Washington Post's own iOS app. As per the report, over 5,400 trackers were encountered, mostly in apps, in one week of testing. Most of these trackers are said to work inconspicuously without the user knowing that they are running in the background and sending data. This data is then used to tailor and target ads at a user. 

As for data being sent at night, the service is apparently activated when the phone is charging. The trackers are activated when there’s less possibility of them interfering with other functions of the device. This is said to happen if one has enabled “background app refresh” function, which is enabled by default on an Apple device. DoorDash is a food-delivery service in California, US, and its app was found sending data to nine third-party trackers. On the other hand, an app for location-based crime reports called Citizen was found sharing Fowler’s phone number, email and exact GPS coordinates with a tracker called Amplitude. The app was later updated to remove the Amplitude tracker, after its developers were contacted. 

“For the data and services that apps create on their own, our App Store Guidelines require developers to have clearly posted privacy policies and to ask users for permission to collect data before doing so. When we learn that apps have not followed our Guidelines in these areas, we either make apps change their practice or keep those apps from being on the store,” Apple told The Washington Post in a statement. As the report points out, not all data collection is bad, especially when the data collected is anonymised and transiently stored. However, some of these trackers were collecting and sending data without disclosing what type of data is collected, for what duration it is collected and with whom it is shared. 

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2VZrrv0

ICC World Cup 2019: How and when to livestream matches in different languages, follow match updates on Google Search

ICC World Cup 2019 will kick off starting today. Ten teams will play 48 matches between May 30, 2019 and July 14, 2019 to decide which teams and players reign champion in the game of cricket.  The first match in the Round-robin World Cup tournament will kick off at 3PM today when home team England meets South Africa for the first tussle. While a lot of Indians will be stuck to their TV screens for the duration of the cup, many would be stuck at work without access to live television. Here are a bunch of solutions for those who want to watch live world cup matches and follow the ball-by-ball action online, on their smartphones, smat TVs, Fire TV Sticks, or desktop computers.

How to watch World Cup 2019 Online?

As usual, the most popular platform for streaming live cricket matches in India will also be streaming the ICC World Cup 2019. Hotstar has exclusive rights to live stream all World Cup 2019 matches on its app across smartphones, web browsers, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Roku TV and more. Users can simply download the Hotstar app and start streaming world cup matches in 6 different languages. This year, Hotstar US and Canada customers will also be able to live stream World Cup 2019 matches through all the above mentioned sources.

Fans should note that there is at least a 4-5 minute lag between the live broadcast and what they see on Hotstar. This way, streamers could find themselves 4-5 balls behind the live match.

Hotstar will also be retaining its Watch ‘N Play feature during ICC World Cup 2019 live streams. The social interactivity layer was first introduced on the streaming platform with IPL 2019. Hotstar claims 64.4 million users who engaged on the platform’s Watch ‘N Play social feature during the IPL tournament, and 1.2 billion users answered Watch ‘N Play game questions, sent over 5.9 billion emojis, and 43.5 million comments.

The first match between England and South Africa will start at 3PM IST today. India's first match will happen on June 5 against South Africa at 3 PM IST.

How to follow World Cup match updates online?

While there are multiple cricket-focussed websites out there, Google Search is one of the best sources to follow match schedules, timings, updates and more. Simply typing in World Cup or World Cup 2019 in Google Search or the Google app will yield results on the day’s match along with its time and details of the following matches. The information is clearly presented in cards and split into three sections namely, Matches, News and Table.

The Matches section will show match timings and contending teams. The News tab will show curated articles and videos from sports websites, and the Table tab will display points, matches played, runs, wickets taken and all other in-depth information about each match. You can also see how the ten teams performed in warm-up matches through Google’s world cup search tool.

Which TV channels will broadcast ICC World Cup 2019 in India?

In India, World Cup 2019 will be telecast on Star Sports 1 Bangla, Star Sports 1 Marathi, Asianet Plus SD (For 9 India + Semis + Final), Star Sports Select 1, and Star Sports Select 1 HD.

Images courtesy: ICC

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Death Stranding release date set for November 8, new trailer reveals characters, cast, gameplay

A new trailer for the upcoming Hideo Kojima game, Death Stranding hit the internet last evening and we still don't know what the game is about. The nearly 10-minute long trailer gives us a good look at the characters in the game, gameplay elements, the cast of the game and above all, the release date. The game will hit the PS4 on November 8, as promised by Kojima. He said that the game would launch before the 2020 Olympics and even though we thought the game would be a launch title for the PS5, we were wrong. The gaming legend has lived up to his promise and we will get the game before the year's ends. 

Before we give you our insights on the trailer you can enjoy it below.

The Death Stranding trailer begins with a shot of Cliff portrayed by none other than Hannibal Lecter himself - Mads Mikkelsen. The trailer then goes on to show us the protagonist Sam Porter Bridges, portrayed by The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus, who is talking to the President of the United States. She gives him a mission to unite the country once again and then we see some gameplay and UI elements along with an understanding of the dead or rather undead characters in the game. The undead characters you encounter in the game are called BT’s and the baby shown in the game is used as a bridge between our world and theirs.

It looks like once the BT’s get a hold of you, they take you to a world where pain and suffering is constant in the form of war. This is the one place where we see Sam in action with a gun. Until then it looks like combat in the real world will be limited to hand-to-hand combat. Sam also has a futuristic bike he can use to traverse the environment. We also get a glimpse of the rain in the game called Time Fall. Getting exposed to the rain leads to rapid ageing, a feature we have seen in previous trailers. The trailer ends with Cliff telling us that we can go anywhere, even the moon. Does this mean we will take a trip to outer space in the game?

Despite having so many new details about the game, we still don't know what the game is actually about and that is the beauty of it. Hideo Kojima has shown us so much of the game yet held back the strands that join the dots. This cat and mouse game has undoubtedly added to the hype about Death Stranding. Another thing to note is the similarities in gameplay to Metal Gear Solid V. From the melee combat to the gunplay and even the alert sound when the enemies spot you all is very reminiscent of the Metal Gear Solid V. We honestly can’t wait to get our hands on this game later this year.

For those interested the game is already up for pre-order. You’ll have the option to choose between the Standard Edition, Special Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition and Collector’s Edition – all of which include the full game and bonus incentives for pre-ordering. Those that pre-order the Standard Edition for Rs 3,999 get a voucher to download a Chibi Ludens PSN Avatar plus, a Death Stranding PS4 Dynamic Theme at launch.

Pre-orders also receive special gold versions of in-game items earned through gameplay including Gold “Sam” Sunglasses, Gold Hat, Gold Speed Skeleton (Increase the speed of Sam’s movement when equipped) and Gold Armor Plate (Increase protection against any damage Sam takes). 

It isn’t clear whether The Special Edition of the game is coming to India. However, it includes a collectable Steelbook case. Those that pre-order The Special Edition receive all incentives offered through the Standard Edition. The Special Edition also includes a special gold version of the Gold “Ludens Mask” Sunglasses earned through gameplay. It includes digital bonuses as well including Death Stranding: Timefall (Original Music from the World of Death Stranding), Music Album Digital Download and Behind the Scenes Making Of Digital Video. 

You can read more about the game on the official blog here. 

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2QvG6wI

Redmi K20-Series to launch as Poco F2 in India: Report

Recently, Redmi launched its K20 Series of smartphones in China. It was rumoured that the company might announce the same phone in India as the Poco F2. Now, a new media report has reiterated the development claiming that Redmi is likely to launch the K20 and K20 Pro devices as Poco F2 and Poco F2 Pro in the country. It also claims that the Chinese phone manufacturer would also price them competitively in the Indian market.

Further, Xiaomi has also announced that it is adding a “new member” to the Mi 9 family and the smartphone would come equipped with a pop-up selfie camera, similar to the Redmi K20 and K20 Pro. Reports suggest that the phone could be called the Mi 9T and Mi 9T Pro when it launches in Europe. However, there is no assurance, which markets will get what versions. We advise our readers to wait for an official confirmation from the company.

And almost certain, darlings. The Redmi K20 is indeed likely to be the Poco F2. The SD 855 edition is likely to be called F2 Pro and the SD730 just F2. And the prices will be astonishing!

— Tech Auntyji (@techauntyji) 29 May 2019  

 

K, I or T...Which letter would you choose for the newest member of our Mi9 family? why? #PopUpInStyle pic.twitter.com/Ks5xokWrUG

— Xiaomi #5GIsHere (@Xiaomi) 29 May 2019 Redmi K20 and K20 Pro specifications:

The Redmi K20 sports a Full HD+ 6.39-inch Super AMOLED display with a Gorilla Glass 6 protection. Redmi says that the display offers a 91.6 percent screen-to-body-ratio, and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, the phone features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset, with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. The Redmi K20 Pro ships with Game Turbo 2.0 that is touted to deliver an enhanced gaming experience. A 4000mAh battery keeps the lights on, which supports 27W fast charging.

In terms of camera, the phone ships with a vertically stacked triple camera setup. There is a 48MP Sony IMX586 primary shooter with an aperture of f/1.75, a 13MP secondary sensor with a wide-angle lens having an aperture of f/2.4 and a field-of-view of 124.89 degrees. The telephoto lens comes along with an 8MP sensor with an aperture of f/2.4. The phone’s camera will be able to record slow-motion video at up to 960fps videos. The selfie pop-up camera has a 20MP sensor and comes with a feature that will let users take a wide-angle selfie by just tilting the phone on either side.

Meanwhile, Redmi K20 is a watered down version of the K20 Pro. Under the hood, the phone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processor, along with 6GB RAM and up to 128GB  local storage. The handset sports the same 6.39-inch AMOLED display and will draw its power from a 4,000mAh battery that comes with an 18W fast charge. The camera setup is also the same as the Pro variant, however, it uses the 48MP IMX582 sensor.

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