Cortana India to be updated with Windows 10 Anniversary Update

India is one of the 13 countries to get the updated version of Cortana as Microsoft is focused on "getting it right" for its "most important countries"

India will be one of the 13 countries that will get the updated version of Microsoft's Cortana this summer. The new version will be a part of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Cortana’s Group Program Manager, Marcus Ash, told PTI that the update would be available for smartphones and desktop computers. He added that Microsoft is focused on “getting it right” for its “most important countries,” particularly India, China and Japan. Ash also said that Microsoft is starting to think about expanding Cortana to other languages given the different regional languages and dialects in India. 
Cortana was officially made available in India with the Threshold 2 update to Windows 10. During Microsoft Build 2016, the company unveiled a number ofnew features that Cortana could be getting in the future. This included integration with Outlook, that would allow it to check emails and calendars. The personal assistant would also become more proactive and will suggest restaurants or arrange transportation. Additionally, developers will get complete access to Cortana’s proactive intelligence, which would allow them to make their apps perform tasks based on user context. Now I can use updated Cortana on my iphone as cortana organizes my life. You can view the apps description cortana. Although, we will get to know more about it after its full review.  

Wireless localisation may allow secure WiFi without passwords

Researchers at MIT have developed a system called Chronos that could lead to safer drones, smarter homes, and password-free WiFi

Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a system that will locate the position of a user via a single Wi-Fi access point to within “tens of centimeters.” The system is called Chronos and according to researchers, it could lead to safer drones, smarter homes, and password-free WiFi.

According to the researchers, current localisation systems require four to five WiFi access points, as they do not have a wide enough bandwidth to measure the time of flight. Chronos adds the ability to calculate the angle to an access point and also the actual distance, which is determined by calculating the time of flight. In an experiment conducted in a two-bedroom apartment with four occupants, Chronos was able to correctly identify the room a person was in 94% of the time. In a cafe demo, the system was able to distinguish in-store customers out-of-store people 97% of the time. This could lead to businesses only offering WiFi to its customers and not to anyone else. In addition, researchers also showed how the system could be used to get drones to maintain a safe distance from its user with a margin or error of about four centimeters.

Google's Fiber Phone will let you use your landline on the go

Fiber Phone is a home phone service with a modern twist to dwindling numbers of landlines across households.

Google, on Tuesday, announced the Fiber Phone via its official blog. To use Google’s Fiber phone service, you’ll need to attach the ‘Fiber phone box’ to an existing landline handset to make calls from it. The interesting bit is, you’ll also be able to take and dial phone calls using the same landline number but on-the-go, using wireless devices like smartphones or tablets. The Fiber Phone is based on cloud services, which enables users to keep the phone number on the cloud.

Google’s Fiber phone service will be sold in the U.S. for now, alongside its broadband and video services. Initially, it will be offered in select cities where the company has set-up its all-fiber network. The service costs $10 a month, which allows unlimited local and national calls. For international calls, it charges the same rates as its Voice service.

Interestingly, on the same day, the inter-ministerial telecom commission of the Indian government removed a major policy hurdle by issuing clearance for inter-connect agreements between telecom operators and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). We will soon be able to dial landline and mobile numbers from apps like WhatsApp, Skype and Viber. Although a declaration might not be heard any time soon, we might see internet-friendly landline phones like Fiber phone in the Indian market too, some day.

Landline connections have been a dying channel for a while, with many families not having a registered landline in today’s wireless world. With connected services adding wireless capabilities to the perks of a landline connection, will we see a revival of landline services, any time soon?

Roborace: First ever driverless electric car racing championship

'Roborace' is the name of the new motoring championship created by the Formula E team who created the all-electric racing series. Take a look

‘Roborace’ is the name of the new motoring championship created by the Formula E team who created the all-electric racing series. Roborace combines alternative energy racing with robots and will be hosted in the 2016-2017 season. This will give a technoboost to autonomous tech algorithms and accelerate artificial intelligence (AI).

On Wednesday, Roborace released the first design renderings. The car was conceptualised and computerized by Chief Design Officer, Daniel Simon, who is famous for his work in Hollywood movies, namely Tron: Legacy and Oblivion.

While Robocars lack in human persona i.e. the coolness factor of drivers in Grand Prix, these cars are a visual treat since they are uber sophisticated and futuristic. Let’s wait and watch how the renderings turn out when we get to see the cars race this season!

Check out this cool video of the Roborace teaser