For a company as big as Microsoft, keeping the public informed of interesting projects and research can be a real challenge. That is why it announced a new podcast dedicated to the latest developments being made in fields like artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
The Microsoft Research podcast is hosted by Gretchen Huizinga, a former adjunct university professor who has performed research into the impact of digital media and technology as part of an ongoing Ph.D. study, according to OnMSFT. In its intro, she describes the weekly program as “a show that brings you closer to the cutting edge of technology research, and the scientists behind it.”
The first episode featured Dr. Jaime Teevan, who works at Microsoft Research as well as with the University of Washington. She detailed her work looking into productivity, including some interesting insights into methods of getting more done in a day that might see somewhat counter-productive.
This week’s episode looks at artificial intelligence with Dr. Eric Horvitz, who has been working with Microsoft Research for a quarter of a century. “Let me start with my work, my goals,” says Horvitz as the interview gets underway. “It’s to understand what the heck is going on with minds.”
Microsoft Research is currently comprised of more than 1,000 computer scientists, physicists, engineers, and mathematicians working all around the world, including Turing Award winners and MacArthur Fellows among its ranks. With that in mind, there should be no shortage of intriguing subject matters as the podcast continues on.
Over the past year, we have seen Microsoft introduce several new podcasts with the intention of shining a light on different areas of its various activities across the tech landscape. The Windows Insider podcast looks at the company’s preview program that gives users a chance to get the inside track on new updates, while .future provides a more general look at upcoming technology and the impact that it might have on tomorrow’s world.
The Microsoft Research podcast is available via RSS, email, or iTunes, and on Android devices by following this link. New episodes are released every Monday.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.