Microsoft’s redesigned Office mobile apps read text out loud

The apps now have a more consistent visual design, which includes new app icons, splash screens, cards, typography and more. Productivity features like Play My Emails will let users listen to their inbox as if it were a podcast, and Read Aloud will serve a similar function in Word and Office apps. You can also…

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Apple explains why the iPhone 11 is always checking your location

Security researcher Brian Krebs recently raised eyebrows when he discovered that the iPhone 11 Pro (and by extension, the iPhone 11) is constantly checking for your location, even if you've disabled Location Services. Is Apple tracking your every move? Not really, it turns out. The company told TechCrunch in a statement that its newer iPhones…

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Apple may ditch the Lightning port on a 2021 iPhone

It's not clear just how you'd charge an iPhone like this. iPhones have supported Qi wireless charging since 2017, but going that route would require that Apple include a charging pad in the box and force users to look for pads elsewhere. You couldn't just plug into a wall outlet while you're at work. And…

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The best audio gifts, from headphones to DJ gear

PRODUCT SUMMARY The synth lover in your life has no doubt heard of Arturia. The company is known for building affordable yet impressive instruments. The $299 MicroFreak is not only that but also something more. This little synth is a tiny bit of wackiness that any keyboardist would want in their lineup, even if it's just to…

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Larry, Sergey, and the Mixed Legacy of Google-Turned-Alphabet

On August 10, 2015, Google CEO Larry Page shocked the business world by announcing he was restructuring the company he cofounded into a holding company called Alphabet. Page would head the new entity, and Google itself would be one of a number of companies under Alphabet’s control—like Google X, Google Fiber, Google Ventures, and Nest—each…

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Kamala Harris’ Opposing Truths

Symbols fail us. Case in point: Headlines this week reporting that California senator Kamala Harris was suspending her presidential campaign and, in doing so, ceding her chance to become the first black woman to win the Democratic Party’s nomination. When Harris initially announced her bid on Martin Luther King Day, less than a year ago,…

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Alleged Russian Hacker Behind $100 Million Evil Corp Indicted

For the last decade, the hackers behind Evil Corp have led a sustained assault on the bank accounts of thousands of victims across dozens of countries. By steadily evolving malware known as Bugat, they indiscriminately siphoned tens of millions of dollars from unwitting victims. Thursday, the FBI indicted Evil Corp’s alleged leader: Maksim V. Yakubets,…

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Watchmen Is Finally Being Called a Hit

Good day, and welcome to The Monitor, WIRED’s roundup of the biggest news in pop culture. What’s happening in the world right now? To start, people are showing up in big numbers to watch Watchmen. Also, Taylor Swift is (maybe) going to the Sundance Film Festival, and there’s a new Mulan trailer. Let’s dive in.Watchmen…

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No One Knows Why Rocks Are Exploding From Asteroid Bennu

For the last year, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has been circling a large asteroid named Bennu that regularly passes uncomfortably close to Earth. The spacecraft has been painstakingly mapping the asteroid’s rocky surface using a suite of cameras and other instruments that will help it determine where to land next year. Once NASA selects a final…

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With Shovels and Drones, Volcano Hunters Probe Kilauea

When residents of Hawaii fled the massive eruption of the Kilauea volcano in May 2018, volcanologist Cheryl Gansecki and colleagues grabbed a homemade metal shield, tough boots, and shovels. The blast was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do some amazing science—the Super Bowl of volcanoes.Today, Gansecki and two other squads of scientists have published their findings…

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