Month: April 2024

Washington: Microsoft announced that the artificial intelligence assistant (Copilot) now supports 16 new languages in its cloud services package (Microsoft 365), including Arabic, in addition to Turkish, Russian, Korean, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch and others.

Initially, the intelligent assistant supported a limited number of languages in Microsoft 365 applications including English, Spanish, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian.

The traditional Chinese language, which is already supported in the free version of Copilot, is being supported in the intelligent assistant in Microsoft 365, and will be added later when the development team finishes dealing with some remaining problems, Microsoft added.

Copilot Assistant may not be able to understand all colloquial expressions or linguistic conventions in certain languages, but the company is constantly working to improve language capabilities, and is also continuing to expand the list of supported languages.

Copi
lot for Microsoft 365 Assistant adds generative AI features to a company’s productivity applications, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, email, and more, and is available to businesses with a separate subscription of $30 per user, paid in one lump sum in an annual plan of $360 per user.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Washington: Apple warned iPhone users of charging their phones overnight, and also called to avoid using chargers of unknown origin to charge their devices, according to what was stated on the customer support page on its official website.

Apple advises its customers to refrain from purchasing any charging accessories unless they bear the MFI mark, which is an abbreviation for the term (Made For iPhone) on the purchase box, as the company had stopped providing chargers for iPhones a while ago, which make users resort to purchasing chargers from unknown sources or unknown brands.

If chargers do not meet applicable safety standards, they are considered unsafe to use, and using them may lead to serious damage, such as damage to the device or fires.

Apple also advises noting some signs that may prompt customers to buy a new charger or charging cable, such as the charger being exposed to excessive moisture or liquid spilled inside it, or falling and breaking it and damaging its outer cover, or corrosion of the
charger cable.

It also issued strict warnings regarding placing the phone under a pillow or cover while charging it, as this leads to an increase in the temperature of the phones and may lead to fires. It noted that one must ensure that the phone is placed in a well-ventilated place while charging.

Some incidents have previously been observed in which fires broke out as a result of phones being left charging under the pillow due to the extremely high temperature of the phones. These incidents are not limited to iPhones, but rather include all phones.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Beijing: Lenovo announced the world’s first ThinkPad P1 laptop running LPCAMM2 DDR5x memory with the new memory standard called “CAMM 2”.

DDR5 CAMM2 modules are designed for mainstream high-performance laptops and desktops, while LPDDR5/5X CAMM2 modules target a broader range of laptops and specific server market segments.

The 7th generation ThinkPad P1 laptop comes with LPDDR5x CAMM2 memory, with a size of 64GB, and consumes up to 61 percent less power than the previous one compared to DDR5 SO-DIMM memories.

CAMM2 memory is smaller than SO-DIMM memory modules, by up to 64 percent, and it also has a higher bandwidth than SO-DIMM memory, Lenovo said in a statement.

The ThinkPad P1 laptop appears to be able to process artificial intelligence (AI) efficiently; as it contains an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU and an NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture GPU.

This laptop also comes with a SSD M.2 NVME storage disk, with a size of 8 TB. It also supports Wi-Fi 7 wireless connectivity, HDMI 2.1 port, and many other port
s. It is supposed to be available at the beginning of next month at a price of $2,619.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Beijing: Vivo revealed its new economical smartphone, Vivo Y18e. The phone comes with a plastic body that is resistant to dust and water with an IP54 standard, and weighs about 185 grams.

The phone contains a 6.56-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 1612 x 720 pixels (i.e. HD +) and a refresh rate of up to 90 Hz.

The Vivo Y18e phone has a 5-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.2 lens aperture, and the rear camera consists of a 13-megapixel primary camera with an f/2.2 lens aperture, with another auxiliary camera and an LED flash.

The phone runs on a Helio G85 processor from MediaTek with the FunTouch OS 14 operating system based on Android 14. The phone offers 4 GB of LPDDR4X random access memory with a 64 GB internal storage space. The storage space can also be increased by inserting a microSD card.

The phone includes a 5,000 mAh battery that supports 15-watt charging via a USB 2.0 port. Regarding connectivity, the phone supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, 4G networks, and FM radio waves, and has a 3.5 mm port.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Washington: Microsoft announced the availability of “offline” mode in its cloud storage service, OneDrive, to allow users to access their stored files without an Internet connection.

The company said on its official website that the “Offline Mode” will be available to users of the web version of OneDrive, and will allow users to browse, interact with, and modify various files by renaming, moving, or copying, in addition to the ability to open, modify, and save Office files. The changes will synchronize when the Internet connection is restored”.

“The offline mode remains useful even when there is an Internet connection, because it allows users to save some storage space on their devices by having files stored in OneDrive with the ability to access them via the web with a three times faster loading time when viewing files and interacting with it on OneDrive, in the browser or application”, Microsoft added.

To access the new mode, users will need to install the OneDrive Sync application on their Windows or Ma
c devices to view files and folders and perform some actions. If the files themselves need to be opened, users can click on the file and choose (Availability offline) from the menu.

Microsoft has given special attention to the OneDrive service recently. It launched a new, redesigned version of the services application, and added several benefits for basic plan subscribers, including protection from malicious ransomware and password-protected links, in addition to expanding the capacity of the “Personal Vault” folder. It also plans to integrate the artificial intelligence (AI) assistant “Copilot” into it.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: This May, Qatar National Library (QNL) is hosting a lineup of free events and educational programs while getting ready for the Doha International Book Fair.

On 1 May, the Library kicks off its activities with the mother-oriented “Mommy-to-Be Speaker Series”. Farah Abu Reslan, a toddler intuitive sleep specialist, will discuss healthy sleeping habits in newborn babies and the various challenges that mothers face when it comes to infant sleep.

QNL will host the Advanced Survey Analysis workshop on May 3, which will provide insights into how to interpret intricate survey data, identify patterns, and derive actionable insights. The workshop will equip participants with the skills to manipulate data, transform variables, conduct complex statistical analyses, and create compelling visualizations within SPSS.

The Library will take guests on a journey of exploration on May 6 to answer questions about space as part of the Science Book Forums lecture “Mysteries of the Sky and the Universe” with Dr. Nidal Qasso
um.

Starting on May 9 and running through until May 18, QNL will host a booth at the Doha International Book Fair at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, providing visitors with a diverse range of exciting activities and engagements.

On May 15, the focus turns to Palestine, with the Library hosting a seminar to shed light on the suffering of the Palestinian people and their mass displacement since the Nakba in 1948. The seminar aims to reexamine the Nakba’s aftermath as a foundational historical event and its role in understanding the Palestinian experience.

Then, on May 21, QNL will provide insights into the global economic outlook from The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Pat Thaker, Editorial and Regional Director of MEA at EIU, will discuss economic and political developments, and provide economic forecasts for different regions. She will also touch on the business environments with the best opportunities for growth and investment.

The event will be followed by a webinar organized by QNL’s IFL
A PAC Regional Center about UNIDROIT’s contribution to the fight against illicit trafficking in cultural objects. Held within the framework of the Himaya Project, the webinar will explore efforts to facilitate the restitution of stolen and illegally-exported cultural objects.

QNL has a literature-oriented activity on May 25 with the “Talk of Pens Club” series, which creates a space for aspiring writers to exchange their experiences, brainstorm and discuss writing ideas while learning how to describe characters and plot to formulate a story in Arabic.

On the same day, the latest instalment of the “Our Children Matter” series will be held. This session will hear from Dr. Devika Rangachari, an award-winning author who will discuss the importance of reading in the life of a child.

Source: Qatar News Agency