Thoughtworks has released its latest Technology Radar, highlighting trends in AI tools aimed at simplifying the use of large language models amid growing concerns. Read...

Infosys has expanded its partnership with Meta, launching a new Centre of Excellence to enhance enterprise AI solutions using Meta`s Llama technology. Read...

PDFelement is already a well-established name when it comes to working with PDFs, thanks to its impressive range of features and affordable price. But the developers at Wondershare haven’t rested on their laurels, as a new upgrade brings a host of AI tools and enhancements that will make it even easier to edit, annotate, extract information and share the results. If you regularly deal with PDF files, the updated PDFelements version 11 release could be about to make your life a whole lot simpler. PDFs get smart The AI revolution is well underway, and the updated PDFelement brings AI-powered tools that are focussed on improving how users interact with PDF files. With these new abilities you can get work done in the least amount of time and with a minimum of fuss. One such feature is Knowledge Cards. If you are rushing to write up a report for work or have an essay due, then this could be a godsend. PDFelement can take long PDF files, read them using the built-in AI technology, then generate summaries that highlight the key points in the document. No need to plough through pages and pages of text to find the necessary information, as the software can do it in seconds, providing you the data you need to finish your task in a fraction of the time. Not only that. If you need more information or want terms and ideas in the document explained, then you can use the Chat feature to ask questions. This works across multiple PDFs and is a whole new way to interact with documents as you have an assistant to help you process and understand the content. The AI also has the ability to generate quizzes and answer sets so you can test yourself on your newly acquired knowledge. Thanks to its advanced language understanding, PDFelement can rewrite a section that you highlight, so that the same idea is phrased in a different way. This can be helpful if you are working on a presentation or document and feel an idea hasn’t been expressed in the clearest manner. It can of course also be a useful tool for understanding complicated ideas that you come across in a PDF, as seeing it written in an alternative style is a great method for unlocking a concept. These impressive AI features are also accompanied by some particularly useful tools for productivity and accessibility. The Read Aloud function will present an audible version of the PDF, which could be great if you’re taking notes or have impaired vision. There are several reading voices to choose from, as well as controls for the speed, volume and how much of the document you want read out. Wondershare One clever tool in PDFelement is being able to share documents between computers and mobile devices by simply scanning a QR code. This can avoid accidentally sending the wrong version of a file or opening an older version with a similar name on your cloud drive. There are also additional features such as instant translations from foreign languages, grammar checking, high detail scanning, file compression to save space, and much more. Flexible ways to work Wondershare, the company behind PDFelement, knows that performance and flexibility are the cornerstones of modern digital life. That’s why the software is available across a wide range of platforms and devices. You can use PDFelement on Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS and Android, with cloud syncing available so you can access your PDFs wherever you are and with whichever device you have to hand. The cloud service also syncs up your signatures, so you can eSign documents while on the go, retains your reading progress when moving between devices, and when sharing PDFs you can see the annotations and comments from those with whom you are collaborating. If you use the main Microsoft Office apps – Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook – then there are plugins available, so it will work seamlessly with some of the most popular productivity apps in the world. Thanks to its lightweight design, PDFelement runs fast and smooth, no matter the platform, so you can just concentrate on work without worrying about getting bogged down by the software. Power without the price One thing that hasn’t been expanded in the latest update is the price. PDFelement has always offered excellent value or money when you compare its feature-set and cost against its closest rivals. Now, you can buy a yearly subscription or a perpetual license, depending on your preference, and expect to pay 50% less than the market leaders. There’s no extra cost for the AI features either, unlike on some popular products that charge a premium for that sort of access. PDFs can be a pain when you don’t have the right tools, but PDFelement makes it quick and simple to edit, extract, annotate and share the information you need. Thanks to the AI enhancements it can also be fun, rewarding, and won’t blow a hole in your finances. Don’t waste your time battling with PDFs, instead download PDFelement today and make your life that little bit smarter. Read...

Amid high-profile allegations of inappropriate behaviour making headlines, a new report shows women are simply leaving the technology sector altogether. Read...

According to yesterday’s Windows blog post, the Microsoft Photos app is now being updated with the new Super Resolution feature that can enlarge and improve the quality of low-resolution images using AI. With Super Resolution, you’ll be able to increase the resolution of a photo up to eight times its original size. It’s a great way to clean up old pictures from outdated digital cameras and to upscale images for creative or editorial purposes. It’s one of the more exciting features that have been planned as part of Microsoft’s Windows 11 AI roadmap. Get Windows 11 Pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro Because Super Resolution employs AI technology, the feature is only being made available to Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs. (Copilot+ PCs are next-gen AI PCs with a special component called an NPU, which handles all AI processing and frees up the CPU and GPU for other uses.) It’s unclear whether Super Resolution will eventually come to non-Copilot+ PCs in the future, but most likely not. Super Resolution is currently only available to Windows Insiders on Windows 11 across all the Insider Channels. There’s no word yet as to when it will arrive on the stable version of Windows 11. This update to Microsoft Photos also brings OCR support (the ability to copy text from an image to your clipboard) to both Windows !0 and 11, usability enhancements to the Zoom feature, and single-click opening of images from File Explorer’s Gallery. Further reading: Useful File Explorer tips to keep under your belt Read...

Research reveals New Zealand`s retail sector lags in AI adoption, with only 33% of workers using technology, compared to 92% in Singapore and 46% in Australia. Read...

Facebook and Instagram have a problem. Well, they have many, many problems, but one of the ones they feel like addressing is “celeb-bait ads and impersonation.” According to a new post from parent company Meta, the way they’re going to try solving this is through the use of facial recognition technology. Again. Woo. In the lengthy post, Meta explains that the biggest impact of these new tools will be an expanded effort to stop scam accounts from impersonating celebrities. If you’ve used Facebook in the last year or so, you’ve probably encountered friend suggestions for attractive celebrities, which are obvious fakes that can be identified by their paparazzi photos and deliberate misspellings of their names. Now when Meta spots these impersonations, which are typically shilling spam or attempting to phish info out of unwary users, it’ll employ facial recognition to compare them to their relevant celebrity’s (real) Facebook or Instagram account. It’ll be expanded to advertising, too, though the system will be automated (like almost everything on social media). Fine. That seems like a worthwhile application of this problematic tech. But what about if someone manages to hack your legitimate Facebook or Instagram account? Or you forget your password and lose access to your email account? Currently, you need to plead your case to Meta’s support team by uploading some form of official ID. But the company is now testing a system where you can upload a video selfie instead, with facial recognition comparing you to your stored photos. The demonstration shows the user tilting their head at various angles to give the tool access to their entire face for scanning. Meta says that these videos will be “encrypted and stored securely,” never posted publicly, and immediately deleted along with facial recognition tech once the process is completed. This isn’t Facebook’s first brush with facial recognition tech. It previously used a more basic system to automatically tag users in photos and videos, but shut down the opt-in tool in 2021 after privacy concerns were raised. This new implementation of the system is far less broad and more pointedly targeted at safety. That said, I wouldn’t blame users for being skeptical of pretty much anything Meta and Facebook do at this point. After trying for years to disengage with Facebook’s systems, I reluctantly returned earlier this year to try and engage with some local communities… only to be immediately flooded by a mountain of AI-generated garbage. A Real Cozy Cabin with nothing but Real Genuine Human Comments on the photo. Facebook A never-ending deluge of AI-generated “cozy cabins,” Dodge Power Wagons, and pets and people just on the other side of the uncanny valley assaulted my news feed on a daily basis. I tried in vain to report these accounts… but with millions and millions of likes and shares, the majority of which I’m guessing were less than human, they just kept coming. So forgive me if I’m less than confident in Meta’s ability to stem this tide of social media impersonation, let alone its actual intention to protect users. Maybe once the company shows as much interest in keeping AI bullshit off my app screen I’ll have a little more faith in its dedication to authenticity. Since “deepfakes” are also easier to implement now, I have serious doubts about any automated system’s capability to reliably distinguish between real people and scammers on a video. Read...

Swann has launched SwannShield, an AI-powered home security voice assistant, enhancing protection and user experience in smart home technology. Read...

Gartner has listed the top 10 strategic technology trends for 2025, emphasising AI, governance and sustainability to guide organisations` futures. Read...

Western Digital has launched the world`s highest capacity HDDs, with the UltraSMR reaching 32TB and the ePMR CMR at 26TB, advancing data storage technology. Read...