Archive for the ‘Free Software’ Category

Adobe adds collaboration features to its creative suite – Engadget

Adobe just made life considerably easier if youre working with others on a creative project. The software giant has updated Photoshop, Illustrator and Fresco with an Invite to Edit feature that lets anyone on a computer, iPad or iPhone asynchronously edit a shared cloud document. Much like in productivity tools like Google Docs, you can hand work over to someone else knowing it will be updated when you come back.

iPhone users will have to be content with edit invitations in Fresco, but theyre otherwise broadly available across apps and platforms.

Theres an extra upgrade for Photoshop users. You can now sync the creative apps presets wherever you use them, including brushes, gradients and even the order of those tools. Mac and Windows users can try syncing today, while synced brushes are coming soon for iPad owners.

Adobe is to some extent catching up to other productivity apps with its new editing and sync features. This does bring Creative Cloud in line with the other productivity apps you already use, though, and could help you finish artwork that much sooner.

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Adobe adds collaboration features to its creative suite - Engadget

Apple should jump on the cryptocurrency bandwagon, analyst report says – CNET

Could Apple make the leap to Bitcoin?

Apple should launch its own cryptocurrency exchange, an analyst report suggested Monday. The report by Canadian brokerage firm RBC Capital Markets, spotted earlier by Coindesk, said that since Apple Wallet is used by millions in an increasingly cashless society, Apple could easily generate over $40 billion by making the jump to cryptocurrency.

"If Apple went down this path, the USA would likely acquire the most crypto assets from a global perspective," the report said. "If the USA owns the most crypto assets (be it Bitcoin or other assets), it would not make logical sense in our view to ban it. In addition, with Apple's secure and world-class software, the USA would be able to have confidence in user information and balances if needed in the future."

CNET's Apple Report newsletter delivers news, reviews and advice on iPhones, iPads, Macs and software.

CNET reached out to Apple and we'll update when we hear back.

The chatter around Apple comes shortly after CEO Elon Musk voiced interest in cryptocurrency Dogecoin. Tesla said that it'd soon accept bitcoins as payment for its electric cars.

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Apple should jump on the cryptocurrency bandwagon, analyst report says - CNET

Spotify Testing Live Lyrics Feature in the United States – MacRumors

Spotify is now testing its live lyrics feature in the United States, so some Spotify users will see an option to view lyrics synced to the music they're listening to on an iOS device.

"We can confirm we're currently testing our lyrics feature to a select number of users in the US. At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve our user experience. Some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience and others serve only as an important learning. We don't have any further news to share at this time."

Spotify's live lyrics feature won't show up for all Spotify users as the company is using A/B testing to determine demand for live lyrics in the U.S. If you have Spotify, you can check to see if live lyrics are enabled by choosing a song and then checking for the lyrics option in the playback controls.

Spotify's live lyrics option is powered by Musixmatch and has previously been launched in 26 markets around the world, including Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong, Thailand, and India.

It's not yet clear if the live lyrics feature will fully launch in the U.S. because as Engadget points out, Spotify has tested it in markets like Canada and has then not followed through with the feature's release.

Major Spotify competitor Apple Music has a built-in live lyrics option that has been available since iOS 13. The lyrics in Apple Music scroll as a song plays, keeping time with the music, which is similar to how Spotify's live lyrics work.

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Spotify Testing Live Lyrics Feature in the United States - MacRumors

Micromobility startup Helbiz to go public via a SPAC, and will expand into ghost kitchens – TechCrunch

Micromobility startup Helbiz, which now operates across Europe and the USA, is merging with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) to become a publicly listed company, giving it a war chest to potentially roll-up smaller competitors in the space, as well as the resources to expand into cloud or ghost kitchens as part of a move into food delivery.

Helbiz intends to merge with GreenVision Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: GRNV) in the second quarter of 2021. The combined entity will be named Helbiz Inc. and will be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the new ticker symbol, HLBZ.

The transaction includes $30 million PIPE anchored by institutional investors and approximately $80 million in net proceeds will be fed into Helbizs micromobility and advertising businesses, which have 2.7 million users.

Helbiz says the merged entity will have a valuation of $408 million, and by run Helbizs existing management under CEO Salvatore Palella.

Palella said: Through this transaction, were committed to fulfilling our vision in revolutionizing transport by using micromobility to become a seamless last-mile solution.

He further revealed to me that the company plans to establish ghost kitchens in Milan and Washington, DC later this year, with the aim of introducing a five-minute delivery time.

Helbiz has tried to differentiate itself from other players like Lime and Bird by offering e-scooters, e-bicycles and e-mopeds all on one platform.

Key to Helbizs offering is an integrated geofencing platform that tends to appeal to city authorities who dont want scooters left in random places, as well as a swappable battery that enables easier charging of the devices. Its subscription service allows users to take unlimited 30-minute trips on its e-bikes and e-scooters every month.

In Europe the company currently operates a fleet of e-scooters and e-bicycles in Milan, Turin, Verona, Rome, Madrid and Belgrade, and in the U.S. it operates in Washington, DC, Alexandria, Arlington and Miami.

David Fu, chairman, and CEO of GreenVision, commented: Helbiz has distinguished itself as the only company to offer e-scooters, e-bicycles, and e-mopeds all on one user-friendly platform Helbiz has a proven and capital-light business model that combines hardware, software, and services with extensive customer relationships.

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Micromobility startup Helbiz to go public via a SPAC, and will expand into ghost kitchens - TechCrunch

IBM outlines its quantum computing software roadmap with heavy dose of Qiskit, open source – ZDNet

IBM laid out a software roadmap for quantum computing that will include the release the Qiskit runtime this year, updated software interfaces and circuit libraries and control systems into 2023.

By 2025, IBM is projecting that there will be frictionless quantum computing to enable a broad array of applications that will surpass classical computing. A lot is riding on open source software called Qiskit. That runtime will serve as the base for further quantum software development. IBM outlined its quantum computing hardware roadmap in September.

Bob Sutor, vice president of IBM Quantum Ecosystem Development at IBM, said outlining a software roadmap is critical to developers as well as enterprises looking to invest in quantum computing. "Roadmaps give people more confidence on what to expect and when," said Sutor. "We do hope this gives a lot more certainty."

Sutor said the goal is to set up a software ecosystem to get to the point where quantum computing trumps the classic approach. Much of the roadmap revolves around eliminating noise in the quantum system and errors. "This is a different programming model and we are mixing software development constructs," said Sutor.

Quantum computers are coming. Get ready for them to change everything|Research: Quantum computing will impact the enterprise, despite being misunderstood|What classic software developers need to know about quantum computing

Because quantum computers are physical systems it's critical that software develops to correct errors and add fault tolerance. Ultimately, developers will earn quantum computing programming and Sutor noted there has been a lot of interest in IBM's quantum classes. "If you know Python you can learn quantum computing," said Sutor. "Then you just have to decide where you want to enter the stack. If you're a sophomore in college and thinking ahead you can use Qiskit for all of this."

Here's a look at the roadmap.

A few key highlights along the way:

More quantum computing:

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IBM outlines its quantum computing software roadmap with heavy dose of Qiskit, open source - ZDNet