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Today’s topics include a 3D printing partnership between Microsoft and Autodesk, changes coming to the Patriot Act, the future of Microsoft’s Cortana and an update on an iPad malfunction that caused problems for American Airlines.
Microsoft and Autodesk have partnered to incorporate the computer-aided design software maker’s 3D printing software platform into Windows 10. Autodesk is embedding its Spark 3D platform in Microsoft’s upcoming operating system, a move the company hopes will help popularize the burgeoning 3D printing market.
The Windows 10-Spark 3D integration is expected to streamline the process of turning on-screen models into physical objects for users, while accommodating a variety of printers, software and materials.
The Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bill that would make substantial modifications to the Patriot Act, including revisions that would prohibit intelligence agencies’ bulk collections of data that have angered many people at home and abroad.
The bill, now called the USA Freedom Act, would allow challenges to national security letters and would make significant changes to the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court, including declassification of its decisions on private data requests and collection.
Cortana will soon start helping Windows 10 users not only hail an Uber car, but also anticipate their need for one. Generally, Cortana offers proactive recommendations based on factors like a user’s location, and allows users to search the Web, schedule tasks and set reminders with a natural language interface.
For Windows 10 and Universal Windows apps, the company is aiming for a more observant and genuinely helpful Cortana. In addition to offering Uber as a transportation option, Cortana automates things further by automatically filling in the pickup and drop-off locations, which users can later edit if necessary.
A duplicate airport runway chart in a key flight app that American Airlines pilots use on their iPad digital flight bags caused iPad malfunctions last week. This led to delays in some American Airlines flights.
The errant extra map was in the Jeppesen digital flight bag app used by American’s pilots on iPads since 2013. The glitch caused delays until technicians realized what the problem was and came up with a workaround.