2013年6月10日星期一

Bing Translator app now available for Windows 8, uses a webcam to translate text


Microsoft's Bing Translator app has long been available for Windows Phone, but it's arriving on Windows 8 this week. Like its Windows Phone counterpart, you can translate content through text and even a webcam. The application lets you simply point a camera at printed text and automatically overlays the translated text on top.

Microsoft has added offline support to Bing Translator for Windows 8 too, meaning you can download certain languages and use them when you don't have a Wi-Fi connection. The app makes full use of Windows 8 by integrating with the Share Charm so you can highlight any text in another Windows 8 app and translate it quickly. Bing Translator for Windows 8 is available immediately in the Windows Store.

HD video functionality arrives on updated Skype for Windows 8

Microsoft has released a new version of Skype for Windows 8, which brings improved support for HD video and better video messaging.

With the latest release, you can now send 720p video and receive 1080p video, which should bolster the overall quality and performance of video calls. However, HD video support is only available in "select scenarios" depending on the sender's camera, the receiver's setup, and available network bandwidth, Microsoft specified.

As for other changes, the new version also brings improvements to Skype's video-messaging capabilities.

"Video messaging enables you to share life moments with contacts whether they're off or online," Aga Guzik, head of desktop product marketing at Skype, wrote in a blog post. "With this release we improved the stability of video messaging and made video messaging easier to find with improved notifications."

There are still several known issues impacting the video messaging feature, however. For instance, video messages should be displayed in the chat history, but they won't show up there at the moment. In addition, the video message thumbnail incorrectly redirects to record instead of playback in certain situations.

While those problems remain outstanding, Microsoft fixed a number of other issues impacting file transfers, call connections and notifications. As a result, Skype should crash less when you're sending files, reconnecting a call and clicking on notifications.