How to Make Typing Easier on the Phone and Leave the Laptop at Hom

 

"Shortcuts, small external keyboards and even improved (and free) dictation software can make long sessions of text input much simpler.

With summer officially over, it’s back to business (or school) for many people, which can mean more time writing longer things, especially on the go. The smartphone has replaced the laptop for many tasks, but when it comes to text input, tapping away on tiny onscreen keys might make you wish you had hauled along the computer just for its keyboard. Thankfully, your phone includes several features to make text entry much easier. Here are a few suggestions.

Visit Your Settings

Thanks to predictive text prompts, automatic punctuation and other shortcuts (like pressing vowel keys to see the pop-up menu of accent marks), typing on small glass rectangles isn’t as awkward as it used to be. To find out what features are available for your phone, start with its Settings app.

On an iPhone, tap General and then Keyboard.

For many Android phones, tap System, Keyboard, On-screen Keyboard and then Gboard (often the default app). Galaxy models typically offer the Samsung Keyboard with similar options.

You should see choices for spell-check, text correction — yes, Apple’s infamous Auto-Correction has gotten better — and other aids. For example, both the Apple iOS keyboard and the Google Gboard (which has an iOS version, too) can display a compact keyboard for easier single-handed input.

On the Gboard keyboard, press and hold the comma key for a shortcut into the settings — or tap the four-squares icon on the far left and select the One-Handed button; the same menu lets you resize or “float” the keyboard around the screen if you prefer.

Password-manager tools prevent mistyped logins, and fewer taps may help to prevent errors elsewhere. With tools like Slide to Type from Apple and Glide Typing by Google, you can drag your finger around the keyboard and the software guesses the word you want; note that the results may vary.

The keyboard can move the text-insertion cursor, too. On an iPhone, press and hold the space bar until the keyboard dims, and then drag your finger to reposition the cursor on the screen. For the Google Gboard, you can move the cursor by sliding a finger along the space bar if the “gesture cursor control” is enabled in the Glide Typing settings.

Apple and Google include keyboard layouts for typing in languages other than English or inserting emojis. You can add third-party keyboards apps, but beware of software from unfamiliar companies that could pose security risks.

Add Hardware

If you have a lot of text to enter, pairing your iPhone or Android phone with an external Bluetooth keyboard (including the Magic Keyboard made by Apple) lets you switch to traditional typing hardware. You can even use navigational buttons and shortcuts with an iPhone by going to Settings, Accessibility and Keyboards and enabling the Full Keyboard Access feature.

If you don’t want to haul a full keyboard around, consider a folding model, as it can fit easily in a jacket pocket but expand into something resembling a full-size set of keys.

Traveling keyboards, which typically fold up into two or three sections when not in use, range in price from about $25 to $80 depending on the size and features.

Speak Your Mind

Speech-to-text technology that converts the spoken word into editable type on the screen has been around for decades and has only become more accurate as the software has improved. Many apps (including virtual assistants) can take dictation. The Apple Notes app in iOS 18 can now directly record a live audio file and transcribe it.

To use the feature on an iPhone, open Settings, select General and then Keyboard, and turn on Enable Dictation. The Auto-Punctuation option automatically inserts commands, periods and question marks as you talk, but Apple’s site has a full list of dictation commands for editing text and inserting emoji characters.

On Android phones using the Gboard keyboard, open the Settings app, go to System, select Keyboard and make sure Google Voice Typing is enabled. When you tap the microphone icon, you can start speaking or select the Info icon (an encircled “i”) to see the list of voice commands that Gboard understands, including in the Google Docs word processor. As with most dictation apps, you must call out punctation by name, like “question mark” or “new paragraph,” and other formatting.

Dictation can be helpful for quickly transcribing a lot of words, but it may not be the best method for, say, a crowded coffee shop or composing a confidential memo within earshot of co-workers. Some dictation requests are uploaded to the internet for processing and require a network connection.

But no matter how you input your text, be sure to proofread it (or have A.I. do it) before you send it along, as typographical errors do have a way of sneaking in no matter how you get your words on the screen." [1]

1. How to Make Typing Easier on the Phone and Leave the Laptop at Home: Tech Tip. Biersdorfer, J D; New York Times (Online) New York Times Company. Sep 25, 2024.

 

„Mes nesame įprasta kompanija“: naujausia OpenAI drama

 

 „Daugiau aukšto lygio išvykimų iš darbo užklupo aukšto lygio dirbtinio intelekto (A.I.) startuolį, nes įmonė siekia surinkti milijardus savo veiklai ir ambicingiems tikslams finansuoti.

 

 Naujausias Samo Altmano iššūkis

 

 „OpenAI“ per pastaruosius metus patyrė daugiau, nei paprastai tenkančios, dramos, net jei jis sustiprino jo lyderio pozicijas dirbtinio intelekto srityje.

 

 Tačiau „ChatGPT“ patronuojančiai bendrovei ėmusis veiksmų, kad taptų patrauklesnė išorės investuotojams, ji vėl prarado vyresniuosius lyderius, įskaitant žinomą vyriausiąjį technologijų pareigūną. Tai priminimas, kad nors „OpenAI“ yra viena iš svarbiausių technologijų lyderių, ji, kaip sakė jos generalinis Samas Altmanas, „nėra normali įmonė“.

 

 OpenAI vyksta reikšmingas perėjimas. Kaip rašo „The Times“ ir kiti, siekdama surinkti vieną didžiausių pastarojo meto lėšų rinkimo etapų, padidinus jo vertę iki, galbūt, 150 milijardų JAV dolerių.

 

 Tai kartu su grąžos, kurią gali rinkti išoriniai investuotojai, ribos pašalinimas padėtų išspręsti klausimus, kaip veikia OpenAI. Bendrovė jau ėmėsi tam tikrų veiksmų, kad išsklaidytų tokį susirūpinimą, suformavusi valdybą, kuri labiau primena įprastą korporaciją, po to, kai ankstesni direktoriai pernai trumpam nušalino Altmaną.

 

 Kalbėdamas apie Altmaną, jis taip pat derasi dėl OpenAI akcijų paketo įsigijimo sau, nors anksčiau pasakė, kad jam to nereikia, rašo Reuters. „Bloomberg“ praneša, kad tai galėtų būti net 7 procentai bendrovės, jo akcijų vertė būtų apie 10,5 mlrd. dolerių, jei startuolis gautų norimą vertinimą.

 

 Tačiau šis perėjimas įvyks po kito valdymo pertvarkymo. Pranešama, kad net OpenAI darbuotojus nustebino trečiadienio pranešimas, kad bendrovės žvaigždė, generalinė technologijos direktorė, Mira Murati planuoja palikti darbą po daugiau, nei šešerius metus trukusio, darbo. (Taip pat išvyksta du kiti vadovai, įskaitant vyriausiąjį tyrimų pareigūną.)

 

 Pusšimtis OpenAI vadovų šiais metais jau pasitraukė, įskaitant Ilją Sutskeverį, įkūrėją, kuris iš pradžių siekė Altmano nušalinimo, ir kitus lyderius, kurie abejojo  ​​bendrovės įsipareigojimu A.I. saugumui. Nuo to laiko Altmanas pritraukė Silicio slėnio veteranus į pagrindinius vaidmenis, regis, iš dalies norėdamas parodyti, kad OpenAI auga.

 

 Statymai dideli. Investuotojai stengėsi gauti „OpenAI“ dalį dėl jos inovacijų tempo, įskaitant pažangesnes „ChatGPT“ iteracijas. Tačiau Altmanas turi dar didingesnių planų įmonei, kuriai prireiks didžiulio kapitalo.

 

 „OpenAI“ finansiniai poreikiai yra didžiuliai: per metus ji išleidžia apie 7 milijardus dolerių, kad gautų 3 milijardus dolerių pajamų. Tačiau bendrovė turi brangesnių svajonių, įskaitant pasaulinio itin brangių ir energijos ištroškusių duomenų centrų tinklo sukūrimą, kad būtų galima maitinti A.I. kompiuterija, praneša „The Times“. Tai būtų pastangos, kurios, pačios įmonės pripažinimu, kainuos „šimtus milijardų“ ir beveik neabejotinai pareikalautų įpirkos iš galingiausių pasaulio vyriausybių.

 

 Kai kurie suabejojo ​​Altmano tikslų įgyvendinamumu, o keli lustą gaminantys vadovai ir vyriausybės pareigūnai juokiasi iš jų masto. Kiti nerimauja, kad OpenAI vadovo tikslai, įskaitant norą dirbti su Jungtiniais Arabų Emyratais, kelia pavojų JAV nacionaliniam saugumui.

 

 Tai reiškia, kad Altmanas pasiekia rezultatų. Po susitikimo Baltuosiuose rūmuose šią savaitę prezidentas Bidenas ir šeichas Mohammedas bin Zayedas, Emyratų prezidentas, nurodė savo vyriausybėms aptarti bendradarbiavimo būdus, susijusius su AI, o OpenAI vadovas tai paskatino.

 

 Tokia įtaka gali būti pakankama priežastis investuotojams laikytis OpenAI, nepaisant visos dramos." [1]

 

1. ‘We Are Not a Normal Company’: OpenAI’s Latest Drama: DealBook Newsletter. Andrew Ross Sorkin; Mattu, Ravi; Warner, Bernhard; Kessler, Sarah; Michael J. de la Merced; et al.  New York Times (Online) New York Times Company. Sep 26, 2024

‘We Are Not a Normal Company’: OpenAI’s Latest Drama

"More high-level departures caught some at the high-flying A.I. start-up off guard, as the company seeks to raise billions to fund its operations and ambitious goals.

Sam Altman’s latest challenge

OpenAI has had more than its share of drama over the past year, even as it extends its lead in artificial intelligence.

But as ChatGPT’s parent company takes steps to become more palatable to outside investors, it has again lost senior leaders, including its prominent chief technology officer. It’s a reminder that while OpenAI is one of the most consequential highfliers in tech, it’s — as Sam Altman, its C.E.O., put it — “not a normal company.”

OpenAI is in the midst of a significant transition. As part of its efforts to raise one of the biggest fund-raising rounds in recent memory, pushing up its valuation to perhaps $150 billion, the company is moving to become a for-profit business, according to The Times and others.

That, along with removing the caps on returns that external investors can collect, would help resolve questions about how OpenAI is run. The company has already taken some steps to allay such concerns by forming a board that looks more like the typical corporation’s, after a previous set of directors briefly ousted Altman last year.

Speaking of Altman, he is also in talks to get an equity stake in OpenAI, after having previously said he didn’t need one, according to Reuters. Bloomberg reports that it could be for as much as 7 percent of the company, which would be worth about $10.5 billion if the start-up were to secure the valuation it is seeking.

But that transition will come amid another management reshuffle. Even OpenAI employees were reportedly surprised by Wednesday’s announcement that Mira Murati, the company’s star C.T.O., planned to leave after a more than six-year stint. (Two other executives, including the chief research officer, are also departing.)

A half-dozen OpenAI executives have already left this year, including Ilya Sutskever, the co-founder who initially pushed for Altman’s ouster, and other leaders who have questioned the company’s commitment to A.I. safety. Altman has since brought in Silicon Valley veterans for key roles, seemingly in part to show that OpenAI was growing up.

The stakes are high. Investors have pushed to get a piece of OpenAI because of its pace of innovation, including more advanced iterations of ChatGPT. But Altman has even grander plans for the company, which will require enormous capital.

OpenAI’s financial needs are huge: It spends about $7 billion a year on $3 billion in revenue. But the company has more expensive dreams, including creating a worldwide network of hugely expensive and energy-hungry data centers to power A.I. computing, The Times reports. That would be an effort that by the company’s own admission will cost “hundreds of billions,” and would almost certainly require buy-in from the world’s most powerful governments.

Some have questioned the feasibility of Altman’s goals, with several chip-making executives and government officials laughing at their scale. Others are worried that the OpenAI chief’s aims, including a willingness to work with the United Arab Emirates, put U.S. national security at risk.

That said, Altman is getting results. After meeting at the White House this week, President Biden and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Emirati president, directed their governments to discuss ways to collaborate on A.I., something that the OpenAI chief has encouraged.

Such influence may be reason enough for investors to stick with OpenAI, despite all of the drama." [1]

1. ‘We Are Not a Normal Company’: OpenAI’s Latest Drama: DealBook Newsletter. Andrew Ross Sorkin; Mattu, Ravi; Warner, Bernhard; Kessler, Sarah; Michael J. de la Merced; et al.  New York Times (Online) New York Times Company. Sep 26, 2024