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Microsoft's OneNote will help you solve equations you've handwritten

Microsoft's OneNote will help you solve equations you've handwritten

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Microsoft is adding a neat little trick to its OneNote app today: ink math assistant. Popular with students, OneNote is often used to jot down notes with a stylus, and the new ink math assistant is designed to help students convert handwritten equations into text, and teach them how to solve them.

It works by automatically detecting equations that have been digitally inked into a OneNote page, and allows you to circle the equation and get step-by-step instructions on how to solve it. Alongside the new math equation option, Microsoft is also bringing an ink replay feature to its Office apps for Windows 10. You can choose to replay exactly how a note was created in ink, which will be useful if your handwriting is particularly bad.

These app updates are available for Office 365 customers right now, and the ink replay will be available in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on Windows desktops soon. Microsoft is also announcing a new Office Insider fast ring today. Like Windows Insider, Office Insider lets people test new features before they're released broadly. The new fast ring will let Office testers get access to the types of builds that Microsoft employees have access to. The new Office Insider Fast option will be available for Windows and Mac in the coming days, and on iOS and Android later.