Tag Archives: devices

10 January 2023
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AI, Devices

Cyberdogs

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OPPO posted on its YouTube channel a teaser dedicated to the new QRIC robo-dogs. This is an abbreviation for Quadrupedal Robotic with Intelligent Controller, which translates as “four-legged robot with an intelligent controller”. This companion robot is likely to compete with the Boston Dynamics Spot and Xiaomi CyberDog models.


The video is about a boy who plays with QRIC and builds a toy space rocket. The video demonstrates some of the capabilities of the robot, which acts as an electronic pet. Robodog is capable of:

  • walk
  • jump
  • tip over
  • carry items
  • recognize people using sensors placed in front of the case
  • act as a webcam for video calls. Also QRIC can be controlled by voice commands or from a smartphone app.

Competitors
There are few such robots on the market today. The first competitor is the Xiaomi CyberDog robot dog, which was released in a limited edition of 1000 pieces at a price of $ 1,500. It is likely that the price of QRIC will be in the same range.
As for the Boston Dynamics Spot, it is difficult to call it a direct competitor, because it is much more technologically advanced, more expensive and has a completely different scope, although it can also be used as a very expensive toy.

The difference in these three robots is that the QRIC robot is presented as a toy and a home helper and companion for children and parents. If we talk about the Xiaomi robot, then we most likely will not see the difference with QRIC. So, the principle of operation of these robots is the same, they are able to control smart home devices, withstand a load of up to 3 kg, do various tricks and walk next to the owner. But if we rely on the video, then the difference lies in the fact that QRIC is still a family assistant who can be left with the child and who can connect the baby with the parents at any second. And Xiaomi presents their product as a replacement for a pet that can follow you, perform various commands and tricks. Rather, Xiaomi’s cyberdogs are more of a toy than QRICs.

And if we take Boston Dynamics, then it is very different from the previous two cyberdogs, in that it is designed to work, to help with hard and dangerous work. Itcan also play the role of a pet, but more expensive and not able to perform tricks of such a plan as Xiaomi or QRIC.

In fact, for some people, such robots may already be more useful than a live dog. Robots can be programmed to do anything. Protect the territory and report to the owner how things are, when he is on vacation, even in another country. Show everything in real time. The robot can carry the load.
However, in my opinion, robots will never replace dogs, no matter how functional they are or at least we can’t compare a dog that has feelings and a robot that just does a programmed tasks.

References:

https://youtu.be/H1FgiAaA0Ck https://itc.ua/news/xiaomi-predstavila-chetveronogogo-robota-cyberdog-za-1540-on-mozhet-delat-salto-nazad-i-sledovat-za-hozyainom/ https://www.forbes.ru/newsroom/tehnologii/437091-xiaomi-pokazala-svoego-pervogo-robota-sobaku https://habr.com/ru/amp/post/521878/

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22 December 2022
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Devices

Self-service from Apple

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‘We need to have more open ‘right to repair’ when it comes to Apple products’

Immediate mobile and smartphone repair

Not long time ago, supporters of the movement ‘right to repair’ became openly irritated with the fact that Apple strictly controls the repairment procedures over their gadgets. As a response to this pressure, in November 2021, Apple announced launching this service for users that would like to try and fix devices on their own.

This novelty was not perfect at the beginning, the guidelines were not clear and detailed enough as well as some repairments were just destroying various features of the iPhone, for instance, replacing the display on an iPhone 13 was disabling Face ID, later on, this was fixed by the company. Moreover, not long time after this, Apple allowed its users to install different browsers and email apps from those that were set as the default ones. All those chages made Apple products even more user friendly.

What is more, the company not only allowed its customers to use their guidelines and videos to repair gadgets, but also, they started selling all possible details needed for the repairment as well as tools, directly to the customers.

However, only in December 2022, it was announced that Apple expanding their self-repair service over UK along with other seven European countries. This was made after the pressure from the members of the movement mentioned above.

Is everything as good as it seems to be?

The answer is no. Once the repairment is not provided by Apple, and it goes wrong, the warranty becomes invalid.

Along with this Apple has received tons of complains about the difficultness of the repairments, which became the disaster.

Which conclusion can be made out of this?

We should allow people to do what they are good at. The person who works, for example in finance and has small knowledge, not talking about deep one, in technologies or repairment works, should allow professional do their job, and vice versa. Such attempts of totally unskilled people to save money on repairments and bring them even more spending even to the point of buy a new gadgets

To read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63866869

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10 December 2022
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Business, Devices

Ray-Ban Stories

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The social network Facebook showed smart glasses. They are released together with the Ray-Ban brand and cost $ 299.

Facebook Luncurkan Kacamata Pintar Ray-Ban Stories, Bisa Memotret hingga Dengar Podcast

The device looks like ordinary glasses, but is equipped with several interesting functions at once. Firstly, the device can take photos and videos using two built-in 5-megapixel cameras. The duration of the video is no more than 30 seconds, and in total about 30 short videos or 500 photos will fit on the built-in memory of the glasses. A special feature is that one camera writes square videos, and the second takes photos. For this reason, the picture is slightly shifted to the side. This can be a problem when shooting in the first person. And the image quality is an order of magnitude worse than that of smartphones five years ago.

The glasses allow you to play music from your smartphone through the speakers built into the shackles, receive phone calls and interact with the Facebook View app. The View application is extremely simple, in it you can see everything taken with glasses, synchronization occurs instantly and without your participation. The application has a small and simple editor, you can edit your pictures or videos, create collages. The device connects to smartphones on the iOS or Android operating system using Bluetooth.

However, the battery of the glasses is not happy with its autonomy yet – they work for about 6 hours and on average discharge by 20% in just an hour of use. It takes only one hour to fully charge the gadget. The kit includes a USB Type C cable.

Glasses can be used by people with both good and poor eyesight – in the latter case, you need to consult an ophthalmologist to know which lenses to choose when ordering. Depending on the type of lenses, the price also varies: from $ 299 to $ 379.

The idea to make Ray Ban Stories came about thanks to one email in 2019. In it, the head of the Luxottica Group company offered to make such glasses. The addressee was Mark Zuckerberg, who supported the development.

Facebook does not expect that these simple cameras will replace people’s smartphones. “Our mission is to help create tools that will help people feel connected anytime, anywhere. We want to create a sense of social presence, a feeling that you are next to another person living in the same space, regardless of physical distance,” they say on Facebook. The cooperation between the two companies looks interesting, as they combine their strengths — Ray-Ban models are popular and well-known in the market. The global meaning of launching glasses is that Meta wants to accustom the audience to hand-free devices in this way. This will make it easier for people to get used to full-fledged glasses and VR and AR helmets. Ray Ban Stories in this case serves as a transitional gadget.

The concept of Facebook and Ray-Ban collaboration strongly resembles Snapchat — Spectacles glasses released in 2016. Snapchat released the third generation of its glasses, but they failed to attract the attention of the target market. In 2017, the company wrote off the value of unsold inventory by $40 million.

Do you know what they were able to do in Ray Ban and what is really cool? These glasses look like glasses, and it’s hard to recognize a gadget in them. Symmetrical cameras on the frame look like a design element, and that’s all. The LED warning that you are shooting something is not very bright, and you do not pay attention to it. ”Almost no one pays attention that you are recording or filming something. People are not used to the fact that ordinary glasses can have cameras (the same Google Glass looked different, and many have heard about them). The main thing is to learn how to hold your head properly, otherwise you get a picture that dances after your gaze,” – says one of the users of this device.

Would you try such glasses for $299?

Resources:

https://vr-store.com.ua/ray-ban-stories-detail https://www.ray-ban.com/usa/ray-ban-stories https://www.androidpolice.com/ray-ban-stories-review/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/moorinsights/2022/04/28/ray-ban-stories-review-comfortable-but-limited/?sh=46abc07364ca

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10 December 2022
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Apps, Bez kategorii, Business, Devices, Sharing economy

E-Scooter rental business from a former unicorn to the date of withdrawal

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https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Lime_Logos-wiki-01.svg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bird_(company)_logo.svg

The E-scooter rental business

There are two e-Scooter rental marketplaces in the US for example Bird, which adapted Xiaomi’s e-Scooter, and Lime, which developed and produced an e-Scooter by itself, all of which are very convenient to use. It just download the application from the QR Code on the e-Scooter, complete the registration and start using it immediately. When you reach your destination, you can park right away. And then there will be people who want to use it to rent it to ride on their own.

The service fee is not as expensive as you think. Starting with a pocket-friendly price of $1, the next minute is 15 cents by credit card payment method. It costs about $3-5 per ride, which is cheaper than an Uber ride, moreover it gets an eco-friendly look. Bird is the founder of this startup, bringing e-scooters into San-Francisco. On the corner of the street Which in the beginning received such a good response that investors flocked to invest quickly Become the fastest growing unicorn in history and the e-Scooter was seen everywhere and expanded to other major cities in the United States such as New York, Los Angeles, Detroit , etc.

Why do people not like E-scooter business in the US?

The e-Scooter makes the cityscape look less beautiful than before. Because wherever you look, you will see only the e-Scooter fell down. In addition, some users refuse to park it well, but leave it on the ground, causing clutter to the sidewalk and cluttering others.

In addition, when it rains, the wet road e-Scooter crashes, the more it looks unusable and unattractive. Causing some people to be dissatisfied with the e-Scooter, kicking each other to fall, the more they fall, the more frustrated they become, and people they kick scooter going around in a circle.

When e-Scooters Make Cities look bad As a result, some people complained to the city for zoning. Make parking spots for more orderliness. Can’t park anywhere like at first sight.

Scooters were promoted under the veil of eco-friendly transportation. Their true origin is more insidious, and even dangerous. – Photo by Reddit
https://dailytargum.imgix.net/images/619bda44-ae7f-4526-9a82-0aa673dc2e7d.jpg?ar=16:9&auto=compress&crop=faces&fit=crop&fm=webp&width=1200

Is it a E-scooter fault or human behavior?

In addition to zoning, The city is trying to regulate e-scooters by limiting the number of e-scooters, with every registered e-scooter being offered for rent incurring an operating fee to help improve the visibility of the city.

When renting an e-Scooter isn’t as convenient as it used to be Combined with the anger that was already the original capital Causing many people to destroy the e-Scooter, including setting fire or throwing it into the river Becomes more polluting to the environment because the e-Scooter is considered an electronic device. with harmful substances in it, both the circuit board and the electric battery

In addition to the issue of destroying the e-Scooter that is the property of the company. Also followed by cases of physical abuse arising from e-Scooter as well, such as riding to hurt other people. and ride away despite not having a feud or having known each other before

From the many ensuing problems of renting e-Scooter, including city planning and property destruction and therefore, there is a current of criticism that all this happened is the fault of Is it more “e-Scooter rental company” or “Habit of people”?

Is it have any chance for this business?

Of course, running a business requires a profit. For example, the Bird e-Scooter from Xiaomi costs around $500, and it will require at least five rentals a day for five to six months to return on their e-Scooter.

Usually, these products should last around 1-2 years but according to the numbers that Bird has done, research has come out indicating that Average usage is about 3.5 times/day, which is slightly below target. May have to extend the expected payback period to 7-8 months instead but the lifespan of the e-Scooter is short, only 28 days, perhaps not due to negligent.

And another important reason is that e-Scooter is stolen and modified to become your own. For all these reasons, the service life that should be at least 1 year, but Xiaomi’s guarantee is only 28 days left.

Recently, e-scooter rental startup Bird announced it was “withdrawing its service in many cities”, with it canceling in three European countries: Germany, Sweden and Norway, as well as several cities in the US, Europe and the Middle East. So is it a problem of human habit or e-scooter comment down below.

Resource:

https://dailytargum.com/article/2020/09/ballaro-scooter-deal-sold-out-new-brunswick-again

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/30/tech/scooter-management/index.html

https://www.statista.com/outlook/mmo/shared-mobility/shared-rides/e-scooter-sharing/worldwide#revenue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_(transportation_company)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_(transportation_company)

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25 October 2022
1 Comment
AI, Devices

AI in medicine: the device with the help of the retina of the eye can predict the risk of heart disease

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Artificial intelligence has made our lives much easier since its inception. In the real world, everything is so connected with new technologies that it is simply impossible to imagine life without AI. And without any doubt, the contribution of technology to the field of medicine is the most important.

So, the issue of my talk, as it is easy to guess by the heading, is the contribution of AI to medicine.

A specially developed device in the future will be able to detect and predict the risks of heart disease. According to the British Journal of Ophthalmology,  it soon will be quite possible to produce special cardiovascular screenings. In just 1 minute patients will be able to learn about the risks of heart disease. There will be no need to conduct any additional blood tests and similar frauds. Everything will be reduced to the greatest efficiency and the minimum time. This is how artificial intelligence works!

Personally, I think it’s a very cool idea. Firstly, nowadays cardiovascular diseases are very common. This is a real problem not only for older people. In addition, that’s a common fact that after the Covid-19 many people began to have heart problems. It turns out that there have become more issues concerning health.

The task of scientists is to save human lives. In many cases, medical care for late detection of the disease is already ineffective. And nothing can be done! In addition, high-quality medical care is an expensive thing. As a result, poor people do not get the necessary medical examinations. A very good thing about this new tool is that the inventors talk about its cheapness. I believe that quality medicine should be available to all segments of society, regardless of wealth.

The tool studies the blood vessels that are located in the retina of the eye. The tool takes into account various changes, makes all kinds of measurements. It turns out that blood vessels in retina and heart are closely connected, which provides a special opportunity to determine the state of the heart and even predict all sorts of risks through the retina.

Of course, this is very convenient. Any analyses require time, specified conditions, reagents or equipment. It seems to me that using this software will require less resources and human’s participation.

After all, I think it’s a wonderful invention. So far, of course, this is just an idea, confirmed by several studies. It will be quite difficult to transfer the code to real medicine. But still, artificial intelligence plays for the benefit of humanity and this is wonderful.

Sources:

AI eye checks can predict heart disease risk in less than minute, finds study | Heart disease | The Guardian

AI can identify heart disease from an eye scan | University of Leeds

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8 June 2022
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Devices

The New MacBook Air on M2 has arrived

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The new MacBook Air M2 (2022) looks so good that you’re going to wonder if you should pay for a MacBook Pro. Compared to the previous MacBook Air M1, you get a more powerful M2 chip, bigger and brighter 13.6-inch display and improved 1080p webcam in an extremely portable design that’s 20% smaller than the previous model.

The first thing I noticed about the new MacBook Air 2022 is how small and light it feels. The weight has only shrunk slightly (2.7 pounds from 2.8 pounds), but the overall design is 20% smaller in volume vs the MacBook Air M1. And it’s thinner, too, at 0.4 inches vs 0.6 inches for the older model. 

At the same time, the MacBook Air M2 doesn’t feel too light, as some systems can that are made with magnesium. This is still a very solid unibody aluminum design. 

Apple gives you four color options with the MacBook Air 2022, including Midnight (blue), Starlight (pale gold), Space Gray and Silver. I’m a big fan of the Midnight option, as it shifts from dark blue to a brighter blue depending on how the light hits it. The Midnight MacBook Air has personality without being too loud. 

The new MacBook Air has the most Pro-level display yet, and that’s thanks to an increased brightness of 500 nits. This is one bright and colorful panel, and it’s now a bit bigger at 13.6 inches (up from 13.3 inches), thanks to Apple shrinking the borders.

The 2560 x 1664-pixel display looked vivid when I watched some footage from Apple TV Plus’ Prehistoric Planet. And I could make out fine details on the snout of one particularly menacing looking dinos. 

With support for 1 billion colors, wide color support (P3) and True Tone built in, this is one of the best displays for the money this side of an OLED panel. And while I could do without the notch up top, it’s not too distracting. 

When it comes to audio, the new Air is the best sounding laptop in the line yet, thanks to a four-speaker sound system that’s located between the display and keyboard. During a demo I was very impressed with the volume and clarity. But the bass is definitely lacking versus the Pro. 

Even with the reduction in size, the MacBook Air promises epic endurance. Apple rates the new MacBook Air 2022 for 18 hours of video playback and 15 hours of wireless web surfing. Neither of those numbers vary from what Apple promises with the M1 MacBook Air, though. We’ll be putting the new Air through our battery test to evaluate these claims.

Based on our initial impressions, the new MacBook Air 2022 could be one of the best laptops of the year. The design is delightfully portable, and the display is simply awesome in person. I also like the powerful sound system and the potential of the mighty M2 chip. 

So who would get the $1,299 / AU$1,999 13-inch MacBook Pro? Anyone who wants even more power (thanks to its active cooling system) and 10-core GPU standard. Plus, the Pro offers even longer battery life of up to 20 hours of video playback.

Here is the one of the greatest advertisements of all time:

References:

https://twitter.com/Apple

https://www.apple.com/pl/mac/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwmS1gc9S5A

https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/macbook-air-2022-m2

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25 May 2022
1 Comment
Business, Devices

Canada to ban China’s Huawei and ZTE from its 5G networks

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The Huawei logo at a trade show.

Canada says it will ban two of China’s biggest telecoms equipment makers from working on its 5G phone networks.

The restrictions against Huawei and ZTE were announced by the country’s industry minister on Thursday. Francois-Philippe Champagne says the move will improve Canada’s mobile internet services and “protect the safety and security of Canadians”. But Huawei Canada said it was “disappointed” by the decision, which it said was “political”.

“This is an unfortunate political decision that has nothing to do with cyber security or any of the technologies in question,” a statement said.

Several nations – including the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand – have already put restrictions on the firms.

The four countries, along with Canada, make up an intelligence-sharing arrangement named “Five Eyes”. It evolved during the Cold War as a mechanism for monitoring the Soviet Union and sharing classified information.

Canada’s announcement was widely expected, as its allies had already barred Huawei and ZTE from their own high-speed networks. 

Speaking to reporters in the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Mr Champagne said the decision came after “a full review by our security agencies and consultation with our closest allies”.

“Let me be very clear: We will always protect the safety and security of Canadians and will take any actions necessary to safeguard our telecommunication infrastructure,” he added.

“In a 5G world, at a time where we rely more and more in our daily lives [on] our network, this is the right decision.”

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Ottawa told the Reuters news agency that Beijing sees the security concerns raised by Canada as a “pretext for political manipulation”.

The spokesperson for China also accused Canada of working with the US to suppress Chinese companies.

The Chinese embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to BBC requests for comment.

Huawei Canada said its equipment had been “closely scrutinised” by the government and security agencies, and added there had been “zero security incidents caused by Huawei equipment”.

“Banning Huawei’s equipment and services will lead to significant economic loss in Canada and drive up the cost of communications for Canadian consumers,” a statement said.

“Unfortunately, this decision is beyond our control as a business. However, we will do everything in our capacity to protect the legitimate rights and interests of our customers, partners, and ourselves.”

Meanwhile, ZTE said it rejected the “premise” of the Canadian government’s announcement, saying it was “highly speculative”.

“We have always abided by international standards and best practices, opening up our cyber security labs to enable regulators and stakeholders to verify the security of ZTE products,” the firm said.

The Canadian government’s decision means that telecoms firms in country will no longer be allowed to use equipment made by Huawei and ZTE. 

Companies that have already installed the equipment made by the Chinese manufacturers must now remove it, Mr Champagne said. 

Canada first announced a review of Huawei equipment in September 2018.

Some of China’s biggest technology and telecoms firms have been targeted in recent years by governments in the US and other Western nations over national security concerns.

In November, US President Joe Biden signed legislation that stops companies judged to be security threats from receiving new telecoms equipment licences in the country.

It means equipment from Huawei, ZTE and three other Chinese companies are banned for use in US telecoms networks.

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26 January 2022
3 Comments
Devices

The development of technology in cooking

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Cooking is one of my hobbies, but I enjoy the preparation of sophisticated, interesting and unusual dishes or desserts way more than the daily preparation of, for example, dinner. I am so discouraged by wasting my time preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, as well as all the activities related to it – coming up with a recipe, shopping, preparing, washing up that I am much more inclined to order something than to tire and waste time. I am not the only one who has a problem with it, so when I was looking for an idea for an article, I found that I would look for modern solutions to facilitate this activity. Of course, writing about a dishwasher, mixer or blender would not make sense, because everyone uses them, so I found a few less obvious devices and solutions.

More than once, when preparing a meal, it is required to use fresh herbs, but these are most often found in stores only in pots – which forces us to further care for them so as to use them again. However, not everyone has green fingers, and some of the potted herbs are extremely demanding, and if someone travels frequently or does not remember to water them, unfortunately, each such purchase ends up in the basket. AeroGarden Greenhouse comes to the rescue, which not only remembers about watering the plants for us but also provides them with fertilizer and the necessary warmth or light, even when we are away from home for a long time, our herbs remain in great condition.

areogarden greenhouse

How many times have you ever made yourself a delicious warm drink before starting your studies – be it coffee, tea or cocoa, but drinking it immediately was entailed with burns your tongue, so you wanted to wait for it to cool down and you forgot about it while you were busy with work at all, and as a result, you had to settle for a cold (ugh) drink? Walking around the house with a thermos flask would be quite strange, but the technology surprises us again and here we have the Temperature Control Mug! It not only keeps the drink warm but also controls and regulates its temperature through an app.

temperature control mug

Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without the Thermomix. It is not relatively new on the market anymore, but it wins the hearts of everyone who has ever used it, I am a faithful fan myself. No matter if you can’t hit the side of a barn in the kitchen or don’t have any culinary talent, every dish will work out in it. It’s a combination of a mixer, blender, steamer, pot, grinder, food processor, but does that make it so special? Obviously, these are the only functions that did not distinguish the Thermomix from other cooking devices at all. “Thermomix is a combination of intelligent technology, various cooking modes and solid workmanship, all contained in one device.” The Cookidoo application was created specially for it offers thousands of recipes for dishes, desserts or even drinks from various cuisines of the world. You follow the instructions step by step, adding only the ingredients to it, and it does all the work for you. It is undoubtedly the most useful appliance in the kitchen of all.

thermomix

Sources:

https://www.vorwerk.com/pl/pl/c/strona-glowna/produkty/thermomix

https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/smart-kitchen-gadgets-roundu

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