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  • Learning From Drones: Where Automation Is Headed in 2017

    Over the past year, it has become clear that the technological world is mostly on one path - the path to automation. However, anyone who has ever tried to build any kind of automatic device knows that the challenges from creating, to testing, and regulating are all a steep uphill battle. One area that has made some of the most significant strides in automation is the drone ecosystem. Automation was already one of the next steps for drones for a few years now, as we could see with Amazon planning automatic deliveries with drones since late 2014. Various industries are looking into how to transform their technology and make it automated. When preparing to make this change, these industries can learn from the advancements in drones and automation. Here are the five main challenges facing the world of automation, that the drone community has already faced head first: 1. Regulatory Challenges For drones specifically, the largest regulatory challenges to automation were presented by the recent rule 107 provided by the FAA in the U.S. This mammoth 624 pager addresses automation both directly, and indirectly through limitations on the Visual-Line-of-Sight (VLOS). To keep it relatively short, many of the proposed rules and concerns regard Visual-Line-of-Sight and Automation. It should be noted that while some exemptions have been granted, to some aspects of these rules, the future of automation absolutely requires the possibility of exemption when appropriate. Proposed solutions have been offered to the concerns expressed. In order to make automatic drone systems safe, I believe that certain steps should be taken, such as: flying in areas cordoned off from people, reliable and tested hardware, rigorous failsafe parachute, return-to-home failsafes, geofencing, and known regular scheduling times of missions. Automated platforms in all areas are going to face similar regulatory challenges. 2. Technological Challenges: The greatest challenge to building automatic hardware is the integration of many different kinds of engineering professionals and expertise. The development of an automatic system can require the capacity to change batteries and payloads without a human operator - for example in the world of drones. When building anything robotic and automatic, a significant challenge is minimizing points of potential failure in a technologically complex system. This involves finding the right engineering professionals from mechanical, electrical, software and robotic backgrounds. 3. Challenges of Defining 'Automation': "What is an Automated Platform?" While automation is not overly difficult to define it is talked about quite loosely, and the status of a particular product might be difficult to place. This is, in part, due to two similar sounding words, adopted from Greek, with close enough meanings to invite confusion: We use the word Automatic (Self-moving, acting on its own), to generally apply to machines who do their job in a preprogrammed way. The term was coined by Heron of Alexandria, in his book Pneumatics, who built a machine to open temple gates after a sacrifice. A system is fully automated when the human component - for drones when the pilot who launches, flies, lands and replaces the batteries of the drone - is able to be removed from the process. We use the word Autonomous (Self-governed, having its own laws) to generally apply to machines with autonomy: those with a greater or lesser ability to go about the world unguided, perhaps in a goal directed way, and solve problems as they arise. Development of autonomy is much more closely associated with artificial intelligence than automated machines which are linked with production efficiency. What exactly true, or full, autonomy might be is something of a philosophical question. However, a reasonable rule of thumb is the greater or lesser control a human agent has on the machine's behavior. A challenge to this way of talking is that such definitions aren't mutually exclusive. A single machine might possess elements of both of these kinds of systems. Sense & Avoid (S&A) technologies, used for emergency obstacle avoidance, for example, can be equipped as additional safety measures on an otherwise automatic unit. This means that a fully automatic unit might also be partly autonomous. 4. Challenges of Combining Fields: the Role of Software in Automation? Software obviously must play an important role for technology to reach full automation. Many times, a drone is thought of as an aerial data collection device, and in this case, the drone harvests the visual data in its most basic form. There is often significant processing, both by humans and software, required to turn this brute data into the actionable insights that a client requires. If automation requires removing the human element from a process, then automated processing of data is essential. 5. Cultural and Marketing Challenges One of the most interesting challenges, specifically faced by drone automation, is a lack of imagination as to the utility of aerial data. This is a more interesting story than it, at first, might seem. Big industries are, by nature, late adopters of new technology. The bigger the scale of the industry the more a disruptive technology is, well... disruptive. This includes the initial proof of concept of the tool, in this case, drones. Industries typically follow a fairly routine path to drone automation. They start off by buying, or leasing, their own consumer drones - which are relatively cheap - as well as simple payloads/sensors/cameras - which are not. Further expenses include the training and certification of new pilots and outreach to regulatory bodies. With this approach, a lack of expertise is quickly felt, not simply in the potential for crashes, but in limitation of the ways in which the equipment and sensors can be used. For any industry that wants to become an automated platform, it is important to not only understand how the market will change, but understand how becoming automated can open themselves up to new challenges. It is important for industries to invest their time and money into the equipment and software that will make their automation great, so that they don't need to keep putting money into products that won't deliver. What Are the Next Up-And-Coming Industries in Automation? While the drone industry is certainly dominating automation at the moment, one up-and-coming industry in automation definitely worth mentioning is the mining industry. The development, implementation and refining of fully automatic mining operations is a great achievement. I hope that drone operations can be a big part of this enterprise. Another equally interesting industry is the maritime industry. Rolls Royce, who have recently revealed a plan to develop automatic vessels monitored from a remote control center, see big potential in automating this industry. While drones are making significant strides in automation, it is time for other industries to step up to the plate and make their own steps in automation. With this in mind, industries can learn from the drone world how to make it through and surpass different challenges facing them, whether it be regulatory, software, or marketing challenges.

    Ran Krauss
    01.11.2017

  • 7 Things you need to know Before Purchasing Tech Items from E-Commerce Store

    Gone are the days when people had to visit a physical store to buy a product. We currently have several online stores that stock a broad range of tech gadgets. You can place your order from any of these E-commerce vendors from the comfort of your sitting room. Online shopping comes with several advantages, but you have to trade with care. Here are some of the things you need to know before purchasing tech items from any E-Commerce store. Quality of the Products You will agree with me that quality is the most important factor while buying tech products. The term quality refers to the goodness or badness of the technological product you intend to buy. The technological world is full of counterfeit goods than ever before. It's paramount to identify an E-commerce store that deals with genuine products. You can use the better business bureau to identify the brands that you can trust. Remember E-commerce stores only act as agents by stocking a broad range of products from different manufacturers. The online store should make a clear description of each product to guide your purchase decision. You need to ask yourself how well the product will meet your specific needs. Go through the specifications to ensure that the tech product you are buying has all the functions and features you require. You should also ensure that the product you are purchasing has the logo of the manufacturer. Make sure you understand how well the product is and how long you expect it to last. Never buy a product that doesn't meet your needs from any E-commerce store. It's advisable to go through consumer reports as they provide you with unbiased ratings of the product you wish to purchase. Having a feel of what customers have to say about the tech product you are buying will provide guidance to your decision. Ongoing IT Support Tech products encompass IT, and there are some things that you discover with time. The best online store should always be available to provide the IT support you may require. You need a responsive and dependable vendor who can come in timely in the time of need. You will discover that the bigger the IT purchase, the higher after sale service levels you will require. It's good to note that the cost of poor IT support can outdo the cost of the initial investment. Return Policy You need to ask yourself how much it will cost you if your purchase is not satisfactory. Make sure you confirm whether the E-commerce store charges restocking fees and shipping costs. Understand how long the customer service assistants will spend while dealing with the return. It's wise to deal with an online store that takes a very short time when dealing with returning products. In summary, the E-commerce store should have a clear return policy. You should go through each statement and have a clear understanding before placing your order. It's very frustrating to buy a product and later realize that the return policy does not favor you yet it's not what you want. It can result in a lot of time and money wastage. Shipping Shipping costs vary depending on your location. Some vendors may decide to give free or subsidized shipping subject to certain terms and condition. Make sure you identify an E-commerce website that offers you the best choice. Apart from the cost, you need to check on how the shipping company will handle your product. Tech products are delicate, and the online retailer should subcontract a reputable shipping company to deliver your products. You could also confirm how long it will take for you to receive the product to avoid late deliveries. Level of Customer Service The level of customer service is a critical component when buying tech products. You may need a lot of support while installing or using some of these commodities. Look at the various modes of communication that the E-commerce store offers. It's wise to choose a supplier that has the shortest turnaround time when dealing with customer quarries. Selecting a site that embraces live chat features would be the best option if you are looking for real-time guidance. You should also consider how the customer service attendants treat their customers. Go through the online reviews and choose a store that handles clients with due diligence. Some tech products are complicated, and you need someone who will practice a lot of patience in explaining a few issues here and there. Several online stores exist in the global market, and all of them have varying customer service levels. All you need to do is to identify a listening and caring partner. Warranty Another thing that you need to confirm is the kind of guarantee that the E-commerce store offers to the tech product you wish to purchase. Cross check with other online stores until you get a company that has the best terms and conditions. Make sure the online store you choose has the resources that can enable it to respond quickly. You should access them with a lot of ease whenever you have problems that require warranty interventions. Some online retailers can really make you jump through loops. Price Price comes last on this list because it is not the most important factor while buying tech products. However, you need to compare prices of the same product on different E-commerce stores. Some online stores may charge you highly on certain products when you can get better deals elsewhere. Comparing the prices will assist you to avoid any form of exploitation. However, I discourage tech product users to go for cheap products at the expense of quality. The truth of the matter is that you will get what you pay for in the product. You also need to compare different brands that possess similar product specifications. You may come across better models that go at a lower price. Therefore, you need to do your assignment very well when dealing with pricing issues. Summary You need to put several factors into consideration before buying tech products from any E-commerce store. This article presents a list of seven things you need to know as you buy these products. These include quality of the products, ongoing IT support, return policy, shipping, level customer service, warranty, and price. The primary goal of this article is to shed some light on your purchase decision while dealing with E-commerce stores.

    Rahis Saifi
    01.11.2017

  • APKBucket's APK Dowloader downloads APKs directly from Google Play

    Over the last couple of years, the number of smartphone users has increased dramatically and so is the number of apps and games available for the phones. Two big OS players in the smartphone market are Apple's iOS and the Google's open-source Android. Due to the cheaper price and availability of thousands of millions of apps and games available for the OS, Android has been a favorite choice of smartphone users. Google Play Store, formerly known as Android Market, is the official repository of these apps where users can find both free and paid Android games for their phones and tablets. But unluckily, sometimes users' phones don't support Google Play Store app and in such a scenario, users have to download APK files of the apps and games to install them on their devices. Unlike Apple's iPhones, Android devices are allowed to install apps and games out of Android Market and users can enable this option in the security settings of their devices. Once this option is enabled, APK file of any app or game can be transferred to the phone and can be installed on the device even in absence of the Google Play Store app. It has been a challenge for smartphone users to find original and clean APK files. Most of the APK files distributed out on the web are either infected or they are injected with annoying ads. So in this scenario, APKBucket's APK downloader is a trustworthy tool to download APK files of free apps and games. What is APKBucket's APK Downloader: It is an online tool that uses server-side clients and libraries to download APK files directly from Google Play Store. Users simply have to provide the apps' Google Play URL or their package ID and hit the download button. The tool will grab the APK file in seconds and the user can then download the file to their phone or PC directly. Is APKBucket Secure: Yes, APKBucket is 100% secure and it distributes the APK files without any modification. To confirm this, MD5 or other hash checks can be performed against the obtained APK files. All these features make APKBucket a trustworthy yet robust solution to download APK files of free apps and games. Limitations: The tool only supports free apps and games and premium apps cannot be downloaded using this tool. Moreover, game data (OBB) is not fetched by the too at this moment and we expect to see this feature in the tool in near future. In addition, there isn't any option to choose the target Android version too and that may download incompatible APKs of apps and games if the target app or game has version-specific APKs but that should be a rare case. Conclusion: If your Android device doesn't support Google Play Store official app, then you can use this tool to download the APK files directly to your PC or phone. Remember that the tool supports all those apps and games that exist on Google Play Store and are free.

    Rahul Raj
    01.11.2017

  • Five Best Health Care Apps of 2016

    In 2016, the health care community was overwhelmed with new technology: virtual reality, augmented reality, 3d printing. It made headlines and news items. It formed the exciting frontier and captured the attention of many. However, quietly flooding the market are just under 260,000 medical apps in the market to date. PricewaterhouseCoopers' recent study showed health care as the top 3 mobile trends of 2016. The majority of apps are designed for the patient and consumers of health care to use, however there have been many well thought out apps that are helping make health care professionals' daily clinical work easier. Smartphone use is ubiquitous and therefore bring your own devices in health care is common. What apps are allowing our doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists to do their work better or faster? Which ones allow them to take care of us better? We reviewed the best iOS and Google Play used by health care professionals. 1) 3d4medical Essential Anatomy 5 Apple App Store Rating: 5/5 Google Play Store Rating 4/5 Cost: $34.99 3d4medical makes anatomy an immersive experience. Using high definition three dimensional and layered images of the human body, the user can peel away and learn about the human body from an outside in approach. This almost gives the user the illusion that they are dissecting through the layers. No one makes anatomy on a smartphone as beautiful as this. 2) ShareSmart Apple App Store Rating: 5/5 Google Play Store Rating 5/5 Cost: Free The Whatsapp of Health. Someone finally gets clinical secure messaging and photo sharing right! ShareSmart is a privacy law compliant communication solution for all health care professionals to discuss about patient management and share photos, X-rays, ECGs etc. It has in-app consent management, secure cloud storage, encrypted chat. This is the most intuitive and easy to use app of this sort. 3) UpToDate Apple App Store Rating: 3.5/5 Google Play Store Rating: 4.5/5 Cost: Free with In-App purchase for content $499 per year UpToDate is not new to these lists. It is very reliable and up to date medical information which is peer reviewed. Topics are vast and tend to be very strong for clinical medicine and slightly less reliable for surgical knowledge. However, having this at your fingertips will allow you to be comfortable with any subject. 4) SeamlessMD Apple App Store Rating: Not enough to be averaged Google Play Store Rating:5/5 Cost: Free SeamlessMD specializes in perioperative patient experience. It helps educate and direct patients through clinical pathways designed to enhance or improve recovery and outcome. As patients use the app to input data points, the information is transferred back to the clinician for research and feedback. 5) Epocrates Apple App Store Rating: 3/5 Google Play Store Rating 4/5 Cost: Free with In-App purchase $174.99 per year. Epocrates is a common name to the health care professional. It originated from the palm pilot and still houses very accurate and important information especially for drug safety and prescribing guidelines. We kept it on this list because it still is a very good source but concerns about the newest updates include frequent crashes. Still commendable for being one of the workhorse apps for pharmacy students and nurse practitioners. Lots of choices are out there but it is often difficult to find truly useful apps for the health care professional. Have you tried these apps? Which ones do you find useful?

    Spencer Langdon
    01.10.2017

  • 5 Online Hacks to Help You Spruce Up Your Daily Routine

    Take a deep breath and repeat to yourself: everything is going to be alright. 2016 felt like the longest year on record for many of us, and notwithstanding the extra day for leap year, a brutally drawn-out election season, and the typically hectic winter holiday season, 2017 could not come soon enough. While New Year's resolutions are infamously hard to stick to, it will be worth your while to integrate new helpful habits into your daily routine to put some pep in your step, shake off habits that no longer work for you, and develop new ways to enhance your life on a daily basis. If you're ready to say sayonara to 2016 and usher in the new year with better health, habits, and hobbies, take a look at these 5 online hacks that'll position 2017 to be your most productive and fulfilling year yet. 1. Get focused: Self-Control It doesn't matter your age or occupation. The majority of us are constantly prone to distractions at work. Last year, The Telegraph found that a third of employees are distracted at work for up to three hours a day, culminating into a whopping 759 hours per year. Many of us even subconsciously beg for distractions to relieve us of monotony and the static nature of the corporate grind, though even one minute of interruption is enough to reset your short-term memory, thereby stunting both your workflow and mental progress. If you are serious about cutting out distractions at the workplace, consider trying out Self-Control, an OS X app that renders your browser "offline" within a chosen time frame. You're in complete control to allow or disable specific sites, so whether you're a social media junkie, avid gamer, or compulsive reader of viral content, you can customize your way to a more productive and less obstructed workflow. 2. Get some fresh air: Time Out It may seem hypocritical after the last point, but taking short breaks away from your desk and work obligations throughout the day is a key strategy towards boosting your energy, keeping your mind sharp, and enhancing your workflow. Studies show that these mini breaks significantly improve focus, as constant stimulation on the same task may put your brain on autopilot, thus rendering you less effective and your output less productive. Time Out is a simple app for OS X that operates while you work and gently fades in for a friendly reminder to take a short break at whichever interval you choose. You can also set "micro-break" reminders that'll encourage you to take a few seconds of respite from harsh screen lights. 3. Get organized: Evernote Organization is one of the most important facets of a well balanced, harmonious daily life, and a lack of it can cause major delays, misplacements, and other hiccups that could compromise both your personal and professional well-being. Enter Evernote, arguably the most kick-ass digital organizational tool on the market. Evernote's capabilities are widespread and plentiful, including compiling disparate notes and clippings into organized notebooks, device-syncing, and a powerful search tool that can even decipher handwriting. It's also worth checking out Scannable, its high-quality scanning app, and Web Clipper, a browser extension that'll make better use of saving web pages than merely adding it to a dusty and disorganized bookmark folder. 4. Get a sense of calm: Headspace Now that you have established a better workflow, it is time to do something for yourself on a personal level. People around the world are taking an increased interest in mindfulness meditation (including 18 million American adults), which isn't limited only to yogis, monks, and those who are purportedly "holier than thou." Even business bigwig Forbes aggregated a list of some of the scientifically proven ways that meditation can restructure your brain chemistry and pave the way for a healthier, more fulfilling and happier life. While it may seem counterintuitive to look at your phone to help you establish balance, calm, and peace of mind, a slew of apps are popping up to make meditation accessible and approachable for the modern man. Headspace, a British app, is one of the best of the bunch. It keeps things simple and digestible with an easily navigable interface, quaint explanatory cartoon videos, and a free 10-day trial series to help ease you into (perhaps new) mindfulness territory. The key to meditation is a consistent, daily practice. Expect to benefit from a fresher perspective and optimistic attitude to become second nature. 5. Get relaxed: Watch Online All work and no play constitutes a day poorly spent. After all, once you get home from a long day, you deserve to relax at least a little bit. Instead of turning on your TV for mere background fodder or flipping through an endless number of channels with no decent programs in sight, check out Watch Online to find your favorite TV shows, discover when they're on, or get direct links to stream them over a variety of viewing platforms. It is a good way to recklessly binge watch whatever show your friends have been telling you about for the past year.

    Shachar Shamir
    01.10.2017

  • The Ultimate Skinner Box: Clinical Virtual Reality 1990-2016

    By: Skip Rizzo, Ph.D., Director of the Medical Virtual Reality Lab, University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies, Los Angeles, CA. The last decade has given rise to a dramatic increase in the global adoption of innovative digital technologies. This can be seen in the rapid acceptance and growing demand for mobile devices, high speed network access, smart televisions, social media, hyper-realistic digital games, behavioral sensing devices, and now the 2nd coming of Virtual Reality! Such consumer driven technologies that were considered to be visionary just 10 years ago have now become common and increasingly essential fixtures in the current digital landscape. At the same time, the power of these technologies to both automate processes and create engaging user experiences has not gone unnoticed by behavioral healthcare researchers and providers. In fact, it was during the "computer revolution" in the 1990's that promising technologically-driven innovations in behavioral healthcare had begun to be considered and prototyped. Primordial efforts from this period can be seen in R&D that aimed to use computers to enhance productivity in patient documentation and record-keeping, to deliver "drill and practice" cognitive rehabilitation, to improve access to care via internet-based teletherapy, and in the use of virtual reality simulations to deliver exposure therapy for phobias like fear of heights, flying, and public speaking. The clinical use of VR was especially compelling back in the early-to-mid 90's as clinical scientists, dissatisfied with the limited old school methods of medical practice, psychotherapy, and rehabilitation began to get excited by the potential power of the computer revolution for reshaping and improving clinical care and research. At this time, VR was seen as not simply a case of automating the paradigms of the past with computing, but as way to create highly realistic, interactive, and systematically controllable stimulus environments that users could be immersed in and interact with to support clinical assessment and intervention. In this regard, VR was seen as an advanced form of human–computer interaction that allows the user to ''interact'' with computers and digital content in a more natural or sophisticated fashion relative to what is afforded by standard mouse and keyboard input devices. And with immersive VR, produced by the integration of computers, head mounted displays (HMDs), body tracking sensors, specialized interface devices and real-time graphics, patients could be immersed in a computer generated simulated world that changed in a natural or intuitive way with head and body motion to provide novel opportunities for clinical purposes. From this, VR was seen to offer the potential to create systematic human testing, training and treatment environments that allowed for the precise control of complex, immersive, dynamic 3D stimulus presentations, within which sophisticated interaction, behavioral tracking and performance recording was possible. Much like an aircraft simulator serves to test and train piloting ability under a variety of controlled conditions, VR could be used to create relevant simulated environments where assessment and treatment of cognitive, emotional and motor problems can take place under a range of stimulus conditions that are not easily deliverable and controllable in the real world. When combining these assets within the context of functionally relevant, ecologically enhanced virtual environments, a fundamental advancement was envisioned to emerge in how human assessment and intervention could be addressed in many clinical and research disciplines. This "Ultimate Skinner Box" was what human experimental researchers and clinicians had always dreamed of, whether they knew it or not! And this was the "vision" that drove the enthusiasm for "Clinical VR" in the 1990's! But it wasn't an easy road getting to a place where we could manifest that vision! For example, when discussion of the potential use of VR applications for human research and clinical intervention first emerged, the technology needed to deliver on this vision was not in place. Consequently, during these early years VR suffered from a somewhat imbalanced "expectation-to-delivery" ratio, as most who explored VR systems during that time will attest. Computers were too slow, computer graphics were primitive, 3D user interface devices were awkward and required more effort than users were willing to expend to learn how to operate effectively with them, and head mounted displays (HMDs) were costly, bulky, and had limited tracking speed, resolution and field of view. Thus, in 1995, VR experienced its own nuclear winter as the public became disenchanted with the quality of a typical VR experience and the technology languished for many years in what the Gartner Group has termed "the trough of disillusionment". In spite of this, the vision of Clinical VR was sound and VR "enthusiasts" continued to plug away at the R&D needed to advance the technology and document its added clinical value. And, over the last 20 years, the technology for creating VR systems gradually caught up with the vision of creating compelling, usable, and effective Clinical VR applications. This period saw dramatic advances in the underlying VR-enabling technologies (e.g., computational speed, 3D graphics rendering, audio/visual/haptic displays, user interfaces/tracking, voice recognition, intelligent agents, and authoring software, etc.) that now supports the creation of low-cost, yet sophisticated, immersive VR systems that are capable of running on commodity level computing devices. In part driven by the digital gaming and entertainment sectors, and a near insatiable global demand for mobile and interactive networked consumer products, such advances in technological "prowess" and accessibility have provided the hardware and software platforms needed to produce more adaptable and high-fidelity VR scenarios for the conduct of human research and clinical assessment/intervention. Thus, evolving behavioral health applications can now usefully leverage the interactive and immersive assets that VR affords as the technology continues to get faster, better and cheaper moving forward deep into the second decade of the 21st Century! Moreover, a significant scientific literature evolved, almost under the radar, since the 1990's indicating positive outcomes across a range of clinical applications that leveraged the assets provided by VR. Such scientific support for the clinical efficacy and safe delivery of VR-delivered care served to also inspire the current view that technologic innovation may also help reduce the escalating healthcare costs that have become one of the hallmarks of post-industrial western society. A short list of areas where Clinical VR has been usefully applied includes: Fear reduction in those with specific phobias Treatment for PTSD, depression, and paranoid delusions Discomfort reduction in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy Acute pain reduction during wound care and physical therapy with burn patients and in other painful procedures Body image disturbances in patients with eating disorders Navigation and spatial training in children and adults with motor impairments Functional skill training and motor rehabilitation in patients with central nervous system dysfunction (e.g., stroke, TBI, SCI, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, etc.) Assessment and rehabilitation of attention, memory, spatial skills and other cognitive functions in both clinical and unimpaired populations To do this, Clinical VR scientists have constructed virtual airplanes, skyscrapers, spiders, battlefields, social settings, beaches, fantasy worlds, and the mundane (but highly relevant) functional environments of the schoolroom, office, home, street and supermarket. In essence, VR environments can now be created that mimic real or imagined worlds and apply them clinically to immerse patients in simulations that support the aims and mechanics of a specific assessment or therapeutic approach. As a result, there is a growing consensus that VR has now emerged as a promising tool in many domains of clinical care and research. As we look to the future, we see Clinical VR as one of the larger domains of general VR usage. In the recent Goldman Sachs market analysis looking at the future of VR into 2025, we of course see that Gaming and Entertainment garners the largest market share. While that is to be expected with the public's chronic demand for new and better ways to consume media, the little noticed item in that market analysis is that "healthcare" comes in second for the VR market share. This is not a surprise to folks who have worked in this area over the years, especially as we see healthcare costs becoming one of the largest line items in the US Govt. budget, after Defense. Entrepreneurs have also taken note of this as the number of new clinically-oriented VR start-ups in the last two years outnumbers the total for the previous 20 years! And the exciting and scientifically-informed innovation in Clinical VR we have seen thus far is just prelude! In addition to the refinement and expansion of existing Clinical VR systems, the next generation of these applications will leverage the powerful advances in Virtual Human (VH) technologies to support credible interactions between patients and VH agents. But we will save the discussion of this domain of Clinical VR for a future installment of this blog! About the Author Albert "Skip" Rizzo is the Director for Medical Virtual Reality at the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies and has Research Professor appointments with the USC Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and at the USC Davis School of Gerontology. Dr. Rizzo conducts research on the design, development and evaluation of Virtual Reality (VR) systems targeting the areas of clinical assessment, treatment and rehabilitation. This work spans the domains of psychological, cognitive and motor functioning in both healthy and clinical populations. Skip will provide insight on this topic at the annual SXSW Conference and Festival, 10-19 March, 2017. The session, AR/VR: The Promise and Danger Behind the Hype, is included in the IEEE Tech for Humanity Series at SXSW. For more information please see http://techforhumanity.ieee.org

    IEEE Standards Association
    01.10.2017

  • 5 Things a bot can do for your eCommerce business

    The phrase, "There's an app for that," has never been more true. Chatbots are programs that facilitate e-commerce on messaging platforms, simulating the conversations between businesses and their customers. Whether you're looking to run your own travel agency, you can use bots to make your business run smoother. And the sky's the limit when you think about how many tasks, orders, and clients your bots can handle at a time. Some of the biggest names in instant messaging software, such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and WeChat have gotten a head start on the conversational commerce game, helping companies like yours conduct business. As bots become more useful for entrepreneurs, developers are coming up with more ways to implement them. They can develop bots for your business to help customers search and choose products, resolve customer service concerns, and follow up on orders. For inbound marketing strategies, online marketers have plenty of tools to choose from. Although Facebook is by far the most popular social media platform, messaging apps like WhatsApp, WeChat, and Snapchat showing heavy penetration and worldwide engagement, it's clear that people use messaging apps more than social media. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg admitted that messaging "is one of the few things that people do more than social networking." By not tapping the versatility that chatbots offer, and by not engaging the millions of potential customers through instant messaging, you're leaving plenty of money on the table. Here are a few things bots can do for you. Sales and Customer Support A chatbot can run point on all incoming visitors to your online store, and once they get there the chatbot can perform several tasks, such as: Initiate conversation. Field detailed, specific questions about products. Recommend options, accessories and alternatives. Collect your customers' contact information, and send it to your preferred CRM. The level of authentic human interaction, that is, whether your chatbot runs these tasks automatically, or simply assists your CSRs, is up to you. Spring's Personal Shopping Assistant is an example of a chatbot integrated well with Facebook Messenger, making use of product photos and comparison tools to make the shopping experience highly personal. Another app, Operator, functions as a request network or concierge desk. Able to execute any shopping-related request from concert tickets, interior design, to products that require professional expertise; Operator is looking to "unlock the 90% of commerce that's not on the Internet". Meanwhile, Kik has its own bot store, serving millions of customers for brands such as Sephora and H&M. Research and Analytics Assistant As an e-commerce business, your ability to maximize the traffic through your sales funnel is crucial to your success. Even though your website and app may both have analytics, your instant messaging software doesn't. The solution: chatbots give you the capability to assess your online sales performance based on the quality of the conversation. Personal Marketing Assistant You can implement bots in several different divisions, from marketing and operations, to public relations and branding. Shopify.com has a virtual assistant chatbot, namely Kit, which can do all sorts of tasks, to name a few: Create accurate, targeted Instagram and Facebook ads, Post new products to your Facebook page, Send personalized 'Thank You' emails, Create business reports to help you assess sales performance, Make ads out of 5-star customer reviews. Also users/visitors/customers can easily recognize your brand identity design. Send Subscription and other Automated Messages Perhaps your marketing campaign might have weekly or monthly mailers that feature your latest items or upcoming sales. How's that working out for you? A lot of promotional and marketing emails end up in the Spam box, so you might want to consider an alternative. Since people spend more time on their messenger apps than email anyway, you can use chatbots to send the same information to your clients via instant messages, short and sweet. And your customers will be able to place an order with a simple reply. Facilitate Payments Snapchat's virtual wallet bot Snapcash allows users to maintain a debit account on their app, which gives them the liberty to send money to friends as easily as they would send an instant message. Retailers such as Lancome and Target are already on board with this. Facebook also has its own bot system for handling peer-to-peer money transfers, which you can use to improve the online shopping experience for your customers. When we chat with someone on instant messaging apps, it used to be a foregone conclusion that we're talking to a real person. And virtual assistant tasks were tedious and vulnerable to human error. But bots are becoming more competent at handling the e-commerce tasks you need them to do. The best part is they can multitask in batches, freeing up time for you to focus on more important things. It's up to you to put them to work.

    Vincent Sevilla
    01.10.2017

  • Consumer Reports Suggest Newest MacBook Pro Has Serious Battery Problems

    Apple Inc. always come up with products that can leave anyone spellbound and amazed. The products of Apple are always admired for their beautiful designs and the powerful specifications. However, the new MacBook Pro could not live up to the expectations. What is worth mentioning is that it is not because of the specifications or features. New MacBook Pro has some serious battery issues which were not witnessed in Apple's products before. The battery life of MacBook Pro was found to be very inconsistent. According to the manual, the battery has at least 10 hours battery life and in the first try, it runs around 9 to 9.75 hours. The results in the second and third trial are very astonishing. In the second trial, MacBook Pro battery could only last at an average of 4 and a half hours and on the third trial, it could last only 3 hours. This may seem as a minor issue but it has tarnished Apple's name. However, the battery life can vary from person to person based on the usage. Some people took to the social media and Apple's support forum to report the issue that the battery does not last as much as advertised. Consumer Reports also declined to recommend the device because of this issue. In the previous models of MacBook Pros, the battery time was exceptional that is why people were more excited to try out this new model. But this machine was sheer disappointment because of this battery problem. Apple in response opted to remove the battery estimate from the advertisement and the manuals. Besides the battery problem, new MacBook Pro is an exciting machine to own. It is still unknown that what exactly is causing this problem. But as per the initial reports, it is suspected that the discrete Radeon graphics chip is causing this problem, although it is not confirmed yet. For some people, battery is not a problem. They can bring an external battery and take it along wherever they go to enjoy the features MacBook Pro has in store. The display is terrific with enhanced brightness. It is much lighter than its predecessors. It is best for music and game lovers with 58 percent loud speakers and if you pay extra, a Touch Bar display above the keyboard is waiting for you that gives you a whole new way to control and manage things but there are only a few apps which integrates with this Touch Bar. These features are so attractive that some fans still can ignore the battery problem and buy MacBook Pro. But if you need more battery timings, this laptop is not for you. Based on the features and specifications, the new MacBook Pro is supercool to have but the battery issues have resulted in the downfall of it. To sum up, all the innovation of this machine ended with these battery issues. Apple will improve this laptop in future just like other products and when that happens and when it gets longer battery life and more apps integrate with the Touch Bar, MacBook Pro would be tough to beat for the competitors.

    Garry Steele
    01.09.2017

  • Minimalism Via Technology: Great Equalizer or Just Oxymoron?

    "Minimalism" seems to be another one of those things that's becoming trendy nowadays. It's a lifestyle that promotes a philosophical and spiritual cleansing, the type that is supposed to strip an individual down to his or her essence, void of the clutter of temptation and material desire. However, some argue that the "trend-ifying" of minimalism flies in the face of movement's purest intentions, and that the fad simply would not exist were it not for the complex underbelly of global circuitry supporting it. Gadgetry and increasingly complicated, minimalist tech (complicated/minimalist... oxymoron much?) helps to fuel the minimalist ascetic, further confusing the spirit of the trend. Minimalism and Silicon Valley Techno-Oppression Author Kyle Chayka wrote an article for the New York Times called "The Oppressive Gospel of 'Minimalism'" in which he argues that minimalism is a fad. He notes that "despite its connotations of absence, 'minimalism' has been popping up everywhere lately, like a bright algae bloom in the murk of post recession America." In stark contrast to the idea that minimalism strips away familiar connotation, that pure perception is clouded by assumption, and even that "less is more", Chayka argues that minimalism has become a luxury product, in a sense. The term has become conflated with self-optimization, the author writes, and is often driven by expensive technology branded by and for the elite. He writes: In Silicon Valley, the minimalism fetish can perhaps be traced back to Steve Jobs's famously austere 1980s apartment (he sat on the floor) and the attendant simplicity of Apple products. Pare down, and you, too, could run a $700 billion company... the movement, such as it is, is led in large part by a group of men who gleefully ditch their possessions as if to disavow the advantages by which they obtained them. But it takes a lot to be minimalist: social capital, a safety net and access to the internet. The technology we call minimalist might fit in our pockets, but it depends on a vast infrastructure of grim, air-conditioned server farms and even grimmer Chinese factories. The point is that this idea of "minimalism" as an ascetic and a lifestyle is often not minimalist at all. It only provides the illusion of minimalism, while providing the reality of simplification and optimization. If an ascetically minimalist house is built on a massive, complex and intricately woven-together foundation, can you really call it 'minimalist'? Similarly, if the new minimalist movement stands on the back of a complex global trade and financial system, and is driven by technology that half the world's population could never afford, is it truly minimalist? Isn't it completely absurd to think that you wouldn't be able to "afford" to be minimalist? Is There Merit to Being a Techno-Ascetic? Chayka's article in The NY Times seems to be spurred by James Altucher's blog post "How Minimalism Brought Me Freedom and Joy". Chayka refers to Altucher first as a "wealthy serial entrepreneur" and then as a "wandering techno-ascetic--Silicon Valley's version of Zen monkhook," using both extremes to show the oxymoron inherent in a post that's emblematic of the budding genre. Minimalism aside, most people agree that having less will make you happier--in fact, many religions, including Zen Buddhism, mentioned above, actively shun attachment to material objects. It's perhaps too poetic to call it proof, but the studies showing that money spent on experiences rather than objects seeming to make spenders happier parallels these ancient beliefs. To top it off, optimization and paring down things to make them "Zen" (like turning the home into an office) truly does help deal with stress. What's interesting, however, is the contention that shedding material goods is a privilege--further, that minimalism is a kind of techno-privilege. Arielle Bernstein, writing for The Atlantic about her grandparents, who were Jewish refugees after WWII, puts it well: "I'm not alone in appreciating the lightness and freedom of a minimalist lifestyle... Of course, in order to feel comfortable throwing out all your old socks and handbags, you have to feel pretty confident that you can easily get new ones. Embracing a minimalist lifestyle is an act of trust. For a refugee, that trust has not yet been earned. The idea that going through items cheerfully evaluating whether or not objects inspire happiness is fraught for a family like mine, for whom cherished items have historically been taken away. For my grandparents, the question wasn't whether an item sparked joy, but whether it was necessary for their survival." What Bernstein is touching on is essentially the bedrock of the system--that it's easy to have nothing when everything is within reach. It's easy to throw everything away when it's just as easy to get it back. Does this mean that "techno-ascetics," should stop what they're doing? Realize that minimalism is more than just a trend and go back to owning tons of stuff? Technology as the Great Equalizer First, I think it's important to realize that technology that simplifies our lives does not necessarily contribute to minimalism. After all, minimalism in its infancy simply asked us to reimagine something familiar without the familiarity--it didn't ask us to get rid of everything in our lives to better optimize our time. That distinction is important to note. These people who are blogging about "minimalism" are contributing to an ascetic fad, and are not truly minimal based solely on the fact that they generally have an abundance of something contributing to their safety net. What should also be recognized, however, is that 'technology' isn't the offending culprit here, nor is 'minimalism'. Innovations that allow a human being to live without excess should be celebrated and disseminated to all--it's simply an economic irony that we have to spend maximally to be able to live minimally. Perhaps it's as The Atlantic calls it, and maybe Silicon Valley's 'sunny outlook on technology and opportunity ignores systematic inequalities'. Still, Silicon Valley doesn't represent "technology" itself. Technology itself is a great equalizer. Like the Internet, the ability of the technology is to provide unlimited access to the world's store of information--and that ability exists. The blockchain promises to decentralize and equalize just as much, if not more. Eventually, technology will affect biology with genetics--with gene-targeting cancer therapies, many diseases we call life-threatening today will be eradicated to the benefit of everyone, much like the polio virus. The point is this: systemic inequalities do exist, and "minimalism" as a fad subtly contributes to them. However, the fight against systemic inequality is real as well, and technology, depending on how it's used, can greatly contribute to that fight as well.

    Andrew Heikkila
    01.09.2017

  • Why Google fans need to look beyond the Pixel Phone

    I was one of the excited fanboys who put the pre-order in for a Google Pixel handset on October 4th 2016. I had been putting off a new cell phone purchase for nearly a year and had been using a Samsung Alpha phone until a new Nexus / Google came out. Before the Samsung Alpha, I had been a Nexus 4 user for two years and loved it until the softkey buttons stopped working (which is a common problem with the Nexus 4). However, my wait for the Pixel was for naught. On October 20th, I was in for a few surprises. Problem: Quality issues on basic phone functions I received probably one of the phones from the first few batches, however, that does not give Google a free pass with any mess ups, especially with a £599 phone. One of the first steps of setting up your new phone is to insert your network SIM card. However, I couldn't experience the joy of passing this step. The silver Google Pixel phone I received had a malfunctioning SIM card tray. After multiple attempts, the SIM card tray did not open using the key provided by Google, nor a paperclip. I was shocked and disappointed that a year-long wait ended with a whimper of having a defective phone. I contacted Google who accepted the phone back and processed my refund within one week, however, that didn't stop me from realizing the reality behind the other issues which had been consistent with Google and Android phone over the past few years: disappointment. Problem: Android phones keep getting bigger When the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 came out in 2013, people were saying "big and beautiful is back", I laughed thinking it was just a one-off experimental design. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Since 2012, there has been an increasing trend of Android smartphone manufacturers producing phones with larger screen sizes [1]. One can speculate on the reasons of the screen size increase, but conversely the fact that small screen sizes still matter can't be denied. That's why Apple still makes a 4.0" device, the iPhone SE, and a larger 4.7" smartphone device, the iPhone 7. I was unable to find an Android smartphone released in 2016 that had a screen size under 4.7". A 5" phone pretty much fills up 75% plus of my jean pocket, that's a no go for myself and many others who would rather sacrifice screen size for portability and ease of one-handed typing. The Google Pixel is a disappointment in that it decided not to buck the trend and offer only a "small" screen size of 5". Personally, a 4.7" is about the largest screen size I would now ever consider, and even though the Pixel is just a little larger at 5", there is wasted space in the design which makes it larger than a typical 5" phone should be. Problem: The Pixel shows Google thinks it can bank a premium from run-of-the mill design The Google Pixel has a considerably long bottom bezel section which seems wasteful considering it was softkey buttons on screen. Why did Google likely not work to eliminate this waste of space? Probably because the Pixel is based on the A9 frame by HTC, which manufacturers the Pixel phones for Google. The phone isn't waterproof, like its competitor the iPhone 7, and the Pixel looks like a rebranded HTC A9. How can Google call the Pixel "theirs" if it's made by HTC? The glass on the back of the phone is also unnecessary, as it allocates more surface area to a fragile material that is at risk of becoming damaged. Problem: Google now cares less about value with its Pixel smartphones With the Nexus line, Google was focused on providing great value with its high spec smartphone range. However, Google is probably aware that customers who want phones with the best hardware and latest software, are much less price sensitive than customers who care less about innovative characteristics and more about price. Why should Google not try to maximize profits of its first flagship phone? After all, the phone has been selling well according to various reports online [2] [3]. Although now I've switched to an iPhone SE, I can't say I am entirely satisfied. I do like using Android OS more than iOS. Although given the sizes of the latest high spec Android smartphones are above my personal limits, I am secretly wishing Google will one day see the light and think about a neglected part of the market. Otherwise, I am rooting for an Ubuntu phone to sweep me away with something cool in 2017. [1] http://www.pcworld.com/article/2455169/why-smartphone-screens-are-getting-bigger-specs-reveal-a-surprising-story.html [2] http://fortune.com/2016/12/09/google-pixel-phone-beat-microsoft/ [3] http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/iphone-7-top-selling-phone-us-while-google-pixel-most-promising-says-report-1595447

    Areion Azimi
    01.09.2017

  • Oculus Rift - Welcome to the Future of VR Gaming

    Technology is always evolving, inventing gadgets that never cease to amaze us. Oculus Rift is one of the latest inventions that is especially interesting for gamers. It's a virtual reality headset that will immerse you in a virtual reality environment, so you can imagine how that might sound for a die-hard fan of video games? That's right - total immersion in another world! The creators of Oculus Rift wanted to change the way people experience their favorite video games forever, taking cutting edge gaming technology and then taking it even a step further. Sporting some amazing specs like 1080 x 1200 resolution per eye, 90 Hz refresh rate, plus a wide field of view, this gadget is definitely a hit with gamers throughout the world. What it does, in a practical sense, is that it takes you right there into the game environment itself by tapping 3 of your 5 senses: seeing, hearing, and even touch as you will lose spatial awareness of actual reality and enter this new virtual reality. How cool is that? To make things even more interesting and real, there are initiatives to begin producing VR masks that can stimulate the senses of smell and taste. This would mean experiencing a game with all of your 5 senses. But, these VR headsets can be used for other purposes than just for playing video games. You can watch movies and feel like you are right there in the cinema. As the senior editor at PCWorld, Brad Chacos says, "the only thing missing is popcorn!" What's more, Oculus Rift has been shown to help ease problems like crossed eyes and lazy eye, and even help amputees deal with phantom limb pain. On the other hand, there are some people who see the oculus rift as a security risk, but they are generally in the minority. They are generally concerned by the fact that this device deprives 3 of your 5 senses, which is not the safest thing when you're home alone. That said, clearly the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to the Oculus Rift and new VR technology!

    Milena Lazova
    01.09.2017

  • The Last Car To Go Fully Autonomous Will Be A Corvette

    The automobile industry seems to be on a collision course with innovative consumer technology. It seems all cars could be fully-autonomous, electric, and smart in just a few years. While a world where no one needs a driving license and anyone can hail an Uber without a driver surely sounds exciting, the hard facts paint a very different picture. According to Citi Research, self-driving technology just isn't ready to go mainstream yet. GM, Toyota, Tesla and Uber have been investing in research relentlessly, but despite their best efforts it could still be twenty years before autonomous cars are widely adopted. Mobility, connectivity, and electrification are issues the industry still needs to tackle. New business models will have to be developed to support the rise of robot cars in the future. The last car to go fully autonomous may well be a Corvette. According to Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter, the car-maker could be last in line to adopt self-driving technology. The company has never shied away from innovation. It was one of the first to use composite materials in its cars, for example. But every change and upgrade has been aimed at making the driving experience better, not getting rid of it entirely. Juechter believes the purpose of a Corvette is to let the driver enjoy the experience of being behind the wheel. According to him, performance cars have never been better. Over the coming years lighter materials and more efficient engines could make muscle cars even better. Perhaps a few autonomous features to help the driver, like self-parking. But the joy of driving and modifying a Corvette yourself will, most likely, be preserved. Josh Greenwalt, CEO of RPI Designs adds "The Corvette will be one of the last vehicles to go autonomous because of the legacy and history of the Corvette. The Corvette is meant to be driven. The passion with most Corvette owners is the fact they can own and drive a world class sports car at a super price. A self-driving version would most certainly fall flat for GM." Corvette's avoidance of self-driving tech goes against the grain. Last year, Audi unveiled an autonomous version of its RS7 that was able to match lap times set by professional sports car drivers. Someone even modified a Corvette to help a quadriplegic driver clock 152 mph on a race track. Meanwhile, governments may have to reconsider human-driven cars if the majority of vehicles on the road are fully autonomous by 2040. Competition within the industry and government intervention could push Corvette to reconsider its position. Although it could take a while and Corvette may be the last brand to jump on board the autonomous bandwagon.

    Nabin Paudyal
    01.09.2017

  • Nokia in 2017— Redemption or Disappointment?

    I got a heartache when Microsoft snapped ties with Nokia. While the naming rights were handed over to HMD global, Foxconn acquired the feature-phone market. Nothing seemed right as my favorite firm was dissolved and a reincarnation seemed highly improbable. However, it seems Nokia has made a comeback of sorts by introducing a new smartphone, exclusively in China. Termed as HMD Global's Nokia 6, this handset marks the second stint for the company albeit a weaker processor and a promising acoustic setup. In this post, I will be talking about my opinions regarding Nokia's future as a smartphone manufacturing company. The Good I still have a distant memory of the Nokia 216 feature phone— flaunting a 2.4-inch screen and 30-day standby support. I must say that Nokia 6 is a great improvement sans Microsoft's branding. The unibody aluminum chassis is a massive addition and the adoption of Android Nougat is certainly a big step from Nokia— right into the future. Apart from that, Nokia seems to have improved its acoustic aura with the inclusion of Dolby Atmos support and two stereo quality speakers. The screen, as per the tabulated specs sheet, looks great at 5.5-inches and 1080p. The Bad While each one of us was expecting Nokia to start 2017 with a bang, the company— veiled as HMD Global played safe with the Nokia 6. The only reason for me to say this is the lack of a competent processor. Nokia 6 throws in Qualcomm's Snapdragon 430 SoC which is more of an average processor— released at the fag-end of 2017. While Xiaomi was the first one to get it on-board, Lenovo pushed it further with the likes of K6 and other associated models. Frankly speaking, I don't condemn the addition of Snapdragon 430 as it is a decent enough Octa-Core SoC for the entry-level smartphones. I am only disappointed on seeing Nokia's safe play even after been pushed into oblivion for such a long time. I would have expected the company to come out, making a statement of sorts. Instead of announcing its arrival, Nokia chose to slide in a basic smartphone— presumably to see the market reactions. Coming back to the specifications which feel average, the camera at 16MP is more of a letdown. The f/2.0 aperture is a bad option for low-light photography and even the 8MP selfie shooter couldn't save the day. Moreover, the camera looks spec-heavy but misses out on 4K video recording support. Bummer! Not just the processor, I am also saddened by Nokia's approach of underutilizing the not-so-bad Snapdragon 430. Nokia 6 lacks NFC and VoLTE which are actually the brighter spots of the concerned processor. While users will still be able to watch streamed content over applications like YouTube and Vimeo— the download speed might not be that great courtesy Cat.4 LTE support. Lastly, the 3,000mAh battery looks weak as compared to some of the other handsets in the market. Snapdragon 430 supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 but it will be interesting to see if Nokia 6 utilizes the same. Will there be Microsoft-Again? HMD Global took over the name for a reason. This is one Finnish firm comprising of ex-Nokia employees and therefore the fixation for 'Nokia' nomenclature is understandable. Moreover, Microsoft took over Nokia only as an experimental move and with the desire to leverage the 'Lumia' brand name. With that out of the way, there isn't a chance that Microsoft will be showing any interest in Nokia— unless the latter comes out with a chain of high-end gadgets. The Future? I have always been a fan of Nokia branded handsets as Symbian was my favorite platform for a long time. Therefore, my connection with Nokia goes way beyond the postulates of hardware and software. However, as a tech enthusiast, Nokia 6 didn't impress me at all courtesy the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset. That said, I am still looking forward to the Mobile World Congress 2017 and expecting Nokia to come out with certain bigger announcements. I understand that a battered company looks to play safe but I would never underestimate Nokia as it has the capability of surprising even the best in the business. Do let me know if you guys are as upbeat as me regarding Nokia second stint.

    Ananda Banerjee
    01.08.2017

  • How To Choose A Drone? Things You Should Know Before Buying A Drone

    Many people recall the pleasures and dangers of drones, but what exactly are they: toys, or military devices? The reality is actually the mixture of all this because in fact a drone is only an evolution of the "aircraft radio-controlled." With the miniaturization of electronic components, we have achieved technological prowess (miniature camera, camcorder no bigger than a cigarette pack, etc.). Of course the army has actively participated in its development (very low radar echo, relatively silent, able to make on-site as long as its battery allows it, transport camera or even trigger weapons at the touch of a button of the remote control). We therefore have several categories of drone from the simple toy of a few centimetres to the military drone several tens of meters of scale but we will talk here about the amateurs wanting to film from above. How to choose a drone? Several criteria exist in order to choose a drone. We must already take into account the experience we have in the piloting of drone, the control commands (smartphone, tablet, remote control, etc.), and the age of the user. We must also see what use we want to make of it. You should know that not all drones are equipped in the same way. Some have cameras, while others do not have them. But we can buy back packs to install them on the drone. Which drone to choose? After defining its needs and selection criteria, it is necessary to see the budget that is set to buy one. Some people are willing to put significant sums in the product to access the high end, others prefer to buy a drone range a bit lower in order not to ruin. Again, it depends on the selection criteria. But it is necessary to know that the price of certain drones is sometimes different only for some technical characteristics. The autonomy of the battery for example is a determining factor for the price of drones. The quality of the camera on the drone also has a great importance on the price. Price of a drone Prices for drones vary greatly depending on the characteristics, and the type of use. We can find models at about 50 Euros. If you prefer to have a better and somewhat more reliable drone, you should expect to increase your budget. Drones can range from 50 Euros for the cheapest, to about 3,500 Euros or 4,000 Euros for the most expensive. However, for a hundred Euros, it is possible to find some very cool kids drones which you can gift to your child. Again, it depends on how you want to use it. Before buying any drone, do some research which will help finding cheap drones to you. It should also be noted that some drones are delivered in "RTF" (Ready To Fly), that means they are ready to be used when they are out of their box. It is important to check if the drone you want to buy is "RTF". If it is not, the user will have to buy a remote control compatible with the drone in order to control the machine without any problem. An extra remote control costs about a hundred Euros. Nevertheless, this remote control is often essential for the piloting. Firstly, it allows better manoeuvrability, but also additional functionality. The drone is able to transmit directly to the remote control the images and the videos that it performs, and the user can see in real time what the drone captures or records. This is the First Person View (FPV) system. Finally, some advice before the final decision: - Some drones have a fairly limited range, which is generally proportional to the size of the craft. Indeed, to be more stable, drones should not be too heavy. This is why they are generally equipped with a rather small battery, and therefore have a low self-sufficiency. So, if you want to practice longer, do not forget to buy extra batteries for your device. - Drones are not toys. They are regulated by legislation and require special permits to fly them in certain areas. - Avoid buying a drone in an unlicensed shop. In the event of a problem, it may be more difficult to operate the warranty. What drone to buy? For technical reasons and in order to make the best use of the product, it is preferable to choose a drone that approximates your requirements and that corresponds to your budget. One can find several models quite accessible and with good value for money. Many models are available on the market today. Most of them are designed especially for leisure. Here is a general selection of drones on the market.

    Sameer Costy
    01.08.2017

  • Five Gaming Technological Advances in the Past Decade

    The first gaming system was initially called the "Brown Box" and later released as the much more aesthetically pleasing name, the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972. The ever popular Atari followed a few months later. With the release of Atari was first the arcade gaming revolution, and then more in home gaming consoles followed. People became addicted to gaming entertainment. The creation of the internet led to another technological revolution for the gaming industry. It meant more gaming options and the ability to play opponents from all over the world. Overall, gaming systems and equipment have transformed a great deal since the first introduction over 40 years ago. Over the last decade alone, we've seen significant technological advances in gaming accessories. Here are 5 of the top technological gaming equipment advances of the last decade. 1. Mobile Gaming With increased cellular phone technology like today's smartphones which first hit the market in 2007, the gaming experience can travel out of the house and go anywhere in the palm of the gamer's hand. No more boring train or bus rides, no more waiting in long lines at the grocery store checkout, and no more waiting hours for your number to be called at the DMV-- all with nothing to do; hello mobile gaming apps---entertainment at your fingertips! Not only does mobile gaming provide us with unlimited entertainment anywhere we bring our smartphones, but it also sharpens our thinking skills allowing us to think more quickly and more flexibly. 2. Cloud Gaming Another new revolutionary technology that allows gamers to game almost anywhere is Cloud Gaming. The idea of "the cloud" has been around for decades, but the internet wasn't ready until recently. Cloud technology allows gamers to stream video games from the web from any device anywhere there is internet available. The advantages of this new technology over traditional console gaming are outstanding! Perhaps the most exciting advantage for gamers is that they can access a vast library of saved games in the cloud from any type of device. 3. High Definition Graphics Even with mobile gaming and cloud gaming technology, there is still no place like gaming in the comfort of your own home. Gaming has come a long way from the days of basic graphics. With high definition graphics being used in gaming, gamers can now experience more realistic worlds with higher image quality and can feel like they are right inside the game, from the comfort of their own living rooms! Today's video games have complicated textures and colors and are being created more often in three dimensions instead of two. Graphics technologies are becoming so powerful, the characters and places in the games are life-like. 4. Gaming Chair Of course gaming with high-definition graphics, is hard to leave and many serious gamers play for hours at a time. And, let's face it, video gaming is not super active despite it being a very popular activity. Human anatomy and biology have not adapted to allow the body to sit for hours at a time. Thus, gaming technology had to adapt to make it possible for multiple hours of gaming entertainment. There now exists a variety of different gaming chairs from your basic more comfortable back support, to fancy chairs with speakers and cup holders! Either way, a good gaming chair fits your posture in a way that allows for a better blood flow to your lower body, which allows more relief in your muscles and joints and provides you more time to play games. 5. Wearable Gaming Gear Despite gaming being a sedentary activity, wearable technology has evolved gaming into much more than just sitting and playing. Wearable technologies such as virtual reality headsets, wristbands, and body suits have transformed gaming into a whole mind and body experience, taking the gamer out of his living room and right into the game itself, allowing him to live inside an interactive three-dimensional world. Some of this new wearable technology even allows gamers to play games without looking at their screen, and allows them to keep playing even when away from the gaming device itself. With all of these unbelievable advancements in gaming technology, when we need a break from everyday reality, we can comfortably immerse ourselves into an alternate reality from almost anywhere. The days of gaming in only our living rooms with our two-dimensional graphics, and our uncomfortable back straining chairs are over!

    Hugo Leveille
    01.06.2017

  • Biometric Authentication - Role in Modern Privacy Issues

    Biometric Authentication – Role in Modern Privacy Issues Invasion of privacy of data is an ongoing theme in the progressively advanced technological world., Whether it is pictures in your cellphone, financial transactions through your bank account or copyright information on your laptop; frauds, cons, and deceptions are on the rise and so is personal verification technology to counter it. The areas where authentication tools are now required include areas such as airports, banking, law, judiciary, mobiles, and medicine. It is slowly gaining acceptance in our day to day life as well. What is Biometric Authentication? There are three types of authentication tools available: The first is based on something you know like a password and a security question. The second is based on a specific object you own such as a smart card and RFID chip. The third is based on biometric authentication. Biometric Authentication tools are systems that use distinctive and inimitable biological features of individuals for their identification and authentication. It is easy to use, you cannot forget it and is highly personalized and secure. How it works is, the system captures data of the person to be identified, like a fingerprint, retina scan, and voice recording, and compares it with a pre-defined data set of the individual to be authorized. If the two data sets match, authentication is proven. If not, access, to whatever is being guarded is denied. Types of Biometric Authentication The types of biometric authentication tools are various. There are as many tools available as there are different body functions in a human being. Some of them include, DNA matching; Ear matching based on the shape of the earlobe; iris scan; retina scan; face recognition; fingerprint recognition - yes, the same old method used by the detectives, only digitized for the modern era; Gait or identifying a person based on the way he or she walks; Odor - Yes!!! Identifying a person based on the odor he or she emits!; Signature based; and finally, voice based recognition. So, which is the best method? The characteristics of an effective biometric authentication tool are: The data captured (from an individual, for authentication purpose) should not undergo any change as the person ages over the years. The data captured should be adequate to distinctively recognize and authenticate a person. The data capture process should be simple and should be possible through inexpensive machinery which gives the results instantaneously. Let's see which of these characteristics, fit the various biometric authentication tools. #1 Signature: It is a match based on a study of the strokes and pressure applied while putting one's sign. However, it can be duplicated, or can change over a lifetime. #2 Voice Recognition: Voice biometrics can be used to authenticate individuals, but tape recordings remain a concern for safety. #3 Retina or Iris Scanning: In the case of a retina scan, the match is done based on the pattern of blood vessels in the eye. In the case of an iris scan, the match is based on patterns formed inside pupil of the eye. It is impossible to duplicate either. However, the scanning process is complicated and takes time for authentication. #4 Facial recognition: Facial recognition is done by comparing the distance between certain prominent features on the face of an individual. The data thus collected is good enough to identify individuals uniquely. The technology is widely used (including in social media platforms.) The data collection can be done with the help of a simple digital camera. The best part is that it is the least intrusive method on this list. #5 Fingerprint Identification: It has got to be one of the most commonly used and most effective authentication technologies. Even during the early days of banking technology, the left index finger used to be regularly pressed into an ink pad and applied on paper. This was replaced by the pen and signature as the sign was considered unique, only to be replaced back by fingerprint scanners. Are they any good? Let's see – Fingerprints remain constant throughout life; Never have two fingerprints of two different people matched ever in the history of matching fingerprints! That is because each fingerprint contains an infinitesimally large number of edges or points and channels or grooves. The wide usage in smartphones, banks, ATMs, attendance marking machines and the simplicity of the machines itself qualifies this as one of the best tools. Endnote After all this analysis, it is worthwhile to say that multifactor authentication is always better than using one method of identification and as technology evolves, different methods could become better than current ones.

    Abhishek Pathak
    01.06.2017

  • Smart Tech, Bad User Experiences

    Technology is designed to make life easier for its users. At the same time, technology comes with the risk of causing bad behaviors and user experiences. 1) The Notifications Ball and Chain: Notifications pop up and alert users about anything form Amber Alerts to Messages received. When notifications pop up on a mobile device, users often glance immediately at their phones to check if it is important. If the user is in conversation with another, both individuals will glance at the phone because of familiarity. Notifications have a Pavlovian effect: mobile users' eyes immediately scan the notifications upon immediate receipt. The Notifications Pavlovian Effect stretches across platforms as well. I performed contextual inquiry on users with Apple iWatches and noticed that every single user glanced at their iWatch when they received a message. Many users would also completely stop the conversation to read or respond to the message. The watch created friction and a bad user experience for the in-person conversation. As a test, I wore a Fitbit device with the notifications feature turned on for a day. Ever single time I received a message or phone call, the device would vibrate and I would be inundated with information. After the 5th text from my mother, I had to turn off my notifications. The notifications included too much information and created friction to disrupt my life, which I found to be an overall bad user experience. 2) Email ADHD: Email ADHD has become a common trend. Working professionals receive anywhere from 100-1000 emails a day (perhaps some people receive more) and are constantly checking their emails. Although it may be impossible to read all the emails, professionals are still expected to constantly be up to date with their inboxes or be fired. Supposedly, there are only two types of email users: "Inbox Zero" people and people who never clean out their inboxes. Performing contextual inquiry, I analyzed the behaviors of friends who worked at various law firms and consulting firms in Manhattan. In a span of an hour lunch or two hour dinner, I watched these friends whip out their phones to check their emails around ever 10 minutes. Although most users' phones were on silent and did not receive notifications, they claimed to "just know" that they had received emails --and in all cases, the users were correct. Many times, these professionals would respond immediately to their emails because it was a client or a partner. Was this really necessary? Perhaps in certain cases or immediate projects. Overall, I found that email checking disrupted the meal experience, similar to notifications. 3) Iphone Dependence: "I can't live without my phone," is probably a phrase that we have all uttered. Because mobile phone users are so used to having their devices on them at all times, losing, misplacing, or not having your phone is perhaps a fear comparable to death or social suicide. Recently, I had the chance to contextually analyze a 17-year old high school student who left his phone at home. He seemed withdrawn, unengaged, despondent. "Sorry, I don't have my phone," was his response to my question about whether apples were healthy or not. When he went home to get his phone, he returned, energized, excited, and ready to engage because he felt "connected to the world." As a test, I decided to leave my iPhone in my apartment for a day. Initially, my thoughts were focused on worry about who was looking for me and whether friends and family knew I was OK. At the same time, I noticed that I felt freer and able to think without the habit of pulling my iPhone out to check it, even if I did not have notifications, messages, or calls. The biggest drawback to my experience was the lack of camera when I saw an interesting image. The inability to instantly Google for information was annoying, but not completely problematic because I could wait until going home to use my laptop. By the end of the day, I found the digital detox to be a great change of pace and comfortable to know that I was not wholly dependent on my iPhone. 4) Excess Gadgetry: Can a techie have too many gadgets? When does one have too many gadgets? In terms of user experience, a techie has too many gadgets when he doesn't use them. If an Alexa is sitting around dormant for 8 months, a usability gap exists. If the Oculus Rift DK2 has been sitting in a closet for 2 years because the techie hasn't figured out how to use it, an accessibility problem exists. Having new hardware and software is exciting, but when these technologies are not being used, there are underlying user experience problems. Duplicative devices also make for a diminished user experience. If the techie has two devices that perform the same function, he probably could do with just one. The functionality problem arises in the fact that user is doing the same thing twice, being half as productive as having one device and performing the function once. In large cities like New York, duplicative hardware also takes up excess real estate in one's small apartment and decrease space functionality. If excess gadgetry is causing usability, functionality, and accessibility problems for a techie, it may be time to "KonMari" these gadgets for 2017.

    Amelia Wong
    01.06.2017

  • 6 Ways Tech Can Improve Your Productivity at Work

    6 Ways Tech Can Improve Your Productivity at Work If you've ever felt distracted at work, you're not alone. A CareerBuilder study found that 75% of employees lose at least two hours per day in productivity due to distractions, most of which come from the internet. Right behind cellphones, the internet is one of the biggest productivity killers out there. Though some technology, like Snapchat and texting, can be a distraction, other tech tools can be an advantage by helping you and your team to accomplish more, communicate efficiently, analyze performance, and achieve greater success. In fact, millennials, which make up one-third of the US workforce, often expect a company to use technology to inspire them to work smarter. Harnessing the right tools for your team can not only motivate millennial employees, but also maximize your business productivity and help you overcome the challenges of executing and managing daily tasks, projects, and strategies. Here are six tech tools that can play a significant role in your workplace efficiency, benefiting employers and employees alike. 1. Get More Done in Less Time Dependable, fast internet is the most important feature of a productive workday. "You can accomplish a lot more if you aren't waiting for pages to load, files to download, or your internet to reconnect. You may not be able to prevent distractions around the office, but you can eliminate the frustrating interruptions of a slow or lost connection by investing in a reliable business internet service," says Frontier Business Tech Specialist Garit Booth. 2. Track Progress Accurately Whether you bill clients by the hour or you want to monitor the time it takes your team members to accomplish projects, a time tracker like Toggl can help. Measuring the time tasks require can inspire you to be more productive and collaborate efficiently with your team. Through a visual dashboard, Toggl helps you track projects in real time, receive an instant overview of your billable time and team progress, set completion goals, and more. Best of all—especially for tech enthusiasts—Toggl integrates with Asana, Trello, and other popular productivity tools. 3. Manage Your Time More Efficiently The Pomodoro Technique is a time-management process designed to decrease burnout and increase productivity by breaking work down into twenty-five-minute sessions (called Pomodoros) followed by five-minute breaks. Choose one task, dedicate twenty-five minutes of uninterrupted focus to it, and then reward your brain with a five-minute break and repeat. After completing four Pomodoros, take a longer, fifteen- or twenty-minute break. You can use TomatoTimer to track your Pomodoros. 4. Never Forget a Task When you are managing multiple projects or collaborating with a team, it can be overwhelming to keep things from falling through the cracks. The best way to complete tasks on time and keep track of your lists is to use an enhanced, digital to-do list, like Wunderlist. With Wunderlist, you can organize all your tasks within one app that can be accessed seamlessly from your phone, computer, or tablet. You can check off tasks as you complete them, set deadlines, share lists with your coworkers, and work together to complete projects. You'll never have to worry about missing a deadline or failing to follow through on a project again. 5. Eliminate Procrastination Even if you're checking for work purposes, it's almost impossible to not get distracted by your favorite news sites and blogs for too long. Instead of losing hours in the abyss that is your saved bookmarks, try Pocket. Acting as a digital folder, Pocket lets you save links and articles with one click so you can access them later on any device—even without an internet connection. To avoid cluttering up Pocket, consider dedicating an hour once a month to review your saved items. 6. Stay Focused on the Goal When you're working on a challenging project or struggling to focus, it's hard to avoid the lure of social media or email. You may not be able to unplug from the internet completely, but you can prevent distractions with a website blocker, like SelfControl. This open-sourced app lets you block access to mail servers and designated websites for a set period of time. Once you start the timer, you can't stop it—even if you restart your computer. There's nothing better than allowing technology to simplify and improve your life. Share these tech tips and tools with your team members and take them for a test drive in the office—you'll be glad you did.

    Sage Singleton
    01.06.2017

  • The Public Access Weekly: Jump in the line

    As the first week of the new year ends, we're still in full CES 2017 mode -- and if you haven't been watching our Live from CES 2017 feed then you have missed some truly amazing moments, like Managing Editor Terrence O'Brien drinking scotch with Nick Offerman and today's interview with David Copperfield. Keep an eye on the home page for more interviews (Aisha Tyler tomorrow!), announcements and all the brand spankin' new product talk you can shake a stick at. Now on to the community news and notes! If you hang out in the comment section, you may have heard me say this a few times this week but it bears repeating: Don't pick fights in the comment section. We know that people feel passionately about a variety of topics from Android to net neutrality, but the comment section is there for discussions not name-calling and taunting. If you want to pick a fight, join a boxing gym. If you want to participate in the comment section, we expect you to be respectful to your fellow community members.

    Amber Bouman
    01.06.2017

  • The Tech Behind Data Privacy and National Security

    When Edward Snowden leaked America's extensive surveillance practices, it didn't just impact American citizens. It changed the way people all over the world thought about their data privacy and how it impacts national security. The increased focus on data privacy hasn't only affected governments either. It has shed new light onto the data collection practices of businesses. Many have called into question how businesses should handle data, with national security matters (Apple's refusal to unlock an iPhone is a great example) and data breaches creating big discussions on the subject. A fine line People feel just as negatively about the collection of their personal data today as they did in 2013. However, despite the negative associations, people are becoming more willing to let their data be collected if it will protect national security. Astonishingly, only 20% of people surveyed in 2016 don't support the use of personal data to protect national security. This is a major decrease from the 42% who were opposed to it in 2013. This information reveals 2 key points businesses and governments must keep in mind: People are willing to provide their personal data - for the right reasons Even if someone is willing to open up their personal data, it doesn't mean there won't be a bitter after taste. Another important point to consider is that the more personal the data, the less comfortable an individual will be with a business or government having access to it. Businesses and governments will need to walk a fine line when it comes to data collection. One that only collects data that's relevant, and only uses the data for the correct reasons. People's biggest fear The biggest fear for individuals isn't that the government or business will misuse their data, but rather that they don't have the security measures in place to adequately protect private information. The majority of people feel that companies and their governments can't keep their data secure. That's a major pain point, that has only been getting worse with the latest attacks and breaches. Just this year alone there have been several major incidents which have given individuals cause for concern: Ukraine's power grid was shut down Over 100 million dollars being stolen from banks this year The rise of ransomware You may notice that none of these incidents are related to people's privacy. That's because there's been no major media coverage of data breaches in 2016. In individual's minds, the question looms: "If governments can't stop their power grids from being shut down, and banks can't stop the theft of tens of millions, how are they going to protect my private information!" Will data ever be truly secure in other's hands? Many individuals feel like their private data will never truly be secure in the hands of a government or corporation. Most don't even believe they have control over their own data. In a world where merely owning a phone broadcasts so much information about you, it can be tough for a business or a government to reassure individuals. Technologies like HP ArcSight already exist which will help keep private data secure and there are even data analytics companies like SQream which can aid in accelerating security and forensics analytics by querying larger historical time frames and doing it faster than with traditional security products alone. In fact, many governments and businesses are already putting increased cyber security measures into place so that they may keep their data safe. So while your data may never be 100% safe, there are many steps that can and already are being taken to make it secure. Parting Thoughts At the end of the day, the balancing act isn't so much about whether or not to use data for national security. Most people are willing to do that, and agree that it's necessary to protect the countries, cities and even neighborhoods they live in. The balancing act between data privacy and national security is more about ensuring that the data which is being collected is the right data and that it is kept safe.

    Philip Kushmaro
    01.05.2017
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