More of the Future From CES …

Alan Kay, a legendary computer scientist, once said, “Technology is anything that wasn’t around when you were born.”  As a member of the older generation, I have a difficult time trying to recall all of the technological advances that have been made since I was born. Every year new marvels are introduced, some which will make a positive difference in our lives and many that will quickly fade away. The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is where many of these innovations first see the light of day. 

Last week I wrote about several innovative products that make use of Amazon’s Alexa technology, a voice-activated digital assistant that can follow simple commands. While Alexa was the obvious star of this year’s CES, there were many other products of note. Smart home products, which are gaining in popularity, can turn lights on and off by voice command, lock doors remotely from a smartphone app, and transmits video to your smartphone when someone rings your doorbell. Among this year’s more interesting, and sometimes humorous smart-home products are an under $100 home security camera, a home security drone, an adorable home security robot, and an automated cat feeder

Dlink introduced an affordably priced home security camera that includes night vision, sound and motion detection, a built-in microphone and a 120-degree field of view. Live footage can be viewed on smart-phone apps for both iOS and Android. The camera, the DCS-8000 LH, is scheduled to debut this spring with a list price of $70.

For those of you who want completely state-of-the-art home security might want to wait for the release of camera-equipped drones from alarm.com. The autonomous drones are designed to fly through the house if alerted by tripped motion sensor or an unexpected noise. The drones capture video that is then sent directly to your smartphone. There is no set release date or pricing for these drones.

The home security robot, Kuri, measuring just under two feet tall is reminiscent of R2-D2 from the original Star Wars movie. The first iteration of Kuri is designed to patrol the home using a predetermined route and can send alerts when anything is out of the ordinary. It can alert a homeowner when the dog jumps on the couch, and the homeowner can command the dog to get down through the robot’s speakers. Kuri has motion and sound sensors for detecting unusual activities and send video and sound recordings to a smart phone. It is also designed to recognize family members and can follow them around the house playing podcasts or reading ebooks. It is promised to ship by next Christmas with a suggested list price of $699.

Finally in the smart-home category is the Catpad, a device that is billed as an automated cat feeder. It has a water reservoir that pumps out fresh water, dispenses dry food at meal times, and communicates with an app to give the owner feedback on the cat’s eating habits. The device is equipped with an RFID sensor that communicates with a vet-implanted microchip, or a fob on the cat’s collar, to determine when the cat is at the feeder, and if there are multiple cats in the house, which cat is eating when. The Catpad will be available in June for $250, costing a bit more than asking your neighbor to feed your cat while you are away.

In the wearables category, the most interesting product is the Linx, a bicycle helmet from Coros. Wearing a bicycle helmet while wearing headphones to listen to audio can be very uncomfortable, not to mention illegal and dangerous. The Linx has two bone conducting speakers that play music through your cheekbones, bypassing the ear drum. The audio is linked from a mobile device and transmitted to the speakers without blocking outside noise. The helmet comes with a remote that straps to the handlebars and has a companion app that can track fitness, plan routes, and alert an emergency contact if the helmet detects a fall. The Linx helmet is available now for $200.

Healthcare is another area of interest, featuring products that can monitor vital signs, glucose, fitness levels, daily activities and even sleep patterns. This category of products has been around for several years, and each year they get more sophisticated and easier to manage and use. One new entry is something I don’t think any of us would label as a “must have,” but it is certainly unique. L’Oreal has teamed up with a technology company to create a smart hairbrush that analyzes your hair and your hair brushing patterns. The findings are relayed to an app that gives you tips on how best to take care of your tresses. The brush will be available later this year and is set to sell for $200. A representative of L’Oreal admitted that this device is not for everyone, but is marketed to the younger generation of “ … time-poor millennials.” 

If you try any of these new technologies, or anything else that is on the cutting edge, please be sure to let me know! I can be reached at onmouseclick@digitalquinn.com and on Twitter at @LindaQPhotos.

Links:

Dlink Camera 

https://www.cnet.com/products/d-link-hd-wi-fi-camera-dcs-8000/preview/

Drone

https://www.cnet.com/news/at-ces-flying-drones-are-alarm-com-home-security-moonshot-ces-2017/

KURI Robot

https://www.cnet.com/products/mayfield-robotics-kuri/preview/

Catpad

https://www.cnet.com/news/catspad-smart-pet-feeder-ces-2017/

Bike Helmet

https://www.cnet.com/products/coros-linx-smart-cycling-helmet/preview/

Smart Hairbrush

https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/03/withings-and-loreal-made-a-smart-hairbrush/

What the future holds …

Every year, during the first week in January, major players in the tech world gather in Las Vegas for the annual CES (Consumer Electronics Show). Tech companies from around the globe show off their newest gadgets and designs, giving consumers a peak into the future — both near and far off. I couldn't make it to Las Vegas, but I did visit some of the websites that cover the tech industry to find out what's "hot" and what's not. 

According to Wired Magazine, the unequivocal star of this year’s CES was Amazon Alexa. Last May Amazon introduced the Amazon Echo, a 9.25-inch cylinder that acts as a music playback speaker and connects to a voice-controlled, cloud based “intelligent personal assistant” service known as Alexa. Say “Alexa,” followed by a command that it has been programmed to understand, and Alexa makes it happen. When first introduced Alexa, and the Echo, were seen as something of a toy device, only good for playing audio (“Alexa, play the Bloomberg podcast.”) and ordering from Amazon (Alexa, reorder Tom’s toothpaste.”). Since then, Amazon has made Alexa technology available to third party developers, and the results have been phenomenal. There were dozens of Alexa-enabled devices at CES, from Smart-Home applications that control devices in our home and automobiles.

Ford Motors showed off a car that connects to Alexa by pushing a button on the steering wheel. According to the Ford Media website, the onboard Alexa can check the weather, play audiobooks, search and transfer local destinations to navigation, request news and add items to Amazon shopping lists. Vehicle owners can even control Alexa enabled devices in our homes, including garage door openers, lighting and security systems, and heating and air conditioning systems.  Say a command while sitting in your car, such as “Alexa, set the air conditioner to 72º,” and when you arrive home, your house will be at just the right temperature.

Ford’s in-car Alexa integration is scheduled to debut this summer, but owners of some Ford vehicles will be able to take advantage of some Alexa features next month. Owners of electric vehicles — the Ford Focus Electric, Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi — will be able to use an Echo to preform certain automobile related tasks from home. Command include starting and stopping the car (not a good idea if someone else is driving it), locking and unlocking doors and monitoring vehicle readings such as fuel level and battery range. Say “Alexa, ask my FordMobile to lock my car,” or “Alexa, ask my FordMobile to start my car,” and it is done.

In the home, Alexa has been integrated with 21 new Whirlpool appliances, slated for release in 2017. As with the Ford vehicles, users must have an Echo in their home to take advantage of these unique features. A Whirlpool oven will let owners set cooking times and temperatures with a spoken command, and during cooking they can ask how much cooking time remains. Washers and dryers will also be able to give time remaining, or enable a quiet mode. Whirlpool refrigerators will allow you to change the internal temperature with voice commands. 

Last year LG introduced a line of refrigerators with an “Insta-View” screen on the door that was capable of showing images of the products inside the appliance. This year LG is adding Alexa integration. The “Insta-View” screen is voice controlled and promises to have the ability to set timers, tell you how many teaspoons are in a cup, play music, check weather, show an image of what is inside and order food from Amazon Prime Pantry. There is also an app that allows you to access the information on your smart-phone when you are away from home. If you are grocery shopping and can’t remember if you need milk, just take out your smart-phone and take a look at the inside of your refrigerator. LG has not announced when the appliance will be available.

Neither Ford, Whirlpool or LG have announce pricing on their Alexa compatible devices, but the list price of last year’s “Insta-View” refrigerator started at over $4,000. 

A note on the Amazon Echo — Since the Echo was first released, Amazon has introduced two new models. The original Echo sells for $180, the slightly smaller Echo Tap sells for $130 and the disk shaped Echo Dot sells for $50. Visit the Amazon website to compare the three devices. 

Next week’s column will cover more innovations from CES 2017.

What follows are links that provide more information on products mentioned in today's column.

Alexa:

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/why-amazons-alexa-ran-away-with-ces

http://www.marketwatch.com/video/how-amazon-alexa-won-ces-2017/D78E4A45-A287-4CC6-A5DD-B0F5776A274A.html

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/06/ces-2017-amazon-alexa-stole-the-show-a-bid-to-become-the-iot-operating-system.html

https://www.wired.com/2017/01/ces-alexa-in-everything/

Whirlpool

http://www.techhive.com/article/3154275/consumer-electronics/whirlpools-smart-appliances-will-be-amazon-alexa-compatible-this-year.html

https://ces.whirlpool.com

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/191204/20170104/ces-2017-whirlpool-and-amazon-partner-up-to-integrate-alexa-with-smart-appliances.htm

Ford

http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-alexa-coming-to-ford-cars-2017-1

http://www.geekwire.com/2016/ford-working-on-amazon-echo-integration-connecting-cars-to-homes/

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2017/01/04/alexa-car-ford-amazon-shop-search-home.html

LG

https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/04/lg-refrigerator-with-amazons-alexia/

https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/06/lg-smart-instaview-refrigerator-hands-on/

http://www.lg.com/us/refrigerators/lg-LMXC23796D-french-4-door-refrigerator

Twitter 101

The original intent of this week’s OnMouseClick was to serve as a how-to guide on using Twitter. However, the more I wrote, the more it became apparent that explaining how to use Twitter is not an easy task, and the column slowly devolved into a stew of confusion, necessitating a re-write. 

Twitter is a powerful, time-saving tool, providing a fast and efficient way to relay information. It is not as simple as sending email and can at times seem counterintuitive — at least for those of us schooled in the last century. Twitter can be used through the website, twitter.com, or with a mobile app. It has its own vocabulary, and before beginning to use Twitter you should understand a few crucial terms: timeline, at sign (@), username, tweet, mention, hashtag (#), and follow.

Timeline

Log in to Twitter and you land on your home timeline. The timeline appears on both the website and mobile apps, and tweets sent to you appear on your timeline.

At Sign (@)

The @ sign is how a tweet is directed to a specific user.

Username

A username is how everyone identified on Twitter, and is always preceded immediately by the @ symbol. Usernames can be your name or anything else you wish to be known as. For example, the username of Southwest Airlines is “southwestair.” Note — with millions of Twitter users there is a chance that the name you want is taken.www.socialfresh.com/twitter-handle-hacks offers a  list of creative username examples and suggestions on how you can make adaptations.  

Tweet

A tweet is a message of up to 140 characters and may also contain photos, videos, and links. A tweet can be read by anyone with a Twitter account unless it begins with an @, followed directly by a username. Example: “@southwestair what is the departure time of flight 23?” can only be read by Southwest Airlines, while “Flight delay on the tarmac @southwestair flight 23” can be read by anyone.

Mention

A mention is a tweet that includes the @ sign followed directly by a username in the text of a tweet. Mentions can be read by all Twitter users and will appear on the Twitter page of the person mentioned. In the second example in the previous paragraph, @southwestair is considered a mention.

Hashtag (#)

A hashtag is any word or phrase immediately preceded by the # symbol denotes specific topic. Clicking on a hashtag links to other tweets with the same keyword or topic. Make “Flight delay” one word and add a hashtag and it links to other tweets about flight delays  — “#Flightdelay on the tarmac @southwestair flight 23.”

Follow

Subscribing to a Twitter account is called “following.”  Start following someone by clicking the Follow button next to their username and there tweets will post to your timeline. You choose to follow other Twitter accounts and others can choose to follow you. For more information on who can read and receive tweets visit https://support.twitter.com/articles/119138

The complete The Twitter Glossary can be found at support.twitter.com/articles/166337).

Rather than go into details on how to actually create a Twitter account, I recommend visiting the Twitter support website at support.twitter.com/articles/100990. This webpage takes you through the steps of creating a Twitter account online; the steps are basically the same if you sign up through the mobile app.

Once your account is activated you are ready begin using the service. The following are ideas on how and why to use Twitter: 

1. Customer Support — It is often possible to get a faster response by tweeting than by phoning customer service. To find the appropriate Twitter handle use the search box at the top of your home timeline. Some organizations have a username specifically for customer service. Our cable company in New York is Optimum. The results for a search of OPTIMUM shows both @optimum, and @optimumhelp for 24/7service.
2. Breaking News — Read up-to-the-minute reports about a breaking news event by using the search box to find tweets about the event. If something major is occurring, you can be certain there are people tweeting about it in real time, often before the news media.
3. Notice of Software and Hardware Updates — Choose to follow the manufacturer of your favorite software or mobile device. Search for the name of the company, and then click on the little icon of a person with a plus next to it and you will be subscribed to their tweets —  an excellent way to learn about updates and new product offerings. 

It wasn't long ago that Facebook, text messaging, email and cell phones were a mystery to many of us, but over time we've learned to use and embrace them. Learning Twitter is an investment in time and brainpower, but the reward is worth it. Just think how cool it would be to have your grandchildren following you on Twitter. 

You can send me a tweet @LindaQPhotos.

For more information on learning to use Twitter, visit  https://support.twitter.com/articles/215585 and https://www.wired.com/2016/05/twitter-onboarding-tips-for-new-users/.

Tweet Tweet

If someone asked you a year ago your thoughts on Twitter, I am pretty certain many of you wouldn't know what I was talking about. That changed when a presidential candidate began tweeting (yes, when you use Twitter the results are tweets). That candidate is now our president elect, and he continues to use Twitter as his primary means of communication with the American public. We will probably hear a lot more about Twitter, and presidential tweets, over the next four years, and I thought TR Times readers might be interested in learning more about Twitter, and how and when to use it.

To begin with, Wikipedia defines Twitter as

 "…an online news and social networking service where users post and read short … messages called 'tweets'." 

Twitter can be accessed through its website, twitter.com, or by the Twitter app on a smartphone or tablet. To effectively use Twitter, users must register with a user name and password — more about that in next week’s column. Twitter users, estimated at over one billion worldwide, utilize the service to post short messages, capped at 140 characters, that can be read by anyone. 

According to an article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times in 2009, Jack Dorsey, one of the original developers of Twitter and its current CEO, explained the origin of the name:

 ...we came across the word 'twitter' and it was just perfect. The definition was 'a short burst of inconsequential information,' and 'chirps from birds'. And that's exactly what the product was.

Twitter users can read almost everything that is posted on the service, and by selecting subjects they are most interested — such as: news and politics; sports; pop culture; celebrities and people of influence — Twitter will begin delivering tweets in the specific areas of interest. A Twitter user can choose to follow a particular individual or institution, and receive all relevant tweets. As of Thursday, December 29, singer Katy Perry has 95 million Twitter followers, President Barak Obama has over 80.3 million, LeBron James has 33.5 million, and President-elect Trump has 18.1 million. Institutions also have followers. The New York Times has 32.5 million, Fox News has 12.3 million, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have 557,000.

From the beginning, Twitter seemed like a platform for people to share their stream-of-conscience thoughts with the world, hoping that someone, somewhere, would find them interesting.This idea is given validity when you read news reports of a public figure’s late night tweets complaining that they did not like the manner in which they were portrayed on a comedy show. Personally, I have never understood the desire to follow every pronouncement made by any one individual, and for this reason, I have made very little use of Twitter since I registered with the service a few years ago. However, I have recently found Twitter to be a useful vehicle for contacting, and getting quick results, from customer service representatives. 

Last month Eddie and I had an early morning flight out of San Diego on our return trip to Florida. I wanted to find out how early Southwest Airlines and the TSA checkpoints opened at the airport, and I could not find the information online. I sent a tweet to the San Diego International Airport, and within minutes a representative tweeted me an answer. The representative even went so far as to double check her information and send me an update about an hour later. Rarely have I had such outstanding, and personal, customer service.

In next week’s OnMouseClick I will discuss some of the other ways that Twitter can be a useful tool, outline the procedure for creating a Twitter account, sending and receive tweets. You can read more about Twitter here.

Where do you get your news?

Note: I forgot to post the first column of the season before we left for Hawaii. Sorry, readers!

It is a new season at TR, and we, the residents, have fully embraced the digital age. When I began writing this column in the early part of the century, my focus was on helping my readers learn to use their computers. Today most TR residents are not only competent in using computers, but they also use mobile devices for phone calls, video chats, texting, and connecting to the internet. It is internet based social media platforms that consume a large chunk of time in the average American's day. 

Last May the New York Times reported that users spend an average of 50 minutes a day on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger platforms, with Facebook in the lead. While I spend less than 50 minutes a day on Facebook, I do check in regularly, and over the past year I have noticed a substantial increase in so called "news items" added to my timeline. 

We've all heard someone say "It must be true because I read it on the internet." In fact as recently as last month, a presidential candidate recommended that his followers should rely on the internet as a main source of news. But how can we know what we read on the internet is true? Anyone can post, and unlike mainstream news media, there  is not a structure of checks and balances in place to root out false stories. On November 14 the New York Times published a story titled "Google and Facebook Take Aim at Fake News Sites." These fake news sites, which are not to be confused with comedy news sites like The Onion, are created for the sole purpose of making money by generating false news and in turn increasing traffic on their websites and advertising revenue. 

The news generated by these websites look genuine, and are most often posted for viewing by people who agree with the philosophical leanings of the "news." People who have been identified by Facebook, or Google, as conservative (and believe me Facebook and Google know a lot about you) will see very different news than those identified as liberals. With the ease of sharing on Facebook, these news stories quickly go "viral" — everyone who clicks on the SHARE button sends the story to everyone of their friends

Vladimir Lenin once said "A lie told often enough becomes the truth," and John F. Kennedy stated “No matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as the truth." Journalist Carl Bernstein recently wrote, "The lowest form of popular culture - lack of information, misinformation, disinformation, and a contempt for the truth or the reality of most people's lives - has overrun real journalism. Today, ordinary Americans are being stuffed with garbage."

As citizens of this digital age, it is our responsibility to weed out the garbage from the facts. FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, and politifact.com, a Pulitzer Prize winning website published by the Tampa Bay Times, are two excellent sources for culling the facts from the lies. Another excellent source, snopes.com, makes fact checking easy for the average person. Visit the site and type a phrase into the search box and find out if you are reading rumors, innuendos, outright lies or facts. The website, which began in 1995 as a vehicle for researching urban legends (are there really alligators living in the sewers of Manhattan?), has evolved into one of the most trusted websites for dispelling false news. 

An assistant professor of communications at Merrimack College in Massachusetts has put together a list of "False, misleading, clickbait-y and satirical 'news' sources," and made the list publicly available as a Google doc. It includes websites on all sides of the political spectrum and is definitely worth a look.  The web address is very long, and a link will be available in the online version of OnMouseClick. 

Eddie and I will be traveling until shortly before Christmas — another trip to Hawaii to see our beautiful granddaughters. When OnMouseClick returns in January I will focus on enhancing our lives through the use of our digital devices. Until then, I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving (even our Canadian friends) and a joyous holiday season. T