This is the time of year phone companies promote new smartphones. Apple is releasing their new device soon. Then there are Samsung Galaxy woes. The Samsung Galaxy woes couldn’t have come at a worse time.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 developers discovered a battery problem. They’re melting the phones like ice cream on a summer day. According to one South Korean Note 7 customer, he awoke to a burning smell. That smell was his burning Galaxy Note 7. He used his Galaxy Note 2 to take the picture. The picture shows the phone charred beyond recognition. He wasn’t the only one. Here in Massachusetts, a medic had his Galaxy Note explode on him. Of every one million Galaxy Note 7’s already sold, ?24 have burned due to faulty a faulty battery. So far, Samsung ?received 35 complaints. That may not sound like much. It’s enough to get Samsung leadership’s attention.
The battery crises affects sales in ten countries from the United States to South Korea. The defunct batteries will take two weeks to repair. Samsung offers free products to replace the Galaxy Note 7, such as Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge. It will refund the cost of Note 7 accessories and give $25 gift card or credit to Note 7 customers. Retailers across this country have stopped or suspended Samsung Galaxy Note sales. This includes all US mobile carriers. If you purchased a Galaxy Note 7, return it to your retailer at once! Ask what they can do for you as far as refund or exchange.Your chances of owning an explosive Note 7 are rare. But don’t take the risk. Just ask that Massachusetts medic. As stated, this came at the worst time for Samsung. Apple expects to sale their new smartphone next week. The Samusung Galaxy Note was probably their biggest form of competition. Also, the Samsung owner is devastated. This phone was to sale for $850.
In conclusion, Samsung owner said the battery crisis “…is heartbreaking.” If you were a CEO and hemorrhaging $850 sales, with your top competition selling smartphones like hotcakes, wouldn’t you be heartbroken too?
Last night, I saw a rather disturbing technology based ad. Not only does it promote a tracking device, it describes how scary this device is. ?It tracking method vs. privacy. Which one will you choose?
The device being promoted was the TrackR. It’s a GPS system the size of a quarter. You install the TrackR app on your smartphone. Connect the app to your device. Attach the quarter like system to your keys, wallet, phone, tablet, spouse, significant other, child, employee, or anything or anyone else you wish. If you lose something, open the TrackR app. Tap the ‘find device’ function. The app tells you where your misplaced item is. The ad gave the scenario of being in a big parking lost. You forgot where to park (okay, that is very real situation). The TrackR would tell you where your car is. Another scenario used is the stolen bicycle. You use TrackR app. The app leads you to where your bike is now. How much will this tracking device costs? That’s the most tempting, yet disturbing thing about TrackR. I hope this doesn’t encourage you to get it, but one can purchase a TrackR app online for as little as $29! No, I’m not giving you the address!
Okay, the ad doesn’t say attach the quarter size device on your spouse, child, employee, or any other human being. I’ll give them that much credit. But don’t you see where this can lead? Yes, you can find your wallet, phone, bike or car. Those are best case scenarios. Think about the worst. People can sneak this device onto an unsuspecting human being. They will be able to track that human being wherever they go. A violent ex can track down his wife/girlfriend. An enemy can track down an enemy. A bully can track down his victim. A sex offender can use this device to track a child. All he’d have to do is slip this on the child’s book bag or in his coat pocket. This is why I’m scared to death of TrackR and what it could lead to. We already have our government and foreign governments watching our every move. We already have surveillance watching our every move. Do we really need this? It’s tracking method vs privacy? Which one will you choose?
No, Google/Android isn’t coming out with a candy bar. Although, they got their hands in every other business, it wouldn’t surprise me if Google came out with a nougat candy bar. I digress. Here I am introducing Android 7.0 Nougat.
This new operating system is available this week. It can be used on Google’s Nexus devices. Nougat 7.0 boasts of new and improved updates. These updates include better Quick Settings and menus, new emojis, and battery improvement. Perhaps the biggest feature is Google Daydream, a mobile virtual reality app. Many critics praise the Quick Settings menu. You only have to swipe once, compared to twice with the old operating system. This was more of a competition move. Other Droid devices, like Samsung LG and HTC already have this. With Nougat, you can reply to messages without opening an app. Up to 72 more emojis will come with Nougat. We’re not really told what these emojis are or what they’ll be doing. They’ll be more diverse. That’s all we know. It will come with split screens. Nougat puts your phone into low battery phone. Here’s the crazy part: It does it automatically when you put your phone in your pocket.
Some things about Nougat 7.0 aren’t so good. It will take weeks, if not months, for Nougat 7.0 to debut on all Nexus devices. Then there’s the Google daydream. I’m sorry, but I’m weary of any virtual reality app that lets you play in VR 24/7. That just leads to social breakdown, to the point nobody knows fantasy from reality. So no Google Dream for me. But I do like the battery life. How annoying is it to always plug your battery because your phone is near empty? Automatic low battery preservation is a huge plus. So is messaging. How annoying is it to tap the phone several times before you can reply to a message? One swipe messaging is also a huge plus. We could always use more diverse emojis doing more things. Would you get Android 7.0 Nougat?
First came the smartphone. Then came the smart watch. They’re working on the self-driving smart car. How would you like a smart home?
Apple is working on just that. This app is called Home. With Home, you can control all your appliances, from turning on the air conditioning to dimming the lights. I wonder if Home can wash the dishes (thinking aloud). There are three components to Home: Home, Rooms and Automation. With the Home screen, you pick with of your favorite accessories to control. With Rooms, you control individual room accessories. Automation sets up your accessories to function in the real world. Home can be set up with all Apple devices. Say you’re just getting home. Your Apple device tells the Home app to unlock the door and turn on the lights at once. Can it pour you a drink, too (again, thinking aloud)? Home lets you activate scenes. One scene is Goodnight for going to bed. Can Goodnight read you a bedtime story too (again, thinking aloud)? You can control the Home app through Siri voice. You want the lights on? Just say, “Siri, turn the lights on.” She does it. Yes, there is competition for tech home control. Amazon has Echo. Echo’s voice command is Alexa. Google is working on it’s own home tech control.
There’s a reason I’m thinking aloud. All of this home control is totally unnecessary to me. Especially when it’s tasks you can do in seconds. Turn off the light? A toddler can do that. Unlock the door? I can do that in less than a second. Open the blinds? Isn’t that what the pulley is for? Maybe if you lost a key, I can see how Home can work for you. But that’s about it. When Apple Home can wash the dishes, pour me a drink, and read me a bedtime story, then we’ll talk. How would you like a smart home?
Just think: Five years ago, nobody ever heard of Uber. The only ride sharing services were taxis. Years later, Uber comes out. Uber starts a social media and app revolution. They’re not done yet. Uber’s self-driving car is almost here.
These cars are specialty made Volvo XC90s. Human drivers will just occupy the driver’s seat and supervise. The experiment will start in Pittsburgh. Later this month, Uber allows customers to choose these self-driving Volvos for service. There’s a reason this experiment is happening in Pittsburgh. It’s home to Carnegie Mellon University’s robotics program. This program helps Google produce self-driving cars. Now they’re helping Uber. That’s not all. In July 2016, Uber acquired Otto. I’m not talking about the Simpsons bus driver. I’m talking about Otto the start up driver less trucking company. Otto has 91 employees, all trying to bring self-driving technology to tech corporations. Otto currently develops big rigs to drive themselves so well drivers can catch up on sleep…while literally on the road! Uber will not produce fleets of self-driving cars. Instead, they’ll work with Volvo to produce self-driving models. Otto will help with lasers and other systems used in self-driving cars. Hailing a self-driving car will be as normal as any other car, even down to the price.
I must tell you, don’t go requesting a self-driving car in your home town. This is just an experiment. This experiment will only be done in Pittsburgh, PA…for now. But if Uber is going to get into the self-driving game, they should do a better job setting themselves apart. They’re starting to do this. They have Otto on their team; the other companies don’t. They’re not producing a fleet. Apple, Google and Tesla are. What I think they should do is invest in self-driving big rig trucks, maybe even put their name on them. I know the 18-wheeler isn’t Uber’s business…yet. But neither is car manufacturing Apple’s business…yet. If I were Uber, I’d work miracles with Otto and cause yet another social media and highway revolution…this time with mack trucks. How will Uber do with self-driving cars?
You forgot what coffee your friend wanted. You forgot what groceries you were asked to get. You forgot yet another password. You even forgot your wife/girlfriend’s birthday (Uh oh! You’re in big trouble!) There’s a device that helps you remember.
That device is a bot called Wonder. It’s fairly simple to activate. Go to their website. Give them your phone number. They’ll text back explaining how wonder works. Here are the instructions of Wonder. Text them the information you want remembered later. That information stays in the system until you’re ready. When you forget something, text Wonder the question. Wonder will text you back the answer. For example, you just redid your password for a certain site. Just text Wonder the password. When you forget your password, ask Wonder, “What’s my password for this website?” It will tell you. Wonder is the brain child of Univ. of Arizona student Jordan Singer and alum Shivkanth?Bagavathy. They built this bot using Twilio for texting, Wit.ai for language, and other software for other features. They were inspired by Siri’s voice reminders, but wanted a written, more tangible way to refresh someone’s memory. The Wonder bot is a free service. It’s only available in the United States and Europe…for now at least.
I appreciate Wonder helps us improve our memory. How many times do we forget the simple thing…on a weekly if not daily basis? So I’m glad Wonder helps with that. And I appreciate that it’s free. But Siri can help you remember stuff. Google Notepad helps me remember all the time. There are dozens of other apps to help you remember. So Wonder is a great service. My question is:What is Wonder doing different to stand out? I have another question, this one for the fellas: Can’t you remember your woman’s birthday on your own power? You can at least remember the anniversary, right?
