Want to test your fertility? Researchers develop a device to help you at home
Why it matters to you
Male infertility is a common affliction, but it often goes undiagnosed. A new device from Harvard could change that soon.
Your self-diagnosing powers are about to get a lot more … personal. In this new age of telemedicine, not only do we not need to leave our homes to see a doctor, but we may not even need to see a doctor at all in order to test fertility.
The bright minds at Harvard University created a new device that allows men to measure their ability to procreate with no more than their smartphone. The cost of production is a measly $4.45 and a prototype of the device requires less than five seconds to test how strong your swimmers are. It also analyzes sperm count with 98 percent accuracy.
“Although male infertility is as common as female infertility, it often goes undiagnosed because of socioeconomic factors such as stigma, high cost of testing, and availability of laboratory facilities,” the Harvard team noted in an abstract published in Science. “To facilitate the necessary testing, Kanakasabapathy et al. have designed a smartphone-based assay that can be performed at home or in a remote clinic without access to laboratory equipment.”
More: Cinemood, the pint-sized projector for your pint-sized kids, now coming to U.S.
The easy-to-use device can be attached to your smartphone, and comes with a companion app — thanks to a microfluidic chip that comes with a minuscule tube, home testers can collect up to 35 microliters of semen, seal the sample, then use the device’s LEDs and lenses do the work. After analysis (which depends on stills and videos from your smartphone camera), you will get your results. “The accuracy of this approach was very similar to that of computer-assisted laboratory analysis, even when it was performed by untrained users with no clinical background, demonstrating its potential for use at home and in low-resource settings,” the team noted.
Unfortunately, the device isn’t very good at identifying deformed sperm, which is key in determining fertility. That said, researchers believe that they can make improvements to address this issue. As exciting as these developments are, the device is still very much in its nascent stages. For one, the at-home fertility tester doesn’t even have a name yet and has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. So while the future looks bright, it’s still a ways away when it comes to testing your sperm with your phone.
Want to test your fertility? Researchers develop a device to help you at home
Why it matters to you
Male infertility is a common affliction, but it often goes undiagnosed. A new device from Harvard could change that soon.
Your self-diagnosing powers are about to get a lot more … personal. In this new age of telemedicine, not only do we not need to leave our homes to see a doctor, but we may not even need to see a doctor at all in order to test fertility.
The bright minds at Harvard University created a new device that allows men to measure their ability to procreate with no more than their smartphone. The cost of production is a measly $4.45 and a prototype of the device requires less than five seconds to test how strong your swimmers are. It also analyzes sperm count with 98 percent accuracy.
“Although male infertility is as common as female infertility, it often goes undiagnosed because of socioeconomic factors such as stigma, high cost of testing, and availability of laboratory facilities,” the Harvard team noted in an abstract published in Science. “To facilitate the necessary testing, Kanakasabapathy et al. have designed a smartphone-based assay that can be performed at home or in a remote clinic without access to laboratory equipment.”
More: Cinemood, the pint-sized projector for your pint-sized kids, now coming to U.S.
The easy-to-use device can be attached to your smartphone, and comes with a companion app — thanks to a microfluidic chip that comes with a minuscule tube, home testers can collect up to 35 microliters of semen, seal the sample, then use the device’s LEDs and lenses do the work. After analysis (which depends on stills and videos from your smartphone camera), you will get your results. “The accuracy of this approach was very similar to that of computer-assisted laboratory analysis, even when it was performed by untrained users with no clinical background, demonstrating its potential for use at home and in low-resource settings,” the team noted.
Unfortunately, the device isn’t very good at identifying deformed sperm, which is key in determining fertility. That said, researchers believe that they can make improvements to address this issue. As exciting as these developments are, the device is still very much in its nascent stages. For one, the at-home fertility tester doesn’t even have a name yet and has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. So while the future looks bright, it’s still a ways away when it comes to testing your sperm with your phone.
Vivino Market will give personalized wine recommendations, then sell you a bottle
Why it matters to you
Not sure what kind of wine you want tonight? Vivino Market will help, serving as a sommelier on your phone.
Vinophiles, proceed with caution. This announcement may just be the best news you’ll hear all week, but don’t go too crazy. On Wednesday, popular wine app Vivino announced the launch of Vivino Market, which is described as a “wine recommendation engine that suggests unique wines to each individual user based on historical rating and purchase data.” It’s almost like having a sommelier follow you around (mostly to the wine store) while whispering sweet nothings in your ear about what you’d like to drink.
The new marketplace makes use of data aggregated from Vivino’s bustling community of 23 million members, recommending the wines that align best with individuals’ tastes and price points. Based on your historical ratings and scan behavior, you’ll be able to glean valuable insights from Vivino Market — so yes, that means the more you use Vivino, the more customized your recommendations will be.
More: The D-Vine, a ‘Keurig for wine,’ gets interactive touchscreen in update
“The wine world is rich, invigorating and fun to explore, but can also be overwhelming and, when searching for new wines, consumers consistently stick with what they know,” said Heini Zachariassen, founder and CEO of Vivino. “With the launch of Vivino Market, you are witnessing the beginning of a new way to browse, select, and purchase wine.”
Most important, perhaps, is the last step — the ability for wine lovers to purchase recommended bottles directly from the app. Thanks to Vivino’s two-click checkout process, you basically have a “buy it now” option. Thanks to the app’s extensive network of partner merchants the world over, you’ll be able to purchase more than 80,000 unique wines in the U.S. alone.
“For us, personalization is the key to getting users to come back again and again. Our goal has always been to use data and machine learning to build a recommendation engine that is personalized and focuses on discovery,” Zachariassen explained. “We use historical preference data from ratings and reviews to provide recommendations wine drinkers can feel confident about without even needing to taste test before purchase.”
The executive concluded, “We are confident that purchasing through Vivino Market is as reliable as trying the wine yourself.”
Latest AdDuplex data highlights a vibrant Windows 10 ecosystem
Why it matters to you
If you’re a Windows 10 user, then you likely already updated your machine to Anniversary Update and are ready for next month’s Creators Update.
Windows 10 hasn’t been quite as successful as Microsoft once hoped, with the company’s newest and most important operating system so far failing to achieve its aggressive growth path to a billion users by 2018. Nevertheless, with Windows 10 exceeding 400 million users and with a robust PC ecosystem, it’s not all bad news for Microsoft.
The latest AdDuplex data, which assesses the machines that run Windows phone and Windows 10 apps utilizing that company’s ad network, provides some additional detail on how the Windows 10 market is shaking out. Specific emphasis was placed on how quickly users are upgrading their Windows 10 machines and which PCs are dominating the ecosystem.
More: Windows 10 users will reportedly receive the Creators Update on April 11
Perhaps the best news for Microsoft that can be pulled from the AdDuplex data is the strong presence of Windows 10 Anniversary Update. With Creators Update right around the corner, the company should be pleased that more than 90 percent of Windows 10 users are running Anniversary Update, also known as Windows 10 Version 1607. According to AdDuplex, the Windows Insider group comes in at only 0.9 percent of Windows 10 users, which means that the users providing feedback on Windows 10 preview builds represent only a sliver of the overall population.
AdDuplex
For anyone who wants to predict how quickly Windows 10 Creators Update will roll out, perhaps Anniversary Update’s velocity provides a clue. If history repeats itself, then most users will give Microsoft time to work out the bugs before updating, at which point the numbers will jump dramatically.
AdDuplex
In terms of which manufacturers are dominating the Windows 10 ecosystem according to AdDuplex, the numbers shouldn’t come as any surprise. HP comes in first place with 24.3 percent of the market, with Dell in second at 15 percent and Lenovo holds onto third place at 11.8 percent. While Microsoft’s Surface line gets a great deal of the press, its market share remains low overall at 2.5 percent of Windows 10 machines.
AdDuplex
Finally, according to AdDuplex, the Surface Pro 4 remains the top seller among Microsoft’s Surface line of Windows 10 machines, representing 34.4 percent. The Surface Pro 3 remains in a strong second place position at 27.4 percent. Microsoft’s pricier Surface Book holds 7.5 percent, while the ultra-expensive and niche Surface Studio has only grabbed 0.3 percent of Surface users.
Microsoft will possibly be making the news soon with new Surface machines, specifically a second-generation Surface Book and then the highly anticipated Surface Pro 5. With Creators Update set to release on April 11, the Windows 10 ecosystem should remain of interest for the foreseeable future.
Trends with Benefits: Samsung’s Bixby is next level AI, Apple looks to merge iPhone and Macbook
Samsung’s Bixby: DT’s own Jeremy Kaplan went to Samsung’s headquarters at Digital City, South Korea to see first hand the new AI assistant that will debut in the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. He’ll let us know his opinion and whether it could beat out Siri, Cortana and Google!
Apple patent revelation: A publication from the US Patent and Trademark Office indicates that Apple may be planning a to bridge the gap between phones and desktop computers. Has mobile technology finally become powerful enough to act as your everything device?
Each week, we gather a round table of tech experts from the Digital Trends staff, along with the occasional celebrity guest, to discuss all things tech. Topics range from the big tech stories of the week to predicting the future, all while maintaining a somewhat civil decorum.
At 2:45 pm Pacific we answer your questions live.
Please subscribe and share Trends with Benefits and send in your questions to podcast@digitaltrends.com. We also broadcast the show live on YouTube every Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Pacific.
Shanghai has a new high-tech retail store that’s almost 100 percent unmanned
Why it matters to you
Amazon may have plans to reinvent the grocery store, but Wheelys has already opened an unmanned retail store, in Shanghai.
Chances are you’ve heard about Amazon Go, Jeff Bezos’ smart reinvention of the grocery store, in which shoppers simply grab whatever they want off the shelves, confirm that they’re making a purchase, and then walk straight out without having to wait in line.
As it turns out, Amazon isn’t the only company trying out the concept. Wheelys is a startup that started out as a tricked-out bike café concept. It has been expanding, and recently opened the doors of a new unmanned retail store — with the exception of the occasional person to restock the shelves — in Shanghai, beating Amazon to the punch.
More: Amazon’s high-tech supermarket may only need three employees
“We have offices in Stockholm, Sweden, and Shanghai,” CEO and co-founder Maria De La Croix told Digital Trends. “Since we already tested the system in Sweden — one year before Amazon Go — Shanghai was a natural choice for us.
Called Wheelys 24/7, the new store concept relies on a mobile app customers can access to scan and then buy their items. The retail space is roughly 500 square feet in size, which makes it conveniently compact — although, we suppose, comparatively palatial next to a coffee shop on a bike.
It sells ready-to-eat fresh breakfast, lunch and dinner options, as well as snacks and Wheelys Meal Kits, which offer the necessary ingredients to quickly whip up a meal for yourself and a friend in just half an hour. There are also an assortment of groceries, ranging from your everyday basics to more artisanal luxuries like fine cheeses or chocolates.
Its approach to security is built on a pretty neat concept. You have to log in to the app in order to access the store; once inside, you’re scrutinized with security cameras. In other words, you could steal a pack of cigarettes and bolt for the door, but you may as well mug someone by swapping their wallet for your driver’s license and home address.
From here, the plan is for Wheelys to license out the technology so that other folks can get involved.
“With this system, any store can be turned into a staffless store, open 24/7,” De La Croix said. “The system offers a totally integrated point of sale, app, database with products, and payment system. Our vision is to provide this platform to empower entrepreneurs; to give Davids the tools to win against Goliaths, aka large corporations, like our vision with our Wheelys bicycle cafés.”
Android Theming: the ultimate guide
Life’s too short for an ugly, cluttered home screen.
Android is a system with a singular opportunity to shape our launcher and home screen experience in almost countless ways into what we want. Want to cover your home screens in app icons and make it look like an iPhone? Knock yourself out! Want your desktop to party like it’s 1999 with a home screen like Windows 98? Rock on! Just want to make your phone look presentable so you can find your apps without digging through pages and pages of nonsense? We’re here to help you!
Whether you want to tweak everything down to the dirtiest details in your folder icon colors or you just want to find a better way to organize your home screen, we’re here to help guide you through whatever you want to do with your launcher… or a new launcher.
Getting started with Android theming
What is a launcher? What is a widget? How do I use an icon pack? This is where we answer those questions and ease you into the wide, wide world of theming. The best place to start is at the beginning, after all, and this is definitely the beginning.
Getting started with Android theming
Home screen layouts and how to theme them
All themes are built around a layout: how you put your apps and widgets on your screen, how you balance blank space and shortcuts. There are layouts that leave a lot on the screen, there are layouts that hide everything away, and somewhere in between in a layout that’s right for your life.
Home screen layouts and how to theme them
How to make the dock the most powerful part of your launcher
When theming your home screen, the most powerful piece of your layout isn’t on your desktop, but rather below it. Your dock is like a Swiss Army Knife, letting you pull out your most used apps in the blink of an eye. It can also be expanded and multiply in space and power if you know how to use it properly.
How to make the dock the most powerful part of your launcher
How Android theming helped me find my inner artist
Home screen theming is, at its core, about making a phone your own. It’s about taking something that looks just like everyone else’s out of the box and making it into something that could only belong to you. Theming has helped me organize my phone, helped me expand my digital horizons, and helped me find my inner artist.
What will you find when you theme?
How Android theming helped me find my inner artist
No, you don’t need root to theme your phone
Customizing your phone can take a lot of different methods and madnesses, but the myth that you need root access just to make your phone look good doesn’t hold up today.
Once upon a time, customizing and theming your phone was something that relied on tweaks that could only be attained through root apps, but now, making your phone look awesome doesn’t mean diving into the unknown with root.
No, you don’t need root to theme your phone
Best launchers for theming
If you want to seriously dive into a launcher that’ll give your themes — and your everyday launcher experience — a serious upgrade, you should consider our favorite launchers for theming. See why we only seriously suggest two launchers for theming and find out which one is best for you.
Best launchers for theming
Inside Action Launcher’s Quicktheme
Action Launcher likes to claim it does everything quicker, and in no way is this as true as when it comes to theming. The key to this quick turnaround is in Quicktheme, which will tweak the colors of the whole launcher based on your set wallpaper. Here’s how it works, what happens when it doesn’t, and how to take advantage of it.
Inside Action Launcher’s Quicktheme
First five settings to know when switching to Nova Launcher
Nova Launcher is one of the most popular launchers in the Android ecosystem, and this five-year dynasty has stuck around for a reason: it just works and does so fabulously. While Nova Launcher is easy to get the hang of, it never hurts to get a few pointers while you’re finding your way around, and these tips will help you start off on the right foot.
First five settings to know when switching to Nova Launcher
Nova Settings Guide
Been around the block a time or two with Nova Launcher, but still find yourself wondering just what that setting you’ve always overlooked does? Our in-depth guide to Nova Launcher’s settings will help you make the most of one of Android’s most versatile launchers.
Nova Settings Guide
Using folders on your home screen and how to make the most of them
Folders are an awesome tool in the home screen themer’s box. They can help keep your home screen clean while still giving you all your apps within quick reach. Organize your apps, compress them into a single space on your home screen, and make them blend into any theme — folders are the TARDISes of the theming world! Allons-y!
Using folders on your home screen and how to make the most of them
Best icon packs for Android
A good icon pack is like that hat that goes with every outfit, or that trusty leather jacket that you can wear no matter the occasion. But which icon packs rise to the top among a market filled with icon packs big and small, ornate and simple? These ones do!
Best icon packs for Android
How to make a custom icon for Android
What do you do when no icon pack will mesh with your theme? What do you do when a shortcut just needs that personal touch? When all else fails, making your own icons can help tie a theme together and add your own flair to your home screen. Here are some of the many ways to make your own icons.
How to make a custom icon for Android
What you need to know about dark themes and battery savings
Black themes can be more than slimming. With the right phone and the right elements, a black theme can be energy-efficient, but there’s a bit more to it than slapping a dark wallpaper on your phone and calling it a day. Here’s the real deal about dark themes and the battery savings they can sometimes maybe give you.
What you need to know about dark themes and battery savings
The best theming widgets for Android
Widgets are a piece of the home screen experience that most users don’t use and that many don’t understand. They can offer amazing convenience and utility without ever opening their main apps. These widgets work well and look good doing it, making them the perfect addition to your themes.
The best theming widgets for Android
Facebook adds reactions and direct mentions to Messenger
One step closer towards becoming a robust messaging app; one giant leap towards adopting features typically heralded by Slack users.
First, it was Google Hangouts, and now it’s Facebook Messenger. Companies appear to be particularly drawn to those features that have made Slack so popular, but can you blame them? Slack’s communication dynamic truly is a deligh to use, and those other companies want people to say the same about their messaging apps.
Facebook has announced it’s rolling out two new functionalities to its Messenger app. Reactions will allow you to effectively react to a friend or foe’s response the same way you would a regular Facebook post. However, unlike Slack’s vast emoji offerings, Facebook limits you to seven, including a very terse thumb down emoji.
Messenger has also adopted Mentions, which seem to work the same way they would on Slack. To mention someone, type the @ symbol before their name to notify them to join the chat. This pings the person with an entirely different notification so they’re aware they’re wanted in a specific conversation. Of course, if you’re just not that into your pals, you could turn off this notification entirely.
The update to Facebook Messenger should be rolling out in the coming days.
Android 7.0 Nougat for the Nextbit Robin is just around the corner
It’s so close you can almost taste it, though we don’t condone attempting to eat your phone.
Good news, Robin owners. According to a forum post, Nextbit appears to be in the final stages of finishing out a stable Nougat build for the Robin. The final build is rolling out to current beta users right now and if it passes with flying colors, the update could soon rollout to everyone else.
Beta users, look for Build number Robin_Nougat_88. You’ll be on Android 7.0 with January’s security patch after the update.
Wondering why the update to Nougat on the Nextbit Robin is such a big deal? Well, not only will you have the Robin’s seemingly unlimited backup feature, but you’ll also have all of the goodness of the latest version of Android, including multi-window capabilities, direct replies from the notification shade, and customizable quick settings.
Android O: Everything you need to know
You have questions about Android O and we have answers. Here’s the skinny on what you need to know about Google’s next.
Android O is upon us! Well, not really. But the first developer preview has been released and we’re starting to uncover what Google has been doing with Android for the past year and what to expect when it’s released.
Google says to expect the full version in the fall of 2017 (likely with a Pixel 2 that runs it), but we should see a major update and a new preview version in mid-May right around the time Google I/O 2017 is happening. Our bet is that we will also see a proper beta program release then, but Google hasn’t said as much.
In the meantime, we’ll keep this page updated as the best place to find everything you need to know about Android O!
What’s new in Android O
We have to start with all the changes under the hood that come with Android O. And we expect plenty of them!
With the first developer preview, we saw some exciting stuff that will have a big impact for developers and the apps they can make. New ways to use custom fonts and icons, a better way to deliver professional-level audio and awesome ways to connect with others for things like head-to-head gaming or local social applications.
We expect a lot more but this is enough for us to be excited as ever for the next version of Android.
What’s New in Android O: Everything you need to know
What’s the status of the Android Beta program?
Right now, the Android Beta program is still used for testing builds of Android 7.1. Rumors suggest that 7.1.2 will be the last Android 7 release to go through the Beta Program and we’ll see a switch to the Android 8 platform come May, right around the time Google I/O 2017 is happening.
As public beta builds are supposed to be close to the release version and not something that will break things, this makes a lot of sense. We’ll keep you updated on the beta builds and you’ll know when the first Android O beta becomes available!
Android O isn’t available in the Android Beta Program yet, will likely join in mid-May
Should you install the Android O developer preview?
Probably not.
As mentioned above, builds of Android that aren’t yet ready for the beta program aren’t really ready for prime-time, at least not for consumers. Expect the phone to be buggy in plenty of ways, applications to not play nice with the preview and there’s no way you should depend on your phone being available in the case of an emergency if you’re messing about with the developer preview.
We know it’s tempting, and if you have an “extra” Nexus or Pixel phone laying around you might give it a try. Just think twice before you install it on a phone you need to depend on.
Should you install Android O developer preview on your Pixel or Nexus?
What devices can install the Android O developer preview?
The Android O developer preview is available for the Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Pixel C and Nexus Player.
Remember, that doesn’t mean Android O will be released for all of those devices, as we saw the Nexus 5 get developer previews for Android 6 and it was not part of the release. There is a lot of work behind the scenes with licensing and software versioning so just because a device can run the software doesn’t mean it will officially see it.
Google announces Android O, Developer Preview image now available
How do I try the developer preview, and how do I roll back if I want to?
One of the best things about Nexus and Pixel products is that Google lets us install the operating system anytime we want to, just like any other computer.
Not only does this help folks who fall victim to the squirrelly world of cellular data connections when they never get an update they should have, but when we want to tinker with the software on our phone we can install any version that’s compatible any time we like.
We want to stress one more time that we don’t recommend you install the Android O developer preview, or any pre-release software on a device you depend on.
There is a very good chance that things will not work the way you need them to work. This software is released for developers to start building new apps and for testers to find bugs. There is very little support for issues and things are expected to break.
That means you can download and install the Android O developer preview, and if you change your mind (or when the second preview comes along) you can go back to the stable release by reinstalling the operating system. The process isn’t difficult, but it does require some computer knowledge and the ability to follow directions to the letter. We’ve put everything you need to check out the preview and go back when you’re finished in one place.
How to get Android O on your Pixel or Nexus (and how to roll back to Nougat)
Android O
- Everything new in Android O
- Should you put Android O on your phone?
- How to install the Android O Developer Preview
- Android O isn’t in the Android Beta Program yet
- Join the Discussion
AIVAnet 