Intuitive point-and-click interface lets students control robotic arm

Why it matters to you

Making robots more user friendly takes us one step closer to them being better integrated into everyday life.

The Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a new, intuitive method for controlling a robotic arm: Point and click. While not exactly like the adventure games of old, it definitely draws its inspiration from the ability to highlight objects and perform a small selection of preselected tasks.

Although typical robotic arm controls offer a wide variety of options thanks to six degrees of motion, that can be cumbersome for people just getting to grips with the technology. What the new solution looks to do, is make it possible for novice robotics owners to utilize the technology in a manner that has a much shorter and shallower difficulty curve.

“Roboticists design machines for specific tasks, then often turn them over to people who know less about how to control them,” said David Kent, a Georgia Tech robotics doctoral student who headed up the project. “Most people would have a hard time turning virtual dials if they needed a robot to grab their medicine. But pointing and clicking on the bottle? That’s much easier.”

While simpler on the surface, such a system is a lot more complicated under the hood. Instead of displaying 3D information to the user, they simply offer a video feed. However, the arm itself needs to understand the 3D environment and know that when a person clicks on an object in the background and tells it to pick it up, it must differentiate that from objects in the foreground. It needs to know the distance that it must travel and the correct angle to “attack” it from.

The algorithm that the research team has come up with is capable of analyzing the geometry of objects, even making assumptions about them when the camera can’t see their entirety. This is something that the human brain does automatically, the researchers explained, but it was a challenge to make the robotic arm infer that detail for itself.

Although this technique of control does bequeath much of the responsibility of control to the algorithm and the arm, the system is actually less error prone than giving humans full control. In a trial, researchers found the point and click method delivered only one mistake per task, whereas the more traditional six degrees of motion control method had as many as four per task.

By giving users control over what to grab and how to do so when the arm is in the right position, researchers hope that robotic technology could more easily be adopted by those without training, or with limited mobility themselves, like the elderly. There are also potential applications for such robotic arms in sensitive settings, like search and rescue operations or in space travel.

Moshi’s Ionsuit iPhone 7 battery case slims down when you’re done charging

Moshi just unveiled their latest battery case for the iPhone 7, the Ionsuit — an updated version of their two-piece iGlaze Ion case for the iPhone 6, which we reviewed last year. As with the Ion, the Ionsuit has a slim case component, Moshi’s black iGlaze case, and a detachable slide-on 3020 mAh battery.

While the Ionsuit only comes in black this time around, it’s compatible with all of Moshi’s iGlaze iPhone 7 cases, which come in 4 other dual-tone colors. Sadly, compatibility with the more luxe Napa cases, a feature of the iPhone 6 Ion, has been dropped.

The iGlaze slim case stands up well on its own when not using the Ionsuit’s battery. It has a shock-absorbent inner TPU layer and durable hardshell polycarbonate frame. The back of the included shell case is smooth with a soft-touch matte finish, which feels great but tends to show fingerprints and smudges. The other colored iGlaze cases have a glossier exterior without the soft-touch coating, and feel more slippery than the black one. The back of the battery pack is textured, with a brushed finish for additional traction — it helps provide a better grip for your hand.

Popping the phone in and out of the slim case is quick and easy, and the the fit is snug and secure. It’s tough, passing military-spec certified drop tests that can protect your phone from everyday bumps and drops from a few feet. The front of the case has a low profile with just enough bezel around the screen to keep it off surfaces to avoid scratches. The camera cutout doesn’t impact flash or photo quality, and the cutout prominently displays the Apple logo. However, it leaves that portion of your phone exposed, so a back protector might not be a bad idea.

Access to the exterior buttons is preserved, though the mute switch cutout is a bit tight for big fingers, and the button covers require somewhat firmer pressing than normal. The Lightning port cutout is generous and fits most third-party accessory connectors, as well as the original Apple cable. We found microphone and speaker performance clear and unobstructed during calls and music playback.

When using the battery, it’ll feel like you’re carrying two phones stacked together, but the case with the battery surprisingly weighs a little less than the iPhone 7. The single button operation on the back of the battery pack makes charging easy with a single click. It supports 2.1 amp fast charging to top up your phone battery in less time, and the LED indicator flashes up to 4 times, each representing 25 percent of battery capacity remaining in the power bank. A fully charged battery pack supplies a little over 1 full charge for your iPhone, but the case charges via microUSB rather than Lightning. Don’t worry about carrying around separate cables, because the included microUSB cable can charge your phone when it’s docked in the battery pack.

We like the Ionsuit as a power bank because it eliminates the need to carry around cables or hunt for outlets while you’re out and about, and the flexibility of converting from a battery case to a protective slim case makes it a great every day case and travel companion too. You can pick one up for $100, and if you want to swap in a different color iGlaze case, they go for $30.

Id Software’s CTO promotes the benefits of using AMD’s new Ryzen CPUs

Why it matters to you

We know that Id Tech 7 will be fully optimized for AMD’s new Ryzen desktop processors and the company’s upcoming Radeon RX Vega cards.

AMD published a new video on YouTube featuring Id Software Chief Technology Officer Robert Duffy. He said that AMD supplied the Zenimax-owned crew with PCs powered by the new Ryzen 7 desktop processors, and the 2016 version of Doom ran “fantastic” at 1,920 x 1,080 right out of the box.

But what about a 3,840 x 2,160 resolution? Duffy said the team is currently testing 4K with the Id Tech 6 engine running on Ryzen 7 now and plans to start 8K testing in the near future (7,680 x 4,320). However, he can safely say that any PC game, whether it is based on Id Tech 6 or not, will benefit from the additional CPU headroom provided by the Ryzen processor platform.

As a refresher, AMD now sells two groups of Ryzen-branded processors based on its built-from-scratch “Zen” processor design: Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5. The Ryzen 7 group consists of three chips ranging in base clock speeds between 3.0GHz and 3.6GHz. They target the enthusiast market whereas the Ryzen 5 processors focus on the mainstream high-quality PC gaming market.

“If you take into account how many people are streaming their gameplay these days, that pushing a lot of bandwidth out the pipe, that’s doing live video encoding,” Duffy said. “And you think about the additional cores and capabilities Ryzen has, the games are still going to run really fast even if they’re doing all of this other stuff on their PC at the same time.”

Yep, there are a lot of cores in most of the new Ryzen processors, and here they are:

Ryzen 7
1800
Ryzen 7
1700X
Ryzen 7
1700
Ryzen 5
1600X
Ryzen 5
1600
Ryzen 5
1500X
Ryzen 5
1400
Cores:
8
8
8
6
6
4
4
Threads:
16
16
16
12
12
8
8
Base:
3.6GHz
3.4GHz
3.0GHz
3.6GHz
3.2GHz
3.5GHz
3.2GHz
Max:
4.0GHz
3.8GHz
3.7GHz
4.0GHz
3.6GHz
3.7GHz
3.4GHz
Price:
$460
$370
$318
$249
$219
$189
$167

Duffy says that Ryzen has a “super-attractive” price point, and he’s spot-on with the Ryzen 5 chips. Get into six-core territory, and customers have a starting price of $219, which is not shabby at all. Even still, the eight-core 1700 chip has a very attractive price point, which only gets higher as AMD cranks up the base and turbo speeds of each core. As demonstrated by AMD over the last six months, an Intel processor that is comparable to the Ryzen 7 1800 is double the price.

And that was/is a big selling point for AMD: Powerful performance at half the cost. According to Duffy, those additional cores and threads will enable developers to cram in more frames per second, more artificial intelligence, more actions in the game space, more simulations, and so on. Ryzen, he says, will bring better gaming immersion to more people.

Of course, the team is currently working on Id Tech 7, which will be optimized for Ryzen processors right out of the box. The new engine is “far more parallel” than Id Tech 6, he says, and will fully consume all the processing power Ryzen can dish out. Quake Champions will take advantage of Ryzen 7 and the upcoming Radeon RX Vega cards too.

Aukey KM-G3 review

Research Center:
Aukey KM-G3

Aukey isn’t quite as well-known in the PC gaming industry as Razer, Logitech, Corsair, and Roccat. In fact, scan through the company’s device portfolio and you’ll find camera lenses, car audio kits, charging stations, drones, and even VR headsets. Dip even further into the company’s “Gaming Gear” section and you’ll see laptop coolers, wireless controllers, gaming mice, and just about anything else you could want.

The company is obviously pushing its way into the PC gaming industry to become a reliable brand name like those we’ve come to know and love over the years. However, right now, it’s mechanical keyboard portfolio is seemingly targeting customers who buy mostly on price.

A scan on Amazon shows a price range between $25 and $65, and the company’s new KM-G3 sits on the higher price tier. But in spite of budget pricing, Aukey’s KM-G3 mechanical keyboard is a great full-size 104-key peripheral that’s shouldn’t be overlooked.

A mechanical keyboard aliens could love

The KM-G3 appears to be a rebrand of the Motospeed Inflictor CK104 mechanical keyboard, which is sold in Silver, Red, and Rose Gold flavors. The CK104 also comes packed with Outemu Blue or Outemu Red switches, depending on the model. The Aukey KM-G3 version is only sold in Silver, and doesn’t provide an Outemu Red switch option. We will talk more about these switches shortly.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Aukey picked a silver faceplate for the KM-G3 while the key caps, the outside lining, and the bottom panel are all black. This makes for an interesting design when it comes to illumination, as the metallic finish helps scatter the colorful backlighting between the keys. This color scheme also provides a futuristic look unlike other gaming keyboards on the market.

Aukey has kept size to a minimum, providing just enough physical space to serve as a foundation for the keys. Users won’t see a palm rest, and the surrounding bezel measures more than one eighth of an inch on all sides. The keyboard measures 4.6 inches from front to back, 17 inches wide, 0.5 inches in height at the front (bottom to faceplate) and 0.75 inches in height on the back.

It’s attractive and affordable, but there’s nothing cheap about its quality.

This minimalistic design means more backlight illumination. Save for the key caps, the switches are not covered by the keyboard chassis; the switches aren’t embedded in the keyboard chassis itself. Instead, the LEDs shine through the clear switches and pour out across the silver faceplate and around the key caps. For those looking for a dazzling keyboard to illuminate their desktop, this should be a great candidate.

On the bottom, the keyboard sports two rubber pads towards the front and two foldable “legs” in the back measuring a half-inch tall. Four indicators reside above the number pad area that blend in with the current color scheme and effect when not in use. Otherwise, each indicator lights up in an “alien” blue color when the user activates number lock, scroll lock, caps lock, and/or the Windows key lock.

What exactly is an Outemu switch anyway?

The Outemu Blue RGB switch used by Aukey is a low-cost clone of the Cherry MX Blue RGB switch. That means users can easily remove the current caps and replace them with an entirely new Cherry MX-compatible set. Some of the cap sets you can find on Amazon include backlit golden metal, lime green, and a rainbow gradient.

Here’s a look at the hardware comparison between the Outemu and Cherry MX models:

Outemu Blue RGB
Cherry MX Blue RGB
Total travel:
4mm
4mm (+/- 0.5mm)
Actuation travel:
2mm (+/- 0.3mm)
2.2mm (+/- 0.6mm)
Actuation Force:
49cN (+/-5cN)
50cN (+/- 15cN)
Tactile travel:
1.80mm (+/- 0.3mm)
1.80mm (+/- 0.3mm) (?)
Minimum trigger force:
29.4cN
25cN
Total travel force:
58.8cF (+/- 5cN)
60cN (+/- 15cN)
Lifetime:
50 million actuations
50 million actuations

As the chart shows, there’s a fine line between the Outemu and Cherry MX switches. Outemu switches are manufactured by China-based Dongguan Gaote Electronic Co, Ltd, and serve as a cheaper alternative to Cherry MX. A 10-pack of Outemu Blue RGB switches sells for around $8, whereas a 10-pack of Cherry MX Blue RGB switches sells for around $10.

Aukey KM-G3 Compared To

Logitech G Pro Mechanical Gaming…

Microsoft Universal Foldable…

Logitech G213 Prodigy

Steelseries Apex M500

Razer Turret

Razer Blackwidow X Chroma

Cougar Attack X3 gaming keyboard

Razer Deathstalker Chroma

Logitech Harmony Smart Keyboard…

Logitech K400

Microsoft Wireless Desktop 5000

Cooler Master Storm QuickFire

Logitech iPad 2 Keyboard Case by…

Cherry JK-0300

Logitech K750 Wireless Solar…

Generally, mechanical keyboard switch features are defined by a specific color. A “blue” switch means that it requires 60cN of force to actuate the keystroke, and typically provides a distinct, audible “clicky” tactile bump on the way down. They’re more in tune with the standard mechanical keyboard switch for general typing, as opposed to “red” switches targeting PC gamers. “Red” models feel smoother and faster, requiring 45cN of force to actuate the keystroke. They’re also not quite as noisy.

So, why not use Red switches in this keyboard? Good question. A pack of 10 is seemingly no more expensive than a pack of Blue. Aukey currently sells five “KM-G” mechanical keyboards, and the company seemingly relies specifically on Blue and Brown switches:

Keyboard Type
Switch Type
Illumination
KM-G3
104 keys
Blue
RGB
KM-G4
104 keys
Brown
RGB
KM-G5
104 keys
Brown
RGB
KM-G6
104 keys
Blue
6 colors only
KM-G7
87 keys
Blue
6 colors only

While the Red switches might be more appropriate, there’s an audience for “clicky” keys in the PC gaming community, and these Blue switches fit the bill.  Their responsiveness isn’t quite as sensitive as what we saw with Logitech’s G Pro tenkeyless mechanical keyboard for eSports, but the KM-G3 makes up for that by providing a software-free experience.

Software? What software? You don’t need software

Because there’s software, all changes to the keyboard tied to the Function (FN) key and on-board Flash storage. Finding out how to customize the keyboard requires a trip online and hunting down the manual to see how this keyboard ticks.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

According to both manuals, there are ten lighting effects users can cycle through by typing FN + INS: Full Backlight, Breathing, Selective, Color Cycling, Reactive Typing, Wave, Snake Marquee, Ripple, Circle, and Rainbow. If the keyboard is set to Full Backlight, users can switch between seven static colors by typing FN + DEL. Hitting the FN + INS keys will toggle the RGB lighting on and off. Aukey provides visual demos of six lighting effects here.

There’s an audience for “clicky” keys in the PC gaming community.

Selective mode consists of five pre-configured settings clearly printed on the first five horizontal number keys: first-person shooter (FPS), Cross Fire (CF), Call of Duty (COD), League of Legends (LOL), and Racing (Race). So, for instance, if users want to customize the FPS setting, first they type FN + 1 to load up the pre-set, and then type FN + HOME to enter customization mode. The four vertical indicators will then blink, providing a visual sign that the profile is ready for modification. After that, users repeatedly press the key they want to customize to arrive at the desired color. Re-typing FN + HOME will lock the settings.

Of course, there are other uses for the FN key outside of the gaming realm. Because there are no media keys, Aukey moved all media and Windows-based controls to the Function keys, arrow keys, and more. Each underlying function is clearly labeled on the keycaps as a single icon, such as an envelope on the F9 keycap for email, a mute icon on the F4 keycap, and so on. The keyboard can even be reset to its out-of-the-box settings if needed by typing FN + ESC.

Performance pros and cons

What this keyboard really needs to make it an ideal candidate for on-the-go PC gaming (think LAN tournaments, eSports) is a detachable USB cable. As it stands now, the cord is a permanent 5.2-foot-long fixture that could eventually encounter shortage-related connectivity problems when wrapped around the keyboard too many times.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

On a performance level, we can confirm that the keyboard can register at least 10 simultaneous key presses without any issues. The product pages and manuals say nothing about a specific key rollover number, although the Amazon listing does mention anti-ghosting. “Ghosting” is a term used when keyboards are unable to process more than three simultaneously pressed keys. When they are, some of the letters may not work while other letters unintentionally appear, as if typed by a ghost.

That said, we’re not sure how many simultaneous key presses this keyboard officially supports. Since it does not support on-board macros and we only have ten fingers to begin with, it’s obvious 10-key rollover ability should be perfect for PC gamers and general typists alike.

The KM-G3 catches the eye, but many PC gamers won’t go in for its software-free customization capabilities.

Of course, the general document writer or tax preparer won’t really care about anti-ghosting or what it takes to actuate a switch. That’s a huge selling point for PC gamers given that every millisecond counts when playing online. Unfortunately, there’s really no good way to measure the amount of force needed from touch to actuation, but using nickels is always fun.

To see what it takes to get a switch to actuate we used a simple method – piling on nickels. In the case of Aukey’s KM-G3, we managed to stack 13 nickels before the key accuated. As a reference, the custom switches used in the previously reviewed Logitech G Pro “tenkeyless” mechanical keyboard only required a stack of 10 nickels to actuate the switch.

In other words, the switches aren’t highly sensitive, but they don’t require a firm mash of a finger either. When using Logitech’s keyboard in DOOM, sidestepping and general movement felt quicker and thus more responsive to our movement commands due to the keyboard’s in-house switches, fast processing time, and super-quick connection to the PC. Of course, the Logitech G Pro retails for $130, so it may be somewhat unfair to compare it to Aukey’s solution that sells more than half the price.

Warranty

Finally, with the small KM-G3 price tag comes a big warranty provided by Aukey. The keyboard is covered for 24 months once users register the product with the company. However, there is a catch: it’s valid only if customers purchased the keyboard from AukeyDirect on Amazon. “For warranty claims or inquiries, please contact support with your product model number and Amazon order number,” the company states.

Our Take

The Aukey KM-G3 is a fun and highly attractive mechanical keyboard for general users and PC gamers alike. Its minimalistic design delivers a compact yet full 104-key input experience, while also amplifying its brilliant RGB illumination capabilities. It catches the eye rather quick, but many PC gamers will completely buy into the peripheral’s software-free customization capabilities.

The DT Accessory Pack

Aukey Gaming Mouse

$

Aukey Laptop Cooling Pad

$19.99

Aukey Nintendo Gaming Headset

$19.99

Is there a better alternative?

For the price point, Aukey tried to pack plenty of features into a super-slim, 104-key peripheral. However, the sub-$60 mechanical gaming keyboard market isn’t exactly dry as a desert, with well-known and not-so-well-known competitors flooding the market with similar, compact solutions. Aukey’s stiffest competition comes in the form of Razer’s Blackwidow and Corsair’s Vengeance K65 Compact. Both keyboards are of excellent quality, yet sell for $65.

How long will it last?

Keyboards tend to last a long time. While the Aukey doesn’t offer the more respected Cherry branded key switches, its Outemu switches still claim a lifespan of 50 million actuations. This keyboard could last a decade or more if it’s not abused.

Should you buy it?

Yes, if you want an inexpensive mechanical keyboard that’s good for both gaming and general use. Aukey’s KM-G3 isn’t perfect, but it’s affordable and fits nicely into a casual gaming niche that many keyboards fail to serve.

Computer-generated ‘brain age’ estimates how much time you’ve got left

Why it matters to you

U.K. researchers have developed a machine learning algorithm that can look at people’s brain tissue to determine their likely lifespan.

While it’s easy to count our number of birthdays to figure out how long we’ve each been on the planet, researchers at Imperial College London have another age-related metric they think is even more important: A person’s “brain age.”

That means taking into account the wear and tear on a person’s brain to help predict individuals at greater risk of suffering poor health and dying earlier. And — wouldn’t you know it — they’ve created a machine learning algorithm to help!

“The study involves using brain MRI scans to look at the size of people’s brain tissue — gray matter and white matter — across the lifespan,” Dr. James Cole, a research associate who led the study, told Digital Trends. “By building a statistical model of brain volumes in N = 2001 people aged 18-90, we can then compare new brain scans to get a prediction of someone’s ‘brain age.’ The idea is that if someone’s brain appears ‘older’ than their real chronological age, then this may be due to some damage or disease, or potentially indicates increased risk of future brain-health problems.”

In an article published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, Imperial College researchers compared older brain scans, with lower levels of gray and white matter, to those of healthy individuals. The study included approximately 50 percent males and females, representing a broad range of ages.

People with older-looking brains typically had weaker grip, poorer lung function, and slower walking speed, in addition to lesser cognitive performance. The researchers also demonstrated that the difference between brain age and real age significantly relates to how long people live, proven by testing the algorithm on historical data sets of MRI data.

“Excitingly, when combining brain age with other potential aging biomarkers, such as the epigenetic clock, [we were able to improve] the accuracy with which mortality could be predicted,” Cole continued. “In the long run, MRI scans could be used as part of the clinical assessment to look for people at increased risk of poor brain and general health outcomes.”

Sure, an algorithm that tells you when you’re going to die isn’t going to be to everyone’s idea of a good time. But if it opens up the possibility of modifying your health to improve your estimated lifespan, this could prove to be just the wake-up call some folks need.

Although Cole told us that right now it’s still, “a long way from being a clinical tool” used by physicians.

Give yourself a digital green thumb with these garden wallpapers!

Gardens are gorgeous.

Gardens have long been a critical part of society. Gardening was one of the first domestic tasks that early humans used to break out of the hunter-gatherer routine, to cultivate food and enable them to settle in one place with a stable supply of food. Even though most people do not need to garden for survival anymore, gardens are an activity that millions around the world still do for a variety of reasons.

Many people find gardening calming. Some consider it an investment in their home’s beauty. Some just want fresh tomatoes for making salads and salsas and covering every freaking counter in the house with a bumper crop. Some of us just want something green and natural in our lives, and even if you can’t have a glorious, glorious garden, you can get some of that beauty in your life with a garden-fresh wallpaper.

Many people with high-stress or high-visibility jobs garden as a way to ground themselves, find peace, and as a way of disconnecting and de-stressing. Diedrich Bader is an actor; you may remember him from The Drew Carey Show, Veep, and American Housewife. Bader has quite the garden, and he shares impressive photos of his garden work on Twitter, which make for lovely wallpapers.

Diedrich Bader’s Garden

I’ve shared this wallpaper before, and it remains one of the most beautiful photos I’ve ever taken. I took it at Disney (of course), and I think I blew about three years of luck with it. Look at the coloring, the framing, the focus! This is truly an enchanted rose, and I wonder what spells I could cast with it… This rose belonged to a garden path between Future World and World Showcase, and while that rose’s petals have long since fallen, the spell it cast on me has endured.

Golden Rose

If you want to keep a garden neat and precise but don’t want to hassle with plants or dirt or — well, life — there is a garden for you, and its name is karesansui. Japanese rock gardens are a practice in imitating the essence of nature using rocks, gravel, water features, and the occasional greenery. Often meant to help with meditation, it’s no surprise that the name most of us know them by is zen garden, and these gardens are very zen, assuming you have the patience and skill to wrangle them. Looking at this beautiful, geometric scene, my first thought is, “How long did this all take?”

It’s followed very quickly by ‘how quickly would I be killed for using that garden for some live-action chess?’

Zen Checkerboard

Trey Ratcliff is, in this humble blogger’s opinion, one of the best photographers on the planet today. If you own a Chromecast, you’ve seen his work, and it is breathtaking. It helps when the subject matter is beautiful, and the Queenstown Gardens in New Zealand are just that: breathtaking natural beauty. This shot also highlights another wonderful aspect of gardens: they’re always changing. They grow and grow and grow and then their leaves begin to change, their harvest ends, and plants die and go dormant for the winter. Here in this snapshot, the leaves are changing, creating wonderful contrast in the garden that is so fleeting until next year.

Under the Weeping Willows in Queenstown Gardens by Trey Ratcliff

“There’s a wealth of happiness and romance, all in the golden afternoon…”

I think it’s safe to say we wish our gardens could talk to us. I’d maintain a garden meticulously if we could sing together like Golden Afternoon flowers in Alice in Wonderland. The differing flowers displayed a wonderful range of voices and styles, but it’s hard not to fall in love with the prima donna-esque White Rose. Her dewdrops shine like jewels, her leaves cocoon her like an emerald ball gown, she’s framed by glittering spider webs… She’s brilliant, and even if I can’t have her in my garden, I can at least have her on my home screen.

Golden Afternoon Rose by BetterthanBunnies

Google-branded headphones pass through the FCC, and they’re … uninspiring

Google could be expanding its accessory lineup, but these don’t fill us with confidence.

Fun stuff pops up at the FCC from time to time while it’s being certified for use in the U.S., and the latest bit of hardware is Google-branded over-the-ear headphones. The grey-and-black cans have a little Google branding flare and appear to have a touch-sensitive area for at least power. Around the sides you see a pretty standard arrangements of ports and buttons … but yes there’s a Micro-USB port there, which is odd.

The headphones are being certified for Bluetooth, of course, and there’s a 600mAh battery inside. We’re not sure if there’s active noise cancellation (edit: other photos seem to show ANC) or any additional smarts here, but there seem to be a pair of small slits on the earcups that could be microphones used for both that and phone calls.

Now it’s easy to look at what’s here and not be very excited about the shoddily made, cheap-looking headphones that use an old port and don’t seem to have anything interesting to them. But remember that the hardware submitted to the FCC doesn’t necessarily have to be final hardware. These could very easily be early engineering prototypes that simply have the right size and electronics inside to be evaluated by the FCC, but will have external hardware developed further after certification.

I sure hope that’s the case, because I agree there isn’t much to be excited about here. Even though Google has a somewhat spotty record of making overpriced accessories for its phones, it has at least released high-quality products that are made nicely and get the job done. Let’s hope these headphones, if they end up being released, at least follow the same path. There’s also a good chance that these are just cheap, low-end headphones to sit alongside the other gimmicky “Google” hardware from its merchandise store, or are just for internal use.

Google Hardware

• Google Wifi review
• Google Home review
• Everything you need to know about the Chromecast Ultra
• Chromecast vs Chromecast Ultra: Which should you buy?

Google Wifi:

Google
Amazon

Google Home:

Google
Best Buy

Chromecast Ultra:

Google
Best Buy

Galaxy S8 security: Which unlocking method should you use?

The Galaxy S8 comes with several different ways to lock your phone. But they aren’t all equal when it comes to keeping snooping eyes out of your stuff.

We think everyone should lock their phone and be sure to enable a find my phone feature that can erase it if it gets lost or stolen. This is the best way to make sure someone can’t just pick it up and rifle through all your stuff. The Galaxy S8 has a handful of different ways to do it and they are a great balance of convenience versus security. We’re here to help you pick the best method for you.

Passwords and PINs

This is always the best way to make sure only you can unlock your phone, but they are also the least convenient method and require you to type your passcode every time you need to look at the screen if your phone was locked.

If you use your phone for business or just have stuff on it that you think is worth protecting the best way you can, you’ll want to use a password. Always use a strong password and follow a few basic steps:

• Don’t use a single word no matter how obscure you think it is.
• Choose a password that’s a minimum of eight characters.
• Use numbers, special characters and both upper and lower case letters.
• If you need to write it down just in case, don’t write it on something you carry with you. Phones and backpacks get stolen, unfortunately.

You can use a password generator if you want something completely random. A strong password on an encrypted phone is a tough nut to crack even for law enforcement, so it’s also difficult for you to bypass it. Do what you need to do so you remember it.

Your birthday makes a horrible PIN so don’t use it.

If a company issued your phone to you they might have specific requirements or give you a password. Treat it the same way and don’t write it down on a slip of paper in your wallet or purse.

For most practical purposes a 6-digit PIN is almost as good as a full-on password but has the bonus of being easier to remember. Just don’t pick any number attached to you like a birthdate or numbers from another ID.

Biometrics

Samsung introduced the iris scanner with the Note 7 and improved it for the Galaxy S8. For the most part, it’s a secure way to unlock your phone.

The mix of convenience and security makes fingerprints or your iris a good choice for locking your phone.

More testing needs to be done but it seems like it’s difficult to “fake” your phone into unlocking with a photo of your eye. The iris scanner uses more than just photo matching here. In any case, the chances someone else would have a high-resolution photo of your eye to use and unlock your phone is pretty slim, so even if it can be done it probably won’t happen in the real world. Plenty of people love the ease and speed of unlocking their Galaxy S8 using their eyes so you definitely need to give it a try.

The fingerprint scanner is still there, but it’s been moved to the back. It works the same way fingerprint sensors work on most high-end phones and provided you take the time to set it up carefully it’s a convenient way to unlock the screen without having to type anything.

One thing to know about both of these methods is that in some places law enforcement can force you to unlock your phone using a fingerprint or iris. Regardless of how you feel about this issue, you need to know that it’s possible.

How to set up the fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S8

Because they offer a nice mix of convenience and security, we think using your iris or fingerprint is one of the best ways to secure your lock screen.

Face unlock: convenience above all

You can also use your face or a pattern to unlock your phone. Just know that Google and Samsung both acknowledge that these methods are fairly easy to bypass.

Face unlock can be fooled, but only by someone who already has a high-resolution photo or your face.

Face unlock on the Galaxy S8 has been refined over the way it’s done in stock Android, but it’s still pretty easy to get around. This is because it’s simply matching certain features and areas of your face that it has stored during setup with what it sees in the camera. A high-resolution photo is good enough to fool face unlocking. One thing that doesn’t get mentioned when people talk about bypassing face unlock is that chances are someone who finds or steals your phone won’t have a high-resolution full-size photo of your head. While it’s not very secure, not having access to that photo makes that a moot point.

Pattern unlock isn’t insecure by nature. Drawing a pattern between nine random dots has plenty of combinations and isn’t going to be easy to guess without special equipment. But your fingers make it pretty easy: they leave a trail of grease.

Your skin secretes natural oils to keep it from turning into leather. We’ve all seen how a phone screen can be smudgy and icky from fingerprints, and when you are tracing the same pattern to unlock your phone all day that leaves a nice trail for someone to follow with their finger. It’s not easy to do, but you can do it on your friend’s phone if you try a couple of times. And you can bet that thieves know to look for the tell tail smudge lines when they nab an Android phone.

Smart Lock

Smart Lock is the easiest of all ways to unlock your phone because it’s automatic.

Smart Lock works for anyone when it’s within range.

Using your location or a Bluetooth device like a key fob or wearable, you can set your phone to stay unlocked under certain conditions. When you want to use it the power button takes you right to your home screen or a swipe to unlock screen.

Smart Lock is a great way to unlock for people who have a smartwatch or a Fitbit. It’s accurate and doesn’t drain the battery very much. Just remember that anyone with your watch or within Bluetooth range can unlock your phone.

Using Smart Lock on the Galaxy S8: Everything you need to know

Your choice

Locks were invented to keep honest people out of things. We can never depend on a lock screen to guard our privacy alone, but it is part of the basics and something everyone should be doing. Just remember that there is always someone working on bypassing any security feature and we don’t have to make it easy for the bad guys. Or sneaky little brothers or roomies.

How do you lock your phone? Are you digging the iris scanner or improved face unlock on the Galaxy S8? Holler in the comments and let us know!

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The five things you MUST do with your phone

You know someone who treats their phone poorly, don’t you. It’s OK. … We can fix that!

It’s that time of year when we start to get all the hot new phones. (And our kids start asking when they’re going to get one. Thanks, TV ads …) So I’m going to take a look at the best of the best. Or the least best of the best. Or maybe just some weird stuff. We’ll see. More on that in the coming days.

First, though: Five things that all folks need to do with their phones. For a lot of you reading this, they’ll be old hat. But I’m always surprised at how many folks don’t use No. 3. … And you can’t walk down the street without running into someone who has never thought to do No. 5. (Hell, there’s a chance you’re living with someone like that, too!)

Next: ICYMI, I’m giving away a Huawei P10, and you still have a few days left to enter!

Finally: Be sure to subscribe!

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Amazon’s $199 Echo Look wants to watch you get dressed in your bedroom

This really doesn’t seem like a good idea.

Amazon’s Echo platform is surely considered a success at this point, but Amazon is clearly interested in pushing on to new form factors and use cases with its artificial intelligence. The latest iteration is an altogether new type of gadget: a camera-enabled device called “Echo Look” that’s specifically targeting those who aim to leave the house dressed fashionably.

The Echo Look — which Amazon calls a “Hands-Free Camera and Style Assistant” — is a rather small camera (with a microphone and speaker, of course) that sits on a base and offers you full Alexa-enabled voice actions. The main goal of the Echo Look is to help you with your style decisions, though — you stand in front of it, ask it to take a photo or video, and it’ll quickly capture and send that data to your phone. It’s a full-height camera so you can see everything in one shot, and a bit of magic helps blur out the background to focus on you specifically.

You can use the pictures for your own outfit analysis, or you can also invoke the help of Amazon’s “Style Check,” which is an algorithm-based system — backed up by fashion professionals — for helping you choose the look that’s right for you. Naturally you can send out the photos to your friends as well if you need a second opinion.

Yes, this whole video and website reads like an April Fools’ Day joke. And yes, at first glance it seems very creepy. But it’s not a joke. The Echo Look is actually going to be on sale shortly and you can sign up for an invitation to buy it at $199.

Yes, at first glance it seems very creepy.

Chances are there are enough fashion-forward people that just love to have photos of their look before they leave the house that Echo Look can pick up some sales, but it’s hard to see this one catching on at the same level as the original Echo and Echo Dot. Perhaps that’s why Amazon is sticking to an invitation system at the start to make sure they’re going out to the right people.

Some people are already unsure about the idea of having a voice-only Amazon Echo (or Google Home, etc.) anywhere in their home, so chances are a camera-enabled gadget designed to sit in your bedroom and be available as you get dressed crosses more than one line. Even if you trust Amazon to keep the hardware secure, and even if you trust the “off” button on the side that turns off the camera, there’s a good chance people will prefer to not voluntarily put a camera in their bedroom.

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