Using your phone on the job site: 5 apps for the hard worker

Work smarter with these five apps designed for the job site.

Android appeals to people from all walks of life. Your butcher, the young person at the register at Taco Bell, and all sorts of people you meet every day have an Android phone. That’s because a modern phone is totally a multi-tool and there’s an Android phone to fit everyone.

There are apps to fit everyone, too. We’re going to have a look at five of them that can make your work day easier!

• Safesite
• Construction Master Pro
• Zoho Invoice & Time Tracking
• PlanGrid
• Fieldwire

Safesite

Keeping yourself and the rest of the crew safe is the single most important part of everyone’s job no matter where they work, but this rings especially true for work like construction, mining, or in a refinery. We all know that things don’t give much of a warning when they go wrong, so catching and fixing safety issues is a must. And Safesite is great for doing it.

It’s an app for your Android in the field and a program for the computers back in the office. When you’re on-site and see anything that needs attention, you can record all the details, complete with photos and incident reports, and share them instantly with the person who can get them fixed. You can also perform safety audits with the built-in checklist feature (OSHA, ISO, VPP, and SHARP-compliant) and the desktop program can build an overview so keeping track of problem areas is easy. The app is free and so is a demo of the desktop service. More information is available at Safesite

Download: Safesite (free demo)

Construction Master Pro

Without a doubt, Construction Manager Pro is the best $25 you’ll ever spend on an app if you need to measure or calculate anything on a regular basis. The app is a feature for feature clone of Calculated Industries’ desktop software and includes both the standard calculator and its Trig calculator.

Eyeballing doesn’t cut it a lot of the time. When you’re doing anything that needs to follow the “measure twice, cut once” rule you’ll find everything you need to calculate simple and complex projects so you save money and do a better job. It’s 2017 and writing on a napkin isn’t the answer. $25 sounds like a lot for an app, but buying material twice because something didn’t get measured correctly can be a lot more.

Download: Construction Manager Pro ($25)

Zoho Invoice & Time Tracking

Sometimes the hardest part of the job is writing up the invoice, but it’s a necessary evil if you want to get paid. With Zoho’s invoice and time tracking app, it not only gets a lot easier to fill out and send an invoice, but they also look professional. And best of all, the invoice and billing service is free for small contractors with 5 employees or less.

Zoho is an online service that can connect to your Google Apps account and provides invoice and billing as well as the ability to get online payments. You fill out the particulars and costs and the app does all the accounting then send the invoice to your customer on the spot. Extras, like the WePay service, add the ability for your customers to pay online and you’re notified right away when they do. It’s perfect for people who don’t want to fool with a card-reader. And no desktop program is required — you can do everything from a phone or tablet.

Download: Zoho Invoice & Time Tracking (free, in-app purchases)

PlanGrid

I know from experience that checking blueprints on some job sites can be a royal you know what. Between the dirt, the dust, and the coffee stain rings, they get ratty and can be tough to read, and it never fails that you’ll have to unroll them all to find the one you need.

The PlanGrid service is a cheap and easy way to get those prints sent to the cloud instead of the printer, where they’re easy for everyone to view or edit. The mobile app is fully functional and the version control system keeps track of revisions so everyone is seeing the right thing, i.e. the same thing.

Download: PlanGrid (free, requires a PlanGrid subscription)

Fieldwire

There’s a little bit of overlap here because Fieldwire has a really nice built-in plan reader, but the reason it’s on our list is because it’s a great communication platform for the entire team.

The task manager has built-in scheduling and notifications and can track everything you need to fill out an invoice or write a productivity report. You can add photos and annotate them, create and export pdf files for printing or sending by email to someone outside the team, and the built-in inspection tool makes building a punch list simple. And because the app synchronizes through Google Drive or Dropbox, everyone is on the same page.

The service is completely free for small teams and you can request a demo if you need a license for more users.

Download: Fieldwire (free for small teams)

Got a favorite?

Do you have a favorite worksite app? Let us know in the comments below.

Amazon launches Echo Show with video chat

You’re relationship with Alexa just got a lot more personal.

Amazon just launched its latest gadget in the personal assistant line. The Echo Show is a $230 stand-alone touch screen device that is designed exclusively for Alexa. Now, when you ask Alexa to order that doll house, you’ll see what it looks like first.

The Show, which houses a 7-inch touch sensitive screen and two Dolby front-facing speakers, as well as eight microphones, can hear your query from across the room, even while you’re listening to Bruno Mars.

You can also make video calls to others that have the Show using the front-facing 5 megapixel camera. Just say, “Call mom,” and you’ll be able to talk, face-to-face with you dear mother. If she doesn’t have her own Echo Show (you should get her one for Mother’s Day), she can video chat with you via the Alexa app.

You can connect the Show to supported smart home devices, like the Ring front door camera or the Arlo security camera, and monitor goings-on without having to take your phone out of your pocket. Just ask Alexa to show you the baby’s room and you’ll be watching your bundle of joy resting peacefully.

The Echo Show can turn on the lights, turn down the heat, and activate all other Alexa-compatible smart home gadgets.

It also works with all of your other Alexa Skills, like Ted Talks, news flash briefings, and checking your calendar. Only now, you can actually see the results you’re asking for, instead of just hearing Alexa chatter on.

Amazon is offering deep discounts on a number of Echo-related gadgets right now. The Arlo Security camera is down $72 at $147, which is a 33 percent discount. The Wemo Smart WiFi Plug is $5 off. If you buy two Echo Show devices, you can get $100 off with promo code SHOW2PACK. So you can get one for yourself and one for mom!

If you’re ready to go all-in and have Alexa in every room, you can grab the standard Echo speaker for just $150 right now, which is $30 off the normal price.

You can pre-order the Echo Show today for $299.99 and it will arrive on your doorstep June 28.

See at Amazon

Best External Battery Packs for Google Pixel

Finding a battery pack that’s optimized to charge the Google Pixel isn’t as simple as you’d think.

Looking for a battery pack for your Google Pixel? Great! But before you do, you need to keep a lookout for a few things.

For starters, forget about Quick Charge 3.0. Qualcomm’s fast-charging technology doesn’t work over USB-C — instead, the Pixel uses USB-PD, a new standard for charging devices via USB-C. That’s not to say that you can’t use a battery pack with Quick Charge technology; you just won’t get any use of the rapid charging features.

Ideally, you’re going to want to find battery packs that let you use USB-C to USB-C cables and make mention of USB-PD compatibility. Fortunately, there’s been a ton of great discussion on the topic which pointed us towards this great Google spreadsheet that’s color-coded with charging accessories you should buy and those which you should avoid.

We’ve broken down some of your best options below and have ordered them base on battery size!

• Nomad Powerpack 9,000 mAh backup battery
• ORICO 10,000 mAh portable battery
• Kanex GoPower 15,000 mAh portable battery
• Jackery Titan S 20,100 mAh battery pack
• RAVPower 26,800 mAh external battery

Nomad Powerpack 9,000mAh backup battery

At only 9,000mAh, the Nomad Powerpack is the smallest battery pack on this list, but it makes up for that shortcoming with its rugged casing and integrated Bluetooth tracking by Tile.

This battery pack features USB-C ports for input (charging the power pack) and output (charging your Pixel), along with a USB-A port for charging any other devices you may have kicking around. It’s definitely on the pricier side, but if you like the idea of keeping a battery pack in your bag, the fact that this one doubles as a Bluetooth tracker may be especially appealing to some.

This battery ships with a USB-A to USB-C cable, but if you want to get the fastest charge you’ll want to use a USB-C to USB-C cable like the one that came with the Pixel.

See at Nomad

ORICO 10,000mAh portable battery

ORICO’s battery pack features a USB-C port that appears to be USB-PD compatible, but you’ll once again need to supply your own USB-C-to-USB-C cable to get the most out of it.

This battery pack is made with a stylish aluminum alloy casing for an upscale and durable look. There’s LED indicators that show you the remaining battery life and includes all the protection features you require, including voltage and current surges, over-charging, and more. Orico also offers an 18-month warranty on its battery packs, along with lifetime technical support. It’s also one of the cheaper options on this list.

See at Amazon

Kanex GoPower 15,000mAh portable battery

The Kanex GoPower battery was designed to charge the new MacBook Pro on the go but will also work just as well for Android phones that use USB-C — including the Pixel.

Featuring a sleek, aluminum build with 15,000mAh of battery capacity, this should theoretically charge your Pixel five times. Two cables are included with this battery pack, including a USB-C to USB-C cable, and the battery allows for pass-through charging, so you can charge your phone and the battery at the same time.

See at Kanex

Jackery Titan S 20,100mAh battery pack

The Jackery Titan S is a beefy option for keeping your Pixel topped up. With a generous 20,100mAh battery capacity, this battery features a USB-C port that supports 5V/3A.

It also has a USB-A port that supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 for those devices, but it most importantly comes with a USB-C cable for charging your pixel.

This battery pack is Wirecutter’s top pick for USB-C-compatible portable batteries, so you can buy with confidence knowing this is a highly recommended battery pack.

See at Amazon

RAVPower 26,800mAh external battery

Last but certainly not least is the massive RAVPower 26,800mAh external battery, which is optimized for USB-PD devices such as the Pixel.

RAVPower claims you’ll be able to recharge this battery pack in a fraction of the usual time, just four to five hours compared to the standard 14 hours. For charging your Pixel, you’ll want to use the USB-C port along with the included USB-C cable, but you also have two standard USB-A ports for charging other devices, which include iSmart 2.0 technology which intelligently detects and adjusts the charging current to obtain the fastest charging for your device.

See at Amazon

Got any battery packs you’ve tried and tested?

Have you tried any of the battery packs on our list? Got one that’s been working great for you? Let us know in the comments!

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

• Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
• Google Pixel XL review: A U.S. perspective
• Google Pixel FAQ: Should you upgrade?
• Pixel + Pixel XL specs
• Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
• Join the discussion in the forums!

Google Store
Verizon

Amazon Alexa Calling and Messaging: What is it and how do you use it?

Amazon has just announced the Echo Show, the latest addition to the Echo range of smart home devices. With the launch of the Echo Show, Amazon has announced a new calling and messaging feature coming soon, that will let you make and receive calls, as well as send messages between Echo devices and the Amazon Alexa app for iOS and Android.

But what exactly is the new feature all about and how do you go about using it? Let us explain.

What is Amazon Alexa calling and messaging?

Amazon Alexa calling and messaging is a new way to contact family and friends that also have Echo devices in their home, or the Alexa app installed on the iOS or Android device.

It works with all current Echo devices – although only in the US for now – so if you have an Echo Dot or Echo, you can still call or message an Echo Show and vice versa. You can also call from Echo to Echo, Echo Dot to Echo Dot and so on.

The best bit about the new feature is that it’s completely free to use as it works over Wi-Fi and mobile data, so you don’t need to invest in a talk plan.

How do I use Amazon Alexa calling and messaging?

If you’re using calling and messaging through an Echo device, you’ll need to make sure you have the latest software update installed. You’ll also have to enable Alexa calling and messaging in the system’s settings, and anyone you’ll want to call with have to enable this function too.

You’ll be able to see all your contacts that have the function enabled from within the Alexa app.

Once you do, it’s simply a case of using your voice to place a call to someone with an Echo device or the Alexa app on their phone or tablet.

If you and and the recipient have an Echo Show, you’ll be able to make video calls, in a similar way to FaceTime on Apple devices and Skype.

To start a call, you’ll need to wake the Echo up by saying “Alexa” and then ask it to call someone, for example “call dad”. If someone tries calling you, your Echo device will display a green ring and give out an audio alert.

You can tell Alexa to answer the call, or ignore the call, but going by the promotional video Amazon has produced, Echo isn’t able to tell you who’s calling, so you could end up ignoring your mum’s call!

It’s a similar process to send messages, and if you’ve sent text messages from your phone using Siri, Google Assistant or Cortana, there isn’t anything new to learn. Simply say “Alexa, message [whoever you want to message]”, then dictate your message and Alexa will send it.

As with calls, you’ll hear a chime when you receive a message from someone else, and the green ring will light up. You can then ask Alexa to play your messages.

What is Drop In?

Drop In is a separate feature that can be used with Echo Show. Amazon says in most case you’ll use video calling, but Drop In is there so you can easily check in with an elderly relative, let the family know dinner is ready, or check a camera in the nursery. It sounds like you won’t need to call someone else, but can simply access the camera on another Echo Show.

You can pick and choose which Echo Show devices Drop In is available on, and you can choose which contacts can have the privileges to Drop In on it. If you want, you can opt to not allow anyone to.

When is Amazon Alexa calling and messaging available?

Amazon hasn’t said when the feature will launch, but we’d expect it will be available alongside the launch of the Echo Show, which is 28 June.

Preorder the Amazon Echo Show from Amazon US

Devolver completes construction on building sim ‘Blockhood’

After a year spent laying its foundations in Steam’s Early Access program, Devolver’s award winning ‘neighborhood simulator’ is now complete. Winning an award for its unique take on the building sim, Block’hood sees players feeling the ecological impact their creations have on the world around them. Sporting an eye-catching new aesthetic and adding a story mode into the mix, the full release of Block’hood arrives on Steam this Thursday — costing $15.

Created by one-man game developer and architecture Professor Jose Sanchez, this unique take on the building sim mixes art with education. Playing like the weird offspring of Cities: Skylines and reverse Jenga, Block’hood takes place on an isometric plane. Prospective architects are tasked with creating sources of water, air and electricity before building. It’s a game that makes you consider the impact structures have on their environments as well as on their inhabitants. It’s a unique and thoughtful approach to the genre and one that saw it win a Games for Change award.

Although we thoroughly enjoyed Block’hood, when we first played the game last year, we had a few quibbles with its restrictive camera controls and awkward auto-snap block placing. But regardless of if those issues remain in the final game, if you’re looking to play something a little different, then Block’hood comes highly recommended.

Amazon’s Echo Show is Alexa with a touchscreen

As expected, Amazon has revealed the Echo Show, a squared-off Echo device equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen. The company lost the element of surprise, as it was already unveiled via a series of leaks culminating in clear pictures of it from reputed spoiler Evleaks. That may be a good thing, however — the device’s design has already been widely panned, so everyone can now focus on the specs for the official launch.

The Echo Show is equipped with eight microphones, beam-forming tech and noise cancellation like other Echos, meaning it can hear you from nearly anywhere in a room. It’s also got a front camera on top, a meaty Dolby-equipped speaker below and of course, that 7-inch screen (Amazon hasn’t specified the resolution).

That gives it a number of interesting new features. For one, you can make voice or video calls to friends who have an Echo or Alexa app on another device. While you can already do that in numerous ways, it might be easiest on the Echo Show. You can contact folks just by yelling at Alexa — a boon for the non-tech-savvy in your family.

You can use the feature to send text messages to your own or a friend’s Alexa-equipped device. “You’ll hear a chime when you have a new message, and a green light ring will appear on your device,” Amazon writes. “You’ll also be notified in the Alexa App so you can stay in touch where you are.”

There’s another new feature called “Drop In” that lets you connect instantly with family or friends. “For example, you can drop in to let the family know it’s time for dinner, see the baby’s nursery, or check in with a close relative,” as Amazon describes it.

The screen lets you do a number of other things that are impossible on a regular Echo. You can watch YouTube videos and video flash briefings, check the weather visually, see music lyrics via Amazon Music, check shopping lists and more.

Another new feature lets you connect the Echo Show to cameras from Ring and Arlo, then ask Alexa to show you a room or area. The images will pop up directly on the screen, giving users perhaps the friendliest way ever to monitor their security cams. As before, it can also control thermostats and lights from the likes of WeMo, Philips Hue, Ecobee and others.

The Echo Show costs $230 in the US, or you can get two for $360, a $100 discount (there’s no official word yet on availability elsewhere). That’s a mere $30 more than the camera-equipped Echo Look, and almost certainly cheaper than any touchscreen tablet that may work with Google Assistant, Microsoft Cortana or Apple’s Siri. That’s assuming you can stand the style, of course, as many internet commenters hated it. Pre-orders start today, with shipping by June 28th in countries where it’s available.

Source: Amazon (1), (2)

Speedrunners have already torn ‘Prey’ apart

Bethesda’s Prey reboot has been out for less than a week and already players are posting some truly insane speedruns. Arguably the best is a 19:34 dash posted by “DraQu” on YouTube. It’s a mesmerizing playthrough that uses the GLOO Cannon — an early weapon that can slow down enemies and create small platforming blocks — to access areas that would normally take hours to unlock. There’s some trickery involved, carefully placing foam boulders to clip through the environment and scale parts of the spaceship developer Arkane Studios never intended people to see. Still, it’s all within the confines of the game — technically DraQu isn’t cheating.

Sub-twenty minutes is an impressive, but beatable time. DraQu stumbles in a couple of places, mis-timing jumps both inside and outside the station. One mid-game section (10:30) proves particularly troublesome, as he tries to jump between two suspended Gloo bubbles. A few reloads and the occasional expletive — these are the moments that give speedrunners nightmares. DraQu might hold the world record for now, but it’s possible, if not inevitable that someone will memorize his route and shave some precious seconds by executing the jumps with a little extra precision.

If you want to watch the speedrun, be warned: It obviously contains a ton of spoilers. The game might look a little broken too, but it’s worth stressing that Prey is an “immersive sim,” giving players the freedom to tackle objectives as they see fit. The powers and weapons are plentiful, and can be combined in different ways to wipe out the enemy or avoid them altogether. It’s a style that Arkane Studios has slowly refined through Dishonored and Dishonored 2, and a continuation of games like System Shock and Deus Ex. Such flexibility is bound to create a few game-breaking manoeuvres — we just didn’t expect them to be discovered so quickly.

Source: DraQu (YouTube)

Neural network learns to reproduce what your brain sees

Scientists dream of recreating mental images through brain scans, but current techniques produce results that are… fuzzy, to put it mildly. A trio of Chinese researchers might just solve that. They’ve developed neural network algorithms that do a much better job of reproducing images taken from functional MRI scans. The team trains its network to recreate images by feeding it the visual cortex scans of someone looking at a picture and asking the network to recreate the original image based on that data. After enough practice, it’s off to the races — the system knows how to correlate voxels (3D pixels) in scans so that it can generate accurate, noise-free images without having to see the original.

You can see the results for yourself in the comparison above. The new technique, DGMM (Deep Generative Multiview Model), is very nearly on par with the source material. Virtually all the other approaches are so imprecise and noisy that many of their results are either difficult to read or just plain wrong.

This initial foray revolved around people staring at simple images. There’s much more work to be done before it’s clear this method works for complex images and videos — you know, real life. Still, the breakthrough hints at a bright (if slightly creepy) future for brain image recreation. It could help with brain-controlled devices, for example, or help doctors understand mental health issues based on dreams or hallucinations.

Via: MIT Technology Review

Source: ArXiv.org

TBS will broadcast one of eSports’ biggest rematches this June

TBS has established itself as a destination for watching eSports on TV. This summer, that goes further with the news that it’ll broadcast Clash for Cash: The Rematch — a $250,000 grudge of sorts match between Counter-strike: Global Offensive teams Astralis and Virtus.pro.

It’ll be a best-of-three competition, offering Virtus.pro the chance to change history a bit. Earlier this year at Eleague’s Major Grand Final, Astralis won in an upset. It was pretty nuts and pulled in some one million concurrent streams on Twitch, in addition to 3.6 million total viewers on TBS according to Eleague.

The show airs June 16th at 10pm Eastern across Eleague’s own streaming service, TBS, Twitch and YouTube. Sounds like a perfect way to end E3 week, no?

Blue’s wireless Satellite headphones pack a built-in amp for $400

Blue announced its first wireless headphones back at CES, but now you can finally get your hands on a pair. The company’s latest model, Satellite, has Bluetooth 4.1 and Apt-X to keep the wireless streaming from your go-to device going strong. To further enhance the high-quality audio, there’s a built-in headphone amp. Similar to some of Blue’s existing headphone models, you can turn that feature off to save battery or at times to you may not need it — like when you’re listening to podcasts.

The company says it’s the first to pack in an amp and use dedicated drivers for the audio and the noise cancellation in a set of wireless headphones. Instead of one set of drivers powering both the audio and the ANC, each of those features had its own unit. On the outside, there are controls for Bluetooth, the amp and active noise cancellation on the left earcup while the buttons you’ll need to adjust volume, play/pause, skip tracks or take calls are situated on the right side.

When satellite was first announced, my main concern was battery life. Now that the headphones are going on sale, the company has some detailed numbers. Blue says you can expect 24 hours of playback when just using Bluetooth connectivity. When you opt for wireless listening with both the active noise cancellation and the built-in amp turned on, expect to listen for around 8 hours before needing to recharge. It’s enough to get you through a full workday, but you’ll likely need to plug them in over night if you listen all day long. Those battery figures are something I plan to take a closer look at during a full review.

If you’re itchin’ to get your hands on a pair, Blue’s Satellite headphones are available today in black and white options for $400. The usual suspects for tech purchases — places like Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg and others — are set to carry the headphones.