Video: Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s camera

The Samsung Galaxy S8 has taken some heat for not changing much in its cameras compared to last year’s S7. But if you only focus the hardware, you miss the big picture on this phone.

The S8’s camera has a ton of software features, plus new image processing chops thanks to Samsung’s “multi-frame” photography. Bottom line: There’s a lot you can do lot this camera, but it’s easy to miss some of these features if you don’t know where to look.

That’s why we’re here to give you a rundown of everything you can do with the Samsung Galaxy S8’s cameras. Check out our video guide to get the most out of your GS8’s camera arsenal, and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the latest Android reviews and opinions as they land!

• Best Galaxy S8 Cases
• Android Central on YouTube
• Why the GS8 is the best Android phone
• First things to do with your new Galaxy S8
• Samsung Galaxy S8 review

Common Galaxy S8 problems and how to fix them

If you’re having trouble with your phone, we’re here to help.

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are great phones, but no device is perfect and there’s a chance you may be having some issues with yours. Lower than expected battery life, performance issues, running out of storage, problems with radios and more can all effect the Galaxy S8 just as they do any other phone, but all of these issues have potential fixes.

While it’s difficult to diagnose every problem you could be having with your Galaxy S8 or S8+, we’ve grouped together some of the most common issues and have some tips to help you fix them.

Bad battery life

No matter how good battery life is on a phone, people will always want more. Here are a handful of tips for making the most of the 3000 or 3500mAh battery you have to work with.

• Use Power saving mode. Turning it on from the notification shade quick settings or the Device maintenance settings, the “mid” Power saving mode will reduce your screen resolution, lower brightness and stop apps from waking up in the background. You shouldn’t use this mode all the time, but if you’re low on charge it can be a life saver.
• You can find battery-intensive apps by going to Device maintenance and tapping on Battery usage to see what’s taken up the most power over the course of the day. If something’s out of the ordinary, keep an eye on it and see if it continues to cause problems.
• Uninstall unused apps, as they may be waking up in the background and using battery without your knowledge. If you haven’t used an app in a while, there’s no need to keep it around when it could be using up your battery.
• It may look really cool, but you can save lots of battery by turning off Always On Display. Go to Settings, Lock screen and security and tap the toggle next to Always On Display. A compromise can be to limit the hours it runs (via these settings), rather than having it on the whole day.

More: How to fix Galaxy S8 battery life problems

Running out of storage

Samsung made a great move in putting 64GB of internal storage in the Galaxy S8 and S8+, meaning you have even more runway for using the phone without worrying about storage. Still, some people are going to hit that limit sooner or later. Here are some tips for cleaning up your internal storage:

• Get an SD card, and start to store non-critical data like music, movies, photos and videos on the card. You can move some apps, but the best way to save on storage space is to move big media files first.
• Offload photos to a cloud management service like Google Photos. The service offers unlimited backup of slightly compressed high-quality uploads, plus 15GB of free full-quality backups. After the photos are uploaded, you can save space by removing them from your phone.
• Use the Galaxy S8’s built-in Device maintenance feature, found in the settings. Tap on Storage and see what it can offer to clean out — just be aware that it may clear some cached images and temporary files that will just have to be downloaded again when you use some apps.
• Delete unused apps! You may have gone on a download spree when you first bought your phone, only to end up using 20 of the 200 apps you installed. Scroll through your apps and find a few that you don’t use — long press the app icon and tap Uninstall to remove it from your phone. You can always download it again later.

Problems unlocking the phone

One of the most contested changes about the Galaxy S8 and S8+ was moving the fingerprint sensor to the back of the phone next to the camera, and the cascading effect it created in making the phones difficult to reliably unlock. Here are a few tips for keeping your Galaxy S8 secure while also letting you quickly access it.

• Re-train the fingerprint model. Chances are you hastily set up your Galaxy S8 at first, and maybe didn’t spend enough time setting your finger on the sensor to get a proper read. Go into the fingerprint sensor settings and tap Edit to remove them, then tap Add fingerprint to start over.
• Put a case on your phone. As weird as it sounds, putting a case on your Galaxy S8 gives definition and physical separation to the fingerprint sensor, making it easier to locate and more accurately place your finger on the sensor.
• Turn on Iris scanning in the Lock screen and security settings. After registering your irises, be sure to turn on the “Iris unlock when screen turns on” setting to make sure the phone starts looking for your irises as soon as your screen is active. This can dramatically speed up the unlocking process.
• Use Smart Lock, also found in the Lock screen and security settings. Smart Lock can keep your phone unlocked through a variety of methods, including when it detects you’re at a trusted place or connected to a certain Bluetooth device (like a smartwatch). With these methods, so long as you unlock your phone every four hours it can stay unlocked via these methods.

**Smart Lock on the S8: Everything you need to know](http://www.androidcentral.com/smart-lock-galaxy-s8)

Home screen launcher isn’t right for you

Samsung’s launcher has really improved in the past few generations, but still may not be right for you. But fear not — you can change it, and there are many great launchers out there that are simpler, more feature packed, or just offer some customization options you can’t get in the default launcher.

We have a list of the best Android launchers, but there are dozens out there that fill all sorts of needs. Start with our list, then head to the Play Store to search for “launcher” and find one you like. You can always switch launchers or go back to Samsung’s at any time.

Read: The best Android launchers

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS problems

Dealing with wireless problems can be extremely frustrating, whether you’re talking about Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or GPS. There are so many variables involved that it can be tough to tell whether the issue is on the phone’s end or somewhere else. The basics of troubleshooting these issues are as follows:

Make sure you turn off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, wait a few seconds and turn it back on. If that doesn’t fix the problem, head to the next step.
Restart your phone. Sometimes all that’s needed a quick kick to the reset button and you’re good to go.
If Wi-Fi problems persist, try forgetting the network by long pressing on the network name and tapping Forget network. Then tap the network again to re-enter the password and re-connect.
If Bluetooth problems persist, try unpairing the device from your phone and re-pairing. To do that, tap on the cog icon next to the product’s name and hit Unpair. Put the device you’re connecting to in pairing mode and connect again.
If you’re worried you may have tweaked settings inadvertently and want to start over, go to General management, Reset and then tap Reset network settings.

If the problems persist at this point, chances are they are related to something else in the chain, like the wireless router or Bluetooth accessory you’re trying to use. Follow troubleshooting steps for those devices and start fresh.

Wrong screen temperature/color

Initial reports of Galaxy S8s having very warm or red-tinted displays were wildly overblown, but that doesn’t mean you have to stick with the display exactly as it came out of the box. To tweak how the display looks so it’s closer to what you want, follow these steps:

Open the Settings.
Tap on Display.
Tap on Screen mode.
First, consider the four presets — adaptive, AMOLED cinema, AMOLED photo or basic — to see if one pleases your eyes.
If none of the presets work for you, tap on Color balance to adjust the screen manually.

• Move the red, green and blue sliders until you see the right coloration of your display, and tap the back button to return.
• You can also tap Restore in the top-right corner to go back to the defaults.

How to factory reset the Galaxy S8

Sometimes after lots of troubleshooting and work, you just can’t find out what’s causing your phone problems. When all else fails, it may be a good idea to just factory reset your phone and start fresh. Back up your important data, and perform these quick steps to reset your phone to the way it came out of the box:

Open the Settings.
Scroll down and tap General management.
Tap on Reset.
Tap on Factory data reset.

• You’ll also notice there are a few other options for just resetting settings or networking settings, which could be worth trying first.

Scroll down and tap the Reset button, then wait for the process to complete.

Other issues

What are your main issues with the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+? We’ll keep this article updated as new information becomes available!

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ review!
• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
• Get to know Samsung Bixby
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

Verizon
AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint

Best Unlimited Data Plan

Unlimited plans are back, but which one is the best?

All four major U.S. carriers offer an unlimited data plan again. After years of hearing how they were unable to provide unlimited data to every customer and maintain the quality of service they wanted, new technology and a more competitive market means an 180-degree turnaround was in order and here we are.

We’ve previously written about how most people just don’t need unlimited data, and you should have a look if you have any questions about how much you should spend or how much data you need. But if you’re sure you need all the data you can get each and every month, let’s look at which company you should give your business to. We’ll start with a quick look at what each company has to offer and what it will cost you.

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AT&T

AT&T’s more expensive Unlimited Plus plan comes with some extra features that are definitely worth mentioning:

• Unlimited talk and text to Canada and Mexico
• Advanced messaging between compatible phones on the AT&T network
• Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico with the free “Roam North America” feature
• $25 monthly credit for DirecTV services
• 10 GB mobile hotspot (tethering)

Like most carriers, the monthly fees don’t include tax or regulatory fees and you may have other costs if you get your phone from AT&T.

• Everything you need to know about AT&T’s unlimited plans
• See plans at AT&T

Sprint

Sprint’s Unlimited Freedom plan also comes with these extras included in the monthly bill:

• Unlimited data for streaming video up to 1080p
• Unlimited data for gaming up to 8Mbps
• Unlimited data for streaming music up to 1.5Mbps
• 10 GB mobile hotspot (tethering)

Again, you’ll need to pay taxes and fees on top of these prices and equipment fees aren’t included.

• Everything you neeed to know about Sprint’s Unlimited Freedom Plan
• See plans at Sprint

T-Mobile

T-Mobile has a lot of feature fine print that goes with their T-Mobile ONE plan, and it might make a difference:

• 200MB of roaming data per month
• Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico
• One hour of free Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi and unlimited texting on enabled flights
• Unlimited data and texting in over 140 locations at 2x speed (264kbps) (limited time offer)
• Unlimited music and HD video streaming (limited time offer, applies only in the U.S.)
• 10 GB mobile hotspot (limited time offer)

As of May 2017, T-Mobile has a deal where you can add a third line for free if you have two or more lines on an account. There is no word when this promo or any other features listed as limited time offers will end. One big thing with T-Mobile is that you pay the price listed above each month — the taxes and fees are built into the plan price.

• Everything you need to know about T-Mobile’s unlimited plans
• See plans at T-Mobile

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Verizon

Here’s what else you get for your money each month on Verizon plans:

• 10 GB mobile hotspot (tethering)
• Unlimited “HD” (optimized for lower data usage) streaming video (see Verizon’s Video Optimization Deployment page)
• Unlimited calling and texting to and from Canada and Mexico

As with most other carriers, you’re paying taxes and fees each month on top of the list price and equipment fees aren’t built into these prices.

• Everything you need to know about Verizon’s unlimited plan
• See plans at Verizon

The best unlimited wireless plan

There are a few things in common with all four carriers: The listed prices in all advertisements are for customers who use autopay for their monthly bill. Each carrier slows down your data to 3G speeds once you hit a cap on data, which is right around 20GB per line. And no carrier guarantees great coverage, no matter what their coverage maps might say.

T-Mobile offers the best unlimited plan in the U.S.

Overall, T-Mobile has the best unlimited plan you can buy. We considered price, coverage, and features equally and while we can’t say T-Mobile will work for everyone, it’s where you should look first. Here’s how we reached the decision.

• Which companies offer the coverage you need? Having a cheap cell phone bill isn’t so great if your phone doesn’t work where you need it to work. There are large areas of the U.S. where T-Mobile has no coverage at all but for the most part these are rural areas. While we think rural areas are awesome, we can’t ignore that T-Mobile does offer coverage where most people live. If total coverage is your main criteria when buying an unlimited plan, you should have a look at Verizon.

• How much are your monthly taxes and fees going to be? In some places, these extra fees will add up. When you add upwards of $30 (or more) to each month’s bill, T-Mobile bundling them into the plan price might make a difference. Once you add in all the fees that find their way into your monthly bill, there probably won’t be much difference between Sprint and T-Mobile unless you have three or more lines. Sprint is cheaper, but T-Mobile picking up the tab for those fees makes a big difference.

• Do you need any of the other services that come with a particular plan? If you have to pay extra for things like texting or calling people in other countries be sure to add those costs into the price unless it’s included in the plan. T-Mobile offers roaming data, calls, texts and data in all of North America as well as texting and data in 140 other places around the world. They even offer free in-flight Wi-Fi with Gogo. This is a great set of useful extras.

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The best news is that everything here is subject to change at any time! Because the market has become so competitive for unlimited data, companies will constantly be adjusting prices and features. When one company makes a move the rest will soon follow with their own new pricing or other offers.

We’ll keep things updated here as changes happen and maybe next month we’ll be recommending a different company.

See at T-Mobile

Five reasons to download PlayMobo on Android

PlayMobo is one of your best ways to discover new games to play on Google Play. It allows you get recommendations on what to play next, earn daily points for playing games, and even gives you the chance to win numerous giveaways on a regular basis.

Here are five reasons you should download it today.

1. Discover cool games

The PlayMobo app, available from the Google Play store, lets you discover cool new games every day.

The games, which are 100 per cent hand-picked by the apps dedicated editorial team, are reviewed by a human to ensure only the best five games are suggested to you every day.

If you don’t like the daily suggestions, don’t worry. You can search the thousands of great games knowing you are always going to find a winner.

2. Free gift cards and rewards 

The more game you play, the more points you earn, and playing games from PlayMobo lets you earn points to redeem what are called featurepoints for awesome rewards and Amazon free gift cards.

Besides Amazon free gift cards, more redeem options such as PayPal cash, steam points, and mgift are all due to be added in the future. Yes, you can actually earn money for playing great games. Cool huh?

3. Gift cards, giveaways and gems 

Besides earning points to play games, PlayMobo users also get the chance to win some great prizes with monthly game giveaways and bounty events for the apps users every month.

There is also the chance to win in-game items such as heroes, gems, and diamonds to enhance your gameplay even further.

4. Latest gaming news

The PlayMobo app features the latest gaming news and full coverage on the trending new games hitting the app all the time so you can stay up to date with all the latest news ensuring you don’t miss any hot new titles being released.

5. Game lists

The app also lets you customise your own “game list” just by tapping the follow button for a specific game.

It means you get all the latest gaming news, how-to, gameplay, walkthrough, mgift giveaways, offers, and all the essential information for those games that you mark to follow. Yep, you’ll never miss out again. 

How to shoot great video and photos on iPhone, Apple reveals all

Apple has released a series of videos showing how iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users can take better photos and films on their smartphones. And because many of the tips feature the software, they can help owners of older iPhones too – as long as they have iOS 10.

The company has created its own website with how to guides, all in video form. You can also see a few of them below as they are also on YouTube.

There are guides on how to shoot portraits, close-ups, timed selfies and even without a flash.

Some of the features detailed are only available on the iPhone 7 Plus as that has a second lens for better bokeh – the blurred background while the foreground remains sharp. However, all the videos contain interesting tips and tricks.

How to shoot a great portrait on iPhone 7 Plus

How to shoot a close-up on iPhone 7

How to shoot without flash on iPhone 7

How to shoot action on iPhone 7

One thing we would say though is that many of them show how to take videos and photos in portrait, vertical mode. We strongly advise that, if you ever plan to show a home video on a TV that you shoot it horizontally. Otherwise it’ll look poor with massive black bars either side.

It’s something to keep in mind for later down the line. How many times have you seen a vertical video on the news? Too many, we suspect.

“Alexa, how many times has the UK won nil points?”: Alexa knows everything about Eurovision

All eyes will be on be on Kyiv, Ukraine this weekend as the annual Eurovision song contest takes places on Saturday 13 May. Amazon Alexa is getting in on the singing action with a special Eurovision skill.

• Amazon Echo: What can Alexa do and what services are compatible?

With the skill installed on an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, Alexa will be able to impress you with its knowledge of the singing contest. The skill has been developed by the European Broadcasting Union’s Technology and Innovation and Media departments. Only users in the UK, Germany, Austria and America can take advantage of the skill

You will be able to ask Alexa who won Eurovision in any year dating back to 1956 when the competition started, or when the UK last won it – cast your minds back to 1997 and Katrina and the Waves. Alexa will also be able to play you any winning song from 2016 back to 1956 if you’re an Amazon Music Unlimited member, as well as a live stream of the contest on Saturday via the BBC.

Simon Fell, Director of Technology and Innovation, said: “The EBU is always at the forefront of innovation and with the growth of voice-controlled devices such as Amazon Echo we wanted to create a tool that provides added value to our flagship co-production. In time we hope to develop the “skill” to allow users to delve even deeper into the Eurovision Song Contest’s rich history.”

Who will win Eurovision 2017? Spotify could know the answer and it’s a surprise

The final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 is being held in Kyiv, Ukraine tomorrow evening – from 8pm BST Saturday 13 May – and, after two thrilling semi-finals shown on the BBC and around Europe in the past week, we now know the 26 finalists who will compete for the ultimate prize.

But who will win?

Bookies are giving Italy the shortest odds on winning, which is surprising perhaps considering the entry includes a dancing gorilla. Eccentric jazz singer Salvador Sobral from Portugal is second favourite to take the crown.

However, Spotify has other ideas. It has created a list of the top 10 songs in this year’s final based on the number of times they have been streamed outside of their originating countries and Italy doesn’t even rate.

Portugal is only ninth on the list.

• “Alexa, how many times has the UK won nil points?”: Alexa knows everything about Eurovision

Instead, Spotify predicts that Austria will win, with young star Nathan Trent singing in similar style to Justin Timberlake, with his performance of Running on Air.

Considering the bookmakers have him at around 250/1, it might well be worth a punt.

Our favourite is actually Croatia’s Jacques Houdek, who sings My Friend partly as a diva, partly as a soprano like Pavarotti. It has to be seen to be believed.

Here though are Spotify’s top 10 songs:

Austria: Nathan Trent – Running on Air
Denmark: Anja Nissen – Where Am I?
Belgium: Blanche – City Lights
Sweden: Robin Bengtsson – I Can’t Go On
Australia: Isaiah – Don’t Come Easy
Poland: Kasia Moś – Flashlight
Norway: JOWST – Grab The Moment
Bulgaria: Kristian Kristov – Beautiful Mess
Portugal: Salvador Sobral – Amar Pelos Dois
Azerbaijan: Dihaj – Skeletons

If you have Spotify account, you can listen to the Eurovision 2017 playlist here.

Ads are coming to Amazon Echo skills

If the Beauty and the Beast and Burger King debacles were anything to go by, owners of smart speakers like the Google Home aren’t big fans of ads. But that won’t stop marketing companies like VoiceLabs from trying to make them happen. The voice analytics company has announced a new platform called Sponsored Messages, which will let developers monetize their Amazon Echo skills by inserting ads at the start and end of conversations.

VoiceLabs says Sponsored Messages are between 6 and 15 seconds long and are positioned at the beginning and end of interactions in order to “lead a consumer into an experience or converse with the consumer as they exit.”

An example provided to CNET by VoiceLabs CEO Adam Marchick suggests a developer of a sports podcast skill may decide to partner with ESPN, one of the early Sponsored Messages partners. Upon exiting the skill, an ad may “Thanks for listening, and thanks to ESPN for supporting us.” Four of five uses later, the message may change to notify the user of an upcoming basketball game and ask if they would like to be reminded when to tune in.

Currently, Amazon has guidelines that dictate how and when a developer can integrate ads. They can only appear in streaming music, radio or flash briefing skills and they can’t use Alexa’s voice to say them. For now, the majority of the Echo’s 13,000+ skills are unable to support Sponsored Messages.

The platform already has support from ESPN and Wendy’s, as well as Alexa developers Federated Media, XAPPmedia, TWiT.tv, Appbly. They’ve been testing ads over the past few months and have reportedly seen positive engagement. VoiceLabs says interactive ads are now in production and will be released “in a timely fashion,” based on upcoming events and promotions.

Via: CNET

Source: VoiceLabs

The Morning After: Friday, May 12th 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Welcome to the end of the week. Microsoft’s second day of its annual conference was a more interesting one.It’s trying to bridge your PC and phone, and we get to see what’s next for Windows 10. Meanwhile, a Russian blogger was given a suspended jail sentence for playing Pokémon Go in a church. We also unveil The Engadget Experience, an event coming this November, aimed at exploring a new creative revolution, involving virtual reality, augmented reality and everything in between.

More new features than the last big update.Windows 10’s next Creators Update arrives this fall

Microsoft just rolled out a big update for Windows 10, but there’s another one on the way later this year. Read on to find out more details, but we’re expecting to see the debut of Fluent Design System (aka Project Neon) and a OneDrive Files On-Demand setup that blurs the line between cloud and local storage. There’s also Microsoft Graph and, oh yeah, Linux in the Windows Store.

A timeline of everything you’ve done on your PC, with wireless copy and paste thrown in.Microsoft Graph bridges the gap between Windows and your phone

Microsoft’s push into being the connective glue between all of your devices is realized in Graph. The aim is to make all things Microsoft work seamlessly, whether you’re on an iPhone, an Android device or a Windows PC. Timeline will keep a record of everything you’ve done on your PC, whether that involves apps, files or websites. Clipboard will let you copy and paste from PC to your smartphone keyboard, while Cortana will offer up suggestions when you log off your PC and unlock your phone.

Welcome to Fluent Design SystemMicrosoft’s five design rules that will push Windows ‘beyond mere rectangles’

As Microsoft gets ready to stretch across devices and beyond screens, it’s nudging software developers to think in new ways. To that end, it has established a set of rules for its new Fluent Design System that will help overhaul the old flat-rectangle interface we’ve seen before. So far, it’s mostly concept art, but depth, material, light, scale and motion are all critical to prepare for a day when these objects are floating in an augmented reality environment.

More motion controlMicrosoft reveals its first Windows Mixed Reality Controllers

If we’re going to navigate through Windows in VR/AR/MR environments, we’ll probably need more than a mouse and keyboard. Enter these new Mixed Reality controllers that use inside-out tracking and support headsets from various PC manufacturers. We don’t have a retail price yet, but Acer will bundle them with its VR headset for an additional $100 on top of the standard $299 price.

We’re giving away $500,000 to foster art and technology.Welcome to The Engadget Experience

With technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence finally reaching the mainstream, we’re on the cusp of a creative revolution. New mediums have given birth to a new class of artists, entertainers, filmmakers and musicians, limited only by their access to and understanding of technology. Despite this explosion in creative possibilities, however, artists and technologists often exist in distinct, isolated worlds.

During The Engadget Experience on November 16th in Los Angeles, we’ll attempt to bridge the gap between these often disparate worlds through a series of talks, interviews, screenings and installations. We’ve also gathered a small committee of technology and art tastemakers to award five grants of up to $100,000 a piece toward the production of ongoing or original works addressing the theme of alternate realities. Read more about it here.

There are plenty of choices from brands like Misfit, Skagen and Fossil’s own.Fossil hopes you’ll like one of its 300 smartwatches

Fossil wants to offer consumers more smartwatch choices since not everyone likes the same style of watch. Pictured above, is Skagen’s Hagen Connected Steel-Mesh, a $220 hybrid smartwatch with a traditional design and features such as activity tracking, sleep monitoring and support for phone notifications. Fossil’s hybrid pieces have another thing in common: they come with a standard, replaceable coin-cell battery. Essentially, you just have to worry about downloading the companion app to keep track of your data.

Useful or creepy?The ‘Lighthouse’ uses AI to keep an eye on who is doing what at all times

This security camera moves beyond the rest by integrating 3D vision developed for self-driving cars and an Intelligence AI service. That way, instead of just recording and watching for motion, it can recognize all of the people and pets in your household, to keep track of their activities when you’re not home. For example, you can set it up to notice if the dog walker shows up on time and it will identify them using facial recognition. All of this data is apparently guarded with encryption and deleted after 30 days. If you’re interested in becoming your own big brother, preorders are available starting at $399.

But wait, there’s more…

• Microsoft will offer three flavors of Linux in the Windows Store
• Russian blogger found guilty of playing ‘Pokémon Go’ in church
• Apple helps you crush the ‘gram with ‘How to shoot on iPhone 7’ videos
• NASA’s mission to Mars includes a year-long stay on the moon
• Trump signs executive order for sweeping review of US cybersecurity

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t subscribe.

AI-equipped Apple Watch can detect the signs of a stroke

The Apple Watch may become a useful tool in detecting an abnormal heartbeat, according to a study by heart rate app-maker Cardiogram and the UCSF Health lab. They determined that the wearable, when paired with neural network algorithms, is 97 percent accurate in detecting paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common type of heart rhythm problem. With further work, the Watch and other wearables might help prevent strokes in susceptible patients.

Apple has been pitching the Watch with ResearchKit to doctors and scientists as a serious health tool. Cardiogram initiated the research last year to figure out whether it could detect the signs of a stroke, a quarter of which are caused by irregular heartbeats.

The study drew 6,158 Apple Watch users via the Cardiogram app — most had normal EKG readings, but 200 had an existing AF condition that made their hearts beat erratically. Engineers used those subjects to train a deep learning system to discern patients with arrhythmia versus those with normal heartbeats.

They then tested the system on 51 patients scheduled for a procedure to restore normal heart rhythms. All used an Apple Watch and 12-lead ECG prior to and after the procedure. The AI algorithm and Apple Watch were able to identify AF with 97 percent accuracy and 98 percent sensitivity, according to the study.

The research holds a lot of promise, especially since the algorithm is just an early version and could easily be made more accurate. Two-thirds of strokes can be prevented with cheap drugs, but the onset of one is difficult to detect — so doctors could save the lives of susceptible patients with just an off-the-shelf wearable.

The team plans to tweak the algorithm and validate it against “gold standard” EKG tests. It will then incorporate it into the Cardiogram app, and “investigate the ability to detect health conditions beyond atrial fibrillation,” Cardiogram says. With that test a success, it could also push more hospitals and research groups onto ResearchKit and other wearables for patient monitoring and research.

Via: Techcrunch

Source: Cardiogram