Is Alexa getting a big brother? Amazon is working on a secret home robot

Amazon is working on a home robot — which really shouldn’t come as a surprise when you think about it. Ever since its push into online book sales when the World Wide Web was young (about the same time Barnes & Noble and Borders were bringing the hurt to small mom-and-pop bookstores) Amazon has blazed paths other companies only glanced at.

The latest? Amazon’s Sunnyvale, California-based Lab126 hardware research and development division is working on a domestic robot project code-named “Vesta,” Bloomberg Technology reported. Lab126 developed the Amazon Echo, Fire TV, Fire Tablets, and other Amazon electronics hardware product.

A quick search of the Lab126 Jobs website shows the division is currently seeking a Robotics Software Engineer, Robotics Software Development Manager, Senior Applied Robotics Scientist, and Robotics Software QA Manager among 10 positions for robotics specialists.

According to “people briefed on the plan,” a tentative timeline includes early robot versions in Lab126 employees’ homes by late 2018, with a possible market launch in 2019.

“Prototypes of the robots have advanced cameras and computer vision software and can navigate through homes like a self-driving car,” according to Bloomberg.

A robot could work as a central call-and-message service for and between family members, as well as help kids with homework. With the right links, search techniques, and Alexa Skills, a robot could serve as a rolling assistant that provides step-by-step or background information while family members cook, work on budgets or finances, or plan parties, dates, or vacations.

There may also be special-purpose home robots, including models trained to make wireless connections with all the computing, productivity, entertainment, and smart home electronics in the house and on the property to monitor power status or ward off or block invasion threats. It could also make sure all devices have updated software and drivers, and that important data is backed up to the cloud.

Internet connectivity as an enabling infrastructure has been at the root of all successful Amazon ventures. Low-cost Kindle electronic book readers, Amazon Echo counter-top voice assistants, and Amazon Fire TV smart television dongles all leveraged internet access. The Amazon Fire Phone was a notable exception. It failed quickly.

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Grip Gear’s dolly slides phones, compact cameras around for smooth shots

Grip Gear

The company that shrank the video slider is back with a new design — and a mini video dolly. The Grip Gear Movie Maker 2 is an updated video slider designed for smartphones, action cameras, and compact cameras. The Movie Maker’s motor can also be taken off the track using a new dolly add-on that allows the system to drive on smooth surfaces.

Grip Gear says it redesigned the Movie Maker 2 from the ground up with more attention to detail compared to the previous generation. The mini video slider can accommodate cameras up to 1.7 pounds. The slider includes two 12-inch track pieces and can be expanded by purchasing additional tracks.

The motor has nine different speeds, though the set can also be used as a manual slider. The motor can also be removed from the track to create a 360-degree rotating base for shooting panoramas, videos or time-lapses with a steady, circular motion. The motor will last for about two hours on batteries or can be used for long stretches up to 36 hours using a power bank. Like the first generation, the slider can also be used vertically.

Designed for use with compact cameras, Grip Gear says the entire slider system can pack easily away into a backpack and weighs about two pounds.

The updated version comes along with the new dolly add-on, a $30 accessory that uses the motor from the slider as a wheeled video dolly. The mini tabletop dolly will carry the camera over smooth smooth surfaces using a wheeled add-on.

“We were very proud of the Generation 1 Movie Maker, after we rebuilt the entire unit from scratch for the second generation with more attention to detail and quality we are very proud to launch the Movie Maker 2 and the Micro Dolly,” Dean Tzembelicos, co-founder of Grip Gear, said in a statement.

The second generation enhances the original Movie Maker — we thought the original was a fun, compact slider although motor noise was audible and there was a slight bounce where the tracks connected. After launching at the National Association of Broadcasters Show earlier this month, the Movie Maker 2 and the dolly accessory is now available on Amazon.

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‘Red Alert Online’ is coming to mobile devices, and people are not happy

The Command and Conquer: Red Alert games are among the most acclaimed real-time strategy titles of all time, combining the series’ fantastic gameplay elements while introducing an alternate-history story any fan of The Man in the High Castle or Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus would love. It has been nearly a decade since a new game in the series has been released, and though that is about to change, fans aren’t happy.

Announced on Monday, April 23 by Chinese publishing giant Tencent, Red Alert Online is bringing the series to both iOS and Android devices. Little is known about the gameplay or narrative thus far, but the announcement trailer shows tanks rolling across the ground and planes flying through the air as we see a branching chart detailing a military’s conquest. Elsewhere, vehicles barrel through a forest as anti-air missiles fire into the sky and a line of industrial equipment runs nearby. At the very end of the trailer, we see a shadowy figure turn around to address the player — it appears to be the psychic Yuri.

Thus far, player reaction to the announcement has been abysmal. In addition to a terrible like-to-dislike ratio on the YouTube video, fans have expressed their distaste for the game on the forum ResetEra.

“I’m honestly surprised it took this long for the corpse of [Command and Conquer and Red Alert] to be dragged out like this,” one user commented.

Others were a little more optimistic, glad that the series wasn’t completely dead, as fewer and fewer big-budget real-time strategy games are available today.

“This certainly isn’t what I wanted out of Command and Conquer, but doing something in the mobile space can give a [glimmer] of hope for something else,” another fan added.

Tencent is no stranger to releasing acclaimed games and franchises on mobile platforms. It recently launched PUBG Mobile, an excellent version of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds for iOS and Android. The game was updated with an “arcade mode” option, giving players the chance to play in games with specific rulesets, including “pistols only” or “sniper rifles only.” Unlike the versions of the game available on Xbox One and PC, PUBG Mobile is completely free, as well, making it comparable to Fortnite on mobile.

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Florida police attempt to use dead man’s fingerprint to unlock his phone

Detectives in Largo, Florida attempted to use the fingerprints of a man killed in an officer-involved shooting in March to unlock his phone, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The man, Linus Phillip, was pulled over by Largo police for illegally tinted windows. The Tampa Bay Times reports officers Matthew Steiner and Prentice Ables noticed the smell of marijuana in Phillip’s car and attempted to detain him. During the arrest, Phillip managed to jump into the driver’s seat and attempted to drive away, dragging Steiner who was still partially in the vehicle. Steiner withdrew his weapon and fired in self-defense according to the Largo Police Department. Phillip was later pronounced dead at Largo Medical Center.

After his body was released from state custody, Phillip’s body was sent to Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home in Clearwater. Shortly after his body was released, two detectives went to the funeral home and unsuccessfully attempted to unlock Phillip’s phone by holding fingers from the corpse to the fingerprint sensor.

Lieutenant Randall Chaney of the Largo Police Department told the Tampa Bay Times that detectives were trying to access the phone to acquire evidence for two investigations: One involving Phillip’s shooting and one for separate drug charges. He also said that while,”We can’t remember having unlocked a phone in that fashion, either at the scene, the Medical Examiner’s office, or the funeral home,” the detectives did not feel they needed a warrant as the deceased have no right to privacy.

Although the actions of the Largo Police Department raises plenty of ethical questions, the legal implications are much more straightforward. A number of legal experts agree that privacy protections do not cover the deceased. Further, in 2014 a Virginia Circuit Court ruled using fingerprint authentication on your smartphone negates your Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in Commonwealth of Virginia v. Baust.

While you may waive your Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination by using biometric factors like facial or fingerprint recognition to unlock your phone, the same cannot be said for passcodes. Since passcodes don’t have a physical aspect, the Virginia Circuit Court of Appeals ruled an individual cannot be compelled to provide it in an investigation. However, police departments can use devices such as GrayKey to brute force their way into your device.

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A lightweight sensor can help sniff out survivors in disaster zones

American Chemical Society

There are a number of different ways that search and rescue teams look for survivors in the aftermath of disasters, such as earthquakes or bombings. A team of researchers from Austria, Switzerland, and Cyprus may have added a powerful new technology to the toolkit, however, in the form of an inexpensive sensor which can be used to help find people trapped in rubble.

The sensor is both light and portable enough that it can be carried by first responders or easily mounted onto a drone. It could help discover survivors in the all-important period of time immediately following an incident, which could mean the difference between life and death.

“In the aftermath of an earthquake, many victims are entrapped under collapsed structures and need rapid help, because survival rates drop dramatically within the first hours,” Sotiris Pratsinis, Professor of Process Engineering at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, told Digital Trends. “Currently indispensable for urban search and rescue are dogs with their superior ability to sniff entrapped humans from their scent. However, their availability and operational time are limited and they are rather stress-sensitive. Here, we built a palm-sized and inexpensive sensor array that can detect humans by sniffing their chemical signature as well.”

The team’s diminutive device consists of five sensors in all. Two of these are commercially available sensors for detecting humidity and carbon dioxide. There are also three tailor-made sensors, able to detect the specific breath and skin-emitted chemicals acetone, ammonia or isoprene at even tiny, trace-level concentrations. This is significantly better than the current bulky, expensive sensors currently used for this task, which can miss signals if they are not present at high enough concentrations.

“[We’ve so far] tested our sensors in a human entrapment simulation,” Pratsinis continued. “Volunteers were enclosed in a gas-tight chamber to accumulate their breath and skin emissions. The sensors rapidly detected human presence by sensing tiny amounts of these chemicals, at levels unprecedented for portable detectors — down to three parts per billion. The next step is to test the sensor array in the field with first responders under conditions similar to those expected in the aftermath of a calamity.”

A paper describing the project, “Sniffing Entrapped Humans with Sensor Arrays,” was recently published in the American Chemical Society journal Analytical Chemistry.

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Uber will no longer store exact pickup and drop-off locations in drivers’ apps

Not so long ago, Uber rolled out new passenger safety features in the hope of assuaging concerns over potential risks associated with taking a ride from the transportation giant. And now it’s stepping up its game even further. In a soon-to-be-launched pilot program, the San Francisco-based giant will begin hiding passengers’ exact pickup and drop-off locations in the trip history available to drivers. Rather than pinpointing where you are and where you’re going, the Uber app will instead show drivers a more general location. The goal, of course, is to improve rider privacy and safety, and limit the degree to which location data is exposed.

As it stands, Uber shows its drivers exactly where they dropped off and picked up their riders in the ride history section of the app. These addresses are stored in the driver’s trip history, which means that theoretically, he or she can scroll through the app at any time to check out where passengers might live or which locations they frequent. In fact, this information remains in the app even if the passenger deletes the associated account. Naturally, this presented some cause for concern, but Uber is now taking steps to address the issue.

“Location data is our most sensitive information, and we are doing everything we can do to protect privacy around it,” an Uber spokesperson said. “The new design provides enough information for drivers to identify past trips for customer support issues or earning disputes without granting them ongoing access to rider addresses.”

The pilot program will also aid Uber’s efforts to comply with the European Union’s new General Data Protection Regulation, which requires companies to both delete user data and give users access to their own data. When this new feature goes public, it will effectively do both.

It’s unclear exactly when the rollout of the feature will be complete, but rest assured it is coming soon.

“Obviously with this being a new feature focused on privacy, we want to make sure it successfully meets that goal before pushing it out broadly,” an Uber spokesperson said. “However, regardless of design/UX tweaks needed, we fully intend on making this a default setting in the coming months.”

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Moto E5 Plus vs. E5 Play: Which budget phone is the better value?

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

There’s no doubt about it: Lenovo-owned Motorola makes an excellent budget phone. This year, the smartphone manufacturer released four new budget phones: The Moto G6 Plus, G6 Play, E5 Plus, and E5 Play. While Moto’s G-series tends to get the lion’s share of coverage, the E5 Plus and E5 Play are impressive phones in their own right.

Although the Moto E5 Plus and E5 Play share many of the same specs, there are a few key differences between the two. Do these differences make the Moto E5 Plus worth the extra money? We put the two head-to-head to find out.

Specs

Moto E5 Plus
Moto E5 Play

Size
161.9 x 75.3 x 9.35 mm (6.37 x 2.96 x 0.37 inches)
151 x 74 x 8.85 mm (5.95 x 2.91 x 0.35 inches)

Weight
 200 grams  (7.05 ounces)
150 grams (5.29 ounces)

Screen size
 6.0-inch IPS LCD
5.2-inch LCD

Screen resolution
 1,440 x 720 pixels
1,280 x 720 pixels

Operating system
 Android 8.0 Oreo
Android 8.0 Oreo

Storage space
 32GB
16GB

MicroSD card slot
Yes (up to 128GB)
Yes (up to 128GB)

Tap-to-pay services
No
No

Processor
Snapdragon 435, with Adreno 505
Snapdragon 425 or 427, with Adreno 308

RAM
3GB
2GB

Camera
12MP rear, 8MP front
8MP rear, 5MP front

Video
 1080P (30 fps), 720P (30 fps), 480P   (30 fps)
1080P (30 fps), 720P (30 fps), 480P   (30 fps)

Bluetooth Version
 Yes, version 4.2
Yes, version 4.2

Ports
Micro-USB, 3.5mm headphone jack
Micro-USB, 3.5mm headphone jack

Fingerprint sensor
 Yes
Yes

Water resistance
No – Water repellent (p2i)
No – Water repellent (p2i)

Battery
5,000mAh

TurboPower

2,800mAh (interchangeable)

Fast-charging

App marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store

Network support
All major carriers
All major carriers

Colors
Mineral Blue, Flash Gray, Fine Gold
Black, Dark Lake, Flash Gray

Price
TBD
TBD

Buy from
Motorola
Motorola

Review score
Hands On
Hands On

Performance, battery life and charging

Moto E5 Play Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

At first glance, the differences between the Moto E5 Plus and E5 Play seem minimal. Look closer, however, and you’ll find those small differences start to add up in the favor of the Moto E5 Plus.

First and foremost are the differences in storage and RAM. On the Moto E5 Play, you’ll find a paltry 16GB of onboard storage and 2GB of RAM. The Moto E5 Plus, on the other hand, ships with 32GB of storage and a less anemic 3GB of RAM.

Since Android 8.0 Oreo uses upwards of 10GB of storage, the Moto E5 Play has very little room left to spare. And with just 2GB of RAM, we’d expect to see some lag when multitasking on the Play model. On the other hand, the additional RAM on the Moto E5 Plus should keep things running a little more smoothly.

In terms of battery capacity, the Moto E5 Plus wins by a long shot. With a 5,000mAh battery, we expect the Moto E5 Plus to have no problem getting the most demanding users through an entire day. If the phone is anything like the Moto E4 Plus, most people will have no problem making it through two days.

Although the battery on the Moto E5 Play is significantly smaller at 2,800mAh, we still think it should see the average person through the day. The E5 Play also has an additional perk you won’t find on the Plus: An interchangeable battery. Power users will love having the option to hot swap batteries if necessary.

You’ll also find a difference in charging speed between the two phones. While both the Moto E5 Plus and E5 Play have a fast-charging option, the Plus model features Lenovo’s proprietary TurboCharge technology.

In terms of performance and battery, the Moto E5 Plus takes the category by a wide margin. While you should be able to get by on the Moto E5 Play, the upgraded hardware on the E5 Plus will make the experience much less frustrating.

Winner: Moto E5 Plus

Design and durability

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Although the Moto E5 Play and E5 Plus share a lot of the same specs, design is one key area where the two diverge. While the Moto E5 Play has the polycarbonate body we’ve come to expect from a budget phone, the design of the E5 Plus is much more refined.

The Moto E5 Plus features a 6-inch IPS display with reduced bezels. Flip the phone over and you’ll find a gorgeous glass body with a centered camera lens above the Moto logo. While the glass body on the Moto E5 Plus is stunning, there’s one big caveat: The body is constructed out of polymer glass as opposed to Gorilla Glass or other hardened glass. Although we assume the decision to use polymer glass was in order to keep the price down, the decision comes at the expense of durability.

On the Moto E5 Play, you’ll find a design that’s much more reminiscent of a budget phone. The Play features a 5.2 inch LCD screen with some pretty chunky bezels. When you flip the phone over, you’ll find a pretty utilitarian polycarbonate shell covering the interchangeable battery. While it’s definitely not as sleek as the Moto E5 Plus, the E5 Play is much more likely to weather an accidental drop.

Although both phones have some hits and misses in terms of design overall the Moto E5 Plus is a much more attractive phone. In terms of durability, however, we’re concerned the polymer glass body on the E5 Plus. You’ll want to snag a case if you opt for the E5 Plus.

Winner: Moto E5 Plus

Display

Moto E5 Plus Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

When you compare the front of the Moto E5 Plus to the E5 Play, the first thing you’ll notice is the size difference. The E5 Plus features a massive 6-inch display, while the E5 Play sports a smaller 5.2-inch display. While you’d expect that difference in size to translate into a larger overall footprint for the E5 Plus, its reduced bezels mean the size difference actually isn’t that significant.

Size isn’t the only difference, though. The Moto E5 Plus features an IPS display, while the E5 Play ships with a TFT LCD screen. The IPS display boasts more vibrant colors and better viewing angles. There isn’t much difference in resolution. The E5 Plus has a 1,440 x 720 pixel resolution, which gives it a pixel-per-inch density of 268. The E5 Play sports a 1,280 x 720-pixel resolution, which means it has a slightly sharper pixel density of 282, but that’s only because the screen is smaller. Make no mistake, the display in the E5 Plus is superior.

Calling this round is easy: The larger IPS display on the Moto E5 Plus makes it the clear winner.

Winner: Moto E5 Plus

Camera

Moto E5 Plus Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

You’ll find a 12-megapixel rear camera with LED flash on the E5 Plus, while the E5 Play makes do with an 8-megapixel shooter. They both have an f/2.0 aperture, so don’t expect the phones to do great in low-light situations, but they should be fine in outdoor settings.

On the front, you’ll find an 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture on the E5 Plus, while the E5 Play sports a basic 5-megapixel selfie camera.

Both phones feature pretty standard camera software. You’ll be able to shoot slow-motion videos, take burst shots, and use the built-in QR code scanner. One thing that is missing are beauty filters, but the feature is so hit-or-miss on most phones that we don’t see it as an important omission.

The E5 Plus is clearly superior in the camera department.

Winner: Moto E5 Plus

Software and updates

Moto E5 Play Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

In terms of software, there’s no difference between the Moto E5 Plus and E5 Play. Both phones will ship with Android 8.0 Oreo. Although Android P is scheduled to be released in a few months, don’t expect to see it on the Moto E5 Plus and E5 Play: A representative for Lenovo told Digital Trends that neither phone is scheduled to be updated to Android P.

Although you may see a smoother overall experience on the Moto E5 Plus due to its extra gigabyte of RAM, the software on both phones is exactly the same. Since we’re only judging software in this category, we’ll call this category a tie.

Winner: Tie

Special Features

Moto E5 Plus Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Since Moto phones tend to ship with a near stock version of Android, there aren’t a ton of special features to explore. Two features of note are Moto Actions and Moto Voice.

Moto Actions allows you to configure a pretty robust set of gestures on the Moto E5 Plus and E5 Play. For example, if you want to turn on Do Not Disturb mode, you simply need to flip the phone over. As for Moto Voice, the feature allows you to use voice commands to initiate tasks like finding your phone or opening an app.

both phones offer the same special features, so this round is a tie.

Winner: Tie

Price

Moto E5 Play Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Both the Moto E5 Plus and E5 Play are budget phones that should be reasonably priced. While we don’t have exact pricing on either model yet, Lenovo typically uses the Play moniker on its least-expensive phones.

Even though we’re anticipating the Moto E5 Plus to be the more expensive of the two phones, we believe the small premium will definitely pay off in the long run.

Winner: Moto E5 Plus

Overall winner: Moto E5 Plus

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Both the Moto E5 Play and E5 Plus look to be good budget phones for 2018. But we’re going with the Moto E5 Plus. While it’s likely to be a little more expensive than the E5 Play, the extra features add a lot of value that we believe outweighs the difference in price.

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Neova MIDI ring lets musicians control their musical creations through gestures

Like a next-gen smart guitar whammy bar, Neova is a MIDI controller ring that musicians can wear on the index finger of their right hand to trigger different effects while they’re playing — ranging from pitch bend to vibrato.

“In a way, I have always been frustrated by the lack of expressiveness of electronic music,” creator Damien Le Boulaire told Digital Trends. “Computers have incredible potential to create sounds, but lack of control possibilities. There are dedicated new control surfaces that exist, but let’s be honest: Nothing can replace a good instrument. Working on innovative music interfaces, I had the idea to create an accessory that would enhance an instrument rather than replace it. This is how Neova was born.”

The ring contains nine different sensors, and is able to follow your movements while you perform. Recognized gestures can include hand wobbles, tilts to the side and forward, a rolling motion and a hand wave. The movements are sent to a computer-connected hub, via USB, and each one can be mapped to different effects. You can even raise or lower the sensitivity to get the most out of the device.

Neova

“This product can be used by every passionate musician,” Le Boulaire continued. “Since it is a MIDI controller, it is compatible with almost every digital instrument. The ring was first thought for keyboardists with dedicated gestures, but we continue to develop new movements that fit to any instrument. The way you use Neova is only limited by your inspiration.”

The team has also developed their own synthesizer called Plume. Although Neova works as a stand-alone MIDI controller, combining it with Plume allows you to tap into a selection of 200 different sounds, which can be used as presets.

We do, of course, offer all our usual warnings about the risks of crowdfunded projects. However, if you’re interested in getting your hands (well, finger) on a Neova, you can currently pledge your hard-earned cash over on the team’s Kickstarter page. Prices start at 210 euros ($256), including both Neova and Plume. The Neova ring is available in both black and white options. Shipping is set for March 2019.

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How to add family members to your Apple Music subscription

Apple Music is quickly gaining in its battle with Spotify, adding subscribers at a much faster rate than its competition. And right now, there’s a good chance that you and your family might be able to save a few bucks by opting for a family account instead of separate accounts. Apple Music is far from the only service to offer family subscriptions, but its plans do work a little differently, which can be confusing.

While Spotify and plenty of other services are stand-alone, making adding family members a fairly straightforward process, Apple Music is tied into the entire Apple ecosystem. That’s great if your entire family is already all-in on Apple, but if you’re trying to add family members to an Apple Music subscription that use different devices, it can be a little tricky. Don’t worry though — we’re here to help.

Before you get started

In order to follow the instructions in this guide, you’re going to need a few things, some of which are more obvious than others. First off, you’ll need an Apple ID, which, assuming you either use at least one iOS or MacOS device or at least one Apple service, you probably have. Second, you’ll need an iOS device running iOS 8 or later, or a Mac running OS X Yosemite or later.

You’ll also need an Apple Music Family subscription. If you’re setting Apple Music up from scratch, be sure to choose a Family subscription instead of an Individual subscription. If you’ve got an Individual Apple Music subscription you’d like to change to a Family subscription, it’s a fairly quick process, and detailed instructions are available via the support section of the Apple website.

Setting up Family Sharing

Instead of functioning independently, Apple Music’s Family plan piggybacks on Apple’s Family Sharing infrastructure. If you already have Family Sharing set up and are just looking to add new family members, skip to the next section. If you’re setting up your Family subscription for the first time and have never used Family sharing, read on.

Setting up Family Sharing on iOS

If you’re reading this article on your iPhone or iPad, you’re in luck: You can set up Family Sharing right now in a few simple steps.

Find the Family Sharing settings: Open the Settings app and either tap on your name at the very top, or on older iOS devices, scroll down and open the iCloud settings.

Tap Set Up Family Sharing: Then tap Get Started. From here, follow the prompts until setup is completed.

Invite family members: If you’re using iOS 11 or later, you’ll be invited to choose the first feature you want to turn on for sharing. From here, follow the instructions to invite family members via Messages.

Setting up Family Sharing on Mac

If you’re using a Mac, setting up Family Sharing is as easy or perhaps even easier than using an iOS device. The steps are just a little different.

Open iCloud settings: Click on the ever-present Apple logo in the top left of the screen, then select System Preferences. Once the preferences window is open, click on iCloud.

Start the setup process: Simply click Set Up Family, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.

Invite family members

Whether you’ve already set up Family Sharing or just followed the above steps, the next step is to add family members so they can use Apple Music, too. You can do this on your Mac, iOS, or Android device. Steps for each are below.

iOS

Find the Family Sharing settings: As mentioned above, all you need to do is open the Settings app and tap on your name at the very top, or on older iOS devices, scroll down and open the iCloud settings.

Add a new family member: This is as easy as tapping Add Family Member, then entering their name or email address. Then just follow the onscreen instructions.

Finish setup: If you’re using iOS 11 or later, you can choose whether you’d like to invite the family member via Messages or in person.

Mac

Open iCloud Settings: Click the Apple icon in the top left of your screen, then open System Preferences and click on iCloud.

Open Family settings: Just click on Manage Family.

Add a new family member: Click the + icon, then follow the onscreen instructions.

Android

Open Apple Music settings: Open Apple Music, then tap the menu icon in the upper left corner.

Navigate to Account settings: Tap on your photo or name at the top of the screen.

Open Membership settings: Tap on Manage Membership, then enter your iCloud password if prompted.

Open Family settings: Tap on either Family or Family Setup.

Add family members: If you tapped Family Setup, follow the onscreen instructions to add family members. If you tapped Family, tap Add Family Member at the bottom of the screen and follow the prompts.

Next steps

Now you should be all set on your end. All that’s left is for your family members to actually start using Apple Music. All they need to do is log into Apple Music with the same credentials they use for Family Sharing, and they’ll be ready to start listening. That said, every once in a while, things don’t go as smoothly as you hoped.

If you run into trouble

One of the most common issues is that a family member might be using multiple accounts and is either logging into Apple Music or iCloud (in the case of Family Sharing) with the wrong one. If somebody is having trouble accessing Apple Music, this is the first thing you should check.

Sometimes, logging out and back in can fix issues preventing you or a family member from accessing a Family subscription. First, try logging in and out of the affected Apple Music account. If this doesn’t solve the problem, try logging out and back in to all of your Apple services. Finally, if this doesn’t work, you can try removing everyone from Family Sharing and adding them back. This isn’t fun, but following the steps above should make quick work of it.

And that’s all there is to it. If reading this has you considering using another service with your family, be sure to read our roundup of the best music streaming services.

Battery-free high-definition video streaming is on the way

Despite the popularity of live video streaming, a lot of recording devices are incapable of recording and streaming in HD quality. That is because devices like smart glasses, aka wearable cameras, would overheat were they to attempt to stream at this resolution.

But researchers at the University of Washington may have come up with a way to change all that. They developed a new technique which makes HD video streaming possible using low- or no-power devices, such as the aforementioned smart glasses and smartwatches. It could also be used to enable security cameras to stream in HD without having to be wired up to do so. This is possible because, according to its creators, the new system uses between 1,000 to 10,000 times less power than existing devices.

“Wireless cameras are widespread these days,” Saman Naderiparizi, one of the researchers on the project, told Digital Trends. “A major limitation of [many] devices, however, is their high power consumption. As a result, conventional wireless cameras either have to be plugged into power or require frequent battery replacement. Our project explores what are the power-hungry components of a conventional wireless camera, decouples them from the camera, and pushes them into a hub device that is receiving the camera stream.”

The team’s technique uses something called backscatter, in which devices are able to share information by reflecting signals that have been transmitted to it. The video transmission system works by turning the pixel information from each frame of video into a series of pulses. The width of each pulse represents the pixel value, while the pulse duration represents its brightness. In findings presented this month at the Advanced Computing Systems Association’s Symposium on Networked Systems Design and Implementation, the team revealed how they had been able to wirelessly convert HD YouTube videos into raw pixel data for streaming.

“A next step for this project is to fabricate the integrated circuit designed for our analog camera,” Mehrdad Hessar, another researcher on the project, told us. “This is a big step forward toward our vision of battery-free sticker form-factor HD video streaming cameras. Jeeva Wireless, a Seattle-based startup company founded by UW researchers including co-authors of this project, Shyam Gollakota, Josh Smith and Vamsi Talla, has already licensed this technology.”

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