Walmart stocks its stores with VR training for its employees

Walmart is taking the next step into the world of virtual reality — and the company is bringing its employees along on the ride. The multinational retailer will begin rolling out Oculus Go headsets in mass to all of its 4,500-plus retail locations in the United States. Aimed at assisting associates in learning new skills, Walmart notes that the technology will help the company boost employee retention and confidence during training experiences.

Walmart first began dabbling with VR experiences last year, when it incorporated the emerging technology into 30 Walmart Academies. According to Walmart’s Senior Director of U.S. Academies, adding VR to its training routine has boosted both confidence and retention, while also increasing general test scores by up to 15 percent. The company claims that even associates who watch the training are benefiting from increased retention.

Oculus Go has created an affordable and portable offering for companies looking to integrate the solution into their workflows. Walmart noted that it expects to have more than 17,000 Oculus Go headsets in stores by the end of the year. Larger Supercenter locations will receive four headsets for the project, while smaller neighborhood markets and discount stores will receive two to get started.

The new venture is possible thanks to the team at STRIVR, a company that helps organizations train their people through VR. “The power of VR is real, and when offered as a cornerstone of learning and development, it can truly transform the way an organization trains its people,” STRIVR CEO Derek Belch said in a statement.

Walmart plans to focus on three main areas with its VR training programs: new technologies, customer service, and compliance. Recently, the company launched its new PickUp Tower system, allowing customers to pick up pre-ordered goods they ordered online via a robotic storage system. Ten stores used the VR solution to train their associates to work with the new technology before the PickUp Towers were installed.

Using VR as a training solution for corporations can help immerse associates in memorable experiences while cutting down on the number of individuals needed to teach the new material. Walmart joins the ranks of companies stepping into a new dimension of reality, and with a noticeable increase in knowledge retention and test scores, it isn’t likely to be the last.

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Tap Strap wearable keyboard gains support for VR applications

Last year Tap Systems released what it called the future of computing, a wearable keyboard that allowed users to type with a single hand. By slipping your fingers through five interconnected rings, you could tap away on any surface, creating a portable ‘take anywhere’ keyboard. Now, the company has indicated that its solution, the Tap Strap, is compatible with Windows Mixed Reality, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive headsets, allowing users to tap away in virtual reality (VR).

While touch typists might scoff at the idea, the inability to directly view your keyboard while typing due to a VR headset can be quite a hindrance. Tap System’s solution means that you can type away without needing to look at the device you are using to accomplish the task. The invention even allows users to simulate the click of a mouse, putting all of your computer’s primary inputs directly on your hand.

Tap has noted that the product can be used sitting or standing, so whether you are looking to simulate a virtual desktop experience, or you need to whip out a keyboard while playing a stand-up shooter (although we don’t know why), you can begin typing at a moment’s notice. Offering flexibility, the solution could prove useful to everyday users, gamers, and professionals utilizing VR in their workflow.

Mobile applications and games are available for iOS and Android devices to help users improve their typing skills. The company will also soon be offering what they call TapAcademy, a training solution that promises to get you typing at over 30 words per minute within 30 days. Speed typists might be discouraged to learn though that the typing speed record, according to Tap Systems, is only 62 words per minute.

Those considering the application of the Tap Strap in VR should note that the device’s micro-battery can squeeze out eight hours of operation, after which it will require recharging via its proprietary charging case. The charging case itself holds a 370mAh backup battery and is recharged via a MicroUSB cable.

While not everyone will find a use for Tap System’s one-handed solution, it may find some love within the world of VR, where direct visibility with a keyboard isn’t possible. Those looking to try out the exercise can purchase the device at its current price of $179.

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Tap Strap wearable keyboard gains support for VR applications

Last year Tap Systems released what it called the future of computing, a wearable keyboard that allowed users to type with a single hand. By slipping your fingers through five interconnected rings, you could tap away on any surface, creating a portable ‘take anywhere’ keyboard. Now, the company has indicated that its solution, the Tap Strap, is compatible with Windows Mixed Reality, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive headsets, allowing users to tap away in virtual reality (VR).

While touch typists might scoff at the idea, the inability to directly view your keyboard while typing due to a VR headset can be quite a hindrance. Tap System’s solution means that you can type away without needing to look at the device you are using to accomplish the task. The invention even allows users to simulate the click of a mouse, putting all of your computer’s primary inputs directly on your hand.

Tap has noted that the product can be used sitting or standing, so whether you are looking to simulate a virtual desktop experience, or you need to whip out a keyboard while playing a stand-up shooter (although we don’t know why), you can begin typing at a moment’s notice. Offering flexibility, the solution could prove useful to everyday users, gamers, and professionals utilizing VR in their workflow.

Mobile applications and games are available for iOS and Android devices to help users improve their typing skills. The company will also soon be offering what they call TapAcademy, a training solution that promises to get you typing at over 30 words per minute within 30 days. Speed typists might be discouraged to learn though that the typing speed record, according to Tap Systems, is only 62 words per minute.

Those considering the application of the Tap Strap in VR should note that the device’s micro-battery can squeeze out eight hours of operation, after which it will require recharging via its proprietary charging case. The charging case itself holds a 370mAh backup battery and is recharged via a MicroUSB cable.

While not everyone will find a use for Tap System’s one-handed solution, it may find some love within the world of VR, where direct visibility with a keyboard isn’t possible. Those looking to try out the exercise can purchase the device at its current price of $179.

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Robot jellyfish could be used to patrol fragile coral reefs

Could schools of robot jellyfish soon be patrolling the world’s oceans, monitoring fragile environments such as coral reefs? That’s the dream of U.S. researchers, comprising of scientists from Florida Atlantic University and the U.S. Office of Naval Research.

They have developed a nature-inspired soft underwater robot, capable of some impressive underwater locomotion — including movement from side to side and swimming through small openings, all with the distinctive “jet propulsion” movement we instantly associate with jellyfish.

“Jellyfish are highly efficient swimmers; they get a lot of miles per gallon, so to speak,” Erik Engeberg, one of the researchers on the project from Florida Atlantic University, told Digital Trends. “Thus, we used them as inspiration for our design to enable long exploratory missions with low battery requirements.”

Jellyfish are highly impressive when it comes to moving through the water. Their propulsive ability is thanks to their body shape, which produces a combination of jet propulsion, vortex, rowing, and suction-based locomotion. To mimic aspects of this movement, the researchers building the jellyfish robot used two impeller pumps which draw in and push water to hydraulically drive the robot in the desired direction.

IOPscience

“We made [the robotic jellyfish’s tentacles] soft so that it would not cause damage to delicate ecosystems like coral reefs,” Engeberg continued. “We used water to inflate the tentacles so that they undulate in a lifelike manner. Conventional underwater robots are rigid, and often use a propeller for locomotion, meaning they could unintentionally chop up coral reefs accidentally.”

One thing that makes the robot design so innovative is its simplicity. It requires no valves to work, which reduces space requirements and cost. To date, the team has 3D printed five of the jellyfish bots while using silicon for its actuators.

At present, the project is still in its relative infancy. In the future, however, the team hopes to further develop the robot by adding features such as environmental sensors such as sonar, as well as a navigational algorithm that lets it determine whether it can fit through certain gaps.

“The jellyfish robots would work well in a drift dive situation, where they are inserted into the water at one point and drift with the current with some maneuverability if any important sensor readings were found,” Engeberg said. “We would be careful to monitor their locations so that they could be safely removed after the mission.”

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Bioinspiration and Biomimetics.

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Wi-Fi vulnerability could allow attackers to steal your data on unencrypted sites

Casezy/Getty Images

Computer scientists at the University of California, Riverside, have discovered a security flaw that affects all Wi-Fi routers. Hackers could exploit the weakness in the transmission control protocol (TCP) and perform a web cache poisoning attack to steal passwords, login information, and other private data. Unfortunately, a fix isn’t possible, as the vulnerability stems from a 20-year-old design based on TCP and Wi-Fi. To prevent hackers from using the exploit, researchers recommend that manufacturers build routers that operate on different frequencies for transmitting and receiving data.

Fortunately, this attack technique won’t work with encrypted sites that use HTTPS and HSTS. Users on Ethernet connections are similarly not affected. Given that the attack won’t work on encrypted sites, most users who browse the internet on a modern browser shouldn’t be affected. Many browsers, including Google’s Chrome, already warn users if they visit an unencrypted site.

TCP works by breaking down data into manageable chunks, called packets, for computers to communicate. The data packets begin with a random first number, but the subsequent numbers in the sequence will predictably increase, and hackers can guess the next number to intercept communication between the sending and receiving computers. Given that there are approximately 4 billion sequence numbers, it is difficult for hackers to make a correct guess.

“But if the attacker can figure out which number triggers a response from the recipient, they can figure out the rough range of the correct number and send a malicious payload pretending that it comes from the original sender,” the researchers wrote in a blog post detailing the attack. “When your computer reassembles the packets, you’ll see whatever the attacker wants.”

When the victim visits a website that’s controlled by the hacker — who can be connected remotely using a different Wi-Fi network — the site will run a JavaScript that creates a TCP connection to a banking website. The exploit will work if the victim stays on the site for as little as 1 minute. Hackers can display pirated movies, for example, in an attempt to lure the victim to stay on the site for longer. While the victim is on the site, the hacker can guess the sequence number for the banking packet and inject a malicious copy of the bank webpage into the victim’s cache to steal passwords and login information.

This web cache poisoning tactic ensures that the victim will always see the malicious site whenever they try to visit the banking website in the future, and the malicious copy of the site can sit in the browser cache for deacdes or until the victim clears the cache.

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Walmart takes $380 off the MacBook Air for a limited time

There are a lot of lightweight and portable laptop options on the market today from from brands like Dell, Apple, Acer, and Samsung, but choosing the right one for you can be rather daunting. Buying a laptop, much like buying a car, is all about figuring out what you’re going to use it for. If you have a family of four you’ll be driving around town, you probably don’t want to buy a Ferrari. It’s expensive, impractical, and has way more horsepower than you’re ever going to use. So when all you really need is a solid, dependable laptop that won’t slow you down, a discounted MacBook Air is a great option.

Though normally priced at $900, the 11.6-inch MacBook Air has been discounted to just $520 from Walmart — that’s a $380 discount you don’t see every day. This particular model is a great work companion, assuming you aren’t planning on doing any heavy video editing or Photoshop design. With 128GB of storage, an Intel Core i5 processor, and 4GB of RAM, the MacBook Air is an excellent option for anyone searching for a decent lightweight laptop. Many comparable budget notebooks and Chromebooks on the market right now are great if you’re only planning to browse the web, but if you’re looking for something with a little bit more juice to it, Apple hardware is the way to go.

That $380 discount is nice, but as an added bonus, Walmart is throwing in an extra charger. This is especially useful if you plan on doing a lot of traveling, or will just be moving between the office and home fairly often. Apple chargers have been notorious for being fairly spotty at times, so having an extra one laying around never hurt anyone. There’s always that one person, maybe it’s even been you, who is constantly asking if anyone has a spare MacBook charger — so you know they’re a hot commodity.

Choosing to buy a MacBook over a Dell Notebook or a Chromebook is often a fairly easy decision — assuming you already have a preference. However, if you are looking at similar laptops from other brands and just want the best piece of tech you can find for less than $600, this Apple MacBook Air deal is something you should definitely consider.

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We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and choose what we cover carefully and independently. If you find a better price for a product listed here, or want to suggest one of your own, email us at dealsteam@digitaltrends.com.Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 tips and tricks

Shortly before Samsung announced its Galaxy Note 9 smartphone, it launched the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, a productivity tablet that can stand up against the iPad Pro. The Tab S4 features a gorgeous display, pogo pins for an external keyboard, and even a stylus — the S Pen — that comes included with the tablet.

If you’ve recently upgraded to Samsung’s latest tablet, some features can be hard to find, so here are a few of our favorite Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 tips and tricks to get you started.

How to maximize battery life

There’s no denying that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 has amazing battery life, but sometimes you just need to eke out a little more juice. Luckily, if you’re running on empty, there are a few things you can do to buy a little more time.

One easy way to extend battery life is to minimize the amount of time the screen is on when it’s not being used. If you wish to adjust the length of time the screen is active, go to Settings > Display > Screen Timeout. Select the radio box for 15 or 30 seconds.

Another option to extend battery life is to ensure Smart Stay is turned off.  Smart Stay uses the front-facing camera to keep the screen on when you’re using the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4. To turn this feature off, go to Settings > Advanced Features and toggle off the Smart Stay slider.

Finally, Samsung has a built in option to save power that’s hidden in the settings. To turn this feature on, go to Settings > Device Maintenance and tap the Battery icon, then select Save Power. 

How to enable and disable DeX

Jullian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is one of the first products to have DeX integration. DeX provides a PC-like experience on the S4 when using the keyboard or attaching the tablet to a monitor via an HDMI adapter.

If you purchased the optional book keyboard, the quickest way to launch DeX is simply by attaching it to the S4. Once connected, you’ll see the DeX logo appear and the screen will transition automatically.

If you’re not using the keyboard, don’t despair: You can manually enable and disable DeX. If you’re in the tablet screen, you’ll just need to open the Quick Settings drop-down menu by swiping from the top of the screen with two fingers. Swipe left (unless you’ve already customized Quick Settings) and tap the Samsung DeX icon to enable DeX mode.

Disabling DeX mode is a little different. In DeX, you’ll find Quick Settings in the menu bar by tapping on the up arrow. Once you’ve opened Quick Settings, tap the Samsung DeX icon and move the Samsung DeX slider bar to the left to return to the regular tablet mode.

How to customize your home screen

Ready to make the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 reflect your personality? There are several options on the Tab S4 that let you personalize the display to your liking.

First, you may want to switch the display mode. You can choose between four screen mode options: AMOLED photo, AMOLED cinema, Basic, and Adaptive Display.

Of the options, Adaptive Display is the most interesting, as it optimizes your screen based on the content and usage. To switch screen modes, go to Settings > Display > Screen Mode. Tap the option you’d like to enable.

You can also switch the background and wallpaper on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4. To change your wallpaper and background, long tap on the home screen and select the Wallpapers icon. Tap your desired wallpaper or select From Gallery to choose an image from the gallery.

Adding widgets is a similar affair. To add widgets to your Tab S4, long press on the home screen and select the Widgets icon. Select the widget you’d like to use and drag it to the home screen.

And if you’re not a fan of Samsung’ s unique navigation bar, you can easily change it as well.

How to use multi-window mode

If you want to take full advantage of all the screen real estate on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, multi-window mode may be the perfect option. Multi-window mode allows you to open and display two apps simultaneously.

To use multi-window mode, you’ll first need to make sure the feature is enabled and that you’re in tablet mode. To enable it, go to Settings > Advanced Features > Multi Window. Toggle on the split-screen view action and pop-up view options. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen toward the center to choose Tablet mode.

Once enabled, make sure you have the apps that you wish to use open and maximize the app you’d like to see on the top half of the screen. Long tap the Recents button in the navigation bar to select the app you’d like to open on the bottom half of the screen. To resize the apps, simply drag the resize bar between the apps.

When you have multi-window mode enabled, you’ll see a temporary menu appear with three options. The first is called App Pair Window, which allows you to save frequently used app pairs to the home screen. The second is the Pop Out Window option, which creates a small floating window in front of the primary app, while the third icon swaps the position of the apps.

How to customize the navigation bar

While Samsung has made major improvement to its Samsung Experience skin over the years, it still has some quirks. One of those quirks is the navigation bar where the Recents and Back icons are reversed compared to most Android devices. Luckily, it’s easy to change.

If you want to customize the navigation bar, you’ll first want to make sure you’re in tablet mode. Once in tablet mode, go to Settings > Display > Navigation Bar.  To hide the navigation bar, you can toggle on the Show and hide button. If you want to change the background color in the navigation bar, you’ll see a selection of color options. Finally, if you want to change the arrangement of the navigation bar buttons, tap on the Button Layouts option and select your desired option.

How to right-click

Jullian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

What good is a PC-like interface like DeX if you can’t right-click on applications and settings? Luckily, Samsung makes it pretty easy to right-click on the Tab S4.

To right-click on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, you’ll need to make sure you’re in DeX mode. Once you’re in DeX mode, simply tap the app with two fingers to bring up the right-click options.

How to click and drag, and resize windows

Jullian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

While DeX mode makes multitasking easy, it’s not always intuitive. Moving and resizing windows is a bit different than what you’ll find on a Window PC or Mac.

If you want to move an app, you can use the S Pen or your finger. Simply tap near the top of the app and move it to your desired position.

Resizing apps is a pretty similar gesture. To resize an app, simply tap any edge of an app with your S Pen or finger. When you see the app highlighted in blue, you can adjust the app to your preferred size.

How to find DeX-optimized apps

Jullian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 ships with a paltry selection of DeX-optimized apps. And while its easy to find just about any app in the Google Play Store, finding DeX apps is a bit more challenging.

If you’re looking for Dex-optimized apps, simply tap the Applications icon on the bottom of your display. When the Applications window opens, tap the Apps for Samsung DeX icon at the top of the screen to open a DeX-optimized store.

How to get the most out of your S Pen

Jullian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Ready to take your productivity to another level? The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 ships with the aforementioned S Pen, a stylus that allows you to not only write directly on the tablet, but to access different quick menu options as well.

While it’s simple to use the S Pen to write and sketch on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, did you know that you can also take notes when the screen is turned off? To do so, you’ll need to make sure the Tab S4 is in tablet mode. Once in tablet mode, just tap the button on the S Pen as you’re touching the screen.

Air Command is another feature that can only be accessed with the S Pen. With Air Command, you can quickly access shortcuts to popular apps such as Screen Write, Live Message, and the drawing app PENUP.

To access Air Command, simply tap the S Pen button close to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 and tap on the pen icon that appears on the edge of the screen.  A scroll wheel will show shortcuts for popular apps. If you wish to add shortcuts, simply tap the plus icon.

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Instagram could separate hashtags for less annoying posts

Annoyed at Instagrammers that post #hastags in the middle of sentences? Instagram could be testing a solution along with a handful of other new features. Doing some reverse-engineering, tech researcher Jane Manchun Wong found code that points to several potential upcoming features inside Instagram, including a dedicated spot for hashtags, the option to limit posts by geography, and an expansion of the Stories sharing.

Instagram is testing the ability to add hashtags to posts without including it in the post caption pic.twitter.com/OhQn0xcCuw

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) September 20, 2018

Part of that reverse-engineered code suggests Instagram is considering creating a designated spot for hashtags when creating a new post. The move would separate hashtags from captions, leaving a separate field for hashtags, similar to the separate option for tagging people in photos (and now video). Besides removing hashtags from the actual written text, a dedicated spot for hashtags may help Instagram fine-tune existing options like following a hashtag or finding new topics in Explore.

Other code points to the possibility of limiting posts and Stories to specific geographic regions, an option called geofencing. Located inside the settings, the potential feature allows users to choose countries and regions where the post would be visible. The screenshots appear to apply to all posts, so the tool isn’t designed to share one post in one area and one in another.

Instagram is testing geofencing posts and stories.

It allows creators to limit the specific countries where their content will be visible. pic.twitter.com/rRE24BPnkj

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) September 20, 2018

While geofencing ads is a popular tool for businesses on social media, the reverse-engineered code suggests the tool could be available for more than just business accounts. Parent company Facebook has a similar tool, but for Pages. The screenshots of the reverse engineering also only show the option to select a country or continent, unlike ad tools that allow further refinement by state or zip code.

The feature that allows users to share a public post inside Stories is getting a bit wider as well — one test allows users to share someone else’s Story as a sticker in your own Story. Instagram doesn’t have the option to share like Facebook and Twitter to the feed, but the Stories format is a little more open to shares, provided the owner created a public post and didn’t disable the option in settings.

Instagram declined to comment, so for now, consider the features rumors that are backed up by the app’s code. While the code suggests Instagram is testing the features, not all tests see a wide rollout to all users. 

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Documentation shows data recovery possible for Macs with T2 coprocessor

When Apple announced that its 2018 MacBook Pro would feature the company’s T2 coprocessor, a chip that handles the encryption of the unit’s internal SSD, it led to speculation of whether data could be adequately recovered in the event of a failure. However, internal documents from Apple showcase a procedure allowing its technicians to retrieve data from a system with the T2 coprocessor provided that the machine’s logic board is at least still partially functioning.

The Apple T2 coprocessor doesn’t only handle the MacBook Pro’s storage encryption; the chip works to secure functions such as the machine’s boot process and Touch ID functionality. Documentation from Apple also notes that the custom silicon works with the FaceTime camera to enable tone mapping, along with improved exposure and white balance. But, how do these functions keep your data from possibly being restored?

With previous versions of Apple’s MacBook lineup, the company implemented a connector on the logic board for data recovery. However, after the launch of the 2018 MacBook Pro, the connector was removed, leaving speculation that due to the T2 chip’s enhanced encryption, any data recovery would be rendered impossible.

Technical documentation meant for Apple’s repair team shows that data recovery of a machine hosting the company’s new T2 chip would still be possible thanks to a new diagnostics tool and procedure. It is noted that the computer must be able to power on, but once that is accomplished, the MacBook Pro can be hooked up to a host machine where an internal diagnostics tool will transfer the data to an external storage device.

Apple’s documentation notes that depending on the amount of data on a customer’s machine, it can take up to two days for the data to fully transfer. As the company’s new MacBook Pro laptops can host up to 2TB of data on an internal SSD, most customers with a smaller 256 GB or 512 GB SSD will likely find the recovery process a bit faster.

Increased encryption of a drive’s data is an excellent way to ensure that information contained doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, and Apple’s T2 coprocessor is helping customers stay secure. However, if the system’s coprocessor was to fail, or if the logic board was to face detrimental damage, it is unlikely that Apple would be able to recover the data. Always remember that the best way to avoid losing data is proactive, so take time to back up your machine.

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Smart Reply not smart enough? Desktop Gmail users can soon opt out

After users complained that Gmail’s Smart Reply wasn’t so smart, Google announced that it will soon give desktop users the ability to disable the A.I.-based feature. Although the time-saving feature relies on artificial intelligence to come up with short responses based on the context of the email message, users complained that early iterations of Smart Reply frequently offered suggestions that were either not very useful or not appropriate. Early iterations of Smart Reply often suggested “I love you” and “Sent from my iPhone” as possible responses to email messages.

Despite complaints, Smart Reply appears to be catching on. The Wall Street Journal reported that Smart Reply was used on more than 10 percent of all sent Gmail messages, which is a huge number considering that Gmail counts more than 1 billion users. The Journal also noted that in the coming weeks, Google will provide desktop Gmail users with the option of opting out of Smart Reply altogether. Google already offers users of the Gmail app the ability to turn it off.

Although Smart Reply only launched earlier this year alongside Google’s big Gmail redesign, the feature was present for about a year before that for Gmail users who used the Inbox service. Google claimed that 12 percent of Inbox users had used the smart feature, prompting it to make it available to more users. When Google moved Smart Reply out of Inbox and into Gmail, it said that it changed the algorithms to make the suggestions more natural.

“Based on our examination of the use of Smart Reply in Inbox and our ideas about how humans learn and use language, we have created a new version of Smart Reply for Gmail,” Google wrote on its A.I. research blog at the time. “This version increases the percentage of usable suggestions and is more algorithmically efficient.”

Google claims that by using a bot to scan your messages, it can apply machine learning to improve Smart Reply and make better, more personalized recommendations in the future. And even though suggestions may improve, for group emails, Smart Reply may not be able to discern whether you’ll want to reply to one person or everyone in the email thread.

For users who love the Smart Reply suggestions, Google is looking at ways to bring this capability to other messaging apps in the future on its Android platform.

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