Smartphone and tablet technology

[Dave]

Since the bloody things are getting into just about every aspect of life these portable computing devices really deserve a thread of their own I think.

I have akready mentioned, elsewhere, their use for enabling blind people to "see" via the help of others. Also a comparatively cheap way of photographing retinas which may save the sight of thousands in countries with otherwuse low tech healthcare. I am sure that there are many other applications out there that range from bizarre* through useful to lifesaving.

* Seems there us one that sends random threatening phone calls to random numbers. As a victim your phone rings and a voice accuses you, say, of bumping into their car and driving off, ranting on in what sounds, at first, like a coherent manner - until it (hopefully) dawns on you it is a recording. Since the app user is listening in to your reactions the best ones are some well chosen curses, and/or, the threat to ram their effing phone, side-ways, where the sun don't shine if you find out who they are. In a nice, calm voice.

[xSilverPhinx]

There's a lot of potential for smartphones and tablets but I'm still waiting for smarthouses to become a common thing. Something like that could communicate with smartphones.

[Dave]

There's a lot of potential for smartphones and tablets but I'm still waiting for smarthouses to become a common thing. Something like that could communicate with smartphones.

Got enough money?

The smart house is just about out there now! Locks, recognition systems, remote control, environment control . . .  Look at any number of cloud funding videos on Youtube - lot of people getting into the field.

All eminently hackable no doubt!

[xSilverPhinx]

There's a lot of potential for smartphones and tablets but I'm still waiting for smarthouses to become a common thing. Something like that could communicate with smartphones.

Got enough money?

Only in my dreams.

The smart house is just about out there now! Locks, recognition systems, remote control, environment control . . .  Look at any number of cloud funding videos on Youtube - lot of people getting into the field.

I know But they're not yet cheap enough to be common, at least not around here.

All eminently hackable no doubt!

Yes, but then again so are cars with carputers.  The world is a fricken' jungle, it would be nice to live in something you have a little control over, even if it comes with certain risks.

[Arturo]

* Seems there us one that sends random threatening phone calls to random numbers. As a victim your phone rings and a voice accuses you, say, of bumping into their car and driving off, ranting on in what sounds, at first, like a coherent manner - until it (hopefully) dawns on you it is a recording. Since the app user is listening in to your reactions the best ones are some well chosen curses, and/or, the threat to ram their effing phone, side-ways, where the sun don't shine if you find out who they are. In a nice, calm voice.

Yes they've been doing that for years. The was one called ventrillo harassment where the person would get into people's ventrillo chats and antagonize them with recorded sound bits that were played at the tormentor's discretion. They also found a way to get around the bans and would upload the recordings to YouTube.

[Icarus]

You can easily insulate your self and your sanity from the pervasive influence of the smart phone. My wife uses her phone for all sorts of useful things but she has to put up with unwanted invasions of her occasional periods of tranquility.  I, on the other hand, have only a flip phone that I keep in my car. It never bothers me or intrudes on my thoughts or needs. I will use it if I need to, in an emergency, which is an unlikely event. My car does not even get used sometimes for a day or more. No Phone No bother.

The land line is a whole other deal. I am apparently on a list of" seniors" who are believed, erroneously, to have money. About 15 times per week some one with a hustle about investing in a sure thing wild cat oil drilling operation in Texas, Alaska, or Oklahoma wants me to invest at the front end so that I can make  immense profits from my uncommonly lucky opportunity. My response is unprintable in a family forum.

The Smartphone is a marvelous instrument that has an incredible array of useful features and capabilities.. It is also a curse to man kind. More  specifically a curse to kid kind and fucking brain dead people who use the phone while driving their Lexus to the kids soccer practice and other worthy trips. Soccer moms (an dads) are the scourge of the earth but  they  could otherwise be the most important and treasured people on earth if they would just leave their god damned  phones in their purse, fishing tackle box
or better still leave them at home.  I take it back. Never in the fishing tackle box.

That's my rant and I am sticking to it.   

[Arturo]

On my way back from work, I pulled up next to a cop and saw he was on his phone while at a red light.

[joeactor]

My wife and I just got 2 new Pixel phones from Google. The phones are pretty amazing, and have lots of hands-free features thanks to the assistant. It's only gonna get better. Translation (both verbal and visual signs), etc.

The other really amazing thing about them that's been a bit under-reported is "Project Fi". It's Google's cell service. The pricing's good, but what's really interesting is the technology behind it.

Rather than being tied to a single carrier, Project Fi's sim card can connect to multiple carriers. US Cellular, T-Mobile and Sprint are in the US, and there are foreign carriers too. Even though the networks use different tech for phone calls, that doesn't matter. Project Fi treats all calls as data, and only uses the 4g and 3g networks (and WiFi when available). So far, it's been good, but I'll have a full report on Joe's Dump later in the month.

[Dave]

Looking for volutary work of a certain kind I was introfuced to the leader of the team organising the refurbishment of a historic church and school room in Gloucester. Don't mind working on the heritage aspect of churches, the building derserves to be saved - if not its purpose.

It is a tourist attraction and they are going high tech. Bluetooth "pens" that verbally tell the tale if you touch them on the "i" symbols found near portraits or tombs etc. Smartphones and tablets that do similar but with graphics. The tablets also have "twirl" points, hold the tablet up and rotate on the spot and see 360degree graphics of historical sceens.

Probably not a new idea but nice to see thst someone in Gloucester is up to the mark technologywise!

[OldGit]

Smart people would be a valuable innovation.

[Dave]

Smart people would be a valuable innovation.

Well, they seem to have access to a few in that project! Pity the same does not go for the city council.