Futurelawyer

Smart Glasses - Dumb Idea

Focals by North Review: They'll Make You Rethink Smart Glasses | WIRED. Building a heads up display into a pair of glasses has been a dream of many for some time now. From the failed Google Glass to today's better looking devices, I think we are missing the point. Having notifications and news items pop up in front of your eyes while you are living your life doesn't sound like freedom to me. Don't get me wrong. I like my Smartwatches and Smartphones; but, a gentle vibration or notification sound that tells me something is seeking my attention is like a knock on the door. I don't have to answer it, if I don't want to. That said, these new glasses don't look too dorky, and are getting smaller. And, they might be valuable in industrial or manufacturing or medical applications, where the computer view augments the human work, or helps a patient keep their mind off of whatever the Doctor or Nurse is doing. That said, of course, I won't be spending a thousand dollars on a pair. In fact, I doubt that I will be buying a pair of these ever.  

Rolling The Dice - Wearable Computers Can Save Your Life

7 Reasons You May Be at Risk for Atrial Fibrillation | Everyday Health. Lately, all the talk about wearable computing has been directed at Smartwatches, and Smartjewelry, and Smart devices sewn into clothing. But, the real future of wearable computing is in the health care and health monitoring arena. If you are between 60 and 80, and have High Blood Pressure, you are at risk for Atrial Fibrillation, or irregular heartbeat, which can be a life and death event. For $99, I have a little Kardia device that does a basic EKG first lead measurement that can catch Afib even when you aren't showing obvious symptoms like fatigue or light-headedness. Basic, sure; but, if smartcomputing devices can save my life, count me in. We roll the dice every day we are alive. Why not increase the odds?

Is Bluetooth Radiation Harmful?

Is Bluetooth Radiation harmful to humans or is it safe?. There is scant evidence that cell phone radiation is harmful to humans. However, it is only prudent that we not place a phone directly to the side of our head. Cell phone radiation must be strong in order to access cell towers a long way away, and the radiation is amplified when placed in direct proximity to the human body. So, most of us use bluetooth headsets to bridge the gap between our phones and our ears. Bluetooth radiation is quite weak, in comparison, and there is no medical evidence that it is harmful to humans. Are you worried about our communication protocols these days? We are all bombarded by radiation every day; and, the frequencies are ever increasing. Bluetooth is the best way to keep cell phone radiation at a safe distance. Use it.

Wear OS 2.3 Update - SmartWatches Not Dead Yet

Wear OS 2.3 Update Rolling Out %u2013 Droid Life. The demise of SmartWatches has been greatly exaggerated. Wearable computing is in its infancy; but, it should be clear that just about everything that we humans use is acquiring computing power; and, we are seeing more and more computer enhanced technology creep into more and more ordinary stuff. Perhaps the biggest driver of wearables in the future will be health monitoring devices. Our watches can already monitor our heart rate, and ECG readings are making their way onto our wrists. Look for more of this in the future. In case you weren't paying attention, the Sixties saw StarTrek and the Tricorder augur the future of computer aided health monitoring, and Bluetooth and Smartwatch technology is delivering on the promise. So, the next time someone tells you Smartwatches are dead or dying, ask yourself whether you want to know if you go in to Afib before or after you die.

B-Secur HeartKey Unlocks Your Car With Your Heartbeat - What Could Go Wrong?

B-Secur HeartKey tech unlocks your car with unique rhythm of your heartbeat - Roadshow. Okay, your heartbeat is a pretty personal thing. Unique. And, wearable heart monitoring devices are becoming quite useful these days. If you have aFib, you can spot it with a little plastic tab that gives you an EKG on your phone screen. But, using your heart rhythm to unlock your car seems extreme. Hey, what if I have another heart attack, and need to get in the car to drive to the hospital? I might buy this to monitor my health while driving. But, to gain access to the vehicle? Not so much.

Wear OS Gets Dark Sky Weather Platform

Wear OS gets a Dark Sky app that will surely save the platform - The Verge. Weather nuts are aware of the best weather app for iOS and Android. Notifications within an hour of a local weather change are very cool, and hour by hour weather for the day can be a lifesaver. But, for lawyers, for whom historical weather on a particular day in the past are sometimes important to litigation, this little tool can be invaluable. Now, for $2.99 a year, Dark Sky Premium users can get notifications about the weather that aren't available anywhere else. Will an app like this save the Wear OS platform? Well, I will be wearing my LG Watch Urbane Luxe on more than dressy occasions now. So many apps. So little time.

It Is Okay To Wear Two Smartwatches

I am certain that the female contingent of my readership will agree with me that, if you look like this guy, you can wear as many watches as you want. But, the rest of us, frogs that we are, need to make a style calculation. We want to appear professional and stylish; but, we can't decide if we are a Wear OS kind of guy, or a Samsung Tizen OS person. Decisions, decisions. I love my LG Watch Urbane Luxe with a mesh gold band. Very dressy, and Wear OS is finally good enough to carry around. But, I also like the LTE phone capabilities of my Galaxy watch from Samsung. So, despite the questionable looks I am certain to get, I think I will try wearing one on each wrist for a while, and see what happens. A true Stoic doesn't care what others think, anyway. They are all irrelevant, right? Right.

The New Wear OS - Time For The LG Watch Urbane Luxe

I keep my 23 K Gold Watch Urbane Luxe in a box most of the time. However, the recent update to Wear OS 2.17 has made the new Wear OS a must for my wrist. The Urbane Luxe is heavily plated in 23 K gold, and I have added a gold mesh band to it that makes it the perfect dress watch. Now, I can swipe left for Google Assistant notifications, and up for all of my notifications. The watch is now a classy addition to my SmartWatch collection, and, even without an LTE phone chip, it will be on my wrist often. What's on your wrist today?

Best Smartwatches Of 2018

The best smartwatches of 2018. While the author of this article seriously overestimates the Apple Watch, and seriously underestimates the Samsung Galaxy Watch, this is a good list of the best current Smartwatches. If you haven't joined the wearable party yet, this list is a good start. The Galaxy Watch is the best of them, in my opinion, and it had LTE 2 years before the Apple Watch. Plus, the battery life of the Galaxy is 4 days, and it is water resistant to 4 meters. Finally, the Apple Watch still looks like a little rectangle on your wrist; while the Android watchmakers are making quality timepieces that look like traditional high quality watches on the wrist. In any event, Xmas is just around the corner; and, thanks to Android, you have a bevy of choices for gift giving. I already own a dozen or two; so, get me something else instead.

Wear OS Keeps Getting Better...But Is It Good Enough?

Google%u2019s Wear OS System Version H update will extend battery life and more | Android and Me. Another update to Wear OS is coming, and I am anxious to see if it makes my LG Watch Urbane smoother and easier to use. I am wearing my Samsung Galaxy Watch most days, and I love the Galaxy interface. It seems faster and smoother than any Wear OS watch I have used; including the Watch Urbane. I don't like the fact that you have to use the rubber strap with the Urbane. It is stiff and ugly. But, it contains the antenna for the watchphone, so you are stuck with it. I suppose it is more suited to outdoor wear. I will wear it on my next hiking trip in the Grand Canyon. Not.