Kobo's new reparability push could heat up competition
"The competition" is probably primarily Amazon Kindle (without a colour model, nor any repairability announced yet). Certainly, consumers score with repairability, and on the face of it, you'd think suppliers lose out. But actually, I may be inclined to buy a far more expensive model if I know I can repair it and keep it going for a few years.
Though I should add after many years of owning a Kobo reader and a few Kindles, not one of them has had any issue at all, and all still work fine. But I get that some people do drop their devices, or things can die after the initial warranty period.
Kobos are now available I see for purchase on Amazon (yes really, just not to my country) as well as Walmart.
Kobos are excellent readers actually and the only thing that counts a bit against them, is they don't have that vast availability of books that Amazon has. But the Calibre app works perfectly well with being able to buy books elsewhere and push them to your Kobo reader.
See https://www.androidpolice.com/kobos-reparability-push-sounds-interesting/
#technology #reading #ebooks #Kobo
Android Tasker routine to warn if home WiFi is not functioning correctly
Been experiencing a bit of an issue the last month with everything seemingly on and connected, but my Chromecast device would not connect across Wi-Fi today, and sometimes my wife says her phone is not connecting, and I'd have to reboot the home router. So, I decided to write a small routine using the Tasker app to check every 10 mins whether my phone can ping the Home Assistant server over the home LAN. If so, all good, but if not pop up an alert. It only runs this while I'm actually home. If I happen to be at home, but using mobile data, then it will still give an error as the mobile data won't reach the internal IP address.
I'm using the Auto Location 3rd party app for Tasker, which provides more reliable geofencing status, but one could also use the standard Tasker location Profile. Basically, either of these will set a variable called %HOME to 1 if I'm at home, or to 0 if I'm away from home. Below is the Profile that triggers this: If at home it runs task Set Is Home, and if not at home (Exit action) it will run Set Not Home.
The details with screenshots are available at the link below.
See https://gadgeteer.co.za/android-tasker-routine-to-warn-if-home-wifi-is-not-functioning-correctly/
#technology #Android #automation #Tasker
‘Secret’ iPhone feature lets you easily sign online documents for free, with no scanning, printing, or app installing
In the age of digital communication, needing to sign important documents online has become increasingly common, but it’s not necessarily the easiest process.
For an iPhone you can just use the standard Photos app to open it, hit Edit, click the Markup button, and add signature. Useful that you can also move it around.
I see on my Samsung Galaxy phone I can similarly use the Samsung Notes app and just a PDF with the S Pen. The selection tool will also allow me to select and move that signature around or resize it.
Both phones will allow you to sign, or complete, a document offline and no 3rd party apps needed.
#technology #signature #iOS
Palm OS and the devices that ran it: Before smartphones, we had PDAs in our pockets, and Palm did them best
I remember my PalmPilot very well. I used its Graffiti handwriting recognition to take many memos and keep my life organised.
I'm pretty sure before the PalmPilot I only had fixed ROM organisers which had the standard notes, calendar, contact, etc functionality (like the Sharp ZQ-3200 organiser with 64kB of RAM and a serial link). The PalmPilot also allowed 3rd party apps to be installed. It would also interface with some PC apps to sync data when you pressed the sync button on the cradle.
I think I moved to a Psion 5 after the Palm Pilot. Its EPOC OS was the forerunner to the Symbian OS that appeared on Nokia phones later on.
The 1990s was an exciting time of innovative breakthroughs in all sorts of consumer computing devices.
There is a pretty good history and context and the link below and covers both the rise and the fall of Palm.
See https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/palm-os-and-the-devices-that-ran-it-an-ars-retrospective/
#technology #palmpilot #retrocomputing
A Privacy Policy: We do not display advertising on the website or app but...
I can't recall what this service was for as I don't find any login saved for it, but I was reading the updated privacy policy they sent me in an e-mail (looks like it may have been a service a tried a long time ago). It's very long and starts out quite well, but it was when I got to these paragraphs below that it really starts to worry me as they are basically claiming all sorts of metadata will be passed on online advertising networks, social media companies and other 3rd party services, including GPS locations and click stream information. This includes for children 13 years and older. It's similar to what WhatsApp passes up to Meta, which made me drop WhatsApp like a hot potato, because of who that data gets passed to.
An extract: "Specifically, we permit third party online advertising networks, social media companies and other third-party services, to collect information about your use of the VERO Website over time so that they may play or display ads for our products and services on other websites or services you may use, and on other devices you may use. Typically, though not always, the information used for interest-based advertising is collected through tracking technologies, such as cookies, web beacons, embedded scripts, location-identifying technologies, and similar technology, which recognize the device you are using and collect information, including click stream information, browser type, time and date you visited the VERO Websites, AdID, and other similar information. If permitted by your device settings, they may also collect location data through GPS, Wi-Fi or other methods. We and our third-party partners use this information to make the advertisements you see online more relevant to your interests, as well as to provide advertising-related services such as reporting, attribution, analytics and market research. We may also use services provided by third parties (such as social media platforms) to serve targeted ads to you and others on such platforms."
This extract could imply your data gets made available to data brokers even: "Please be aware that your Personal Information and communications may be transferred to and maintained on servers or databases located outside your state, province, or country. We store and process the information that we collect in the United States in accordance with this Privacy Policy though our Service Providers may store and process data outside the United States. The laws in the United States may not be as protective of your privacy as those in your location."
Well, this re-assuring that they don't "sell" the information: "We do not “sell” personal information as most people would typically understand that term. However, on certain portions of the VERO Website, we do allow certain third-party partners and providers to collect information about consumers directly through our services for purposes of analyzing and optimizing our services, displaying ads on third party sites, providing content and ads that are more relevant, measuring statistics and the success of ad campaigns, and detecting and reporting fraud. This practice may be interpreted to constitute a “sale” under the U.S. state privacy laws, or may constitute the “sharing” or processing of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes."
They at least do expand here on selling: "We have “sold” or “shared” the following categories of personal information for the purposes described in our Privacy Policy, subject to your settings and preferences and your Right to Opt-Out: Identifiers, Commercial Information, and Internet/Network Information."
This is what is stated about 3rdparty identity services: "VERO does not receive the biometric identifier generated from the images, however, for identity verification and security purposes, VERO will receive the results of the identity verification process, including the images of your ID and the results of the liveness check, as well as text extracted from the ID scan. We may use some or all of this information and associated information to verify your account."
And this: "We do not sell sensitive information, and we do not process or otherwise share sensitive information for the purpose of targeted advertising." Except that this contradicts what was said earlier about targeted advertising! Because I understand "to make the advertisements you see online more relevant to your interests" to mean targeted advertising. Maybe relevant and targeted mean two different things?
We don't always have time to read updated privacy policies, but many do contain these hidden gems, that quite frankly can put you off using such services. The sites of course are usually "free" to use, so are funded by advertisers who require these conditions to be in place.
One can see why so many then flock to the Fediverse and other decentralised platforms which are funded by volunteers. It worth considering giving some small donations to these volunteer projects when they're keeping you free from invasive advertising and data collection policies.
From https://vero.co/privacy-policy
#technology #privacy
Fujifilm X100 VI vs iPhone 15 Pro Max camera shootout: the most hyped against the most mainstream
LOL the "most mainstream phone camera" in my country is certainly not an iPhone, but OK, you can substitute with any other flagship brand phone.
In case you were wondering about the Fujifilm camera, it is a retro-style digital camera with a 40MP sensor and fixed-lens that shoots around the equivalent of a 35 mm lens. Why this one specifically over maybe a Canon or Nikon DSLR? Well, it was apparently made famous on TikTok at some point a year ago, and is now permanently sold out.
The camera is a lot more compact than any DSLR, but a downside then also is it not being able to take additional lenses. Like it or not, we just have to accept that in 2024 a really good camera phone mostly will outrank any camera when it comes to auto mode, compactness, size, and versatility. A DSLR will certainly outperform any smartphone when it comes to the extremes of low light, massive zoom levels, and resolution, but the extra dedicated cost, weight, bulk, and lack of quick versatility make it impractical for day-today users.
See https://www.xda-developers.com/fujifilm-x100-vi-vs-iphone-15-pro-max-camera-shootout/
#technology #photography #fujifilmx100vi
StreamController is a brand-new opens-source app for enabling and managing the Elgato Stream Deck on Linux
Many of us were using Stream Deck UI, which was a fork from a previous such app which was no longer being maintained. The devs decided to restart the initiative using a different coding language (Python), which would allow them to do a lot more.
So, what a surprise when I saw an announcement in the Discord chat that we should migrate to the new app called StreamController. Not only is it noticeably faster, but it also has support now for plugins, wallpapers, screensaver, as well as automatic page switching for Gnome and Hyprland (For example, you could see your favourite music albums when you open Spotify, your projects when you open VSCode, or your favorite websites in Firefox).
It is still in Beta and I installed the Flatpak version on Manjaro Linux, which is working just fine.
It has its own in-app Store for plugins and icon packs, so you are not installing these directly from Elgato. But there are already a number of useful plugins available such as Audio Control, Audio Switcher, Clocks, Counter Deck Controller, Gnome Window Calls, Media, OBS, OS, Pi-hole, HTTP requests, Speediest, Volume Mixer, and Weather.
Various of the plugins are supporting animation, so the OS one for CPU can display the live CPU percentage, or even show a graph that updates in the button display. The clock plugin will show the time as it updates. The volume level will show the volume percentage as it changes.
The OBS plugin correctly sends its button presses to the OBS app, when it is running with its standard server active. I was able to get all my main scenes working for zooming in around the screen, and to trigger the various hotkeys I have active inside OBS. There are still a few more features that likely need to be added to the OBS plugin.
There is only one icon pack right now in the store for Material Icons designed by Google (unofficial). But you can easily add Custom Assets such as your own JPG or PNG icons by just uploading them into the app. And of course, anyone else can contribute extra plugins and icon packs.
Overall, I'm really impressed with this app and can see why it needed a complete rewrite. It is already a lot of fun to use, so I'm looking forward to further enhancements over the coming months.
#technology #opensource #StreamDeck #Linux
Petivity Smart Litterbox Monitor System: Uses Existing Pet Litter Box
It takes about a week or so for it to learn your cats' habits accurately. During that time, the app alerts you when an event is detected and, based on the weight recorded, you select which cat it was (or if it was a non-cat event, like you scooping). Once it learns who's who, it compiles that day's activities into the app, letting you know when each cat peed, pooped, or did a little dance inside the litter but didn't actually go, complete with cute illustrated icons. You can set up multiple monitors if you have several boxes.
I like that this using exiting litter boxes, and seemingly has no subscription cost. It appears to recognise which pet it is as well (well it prompts you to tell it), and it monitors the frequency the pet uses it, for any changes.
It's also a handy 'weigh' to monitor their weight as well.
Interesting gadget, but is probably a bit pricey for most of us.
See https://www.wired.com/review/petivity-smart-litterbox-monitor/
#technology #gadgets #cats
The Best Podcasts for Your Smart, Bored Kid
Some excellent kid safe and also informative podcasts in the list at the linked article. I'd say though they are not just for long trips in the car, as it is actually a good habit to listen to focussed and informative topics at any time. Much of my own day, including shopping trips and when driving, are spent listening to podcasts.
Audio podcasts are great for those times when you are busy doing something, and cannot be watching a screen the whole time. You can slow down, or speed up, podcast listening too.
See https://www.wired.com/story/best-podcasts-for-kids/
#technology #kids #podcasts
Politics has a goal, seems to me, to deliberately drive divisions between people. Opposing something for the sake of it, breaking down instead of building, and achieving power seems to be what it wants to achieve. Serving all of the people has long gone as a goal...
But Starlink is also illegal still in South Africa as the same applies for the frequency license, and type approval of the hardware. So it is legally not for sale inside South Africa either until those are approved.
Yes, broadcasting is one type of license, but actual portion of the frequency is approved for different uses, and each device must be type approved. Most countries have this in place. It is reliant on the importer locally to apply for the type approval of the hardware. The satellite provider may have to apply for the frequency use so as not to blot out someone else using it.
The answer is usually "why not" ;-) There is rarely any practical reason to do something like this. Supposedly DOOM can also play in the BIOS - only use I can think of is if you have an unbootable PC.
Kobo announces its first colour e-readers
Rakuten Kobo is launching its first colour e-readers, the Kobo Libra Colour and the Kobo Clara Colour. Both use E Ink’s latest Kaleido colour screen technology, which has subtle, pastel-like hues and drops from a 300ppi grayscale resolution to 150ppi when you view content in colour.
Prices seem to be about $10 to $30 more than the black and white model, and a stylus will cost extra if you want one.
It will be interesting to see what thew reviews show from May 2024 after they've shipped. Kobo's are actually excellent readers and this also shows again how they can out-innovate Amazon. Kobo's also have long supported the ePub format, which Amazon only started to support about a year or two back. Amazon's only big strength is their massive bookstore.
It is quite easy to buy books and use Calibre to push them to a Kobo reader.
See https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/10/24124411/kobo-libra-colour-clara-colour-e-reader-kindle-e-ink
#technology #ereader #Kobo
Kobo announces its first colour e-readers
Rakuten Kobo is launching its first colour e-readers, the Kobo Libra Colour and the Kobo Clara Colour. Both use E Ink’s latest Kaleido colour screen technology, which has subtle, pastel-like hues and drops from a 300ppi grayscale resolution to 150ppi when you view content in colour.
Prices seem to be about $10 to $30 more than the black and white model, and a stylus will cost extra if you want one.
It will be interesting to see what thew reviews show from May 2024 after they've shipped. Kobo's are actually excellent readers and this also shows again how they can out-innovate Amazon. Kobo's also have long supported the ePub format, which Amazon only started to support about a year or two back. Amazon's only big strength is their massive bookstore.
It is quite easy to buy books and use Calibre to push them to a Kobo reader.
See https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/10/24124411/kobo-libra-colour-clara-colour-e-reader-kindle-e-ink
#technology #ereader #Kobo
Kobo announces its first colour e-readers
Rakuten Kobo is launching its first colour e-readers, the Kobo Libra Colour and the Kobo Clara Colour. Both use E Ink’s latest Kaleido colour screen technology, which has subtle, pastel-like hues and drops from a 300ppi grayscale resolution to 150ppi when you view content in colour.
Prices seem to be about $10 to $30 more than the black and white model, and a stylus will cost extra if you want one.
It will be interesting to see what thew reviews show from May 2024 after they've shipped. Kobo's are actually excellent readers and this also shows again how they can out-innovate Amazon. Kobo's also have long supported the ePub format, which Amazon only started to support about a year or two back. Amazon's only big strength is their massive bookstore.
It is quite easy to buy books and use Calibre to push them to a Kobo reader.
See https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/10/24124411/kobo-libra-colour-clara-colour-e-reader-kindle-e-ink
#technology #ereader #Kobo
Kobo announces its first colour e-readers
Rakuten Kobo is launching its first colour e-readers, the Kobo Libra Colour and the Kobo Clara Colour. Both use E Ink’s latest Kaleido colour screen technology, which has subtle, pastel-like hues and drops from a 300ppi grayscale resolution to 150ppi when you view content in colour.
Prices seem to be about $10 to $30 more than the black and white model, and a stylus will cost extra if you want one.
It will be interesting to see what thew reviews show from May 2024 after they've shipped. Kobo's are actually excellent readers and this also shows again how they can out-innovate Amazon. Kobo's also have long supported the ePub format, which Amazon only started to support about a year or two back. Amazon's only big strength is their massive bookstore.
It is quite easy to buy books and use Calibre to push them to a Kobo reader.
See https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/10/24124411/kobo-libra-colour-clara-colour-e-reader-kindle-e-ink
#technology #ereader #Kobo
Kobo announces its first colour e-readers
Rakuten Kobo is launching its first colour e-readers, the Kobo Libra Colour and the Kobo Clara Colour. Both use E Ink’s latest Kaleido colour screen technology, which has subtle, pastel-like hues and drops from a 300ppi grayscale resolution to 150ppi when you view content in colour.
Prices seem to be about $10 to $30 more than the black and white model, and a stylus will cost extra if you want one.
It will be interesting to see what thew reviews show from May 2024 after they've shipped. Kobo's are actually excellent readers and this also shows again how they can out-innovate Amazon. Kobo's also have long supported the ePub format, which Amazon only started to support about a year or two back. Amazon's only big strength is their massive bookstore.
It is quite easy to buy books and use Calibre to push them to a Kobo reader.
See https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/10/24124411/kobo-libra-colour-clara-colour-e-reader-kindle-e-ink
#technology #ereader #Kobo
The Fairbuds noise-canceling earbuds have an easily swappable battery
Fairphone, the makers of the ultra-repairable Fairphone 5, have launched a new pair of easy-to-repair wireless earbuds. Instead of tossing away your earbuds when the batteries eventually die, Fairphone’s new Fairbuds let you replace the batteries inside the buds themselves and their charging case.
In addition to replacing the batteries, you can repair or exchange the left or right earbud, the silicone ring, earbud tips, the charging case outer shell, and the charging case core. The new buds also come with a standard two-year warranty, but you can add one extra year if you register them online.
Certainly, these objectives should be embraced by all manufacturers. I will never forget my first (and only) Apple AirPods and their batteries failing just a month past the warranty period ended. They were super expensive, and I vowed to never again pay so much money for a disposable product.
The downside though with Fairphone products is they are not the cheapest around, so many are still going to buy cheap disposal earbuds. They are very likely not as good as the top end earbuds are either, but I'd be interested to see some reviews around the sound quality.
One would have to assume these could last at least two or three times longer than any earbuds which have non-replaceable batteries (batteries are usually the component that fails). But the cost of any batteries being replaced also needs to be factored in.
I'd hope though if there is enough support and sales, that these prices could actually get cheaper over time too.
#technology #earbuds #environment
Modder made an IRC client that runs entirely inside the motherboard's BIOS chip
Phillip Tennen, developer of the open-source axleOS, has recently decided to use what he learned from that project to create an IRC client that runs entirely within the UEFI pre-boot environment, with no operating system required. This "UEFIRC" is nearly fully functional, with a graphical interface and a TrueType font renderer, and it's all written in the Rust programming language.
Wow! It does suggest two things to me:
1. IRC is really the lightest weight social chatting app of them all...
2. IRC users are a bit different...
Technically I suppose any text based micro-blogging type service could work. Twitter or Mastodon without videos and photos may also work. But the nature of how IRC still works today, means you can get a pretty close experience to the real thing even in the BIOS.
#technology #IRC #BIOS