Google Maps finally adds Waze’s in-tunnel navigation feature

Google has finally copied the homework of its other GPS app Waze, adding support for Bluetooth beacons so you can navigate in tunnels or other satellite dead zones, 9to5Google has reported. The feature has rolled out widely on Google Maps for Android, though is still missing in the iOS version. 

As a reminder, Bluetooth beacons are designed to give you navigation and traffic info underground where GPS signals can't get through. Also known as Waze Beacons, they're "battery-operated, low-energy micro-controller hardware that sends a one-way signal to a user's phone or tablet" without capturing any data from the user, according to Google. They're installed underground in a number of cities include New York City, Paris, Sydney, Rio and elsewhere. Waze first launched the feature in 2016. 

Google Maps finally adds Bluetooth Beacons support so you can navigate in tunnels
Steve Dent/Engadget

The function isn't enabled by default, so here's how to turn it on. In Maps, go to Settings > Navigation Settings and then find the "Driving Options" near the bottom of the list. Under those, you'll see Bluetooth tunnel beacons (provided you have the latest version), and you can toggle that on. 

The feature first started showing up for some beta and other users in October 2023, but is now in the primary release. It should smooth navigation considerably, particularly in tricky tunnels with multiple lanes and exits. It's the latest in a flurry of new features that include EV charging information, AI capabilities, Immersive View and more. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-maps-finally-adds-wazes-in-tunnel-navigation-feature-130051819.html?src=rss

How to Make Money Online with the GPT Store

GPT Store

This guide is designed to show you how to use the GPT Store to make money online. The digital content creation sphere is undergoing a transformative revolution, one that is reshaping the way we think about, create, and monetize digital content. As a content creator, you are positioned at the vanguard of this exciting new […]

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What it’s like coding in VR using the Meta Quest 3?

code in VR is it feasible

If you have ever wondered whether you would be able to code effectively in a virtual reality environment or virtual studio you might be interested in a quick overview created by Software engineer Chris P. With a decade and a half of coding experience under his belt, Chris decided to test out whether the Meta […]

The post What it’s like coding in VR using the Meta Quest 3? appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.

Top 10 Chique Lighting Designs To Illuminate Your Home With Style + Practicality

Gone are the days when lighting designs were boring and typically designed objects that did nothing but add light to a living space. A well-designed lighting fixture should not only have the ability to illuminate any living space but also add that extra oomph factor! I mean, of course, we need them to see in the dark, but as highly functional as they should be, a lighting fixture also needs to be aesthetically pleasing, adding an attractive and visually soothing element to your home or office space. From a ghost-like chandelier to a unique book-mounted reading light– these innovative lighting designs are what you need to elevate your living or working space!

1. Sunne Light

Called the Sunne Light, this innovative solar light is self-powered and it harvests sunlight during the day to ensure your home is lit up throughout the night. The extraordinary sunlight-mimicking lamp collects solar energy, while also powering itself using that energy.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Sunne light features photovoltaic cells that are designed to be hung in front of a window. It is a suspended lighting fixture that collects solar energy through the day and then uses that energy at night to illuminate your home. It has an integrated battery that stores the solar energy it collects.

What we like

  • Collects solar energy and uses it to power itself
  • Remains suspended in air, not occupying any precious real estate in your home

What we dislike

  • Heavy price tag
  • Since the lamp is suspended, it could be difficult to clean and maintain

2. Chapeaux Table Lamp

The stunning Chapeaux Table Lamp is considered worthy to be part of a magic show. It is an enchanting and mesmerizing lighting fixture that will instantly grab your attention owing to its super unique design.

Why is it noteworthy?

One of the focal features of the lamp is the transparent pyrex body which is accentuated with a cylindrical steam that widens up at both ends. The bottom section supports and stabilizes the lamp while the top embraces the hat diffuser. Once the lamp is switched on, the entire body is highlighted with pretty subtle reflections.

What we like

  • Features a floating light source, that subtly conceals all the technical bits

What we dislike

  • Since it is transparent, it needs to be cleaned regularly, to ensure it doesn’t have a dirty/murky appearance

3. Amber Crystal Light

Gingko’s Amber Crystal Light looks like a fortune-telling orb that rests on a wooden base, with intricate designs etched into the center of the glass orb. Once you switch the light on, the art scatters light in different directions, producing a stunning glowing effect that borders on visual magic.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Crystal Light features five different artworks within the crystal orb – dandelion, galaxy, the solar system, Saturn, and a motif of Earth as a globe. The different motifs represent different emotions such as hope, serenity, curiosity, and a genuine love for space, science, and nature.

What we like

  • Offers up to 16 hours of stunning illumination with gorgeous designs

What we dislike

  • The lamp seems quite fragile and breakable, so should be kept away from kids and pets

4. Soft Serve Lamp

The Soft Serve Lamp is an adorable lighting design by Stockholm design studio Crème Atelier, and mimics a “swirly ice cream”. It is available in a range of delicious sorbet colors!

Why is it noteworthy?

The Soft Serve lamp is 3D-printed and is inspired by pastries and desserts, which in my opinion makes a great source of inspiration for lighting designs.

What we like

  • Made to order, which makes the entire production method pretty swift and sustainable according to the agency

What we dislike

  • Seems more decorative than functional to be honest

5. Emotional Lab Light

Dubbed the Emotional Lab Light, this unique and ethereal-looking lighting design was created by interior designer Hania Jneid. Jneid was inspired by chemistry sets, and she drew influence from them to create her eclectic and elaborate floor lamp.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Emotional Lab floor lamp includes a tall and slender metal lamp that provides support to multiple beaker-like glass vessels that illuminate any space they’re placed into with a warm and inviting flow.

What we like

  • Influenced by the designer’s childhood memories of chemistry lab

What we dislike

  • Looks easily breakable and fragile, and not very moveable

6. Skyview

Dubbed Skyview, these lamps can be utilized for light therapy, but they also manage to be quite aesthetically pleasing. They are designed by Bios by “documented scientific research”, which means they can simulate exposure to sunlight in the comfort of your home.

Why is it noteworthy?

The lamps can simulate sunlight even when the sun is not out. They’re also well-designed, allowing them to naturally merge with your home, ensuring they don’t look out of place in your living room, bedroom, or home office.

What we like

  • Can be programmed to adjust to the time of day and the natural light outside

What we dislike

  • Hefty price tag, which may not be accessible to everyone

7. Bowie 2.0

The Bowie 2.0 is a genius reading light that illuminates not only the pages of your book but also your entire room. The light is designed like a leather fashion accessory that can be clipped onto the left and right sides of your book cover.

Why is it noteworthy?

The LEDs are built into the light’s strap, casting a soft and lovely glow that is still strong enough to let you read in the pitch dark. It casts warm LED light on your pages, letting you read with ease, turn pages, and move around without the light causing any discomfort,

What we like

  • Features touch-sensitive brightness settings built in that let you adjust the LED brightness to suit your needs and requirements

What we dislike

8. Ghost Chandelier

As its name suggests, the Ghost Chandelier is ghostly and ghoulish yet quite graceful. It is a simple and alluring lighting design, that instantly captures your attention, and has you completely mesmerized.

Why is it noteworthy?

Created by Kristian Sofus Hansen and Tommy Hyldahl of NORR11 for the Danish design studio, the artistic lighting design intends to cast a myriad range of shapes and patterns in your home. The stunning piece is inspired by minimalist art.

What we like

  • The chandelier looks different from different viewpoints
  • Builds a moody and seductive ambiance in your home

What we dislike

  • Looks difficult to clean and maintain

9. Matin Lamp

Designed by Inga Hempe, the Matin Lamp is a contemporary and modern interpretation of a common lighting fixture that uses a steel wire frame to condense the form to its most basic.

Why is it noteworthy?

Its unique pleated lampshade gives a distinctive character to the product, creating a play of shapes and shadows that contrast with its plain block of color.

What we like

  • The lamp is a harmonious contrast of order and chaos with repeating patterns of flowers, petals, and leaves

What we dislike

  • The lamp may be too quirky and eclectic for some

10. Nebula Desk Lamp

Designed by COG Design Studio, the Nebula Desk Lamp is a basic yet defined form of lighting built via repetition, transformation, and an innovative and unique combination of distinctive geometric shapes.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Nebula Desk Lamp was designed by giving a subtle and formative beauty to flat shapes using three-dimensional changes in direction and bending. This creates a refreshed and interesting form for a lighting design.

What we like

  • The innovative design gives the impression of a nebula in space, which lends the design its name

What we dislike

  • There is no option to change/customize the design as needed

The post Top 10 Chique Lighting Designs To Illuminate Your Home With Style + Practicality first appeared on Yanko Design.

Xiaomi Redmi Buds 5 headphones launched

Xiaomi Redmi Buds 5

Xiaomi has launched its latest wireless headphones, the Xiaomi Redmi Buds 5, they were announced along with the new Xiaomi Redmi Watch 4 smartwatch and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Series of smartphones. Designed to provide enhanced audio experience, Redmi Buds 5 features up to 46dB ANC with three modes that cover with a wide […]

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Text-to-Film custom GPT lands in the OpenAI ChatGPT Store

ChatGPT Text-to-Film custom GPT

Imagine being able to bring your ideas to life in the form of a video with just a few keystrokes. This is now possible with the latest technology in video production, the Text-to-Film Custom GPT. This tool is a breakthrough in the way we create videos, offering a seamless transition from written text to a […]

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The Morning After: If you want to test Apple’s Vision Pro, it’ll take some time

After a fairly long wait, Apple’s debut mixed reality headset — its first new device since the Apple Watch — is almost here. The Vision Pro launches on February 2, and to ensure it fits as well in demos as it will in real life, you’ll have to put most of an hour aside to play.

TMA
Apple

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, customers who ask for a demo will have to go through face scans and the assembly of a custom Vision Pro, before sitting through a walkthrough of the interface, controls and device calibration. Apple Store employees will even scan glasses to figure out lens prescriptions for the Vision Pro. All of that could well burn through any intrigue and excitement for the headset, but at least you’ll get a meaty 25-minute demo.

If you’re planning to buy a Vision Pro in-store without trying, you maverick, you’ll still have to go through the face scans. However, you can jump through the rest of the hoops in your own time back home.

– Mat Smith

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Nikon made an AI imaging camera that detects when cows are about to give birth

It can save farmers from frequently checking mothers.

It’s not what we expected from a camera maker, but if Canon can make an album of music to concentrate to, why can’t Nikon detect when cows are about to give birth?

Its AI monitoring system, which costs 900,000 yen per year ($6,200) for a farm with around 100 cows, consists of a security-style camera married to an AI system. It’ll ping the farmer’s phone when the system detects a calf is due. Apparently, it can detect signs exhibited by pregnant cows about five hours ahead of labor.

Continue reading.

Apple will remove Blood Oxygen app from Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 to evade US import ban

Federal officials said the company can bypass the ban after a redesign.

According to a letter from Masimo, the company in a patent dispute against Apple, to an appeals court judge, the latter’s latest Watches can skirt the recent import ban by removing the Blood Oxygen app from Apple Watch units sold in the US. According to 9to5Mac, this won’t affect those who already have an Apple Watch with pulse oximetry features. Apple will likely roll out a new version of the Blood Oxygen app to affected units once it resolves the patent problem.

Continue reading.

Microsoft introduces Copilot Pro: a $20 monthly subscription for advanced AI

And Copilot GPTs for specialized tasks.

TMA
Microsoft

It’s been almost a year since Microsoft launched its ChatGPT-powered Bing Chat — now just called Copilot. So it’s time to make money, of course! Like OpenAI did with ChatGPT as its popularity grew, Microsoft is launching Copilot Pro, a $20 monthly subscription that gives access to the very latest ChatGPT releases, as well as access to Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps and other new features.

What might be more interesting for power users, though, is Copilot GPT, a new feature that lets you tweak the AI chatbot around specific topics, including fitness and cooking. Pro users will also eventually be able to create their own Copilot GPTs.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-if-you-want-to-test-apples-vision-pro-itll-take-some-time-121510392.html?src=rss

Apple ends Samsung’s decade-plus run as global smartphone shipment leader

The year 2023 turned out to be a big one for Apple's iPhone. First, it got rid of the longstanding lightning port, and now reports indicate that Apple overtook Samsung for the title of most smartphones shipped globally. The International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker's preliminary data found that Apple shipped 234.6 million units in 2023, which is equal to 20.1 percent of the market share. In comparison, Samsung shipped 226.6 units for 19.4 percent of the market share. Canalys, a global technology market analyst firm, shared findings that mirrored those from the IDC.

This instance marks the first time Samsung has fallen out of the number one spot since 2010, when Nokia was in the lead and Apple didn't even crack the top five. In 2023, Xiaomi, OPPO and Transsion took the remaining three spots with 145.9, 103.1 and 94.9 million smartphones shipped globally, respectively. 

The shift is notable given the crowding and continued regulations in the smartphone industry. "Apple certainly played a part in Samsung's drop in rank, but the overall Android space is diversifying within itself. Huawei is back and making inroads quickly within China, Brands like OnePlus, Honor, Google, and others are launching very competitive devices in the lower price range of the high end. And foldables and increased discussions around AI capabilities on the smartphone are gaining traction," Ryan Reith, IDC's Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers group vice president, explained in a statement. "Overall, the smartphone space is headed towards a very interesting time."

Notably, overall smartphone shipments declined by 3.2 percent in 2023 but increased by 8.4 percent in quarter four. However, Apple is struggling to compete in China, with quarter four sales in the region 11 percent lower than the previous year, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company has cut its iPhones by the equivalent of about $70 ahead of Lunar New Year, a time filled with presents. Discounting its most recent iPhone, in this case the iPhone 15, is a rarity for Apple but could have a payoff in a struggling market. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-ends-samsungs-decade-plus-as-global-smartphone-shipment-leader-121413711.html?src=rss

Visual Experience Transformation (VXT) Platform launched

Samsung Visual Experience Transformation

Samsung has launched its new Visual Experience Transformation (VXT) Platform, which is a new cloud-based CMS (Content Management Solution) that combines content and remote signage management in a single platform. This new platform has been designed to be easy to use and to provide businesses an all-in-one solution that allows them to easily create and […]

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How to create Bard personal assistants, chatbots and AI Agents

making Google Bard personal assistants

If you’re interested in learning how you can use Google Bard to build your very own AI personal assistants, AI agents and chatbots. This guide includes examples of how to set up agents with specific roles and requirements, using examples such as an agent for factual information and an AI tool that uses the artificial […]

The post How to create Bard personal assistants, chatbots and AI Agents appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.