Monthly Archives: February 2024

Blink Mini security cameras are only $20 each right now

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Amazon's Blink Mini security cameras are down to $20 each right now, as part of a larger sale on security devices from the brand. That's $2.50 above the lowest price we've seen and amounts to a 33 percent discount. The small, plug-in camera takes 1080p video during the day and infrared footage at night while the built-in mic and speaker let you hear and talk with whomever is in the room. You can set it to send notifications to your phone when motion is detected so you can view a live feed. If you connect it to a compatible smart display, like an Echo Show or Fire TV, you can view footage from those screens too. Keep in mind that Blink cameras only work with Alexa-enabled products. 

Elsewhere in the Blink sale, you can get a single Blink Outdoor 4 for $65, which is a record low price and $35 percent off its full $100 price tag. We named the Blink Outdoor 4 camera the best wireless security camera in our guide to smart home devices. The weather-proof camera can run for a claimed two years on a set of AA batteries (which are included). It also comes with a screw-in mounting kit so you can attach it to your house or a fence. The field of view was increased to 143 degrees for the latest generation and it has the ability to differentiate between human and non-person movement — though you'll need to pay for Blink’s add-on subscription plan to enable that feature. The plan is currently $30 a year for one device or $100 a year for multiple cameras. The subscription also enables cloud storage of clips and dual-zone motion detection. Like the Blink Mini, the Outdoor 4 offers two-way audio, 1080p daylight footage and infrared video at night. 

The Blink Video Doorbell system is down to $45, which is 36 percent off the $70 list price and also a record low. This one also runs on two AA cells so you don't have to hook into your doorbell wires, but the option is there if you want the doorbell to activate your existing chimes when someone pushes the button. The Blink Video Doorbell also offers day and night video capture, two-way audio and motion detection. This set includes a Sync Module 2 which lets you store clips locally. 

Cameras like these can be a good way to keep tabs on your home and offer peace of mind when you're not there, but it's important to keep in mind that Amazon, mostly through it's other security brand, Ring, has not always had the best privacy record. Though a recent announcement suggests they may rethink at least some of those practices. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/blink-mini-security-cameras-are-only-20-each-right-now-170958462.html?src=rss

How to accelerate ML with AI Cloud Infrastructure

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accelerate ML with AI Cloud Infrastructure

The digital environment and business have never been as demanding as they are now. An ever-increasing competition creates a need for new solutions and tools to elevate the efficiency of performance and maximize the output of enterprises and companies involved. Machine learning (ML) is one of the core features of modern business functioning. Despite being […]

The post How to accelerate ML with AI Cloud Infrastructure appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.

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Apple Vision Pro teardown uncovers pixels the size of red blood cells

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If you ask anyone who’s actually tried an Apple Vision Pro what the best feature is, they’ll likely call out the dual micro-OLED displays. These screens produce especially crisp visuals, and iFixit has taken it upon themselves to find out why. The publication conducted a teardown on the Apple Vision Pro with an emphasis on those glorious displays. 

The big takeaway? The screens are incredibly pixel-dense, with 12,078,000 pixels smushed into 0.98 square inches. This means that each individual pixel is just 7.5 μm, which makes them roughly the size of a red blood cell. Yeah. The ones in our bodies right now.

This is much more dense than just about anything else out there. For instance, you can fit 54 Apple Vision Pro pixels inside of a single iPhone 15 Pro pixel. No wonder that dinosaur looks so real. The publication indicates that the micro-OLED displays are likely custom-made by Sony, based on various design decisions.

An important measurement with pixel density is PPI (pixels per inch) and the Vision Pro came in with a “stunning” 3,386 PPI. The iPhone 15 Pro boasts a PPI of 460. As astounding as these metrics are, Apple Vision Pro displays are still not 4K. 4K resolution refers to a horizontal display resolution of around 4,000 pixels, and so the Vision Pro misses the consumer UHD standard of 3,840 pixels wide by just a hair. However, this doesn’t really matter when the displays are like an inch from your retinas. After all, a standard 4K TV features a pixel density of around 140 PPI. 

Another important data point here is PPD (pixels per degree), which takes into account how far you are from the screen and the overall angle. iFixit estimates that the Vision Pro has an average of 34 PPD. This is a very good number for something so close to the eye. As a comparison, the PlayStation VR2 has an average of 19 PPD and the Meta Quest 3 features an average of 25 PPD.

As for the infamous repairability score, iFixit awarded a provisional score of 4 for the Apple Vision Pro. This is brand-new technology, after all, which would make DIY repairs difficult even without Apple at the helm. The publication has yet to test various aspects of the headset for repairability, so the score will likely be updated in the near future.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-vision-pro-teardown-uncovers-pixels-the-size-of-red-blood-cells-165120402.html?src=rss

The Zen House Is A Cozy Tiny Home On Concrete Stilts Designed To Support Slow + Serene Living

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Everyone loves a well-designed and cozy tiny home, but what about a tiny home on stilts? It just builds up and magnifies the beauty and magic of a tiny home by 10x. Designed by Prague-based architecture firm Jan Tyrpekl, the Zen House is their latest tiny home design, a quaint little retreat supported by concrete pillars. The home occupies 30 square meters, and it is placed against the serene landscape of Hainburg an der Donau, Austria. The Zen House is designed to be a peaceful haven for the residents, a space they can unwind in, and get away from the hustle and bustle of hectic city life.

Designer: Jan Tyrpekl

It was built to help residents reconnect with nature, allowing them to immerse in the green surroundings and become one with nature itself. The home is raised four meters above the ground using a series of concrete pillars, this makes space for the lush green landscape to flow below, building a harmonious connection with the natural land. Sustainable materials were used to construct the home, imparting it with a beautiful natural aesthetic, and durability.

The home features a timber frame constructed from glued laminated spruce timbers. The roof was built using solid wooden CLT panels, while the lower structure and terrace were crafted using glued laminated larch timbers. The main living area of the home brings to mind the image of a bird’s nest, it functions as a secure, safe, and intimate space where residents can relax and recuperate. The home is encased by glass walls, offering stunning views of the trees and orchards. The interior space is large and open-plan and accentuated with polished timber floors, an open fireplace, and a comfy master bed with a concealed compact bar/kitchenette. The terrace can be accessed via a timber staircase, which also functions as the main access point of the dwelling.

What is inconvenient is that the home does not feature cooking or bathroom facilities, but there are design plans that include amenities for a sauna, toilet, and shower, which can be constructed below the central hub of the home, nestled amidst the pillars.

The post The Zen House Is A Cozy Tiny Home On Concrete Stilts Designed To Support Slow + Serene Living first appeared on Yanko Design.

One of our favorite noise-canceling earbuds is cheaper than ever

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We recommend the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds in our guide to the best wireless earphones for those who just want the strongest active noise cancellation (ANC) possible in a true wireless design. If you've been looking to pick up a pair, take note: A recent sale has brought the earphones back down to $249, which takes $50 off their usual price and matches the previous low we saw during the holiday season. The offer is available at several retailers, including Amazon, Walmart and Bose's own online store, and it comes as part of a wider spate of discounts on the company's headphones, earbuds, soundbars and Bluetooth speakers.

Engadget Senior Reporter Billy Steele gave the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds a score of 88 in his review last September. Again, ANC performance is the big attraction here: The earphones do a superb job of reducing external sound across the board, and Bose's app lets you lower the intensity of the ANC if it ever feels uncomfortable. (Though, as with most noise-canceling headphones, voices and other higher-pitched sounds will come through a little clearer than bass- and midrange tones.) The actual earpieces are larger than most other pairs, but they're comfortable, with soft silicone tips that don't create too much pressure in the ear. 

Bose's sound signature is a bit bass-heavy out of the box, but not to the point of sloppiness, so it should particularly satisfy fans of hip-hop and pop. If you want a little less low-end, you can tweak the EQ curve through Bose's app. This model also comes with an optional spatial audio feature dubbed "Immersive Audio," which aims to give any song a greater soundstage and sense of width. Some tracks will still take to it better than others, but Steele found it to offer impressive detail on the whole.

There are some issues to keep in mind, though. The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds lack wireless charging by default; to add it, you need to buy a $49 case cover. They also can't connect to two devices simultaneously. The built-in mic is fine for phone calls, but not good, and the six to seven hours of battery life is similarly just OK. With Immersive Audio on, the latter drops closer to four hours. Sony's WF-1000XM5, the top pick in our guide, offer a wider feature set and excellent ANC performance in their own right (though they may be less comfortable for those with smaller ears). Apple's AirPods Pro, meanwhile, still include a bevy of conveniences for iPhone owners. Still, if you want a true wireless set that focuses on ANC and spatial audio, this is a decent discount.

In other Bose deals, the over-ear version of the QuietComfort Ultra are also $50 off at $379. That pair delivers top-notch ANC as well, but it's harder to justify when Sony's WH-1000XM5, our favorite wireless headphones overall, is currently on sale for $50 less. The older QuietComfort Earbuds II are available for $199 as well, though our review found the Ultra model's spatial audio tricks to be worth the upgrade.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/one-of-our-favorite-noise-canceling-earbuds-is-cheaper-than-ever-155517532.html?src=rss

Apple has reportedly made foldable iPhone prototypes

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Given how the smartphone market has evolved over the last few years, it’s little surprise that Apple is looking into the possibility of making foldable iPhones. The company surely has all kinds of weird and wacky devices in its research lab, but a new report has shed some light on what Apple’s doing with foldables there.

According to The Information, Apple has created two clamshell-style foldable iPhone prototypes, though its work on the form factor is in the early stages of development. If Apple were to move forward with foldable iPhones, they likely wouldn't come to market until at least 2026 — seven years after the Galaxy Fold debuted.

There are two main issues that could prevent Apple from selling foldable iPhones, according to the report. First, its engineers have so far been unable to address the technical issues of foldable smartphones. For what it's worth, the first Samsung Fold notoriously had a gap between the two halves of the screen into which debris could enter. Second, Apple's designers are said to have found it tough to create features for a foldable iPhone that would make it a compelling enough option for consumers. That's critical, given the higher prices of foldables compared with phones that have a more traditional form factor.

Another concern for engineers is that they are said to have wanted to make each side half as thin as a regular iPhone so it would be roughly the same thickness when folded. But the tech isn't quite there yet, given battery sizes and display constraints.

Apple has been tinkering with making a foldable smartphone for several years. It seems more likely that Apple's first foldable device, should it choose to release one, would be an iPad. That would carry less risk for the company than making a foldable version of its most important product first. Apple wouldn't need to be as concerned about the thickness of a foldable iPad. Nor would the tablet need to meet as high standards in drop tests. Apple is said to have been developing a foldable iPad since at least 2020.

There are still some challenges when it comes to a foldable iPad, however. Engineers are said to be working on a solution for the crease that emerges in the center of the display after repeated folds. Apple is also reportedly trying to make sure the screen is totally flat when it's opened and that there's no bump in the middle. It took Samsung several years and multiple iterations of foldables to develop a hinge that gets rid of the gap between the two halves of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-has-reportedly-made-foldable-iphone-prototypes-152804263.html?src=rss

US officials believe Chinese hackers lurk in critical infrastructure

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Chinese hackers have been hiding in US critical infrastructure for at least the last five years, CNN reported on Wednesday. By lurking behind the scenes of transportation, water, electricity and other important systems, the hackers have the opportunity to strike whenever they deem the time is right, US officials say in a 50-page report on the subject. A public version of the full document is set to be released next week. 

Officials from the FBI and the Justice Department previously issued a court order to update software that could succumb to Chinese hacking. The effort aimed to fight Chinese hacking by remotely disabling certain affected systems. According to the department, it was able to remove code from hundreds of internet routers that could have let Chinese hackers in. 

The forthcoming report reveals just how long this has been going on, and how bad a potential cyberattack could be. It's set to detail hackers' techniques, while providing guidance to companies behind critical infrastructure systems on how to find Chinese hackers in their systems. There are no signs in the report that hackers have acted maliciously against US infrastructure yet. 

Hackers started by getting into IT systems and, from there, working their way into more important tech behind US infrastructure. They also broke into security cameras at some of the facilities and, in another case, accessed water treatment plants, the report says. 

Last week, FBI director Christopher Wray warned Congress that Chinese hackers were preparing to wreck havoc on US critical infrastructure systems. "Cyber threats to our critical infrastructure represent real world threats to our physical safety," he said at the hearing.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/us-officials-believe-chinese-hackers-lurk-in-critical-infrastructure-150319581.html?src=rss

2024 BMW 5 Series Touring unveiled

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2024 BMW 5 Series Touring

The new 2024 BMW 5 Series Touring has been unveiled and the car will be available as a plugin -in hybrid and as fully electric vehicles, plus petrol and diesel options, there will be a range of different models available in the lineup. The latest BMW car gets a range of upgrades over the previous […]

The post 2024 BMW 5 Series Touring unveiled appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.

Xbox Game Pass February 2024 games lineup

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Xbox Game Pass February 2024 games

As February unfolds, Xbox Game Pass is poised to deliver a diverse array of new games that promise to captivate and entertain subscribers. This month, the service is expanding its library with a selection of titles that span various genres, ensuring that no matter what type of game you prefer, there’s something new for you […]

The post Xbox Game Pass February 2024 games lineup appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.