December 06 2020, 13:39

Someone needs to release a phone that, with the press of a single mechanical button, would instantly take a photo, record video, and stream it to the cloud. A double press would record audio and stream it to the same cloud. Imagine how many violations could be prevented if the wrongdoers knew that their victim or bystanders could become a surveillance camera from which nothing could be irretrievably deleted.

Streaming audio could be used to record lectures and read transcriptions. It would be possible to devise a video streaming protocol where the video is uploaded with progressive quality – initially throwing up the best video quality that the communication channel can handle without lagging, and then subsequently adding information to enhance the quality of the video. The lack of connection should not be a barrier – the video would upload later, once the connection is restored.

It’s also high time for iPhones to support different profiles depending on the entered unlock password. Again, for data security. Forced to unlock — you just unlock. Need to separate work and personal — you separate.

Currently, some of the above is supported through auto-sync of all photos and videos. The downside – if the phone is taken and switched off, the video won’t have time to upload. Another minus is that you need to keep sync always turned on, which is quite expensive (you have to pay for space for all videos and photos in the cloud, which is generally unnecessary in most cases)

Overall, nothing stops you from starting a YouTube stream now, but it 1) takes precious seconds clicking, which there almost always aren’t 2) requires more experience and knowledge from the owner (arguably not suitable for grandparents)

And here’s a thought, why not: 1) make a button with an NFC tag inside. It turns on only when the button is pressed. The button is attached to the back of the phone 2) pressing the button starts an app that immediately begins recording to the cloud and notifies designated contacts about the start of the stream via push notifications.

The cost of such a button is minuscule. Essentially, it’s a subway card with a button inserted to break the antenna.

I know that it’s possible to launch an app on the phone via an NFC tag, but I am not sure it would work on a locked phone. But even then, it’s much more convenient.

December 04 2020, 15:46

Bought Sony WH-1000XM4, simply happy. But there’s a little problem. Maybe someone can suggest how to properly solve it.

The headphones can maintain a connection with both the phone and the computer. On the computer, Tidal is running and paused – I started a meeting in Webex. During this, a call comes in on the phone. I decline the call (since I’m in a meeting). And — Tidal resumes playing! It’s okay if it’s conveniently open on my second monitor, but if it’s lost somewhere among the tabs, I have to quickly find it to close the tab.

Okay Tidal. Previously, I had the imprudence to run iTunes on some audio file. There, there is no STOP button, only Pause. And in the situation described above, the Mac could easily start iTunes to resume the audio there. I had to Google how to make it shut up and install the noitunes utility.

Additionally, I must say that these headphones have a very poor microphone. They can only be used as a headset for a couple of minutes worth of calls. I have to use a configuration where “speaker – headphones, microphone – built-in.” But then another problem starts. If, in Zoom, there is a switch to break-out rooms, the microphone and speaker switch to whatever is selected as the default system setting. That is, either both on Sony, or both on the laptop. I somewhat solved this problem using the built-in Mac app Audio MIDI Setup, where you can create a virtual device with the microphone and speakers on different devices.

But how to solve the pause issue is unclear. Only by disabling that function altogether.

P.S. Then why “simply happy”? Because their main function — playing music — they perform better than my AKG 550 and Sennheiser HD-518 by roughly a hundred times 🙂

December 03 2020, 03:15

Motorola, Nokia, and Ericsson are clapping their hands

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/blackberry-stock-price-record-rally-automotive-software-deal-amazon-bb-2020-12-1029854658

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/blackberry-stock-price-record-rally-automotive-software-deal-amazon-bb-2020-12-1029854658?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab&utm_content=algorithm