By broadcasting ultrasound waves and analysing the reflections, a computer can detect the chest movements caused by a human heartbeat – and the system could run on a smart speaker Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2266373-smart-speakers-could-hear-your-heart-beating-from-across-the-room/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Tag: smart speakers
Google Kills Android Things, a Smart Home OS That Never Took Off
Google plans to shut down Android Things, a stripped-down version of Android designed for smart home devices. The OS never really got off the ground, so this isn’t all that much of a loss, but it is yet another entry in Google’s expansive graveyard of shut-down projects. The Verge reports: The smart home project got its start in 2015 under the…
The Pandemic is Playing To Almost Every One of Amazon’s Strengths
An anonymous reader shares a report: As the coronavirus pandemic has forced people to stay inside, few companies have proven themselves as essential as Amazon. From groceries to cleaning supplies, shipments from Amazon have become lifelines for many who are steering clear of supermarkets and other physical retail stores. Company executives have likened the surge in demand to the annual holiday…
Amazon and Google Now Require Continuous Data From Other Smarthome Devices
An anonymous reader quotes CNET:
For years, smart speakers from Amazon, Google and Apple have traded data back and forth with other devices in the home. This is how their voice assistants turn on the smart lights. But in early 2019, something changed: Amazon and Google began requiring continuous status-change updates from devices — requiring, for instance, partnered smart bulbs to send…
Target Quietly Opens Concept Store For the Future of Gaming
Target quietly soft-launched a new concept store in downtown San Francisco a few days ago: The Game Room lets people try out Magic Leap and Oculus Quest headsets, gaming PCs and mobile gaming rigs. It’s an obvious play to make Target look hip to San Francisco’s tech-savvy clientele, but it’s also indicative of bigger industry changes. From a report: Missing from…
American Lawmakers Launch Investigations Into Ring’s Police Deals
A U.S. Congressional subcommittee is now “pursuing a deeper understanding of how Ring’s partnerships with local and state law enforcement agencies mesh with the constitutional protections Americans enjoy against unbridled police surveillance,” reports Gizmodo: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, chairman of the House Oversight and Reform subcommittee on economic and consumer policy, is seeking to learn why, in more than 700 jurisdictions, police…