Apple is working on a VR headset, and despite its delayed debut, it just might beat the competition

Along with the new IPhone X, Apple has explored the realm of augmented reality, praising the technology as new and as important as the new phone. However, it seems like CEO Tim Cook has other plans for Apple: a virtual reality headset. As of now, Apple is working on a headset that could run both augmented and virtual reality technology. The headset would feature two 8k displays, one for each eye; this is a resolution that is higher than most high definition televisions these days. The project’s name is T288 and is slated for release in 2020. Apple seems to always be lagging behind other tech giants in terms of new products. For instance, Samsung has the Samsung Vr that comes included with most phones. Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California has tried making smaller VR products. However, the headset is a huge project which allows users to explore new worlds. Over the past year, although VR technology has advanced, companies like Samsung and Oculus failed to grasp the attention of eager consumers.

Apple’s headset would connect to a box that would run Apple’s high powered processing system and would act as the main computer processing component for the headset. In addition, unlike other VR headsets, Apple’s will not contain any wires which is a hassle especially in high powered devices such as the HTC vive or the Oculus Rift. Apple has noted trends in VR headset sales; it is predicted that a whopping 120 million units would be sold in 2020 due to the increasing VR/AR trend.

All in all, I believe that the future for Apple’s headset is bright and there is potential for Apple to improve upon the already low turnout for virtual headsets.

https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-is-working-on-an-ar-augmented-reality-vr-virtual-reality-headset-powered-by-a-wireless-wigig-hub/

Animals have influenced technology both in the military and research projects

Technology has expanded to many aspects ranging from day to day lifestyle, health, entertainment, and transportation just to name a few. A big influence of technology is in the military, where soldiers could have a technological advantage over enemies. In the latest technological advancement, soldiers might end up using robots that are inspired by invertebrates to access areas in the field that humans cannot. At the University of Minnesota, scientists and researchers have joined to develop a material that could be printed in 3D to be used on the field. This material would then be used to make robots that can nimbly move in small spaces similar to a squid. There are currently military robots being used on the battlefield; however, these robots aren’t very mobile due to the stiff materials they are made out of. Researchers have not created a prototype of a dielectric elastomer actuator which is a polymer that can form different shapes when in contact with an electric charge. This change in shape allows for it to maneuver in tightly closed spaces.

Animal inspired technology have inspired the production of new robots in the past. For example, researchers at Harvard build an octopus related robot that is malleable and maneuverable. Similarly, researchers at Case Western made a robot made out of muscles from a sea slug which they currently use to survey and search the ocean. Lastly, NASA is currently working on a tentacled robot that could explore water on moons. All in all, animals have influenced technology and will continue to inspire advancements in the future.

 

https://www.cnet.com/news/us-army-researching-robots-based-on-invertebrates/

Target Fetch is an innovative way to receive common household items when needed, right to your doorstep.

Target has created home accessories that use Bluetooth to reorder common everyday household items. The project is called Target Fetch, which acts like a subscription service to track human usage of these household items, specifically toilet paper, paper towels, and soap. The campaign will launch on May 1st on Indiegogo and will gather 250 testers in the United States to try out the service. Essentially, when you sign up for Target Fetch, in the mail you will receive a toilet paper spindle, a paper towel holder, and an empty soap dispenser. These objects are all Bluetooth equipped with sensors that track how much toilet paper, paper towels, and soap is left. Each of these objects are then connected via Bluetooth to an app on your phone where you input how much of these household objects are used and which brands you may prefer. As you use these products more and more, the app will then track usage to figure out about when it is time to order more product. According to the site, you will be alerted 10 days prior to the app ordering more of the product. Shipping is also free from Target.com. Devices will begin to ship in October and will cost an average of 40 dollars. Based off the popularity of these 3 common household items, Target will then evaluate and expand to more products in the future.

Target Fetch has a few competitors, most notable Amazon. Amazon currently has the Amazon Dash Buttons which are small devices that connect to the Wifi that when pressed will order the item the button corresponds to. However, I believe that Target Fetch is different because instead of having extra objects such as buttons, you have an auto replenishment system which will fit right into your kitchen or bathroom. In addition, Amazon has yet to incorporate sensors making it a burden to remember when to press the button to order more product.

I feel that applying technology to objects that weren’t originally created to be implemented with technology is very interesting. Common household objects are now connected by the Internet of Things and a trip to the store to buy these supplies are now a thing of the past. Do you think that Target Fetch will be appealing enough to expand to more household products?

 

https://www.cnet.com/news/the-sights-and-sounds-of-facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerbergs-washington-visit/

Could electric cars affect the beverage industry?

The emergence of electric cars could severely damage the beverage industry. The reason for this? With the emergence of electric cars comes a drastic decrease in the influx of customers at fuel stations. Many fuel stations have convenience stores that customers often go to in order to pick up a drink while waiting for their gas to fill up. As a result, many analysts predict that there is a possibility for beverage sales to be hit; a survey concluded that half of all customers at a convenience store went in to solely purchase a beverage. Convenience store experts agree however, that although imminent, the threat of electric cars is still many years away. The main concern for the convenience stores should be retailers and online businesses.

A Morgan Stanley report stated that electric cars only make up a very small part of all of the vehicles on the road. However, there is a rapid growth trend which makes the future of all electric vehicles likely. While convenience stores may suffer, the beverage companies will also take a hit, Monster Beverages being one of them, as 60 percent of their sales are from convenience stores at gas station locations. The report also noted that alcoholic beverages and tobacco products will not suffer as much because of drinking and driving rules as well as the addictive properties of cigarettes that make customers come back.

While I also agree that there aren’t enough electric cars around today to impose a significant threat on the beverage industry, I think that convenience stores should make changes to remedy a possible hit. For instance, if gas stations placed electric charging stations that took the same amount of time as it would take to fill up a tank of gasoline, that would give customers enough time to want to go to the convenience store to purchase a beverage.

What are your opinions? Is the electric car enough of a disruptive innovation to impact the beverage/convenience store industry?

source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2018/04/03/how-the-arrival-of-electric-cars-could-hurt-the-beverage-industry/?utm_term=.35d8e36c6de9

Apple’s iPad or Google’s Chromebook in the classroom?

With the growing technology industry comes the idea of technology in the classroom. Earlier this week, Apple held an education event to introduce the idea of iPads along with a stylus for teachers and students to use to further enhance learning and teaching. Over recent years, the Google Chromebook has been popular amongst many schools; Apple is currently in 3rd place behind tech giants Microsoft and Google in products supplied to schools across US. Apple’s solution to this is an affordable iPad that is essentially a standard iPad with iPad pro features embedded into it at the affordable price of $299.

While I believe that the iPad would be extremely helpful in classroom activities, even at the low price of $299, the iPad is still a lot more expensive than the Chromebook alternative. The question that needs to be asked is: should teachers prioritize quality of work and creativeness of students over the idea of getting actual work done?

I think that technology in the classroom is important as grading assignments are easier. In addition, the visual aspect of technology allows for students to gain a better grasp of material that needs to be taught. On the other hand, technology can be very distracting, especially for unmotivated students who dread learning new material. Regardless, we are moving towards a technological future; it is almost guaranteed that in a few years, most classrooms will utilize some form of advanced technology. The main question is: does Apple’s iPad stack up to Google’s Chromebook in terms of usability and cost?

I think that the iPad is not a viable alternative. There is no keyboard/mouse built in and external devices are a hassle and can get very expensive over time. Combined with the already high price tag of the iPad, I think the Chromebook should continue to be implemented in classrooms.

source: https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/30/17172566/apple-ipad-google-classrooms-chromebooks-teachers-education

Cloudflare promises private, secure, and faster web browsing.

If you’ve ever browsed the internet, you have probably used a DNS (Domain Name System). A DNS acts similar to a contact list for the internet. When one searches google.com in the internet browser, for example, the computer uses a DNS to translate the site name into an IP address. While DNS seems to be paramount to having an optimal internet experience, many people use the DNS that is linked to their internet service providers which has its disadvantages. It was recently discovered that these internet service providers have been sucking up huge amounts of data by directing website addresses and tracking browsing histories. As of April 1st 2018, a company called Cloudflare released a service that would essentially speed up internet connections as well as prevent internet service providers from collecting unwanted information about you. The service is free to the public and can be accessed just by changing a setting in your web browser. CEO Matthew Prince promises that “At no time will [they] record the list of where everyone is going online, that’s creepy.” Partnering with KPMG, Cloudflare will confirm that such internet tracking/data collection will not be taking place. Competitors of Cloudshare include Google’s DNS and OpenDNS. However, it was found that these companies keep anonymous records of sites visited to help optimize future web searches.

The main source of revenue for Cloudflare is not the benefit of anonymous web browsing, however. All of the customers of Cloudflare will gain the benefit of faster website loading speeds. The less data collected from the DNS, the faster the website becomes.

All in all, I believe that internet security is very important for the safety of users. Many users, including myself, did not realize how much personal data is being collected from DNS through internet service providers. Cyber security is something that should be considered next time you browse the internet.

source: https://www.cnet.com/news/cloudfare-new-1111-dns-privacy-tool-would-speed-your-internet-too/