The newest security camera from Eufy — Anker’s smart home company — can see clearly in the dark, uses radar motion sensing for fewer false alerts, and records 24/7 when wired. As with other Eufy cams, the new S3 Pro has free facial recognition, package, vehicle, and pet detection, plus locally stored recorded video with no monthly fees.
Technology
Tesla will no longer include mobile connectors with every car
Tesla has stopped together with its cell connector with new automobile purchases, and can as an alternative promote the accent individually for a less expensive $200 value, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed in a series of tweets. The cell connector comes with an adapter that enables drivers to cost their vehicles from an ordinary family outlet, with different adapters obtainable for buy individually.
Primarily based on suggestions obtained, we’ll drop cell connector value to $200 & make it simple to order with automobile.
Be aware, cell connector just isn’t wanted you probably have a Tesla wall connector or to make use of Superchargers.
Suggest putting in Tesla wall connector effectively earlier than automobile arrives.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2022
On Saturday evening, Twitter person @Tesla_Adri discovered that Tesla up to date its assist web page to notice that the cell connector prices $400. Tesla beforehand listed the cell connector as an adjunct that “comes with car.”
In a reply to a person’s response to the scenario, Musk confirmed that the corporate will now not embrace connectors with purchases. “Utilization statistics have been tremendous low, so appeared wasteful,” Musk defined, including that Tesla “will likely be together with extra plug adapters with the cell connector package” sooner or later. It’s unclear which of them Tesla will begin together with with the package.
Musk offered one other replace hours later, stating that, “based mostly on person suggestions,” Tesla will decrease the value of the cell connector to $200. He additionally stated that Tesla will “make it simple” to order the cell connector when buying a automobile, and inspired clients to get a wall charger put in “effectively earlier than” their automobile arrives.
The cell connector continues to be listed as costing $400 on Tesla’s web site, and also you couldn’t buy one even if you happen to needed to — the cell connector is at the moment out of inventory. That stated, it’s unclear how lengthy it has been out of inventory, or whether or not a provide chain scarcity is contributing to Tesla’s choice. Tesla did not instantly reply to The Verge’s request for remark (Tesla disbanded its public relations workforce in 2019 and usually doesn’t reply to inquiries from the media).
Reactions to Musk’s choice have been combined. Though a cell connector isn’t a necessity, as Tesla homeowners can cost their automobile from a wall charger put in at their dwelling or at a charging station, some drivers say it’s comforting to have the cell connector with them whereas touring. The accent can turn out to be useful at campsites or when touring in an space with out charging stations, because it permits drivers to plug their automobile into an ordinary 120v outlet.
Some drivers additionally say the cell connector servers as a less expensive different to the costly wall charger, while others say they not often use it in any respect. Connectors with a 120v or 240v adapter come customary with different EVs, such because the Nissan Leaf, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Chevy Bolt, and all BMW EVs.
In 2020, Apple famously stopped together with chargers with its new iPhones, with Samsung and Google following swimsuit. Though it’s simple to see parallels between this case and Tesla’s, it’s far too early to inform if Tesla’s transfer will create a domino impact amongst different EV makers.
Technology
This Eufy security camera can show nighttime as if it were daytime
Unlike most other Eufy cameras, the S3 Pro will work with Apple Home and is compatible with Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video service.
The EufyCam S3 Pro launches this week as a two-camera bundle with one HomeBase S380 for $549.99. The HomeBase 3 enables smart alerts and local storage (16GB onboard storage, expandable up to 16 TB). It also connects the S3 Pro to Apple Home, making it the first Eufy camera to work with Apple’s smart home platform since the EufyCam 2 series from 2019.
Eufy spokesperson Brett White confirmed to The Verge that the S3 Pro will be compatible with HomeKit Secure Video. Apple’s end-to-end encrypted video storage service. “The plan is for all future devices to have Apple Home compatibility, and we’re looking into grandfathering older devices, too,” said White.
The S3 Pro has a new color night vision feature called MaxColor Vision that promises “daylike footage even in pitch-dark conditions, without the need for a spotlight.” I saw a demo of this technology at the IFA tech show in Berlin this month, and it was impressive.
A camera was positioned inside a completely dark room, sending video to a monitor outside, on which I could see everything in the room as if it were daytime. Eufy says a 1/1.8-inch CMOS sensor, F1.0 aperture, and an AI-powered image signal processor power the tech.
While the color night vision doesn’t use a spotlight, the S3 Pro does include a motion-activated spotlight that Eufy says can adapt based on real-time lighting to give you the best image. The light can also be manually adjusted using the app while viewing a live stream.
New dual motion detection uses radar sensing technology combined with passive infrared (PIR) technology. This should identify people more accurately and not send alerts that there’s a person in the yard when it’s a tree blowing in the wind. Eufy says it reduces false alerts by up to 99 percent.
The S3 Pro is battery-powered with a 13,000 mAh battery that provides up to a quoted 365 days of power. A built-in solar panel can power the camera power for longer. In my testing of the EufyCam S3, which also has a built-in solar panel, I’ve not had to recharge it in over a year.
The S3 Pro’s solar panel is 50 percent larger than the S3’s, and Eufy claims it can keep the camera fully charged with just an hour of sunlight a day. Eufy also includes an external solar panel with the camera, so you can install the camera under an eave and still get power.
Eufy says the S3 Pro records up to 4K resolution and is powered by a USB-C cable. When wired, it can record 24/7 — the first consumer-level battery-powered camera from Eufy with this capability.
- Full-duplex two-way audio
- Dual-mic array that can record human voices up to 26 feet away
- A 100dB siren and motion-activated voice warnings
- A 24/7 snapshot feature that can take a photo every minute
- Activity and privacy zones
- Integration with Google Home and Amazon Alexa
- IP67 weatherproofing
- 8x digital zoom
Following some serious security and privacy incidents in 2022, Eufy has published a new list of privacy commitments on its website. The company also worked with cybersecurity expert Ralph Echemendia following the issues, and last year, he completed an assessment that, the company claims, shows it has “met all proactive and reactive security benchmarks.”
Technology
Make these changes now to protect your kids online
Social media is a minefield of dangers for teens, exposing them to extreme content like anorexia “thinspiration,” drug culture, hardcore pornography, suicide glorification and even predatory grooming. Algorithms push the darkest corners of the internet right onto their screens, sometimes with devastating consequences.
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With increasing pressure from Washington, D.C., and outraged parents, social media platforms are finally starting to act. They’re rolling out much-needed tools to help monitor kids’ online activity, offering control over what teens are exposed to so you, as parents or guardians, can watch out for their mental health and safety.
HOSPITALS FACING UNPRECEDENTED THREATS; YOU MUST SECURE YOUR HEALTH RECORDS TODAY
Know the Instagram settings
From Family Center, you can see how much time your teen spends in the app (but not what they’re doing). You can set daily time limits and establish times to put the app in “sleep mode” so they won’t get notifications.
It starts with an invite: In the Instagram app, tap your profile picture (bottom right), followed by the menu button (top right) and then Family Center to connect to your teen. They can do it from their end, too, by choosing Supervision from the same menu.
Two-way street: You can put hard rules in place or just have Instagram show warnings when your kid has gone beyond their limit. They can also request more time in the app, so be prepared for some negotiation.
Put the ‘you’ in YouTube
You can’t see what your teen is watching on YouTube or set time limits, but you can get alerts when they start a livestream or upload a new video. You can also see who’s subscribing to and commenting on their videos.
3 SECURITY AND DATA CHECKS YOU SHOULD DO ONCE A YEAR
Get connected: Open the YouTube app on your phone, tap your profile picture (bottom right), followed by the gear icon (top right), and pick Family Center. Tap Invite a teen to ask to supervise your kid’s YouTube account.
Keep communicating: This won’t work unless you talk to your teen about it and explain how it keeps them safe. They can kick you out of their account any time they like, so you might have to rely on your diplomacy skills pretty regularly.
Related: Watch extended interviews and get more tech tips at our YouTube Channel.
Restrict the chats on Snapchat
You can’t see your teen’s Snapchat messages or private photos and videos (which is probably for the best), but you can see who they’re making friends with and who they’ve chatted with the most over the past seven days.
Team up with your teen: From the Snapchat app on your phone, make sure you’re friends with your teen. Then, tap your profile picture (top left), followed by the settings gear icon (top right) and Family Center to set up the parent-to-kid link.
ONE LIE SECURITY EXPERTS USE ALL THE TIME AND YOU SHOULD, TOO
Taking more control: There’s also a toggle switch for restricting your teen’s access to content labeled “sensitive” in Stories and the Spotlight part of Snapchat. Additionally, you can disable your teen’s access to the AI bot inside Snapchat.
Action plan for parents
Remember when you had a fake driver’s license or told a little white lie to get what you wanted? Kids have ways around parental controls and know how to spin the birth year wheel when signing up to get around age restrictions.
- Have the passcode to their phone: You need access to everything, at any time. Make this a non-negotiable if you pay for their phone. Even if you don’t check, your kid knowing you could is a good deterrent for risky behavior.
- Set limits: Use the built-in app controls to monitor their time spent in the apps and tools like content filters to limit their exposure to inappropriate material.
- “Friend” or “Follow” them: Stay connected on social media to see their circle and interactions. Without open dialogue, they’ll find ways around you.
- Learn about “finstas”: “Finsta” is slang for a fake Instagram account, and more than 50% of high schoolers have them. It’s a space where kids post unfiltered photos and opinions.
Talk to your kid
I was open and honest with my son about the dangers of social media and the internet from a young age. I didn’t do that to scare him, but to explain why I had certain rules in place. Knowing the why made it feel more like we were on the same team. If you need help, get our free Tech Contract for Kids.
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Technology
Agatha All Along’s practical effects were key to bringing its magic to life
While WandaVision featured a smorgasbord of digital VFX, the series’ clever practical effects were a huge part of what established it as one of Marvel’s most imaginatively crafted projects. The show’s use of old-school Hollywood tricks made each episode feel like a different kind of classic sitcom, all while teasing out its major magical twists.
Instead of WandaVision’s references to sitcoms like I Love Lucy and Bewitched, Disney Plus’ new follow-up series, Agatha All Along, pays homage to supernatural horrors like Rosemary’s Baby and The Craft. It tells the story of how parasitic witch Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) sets out to regain her powers with the help of an unlikely team of friends and enemies. After being freed from a years-long hex that convinced her she was living in a gritty crime drama, Agatha realizes that her one hope of getting back on top is to put together a new coven and walk the Witches’ Road — a magical dimension only accessible (by song, naturally) to covens of magic users.
The show’s premise makes it seem like the sort of Marvel joint that would involve a lot more of the (at times very iffy) CGI that the studio’s live-action projects have become known for. But during the series’ recent press junket, showrunner Jac Schaeffer and executive producers Mary Livanos and Brad Winderbaum said that, in order to make Agatha All Along feel distinct and like a deep dive into the MCU’s mystical underbelly, they wanted to lean even more heavily into practical effects.
Much of WandaVision’s emphasis on practical effects stemmed from the show’s need to evoke the visual styles of shows from specific decades throughout the 20th century. But Schaeffer saw Agatha All Along as an opportunity to pay homage to the big-screen fantasies that shaped her storytelling sensibilities — many of which were known for their intricate sets and use of puppetry.
“On WandaVision, it was very precise which shows we were [mimicking,’] but [Agatha All Along] is really kind of broken open. It’s a lot of my personal influences. I’m a NeverEnding Story, Dark Crystal, Labyrinth kind of gal,” Schaeffer said.
There are flashes of witchiness sprinkled all throughout Agatha All Along’s premiere, but you can see the otherworldly whimsy Schaeffer’s talking about most clearly in the show’s third episode. “Through Many Miles of Tricks and Trials” transports Agatha’s coven from a New Jersey basement to the Witches’ Road where it’s perpetually twilight and the ground comes to life, ready to swallow people up if they aren’t careful about where they step.
Though the Witches’ Road — a realm that features largely in James Robinson and Vanesa Del Rey’s 2016 Scarlet Witch comic series — feels like the sort of glowy, metaphysical place Disney would usually create using Volume VFX sets, Livanos said that Agatha All Along’s effects were “almost wholly practical.” Winderbaum added that, for the Road itself, where much of Agatha All Along takes place, “there wasn’t a single green screen in sight on that set.”
Marvel’s past use of green screens and other digital effects has prompted some of the studio’s stars to speak out about how difficult it can be to deliver solid performances while acting in a neon void. WandaVision’s Elizabeth Olsen recently opened up about her own frustrations performing inside the physical nothingness required to bring Marvel’s big-budget projects together in post-production. But Hahn pointed to the Witches’ Road set as one of the big reasons why working on Agatha All Along felt like an immersive acting experience that didn’t require her “to shake off the outside world.”
“You felt so implanted in this magical place, and because it was mostly practical, it wasn’t something you had to imagine,” Hahn said. “It was like right there, which was very helpful and unexpectedly trippy.”
Because it’s a Marvel show about people casting spells and fighting demons, Agatha All Along still features its fair share of digital wizardry that works to make some of its more action-packed scenes pop. As a fan of stories that highlight characters’ physical transformations, though, Schaeffer jumped on every opportunity to put her witches through a crucible that left them literally “filthy, scarred, and scratched” by the show’s end.
“The cast were such troopers because all of that was real. There’s no adding digital blood and digital mud. These ladies were messed up for a long time. Cold; wet; muddy. Chocolate pudding all over their heads.”
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