Technology

Why your Philips Hue bulb is randomly setting itself to 100 percent brightness

Published

2 weeks ago

July 8, 2024

Are your Philips Hue smart light bulbs seemingly going rogue, randomly turning themselves up to full brightness even if you’ve set them dimmer? Philips Hue parent company Signify is aware of the issue, has figured out the root cause, and tells The Verge that a fix is coming as soon as next week.

“After extensive analysis, we have identified an interoperability issue with the Matter smarthome standard, in which random temporary radio traffic disruptions are incorrectly recognized as legacy switch power toggles, turning low brightness lights to full brightness,” Signify third-party spokesperson Kate Helander tells The Verge.

In this case, it’s not clear which group(s) are at fault — we’ve asked the Connectivity Standards Alliance behind Matter for comment — but at least you won’t have to wait long for a solution. “A permanent fix for the issue is in progress and will be rolled out within the next week,” Signify tells us.

If you can’t wait, the company says you can just disconnect the Hue Bridge from Matter in the meantime. “Please note you may need to do this in your phone settings as well as the Matter controller app you are using,” Signify writes.

According to Signify, the issue only affects “a small percentage of users.”

Technology

How to make it easier to use your phone one-handed

Published

5 hours ago

July 21, 2024

Press Room

How to make it easier to use your phone one-handed

There are going to be times when you’ve only got one hand free to use your phone. You may be walking the dog, carrying groceries, hanging on to a subway pole, or you just don’t have another hand available. But with just about every modern phone sporting a screen at least six inches corner to corner, using one hand to work your phone could be a difficult balancing act.

Luckily, both Android and iOS phones come with integrated features to make one-handed phone use less tricky. There are also some helpful options inside individual apps you can turn to.

Methods for Android phones

One-handed mode

Android has a dedicated one-handed mode that lets you shrink any app down to the bottom half of the screen to make it easier to reach. The way to enable that mode can be slightly different, depending on the manufacturer.

From Settings on a Pixel phone (or most other Android phones), go to System > Gestures > One-handed mode and enable the toggle switch.
From Settings on a Samsung Galaxy phone, tap Advanced features > One-handed mode and enable the toggle switch.

Either way, you can then simply swipe down on the screen to pull the top half of an app into reach. Make sure you swipe down close to the bottom of the screen, as otherwise, you’ll simply refresh the screen in whatever app you’re in. Tap anywhere above the app to go back to a full-screen view.

Android comes with a dedicated one-handed mode.

Screenshot: Google

You can adjust the Gboard keyboard to be more toward the side of the screen.

Screenshot: Google

Enable a one-handed keyboard

Whatever app you’re in, you can make sure Android’s default Gboard keyboard is easier to get to for one set of fingers and a thumb. With the keyboard on screen:

Tap the four-box icon above the keyboard to the left.
Choose One-handed from the pop-up menu.

The keyboard then pushes up against one side of the screen. Tap the arrow button to switch it to the other side or the expand button (four arrows) to go back to normal. (You don’t get this on the default Samsung keyboard on Galaxy phones, but you can always install Gboard on any Android phone.)

Make homescreen apps easier to access

It helps if the app shortcuts you rely on most often are down towards the bottom of your home screen, rather than up at the top. You can organize this manually, but on Pixel phones you can also have a row of your most-used apps pop down to the bottom.

Open Settings then tap Apps > Default apps.
Tap the gear icon next to Pixel Launcher.
Tap Suggestions and enable Suggestions on Home screen.

Make browsing easier

If you’ve got a Samsung phone and you use the Samsung Internet Browser, you can move the web address and search bar down to the bottom of the screen as well. (Weirdly enough, Chrome for Android doesn’t currently let you do this, though Chrome for iOS does — go figure.)

Tap the hamburger menu (bottom right) then Settings.
Choose Layout and menus.
Enable Show toolbar at bottom and Show address bar at bottom.

(Note: Some Android phones will not have the Show toolbar at bottom feature listed.)

You can find the same option inside Firefox for Android: tap the three dots (top right), then Settings > Customize and choose Bottom for the toolbar.

Methods for iPhones

If iOS is your mobile platform of choice, you can do many of the same tricks as you can on Android.

One-handed mode

The one-handed mode that covers the whole of iOS is called Reachability. You can find it from Settings on your iPhone:

Tap Accessibility > Touch.
Turn on the Reachability toggle switch.

A downward swipe toward the bottom of the screen will then shrink down whatever app or system menu you have on screen, making it easier to get at with one hand. Tap the arrow at the top of the window to go back to normal.

You can place the address bar at the bottom in Safari on iOS.

Screenshot: Apple

The Reachability mode on the iPhone helps with one-handed operation.

Screenshot: Apple

One-handed keyboard

The iOS keyboard has a one-handed mode as well. With the keyboard on screen:

Long -press on the icon in the lower left corner (it’ll show a globe or emoji symbol, depending on the keyboards you’ve got installed).
Tap on the left or right keyboard layout to pin the keyboard to that side.

You can use the white arrow that fills the space left by the keyboard to go back to the normal layout again.

Make browsing easier

As mentioned above, Chrome for iOS lets you move the address and search bar down to the bottom of the screen:

Tap the three dots (bottom right).
Choose Settings.
Tap Address bar, then (at the top of the screen) Bottom.

This is the layout Safari for iOS uses by default. If it’s been changed for whatever reason, you can reset it via Safari in iOS Settings, under the Tabs heading.

Technology

The Gamma PS1 emulator for iOS now supports 4-player games

Published

13 hours ago

July 20, 2024

Press Room

The Gamma PS1 emulator for iOS now supports 4-player games

The Gamma PS1 emulator has gained a number of significant updates since it launched as one of the first console emulators for iPhones in May. Recent updates added a new “Enhance Audio” feature and better multiplayer support, joining other key updates over the last few weeks.

Developer Benjamin Stark (aka ZodTTD) told The Verge in an email that the Enhance Audio feature in his most recent update improves audio “using reverb and interpolation effects.” He also “added Multitap emulation” for games that used Sony’s adapter that expanded the PS1’s controller port count from two to four. (That was used for games like Crash Team Racing, NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, and more.)

In other recent updates, Stark added analog stick support for games that used the Sony Dual Shock controller and the ability to switch discs without going back to the main menu for multidisc games like Metal Gear Solid. He also introduced a new “Pro” upgrade for $4.99 that turns ads off entirely.

Technology

CARMEN the robot companion can help boost your memory and cognition

Published

13 hours ago

July 20, 2024

Press Room

CARMEN the robot companion can help boost your memory and cognition

Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten why you’re there? Or misplaced your keys for the umpteenth time this week? If you’ve been noticing these little memory hiccups more often, you’re not alone.

As we age, our cognitive functions can start to slow down, and for some, it might be a sign of mild cognitive impairment.

But don’t worry. Help is on the way in an unexpected form. Say hello to CARMEN, a new robot designed to give your brain the workout it needs.

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Carmen AI robot (University of California San Diego)

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What’s CARMEN, you ask?

CARMEN stands for Cognitively Assistive Robot for Motivation and Neurorehabilitation. Fancy name, right? But don’t worry, CARMEN’s job is simple — to help people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) sharpen their mental skills from the comfort of their own homes. This small, tabletop robot was developed by researchers at the University of California San Diego.

Think of CARMEN as a personal trainer for your brain, ready to guide you through exercises that can boost your memory, enhance your attention and improve your problem-solving skills. What makes CARMEN special is that it’s the only robot out there that focuses on teaching compensatory cognitive strategies. In other words, it helps you find clever workarounds for cognitive challenges.

2-CARMEN the robot companion can help boost your memory and cognition

Carmen AI robot (University of California San Diego)

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Why CARMEN is a game-changer

Here’s the deal. About 20% of folks over 65 have MCI, which is like a middle ground between normal aging and dementia. It’s not just a minor inconvenience. Up to 15% of people with MCI transition to dementia each year. While there aren’t any miracle pills to stop MCI from progressing, behavioral treatments can make a real difference. That’s where CARMEN comes in.

As Laurel Riek, a professor at UC San Diego and the project’s senior author, puts it, “We wanted to make sure we were providing meaningful and practical inventions.”

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3-CARMEN the robot companion can help boost your memory and cognition

Carmen AI robot (University of California San Diego)

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What can CARMEN do for you?

Imagine having a personal trainer for your brain right on your tabletop. CARMEN leads you through fun, interactive games and activities designed to boost your memory, attention and problem-solving skills. If you need help remembering where you put your keys, CARMEN can teach you to create routine places for important objects.

If you’re struggling to keep track of appointments, CARMEN’s got note-taking strategies for that. These aren’t just random exercises. They’re part of a well-validated compensatory cognitive training (CCT) intervention, which CARMEN delivers autonomously.

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4-CARMEN the robot companion can help boost your memory and cognition

Carmen AI robot (University of California San Diego)

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The brains behind CARMEN

CARMEN wasn’t born in a vacuum. The clever folks at the University of California San Diego teamed up with doctors, people with MCI and their caregivers to create this little robot. They wanted to make sure CARMEN would be truly helpful in real-life situations.

The team designed CARMEN with some key features in mind. It’s plug-and-play, with few moving parts, so you can use it without supervision. It works even with limited internet access. It communicates clearly and shows empathy. It gives you breaks after tough tasks to keep you engaged.

5-CARMEN the robot companion can help boost your memory and cognition

Carmen AI robot (University of California San Diego)

CARMEN in action: What do users think?

After spending a week with CARMEN, users reported trying out new strategies they thought were impossible before. Most found CARMEN easy to use and understand, though one user did find it a bit challenging. The best part? Everyone wanted more time with their new robotic pal.

“We found that CARMEN gave participants confidence to use cognitive strategies in their everyday life, and participants saw opportunities for CARMEN to exhibit greater levels of autonomy or be used for other applications,”the researchers reported.

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6-CARMEN the robot companion can help boost your memory and cognition

Carmen AI robot (University of California San Diego))

The tech behind CARMEN

CARMEN is built on the FLEXI robot platform from the University of Washington. However, the UC San Diego team made significant hardware modifications and wrote all the software from scratch. They’re using ROS (Robot Operating System) to run CARMEN’s brain.

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7-CARMEN the robot companion can help boost your memory and cognition

Carmen AI robot (University of California San Diego)

What’s next for CARMEN?

The team is planning to test CARMEN in more homes. It also wants to teach CARMEN how to have conversations while keeping your privacy safe. This is both an accessibility issue and a response to people’s expectations of being able to talk with home systems. The researchers are also exploring how CARMEN might help people with other conditions, like ADHD.

But they’re being careful too. As Riek notes, “We want to be mindful that the user still needs to do the bulk of the work, so the robot can only assist and not give too many hints.”

While we don’t know the eventual cost or exact release date yet, CARMEN’s development shows promise for accessible, at-home cognitive support in the future.

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Similar technologies in brain training

While CARMEN represents an exciting development in cognitive assistance for those with mild cognitive impairment, it’s worth noting that it’s not the only player in the field of brain training technology. We’ve previously covered another innovative system called Sens.ai, which offers a different approach to cognitive enhancement.

Sens.ai is a 5-in-1 brain training system that uses a comfortable headset and a gamified app to help users achieve various cognitive goals. Unlike CARMEN, which is specifically designed for those with mild cognitive impairment, Sens.ai caters to a broader audience looking to improve sleep, cognition, well-being or meditation skills.

The Sens.ai system employs a range of advanced technologies, including brainwave sensors, heart rate monitors, transcranial photobiomodulation, and objective functional brain testing. These tools work together to measure and enhance brain performance across different areas of cognitive function.

While CARMEN is still in the research phase, Sens.ai is already available to consumers, offering a free trial of its membership program. It’s backed by scientific research and has garnered positive testimonials from users.

The existence of technologies like Sens.ai alongside research projects like CARMEN demonstrates the growing interest and investment in cognitive enhancement tools. As this field continues to evolve, we may see a variety of options become available to support brain health and cognitive function for different user needs and preferences.

Kurt’s key takeaways

CARMEN represents an exciting step forward in how we approach cognitive health. By bringing clinically validated exercises into people’s homes through a friendly, interactive robot, we’re making brain health more accessible and engaging. While CARMEN is still in the research phase, it’s not hard to imagine a future where these kinds of AI assistants become common household helpers, especially for our aging population. They could be a game-changer in extending independence and quality of life for many people.

So, what do you think? Would you welcome a little robot like CARMEN into your home to help keep your mind sharp? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.