Author Archives: tamsons

Pixel Devices Update

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An update on Pixel usage

Thought we would pop on and give an update on the pixel devices now we have been using them and they have had a number of updates.

Google Pixel 7 Pro Phone

As mentioned in our first post we have been using the phone for business and leisure.

What are we finding?

Well, it does the job and has only had a few glitches that have caused concern. The screen has on occasion went faded out and then come back again after pressing a few buttons. It also hasn’t responded quickly to some light changes in the room I have been in. A slight lag as they say.

The battery is OK and it seems to cope with all the apps I use and the constant usage for business and then leisure. (And I assure you that’s a lot.)

The screen is large and very clear once you step it up to the higher display setting. Very sharp and clear. The camera is doing what it says as well and you can zoom in a great distance and still get clear pictures, due to the AI taking over. Also, Macro is good and I find myself using portrait mode when taking closer photos and it blurs the background. I have only played with the magic eraser a few times and it works. Sometimes it guesses and gets the filing background slightly askew.

Processors are fast and the security levels are much improved. I now have access to Google VPN when out and about as well. So, all in all, tick, tick, tick.

The leather case I ordered from Google as well and I am slightly disappointed with it. It is becoming dirty very fast and scuffing at comers and edges are becoming visible. I may have to replace this.

Onto the Pixel Watch

Well, as mentioned in the initial post, the battery life here is the problem and I still charge it around three times per day. I have had some updates and I thought this might cure things. But alas no.

It has also had some glitches with the use of NFC for payments and sometimes just doesn’t perform.

I also had problems adding my company card to the watch for payment and have had to contact my bank on each occasion. It crashed on me after an update and I had to research getting it running again as it had frozen on restarting screen. Got there eventually. It just seems a bit buggy. I have had Wear watches for a good few years now. Staring with a Motorola one and then a Huawei W1 and then the Fossil Gen 5. So, no stranger to them. This one just needs something that would make it more stable.

The strap design, for getting on and off is good and I have ordered some extra straps and can change them easily. The battery and the bugginess are the main issues. Will see how things go.

All these devices were purchased from the Google Store. https://store.google.com/gb/?hl=en-GB

Watch this space and we may be back soon, let us know what your thoughts are if you have dived into the Pixel train

Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel Watch Test Driving

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Oh new toys to play with

Google Pixel 7 Pro Phone

So we took delivery of the new Google Pixel flagship range of devices. We had to replace our ageing Pixel 5 phone and Fossil smartwatch. So this seemed an excellent time to try the new goods.

As you know we have been Google fans for phones and tech for a while and this is us just keeping to what we know best. The Pixel 7 Pro is the larger of the two Pixel 7 phones. So WE wanted to try all the extra bells and whistles it has. The camera and the built-in AI intrigues us and we wanted t see if it lived up to what they claim. It is early days yet but we are so far impressed. even the under-screen fingerprint reader has improved a lot in the Pixel 7 Pro. It is a larger phone and the screen resolution can be pumped up and give the sharpest of images. We will report back in a few weeks on the pros and cons we have found after using it for business and leisure.

Onto the Pixel Watch

Google’s well-rumoured first dive into a Wear product. It is not as watch-looking as my previous Fossil Watch. But works well. The only thing we are finding so far is the battery just doesn’t last and we are charging it through the day at least twice, so it can be worn it at night and check sleep patterns. It also doesn’t fast charge at this point and doesn’t use the rumoured QI charging. so you can only use the supplied charger base. Will see if they push out any updates to improve things. It also has its own dedicated App and not the Wear app I used before. Will again report back on usage, but these are some of the initial findings.

Watch this space for more info as we collate our findings in the weeks to come.

CES 2022: Ameca the robot

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Ameca the human robot

Having watched a lot of the reports from the CES 2022 this year I am constantly drawn back to the Ameca the robot to help humans communicate with AI. (My Sci-Fi routes coming into play)

The development engineer is interviewed and actually talks about how we have been using keyboards to interact for so long and they are a dated device. If we have to interact with AI in the future we will want a more human contact method. The AI here is impressive and she, (Ameca), can react to people’s facial expressions and know if they are happy or sad, etc.

She is the best I have seen over the last few years and uses her hands etc to gesture as she talks. She can identify who spoke and look right at them. I am just glad they didn’t call her HAL.

Here is the video called A conversation with Ameca from Interesting engineering, what do you think?

So, Windows 11 then?

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Windows 11

Microsoft has done the very thing it said it wouldn’t and launched a new operating system, Windows 11. They had always said that Windows 10 would be the last and it would be tailored and updated. However, here we are with a new version of Windows. So, Windows 11 then?

So lets all go and download and install it.

Microsoft has said it is a free download for Windows 10 users, so surely it should be a simple case of downloading and installing it. Well, unfortunately, no it isn’t.

So what are the issues, or known issues just now?

Here is what we know so far and it is changing every day. Windows 11 looks at two main things and they are as follows: –

It checks if your current hardware system has something called TPM version 2. (Earlier versions are not supported.) What is TPM, well it is explained here? I have version 1.5 on my system.

The next thing it checks is your processor and it must be 8th generation or higher CPU. I have an i7 and it won’t install on it as it must be an older generation. Now being a green focussed guy I purchased my desktop last year as a refurbished machine and has an i7 and 32Gb of ram and a 480Gb SSD and can handle everything I throw at it. I won’t be changing my machine soon.

Work arounds, what are they and are they recommended?

Now you may have read about various workarounds and even Microsoft posted a link to give a workaround for the TPM check. It involves changing registry settings on the current machine and then running the install package from a downloaded ISO of Windows 11. Someone has also come up with a workaround for the CPU being a problem. Some people I know have managed to install even though Windows 11 said their system wasn’t compatible.

But, the big elephant in the room is that Microsoft even in their own article about the workaround for the TPM has said, “We do not recommend this as the system maybe become unstable and it may affect future updates.”

The problem with these specific workarounds is that when Windows 11 updates run in the future the system may become corrupted or even completely brick itself and the machine will have to be flattened and reinstalled with a system that works. So do these at your own risk.

So what are Microsoft playing at?

Answers on a postcard, please. They have copied Apple on the TPM front which ties the Operating System to the Hardware. But making the processor such a new version seems a bit ridiculous, as I can’t see larger organisations and even some smaller orgainsations I deal with replacing all their machines just to get Windows 11. The cost would be massive and very prohibitive. This would suggest that Microsoft is going to have to support Windows 10 well into the future until these organisations replace their machines with the later kit. I honestly think that Microsoft has lost the ball here and/or is playing a new card that we are all unsure of. They may be trying to force people to replace machines, they have rumored that Windows will become a Software as a service like Office 365, and in fact, they have that just now where you can purchase Microsoft 365 which includes the Operating System. How this will be affected by Windows 11 being so selective, for the people who have already purchased this I don’t know.

Here are a few other links that talk about the workarounds and some of the Windows 11 stuff. ( I do not recommend these, do them at your own risk)

TPM workaround, https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-shares-windows-11-tpm-check-bypass-for-unsupported-pcs/

CPU workaround, Check out this site.

Windows 11 causing problems with AMD processors, https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/6/22713310/windows-11-amd-ryzen-processors-performance-issues-software-update-october

Good luck out there folks

What is the key factor about adopting technology?

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A question I am asked a lot is, “What technology should I be using?”

The better question would be why should I use that technology?

So, what is the point of this article.? It is all about what you need and what you do.

The technology of yesterday, is not the technology of tomorrow as it is changing so fast. This matters because of the reason that technology is changing. It is changing because of customer demand a lot of the time and the new technology helps users work smarter and not harder.

So, what are the key factors about adopting new technology?

The ultimate answer is you are the key factor, let me explain further: –

I could easily go into any of my clients and simply say here is the new tech and you need it now. This of course is a broad-brush approach and they may not need half of what I am telling them they need.

So, I never do that, I ask loads and I mean loads of questions. I need to get inside their heads and their business. My forte is that I keep an eye and focus on what is out there and can advise accordingly.

I try and establish the following: –

  1. What do you and your business do just now?
  2. What may you be doing in the shorter term?
  3. Where do you see things in the longer term?

This enables me to focus on exactly you do and how you currently are doing it.

I can then look at solutions that are there just now that may make your tasks smarter and with emerging tech, I can advise on when you should maybe put your toe in the water.

I.T. is an ever-changing horizon and you have your focus and business to run. So why not hand it over to someone who focusses on the tech and get them to advise on what may be beneficial for you.

So, the key factors about adopting technology is you and your team and business. I always start from that point.

I.T. Needs Analysis Packages

More cool stuff from CES 2020

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Another cool item form the CES 2020, this time the article is courtesy of Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold ($2,499.00 — mid-2020)

The first-ever laptop with a foldable display is undoubtedly a highlight of CES 2020 — a futuristic device that you can actually buy this year.

Way back in May 2019, Lenovo made a lofty promise while showing off a prototype device: that it would release the first-ever laptop with a foldable display, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, in 2020. Now, Lenovo has clearly made good on that promise.

The tested, stylized version of the product shown off almost a year ago — with literal support tape on it and without a name — easily sells the idea of what foldable screen technology could accomplish in a mobile computing device.

Magazines could look fantastic on the ThinkPad X1 Fold, and with the bundled Bluetooth keyboard, people could work on that document while watching the latest episode of “The Witcher” on Netflix above. These are quaint scenarios, and barely business-related as the “ThinkPad” name would suggest, but these are the first ideas that come to mind.

The $2,499.00 price tag essentially shrinks the audience for this first foldable outing to just well-off executives and other financially fortunate technology enthusiasts — including some creative pros despite the suit-like ThinkPad branding. Regardless, the ThinkPad X1 Fold captures our imaginations, which makes it all the more exciting to be released in 2020. — Joe Osborne, senior technology editor

Some cool stuff from CES 2020

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We haven’t had the time to look over all the announcements at CES 2020 this year, but we will try and bring one or two that caught our eye to you over the next few weeks.

This one we think should be taken further and adopted by vehicle manufacturers. What do you think?

Virtual Car Visor 

Made by German manufacturer Bosch, the virtual visor works by tracking the driver’s eyes using facial recognition technology. When it detects sun in the driver’s eyes it blocks it without obscuring the rest of the road.

When it detects sun it casts a show over the small area of the driver’s face exposed to sun glare stopping it from interfering with their view.

Sun visors are one of the most overlooked features of a car’s interior, according to Bosch. AA research shows that one in 50% of car accidents in the UK is caused by sun glare.

If the product proves viable it could totally eliminate the need for traditional sun visors in cars. However, at present, the virtual visor is just a concept and years away from going into production.

A Christmas Apology

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Christmas gift list
Happy Christmas from us All

We are writing to you our followers, a Christmas apology. We have, due to our parent company reorganising been very quiet on the blog site this year. We are sorry about that. We are hoping that in 2020, a new year and a new decade that we will be updating more often and posting articles about what is happening in the tech world. with some guest bloggers as well.

Let us take this opportunity to say a massive thank you for sticking with us and we wish you a very merry Christmas and a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year when it comes.

Should old kit be abandoned?

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laptop update
Old kit gets a new life

The current statistics shown that the sales of various tech is now down and that people aren’t eagerly awaiting to buy the latest thing.

There are various reasons for this and to put your finger in the one would be wrong.

But it begs the question about what we do with old kit? I have been recently taking 7 year old laptops that have still some very good kit on board and upgrading by adding a SSD drive to them.

What do we do with our computers?

We need to look at what we now do with computers: –

  • A few years ago all programmes were on the computer and so was the data until we backed it up
  • The Internet was growing fast and we are getting faster access.
  • So cloud storage became a thing and has grown over the last few years to an amazing level.
    • “According to recent research by Nasuni, there is over 1 Exabyte of data stored in the cloud, or: 1024 Petabytes of data. 1,073,741,824 Gigabytes of data. Quintillion bytes of data” This data was 2013. 6 years ago.
  • These figures don’t even make sense to us. To try and comprehend this amount of data and storage becomes something we can’t relate to.
  • Applications are also becoming more cloud driven and this will only increase over the next few years. SAAS. (Software As A Service). Office 365 is a well-known one. Google utilities, (G-suite), etc. Monthly subscriptions and the latest and greatest always at your fingertips.

So what does this mean?

Well, the strain is being taken off a lot of standalone machines as the storage needs to be less as all data goes to the cloud. (See article on using the cloud, here.)

The machines if they have a large amount of RAM and a fast SSD drive can boot up in anything from 4 seconds to 18 seconds. (The one I worked on recently booted up in 4 seconds)

So old kit can be slightly upgraded and cope very well with what you need it to do. Thus alleviating the direct need to buy the latest kit all the time.

What’s best for you?

Well, that really depends on how you operate and the things you need to achieve. But don’t immediately write off all your current kit. Maybe it is just better connections that you need or you need to think about the way you operate and see if there are ways it can be done better.

What are your thoughts on this?

Comment below.

Let’s all use the Internet. But which one?

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Internet Evolution

I love this and was also blown away by this. What does my title mean and how many Internets are there?

Background info

Let me give you background info. At the end of last year I attended, with some tech colleagues, a Digital Expo in Edinburgh. A day of tech talks and an exhibition area full of stands and vendors showing their wares. (And the usual freebies as we like to call them.)

The main keynote speech was by an MSP about the Scottish Government trying to help tech companies and get Scotland at the top of the tech ladder. After that came the chap from Google. (I must admit at this point as to being an avid Google follower and watcher to see what they are going to do next.)

He started by taking us back to how tech and Internet access has developed over the last 30 years. Things have just exploded.

From Dial up to now literally instant access on all sorts of devices from fridges to watches and phones and laptops and so on.

Explaining the Internet

Now in a previous work post I had the privilege of teaching small business the benefits of getting a website and how the Internet worked for their benefit and the benefit of the user.

A common way I described the Internet was to keep it simple but make it understandable, went as follows: –

“Think of the Internet as a giant library full of information. Shelves of books going into the distance and finding things required a librarian to help you. They were at that time mostly Yahoo and Google. You asked then for what you were looking for and they went into the library and retuned all the relevant content”

People could visualise this and then I told them that their website would be in that content and how they could encourage the librarian to bring it to customers searching for what they had to offer. All makes sense and even though simplistic, easy to get your head around.

How would you explain the Internet? (This was very early days as well.)

So what has changed?

So if that explains the Internet then, surely it has just become much larger and has so much content the librarians have become smarter and better at what they do?

This is true of course and the search engines are constantly changing their algorithms to cater for new searches and the rise of the social media traffic.

Bur prepare to have your mind blown away. “Your Internet is not the same as my Internet”

“WHAT? I hear you cry. Of course it is.”

My man from Google explained the rise of the A.I. (Artificial Intelligence), has created tailored Internet for each user. So each time you interact and even shop, look for things, cafes, and theatres. Locations you search for, what locations you are in when you search. All these and many more things influence what return you get. So we could be in the same location and search for the same thing and get slightly different results. Our info is being tailored depending on our habits, likes and history etc.

Conclusion

Some people may find this very disturbing and that so much info about us is going around. Well unfortunately for them it is the case. Even using a food order app influences things. Loyalty card at stores, the list is endless.

I personally am excited about AI and what it can do for us. I think if used well and smart, we can benefit well from this technology.

So what Internet do I use, well I use the one tailored for me?

What are your thoughts on this?