Despite the brand cum economy war, Huawei never ceases to amaze its competitors and their users alike. With the ongoing trade ban, Huawei has launched its eyewear and now you can set into the future. With the ongoing gentle monster on sale, you can even get a discounted rate at the comfort of your home with just a few clicks.

Making the Most out of Your Huawei Gentle Monster Eyewear II

Smart eyewear is surely an unchartered territory where users might face some initial hurdles getting used to them. Here is a basic overview of how you can take the very first step in knowing your eyewear.

Getting Things Started with Huawei AI Life

Considering the controlling factor, you can use the left or right temple frame. Each side has its special functionalities. The left side frame can help you get your first steps of pairing your Huawei Gentle Monster Eyewear II with your smartphone. All you have to do is to pinch the left side frame for a while and your Huawei Gentle Monster Eyewear II is ready to pair in no time. On the other hand, the right-side frame can help you get access to sound playback functionalities like play/pause by double-tapping on the right frame. Alternatively, you can attend/end calls by tapping on the left side frame of your Huawei Gentle Monster Eyewear II as well.  Huawei Gentle Monster Eyewear II comes up with an app called Huawei AI Life. Through this app, you can readily set up your controls with just a few taps. However, it is only available on Android OS at the moment.

Is it a Replacement of Your Headset?

Huawei is on the track to make itself the market leader in the eyewear niche. However, the need for a dedicated headset is still a necessity even with the advancement of the smart eyewear market. However, it can offer you some cool features. One of the most amazing features includes automatically turning off music playback when you take off your eyewear. Another salient feature is that it can only emit a sound to proximity to your ear which implies that only you can hear the sound with absolute privacy. It means that you can enjoy your conversations privately without any privacy concerns. An important feature of the built-in speaker is that only the downward-faced speakers. It means a person who is taller than you is less likely to hear about your conversations and vice versa.

Concluding Remarks

Even with a severe trade ban on Huawei, the brand has lived up to its name. Huawei Gentle Monster Eyewear II is truly an innovation that can allow you to take a glimpse of the future. Through eyewear, you can easily manage calls with just a few taps on the frame. Besides that, you can also enjoy music playback at your fingertips. Nevertheless, the smart eyewear niche is somewhat unchartered territory, it does have tremendous potential for growth. In this regard, Huawei can be considered to be one of the pioneers to excel in this domain.

Ever since the pandemic began, more ways to meet people without physical contact have been sought worldwide. It has also been discovered that one of the most effective ways to do this is videoconferencing. The virtual conference activity helps combat the challenges of restriction in movement and has since been used in business and learning.

With videoconferencing, everything is purely digital. For instance, there might be situations where you want to share information from a book that has no e-copy. In that case, doc cams offer the best way to scan book pages that are handwritten or printed to other individuals in the meeting. However, communication skills, getting the right camera and your appearance is equally as important in videoconferencing.

Here are pro tips on how to improve your videoconferencing experience

1. Get hardware that would make work easier for you.

There is various equipment you can get for yourself that would make your videoconferencing experience quite splendid. This equipment such as a book scanner would come in handy when you need to share information from a handwritten book, save up your time and space.

A good camera is also important to improve your video clarity and camera angles. You know you want to look your best while you’re in a meeting!

2. Don’t turn off your camera

This is something almost everyone, at some point in videoconferencing, is guilty of. People, except the visually impaired, rely on their eyes for sight. This is an important part of communication and social interaction. It’s frankly better to see a person while they’re I’m the meeting as it mimics a physical environment. Also, when you turn on that camera, you’d be encouraging other people to follow your lead.

3. Improve your Audio quality

Instead of using your computer’s embedded microphone,(which can sometimes be bad) opt for a microphone you can put closer to your face to block out other sounds around you, and other people can hear you. As proper video etiquette, always turn off your mic or mute yourself whenever you’re not speaking.

4. Prepare accordingly for every meeting

This is of great importance especially when you’re working from home. Your background should not be beside a window or source of bright light as this reduces the video quality and can be stressful for the others in the meeting. When next you have a meeting, cut all forms of distractions which include, eating while in a meeting, wearing inappropriate clothing, lighting problems, and staying away from a noisy environment.

5. Make sure everything is working perfectly before any meeting

If you wait for the meeting to start and realize something goes wrong, you might not be able to fix it, and you get to miss out on the important parts of the meeting. Adequate preparation, however, helps you detect and fix faults on time.

Conclusion

There you have it, basic tips you can use that’d help improve your video conferencing experience. In summary, use equipment that would make your experience better, switch on your camera, and improve audio quality. Also, make sure you prepare ahead and prevent distractions. Put these tips into practice and you’d be amazed by the results.

During its recent Surface event, Microsoft launched the largest upgrade of its flagship Intel-powered Surface Pro lineup in years: the Surface Pro 8. The new 2-in-1 machine boasts a 120Hz display, Thunderbolt 4 support, and new processors, but all of those improvements come at a cost — literally. Whereas the Surface Pro 7 starts at $549.99, the Surface Pro 8 starts at $1,099.99, meaning it’s nearly double the price. And that’s also before you factor in the cost of Microsoft’s new stylus and detachable keyboard, two add-ons that are more like necessities if you intend to use the 2-in-1 as advertised.

With all that said, is it worth upgrading or picking up the Pro 8 over the last-gen model when it launches on October 5th? To help make your decision a little easier, we’ve put together the comparison below based on specs and our initial impressions of the Surface Pro 8.

WHAT’S IMPROVED ON THE SURFACE PRO 8?

• Two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports
• You can double the refresh rate from 60Hz to 120Hz
• 11th-gen Intel quad-core Core CPUs, starting with i5 instead of i3
• 10MP rear-facing camera, with 1080p and 4K video
• Larger, 13-inch display with higher 2880 x 1920 resolution (up from 12.3-inch)
• Double the RAM on the base model (8GB)
• Microsoft says the battery should last up to 16 hours
• New sensor that adjusts the display temperature based on ambient lighting
• LTE support for enterprise users
• Preloaded with Windows 11
• The Surface Pro 8 is more than just an incremental update. Microsoft’s newest slate features a modernized look with slimmer bezels, making it the Surface Pro’s largest visual redesign in years. Like the Surface Pro X, the Surface Pro 8 features a 13-inch display as opposed to the 12.3-inch found on the Pro 7. In his recent hands-on take, my colleague Dieter Bohn also remarked that the Pro 8 feels slightly nicer to hold, given the corners are softer. And if color matters to you, the touchscreen machine is also now available in graphite instead of black, which is a colorway still available for the Pro 7.

Spec-wise, the display on the Pro 8 is significantly better compared to its predecessor, given there’s now an option to ramp up the refresh rate from 60Hz to 120Hz, which could improve scrolling and make using the stylus easier. Gaming could certainly be more enjoyable on the Pro 8, too, especially given the device comes preloaded with the Xbox app and a one-month trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. In addition, the latest Pro supports Dolby Vision and is the first Surface device to come with an ambient color sensor, which automatically adjusts the display’s color temperature and brightness based on the surrounding lighting conditions. The new Pro 8 also boasts a 3:2 display and 2880 x 1920 pixels as opposed to 2736 x 1824, although, technically, both share the same 267 pixels per inch. Regardless, the expanded size still offers you a little more space for, say, multitasking.

The Pro 8 also appears to be superior to the Pro 7 when it comes to performance and battery life. The new 2-in-1 is available with either a quad-core, 11th-gen Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor, and with up to 32GB of RAM. The Pro 8 also comes with a removable SSD in one of four configurations: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB, something you could previously only find on the Pro 7 Plus. It’s important to note, however, that Microsoft says the SSD should be repaired or replaced by a trained Microsoft-authorized technician — they’re “not user removable.”

The Pro 7, meanwhile, comes with a dual-core, 10th-gen Intel Core i3 or a quad-core, 10th-gen Intel Core i5 or Core i7, and with up to 16GB of RAM. It’s available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB capacities. Overall, Microsoft says the Surface Pro 8 shows a 40 percent improvement over the Pro 7 when it comes to sustained CPU performance; it’s also 74 percent faster on the graphics side, according to Microsoft.

Battery life on the Pro 8 is, at least on paper, greater as well, with Microsoft claiming it can last up to 16 hours on a single charge. The tech giant also says it can charge from 0 to 80 percent in a little over an hour. The Pro 7 was supposed to last up to 10.5 hours on a charge in comparison, though, in our review, we noted it lasted 7-8 hours or less when working with graphically intensive apps and pages. We don’t expect Microsoft’s battery claims regarding the Pro 8 to hold up in real-world usage, though, especially with a 120Hz display.

The Pro 8 additionally stands out in some ways when it comes to connectivity, depending on your needs. Instead of a USB-A port and the integrated microSD card slot featured on the Pro 7, Microsoft went with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, allowing the tablet to support either two 4K displays with a 60Hz refresh rate or a single 8K monitor at 30Hz. The Core i3 and Core i7 models can also be configured with LTE, though the feature is only available to enterprise customers.

The Pro also boasts better cameras than its successor. The new model’s rear camera is a 10MP shooter as opposed to an 8MP, and the rear camera on the Pro 8 can also capture 4K video. The Pro 8’s new face-tracking tech could also improve video calls by keeping you in focus while you walk around and talk. Microsoft says the Windows Hello camera has been upgraded, too, and it pairs with Microsoft Studio mics for audio.

Unsurprisingly, Microsoft also improved the Pro 8’s optional accessories. The new Surface Slim Pen 2 ($129.99) features a sharper tip that allows for better precision and a built-in haptic motor, which helps the stylus better emulate the feeling of writing on paper and makes for a smoother inking experience. You can also charge the pen inductively when you’re not using it via the built-in slot on the detachable Surface Pro Signature Keyboard ($179). The new keyboard is also stiffer thanks to a carbon-fiber core, but not heavier or thicker, which gives it less bounce when typing.

Apple’s Find My app has been a very useful (and reassuring) feature, allowing you to locate a misplaced (or stolen) phone so that you can retrieve it (or contact the authorities, if that’s safer). With the expansion of Find My to a variety of other objects, especially via Apple’s AirTags, it’s become even more useful.

And now that iOS 15 brings with it the capability to locate your phone even if the battery has run out or it’s been turned off — if you’ve got the right phone — the utility of Find My has become even greater.

You will be able to locate a shut-off phone if you have the following:

• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro / iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone 12 / iPhone 12 Mini
• iPhone 12 Pro / iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13 / iPhone 13 Mini
• iPhone 13 Pro / iPhone 13 Pro Max

You’ll know that this feature is active if, when you shut your phone down, you see the phrase “iPhone Findable After Power Off” under the power-down toggle.

ACTIVATE THE FIND MY APP

If you’re new to the iPhone or have never set up the Find My app yet, here’s how you start:

• Go to your settings, tap on your name, and then on “Find My.”
• Tap on “Find My iPhone.”
• Toggle “Find My iPhone” on. If you have upgraded to iOS 15, you can also activate “Find My network,” which will let you find your phone even if it’s offline. “Send Last Location” will send the location of your iPhone to your Apple account when the battery is about to die.

• And that’s it! After that, if you can’t find your iPhone, then you can track it either by using the Find My app on a Mac (or another iPhone, if you have one) or on any browser by going to iCloud.com/find and signing in using your Apple ID.

  If you’re using the web version, then you’ll see a green dot that locates your iPhone. Select the dot and then the circled “i” (for information), and you’ll be given the choice of having your phone play a sound, erasing it, or putting it on “Lost Mode.” In “Lost Mode,” you can enter a phone number where you can be reached and a message (“Please return this phone asap!”). After that, the phone will be locked until you reenter its passcode.

• If you’re using the Find My app, you’ll get basically the same features (except in a more aesthetically pleasing form), along with map directions on how to get to your phone.

  And yes — if you’re using iOS 15 on your iPhone, you will be able to locate it even if it’s run out of battery power or has been shut off.

(Note: you can also use the Find My app to help with your own security — to share your location with individuals and send recurring notifications of when you leave and arrive. You can find directions for setting that up in our article “How to use iPhone’s location tracking.”)

The iPhone 13 Pro Max can charge a bit faster than other models, according to tests done by YouTuber ChargerLAB (and backed up by other tests), which show that the phone sips up to 27 watts of power when plugged into a compatible charging brick. If you have a 13 Pro Max and want to fill up its massive battery as fast as possible, you may want to look into getting a 30W charger that, according to tests cited by @duanrui1205, can charge it from zero to full in less than 90 minutes.

This appears to be an upgrade from the previous generation — 9to5Mac reports that the iPhone 12 caps out at around 22W charging speeds. That’s about a 5W boost, which is nothing to sneeze at. The benefit of a bigger charger is limited to the Pro Max, according to @duanrui1205, who said that the smaller iPhone 13 Pro could only charge at 20W. All of this goes out the window if you’re charging wirelessly or with Apple’s MagSafe puck — you’ll be limited to 15W at most.

If you’re looking for a 30W brick to charge your Pro Max a bit faster, it’s probably worth looking around your house first: Apple includes 30W chargers with its new MacBook Air, and the 61W charger that comes with MacBook Pros could also provide the 27 watts your phone craves. You can check any other chargers in your house by reading the regulatory text that’s usually printed near the prongs — if it doesn’t outright say the wattage, you can figure it out by multiplying the amps and voltage.

If your search for a 30W charger didn’t turn up anything, Apple will happily sell you one. You can also find plenty of third-party ones, like Anker’s tiny Nano II GaN brick. One thing to note when looking at chargers is the charge rates they support — to get the 27W charging, the iPhone is looking for 9V at three amps, according to ChargerLAB’s video (which shows one 30W charger that’s only charging the iPhone at 18W).

General Motors announced a new “end-to-end” software platform for its cars called “Ultifi” — a play on the name Ultium, which is the automaker’s new electric vehicle battery architecture. GM says the new software will enable over-the-air (OTA) updates, in-car subscription services, and “new opportunities to increase customer loyalty.”

The automaker envisions the new software powering everything from the mundane, like weather apps, to potentially controversial features like the use of in-car cameras for facial recognition or to detect children to automatically trigger the car’s child locks. The Linux-based system will also be available to third-party developers who may want to create apps and other features for GM customers.

GM is currently undergoing a “transformation… from an automaker to a platform innovator,” said Scott Miller, vice president of software-defined vehicles at the company. Miller said he envisions Ultifi serving the role as a “powerful hub for all the vehicle’s systems.”

Ultifi will start rolling out to GM vehicles, both electric and gas-powered, in 2023, the company said. By then, GM will have many vehicles running Google’s embedded Android Automotive operating system, which Miller says will work “alongside” its new Ultifi software platform in certain vehicles. Not every GM vehicle will get Android Automotive, which is supposed to start rolling out to new vehicles this year, Miller added.

“Android Automotive is a certain subset of functionality in the car,” he said. “Ultifi is more of an umbrella overall strategy.”

The software will also be cloud-connected, meaning GM will be able to make decisions for the customers without their input. For example, if a vehicle’s owner left their sunroof open and weather services are predicting rain, the vehicle’s software can automatically close the sunroof.

Ultifi isn’t only anchored to systems within the car, Miller said. GM envisions the new platform interacting with other smart devices, such as a customer’s internet-enabled thermostat or a home security system

GM also sees the potential for in-car purchases and subscriptions as a major new source of revenue for the company. Miller used the example of Super Cruise, GM’s “hands-free” advanced driver-assist system, which is installed in some of the automaker’s vehicles today. In the future, a driver may decide they want to test out Super Cruise on an upcoming road trip. Ultifi will enable that vehicle owner to subscribe to Super Cruise for the trip and then cancel the subscription when they’ve arrived at their destination.

A more common type of subscription that GM customers will face in the future is annual or monthly fees for data storage, similar to the fees that Apple and Google charge to their smartphone customers today.

GM isn’t the only automaker contemplating new ways to squeeze money out of its customers beyond the sale of its vehicle. Much like the tech sector, which over the years has figured out how a recurring revenue model allows them to rely on customers paying every month or year, automakers are increasingly turning to subscriptions and in-car fees to bring in more money.

Cars are more full of computers and software than ever before, which has made it possible for automakers to add new features or patch problems on the fly with over-the-air software updates.

Automakers like Tesla and BMW have proven that some customers are willing to pay to unlock certain vehicle features, like improved infotainment experiences or even longer range in their electric vehicles. Ford has said that its new 2021 F-150 will have over-the-air updates that cover the car from “bumper to bumper,” which could theoretically allow the company to charge for access to certain features.

It’s also proven to be risky business, with BMW ultimately reversing its controversial decision to charge customers an annual fee to use Apple’s CarPlay, which is free in most cars.

Miller said GM is aware that too many subscriptions and fees can have the effect of repelling customers rather than keeping

For years, Apple has let you redownload many built-in apps from the App Store that you may have deleted, but store listings for those apps had a distinct difference from others: there was no way to leave a rating or review. That appears to have changed recently, though, as you can now review Apple’s apps in the store.

In a cursory, unscientific scan of some of Apple’s apps, many of them don’t have overwhelmingly positive scores. Files, Apple Maps, and Home all had ratings between three and three-and-a-half stars. Apple News is currently sitting at 2.3 stars. As 9to5Mac observed, Podcasts has a whopping two-star rating.

That said, most of Apple’s apps just don’t have many ratings — many don’t break triple digits — meaning the current reviews represent an infinitesimally small sample of the huge number of iOS users who are out there. (To give you a sense of just how large the iOS ecosystem is, Apple said in January that there were more than a billion iPhones in active use.) It also means that Apple’s apps have far fewer ratings than well-known apps like Gmail (347K), Facebook (1.1 million), and TikTok (10 million).

But even if there are only a few ratings right now, I still think the change is a good one, and I’m curious to see how ratings shake out for Apple’s apps over time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to start drafting my review of Apple Mail where I publicly beg for a built-in snooze function.

3D printing is a standard method of manufacturing used in a variety of industries across the globe. One of the main reasons why technology is prevalent is the fact that it aids in the production of distinct and precise products. The quality of the printing bed greatly influences the preciseness and perfection of the end product in 3D printing.

The printing bed is the surface on which the layers are produced in 3D printing. The only layer that directly lays on the 3D printer is the first or the bottom layer. The quality of the bottom layer affects the overall quality of the final product. Carborundum Glass Platform is one of the several types of printing beds in the market. In this post, we discuss choosing the best printing bed.

Common types of printing beds

The types of printing beds are significantly influenced by the material from which the bed is made. Most printing beds are made from either aluminum or glass. Most of the time, the printing beds come built into the 3D printers. This means that if you want a change in the bed material, you have to get a new printer. Aluminum is the most common type of material used in printing beds. The reason for the popularity of the material is that it is a high conductor of heat. This means that the temperature is evenly distributed throughout the printing bed.

The high conductivity also helps to reduce issues such as warping that may affect the quantity of the final product. The fact that aluminum is strong and durable also influences its popularity. This is because the aluminum beds can withstand rough modes of separation (of the print from the bed). However, the conductivity of heat is also a disadvantage. The heat causes the bed to expand, hence influencing the final result.

On the other hand, glass is popular because it does not expand regardless of the amount of heat it is subjected to. Glass is also ideal because it enables effortless removal of print from the bed. However, the fact that glass is not as conductive as the later makes it unsuitable. The issue can, however, be taken care of if close attention is paid during the printing process. Also, glass is a fragile material; hence it is not as durable as the counterpart.

Factors to consider when choosing the best printing bed

Below are the main factors that influence the quality of the printing bed;

• Thermal conductivity
• The elasticity of the material
• Stability and durability of the bed material
• The amount of effort that it would require to get the print off the printing bed
• Ease of cleaning up
• The cost of the printing bed

Take Away

The printing bed is an essential part of the 3D printing machine. The surface of the bed must be smooth and flat because it affects the quality of the product. It is also easier to remove the final print from a flat surface without causing any damage to the print and the bed.