Drone delivery done right
Indianapolis-based DroneDek has been awarded a U.S. Patent for last-mile drone delivery. Here’s how the company says its system will work: Users will receive alerts when their packages ship or arrive. They will also be notified of what item has arrived and from whom. A heated and cooled cargo area will pave the way for pharmaceutical, food and beverage delivery, according to the company. DroneDek will operate off of solar or a 110v power supply, feature a heated door to operate in any climate and will host a charging station for delivery drones.
Passwordmania
A password manager makes you less vulnerable online by generating strong random passwords, syncing them securely across your browsers and devices, and filling them in automatically, according to The Wirecutter, a New York Times company. The editors of The Wirecutter believe that LastPass is the best password manager for most people. It has all the essential features, it works with virtually any browser on any device, and most of its features are free. (A Premium version, which costs $24 per year, adds advanced security features, better sharing, and other tools.) Once you create a master password for LastPass, you’ve made the only password you’ll need to unlock all your other secure data – usernames and passwords, credit card numbers, secure notes (including attachments, such as images and PDFs), contact information, software licenses, and so on, according to the editors. LastPass stores all this data safely encrypted in the cloud, letting you access it via browser extensions.
For the beginning investor
SprinkleBrokerage is an investing app built with the beginning investor in mind, according to the company. Through its partnerships, SprinkleBrokerage says it can provide a social experience, allowing clients to share information and collaborate on their next investment ideas. For $15 per month, users can select the premium version of SprinkleBrokerage, which includes commission-free trades, no minimum investment, instant deposit from a U.S. bank account and 5.5 percent interest in their margin account. Standard margin accounts are $5 per month and includes some of the features with the premium membership.
Alexa on campus
Saint Louis University says it is the first college or university in the country to bring Amazon Alexa-enabled devices, managed by Alexa for Business, into every student residence hall room and student apartment on campus. Thanks to a custom SLU skill deployed on each device, students will get instant answers to more than 100 questions specific to the University – from “What time does the library close tonight?” to “Where is the registrar’s office?” The university in St. Louis intended to deploy more than 2,300 Echo Dot smart devices by the start of the 2018-2019 school year.
It’s about time
Apple announced new tools this summer built into iOS 12 to help customers understand and take control of the time they spend interacting with their iOS devices.
- Do not disturb. There is a new Do Not Disturb during Bedtime mode to help people get a better night’s sleep by dimming the display and hiding all notifications on the lock screen until prompted in the morning. Do Not Disturb has new options from Control Center, where it can be set to automatically end based on a specified time or location.
- Notifications. To help reduce interruptions, iOS 12 gives customers more options for controlling how notifications are delivered. Instantly manage notifications to be turned off completely or delivered directly to Notification Center. Siri can also make suggestions for notifications settings, such as to quietly deliver or turn alerts off, based on which alerts are acted upon. iOS 12 also introduces Grouped Notifications, making it easier to view and manage multiple notifications at once.
- Screen Time. Screen Time creates detailed daily and weekly Activity Reports that show the total time a person spends in each app they use, their usage across categories of apps, how many notifications they receive and how often they pick up their iPhone or iPad. The App Limits feature allows people to set a specific amount of time to be in an app, and a notification will display when a time limit is about to expire. Parents can access their child’s Activity Report from their own iOS devices to see where their child spends their time and to manage and set App Limits for them. Screen Time also gives parents the ability to schedule a block of time to limit when their child’s iOS device can’t be used. During Downtime, notifications from apps won’t be displayed, and a badge will appear on apps to indicate they may not be used. Parents can choose specific apps like Phone or Books that will always be available, even during downtime or after a limit is spent.
Best mic for podcasts
After 75 hours of research, interviews, and making audio professionals and regular humans listen to the same phrases spoken into 25 different USB microphones, editors at The Wirecutter, a New York Times company, remain convinced that the Yeti by Blue makes your voice sound the best with the least hassle. It makes a wider spectrum of voices sound better than the other microphones tested, which tend to favor certain tones. The editors’ pick since 2013, the Yeti is solidly built and easier to set up on your desk than most of the competition. It does best at capturing a single voice, but you can use it in a pinch for two-person sessions or even music recording. The mute, gain, and volume controls are easy to manipulate while recording. If you’re an enthusiast, you might be able to get better results by putting time into a different, likely more expensive microphone, and more elaborate equipment, but the Yeti puts the fewest hurdles between you and an ear-pleasing sound.
Smartphone case
OtterBox – the smartphone case company – announced a lineup of protective cases for Galaxy Note9. The Symmetry Series is available in clear, graphic and solid color options. The Defender Series features port covers that keep dirt out of ports, and two-layer construction, which keeps the Note9 safe from drops and bumps. And the Commuter Series offers two layers of protection with a shock-absorbing slipcover that helps keep dust out of ports.