There are some telling comments in a report about artifical intelligence that was published in the Guardian last October that has given me pause to think frequently about that place where AI and human intelligence intersect and/or collide: It is relatively easy to create a learning brain but we don’t yet know how to create a heart or a soul. In a recent talk at the New Yorker festival MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito asserted that “humans are really good at things computers are not.” It's a pair … [Read more...] about What will become of empathy in a world of smart machines?
Gadgets
Samsung (and Facebook) raise the mobile game
The smartphone market continues to rapidly evolve. Who thinks about a smartphone these days as simply a device to make phone calls and send text messages? I don't - a smartphone is a powerful computer that also makes phone calls and sends text messages. That thought came to me more than once or twice while I watched and listened to Samsung's press event via live video stream from the Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona on Sunday evening. The company announced their next smartphones in the … [Read more...] about Samsung (and Facebook) raise the mobile game
Still waiting for the smartwatch tipping point
If I left my smartwatch at home one day, I wouldn’t drive back to get it, says Walt Mossberg in his weekly column in Re/code. It's a statement that I'm sure would be reflected by many smartwatch owners, me included. Why? Because all the things that current smartwatches can do - messages from Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, for instance; or monitoring your heart rate and how many steps you've done today; perhaps streaming music from your phone; taking and making phone calls; and … [Read more...] about Still waiting for the smartwatch tipping point
Small is the new big with the Raspberry Pi Zero
Do you remember the days when computer magazines came with cover disks? And then with CDs that progressed to DVDs? All with must-have utilities and often free programs that were part and parcel of the PC enthusiast experience from the 80s through to the early 00s. That fell by the wayside with the advent of the modern internet and growing broadband connectivity along with worries about malware and viruses and greater knowledge and sophistication in using computers. Among many other … [Read more...] about Small is the new big with the Raspberry Pi Zero
Apple Watch: How desirable and disruptive will it be?
For the past six months, I've been wearing a smartwatch, the Samsung Gear 2 Neo you see pictured here. As I have a number of Samsung mobile devices, this smartwatch is ideal for me as it's geared, so to speak, to work with a wide range of Samsung smartphones including all the ones I have. Currently it's paired with my Galaxy S4. The Gear 2 Neo does everything I expect a device like this to do as I mentioned in my initial review of its features and functionality last November. Things … [Read more...] about Apple Watch: How desirable and disruptive will it be?
Samsung Gear 2 Neo smartwatch – some initial impressions
Last month, I bought a Samsung Gear 2 Neo smartwatch. It's been on my wrist every day over the past few weeks, replacing my usual traditional watch that tells the time and shows me the date. Of course, a digital smartwatch can do a lot more than just that, one of the reasons why people buy them. You want to check your heartbeat? Count how many steps you take walking, or running or hiking? Track your sleeping time? The Gear 2 Neo does all of that and more. I'd argue, though, that dedicated … [Read more...] about Samsung Gear 2 Neo smartwatch – some initial impressions
Putting a Samsung Gear 2 Neo to the test
I speak and write quite a bit these days about wearable technology, a topic I have a keen interest in. While the overall tech is a major part of my interest, it's also largely about how people use it, especially in one area that's getting a lot of attention - smartwatches. As I don't have one myself, I've been thinking about which one to get. It surely is hard to talk about a device with even a little credibility if you don't use one yourself. After spending time these past few weeks in … [Read more...] about Putting a Samsung Gear 2 Neo to the test
iPhone 6 review: Is this the most desirable smartphone in the world?
I don't think many people would disagree that Apple creates some of the most beautifully-made products in their range of mobile devices. None currently is more desirable than the iPhone, a smartphone that is held in high esteem by the millions of people around the world who have used one or more of the evolving models since the first-generation device was launched in 2007. The iPhone and Apple's iOS operating system, together with smartphones running Google's Android operating system, … [Read more...] about iPhone 6 review: Is this the most desirable smartphone in the world?