Paul B. Kaiser

Fidget Spinners – Craze or Crazy?

By Paul B. Kaiser on July 1, 2017

The craze, the fad, the mystery, the money – it’s Fidget Spinners for 2017. If you have kids you know about Fidget Spinners. Or if you act like a kid in my case. Fidget Spinners are the latest craze, so hop on the train while it’s hot. Here’s the scoop in this cool gadget.

Fidget spinners are getting a lot of bad press lately – bursting into flames, causing fights and danger to young kids. While I don’t dispute there are some concerns, like any other toy, if handled properly, it is just simple stupid fun. And that’s all it is. Believe me in 3 months the hype will be over and nobody will remember. With that said, I find them irresistible and when Im sitting in front of the computer or TV it is just mindless finger exercises.

So what exactly is the infatuation? How long have they been around? Are there any positive things to say about spinners? There are a couple. They are said to:

Be stress relievers
Relieve nervous energy and psychological stress
And supposedly used in the treatment of autism and ADHD (I doubt this one is true)

“Using a spinner-like gadget is more likely to serve as a distraction than a benefit for individuals with ADHD,” said Mark Rapport, a clinical psychologist.

What is a Fidget Spinner?

A fidget spinner is a toy that consists of a bearing in the center of a multi-lobed flat structure made from metal or plastic designed to spin along its axis with little effort.

Fidget spinners became popular toys in 2017, although similar devices had already been invented in 1993. The toy became popular among schoolchildren. Some schools banned the spinners for being a distraction, while other schools allowed the toy to be used discreetly.

popularity map — The popularity of Fidgit Spinners in the US

Where did Fidget Spinners originate?

Catherine Hettinger, a chemical engineer by training, was initially credited by some news stories to have been the inventor of the fidget spinner, including by media outlets such as The Guardian, The New York Times, and the New York Post. Hettinger filed a patent application for a “spinning toy” in 1993 and a patent was issued, but Hettinger allowed the patent to lapse in 2005 after she could not find a commercial partner. A May 2017 Bloomberg News article showed that Hettinger was not the inventor of the fidget spinner, and Hettinger agreed. In an interview appearing on May 4, 2017 on NPR, Scott McCoskery described how he invented a metal spinning device in 2014 to cope with his own fidgeting in IT meetings and conference calls. And the rest is history.

Bluetooth enabled Fidget Spinners

If that wasn’t enough, now you can buy fidget spinners that are bluetooth enabled and connect to your phone and play music. A company called BlueSpin is about to launch a spinner that connects to an app on your phone that gamifies the fidget spinner experience, allowing you to complete trick challenges, share your scores, and chat with your friends about how much you love fidget spinning.

bluetooth

The spinner includes touch sensitive buttons on each side, and an accelerometer to track motion. It can track your speed and number of spins (thanks, magnets), and tell you how cool you are whenever you manage to transfer the spinner from hand to hand, or balance it on a single finger. The tiny built-in battery is replaceable, and supposed to last for an entire year on a single charge.

How many Fidget Spinners have sold?

Right now, the market is flooded with cratefuls of imitations, most from China. Some version of fidget spinners currently occupies all of Amazon’s Top 20 best-selling toys and games.

Allen Ashkenazie is executive vice president of Almar Sales in New York City, a supplier of toys to such retailers as Wal-Mart and Toys ‘R’ Us, said that by the end of May his company will have shipped out 45 million fidget spinners that retail from $5 to $25 each.

Types of Fidget Spinners [Pics]

In the news

Tricks with your Fidget Spinner

“Hello” iPhone – The evolution over 10 years

By Paul B. Kaiser on June 29, 2017

The TV commercial for the iPhone only had one word in the ad – “Hello.” It would be the pinnacle of accomplishment that Steve Jobs had worked his whole life towards. He drove this innovation smart and tough. The association with AT&T was bold, but a neccisity to make the iPhone an exclusive toy. The iPhone became so popular and it put Blackberry out of business, changed the way we listen to music and ultimately built the house of Apple – the new Apple campus.

TV commercial for the first iPhone – “Hello”

10 years ago today, the tech, phone, and consumer industry changed forever. The iPhone was shipped and in the hands of the consumer. I had the Palm Treo which seemed so magical, but then the iPhone came out and I felt like I had the oldest tech around. It had a full touch screen! No need for buttons – yikes.

As we near the debut of the new iPhone in September of 2017, the 10 year mark which is today, June 29th, 2017, we are is reminded just how much we love our phones. We have spent billions of dollars and created an empire. Ironically, I have never owned an iPhone, but I love Apple, and I love everything they do for technology and consumerism. I feel compelled to write about the iPhone because it was an invention, not just a phone. I thought I’d let the pictures, videos and charts tell the story.

Steve Jobs made the announcement just 6 months previous to the launch, and the promise of a tech revolution looked real. He stated that…

“Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything … One is very fortunate if you get to work on just one of these in your career. Apple’s been very fortunate. It’s been able to introduce a few of these into the world.”

The evolution of the iPhone (minus the iphone 7)

iPhone 1 – 2007

iPhone 2 – 2008

iPhone 3- 2009

iPhone 4 – 2011

iPhone 5 – 2013

iPhone 6 – 2014

iPhone 7 – 2016

iPhone Fun Facts

Here are some Interesting Facts about this iPhone:

iPhone started as a Tablet Project, but when the Apple employees came up with an iPad design with a virtual keyboard, Steve Jobs thought that they can apply this technology to a phone and this is how, iPhone came into existence.
Exclusive rights for selling the first iPhone were Turned Down by Verizon – (LOL)
Apple, when looking for a carrier partner to sell the first iPhone insisted that the device will only carry the Apple’s Logo and not that of the carrier.
The App Store by Apple was the first online space that offered downloading an app legally.
All the iPhones in the iPhone advertisements show the time 9:41. This is the time when Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007.
While Samsung and Apple are the biggest rivals, but not everyone knows that Samsung makes the processors for iPhones.
In 2007, iPhone was awarded as the “Invention of the Year” by Times Magazine.
In 2012, Apple sold 340,000 iPhones per day. A whopping 125 Million iPhones for the year.
Apple’s iPhone has higher sales as compared to everything being sold under the label “Microsoft”.
Apple’s iPhone in Brazil is Twice More Expensive than in the USA.

Shoot great video with your phone

By Paul B. Kaiser on June 21, 2017

Learn how to shoot great video with your smartphone.

The average consumer takes pictures and shoots video on their smartphone, not an expensive camera. Whether it’s a iPhone or Android, this is what people have with them and “a good picture is the one you take.” Most people know the basics when it comes to still photography, but when it comes to shooting video, it seems all rules go out the window. Here are some basic tips to start with when shooting with your phone.

1. Use a tripod (if possible)

The newest iPhones have built-in optical image stabilization, which makes shooting decent handheld footage fairly easy. But no matter how steady your hands are, nothing beats using a good old-fashioned tripod.

2. Shoot horizontal, not upright

In order to watch your video at full size on a monitor or TV screen, keep your smartphone horizontal when you are recording. Shooting a video clip with your phone upright doesn’t seem like an issue at the time because you’re watching it on a device with a vertical screen, but as soon as you want to play the video anywhere else, your clip will be fighting for space with two black bars on either side of the screen.

3. Concentrate on keeping it smooth and steady

Your smartphone is small and light, so it can float while your walking or talking. The key thing is to use both hands, and lock your elbows into your body for extra stability.

4. Think about composition (a little bit)

This is a tip for any type of photography. Good shots have one thing in common. Your eye is drawn to a subject matter in the picture. Place objects one-third in from the sides, with people’s eyes one-third down from the top.

5. Don’t shoot into the light

The bad news is you wont see faces and you’ll get a silhouetted image. The good news is you might get a nice, but unexpected silhouette.

Light can make your whole shot wonderful and it can make the worst video to look at. Working with available light is the trick. No FLASH, unless your in a cave – and even then I would try. If you want to shoot better video, you need to know how to work with the available light and use it to your advantage. If some parts of the shot are looking too bright or too dark, get into the habit of changing your position and finding another angle which allows you to still achieve the shot you wanted, but you’ve got the light working for you not against you.

6. Record 3 seconds beforehand after the action and shots should be 5 seconds minimum

If you’re going to edit your videos then this is a hard fastened rule. You need extra time on both sides to to edits and transitions. If you’re just shooting and showing the video to friends then don’t worry so much.

7. Manually set exposure and focus (more advanced, but a good tip)

Not all smartphone apps do this, but try pressing and holding on an area of the screen to activate the AE/AF Lock function. With a smartphone, the most important is the AE (Auto Exposure) Lock because you don’t want the smartphone to keep changing the exposure while you’re filming. Manually setting the focus is great when you want to get close to an object, and you need to tell the camera to focus on a particular area.

If you want to get a nice camera app for free get this one for iOS and this one for Android.

8. Get your microphone close to your subject (which means the phone

A general rule for clear audio is to get your microphone as close to your subject as possible. But that means you ned to get the phone close which may or may not be an option. Microphones on cameras pretty much suck so don’t expect a miracle.

If your’e really into getting the audio you can buy some inexpensive microphones that will do a better job. Check them out on Amazon.

9. Share your videos

Show people what your’e doing with video. See their reactions. Have fun!

Some examples of good video and a comparison of iPhone and Android – Believe me each phone shoots good video.

Apple’s HomePod – Is this the next big thing? A robot without legs?

By Paul B. Kaiser on June 15, 2017

As expected, Apple has announced their version of the Amazon Echo and Google Home, a voice assistant – called the HomePod (releasing in December). Announced at the WWDC 2017 show, Apple has added quite a few hardware to their ecosystem besides the Homepod, but that’s for another story. The voice assistant, HomePod, will hopefully put Apple in the game. While they missed all the excitement of this technology, the question is can they do it better? One would hope so with all the money Apple can throw behind it. However, their voice activation software “Siri,” has fallen from grace since it first debuted in 2011. I mean you could make the case that Apple had the voice activation technology in the household first, but it had no purpose. Amazon had provided more purpose, Google has provided more depth in data, and maybe Apple will combine the 2 and wrap it in a futuristic look.

So to be clear, Apple has released this technology as a great “connected speaker,” and not a voice activated command center. This rivals the Sonos type speakers that have been out for some time and connect well throughout the house. Sonos is expensive and so is Apple unfortunately – $349. Although, the smart marketer in me says this is a way to incorporate it into your home under the guise of a speaker with a purpose. And then let the concept of a sound device become a necessity for the home. I mean who can live without 7 tweeters?

At the end of the day this supports Apple iTunes which has been falling out of favor as well. But those die-hard Applers who live for Apple’s ecosystem, this will provide a new channel for the consumer to interact with the ecosystem. And of course buy stuff. I think this is a big question for Apple. Can someone use it outside the ecosystem? Or does this divide the Apple/Android market even more?

“Apple is a technology company that leads innovation with their products and software platforms, providing seamless experiences across devices, and empowering people with breakthrough services.” – Interbrand 2016

The answer is yes and no. For music, it will be tied into iTunes and the apple store. Control of your home can use third party devices but Apple will make it very attractive to use everything tied into their Home Kit. And again when you stay in the Apple ecosystem it can be a great experience. One that usually edges them over the competition from a user experience standpoint. My gut feeling is that Apple will won the race on sound and compatibility.

If Siri, doesn’t get way better, Amazon and Google will continue to dominate the information/data feedback to consumers. People love to ask questions to their robots. Even silly stupid stuff. In 2016 it was “What is Pokemon Go?” But there is so much more you can do with your robot without legs. Here is a list of commands from a previous story.

So, to all the robots without legs out there, “there’s a new sheriff in town.” Well in December anyway. The HomePod will add a rich sound in your house, provide answers to those silly questions, and lock the doors on your house. For me, this Apple utopian ecosystem and robot that controls my life – this idolizes the future as described in Ray Bradbury books. We’ll reconvene in December to ask Siri the hard questions.

HomePod as explained by Apple

HomePod Sexy Pictures

New Google Photos features announced at I/O 2017

By Paul B. Kaiser on May 19, 2017

It’s hard to believe that Google photos was introduced only two years ago, but that’s the fact. At “I/O ’17” Google made some announcements around Google Photos enhancements. Google Photos is no joke saying that it now has more than 500 million people use it every month. And they are backing up more than 1.2 billion photos and videos per day. How crazy is that number? Their ads should read “we have a Gazillion photos!” Google Photos is announcing three new ways to help you “share and receive the meaningful moments of your life.”

If you are not using Google Photos, these 3 new features may entice you, But to be honest, Google Photos was solid out of the box 2 years ago. These are nice additions and I highly recommend you see what else Google Photos can do. Just being able to search your thousands of photos with image recognition is enough. And yes you can get it on iOS too. Download the iOS version here or the Android version here.

“500 million people using Google Photos a month”

Photo Books

Apple folks will recognize this feature as they have been doing this great for some years. Google can think them for paving the way. Not sure if Google will do it any better but it’s a nice feature.

Photo books are incredibly easy to make—even on your phone. They’re beautiful, high quality, with a clean and modern design. And thanks to our powerful search technology, your photos are already organized by the people, places, or things that matter. Once you select the photos, Google Photos will find the best shots for you—removing duplicates and poor quality images. All that’s left for you to do is make a few tweaks and place your order. Soon, we’ll even suggest photo books just for you, like your trip to the Grand Canyon, time with family during the holidays, your puppy, or even your kid’s artwork.

Photo books are rolling out in the U.S. on web, and on Android and iOS next week, starting at just $9.99 for a 20-page softcover book and $19.99 for a hardcover book. We’ll bring photo books to more countries soon.

Suggested Sharing

How many times have you forgotten to share that group shot with everyone else in it? Or how often do you have to ask your spouse to send those cute pictures of the kids?

With Google’s new sharing suggestions, you can finally share and receive all the photos that really matter to you, without the work. Using machine learning technology, Google Photos will not only remind you to share—it will automatically select the right photos, and even suggest who you should send them to based on who was in the photos. Just tap send, and your friends and family will see all your photos, and get a reminder to add theirs too. Now all the photos of that birthday dinner or weekend trip are in one place, including—and especially—the photos you didn’t take.

Shared Libraries

Share with that special person you share just about everything with, like your spouse, partner or best friend? Wouldn’t it be easier if you could automatically share relevant photos with them? For example, I would love it if every photo I ever took of my kids was shared with my wife.

With Shared Libraries, you can effortlessly and automatically send and receive photos with one other person. You can give them access to your full photo library or, if you prefer, only photos of certain people or from a certain date forward. And when they share their library with you, you can automatically save the photos you want so they also show up in search and in the movies, collages and other fun creations Google Photos makes for you. Gone are the days of begging your partner for those special pictures only stored on their phone.

Google Lens

At Google’s I/O developer conference, CEO Sundar Pichai announced a new technology called Google Lens. The idea with the product is to leverage Google’s computer vision and AI technology in order to bring smarts directly to your phone’s camera. As Google explains, the smartphone camera won’t just see what you see, but will also understand what you see to help you take action.

Google showed off how you could point your camera at something and Lens tells you what it is — like, it could identify the restaurnat your in front of and provide more information. In another example, Pichai showed how Lens could do a common task — connecting you to a home’s Wi-Fi network by snapping a photo of the sticker on the router.

The Google Lens features aren’t ready for Google Photos yet, but the machine learning engine is coming later this summer. Google Lens will be able to understand what’s in an image, identify what you’re looking at, and help you edit photos on the fly. It’ll even get rid of obstructions in an image — in the event you actually catch your finger ruining an an otherwise amazing photo, for example.

The promo video by Google Photos

TechCrunch Disrupt – Startups and Innovation Rule

By Paul B. Kaiser on May 16, 2017

The TechCrunch Disrupt event is underway and some great headlines are being made. Startups and innovation are all the conversation, and some of the is creating buzz. Here are some top stories from TecCrunch Disrupt event as well as some pictures from the first 2 days at #TCDisrupt. Everyone has been pumped up and eager to tell their stories. If you need to get info on what to do the third day – go here.

The speakers have been providing great conversation from VC’s in silicon Valley, to the Yahoo breach to Net Neutrality. Oh and Derek Jeter. Can’t forget Mr. November.