Disqus - Latest Comments for ifonline

Re: Review: Revisiting the Lumen metabolic analyzer with Apple Health integration

Ian — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 15:11:05 -0000

...can I use it without the subscription?

I would like to know what the $25 a month or $300 per year actually gets me, other than a lighter wallet. That seems quite excessive.

Re: Smartwatch market leader Apple ‘irreplaceable,’ but doesn’t lead premium segment

Ian — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 04:56:02 -0000

Cost is no object panels... blah, blah, blah... no matter what.

Ok. Replace the word "efficiency" in my comment with whatever makes you happy. What I was trying to explain was the panels collect either 100% of the solar rays or 10% of the solar rays, or certain portions of the screens are more efficient and others are less efficient, or whatever is the right way to say it.

As before, if I have used language that you deem incompatible with the laws of thermodynamics, then by all means replace whatever offensive words you choose with ones that make you sleep better at night.

Re: Smartwatch market leader Apple ‘irreplaceable,’ but doesn’t lead premium segment

Ian — Tue, 31 May 2022 09:46:00 -0000

Has anyone tried the Garmin with the solar panel, does it do anything for the battery?

In a nutshell, it does prolong battery life. How long depends on the watch model as there are two types of solar panels in use on Garmin solar watches. One type has 100% efficiency (found along the outer edge of the display) while the other has 10% found under the main portion of the display). The Instinct has more of the 100% panel whereas the Fenix has very little of the 100% panel.

Re: Gurman: ‘Strongly believe’ Apple will launch a new external display for Macs

Ian — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 05:07:55 -0000

Plus, just making stuff up to fit an apologistic, fanboyish narrative.

It's unfortunate that we couldn't continue this conversation, but language such as this indicates there is no point.

Re: Gurman: ‘Strongly believe’ Apple will launch a new external display for Macs

Ian — Sun, 19 Dec 2021 16:05:03 -0000

This "doesn't pay back enough" thing always baffles me.

Money is money, even if it isn't iPhone-levels money. Why ignore it? It's still money - and we know Apple loves nothing more than greenbacks.

Of course, since the purpose of a corporation is to make money. However, there is the issue of getting past the initial, and likely significant, funding for the design and manufacture of a new product. If Apple doesn't think that they will bring in enough money to offset that cost to whatever degree they set their expectations, then I would imagine they won't move forward with the idea. It makes no sense to bring in money if it never generates profit.

Re: Google is ‘deeply sorry’ for offensive South Africa Freedom Day Doodle

Ian — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 11:29:22 -0000

The antelope is commonly found in South Africa and has become a national symbol in the country. It’s the mascot for a national rugby team, can be found on one of the nation’s coins, and is also found in other areas.

And yet, Google still caved in under the pressure to remove it.

Re: How Honest is the COVID Fatality Count?

Ian — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 04:59:19 -0000

Arbitrarily inflate the numbers? With guidance from the CDC, anything is possible:

"In cases where a definite diagnosis of COVID–19 cannot be made, but it is suspected or likely (e.g., the circumstances are compelling within a reasonable degree of certainty), it is acceptable to report COVID–19 on a death certificate as “probable” or “presumed.” In these instances, certifiers should use their best clinical judgement in determining if a COVID–19 infection was likely. However, please note that testing for COVID–19 should be conducted whenever possible."

This is taken directly from the Vital Statistics Reporting Guidance published by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

You can download the complete guidance from the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/da...

Re: HomeKit Weekly: If it doesn’t work with Siri, it’s just not a smart home

Ian — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 19:24:07 -0000

How many times are you going to ask this same question?

Re: HomeKit Weekly: If it doesn’t work with Siri, it’s just not a smart home

Ian — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 19:20:14 -0000

Considering that Z-Wave has been around for years, the protocol is kept updated, and new products come out on a regular basis, I'd say there's no reason to believe it won't continue to be around for many years to come.

Re: HomeKit Weekly: If it doesn’t work with Siri, it’s just not a smart home

Ian — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 09:01:47 -0000

With my alarm dot com setup at my house, I have rules set up such as:

1. If the alarm is triggered due to a perimeter entry, all of the interior lights turn on so there are no dark areas in the house.
2. If the alarm is triggered due to a fire, all of the interior lights turn on so there are no dark areas in the house, and the HVAC systems turn off to prevent circulating smoke throughout the house.
3. If the garage door is raised in the evening, certain interior lights turn on to make sure we can see when we enter the house from the garage.
4. If someone rings the front door bell, which is the original mechanical door bell not a digital one or a video door bell, an alert is sent to our iPhones. The alarm panel we have, a Qolsys IQ Panel 2, has a door bell sensor that can be added to the mechanical chime box on the wall.

5. The thermostats are on schedules. However, if the alarm system is armed away, the thermostats change to preset temperatures that are higher (for cool) or lower (for heat) so the HVAC systems don't run as much when the house is empty.

Love it, and with Alexa integration we can also tell Alexa to turn on lights, turn off lights, change the thermostats, arm the system, etc.

Re: HomeKit Weekly: If it doesn’t work with Siri, it’s just not a smart home

Ian — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 05:44:10 -0000

Yeah, the intercom with Alexa works nicely, and we use it for the same reason. If I'm in the basement and my wife is in the bedroom, for example, she can drop in and remind me to carry some stupidly heavy object up two flights of stairs for her.

Re: HomeKit Weekly: If it doesn’t work with Siri, it’s just not a smart home

Ian — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 05:38:33 -0000

I don't use the Alexa app. Why would I when I can speak to Alexa and it does what I want? Actually, I suppose I did use the Alexa app one time, but that was only to set up Alexa. After that, there is no need for the app.

Alarm dot com is the core of the whole alarm system and home automation functionality in the house. It's similar to Samsung SmartThings or other like services, I suppose, and it covers alarm monitoring and home automation into one, interactive service. It's been around for a long, long time. I can have complete control of my alarm system, lights, outlets, thermostats including remote temperature sensors, irrigation systems, video cameras, still image cameras, locks, traditional mechanical doorbells, video doorbells, water sensors, freeze sensors, etc. and create rules and notifications based on all sorts of criteria and device status. It works really well, and with Alexa, I can speak to alarm dot com and control devices and routines by voice.

Works for me, and I doubt I'm alone.

Re: HomeKit Weekly: If it doesn’t work with Siri, it’s just not a smart home

Ian — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 16:17:39 -0000

This article is so out of whack, it's shocking.

For comparison, non-HomeKit products need to be controlled by their own app. This results in a folder full of different apps with different designs, different levels of active development, and different platform availability.

I have a Z-Wave network with light switches, outlets, thermostats, and locks from different manufacturers; an alarm panel by yet another manufacturer; and a MyQ garage door from yet another. However, I don't have a folder full of different apps with different designs. I only have one app, the alarm dot com app, and it controls my alarm system and my home automation, including the garage door, perfectly. It also gives me Amazon Alexa control of everything.

The difference in non-HomeKit smart home products and ones that work with Siri really struck me recently when a family member purchased a smart lock without HomeKit. It “works with Alexa” but there’s little utility in that. It can be opened from the iPhone, but only when you launch the manufacturer’s app.

Again, this is not necessarily true. I can use the alarm dot com app on my phone or tablet, or I can speak with Alexa. I have never used a
manufacturer app to control anything in my house. Plus, I can automate everything based on time of day, status of the alarm system, my voice commands, geolocation, etc. For example, "Alexa, tell alarm dot com to sleep" sets my alarm to silent arm stay with no entry delay, turns off the lights in the house, closes the garage, locks all the exterior doors, and turns down the upstairs thermostat. Another example, I have the exterior door lights turn on at dusk and turn off at dawn, and I have certain interior lights come on 30 minutes before dusk and turn off at 11pm. No manufacturer apps required.

But once you overcome the learning curve, the benefits are way more consumer friendly if you use Apple products.

I fail to see what benefits there are to using the HomeKit app over the alarm dot com app, for example, and I live in an Apple household.

The last detail to consider is stability. Alexa support is really easy to deploy, but it’s also really easy to fall apart. I have a number of smart home accessories that are advertised to work with Alexa but simply don’t. They have “skills” that you can install, but they aren’t maintained and no one cares when they are broken. This has never happened with HomeKit for me, which is a difference in how support is implemented in the first place.

I don't have any issues with Alexa or the alarm dot com service. I also have a connected washer and dryer that work with Alexa, and those work fine as well. Fall apart? Never seen it.

Re: Twitter moves developer API change to August, third-party app future unclear

Ian — Wed, 16 May 2018 13:14:16 -0000

So Twitter dropped their aging macOS app without a replacement and now they are potentially crippling or eliminating fantastic third-party app options. I'm really curious why Twitter execs think this is a good path to take. I am but one person, I know, but unless something changes come August I suppose I won't be using Twitter any longer.

Perhaps that's not such a bad thing.

Re: Apple shares new HomePod details including gesture controls ahead of launch

Ian — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 09:39:39 -0000

Early reviews/previews are starting to show up (after the preorder has started, sadly enough) and it has been confirmed that multi-user account support is not available. There is no indication yet if that will ever happen, although I'd be surprised that isn't coming at some point. Still, the lack of info from Apple on this is concerning, especially given that Apple has indicated that AirPlay 2 and multi-speaker support is coming.

Re: Messages in iCloud is back in iOS 11.3 beta 1

Ian — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 13:25:29 -0000

I'm eager for one reason only: when I delete a conversation on one device, I want it deleted on all other devices. I tend to delete my conversations at the end of the day and it's a pain to do so on all of my devices and computers.

Re: Apple shares new HomePod details including gesture controls ahead of launch

Ian — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 12:56:12 -0000

That's what it's looking like based on an article I just read on MacRumors. There can be multiple users in the sense that anyone can ask the speaker questions via Siri, but there can only be one Apple Music account from which the speaker can stream music.

If this is how it works out, this is a huge miss considering the nature of the competition that's available today.

Re: Apple shares new HomePod details including gesture controls ahead of launch

Ian — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 12:34:36 -0000

Good point. I will just wait and see what happens between now and Friday.

Re: Apple shares new HomePod details including gesture controls ahead of launch

Ian — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 11:55:37 -0000

This is what I believe to be true but the conversation with Apple coupled with the lack of real detail has left me searching for reliable info. I'm eager to be on board, just trying to be informed before dropping $349 on a brand new device.

Re: Apple shares new HomePod details including gesture controls ahead of launch

Ian — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 11:33:15 -0000

Slow down, take a breath, and reread what I posted. Specifically focus on the part where I mentioned Apple support indicated that a Bluetooth connection to an iPhone is required for operation.

There's no need to get so worked up.

Re: Apple shares new HomePod details including gesture controls ahead of launch

Ian — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 11:17:29 -0000

Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with it supporting Bluetooth for those that want to use it that way. I just don't want it to require Bluetooth to work, rendering it an expensive Bluetooth speaker. My vision is that I plug in the HomePod and can control it via Siri without it needing a live connection to my phone. I expect it to use wifi to connect to Apple's services. Right now, however, I have no confirmation one way or the other from Apple as to how it will work.

Re: Apple shares new HomePod details including gesture controls ahead of launch

Ian — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 11:14:58 -0000

The HomePod most certainly does support Bluetooth. It supports Bluetooth 5.0 per the specs.

Re: Apple shares new HomePod details including gesture controls ahead of launch

Ian — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 11:04:24 -0000

That is certainly an option, but I'm not sure if at $349 I feel like being a guinea pig.

Re: Apple shares new HomePod details including gesture controls ahead of launch

Ian — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 10:22:25 -0000

It is certainly possible that the HomePod will require a Bluetooth connection to an iPhone to work, but given the existing devices in this space that don't require such a connection (as far as I understand it), I don't expect this to be the case. Of course, right now the lack of info (or existing bad info) means that we are left to make guesses.

Re: Apple shares new HomePod details including gesture controls ahead of launch

Ian — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 10:10:42 -0000

I just want two questions answered before I pre-order:

1. Will it require my iPhone to be Bluetooth connected in order to work (as Apple Support says it will), or will it work independent of my iPhone?
2. Will it support multiple users so that I can control it and my wife can control it and we can both have access to our own Apple Music playlists and content?