An offshoot of the mobile device thread: what would you like your device to do???

[henners88]

I use my phone for calls 99% of the time, the other 1% is for text messages and if the wife bbm's me. Otherwise, its just a phone for me!!! My wife had to setup my phone for me when I got it as it was about to meet the wall when it wanted to update and download a million things before it would work! All I wanted was to switch it on and make a couple of calls Maybe I'm just the worlds oldest 36 year old

I have a solution that will help you put the baby to sleep while saving your battery power...a shot of whiskey with the milk and viola...baby sleeping

I have to admit you do sound a little old fashioned 555
My parents are in their mid 60's and both have iPads and iPhones lol. They don't tend to use them as much as I'd like for actually talking on though. Hence why they hardly ever answer when I ring or respond to texts!

[555-04Q2]

I use my phone for calls 99% of the time, the other 1% is for text messages and if the wife bbm's me. Otherwise, its just a phone for me!!! My wife had to setup my phone for me when I got it as it was about to meet the wall when it wanted to update and download a million things before it would work! All I wanted was to switch it on and make a couple of calls Maybe I'm just the worlds oldest 36 year old

I have a solution that will help you put the baby to sleep while saving your battery power...a shot of whiskey with the milk and viola...baby sleeping

I have to admit you do sound a little old fashioned 555
My parents are in their mid 60's and both have iPads and iPhones lol. They don't tend to use them as much as I'd like for actually talking on though. Hence why they hardly ever answer when I ring or respond to texts!

I prefer to think of myself as perfectly normal. It's the rest of you that are weird

[henners88]

[quote=555-04Q2]

I use my phone for calls 99% of the time, the other 1% is for text messages and if the wife bbm's me. Otherwise, its just a phone for me!!! My wife had to setup my phone for me when I got it as it was about to meet the wall when it wanted to update and download a million things before it would work! All I wanted was to switch it on and make a couple of calls Maybe I'm just the worlds oldest 36 year old

I have a solution that will help you put the baby to sleep while saving your battery power...a shot of whiskey with the milk and viola...baby sleeping

I have to admit you do sound a little old fashioned 555
My parents are in their mid 60's and both have iPads and iPhones lol. They don't tend to use them as much as I'd like for actually talking on though. Hence why they hardly ever answer when I ring or respond to texts!

I prefer to think of myself as perfectly normal. It's the rest of you that are weird [/quote:3153xwt7]
It could be that too lol

[555-04Q2]

[Jag_Warrior]

All I want my phone to do is do what it was designed to do, make and receive calls, period! Now with these new phones they have so much crap on them it takes 5 days to boot them up when you get them, then they suck your battery dead, then they want you to update at every Wi-Fi spot etc etc. Oh for the days of old when a phone was a phone and virgins were plentiful

Actually, this is why I have not moved to a "smartphone" yet. I basically just use my phone to make and receive calls (I'm a talker, not a texter). Maybe once or twice a month I have to respond to a text. But most who know me know that I don't generally respond to texts, so people still call me. For other things that require a mobile device, I use my iPod Touch - and even it's three years old now. But I have access to (free) Wi-Fi everywhere I need it, so why get a phone which requires a paid data plan to get the exact same things?

Clearly, I'm not an early adopter. Only once a device can provide me with what I really want or need will I purchase it. But having said all that, it seems that by next year, the next version of iOS (and maybe some others too) may be about where I need it to be. My old Motorola will be 11 years old by then, so I can't hold out much longer. But I do believe that the next generation of smartphones will have the ability to perform more advanced scheduling and location-based tasks, without me having to sit and program it to do each and every little thing. We'll see though. And I am purchasing an iPad Mini with Retina display as soon as the supplies loosen up - don't know yet if I'll just get the Wi-Fi version or the one with cellular connectivity.

[henners88]

One advantage of a smart phone is having access to this forum. It's very rare I sit in front of a computer and log in here. It's almost always done on my phone through tapatalk. If it wasn't for smartphones, I'd simply forget

[Jag_Warrior]

Hands-on: ivee Sleek brings Siri-like voice control to the connected home
http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/...onnected-home-
Friday, January 10, 2014

Interactive Voice introduced a novel device at CES called ivee Sleek, an Internet-connected, voice-activated virtual assistant that can not only process requests on-board, but control other "smart home" devices like the Nest Learning Thermostat or Philips' Hue lighting system.

At its most basic level, ivee can be thought of as a stripped-down version of Siri built for the home. Unlike Apple's virtual assistant, however, ivee Sleek can reach out to internet-connected devices around the house and change their settings by invoking preprogrammed commands.

To activate the unit, users simply say, "Hello ivee," or press the physical button on the device. From there, a number of commands or requests can be asked, such as changing the color of a Hue lightbulb or modifying temperature controls on a Nest thermostat. For example, saying, "Change temperature to 72 degrees," will elicit the response, "Ok, the temperature is set to 72."

Out of the box, ivee is compatible with Staples Connect, Belkin WeMo devices, Hue, Nest, Fitbit's Wi-Fi scale and the Iris home monitoring system. Additional support is coming for door locks like Lockitron and Goji.

Ivee is also a clock radio that can change stations, play music from external sources and produce "sleep sounds." On-board tasks include checking stock market data, weather reports and other Internet-based assets. A USB port and AUX input round out ivee's connectivity options.

After five years of development and a successful Kickstarter round, the ivee Sleek is now being sold at Staples for $199.99.

For those without smart home products, ivee is introducing two other models in the $60 Flex and $40 Digit. The Flex recognizes 30 voice commands like requests for date, time and temperature, while the Digit can handle 20. Both lack Wi-Fi connectivity and therefore cannot interact with other devices.

[Bagwan]

Here's a word from the paranoid Luddite community :
I was listening to the radio the other day and heard that there are devices coming out of Asia that can "hear" the signal of your key fobs locking your cars as you leave them in the parking lot to go shopping .
As you disappear into the mall , they can rifle through your possessions at will , or , take the car itself .

This brings me to wonder what a thief could access if they had they same thoughts about my house .

So , if my "house elf" system could tell the furnace to let the place cool down if I was heading away from it , would it tell the thieves , with a little GPS magic , how long they had to find the bottom of my sock drawer ?

It's all feels like it could turn into an inadvertant "open door" policy .

[BleAivano]

Bagwan, these are legitimate questions but imo a strong encryption (pretty much like your WLAN) would prevent
any unauthorized from eavesdropping on your network. I use WPA2 personal for my WLAN.
My passkey is a 69 character long (mixed upper and lower case + numbers) which take some
659 trigintillion years to crack with existing technology.

Sure if you had a quantum computer it'll go allot faster but quantum computers does not exist (at least not officially) and
it wouldn't be something that anyone would walk around with in their pockets.

[Bagwan]

Bagwan, these are legitimate questions but imo a strong encryption (pretty much like your WLAN) would prevent
any unauthorized from eavesdropping on your network. I use WPA2 personal for my WLAN.
My passkey is a 69 character long (mixed upper and lower case + numbers) which take some
659 trigintillion years to crack with existing technology.

Sure if you had a quantum computer it'll go allot faster but quantum computers does not exist (at least not officially) and
it wouldn't be something that anyone would walk around with in their pockets.

Boy , I know how to kill a thread , don't I ?
Sorry , Jag .

It was the first thing that came to mind as you opened the premise of what your computer could do for you .
What your computer could do TO you , in the wrong hands , is kinda scary .

As for your comments , Ble , I would give you an old hippie saying in "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you." .
If they can't get in through the encrypted door , they'll find another way in .
But , that's why there are companies out there making those doors even harder to enter , as it is , and will always be a race to find the key once the lock is built .
If the door gets thicker , then a bigger battering ram is invented .

Cause and effect .
Supply and demand .


All that said , I do like the idea of the house warming to my arrival , but , with a programmable thermostat , and a little more order to my life , I would almost have that already .